Danielle Helena

The Utah presents

Friday, March 21, 2025      

8pm $25 adv $30 door 21+              

Hotel Utah Saloon           

500 4th St San Francisco, CA             

Full Bar & Restaurant                 

Make it cocktails, dinner and a show at The Utah!

THE BLACK EXCELLENCE BAND 

is a Hip Hop Quartet from Oakland, Ca consisting of group members: CLEAN (Hip Hop Artist) JAYLA (Drummer) ASHLEY (Keyboard Player) and KEVIN (Violinist). The music they perform is deeply centered around themes of freedom, love, independence, social justice, black pride and liberation. As a group they have played close to100 shows, across three tours since 2018. The purpose of their music is not only to provide entertainment and a good time to the audience, but to also cause their listeners to become more aware of world topics and to provide new perspectives and ideas through the stories told in each song. The band is now more than ever dedicated to using their platform and influence to create a better world through not only music but also by collaborating with other groups and organizations who continue to fight for human rights and social justice.Through the Power 100 we plan to fight these battles with music, community activism and finances. If you want to help make a change but don't know where to start, start with us. Become a member of The Power 100 or become an ally with your organization and feel the strength of a small community built around impact and purpose and be apart of changing the world!

"All Power To The People"

theblackexcellenceband.com

facebook.com/TheBlackExcellenceBand

instagram.com/theblackexcellenceband

DANIELLE HELENA

Oakland-based singer/songwriter Danielle Helena has been creating music and performing all her life. As a child of 90's R&B and her parents' "oldies" collection, her sound is the lovechild of many genres--the heart of it is soul, and there is always a rhythm with an essence of blues. She tries to not let the idea of genre influence her writing, but the song structure often follows a pop music format. Some tunes are reminiscent of Dionne Farris or Des'ree, but she would tell you her favorites are Sade and Amel Larrieux. Tracks from her debut album, Like Sunrise (2016), have over 500,000 streams and 39,000 downloads worldwide, and she has created a community of supporters by selling homemade products at shows and online to raise money for creating and recording. After a recent Humans of New York feature, she now has a beautiful community of over 20,000 followers on Instagram, and is currently gearing up to record her next EP with her band. 

“American singer Danielle Helena breathes life into her music, spreading the love with her sultry voice and pouring her heart & soul into her beautiful RnB sound. ”

— Jamendo Music

danielle-helena.com facebook.com/DanielleHelenaMusic

Are you looking for ways to do more with less? Baking soda is that homegirl who always has your back. And before you come for me, soda ends with an “a,” so, yes, homeGIRL is accurate. But in all seriousness, you should always keep your girl on deck for the many uses below. Some I swear by, some I’ve tried a few times, and some I’ve only read about, but here are 12 uses to convince you to keep baking soda producers in business in no particular order:

SOOTHE A BUG BITE - mosquitos and spiders love to treat us like we don’t belong outside when we do…but if you ever need to soothe a bug bite, mix baking soda and water to make a paste and apply directly to the bite for relief (works on rashes too but do not apply to broken skin).

ALCOHOL-FREE MOUTHWASH - mix a little baking soda and water to create a rinse that can freshen your breath and prevent gum disease. You can add a drop or two of clove essential oil or peppermint diluted with fractionated coconut oil for an extra boost (but please don’t swallow essential oils).

DIY ALKA-SELZTER - make your own alkaline water solution to combat acid reflux and heartburn - dissolve a 1/4 teaspoon in a glass of water and squeeze and drop some lemon wedges in it. Drink as needed, and don’t get your hopes up. This tastes disgusting, but the store-bought version is baking soda, citric acid, and aspirin…and you don’t need the aspirin.

DIAPER RASH RELIEF - if your mini is dealing with diaper rash, add a little baking soda to your baby’s bath water. Baking soda has anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe irritation and calm itching.

TREAT FOOT FUNGUS - you can soak your feet in a baking soda/water solution to prevent foot odors and toenail fungus. Baking soda creates an alkaline environment where fungi and bacteria can’t survive.

CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES - although you may find it too drying for more delicate bristles, you can mix baking soda and water to clean hair brushes, combs, and makeup brushes. A baking soda solution will remove oils and build-up, but be sure to thoroughly rinse it out to avoid any baking soda residue.

