Our Weekly Picks: August 10-16

Pub date August 9, 2011

WEDNESDAY 10

MUSIC

Outdoorsmen

Seeking some pissed-as-shit garage rock from San Francisco? Eschewing the contemporary lyrical idiom of pizzas, fun, and friends, the band Outdoorsmen has more in common with early GG Allin (minus the racism, sexism, and other things about the baddest of rock ‘n’ roll’s bad boys that were generally inexcusable, no matter how good he was otherwise) than the Seeds or 13th Floor Elevators. If you want the raging fury of punk run through too many pedals and spat out in songs like “Summer of Hate” and “Decapitated,” these cats are here to save you from the paisley wave of vintage rock wannabes. Get angry! (Cooper Berkmoyer)

With San Francisco Water Cooler

9 p.m., $6

Hemlock Tavern

1131 Polk, SF

(415) 923-0923

www.hemlocktavern.com

 

MUSIC

Breakestra

I’ve never quite been able to wrap my head around L.A. band Breakestra. With a tendency to change members and labels as frequently as it switches from one break beat to another, the expectation is inconsistency. But instead, its collective effort manages to reach a level of esteem that puts them somewhere between other encyclopedic genre bands like the Roots and the Dap-Kings (or to go back further, the J.B.’s), reliably grooving across funk, hip-hop, and soul. Its last album, 2009’s Dusk Till Dawn, saw the band resurrecting the feel of a Norman Whitfield-era Temptations track one moment, only to later lay down a proper beat for Chali 2na. (Ryan Prendiville)

With California Honeydrops

9 p.m., $15

Brick and Mortar Music Hall

1710 Mission, SF

(415) 800-8782

www.brickandmortarmusic.com

 

FRIDAY 12

COMEDY

Dave Attell

Often regarded as the epitome of a “comedian’s comedian” while paying his dues in the New York City stand-up circuit, Dave Attell finally caught his well-earned break in 2001 with the debut of Insomniac, his late night reality show on Comedy Central. His blunt and unabashed style, blue-collar looks, and approachability made him the perfect comic to maneuver the run-ins with all the drunks and freaks on that show, and those same qualities translate to his live performances. As a former writer for Saturday Night Live and contributor to The Daily Show, Attell’s credentials run deep, and his balance of the lewd and the incredibly clever has helped make him one of the best and most-respected comics around. (Landon Moblad)

Fri/12-Sat/13, 8 and 10:15 p.m., $35

Cobb’s Comedy Club

915 Columbus, SF

(415) 928-4320

www.cobbscomedyclub.com

 

MUSIC

Sadies

Comprised of guitarists Dallas and Travis Good (who are also brothers), drummer Mike Belitsky, and bassist Sean Dean, the Sadies have recorded and toured with everyone from John Doe and Neko Case to Andre Williams and Heavy Trash — all for very good reason. The Canadian rockers seamlessly incorporate country, surf, rockabilly, garage rock, and more into their musical foundation, creating a wide sonic pallet to work with. The band shines just as brightly on its own as in its collaborations, as was the case with its latest excellent release, 2010’s Darker Circles — so expect nothing short of an amazing live set tonight. (Sean McCourt)

With Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

9 p.m., $17

Great American Music Hall

859 O’Farrell, SF

(415) 885-0750

www.gamh.com

 

MUSIC

Javelin

Though you may hear descriptors like electro and hip-hop bandied about to describe Javelin’s music, neither really captures the wide-eyed charm of the group’s eccentric cut-and-paste style. Originally from Providence, RI but now rooted in New York City, the duo is comprised of two cousins who are just as intrigued by MPCs and old, dusty vinyl samples as they are by homemade instruments and beat-up toy keyboards. No Mas, Javelin’s 2010 debut, showed off its ability to filter lo-fi psychedelia, playful electronica, and fractured R&B into a perfectly balanced, collage-style mix of live and electronic sounds. Its follow-up, Candy Canyon, is a 24-minute exercise in cowboy folk and spaghetti Western scores. (Moblad)

With Siriusmo, Pictureplane, Krystal Klear, Vin Sol, and Charles McCloud

10 p.m., $15

103 Harriet, SF

(415) 264-1015

www.1015.com/onezerothree

 

MUSIC

Trainwreck Riders

What do you get when you cross the epic guitar work of stadium rock and the audacity of punk with the drunken swagger of country? A trainwreck? Trainwreck Riders actually. This San Francisco four-piece will have you stumbling along in commiseration and drifting into rock heaven with its boozy lullabies, but that’s only half the equation. As genuinely beautiful and sad as Trainwreck Riders can be (just check out their single “Christmas Time Blues” — goddamn) it’s just as apt to slam you back to earth with leaden shredding and headbanging goodness. Sing along and dance or just let the melodies carry you away. Trainwreck Riders will make a fan of you yet. (Berkmoyer)

With Pine Hill Haints, Mahgeetah, and Pops

8:30 p.m., $12

Café Du Nord

2170 Market, SF

(415) 861-5016

www.cafedunord.com

 

