Bars Archives — Page 4 of 37 — San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966

Going back to Cali

Michael Redmond

-

February 11, 2014

culture@sfbg.com

CHOW NOW

We finally have some gray skies, all the better to contrast the megawatt Technicolor interior of the new Loló (974 Valencia, SF. www.lolosf.com) location on Valencia. The larger digs, now sporting 65 seats, also boast two bars — mezcal lovers won’t want to miss the new nine-seat Agave Bar in the back.

Once you have a drink in your hand (like the Mezcal Mula, with pomegranate-infused tequila, mezcal, ginger beer, and bitters), start taking a closer look at the décor by Lorena Zertuche: Mmm-hmm, those really are men’s suit jackets stitched onto the back of a banquette, and yes, someone did in fact fold 1,000 origami boats for that wall. And no, you didn’t take acid about an hour ago. Then again, maybe you did.

I also love the leather belts stitched down the center of the bench seats, which are in fact pickup truck seats. Beep beep. Some new dishes on Jorge Martínez’s Jaliscan-Californian menu include Dungeness crab croquetas, oyster and pork chin confit sopes, and panko-encrusted avocado tacos. You have plenty of exploring to do. Hours are Mon–Thu 6pm–12am, and Fri–Sat 6pm–1am. Lunch and brunch service will launch in March.

Another opening in the Mission: Prubechu (2847 Mission, SF. www.facebook.com/prubechu) has taken over the former Roxy’s, highlighting traditional recipes from Guam, and of course there will be a California twist on a few dishes — like red rice with pork and broccolini, and golai hagan suni with spigarello, eggplant, sunchokes, turmeric, and coconut. Tue–Sat 5pm–10pm.

Green juice, beer and cheese or onion and potato piroshkis, tasty po’boys, cappuccino, garam masala spice, Beauty’s Bagels, some of the best damn carrot cake you’ve ever had … . The new Second Act Marketplace (1727 Haight, SF. www.secondactsf.com) has you covered. This warren of food stalls opened in the former Red Vic Movie House location, and now contains five individual businesses that are ready to feed and hydrate you. High Cotton Kitchen is the New Orleans-style lunch spot with Sightglass coffee, while Community Craft is a cooperative bakeshop consisting of nine bakers. And then there’s Anda Piroshki, RAW juice bar, and zesty goodies from Spice Hound. Extravaganza!

BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET

When was the last time you saw $1 organic coffee, or a chorizo burger for $8? There are some new folks in the kitchen of New Central Café (301 S. Van Ness, SF. 722-0601), and they want to make sure you’re well fed for $10 or less. You can also pick up a fresh-squeezed juice, and other healthy options, like the quesadilla California: a housemade tortilla stuffed with kale, butternut squash, sautéed onion, refried beans, fried sweet potato, and sour cream. Daily 7am–6pm.

Not far away, Rice Paper Scissors is now serving lunch Mon–Wed 11am–2pm at Brick and Mortar (1710 Mission, SF. www.ricepaperscissors.com). Look for pho, vegan curry, and more. Weekend brunch is coming soon.

Speaking of brunch, the next time you’re taking a Thursday off (way to hit it hard on a Wednesday night, you animal), you can now get your loco moco on at Namu Gaji (499 Dolores, SF. www.namusf.com) which has extended its brunch hours to Wed–Fri 11:30am–4pm and Sat–Sun 10:30am–4pm.

La Urbana (661 Divisadero, SF. www.laurbanasf.com) has a sweet taco Tuesday deal: every Tuesday in the Mercado (Urbana’s garage space next door), you can get two street-style tacos and a beer for $7; with a shot of house mezcal, it’s $10. Tasty trouble, that.

Have you ever had a Fryin’ Maiden or Notorious P.I.G.? If you’ve ordered the stoner comfort food from the Brass Knuckle (www.brassknucklesf.com) truck, then you should be familiar with chef Shellie Kitchen’s fun — and obviously music-inspired — menu. She just opened a brick-and-mortar location in the Tenderloin at 749 Larkin St., so you don’t need to chase the truck down when you want a Snoop Dog for lunch. Or Tots and the Maytals. Heh.

Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column; subscribe for more at www.tablehopper.com. Get her app: Tablehopper’s Top Late-Night Eats. On Twitter: @tablehopper.