DIY TOOTHPASTE - This one has benefits and drawbacks, so you can only do this sporadically when other options aren’t available. Some benefits include teeth whitening, plaque removal (because of its abrasive nature), acid neutralization, and mild antibacterial properties. Baking soda is suitable for cleaning many things, but it doesn’t prevent cavities, and the taste is not as pleasant as traditional toothpaste. However, you will find baking soda in many toothpaste and toothtab formulas as a supplement to other vital ingredients that improve tooth and gum health.

DIY SILVER CLEANER - Clean your jewelry and tarnished silverware… make a paste and wipe with a cloth (not paper towels), then rinse. For those who like working smarter and not harder, the last time I did this, I lined a glass pan with aluminum foil, put in a bunch of vintage silverware, and topped it off with hot water and baking soda. It works, and here’s why: there is free-flowing sulfur in the air, and when it comes into contact with silver, they combine to become silver sulfide. So when we say something is tarnished, it usually suggests a build-up of silver sulfide. Aluminum foil is highly reactive and is happy to donate electrons wherever possible—especially if heat is involved. So what does that mean? When we mix heat, aluminum foil, silver sulfide, and a baking soda solution, we end up with tarnished aluminum foil and clean silver. The sulfur leaves the silver and transfers to the aluminum foil…because…chemistry. Ta-da bitches.

DEODORIZER - You probably do this already, but leave some baking soda in the back of your fridge to absorb weird odors. You can leave a full opened box, or if you buy baking soda in bulk, just put some in a repurposed glass jar. I recommend switching it out every 2-3 months (or sooner if it stops working). Baking soda can also deodorize cat litter, trash cans, shoes, carpets, upholstery, and mattresses (sprinkle…let sit, then vacuum it up).

HOUSEHOLD CLEANER - I use baking soda to clean many household surfaces… including the bathroom sink, tub, and toilet… baking soda alone with a wet cloth does the trick, but for stubborn stains, add course salt (to aid in scrubbing) and a little soap. Baking soda and salt also work well on pans with caked-on grease, plastic containers with food stains, and ovens.

PRODUCE CLEANER - grab a bowl, soak your produce in water with a generous sprinkle of baking soda, and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub any visible dirt and rinse (I do this with vinegar and water, too).

LAUNDRY BOOSTER - I added baking soda to my homemade laundry detergent to brighten whites and colors and soften clothes. You can also wash baby clothes by throwing 1 cup of baking soda in the washing machine for a gentle clean.

Nurture something. Water it. Watch it grow. Watch it low-key die after a missed watering, and fill your heart with joy when you successfully nurse it back to life. Let it teach you patience. Let it soothe your soul. And as with all life, it may die on your watch, but recognize the beauty in feeling loss and learning to let go of it. Plants keep me sane, I guess. 

Humans are supposed to spend the majority of their days outside in nature. Our urban dwellings are far from the habitats of our ancestors, so to solve the problem, bring as many plants into your home as you can keep alive. If you were blessed with the outdoor space, plant something outside and report back with the joy you feel watching the seeds sprout. It’s like making a baby without the labor pains or financial commitments.

Just plant the seed—figuratively and literally. However, as someone who spends at least 10 minutes a day in my garden regularly planting seeds and battling pests, planting the figurative seeds is more challenging. Starting new journeys is easier written (or said) than accomplished. Letting something brew underground for weeks (or months) before breaking ground and reaching sunlight takes patience. And what if we rot before we ever see the sun?

I’m writing this with the hope that we all plant more seeds…or adopt seedlings from our neighbors. If that means it’s time for you to level up your plant-parent skills, then I wish you the most fruitful gardening season. But if you interpret this post figuratively, I hope your new journey guides you to your highest vibration of self and makes the world a better place for us all.

JUST ADDED! I’m opening for Clean on tour with The Black Excellence Band! Join us this Friday for live music and love. Doors at 6pm, show starts at 7:30pm

As an avid TikTok watcher while folding my laundry, washing dishes, and prepping meals, I was severely heartbroken when TikTok went dark. My free entertainment and education were gone. My beautiful community of strangers was suddenly taken away. And even though it is back up and running at the time of my writing this, a part of it died, and we may not get it back. It feels like when your car gets stolen or broken into…even if it survives; it is tainted a bit. If you know, you know.

So, instead of turning to the Meta platforms or my TV, I immediately downloaded Xiaohongshu, a Chinese version of Pinterest or Instagram with a video section. I swear their video algorithm already knew who I was and immediately fed me the gardening, cooking, and DIY content I love. And something magical happened in the comment sections of these videos. Us TikTok refugees entered a space foreign to most and were welcomed with open arms and Mandarin lessons. We exchanged information about our day-to-day lives, like the cost of living, our healthcare system, and our overall quality of life. We saw the humanity in each other and learned that location and language are the only things keeping us disconnected. And with a translate button quickly solving the language barrier, we are now globally connected through an algorithm based on shared interests. It is pretty amazing for everyday people. It is quite dangerous for the billionaires.

