Huzzah!
THURDAY 10/10
“Calacas: Day of the Dead”
This is the first year Creativity Explored — which guides artists with developmental disabilities — has taken on Day of the Dead, and if the colorful images (depicting, mainly, an array of bejeweled, multicolored, dressed-up, and carefully detailed skull and skeleton sculptures) released ahead of the exhibit are any indication, it won’t be the last. Swing by tonight for the opening reception, or visit anytime during gallery hours through late November to admire a diverse slate of works by over 20 studio artists. (Cheryl Eddy)
Through Nov 24
Opening reception tonight, 7pm, free
Creativity Explored Gallery
3245 16th St, SF
THURDAY 10/10
Frameline Encore: The New Black
The complexities of the struggle for equality come to light in The New Black, a documentary that shows both the advocacy for and opposition to recent marriage equality movements by the African-American community. Winner of the Frameline37 AT&T Audience Award for Best Documentary, The New Black is returning to the Roxie Theater as a part of Frameline Encore’s free queer film series. Come in and enjoy the documentary, and perhaps even chat with filmmaker Yoruba Richen, who is expected to be in attendance. (Kirstie Haruta)
7pm, free
Roxie Theater
3117 16th St, SF
(415) 431-3611
THURDAY 10/10
Stereo with Le1f
Albany Bowl plays the same mix every Wednesday night. Somewhere between Calvin Harris with Rihanna and the Biebs, a familiar saxblat beat begins. “I love this song,” I tell my friends, before realizing I’ve been fooled again: It’s not actually the playfully sinister “Wut” by motormouthed rapper Le1f, but a popular knockoff. I should just get used to it. Because while some people will know what it is/what is up, there’s also that larger contingent that is painfully oblivious to basic shit. (Some stores exist that sell used clothes for less money?) Catch Le1f — who just released his Tree House mixtape — with fellow Tumblr spawn, including “Wut” producer Matrixxman, at this 3D visual (first 100 people get glasses) and arcade themed dance party. (Ryan Prendiville)
With Lakutis and WolfBitch
9pm, $15 presale
Mighty
119 Utah, SF
(415) 762-0151
FRIDAY 10/11
“Imagining Time, Gathering Memory: Día de Los Muertos 2013 Opening Celebration”
SOMArts opens its 2013 Día de Los Muertos exhibition with an evening of live music and interactive performance, and the unveiling of over 30 altars and art installations. Curated by René and Rio Yañez, the exhibition is a display of works inspired by memories that honor life and the lives of loved ones no longer with us. With this theme in mind, the exhibit has been dedicated to those who have been affected by cancer, which has become the No. 1 cause of death of Latinos. Artists were also asked to keep in mind recent national tragedies and local issues that have touched their lives while creating their works. Join in to celebrate your own memories and honor the lives of your loved ones. (Haruta)
Through Nov. 9
Opening reception tonight, 6pm, $7–$10
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan, SF
(415) 863-1414
FRIDAY 10/11
Arab Film Festival
The 17th Arab Film Festival begins its California tour tonight at the Castro Theatre before shifting to the Opera Plaza Sat/13-Sun/14, then meandering to Los Angeles, Berkeley, and San Diego over the next several weeks. At press time, organizers were still shaking out the specifics of the schedule, but opening night is locked in: Annemarie Jacir’s When I Saw You, which picked up the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) award at the 2012 Berlinale. It’s the Jordan-set tale of Palestinian refugees, including an 11-year-old boy and his mother, struggling to make their way in a new country after the 1967 war. (Eddy)
7:30pm, $15–$40
Castro Theatre
429 Castro, SF
FRIDAY 10/11
A Rite
PBS’ The News Hour closes its Friday shows with headshots of the soldiers who died recently in Iraq or Afghanistan. Many of them were just so unbearably young. Looking at those faces gives you an inkling of why Bill T. Jones and Ann Bogart did not choose a virgin girl but a soldier as a sacrificial victim for their rethinking of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The two collaborators didn’t have to look far to see that innocents are still being slaughtered, supposedly for the “common good.” Calling their work A Rite, and making free use of Stravinsky’s score, they set it on six actors of Bogart’s SITI Company and nine dancers of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. For the purpose of this show, they call themselves “dactors.” (Rita Felciano)
Through Sat/12, 8pm; Sun/13, 3pm, $35–$40
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and SITI Company
Lam Research Theater at YBCA
701 Mission, SF
415-978.ARTS
FRIDAY 10/11
Mortified