Theater Listings: February 12 – 18, 2014

Michael Redmond

-

February 11, 2014

0

Stage listings are compiled by Guardian staff. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, and Nicole Gluckstern. Submit items for the listings at listings@sfbg.com.

THEATER

OPENING

Children Are Forever (All Sales are Final!) Stage Werx Theatre, 446 Valencia, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. $15. Previews Fri/14, 8pm. Opens Sat/15, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through March 22. W. Kamau Bell directs Julia Jackson in her solo show about adoption.

Napoli! ACT’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary, SF; www.act-sf.org. $10-120. Previews Wed/12-Sat/15 and Tue/18, 8pm (also Sat/15, 2pm); Sun/16, 7pm. Opens Feb 19, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 2pm; Tue, 7pm (March 4, show at 8pm). Through March 9. American Conservatory Theater performs a new translation of Eduardo de Filippo’s poignant Italian comedy.

BAY AREA

A Maze Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; www.justtheater.org. $20-25. Previews Fri/14-Sat/15, 8pm. Opens Sun/16, 5pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through March 9. Shotgun Players present Just Theater’s production of Rob Handel’s kaleidoscopic comedy.

The Music Man Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College, Berk; www.berkeleyplayhouse.org. $17-60. Previews Thu/13, 7pm and Sat/15, 1pm. Opens Sat/15, 6pm. Runs Fri and March 20, 7pm; Sat, 1 and 6pm; Sun, noon and 5pm. Through March 23. There’s trouble in River City! See it unfold amid all those trombones at Berkeley Playhouse.

ONGOING

Feisty Old Jew Marsh San Francisco Main Stage, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $25-100. Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (March 2, performance at 2pm; March 9, performance will be a reading of Charlie Varon’s Fish Sisters). Through March 16. Charlie Varon performs his latest solo show, a fictional comedy about “a 20th century man living in a 21st century city.”

Foodies! The Musical Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.foodiesthemusical.com. $32-34. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. AWAT Productions presents Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy revue all about food.

Hir Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Third Flr, SF; www.magictheatre.org. $20-60. Wed-Sat, 8pm (additional show Feb 19, 2:30pm); Sun, 2:30pm. Through Feb 23. Taylor Mac, creator of 2011’s five-hour six-director extravaganza The Lily’s Revenge, returns to the Magic Theater with a much more straightforward, if not exactly straight, family comedy-drama in two acts. An Iraq vet named Isaac (Ben Euphrat) returns to his childhood home from the war, where his job was picking up body parts. His now touchy stomach is set off right away by the disturbing changes that have taken place while he was away. For one thing, the place is a dump. His father (a toddling, half-vacant, half-wily Mark Anderson Philips) has had a stroke that has left him an overgrown infant in thrall to his mother, Paige (a honeyed but brassy Nancy Opel), now come into her own as a liberated woman whose badge of honor is a derelict household out of all usual (patriarchal) order and discipline — and whose manner is just a little like that of an open-minded, half-savvy drag queen. Still more troubling to Isaac is his sister Maxine, now Max (an animated and winning Jax Jackson), in the midst of transitioning via regular internet-purchased doses of testosterone. (Max insists on being addressed with gender-neutral, third-person pronouns ze, in place of she/he, and hir for him/her). Soon Isaac shores up his father’s position and mounts a counteroffensive to reclaim lost ground. An ideological turf war commences for control of the hearth and, by extension, the future of the family as an institution. Directed by Niegel Smith, the cast is competent but only intermittently effective at selling the high-octane comic premise. Jackson and Opel are the most consistent and persuasive. The play, meanwhile, has some good one-liners in addition to its intriguing premise, but gets mired in a broad and emotionally detached sitcom-like style, which can make the playwright’s more theme-oriented, expositional dialogue sound all the more jarring. Nevertheless, the play tackles a serious question: whether it is better to build on the flawed institutions one inherits and try to do better or scrap it all for something supposedly new. It has the good sense to refrain from an easy resolution of the socially and politically freighted dynamic it sets up, pointing a little vaguely to some third-way forward, outside the traditional family, in Max’s forestalled but anticipated flying of the coop. (Avila)

