WEDNESDAY 9/25
Big Book Sale
Over the span of five days this last week of September, as the late summer wind whips up, kids return to academic routines, and Bay Area citizens head indoors for more sedentary pursuits, the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library will host its 49th Annual Big Book Sale. If the selection of over 500,000 books of every genre, as well as audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and other media does not entice enough, know that a hardcover Stephen King won’t cost more than $3, while the DVD for 1999’s Fight Club will put you back $1. Come early as a member to avoid frantic book squabbling, or late Sunday when every item costs a buck. Daily clues posted on the Friends’ Facebook and Twitter pages will lead down aisles, searching for hidden prizes including restaurant gift certificates, along with symphony, ballet, and opera tickets. All proceeds go to the SF Public Library literacy programs. (Kaylen Baker)
10am-6pm, free
Festival Pavilion Fort Mason
Two Marina, SF
(415) 626-7500
THURDAY 9/26
BODYTRAFFIC
There is a tradition in modern dance in which every choreographer aspires to have a company dedicated to his or her own work. Sort of like a symphony orchestra only doing Brahms and a theater company running with Moliere. That might be fun, but it can run thin. That’s not what Lillian Rose Barveito and Tina Finkelman Berkett had in mind when they founded BODYTRAFFIC in LA a few years back. It’s a big world out there, so they look for the best, the brightest, and the biggest concept-shakers. Barak Marshall, (And at midnight, the green bride floated through the village square), Kyle Abraham (Kollide), and Richard Siegel (O2Joy) have something of a name hereabouts, but what we know of their work is pretty bare bones, so these three Bay Area premieres should put some meat on the skeletons. (Rita Felciano)
Through Sat/28, 8pm; Sun/29, 7pm, $20–$25
ODC/Theater
3153 17th St, SF
(415) 863-9834
THURDAY 9/26
Memories to Light
Take advantage of the Asian Art Museum’s final Thursday evening discounted admission and take in snapshots of culture and history through the amateur lens. Memories to Light is a home-movie archiving and digitizing initiative that was launched by the Center for Asian American Media earlier this year. CAAM executive director and film historian Stephen Gong presents highlights from its collection of home-movies. Enjoy an hour of drinks and music from DJ Deeandroid before delving into lost histories through the eyes of those who lived them. The program includes a screening of Mark Decena’s film The War Inside, an intimate look at his own family’s home movies. (Kirstie Haruta)
5pm, $5
Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin, SF
(415) 581-3500
THURDAY 9/26
Cannibal Apocalypse
The Vortex Room wraps up its monthlong tribute to Antonio Margheriti, aka “Anthony M. Dawson” — late, staggeringly prolific Italian genre master — with a double feature that aptly illustrates the filmmaker’s complete willingness to embrace what others might dismiss as kinda trashy. (Their loss.) First up: 1976’s Killer Fish (elevator pitch: “Jaws-with-piranhas!”), followed by 1980’s Cannibal Apocalypse, probably the least-known among that era’s cannibal-film explosion. Sure, 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust features real violence against animals, and 1981’s Cannibal Ferox has the immortal alternate title of Make Them Die Slowly. But only Apocalypse stars B-movie king John Saxon — and features a shopping-mall rampage and a disco-tastic score. (Cheryl Eddy)
Killer Fish, 9pm; Cannibal Apocalypse, 11pm, $10
Vortex Room
1082 Howard, SF
Facebook: The Vortex Room
THURDAY 9/26
“Salute to Steinhart” NightLife
While the California Academy of Sciences is often at the forefront of exploration — and always looking ahead to the future of discovery — tonight it looks back, at the history of its own iconic institution. The Academy is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the original Steinhart Aquarium with a roaring ’20s themed party. As part of the weekly NightLife series, this “Salute to Steinhart” will offer guests the chance to sip on old-fashioned cocktails, learn how to swing dance, check out rare items, and hear stories from the archives, all to the sounds of retro-record spinning from DJ Tanoa. (Sean McCourt)
6-10pm, $10–$12
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse, SF
(415) 379-8000
THURDAY 9/26
Mods vs Rockers
In the battle between mods and rockers, only one can win. Just kidding, there are no clear-cut victors, only a diversity of genres in this week’s edition of Mods vs Rockers, where San Francisco’s very own surfy ’60s-like beat music band the Ogres are throwing down the gauntlet for the good old USA and battling the Fadeaways, a garage-punk outfit from Japan. Both bands seem to be in the business of coordinating outfits (the Ogres wear matching fuzzy vests, while the Fadeaways are often clad in striped shirts), but bring different musical styles to the table — just as the aforementioned event suggests! Cruise over on your Vespa scooter like the mod you are and attend a night of hip-shaking, rebel-rousing fun. (Erin Dage)
With DJ Russell Quan, DJ Ryan Ericksen
9pm, $5–$7
Amnesia
853 Valencia, SF
(415) 970-0012
FRIDAY 9/27
Roller Disco Party