Why is it that our teen years — insert a faded class portrait with braces and acne, mixtapes slipped into Bobby-from-math-class’s locker, and Prom Night (aka Wrong Night) — leave behind indelible scar tissue? This month’s Mortified, a live comedy-musical show where adults explore the most embarrassing moments of their formative years, features love letters, diary entries, and angst-filled poems on getting the guy in 10 days, a kid’s trip out of the closet with guru Liza Minelli, a temporary pathological liar and his gullible Jewish parents, and a girl’s stab at erotica. Borrowing words from the audience, freestyle hip-hop/improv crew the Freeze will add laughter to the tears with musical interludes. (Kaylen Baker)
7:30pm, $21
DNA Lounge
375 Eleventh St, SF
(415) 626-1409
SATURDAY 10/12
Alternative Press Expo
A Bay Area institution that stands out even more in the absence of still-wayward WonderCon, APE is focused on independent and self-published comics, with all the comic-con trappings — an exhibit hall with creators and publishers hawking their goods, workshops for aspiring professionals, and even a “Comic Creator Connection” networking event. Programs include a 10th-anniversary discussion of SF’s Cartoon Art Museum, a talk among comic-creator couples, and a panel on queer cartoonists. Special guests include Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead), Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin (Bandette), Anders Nilsen (Big Questions), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama), Diane Noomin (DiDi Glitz), Bay Area publishing legend Ron Turner (Last Gasp), and APE founder Dan Vado (SLG Publishing). (Sam Stander)
Sat/12, 11am-7pm; Sun/13, 11am-6pm, $10–$20
Concourse Exhibition Center
835 Eighth St, San Francisco
comic-con.org/ape
SATURDAY 10/12
Chocolate 101 with Dandelion Chocolate
For the past 3 million years, the cacao plant has thrived in the cool, dewy mountains of Central America, cultivated by Mesoamerican peoples to make a bubbling, dirt-bitter beverage representing power, desire, and sanctity. Dandelion Chocolates will teach a workshop on the methods of grinding beans on a metate, and mixing ingredients to re-create this ancient hot chocolate, right inside the Mesoamerican cloud forest at the SF Botanical Gardens. Only three decades old, this plant collection survives far from Central America by the grace of Karl, the bay’s infamous fog. After class, gardens curator and horticulture expert Dr. Don Mahoney will lead a tour through the forest, detailing the cultural impact of the plants on the inhabitants of Mesoamerica. (Baker)
11am, $30–$40
San Francisco Botanical Gardens
1199 Ninth Ave, SF
(415) 661-1316
SATURDAY 10/12
Play it Cool with Lovefingers
When I’m not taking my own advice, Derek Opperman’s list of top 5 parties over at SF Weekly is always my go-to for planning a night or weekend out. Likewise, if I miss a DJ that I wanted to see (or that I did see, but have no recollection), I always check out his “Lost in the Night” blog the morning after, for a more clear-headed account. It follows that I’m looking forward to hearing what Opperman and company bring to their Play it Cool parties. This inaugural event upstairs at Balançoire (formerly 12 Galaxies) features LA’s left-field disco head Andrew Hogge, aka Lovefingers aka half of the Stallions, the person behind E.S.P. Institute label and the beloved but now defunct lovefingers.org. (Prendiville)
9pm, $5 (free before 10)
Balançoire
2565 Mission, SF
(415) 920-0577
SUNDAY 10/13
King Khan and the Shrines
Huzzah! King Khan and the Shrines have finally recorded a new album! After six years of silence, these psychedelic soul-punk weirdos are back and showing their softer side with Idle No More. The new album is informed not by Khan’s typical crass humor and brash antics, but with a new sense of introspection. In the years he’s been gone, Khan has dealt with the tragedy of losing a few close friends and has coped by spending time in psych wards as well as Buddhist monasteries. As the next step of the healing process, Khan has returned to music, his original source of salvation. While his live show is not quite as insane (or nude) as it was in his youth (he’s now 36 years old) he’s still a helluva performer, and we couldn’t be happier to have him back in the spotlight. (Haley Zaremba)
With Hellshovel, Slipping Into Darkness
8pm, $16
Slim’s
333 11th St, SF
(415) 255-0333
TUESDAY 10/15
Quintron and Miss Pussycat’s Mystery in Old Bath
Miss Pussycat and Quintron have a reputation for putting on colorful, imaginative, and otherworldly musical performances on stage. With their latest puppet film, The Mystery in Old Bathbath, (featuring characters, Trixie and the Treetrunks) they delve deeper into a realm of wonder, but in a different medium. This 45-minute opus contains drama, high jinks, and handcrafted cuteness — and it has already garnered creative accolades in some high places. Greet Q&P in person at the Roxie as they’ll stick around for a Q&A after unveiling this all-puppet cast adventure, written and directed by the duo for our viewing pleasure. (Andre Torrez)
7:30pm $10
Roxie Theater
3117 16th St, SF
(415)863-1087