An Indian Summer Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy, SF; www.wehavemet.org. $20-40. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Through March 1. Multi Ethnic Theater presents local playwright Charles Johnson’s parable of race relations in the Deep South of the 1980s. On a small stage split into two alternating scenes by a moveable wall in director-designer Lewis Campbell’s set, two sets of working-class residents of rural Alabama, one white and one black, have their discrete worlds unexpectedly collide. Musician Charlie Ray (a less than convincing Kevin Wisney) is fresh from the pen and living with girlfriend Pearle (AJ Davenport). Plucking at his guitar, he dreams of getting some money to afford time in a recording studio. But his brother Bobby (Paul Rodriguez) has a way of talking him into sketchy schemes, which has Pearle worried, especially after a visit from the Sheriff (Richard Wenzel). For his part, Bobby is hoping to make some money to appease his pregnant wife, Sarah (Bree Swartwood), who wants Bobby to move her and their baby to Maine. Meanwhile, Junior (a forceful Bennie Lewis, alternating nights with Stuart Hall) is a feisty wheel-chair bound African American man living in a small trailer. Junior’s friend Emmitt (Fabian Herd, alternating with Vernon Medearis) tries to convince him he should put his money in a bank rather than keeping it in his trailer — especially now that Junior is selling his land for a tidy sum — but Junior doesn’t trust banks. Next, Junior gets a letter from a lawyer claiming half the profit from the land sale on behalf of a long lost, half-white relative — the offspring of an illicit romance between Junior’s father and a white woman, related to Pearle. The situation, of course, spells trouble. But while we see it coming, there’s meant to be pathos in the tangled connections among these parallel stories. Unfortunately, the artificial nature of the plot makes it hard to credit, while the desultory pace and uneven acting make the going harder still. (Avila)

Jerusalem San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post, SF; www.sfplayhouse.org. $20-100. Tue-Thu, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun/16, 2pm. Through March 8. SF Playhouse presents the West Coast premiere of English playwright Jez Butterworth’s West End and Broadway hit, a three-act revel led by a larger-than-life rebel, a stout boozed-up drug-dealer, habitual fabulist, and latter-day Digger of sorts named Johnny “Rooster” Byron (Brian Dykstra). The dominion of this Falstaffian giant is the English countryside outside his squalid trailer door, not far from Stonehenge, where he seems to incarnate a rather dissipated version of an ancient English independence, like one of the great mythical beings of rural lore. Aptly enough, it’s Saint George’s Day, the feast day of England’s national saint, but it’s not all a party this time around. Authorities have issued a final 24-hour eviction notice on Rooster’s tin door; there are luxury apartments in the works; and there’s concern in town about the underage teens who flock to Rooster like so many fledglings — one, in particular, has gone missing: Phaedra (Julia Belanoff), who we see at the very outset of the play donning a fairy costume and singing the title song, based on the Blake poem and England’s unofficial national anthem. The next 24 hours will be either the breaking point or the apotheosis for all Rooster has made himself out to be. In Butterworth’s big-eyed comedy, we are meant to feel a stake in this outcome whether we actually like Rooster or not — his independence, the scope of his life and vision, suggests the outer limit of possibility in an ever more disciplined and circumscribed world. Director Bill English (who also designed the impressive bucolic-trailer-park set) and his large cast (which includes a strong Ian Scott McGregor as longtime Rooster sidekick, Ginger) dive into the comedy with gusto. But somehow the drama, the larger stakes in the storyline, falls short. A certain requisite intensity and momentum are only fitfully achieved. Dykstra, as the expansive antihero, has the biggest burden here. And while he has an appealing swagger throughout, his wayward brogue and unconvincing bellicosity undercut the culmination of the play’s (admittedly somewhat overwrought) mythopoeic proportions. (Avila)

“The Love Edition: Love Bytes” Bindlestiff Studio, 185 Sixth St, SF; facebook.com/TheLoveEdition. $10-20. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 22. Bindlestiff performs six different tales about online dating, loneliness in the cyber age, Google stalking, and other modern-day matters of the heart.

Lovebirds Marsh San Francisco Studio, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 8:30pm. Through March 15. Theater artist and comedian Marga Gomez presents the world premiere of her 10th solo show, described as “a rollicking tale of incurable romantics.”

