Our Weekly Picks: July 18-24

Pub date July 17, 2012

WEDNESDAY 18

Waters

Former Port O’Brien band leader Van Pierzalowski founded Waters on the shores of Norway, New York, California, and Alaska. He’s now touring with his new Norwegian bandmates, for their album Out in the Light, and will open for Nada Surf in cities across US this summer, with a final stop in Oslo, Norway. Port O’Brien’s ragged edges and nautically inspired lyrics can still be found in this new project, but its debut album is receiving critical acclaim for its grungier sound, and for Pierzalowski’s decision to stretch out his vocals, reaching new heights. Check out standout track “Take Us Out to the Coast” and get ready to rock. (Shauna C. Keddy)

With Tijuana Panthers, Chasms, Churches

7:30pm, $12

Brick and Mortar Music Hall

1710 Mission, SF

(415) 800-8782

www.brickandmortarmusic.com

 

The Bouncing Souls

These New Jersey punks have been inciting fist pumping and circle pits for over 20 years, and they celebrated this milestone by self-releasing their ninth studio album Comet this week. The Bouncing Souls have been important players in the punk scene for years, pioneering the lighter side of the genre and hitting the road for seven Warped Tours. Their relentless touring has earned the Souls a dedicated, cross-generational following, from ’90s diehards to the teens who discovered them last summer. There’s nothing complex, nuanced, or hip about a Bouncing Souls song, but that’s what makes these party-punk anthems so accessible. Leave your thinking caps at home and get ready to rage. (Haley Zaremba)

With the Menzingers, Luther

8pm, $21

Slim’s

333 11th St, SF

(415) 255-0333

www.slimspresents.com

 

THURSDAY 19

Roy Davies

As founder, key songwriter, singer and guitarist for legendary British Invasion innovators the Kinks, Ray Davies penned classics such as “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of The Night,” “Lola,” and many more. His latest release, last year’s See My Friends featured a who’s who of legendary musical guests including Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams, Alex Chilton, and Billy Corgan, all performing with the icon on re-interpretations of his most famous tunes. Fans won’t want to miss the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer when he plays a relatively intimate show at the equally historic Fillmore here in San Francisco. (Sean McCourt)

With The 88

8pm, $50

Fillmore

1805 Geary, SF

(415) 371-5500

www.thefillmore.com

 

Beachwood Sparks

Many may recognize the warm and fuzzy sounds of Beachwood Sparks’ cover of Sade’s “By Your Side” from the indie-hit film Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. Fans who have checked out their music beyond the popular cover will know that country and indie-rock sounds more so define this band. Its new album, The Tarnished Gold, finds the group over a decade into its career delivering just the kind of LA-influenced summer jams that have made it such a beloved California act. The album achieves a sound of great ease, and is receiving praise from the likes of NPR, which applauded the band for its ability to create a seemingly effortless sound that transports listeners. Beachwood Sparks’ Americana and ’70 pop sounds may induce listeners into making daisy chains in grassy fields. (Keddy)

With Allah-Las, Sweet Chariot, DJ Britt Govea

7:30pm, $18

Independent

628 Divisadero, SF

(415) 771-1421

www.theindependentsf.com

 

Fountains of Wayne

After a 16-year career, Fountains of Wayne is still tragically unknown. Even the Grammy it nabbed in 2003 was a nod to its obscurity — the band, which had been together for seven years at that point, was given the award for Best New Artist. After the band’s five minutes of fame with the Grammy moment and its cheesetastic international chart-topping single “Stacey’s Mom,” it faded again into the background. Years later, these guys can still write some wickedly funny pop songs and they’ll leave you wondering why they never fully broke through. (Zaremba)

With Mike Viola

8pm, $26

Great American Music Hall

859 O’Farrell, SF

(415) 885-0750

www.slimspresents.com


FRIDAY 20

Friday Nights at the de Young: African Diaspora

This week’s installment of Friday Nights at the de Young treats us to traditional African Manding music in both song and dance, along with an art demonstration by artist-in-residence alum Ramekon O’Arwisters. Attendees can bring their own pieces of fabric to the event and should be ready to share a life story: the goal of O’Arwisters’ demonstration is to examine weaving through storytelling and crocheting, giving a taste of the African-American folk art and textile tradition. The packed Friday night lineup also includes “Love Letters,” a lecture by C. Derrick Jones, nephew of Harlem Renaissance pioneer Aaron Douglas. Jones’ aerial dance group Catch Me Bird is currently putting together a project called Off the Walls, based on the work of his uncle. (Keddy)

6pm, free

De Young Museum

15 Hagiwara Tea Garden, SF

(415) 750-3600

deyoung.famsf.org

 

“Steve Prefontaine Film Festival”

Local distance runners who’re about to start tapering for the San Francisco Marathon (July 29!) — and have already planned their Olympics viewing parties (go Shalane!) — will not want to miss Film Night in the Park’s “Steve Prefontaine Film Festival,” highlighting the awesome achievements of the Oregon legend. The record-breaking athlete, who helped popularize running in the 1970s (the fact that he was a babe, mustache and all, didn’t hurt), died at age 24 in a single-car accident — giving rise to the nickname “the James Dean of running” — but remains an inspiration for his intense dedication to the sport. The Pre double-feature includes Robert Towne’s 1998 Without Limits, starring Billy Crudup (not to be confused with 1997’s competing biopic Prefontaine, starring Jared Leto), and the 1995 documentary Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story. (Cheryl Eddy)

