WEDNESDAY 16
Fourth Annual Spring Book Sale
Got a spare couple of bucks? Stock up on a year’s worth of reading! Fort Mason Center and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library are hosting one of the city’s largest book sales this week. Some 250,000 books ranging from classic prose to contemporary reads can be purchased for just a few bucks: $3 hard-covers, $2 paperbacks, and $1 DVDs, CDs, and books on tape. Dig through thousands of new and used books and you’ll find some truly awesome treasures. Imagine the wise words of Tolstoy, poignant social commentary of Austen, and lively stories by Twain, all under one roof. Surely you can scavenge for a copy of the Twilight series too, if that’s your thing. (Laura B. Childs)
Through April 20, 10am-6pm, free
Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion
2 Marina Blvd., SF
(415) 345 7500
THURSDAY 17
The 1975
It’s not often that high school bands make it much further than senior prom, but the four members of The 1975 met when they were just hitting puberty. Ten years later, the British foursome released its self-titled album that debuted at the top of the UK Albums Chart — ahead of Nine Inch Nails’ comeback album nonetheless. The band struggled for years to find a label that understood its unique sound and identity. Self-proclaimed fans of ’80s pop and experimental music, The 1975 combines musical influences spanning several generations, resulting in an alternative rock sound with honeyed vocals, synth-pop beats, and gritty lyrics about modern youth. (Childs)
8pm, $25
The Fillmore
1805 Geary Blvd., SF
(415) 346 6000
‘Sorcerer’
William Friedkin’s thriller Sorcerer (1977) is a classic example of a movie that was sneered at upon its release — it had a troubled production with a runaway budget, and the bad fortune to open opposite eternal crowd-pleaser Star Wars — but is now considered a bona fide cult classic. This Georges Arnaud adaptation (previously tapped by Henri-Georges Clouzot for 1953’s The Wages of Fear) follows a group of reckless ne’er-do-wells (including 1970s icon Roy Scheider) as they truck nitroglycerine across perilous South American backroads. Here’s your chance to catch it on the Castro’s huge screen in digitally-remastered form — and yep, that includes Tangerine Dream’s memorable score. (Cheryl Eddy)
7pm, $11
Castro Theatre
429 Castro, SF
Queens of the Stone Age
This isn’t exactly a great moment for straight-up hard rock, so it’s a particularly good time for a fresh flurry of activity from Palm Desert’s finest. Like Clockwork, QOTSA’s first new disc since 2007 — a period marked by one former member’s death and leader Josh Homme’s near-miss after a botched operation, among other things — has been considered one of their best, coming complete with contributions from frequent collaborators Dave Grohl and Mark Lanegan, as well as guests including Trent Reznor and the unlikely Elton John. Who knows who might show up for this latest tour, which features yet another new incarnation of the core band lineup. For stylistic and gender contrast, trance-ier LA psych-rock quartet Warpaint open. (Dennis Harvey)
7:30pm, $45
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
99 Grove, SF
(415) 974-4060
www.billgrahamcivicauditorium.com
FRIDAY 18
An Evening With Bob Saget
Alamo Square’s famous Painted Ladies may be the most well-known Full House relic San Francisco has to offer, but for one magical evening, they might just be upstaged — by the unpredictable, sleazy, somehow both repellent and strangely alluring comedic stylings of Danny Tanner himself, aka Bob Saget. It’s been years since the comedian shed his family-friendly veneer, so if you haven’t seen him since he was narrating stupid pet tricks on America’s Funniest Home Videos, don’t expect too many heartwarming, PG-rated anecdotes — a point he apparently delights in driving home: The book he’s promoting on this tour is called Dirty Daddy: The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian. Nothing like adults-only night at the JCC. (Emma Silvers)
7pm, $25-$35
JCC of San Francisco
3200 California St, SF
Tankcrimes Brainsqueeze
How’s your head, hesher? Finally recovered from October 2010 and the first Tankcrimes Brainsqueeze? Get ready to sacrifice your skull yet again, for Oakland’s Tankcrimes Records is back with another round of mind-melting (the press release actually says “face-raping”) music. And since this weekend includes the High Holy Day of 4/20, anything can and will happen — and you won’t remember any of it. Tonight and tomorrow at the Oakland Metro, bands include Ghoul, Cannabis Corpse, and Final Conflict (Fri/18), and Municipal Waste, Negative Approach, and Fucked Up (Sat/19). Sun/20, head to Eli’s Mile High Club for a show headlined by the almighty Brainoil. Nice knowing ya! (Cheryl Eddy)