The Oy of Sex Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $20-100. Sat, 5pm. Extended through Feb 22. Comedian Alicia Dattner performs her solo show, based on her stories from her own life and love addiction.

The Paris Letter New Conservatory Theater Center, 25 Van Ness, SF; www.nctcsf.org. $25-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 23. New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Jon Robin Baitz’s tale of a Wall Street powerhouse desperately trying to keep his sexual identity a secret.

The Pornographer’s Daughter Z Below, 470 Florida, SF; www.zspace.org. $32. Thu/13-Sat/15, 8pm (also Sat/15, 10:30pm); Sun/16, 5pm. Liberty Bradford Mitchell was a good kid growing up, and a pretty innocent one — probably more than you would expect given her proximity to the family business, the veritable empire of porn founded and run by her father and uncle, San Francisco legends Artie and Jim Mitchell. Now in her 40s and a mother of her own, Mitchell proves a likeably earthy presence if a less-then-compelling actor-playwright in her new one-woman show, directed by Michael T. Weiss, a firsthand account of growing up in San Francisco’s first family of raunch. Inseparable brothers Artie and Jim were the 1970s porn pioneers who founded the O’Farrell Theatre and road high in the industry, weathering court battles and substance abuse and divorce, but succumbing ultimately to their own lethal fallout — Jim Mitchell shot and killed Liberty’s father Artie in 1991. The material here is rich to say the least, and together with generous and explicit excerpts from archival footage and classic porn (including the Mitchells’ own era-defining Behind the Green Door, from 1972), it makes a fascinating bed for Liberty Mitchell’s reminiscences. Musical accompaniment by three-person SF band the Fluffers, meanwhile, punctuates the chronology with blasts of period rock, though often just a few bars worth, and backs up Liberty on the a single, rather awkward musical number. Moreover, despite the keen interest the basic historical facts and family anecdotes can generate, Mitchell’s filial narrative lens is only intermittently effective, being finally too pat, poorly drawn, and predictably sentimentalized to fully reverberate with the larger, almost archetypical or classical themes hovering nearby. (Avila)

The Scion Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-60. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Brian Copeland’s fourth solo show takes on “privilege, murder, and sausage.”

Shit & Champagne Rebel, 1772 Market, SF; shitandchampagne.eventbrite.com. $25. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Extended through March 1. D’Arcy Drollinger is Champagne White, bodacious blonde innocent with a wicked left hook in this cross-dressing ’70s-style white-sploitation flick, played out live on Rebel’s intimate but action-packed barroom stage. Written by Drollinger and co-directed with Laurie Bushman (with high-flying choreography by John Paolillo, Drollinger, and Matthew Martin), this high-octane camp send-up of a favored formula comes dependably stocked with stock characters and delightfully protracted by a convoluted plot (involving, among other things, a certain street drug that’s triggered an epidemic of poopy pants) — all of it played to the hilt by an excellent cast that includes Martin as Dixie Stampede, an evil corporate dominatrix at the head of some sinister front for world domination called Mal*Wart; Alex Brown as Detective Jack Hammer, rough-hewn cop on the case and ambivalent love interest; Rotimi Agbabiaka as Sergio, gay Puerto Rican impresario and confidante; Steven Lemay as Brandy, high-end calf model and Champagne’s (much) beloved roommate; and Nancy French as Rod, Champagne’s doomed fiancé. Sprawling often literally across two buxom acts, the show maintains admirable consistency: the energy never flags and the brow stays decidedly low. (Avila)

The Speakeasy Undisclosed location (ticket buyers receive a text with directions), SF; www.thespeakeasysf.com. $60-90 (add-ons: casino chips, $5; dance lessons, $10). Thu-Sat, 7:40, 7:50, and 8pm admittance times. Through March 15. Boxcar Theatre presents Nick A. Olivero’s re-creation of a Prohibition-era saloon, resulting in an “immersive theatrical experience involving more than 35 actors, singers, and musicians.”

Ubu Roi Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, SF; www.cuttingball.com. $10-50. Thu, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 5pm. Through March 9. Cutting Ball Theater performs Alfred Jarry’s avant-garde parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, presented in a new translation by Cutting Ball artistic director Rob Melrose.

The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $8-11. Sun, 11am. Through March 9. The popular, kid-friendly show by Louis Pearl (aka “The Amazing Bubble Man”) returns to the Marsh.

