feb. 21
MUSIC
Donkeys
Oh, the ennui of rising success: tour with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone as both the opening act and Owen Ashworth’s backing band, make a record produced by Jason Quever of the Papercuts, accept the “genius” mantle bestowed by your hometown press. It can all get so very dull. But the Perrier has not gone to the heads of the Donkeys. This San Diego quartet’s paisley-bent tunes recall the lugubrious jangle of Dean Wareham’s twentysomethings, while singer-drummer Sam Sprague ably leads the band’s vocal harmonies. (Nathan Baker)
9 p.m., $6
Make-Out Room
3225 22nd St., SF
(415) 647-2888
www.makeoutroom.com
EVENT
“Voting Rights and the American Blackout”
Hanging chads and recounts may have overshadowed the issue of black disenfranchisement in Florida 2000, but by Ohio 2004, Congressperson Cynthia McKinney had had enough. McKinney will present and lead a discussion about the documentary American Blackout, which follows her career as an open critic of the Bush administration. Directed by Ian Inaba, Blackout features interviews with journalists, voters, and Congressional leaders regarding the roadblocks both literal and figurative faced by black voters in America. (Elaine Santore)
7 p.m., $15
Grand Lake Theater
3200 Grand, Oakl.
(415) 255-7296, ext. 253
www.globalexchange.org