Hosted by Oakland music enthusiast Pam Torno, every episode of Select Five features a special guest talking about five songs and why they matter. Subscribe to the podcast now and get to know artists, music makers, filmmakers, community builders and other creatives from the Bay Area and beyond through the music they love.
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From busking in the BART stations to playing big music festivals, The California Honeydrops have come a really long way. Meet the Honeydrops' drummer and co-founder, Ben Malament, and hear him talk about some of his earliest musical inspirations while growing up in L.A. before forming the band. Ben's Selections: "Clash City Rockers" - The Clash (1978) "Simmer Down" - The Wailers (1963) "El…
What kind of music motivates Daniel Handler (otherwise known as children's book author Lemony Snicket) to write bestsellers? In our first episode of 2026, the novelist behind A Series of Unfortunate Events talks about his fondness for obscure movie soundtrack cues, classical music, and songs that provide space for the imagination. Daniel's Selections: "Petition Montage" - David Newman (Heathers…
Our annual end-of-year post-mortem episode is here, and boy do we have feelings about this past year! Hear Kate, Pam, and Brian try to make sense of life in 2025 with their singular song selections. Plus, we talk about Bay happenings that gave us hope, and in honor of Select Five's fifth anniversary, we shout out some of the amazing things our past guests have accomplished this year. Select Five…
Decadent menu + DJ booth = house dinner party vibes every night of the week at Side A, San Francisco's hottest hi-fi bistro. In our latest episode we talk to Side A co-owner Caroline Brown about her transformation from music industry maven to restauranteur, how she still makes time for her own vinyl DJ gigs, and five songs that feed her soul. Caroline's Selections: Prince - 17 Days (Piano & A…
The multi-talented MicahTron is a rapper, producer, writer and DJ who has performed around the globe. But she still stays grounded in the Bay Area LGBTQ+ community and uses her superpowers to amplify queer voices. In this episode, Micah highlights five of her favorite queer artists of the moment, while reflecting on her own journey as a queer hip-hop performer born and raised in San Francisco.…
Meet Zully Adler, the Director of Further Triennial, the founder of Goaty Tapes, and a longtime curator and historian of modern art and music. A consummate digger, Zully is known for unearthing rare musical gems on cassettes he finds in flea markets, garage sales, thrift stores and other odd corners of Northern California. In this episode, he pieces together the story of the Lost Coast's…
This summer we took a little break from our normal routine to hit the music books! In this episode, Pam, Brian, and Kate reconvene to report back on their summer reading and whether these stories are worth your time. Our Summer Book Selections: The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond by Chris Blackwell I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine by Daniel Levitin The Upcycled Self: A…
Jordan Kurland is a partner in Noise Pop Industries and the co-founder and partner of Brilliant Corners Artist Management. As a band manager, Jordan works with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service, Toro y Moi, The New Pornographers, Perfume Genius, and Soccer Mommy. So he’s played a huge role in ushering in some of the biggest indie rock acts of the day, but he’s also an obsessive…
Cats may dominate his life, but Adam Myatt -- aka The Catman of West Oakland -- is also a working audio engineer and a longtime musician who somehow makes time for it all. Meowzers, it's a lot! In this special episode, we visit the Catman in his personal studio and mixing space, Hand Me Down Recording, to find out about his wild journey to becoming the Bay Area's most famous cat rescuer, how his…
It’s not often that you get to meet your favorite musicians—unless you’re Walter Thompson. Walter is a San Francisco-based tech journalist, writer, and the host/creator of the Fund/Build/Scale podcast. He’s also had the good fortune to have met many music stars throughout his life. In this episode Walter talks us through five songs that bring to mind his most interesting encounters, and along the…