BAY AREA

Escanabe in da Moonlight Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; www.theatrefirst.com. $10-30. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through March 8. TheatreFIRST performs Jeff Daniels’ raucous comedy.

Geezer Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $25-50. Thu, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Geoff Hoyle moves his hit comedy about aging to the East Bay.

Gideon’s Knot Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; www.auroratheatre.org. $32-60. Tue, 7pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 2. Aurora Theatre Company performs Johnna Adams’ drama set within the tense atmosphere of a parent-teacher conference.

The House That Will Not Stand Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $29-59. Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, Thu/13, and March 13, 2pm; no matinee Sat/15); Wed, 7pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 16. Berkeley Rep performs the world premiere of Marcus Gardley’s tale of free women of color in 1936 New Orleans.

An Ideal Husband Douglas Morrison Theatre, 22311 N. Third St, Hayward; www.dmtonline.org. $10-29. Fri-Sat and Feb 27, 8pm (also Feb 22, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through March 2. Douglas Morrison Theatre performs Scott Munson’s adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic, reset in 1959 Washington, DC.

The Laramie Project Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond; www.masquers.org. $22. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 22. Masquers Playhouse performs the theatrical collage about the real-life hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard.

Man in a Case Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $45-125. Wed/12, 7pm; Thu/13-Sat/15, 8pm; Sun/16, 2pm. It’s a desultory country evening among friends — Belikov (Mikhail Baryshnikov), Barbara (Tymberly Canale), Ivan (Chris Giarmo), Burkin (Paul Lazar), and Kovalenko (Aaron Mattocks) — who chatter and quibble among themselves, just dying for a good story. Two tales eventually unfold, becoming the basis for an effervescent and emotive theatrical outing in this canny, elegant adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Man in a Case” and “About Love” by co-directors Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson of Big Dance Theater. In a style that revels in what it reveals, the action centers around a long table to the left of the stage, at the far end of which sound designer Tei Blow manages sound effects and Jeff Larson triggers video projections from his laptop. (Peter Ksander’s attractive, non-naturalist scenic design comes animated throughout by a discerning array of choice foley work and atmospheric video projections.) With each humorous and wistful story, the stage expands in unexpected ways, thanks to Parson’s vibrant choreography, the shape-shifting mise-en-scene, golden-throated musical director Giarmo’s exquisite score (much of it delivered live), and the superbly unaffected acting and supple movement of the cast. Acting the leads in both stories, Baryshnikov etches his respective characters with a masterful hand and a light step, making for a vivid presence at every turn. Opposite him each time, Canale’s luminous vitality proves a perfect match. But this is truly an ensemble effort, and the fine result produces a poignant, moody combination of the earthy and sublime. (Avila)

Quality of Life Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear, Mtn View; www.thepear.org. $10-35. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 23. Pear Avenue Theatre performs Jane Anderson’s play about two couples coming to grips with losses in their lives.

PERFORMANCE/DANCE

Aguas Dance Company ODC Theater, 3153 17th St, SF; www.odcdance.org. Fri/14-Sat/15, 8pm; Sun/16, 7pm. $27. The company performs Movendo com Capoeira, featuring Afro-Brazilian dance and live music.

“Best of the Bay Comedy Show” Pa’ina Lounge, 1865 Post, SF; www.painasf.com. Sun/16, 7pm. $10. Hella Gay Comedy presents its annual “best of” show featuring LBGT and LGBT-friendly comedians: Casey Ley, Justin Lucas, Kimberly Rose Wendt, and Rajeev Dhar. Charlie Ballard hosts.

“The Big Buttery Sketch Show” Exit Theater, 156 Eddy, SF; www.pianofight.com. Fri/14-Sat/15, 8pm. $20-30. PianoFight Productions’ female-driven sketch comedy group Chardonnay (formerly ForePlays) performs.

“Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now” This week: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF; www.bcfhereandnow.com. Thu/13-Sat/15, 8pm. $25-35. The festival continues its 10th anniversary with Nora Chipaumire’s Miriam.