8pm, donations accepted

Creek Park

451 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo

www.filmnight.org

 

“PERSIAN LOOKING”

Maryam Rostami’s theatrical exploration of her Persian heritage has extended from deeply moving solo theater (last summer’s play-in-progress preview “Persepolis, Texas”) to hilariously relevant drag — not many performers can bring down the house with a number performed in a deconstructed burqa, using only eyebrows to “lip-sync.” Her latest ensemble piece, “PERSIAN LOOKING” is “specifically about the way that Middle Eastern women living in the West process the news that we hear about our sisters living in warzones back ‘home.” It’s paired with another cool-sounding examination of women in the contemporary world: Cara Rose DeFabio’s “She Was a Computer,” which uses language from obsolete computer manuals and the audience’s own cell phones, among other things, to look at how gadgetry and its social currency are passed down through female generations. (Marke B.)

8pm, $20

Also Sat/21, 8pm; Sun/22, 2pm and 8pm

CounterPulse

1310 Mission, SF

(415) 626-2060

www.counterpulse.org

 

Sam Bush

Multi-instrumentalist Sam Bush has been highly influential in the bluegrass and “newgrass” genres of Americana music, performing with artists such as Lyle Lovett, Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, and more, all while inspiring a world of fans with his excellent mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and guitar playing skills. Recently honored with the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award — quite a feat considering he only just turned 60 — Bush released his latest album Circles Around Me in 2009, and continues to thrive on stage, where he switches off instruments and energetically blends a host of sounds all into a joyous mix. (McCourt)

9pm, $26

Great American Music Hall

859 O’Farrell St., SF

(415) 885-0750

www.slimspresents.com


SATURDAY 21

Phono Del Sol Music and Food Festival

Out of the darkened beer-soaked clubs and into the dewy green park with you. The Phono Del Sol Music and Food Festival returns this weekend, and the price is still right. It’s just $7 to $10 max (unless you go VIP) for the pleasure of chilling in the grass with pals while rollicking locals Fresh & Onlys, sincere globe-trotters Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Santa Barbara synth-and-flute freaks Gardens & Villa fill the park with sweet music. Produced by the Bay Bridged blog, this year’s curated lineup also includes Vivian Girl Katy Goodman’s shimmery solo effort La Sera, along with Northern California bred acts such as Dominant Legs, Sea of Bees, and Mwahaha. Its bears mention that the food lineup also rocks, and nearly a dozen local food trucks will come roaring over the hill: munch on the spicy fusion of Kung Fu Tacos, Doc’s of the Bay, Kasa Indian, Voodoo Van, Frozen Kuhsterd, and more. (Emily Savage)

Noon-6pm. $7–$10.

Potrero Del Sol Park

25th Street at Utah, SF

www.phonodelsol.com

 

My Best Fiend

One of a handful of of rock bands on the esteemed Warp Records’ largely electronic roster, My Best Fiend cranks out pastoral ballads of human frailty that mutate slyly into psychedelic, space-bound epics. The Brooklyn outfit’s debut full-length, In Ghostlike Fading, emanates a distinctly ’70s vibe, recalling the heady propulsion of Pink Floyd’s looser, slower jams; the stoned disillusionment of David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name; the sun-drenched melancholy of Neil Young’s Harvest. Not to be mistaken for a group of twentysomethings halfassedly replicating their parents’ record collections, My Best Fiend sets its tunnel vision on a specific time and place in rock music, channeling it poignantly, respectfully, ecstatically. (Taylor Kaplan)

With White Cloud

9pm, $10

Brick & Mortar Music Hall

1710 Mission, SF

(415) 800-8782

www.brickandmortarmusic.com

 

Sonny and the Sunsets

San Francisco native Sonny Smith likes to keep himself busy. This summer saw the release of his band’s third album in as many years. Before that he was was occupied with his “100 Albums” project, in which Smith collaborated with visual artists to invent 100 different album covers by 100 fake bands as well as a single off each of the faux records, which he wrote and recorded with the help of other Bay Area artists such as Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer. Longtime Companion, his latest (real) effort, is not as grandiose or harebrained as some of Smith’s other creations, but its simple Americana charm is just as stunning. (Zaremba)

With Wet Illustrated, Pink Films, Cool Ghouls

9pm, $15

Independent

628 Divisadero, SF

(415) 771-1421

www.theindependentsf.com


TUESDAY 24

Ava Luna

Reminiscent of TV On the Radio in its thorny, postmodernist treatment of soul, punk, and R&B, and the Dirty Projectors, with their anything-goes vocal dynamics, Ava Luna’s sound is in a constant state of flux, too busy searching and experimenting to settle into a comfortable groove. Remarkably dense, brimming with tension, and jumping wildly between musical languages, the Brooklyn band’s newly released debut LP, Ice Level, bears the audacity of a group with a much longer resume. In an age of too many laptop shows, and rock bands resorting to predictable schtick, this dynamic seven-piece ought to deliver a richly stimulating, thrillingly unstable performance. (Kaplan)

With That Ghost, Youngman Grand

9pm, $10

Bottom of the Hill

1233 17th St., SF

(415) 621-4455

www.bottomofthehill.com

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