MUSIC

DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown a.k.a. Erykah Badu

Following a live performance at Outside Lands, Erykah Badu — the reigning queen of whatever genre she’s in — will be donning her DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown persona at Mezzanine. Whether you catch the soulful singer, who’s reportedly working on material with Flying Lotus, following Big Boi at the festival, or just the DJ set, she’ll be keeping the party going for the Ankh Marketing (the people behind Rock the Bells and plenty of Bay Area hip-hop) seventh anniversary celebration. Ankh has delivered on their events — the last time they brought the Roots’ Questlove for a set (which they’ll repeat Saturday at Public Works) Ghostface Killah popped on stage in the two o’clock hour. (Prendiville)

With D-Sharp

9 p.m. Doors, $25 Advance

Mezzanine

444 Jessie, SF

(415) 625-8880

www.mezzaninesf.com

 

SATURDAY 13

MUSIC

Inciters

Although it hails from Santa Cruz, the band known as Inciters sounds as though it could have come straight out of England circa the late 1960s, steeped in the rich sound and traditions of Northern Soul, albeit with an energy and attitude all its own. Currently recording its next album, the 11-piece outfit has been rocking stages both locally and internationally since 1995, and tonight finds it both performing an opening slot and also acting as the backing band for genre favorite Dean Parrish, known for 1960s hits like “I’m On My Way.” (McCourt)

With Champions, Soul Fox, Shawn and Miss T, and Mattie Valentine

9 p.m., $8

Rockit Room

406 Clement, SF

www.rock-it-room.com

 

VISUAL ART

“Scab-Free”

Is there anything more fun than a scab? Pick, pick, pick. The tension between patience and raw fulfillment makes them better than blackheads, dandruff, and ingrown hairs combined. And while blood streams through the gutters to the Bay from the tatted-up flesh of everyone from your barista to rock stars to your aunt, before the scabs and permanent skin art came the sketches and paintings. As the co-owners of Black Heart Tattoo, Scott Sylvia, Tim Lehi, and Jeff Rassier are globally renowned knights with tattoo-machine swords, swivel-stool steeds, and holy grails of pigments. Their canvases, and those of five other Black Heart dudes, may not bleed, but they’ll surely inspire your next inky scab. (Kat Renz)

Through Sept. 3

Opening reception tonight, 7 p.m.-midnight, free

Space Gallery

1141 Polk, SF

(415) 377-3325

www.spacegallerysf.com

 

FILM

Jaws

Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week wrapped up August 5. As a floundering nation collapses into Great White Withdrawl Syndrome, Bay Area residents can feed (-ing frenzy) their obsession with bloody, toothy good times at Film Night in the Park’s screening of 1975’s Jaws. One of the first-ever summer blockbusters, Steven Spielberg’s seaside classic actually doesn’t feature much fishy footage, thanks to a cranky mechanical shark that taught all involved a valuable lesson about stories actually being scarier when you don’t reveal too much of the monster. But since Discovery just served up plenty of savage shark porn (Top Five Eaten Alive!), bundle up and enjoy Jaws‘ human standouts: Roy Scheider as the sheriff trying to cope with the deadly waters off his beaches; Richard Dreyfuss as the nerdy ichthyologist; Robert Shaw as the crusty shaaak hunter; and composer John Williams, who spun epic menace from a few simple notes and created one of cinema’s most recognizable themes in the process. (Cheryl Eddy)

8 p.m., donations accepted

Dolores Park

19th St. at Dolores, SF

(415) 272-2756

www.filmnight.org

 

MUSIC

“Incest Fest”

Incest is really bad if you’re a cheetah — one of the fastest species on Earth is nearly extinct because of its shrinking gene pool. Luckily, the Bay Area metal scene is not the African savannah. Here, such cozy relations are less about genetic mutations and all about a healthy synergy. Our local slaying skills are legendary throughout the headbanging realm, and Incest Fest is searing testimony: a dozen musicians composing five bands: Orb of Confusion (last show! CD release!), Hazzard’s Cure, Floating Goat, Owl, and Hellship. The night’s not only celebrating diverse permutations of heaviness; it’s also the birthday of one of the triple-duty guitarists. Buy the man a drink! And cheers to cheetahs, too. (Renz)

10 p.m., $5

Bender’s Bar and Grill

806 South Van Ness, SF

(415) 824-1800

www.bendersbar.com


TUESDAY 16

MUSIC

Heavy Hawaii

Heavy Hawaii aren’t really that heavy. Actually, they aren’t heavy at all. They are very “Hawaii.” What the hell does that mean, you ask? These minimalist weirdoes from San Diego tap into the same dream state that the islands and their beaches inspired in the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean and a whole generation of vacation-going Americans. It’s surf-pop for a new generation, one reared on shoegaze and surrealism. The classic pop vocals are there, and catchy melodies abound, but the instrumentation is an exercise in simplicity and unsettling strangeness that will leave you swaying like kelp in a creepy underwater forest. (Berkmoyer)

With Bleached and Plateaus 9 p.m., $7

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk, SF

(415) 923-0923

www.hemlocktavern.com

 

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