Caroline Lugo and Carolé Acuña’s Ballet Flamenco Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell, SF; www.carolinalugo.com. Fri/14 (see note below), Sun/16, Feb 22, March 1, 8, 16, 22, and 30, 6:15pm. $15-19. Flamenco performance by the mother-daughter dance company, featuring live musicians. Fri/14 Valentine’s Day show, 5:30pm, $59.95 (includes dinner).

Company C Contemporary Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 701 Mission, SF; www.companycballet.org. Thu/13-Fri/14, 8pm; Sat/15, 6pm (benefit gala); Sun/16, 3pm. $25-48. The company’s winter program includes premieres by Susan Jaffe and Charles Anderson.

“Dream Queens Revue” Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, 133 Turk, SF; www.dreamqueensrevue.com. Wed/12, 9:30pm. Free. Drag with Collette LeGrande, Ruby Slippers, Sophilya Leggz, Bobby Ashton, and more.

“Get Your Heart On with the Klipptones” Palace Hotel’s Pied Piper, 2 New Montgomery, SF; (415) 512-1111. Fri/14, 8pm-midnight. Free ($10 food or beverage minimum). The six-piece ensemble plays swinging romantic songs for Valentine’s Day.

“Live Law: Love and the Law” Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa, SF; www.lifeofthelaw.com. Thu/13, 7pm. $20. Live storytelling with Senator Mark Leno, attorneys, a private investigator, and other legal-minded folks.

Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, SF; www.feinsteinssf.com. This week: Paula West, Thu/13, 8pm; Fri/14, 7 and 9:30pm; Sat/15-Sun/16, 7pm, $35-50.

“Full Spectrum Improvisation” Stage Werx, 446 Valencia, SF; www.joyacory.com. Sun/16 and April 27, 3pm. $12-25. Also March 9, 3pm, Western Sky Studio, 2525 Eighth St, Berk. Improvisational theatre with Joya Cory, Craig Landry, Olivia Corson, Martin Robinson, and guests.

“How We First Met” Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter, SF; www.howwefirstmet.com. Fri/14, 8pm. $40-55. Back for its 14th year, this show created and hosted by Jill Bourque shares real-life love stories (from couples in the audience!) via improvised sketches and songs.

“Magic at the Rex” Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter, SF; www.magicattherex.com. Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. $25. Magic and mystery with Adam Sachs and mentalist Sebastian Boswell III.

“Mortified: Doomed Valentines” DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF; www.getmortified.com. Thu/13, 7:30pm. $15-21. Also Fri/14, 8pm, $15-20, Uptown, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl. Fearless storytellers share their most adorably embarrassing childhood writings — and since the theme is love blunders, expect tales of unrequited crushes, school-dance disasters, and teen-angst drama galore.

“Naked Dudes Reading Lovecraft” Stage Werx Theatre, 446 Valencia, SF; www.hampantsproductions.com. Wed/12, 8pm. $20. “100 percent visible wing-wangs and hoo-hoos” are promised, plus maybe a tentacle or 12 too.

“Point Break Live!” DNA Lounge, 373 11th St, SF; www.dnalounge.com. March 7 and April 4, 7:30 and 11pm. $25-50. Dude, Point Break Live! is like dropping into a monster wave, or holding up a bank, like, just a pure adrenaline rush, man. Ahem. Sorry, but I really can’t help but channel Keanu Reeves and his Johnny Utah character when thinking about the awesomely bad 1991 movie Point Break or its equally yummily cheesy stage adaptation. And if you do an even better Keanu impression than me — the trick is in the vacant stare and stoner drawl — then you can play his starring role amid a cast of solid actors, reading from cue cards from a hilarious production assistant in order to more closely approximate Keanu’s acting ability. This play is just so much fun, even better now at DNA Lounge than it was a couple years ago at CELLspace. But definitely buy the poncho pack and wear it, because the blood, spit, and surf spray really do make this a fully immersive experience. (Steven T. Jones)

“Romantic Comedy Farce” Bayfront Theater, B350 Fort Mason Center, SF; www.improv.org. Fri/14, 8pm. $20. BATS Improv takes on Valentine’s Day.

“The Vagina Monologues/Monólogos de la Vagina” Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St, SF; www.brava.org. Fri/14-Sat/15, 8pm (also Sat/15, 5pm); Sun/16, 2pm. $35-45. Eliana Lopez, Marisol Correa, and Alba Roversi star in this Spanish-language production of Eve Ensler’s feminist classic.