Keeping us divided and dependent on their paycheck is the billionaires’ method of distracting us while they rob us all blind. And there are billions of us and less than 3000 of them. I’m not the voice of a revolution, but we need to be more upset. These same billionaires have lobbied governments worldwide to get away with selling cheap, harmful products while pricing out any competition and stealing from smaller brands that lack the financial resources to fight back. They have poisoned our air, our water, and our soil so that they can line their pockets to afford private jets and super yachts. And they’ve even gone as far as removing our reproductive rights so that women are forced to birth more workers (or prison laborers). They’ve purchased our media, so we aren’t allowed to speak ill of them on their networks. And they’ve invested in artificial intelligence because they wanted more slaves.

“All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us.” - MJ

I believe you can be an ethical millionaire because I know plenty of them. But an ethical billionaire does not exist. They stole from somebody. And I wish the millionaires would realize many of them are closer to the poverty line than they are to the billionaires, but I digress…


Through our beautiful cultural exchange on Xiaohongshu, we learned that we are all brothers and sisters. We enjoy similar things, and we have similar wants and needs. Our governments have a complicated relationship, but that has nothing to do with our bond with each other as fellow humans. The East has so much to teach the West if we are willing to learn. I know I am. I’ve already started looking up recipes incorporating Traditional Chinese Medicine and ways to move or massage my body to promote blood flow, improve energy levels, and balance hormones.

Want to know the best advice I’ve ever received? I was sitting on my stoop in Harlem one day when a friend of a friend passed by and stopped for a spliff and a brief chat—the magical NYC summer afternoons of fairytales. I no longer live there, but it was definitely a time… Regardless, this gentle human dropped the best knowledge for all creatives willing to hear it and process it to the fullest extent.

“Create a space,” he uttered. And I received that shit like a birthday gift.

I don’t fully remember what day this information came my way, but I know I was hyper-intentional about the spaces I created every day after it. Maybe it’s because I’m a Cancer sun, Venus, and Mercury, but the energy of my home and the spaces I create within is critical to my sanity and creativity. I can’t start cooking in a dirty kitchen, I can’t bartend behind a dirty bar, and I for sure can’t create in a messy environment.

For some, a pile of dirty clothes and a few misplaced toys may be a source of inspiration to create. For me, it’s a distraction. It’s as if the pile of clothes and the wayward toys are screaming, “Help!” (in the most obnoxious voice ever that I can’t ignore).

But what does it mean to create a space? It is a pretty broad statement, but I find that artists, in particular, should be very conscious of this concept. So, I’ve come up with a few bullet points to help you get started so you, too, can feel confident creating intentional spaces that help you reach your goals as a creative.

STEP 1: pick a physical space. Are you going to create at home? If so, what section of your home? Near a window? Because natural light is essential. If this is a space outside the home, make sure it is a place where you feel safe and comfortable.

STEP 2: list your expectations for this space, and thoroughly define your values and intentions. What will you do in this space? Do you have what you need to accomplish that goal?

STEP 3: execute. Create the space. Place things within that space that inspire the art you wish to create. Acquire the necessary tools for your success. Remove the things (or people) that could potentially hold you back.

STEP 4: Now that you have created a space, it’s time to make the art. No excuses…not even time—because at the end of the day, we make time for what we want to make time for.

When I say, “create a space,” this space can be a physical place or a mental one. That depends on the art you plan to create. For example, if you want to become a chef, make your home kitchen your first restaurant. If you want to fall in love, heal the parts of your mind that have been more resistant to companionship in the past. Grieve how you need to. Let go of what does not serve your new mindset. Adopt new ideas and use optimism, the power of manifestation, and a little delusion to help bring those ideas to fruition.

Let’s be real for a second, though. That shit is easier said than done, and if you are anything like me, you are stuck at step 4 and still using time as an excuse. But to my loves embarking on step 1, you have so many great ideas ahead of you! I look forward to being inspired by the art you will ultimately create and I wish you the best for your journey ahead. I hope it is made with hella love.

I’m delighted to be bringing my keyboard over to College Ave. to play some originals and covers for the neighborhood. Come, stroll, shop, and stop by…

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Grandpa Alex!