A bicycle can be a radical way to rethink the world around you – and The Community Spoke! in Jamaica Plain puts that sentiment under a microscope.

The Community Spoke! is a free community-oriented bike workshop, located in a backyard in Jamaica Plain, behind a collective house where many activists live.

“It’s a good collaborative space,” says Dora Cacioppo, a 28-year-old Allston resident. By day, Dora works at a pharmaceutical company in Cambridge. But most of her free time is spent volunteering at the Spoke. “The people who live in this house are down with same principles that we’re down with.”

The Spoke -- which has open hours on Tuesdays from 6-9pm, when anyone can stop by to borrow tools, meet with volunteer mechanics, and learn about bike repair – is collectively run and radically minded space. As I wander around the garage, one . . .

Burger Records is both a shop and a label based out of Fullerton, CA. Last month while in California, I went on a real wild quest to visit their retail location. I was staying in Orange County with some friends, so it took us about two hours to get there. When we finally got to the store, I was surprised to find that it is hidden away amongst nondescript, strip-mall style terrain. This was a surprise to me, because I thought it would be flashier, and in a crowded area. But there it was, tucked away and unassuming.

The label has been around since 2007 and the shop opened in 2009. It has, especially over the last few years, gained a lot of popularity, known for being a fun-loving, down-to-earth label with releases mainly in the surf, garage, and powerpop styles. The folks at Burger are good at connecting with their followers and maintain an active and popular social media presence that . . .