BAY AREA

“Die Fledermaus” Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; www.mvcpa.com. Sat/15, 8pm; Sun/16, 2pm. $20-53. Lamplighters Music Theatre (noted for its Gilbert and Sullivan productions) performs Johann Strauss’ “bubbly tale of revenge and temptation.” Continues at Bay Area theaters through Feb 23; visit www.lamplighters.org for future dates.

“Last Word Reading Series” Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid, Berk; (510) 841-6374. Fri/14, 7pm. Free. With poets Tom Odegard and Paradise, plus an open reading.

“MarshJam Improv Comedy Show” Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. Fri, 8pm. Ongoing. $10. Improv comedy with local legends and drop-in guests.

“Something Sweet” Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia, Piedmont; www.westedgeopera.org. Fri/14, 7:30pm. $15-25. Romantic operatic repertoire sung by three real-life couples. *

Theater Listings: February 5 – 11, 2014

Michael Redmond

-

February 4, 2014

0

Stage listings are compiled by Guardian staff. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, and Nicole Gluckstern. Submit items for the listings at listings@sfbg.com.

THEATER

OPENING

Feisty Old Jew Marsh San Francisco Main Stage, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $25-100. Opens Sat/8, 8pm. Runs Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm (March 2, performance at 2pm; March 9, performance will be a reading of Charlie Varon’s Fish Sisters). Through March 16. Charlie Varon performs his latest solo show, a fictional comedy about “a 20th century man living in a 21st century city.”

Indian Summer Exit Theatre, 156 Eddy, SF; www.wehavemet.org. $20-40. Opens Thu/6, 8pm. Runs Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun/6, 2pm. Through March 1. Multi Ethnic Theater performs Charles Johnson’s new comedy drama set in the racially-divided South, circa the 1980s.

“The Love Edition: Love Bytes” Bindlestiff Studio, 185 Sixth St, SF; facebook.com/TheLoveEdition. $10-20. Opens Thu/6, 8pm. Runs Thu-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 22. Bindlestiff performs six different tales about online dating, loneliness in the cyber age, Google stalking, and other modern-day matters of the heart.

BAY AREA

Escanabe in da Moonlight Live Oak Theatre, 1301 Shattuck, Berk; www.theatrefirst.com. $10-30. Previews Thu/6, 8pm. Opens Fri/7, 8pm. Runs Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through March 8. TheatreFIRST performs Jeff Daniels’ raucous comedy.

An Ideal Husband Douglas Morrison Theatre, 22311 N. Third St, Hayward; www.dmtonline.org. $10-29. Previews Thu/6, 8pm. Opens Fri/7, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat and Feb 27, 8pm (also Feb 22, 2pm); Sun, 2pm. Through March 2. Douglas Morrison Theatre performs Scott Munson’s adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic, reset in 1959 Washington, DC.

ONGOING

Foodies! The Musical Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.foodiesthemusical.com. $32-34. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. AWAT Productions presents Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy revue all about food.

Hemorrhage: An Ablution of Hope and Despair Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St, SF; www.dancemission.com. $20-25. Thu/6-Fri/7, 8pm; Sat/8, 4 and 7pm. Dance Brigade presents this “dance installation at the intersection of the new San Francisco and world politics.”

Hir Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Third Flr, SF; www.magictheatre.org. $20-60. Wed-Sat, 8pm (no show Wed/5; additional show Feb 19, 2:30pm); Sun, 2:30pm (also Sun/9, 7pm); Tue/11, 7pm. Through Feb 23. Magic Theatre presents the world premiere of Taylor Mac’s comedic drama about a woman determined to help her two wayward children succeed, while stretching the boundaries of her own gender identity