7pm, $24
Oakland Metro
630 Third St, Oakl.
SATURDAY 19
UnderCover Presents: Graceland
Nearly three decades after its release, there’s no denying the influence of Paul Simon’s most widely-loved album, a work that brought the sounds of South Africa to audiences around the world — and influence is what UnderCover is all about. For the past five years, the collective has been curating ambitious shows in which local musicians celebrate a classic album by re-interpreting, arranging, and performing it live — one song per artist — in a showcase of some of the Bay Area’s best talent. This rendition, featuring a diverse lineup of John Vanderslice, Diana Gameros, Afrofunk Experience, DRMS, Bill Baird, the Pacific Boychoir, and many others, got Paul Simon fans almost too excited: Its debut weekend, at the JCC, sold out, so organizers added tonight’s East Bay encore. Lucky for you. (Emma Silvers)
7pm, $26
Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison St, Berk.
(510) 644-2020
RAWdance
You lose some, you gain some. With RAWdance relocating the 15th incarnation of their Concept series, the dancers don’t have to worry about hitting their head on the ceiling, or knocking over a viewer in a misjudged stride. Audience members, for their part, may no longer have to move the chairs for different seating arrangements but then with RAWdance you never know. The change to Joe Goode’s Annex allows for aerial dancing, a popular discipline in these parts, and you may even find a parking space. Performing this time will be Flyaway Productions, Christian Burns, Risa Jaroslow & Dancers, Erik Wagner / Crawl Space, Lindsey Renee Derry / L I n s d a n s, and RAWdance. Most importantly, the free popcorn will still be on the menu. (Rita Felciano)
April 18, 8pm; April 19, 3pm and 8pm, pay what you can
Joe Goode Annex
401 Alabama St, SF
(415) 686-0728
SUNDAY 20
Liberating Legacies
Pillars of the queer community Celeste Chan and KB Boyce bring their latest Queer Rebels production, Liberating Legacies, to a free, all ages platform. It’s easy to praise popular media for its increase in queer representation, but queer and trans people of color are still often absent from the arts and entertainment that is most accessible. As ever, Queer Rebels are striving to shine the spotlight on those underrepresented artists and stories. Liberating Legacies will feature performers young and old, locally and internationally known, with a variety of talents including music, poetry, film and more. From globally known blues singer Earl Thomas, to Bay Area favorites and Queer Rebels alumni Jezebel Delilah X, Joshua Merchant, and Star Amerasu, Liberating Legacies stands to be a powerful gathering of talent. (Kirstie Haruta)
2pm, free
San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin, SF
(415) 581-3500
Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics 40th Anniversary Party
Forty years ago, two poets founded The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics as part of Chögyam Tungpa Ribpoche’s 100-year experiment. Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman envisioned a school dedicated to cultivating an innovative and contemplative approach to literary writing. The Jack Kerouac School is part of the Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, and the school’s name and curriculum pay tribute to the iconic novelist and poet best known as the face of the Beat Generation. So of course City Lights is throwing a party for the experimental college’s 40th birthday! The independent bookstore will host an evening of readings by JKS faculty and other special guests.
5pm, free
City Lights Bookstore
261 Columbus, SF
(415) 362 8193
MONDAY 21
David Crosby
If you missed rock icon David Crosby’s February shows at Great American Music Hall, don’t worry — he did too. Touring in support of Croz, his first solo album in more than 20 years, Crosby suffered tour-interruptus: emergency cardiac catheterization on Feb. 14. Crosby’s bona fides include founding membership in the Byrds and, of course, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, both gigs earned him entry to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His medical resume is also packed: liver transplant (1994, paid for by Phil Collins), alcohol and drug addictions, and type 2 diabetes, in addition to his recent “life-saving” heart procedures. But the legendary 72-year-old singer seems to have more lives than an alley full of cats. Back on the road, Crosby has said, “It seems I am once again a very lucky man.” (Kyle Patrick O’Brien)
8pm, $60
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell St, SF
(415) 885-0750
The Men
Calling all people who read Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 and loved it: The Men are coming to San Francisco. Playing alongside ’80s SST worshippers Gun Outfit and sludgy rockers CCR Headcleaner, the band is unquestionably influenced by the likes of Meat Puppets and Husker Du at times. But as The Men have progressed more in recent years, they have become a quintessential rock band, taking nods to Neil Young and Big Star (the cover of their latest album, Tomorrow’s Hits, even appears to be an homage to Alex Chilton’s most widely known band). That said, if you would like to see if the spirit of aggressive indie rock is alive and well — this is the event for you. (Erin Dage)
With Gun Outfit, CCR Headcleaner
8pm, $12 Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
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