SF IndieFest’s annual benefit rolls on over to the Women’s Building this year, where Black Rock Roller Disco will provide groovy tunes for a night of skating fun. Costumes are highly encouraged, and disco attire will get you in the door for half price. Roll up in your own skates or support the California Outdoor Roller Sports Association by renting skates at the party. Admission proceeds benefit the 15th SF Independent Film Festival, so get your groove on and feel good about every penny you spend! Attendees must be 21 or older. (Haruta)
8pm, $10
Women’s Building
3543 18th St, SF
(415) 431-1180
SATURDAY 9/28
Perverts Put Out! Frisky Folsom Fling
Since the late ’90s, Perverts Put Out! has delivered raunchy, riotous readings and spoken word by and for the queer and kinky. In the spirit of the Folsom Street Fair, Simon Sheppard and Dr. Carol Queen of the Center for Sex and Culture will host a special Folsom-eve performance, featuring such great perverted minds as Jen Cross, Greta Christina, Steven Schwartz, horehound stillpoint, Naamen Tilahun, and Xan West. PPO! is a fun and accessible show to benefit the CSC, and an exciting warm-up before a day of leather and lust. (Haruta)
8pm, $10–$25
Center for Sex & Culture
1349 Mission, SF
(415) 902-2071
SATURDAY 9/28
Phosphorescent
Brooklyn (by way of Alabama and Georgia) folk rock act Phosphorescent — which is the moniker of singer-songwriter Matthew Houck — challenges its fans to not sit idly by enjoying the music. Instead, its imagery-heavy lyrics, ragged vocal harmonies, and heart-wrenching steel guitar riffs urge the listener to contemplate life. Houck’s sound implores one to rediscover pain, fear, and happiness, and to find a beauty in all of these emotions. “Mama there’s wolves in the house/mama they won’t let me out […] bury their paws in the stone/make for my heart as their home,” moans Houck in “Wolves,” with a deep agony, as if he were small animal wounded by a more terrifying creature. Phosphorescent released sixth album Muchacho this past March, and is currently on an international tour. The next stop is SF, and I suggest you catch the show. Actually, I challenge you. (Hillary Smith)
With Indians
9pm, $21.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000
SATURDAY 9/28
Teenage Bottlerocket and the Queers
Joey Ramone? Dead. Dee Dee Ramone? Definitely dead. Johnny Ramone? So dead. Pop-punk that takes more than a couple pages out of the Ramones’ catchy, three-chord song book? Not so dead. That being said, most of the guys from the Ramones are dead, but its musical style lives on in many bands today such as pop-punk mainstays Teenage Bottlerocket and the Queers. Co-headlining a show at Bottom of the Hill, both bands have a lengthy catalog of snotty pop-punk anthems and cheesy love songs that are undeniably catchy. Also on the bill are Midwest pop-punks the Copyrights, who released an album of rarities and b-sides called Shit’s Fucked on It’s Alive Records earlier this year. (Dage)
9:30pm, $15
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St, SF
(415) 626-4455
SUNDAY 9/29
2013 Anime Festival
Green spiked hair, gold glittering rapiers, socked flip-flops, cat ears, leopard heads, puffy party dresses, and very wide eyes amass at Japantown’s Peace Plaza for this year’s Anime Festival. Any fan can enter the costume contest (by contacting tak@japanvideo.com) and come dressed as their favorite bishonen (alluringly beautiful young boy), kemonomimi (human with animal features), gothloli (a gothic, porcelain doll-like girl) or futanari (a feminine hermaphrodite), hoping to score the cash prize. Honoring J-Pop and K-Pop performance art, dancers TI@ MI, Angel Hearts, Animeyu, and Star Brown will work their moves, Mari Watanabe will croon, and the SF Kendo Dojo will wow the crowd with martial arts. (Baker)
Noon-4pm, free
Japantown Peace Plaza
1610 Geary, SF
(415) 440-1171
japancentersf.com/events
SUNDAY 9/29
Jake Bugg
The year 2012 was a big one for Jake Bugg. At age 18, he could finally vote, enlist in the army, buy things over the telephone…and he had the No. 1 album in the UK. The Nottingham native has been writing songs on his acoustic guitar since age 12. Now, at the ripe old age of 19, Bugg is working on another album and is coming across the pond to share his thoughtful, catchy folk tunes with the colonies. Bugg has been called a new Bob Dylan, which may be a bit of a stretch (there can only be one) but the fact that the comparison has been made at all speaks volumes about his extraordinary talent. Plus, he’s feuding with One Direction. Two thumbs up. (Haley Zaremba)
With honeyhoney
8pm, $15
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000
TUESDAY 10/1
The Del Lords
Founded back in 1982 by Scott Kempner of the Dictators, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel of the Blackhearts, and Frank Funaro, who later played with Cracker, the Del Lords mixed back-to-basics roots rock with a punk edge and independent sensibility. After they split in 1990, band members went on to a variety of other projects. After reuniting for a series of shows in Spain in 2010, the Del Lords are back with their first new record in more than 20 years, Elvis Club, picking up right where they left off, with infectious tunes such as “When The Drugs Kick In,” “Chicks, Man,” and “Me And the Lord Blues.” (McCourt)
8pm, $12–$15
Hotel Utah
500 Fourth St, SF
(415) 546-6300