Jerusalem San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post, SF; www.sfplayhouse.org. $20-100. Tue-Thu, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun/9 and Feb 16, 2pm. Through March 8. SF Playhouse presents the West Coast premiere of English playwright Jez Butterworth’s West End and Broadway hit, a three-act revel led by a larger-than-life rebel, a stout boozed-up drug-dealer, habitual fabulist, and latter-day Digger of sorts named Johnny “Rooster” Byron (Brian Dykstra). The dominion of this Falstaffian giant is the English countryside outside his squalid trailer door, not far from Stonehenge, where he seems to incarnate a rather dissipated version of an ancient English independence, like one of the great mythical beings of rural lore. Aptly enough, it’s Saint George’s Day, the feast day of England’s national saint, but it’s not all a party this time around. Authorities have issued a final 24-hour eviction notice on Rooster’s tin door; there are luxury apartments in the works; and there’s concern in town about the underage teens who flock to Rooster like so many fledglings — one, in particular, has gone missing: Phaedra (Julia Belanoff), who we see at the very outset of the play donning a fairy costume and singing the title song, based on the Blake poem and England’s unofficial national anthem. The next 24 hours will be either the breaking point or the apotheosis for all Rooster has made himself out to be. In Butterworth’s big-eyed comedy, we are meant to feel a stake in this outcome whether we actually like Rooster or not — his independence, the scope of his life and vision, suggests the outer limit of possibility in an ever more disciplined and circumscribed world. Director Bill English (who also designed the impressive bucolic-trailer-park set) and his large cast (which includes a strong Ian Scott McGregor as longtime Rooster sidekick, Ginger) dive into the comedy with gusto. But somehow the drama, the larger stakes in the storyline, falls short. A certain requisite intensity and momentum are only fitfully achieved. Dykstra, as the expansive antihero, has the biggest burden here. And while he has an appealing swagger throughout, his wayward brogue and unconvincing bellicosity undercut the culmination of the play’s (admittedly somewhat overwrought) mythopoeic proportions. (Avila)

Lovebirds Marsh San Francisco Studio, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 8:30pm. Through March 15. Theater artist and comedian Marga Gomez presents the world premiere of her 10th solo show, described as “a rollicking tale of incurable romantics.”

Noises Off Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.sheltontheater.org. $38. Thu/6-Sat/8, 8pm. Shelton Theater presents Michael Frayn’s outrageous backstage comedy.

The Oy of Sex Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $20-100. Sat, 5pm. Extended through Feb 22. Comedian Alicia Dattner performs her solo show, based on her stories from her own life and love addiction.

Pardon My Invasion Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, SF; pardonmyinvasion.brownpapertickets.com. $15-30. Thu/6-Sat/8, 8pm. A pulp fiction writer’s characters come to life in this dark comedy by Joy Cutler.

The Paris Letter New Conservatory Theater Center, 25 Van Ness, SF; www.nctcsf.org. $25-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 23. New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Jon Robin Baitz’s tale of a Wall Street powerhouse desperately trying to keep his sexual identity a secret.

The Pornographer’s Daughter Z Below, 470 Florida, SF; www.zspace.org. $32. Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 10:30pm); Sun, 5pm. Through Feb 16. Liberty Bradford Mitchell was a good kid growing up, and a pretty innocent one — probably more than you would expect given her proximity to the family business, the veritable empire of porn founded and run by her father and uncle, San Francisco legends Artie and Jim Mitchell. Now in her 40s and a mother of her own, Mitchell proves a likeably earthy presence if a less-then-compelling actor-playwright in her new one-woman show, directed by Michael T. Weiss, a firsthand account of growing up in San Francisco’s first family of raunch. Inseparable brothers Artie and Jim were the 1970s porn pioneers who founded the O’Farrell Theatre and road high in the industry, weathering court battles and substance abuse and divorce, but succumbing ultimately to their own lethal fallout — Jim Mitchell shot and killed Liberty’s father Artie in 1991. The material here is rich to say the least, and together with generous and explicit excerpts from archival footage and classic porn (including the Mitchells’ own era-defining Behind the Green Door, from 1972), it makes a fascinating bed for Liberty Mitchell’s reminiscences. Musical accompaniment by three-person SF band the Fluffers, meanwhile, punctuates the chronology with blasts of period rock, though often just a few bars worth, and backs up Liberty on the a single, rather awkward musical number. Moreover, despite the keen interest the basic historical facts and family anecdotes can generate, Mitchell’s filial narrative lens is only intermittently effective, being finally too pat, poorly drawn, and predictably sentimentalized to fully reverberate with the larger, almost archetypical or classical themes hovering nearby. (Avila)

The Scion Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-60. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Brian Copeland’s fourth solo show takes on “privilege, murder, and sausage.”

“SF Sketchfest: The San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival” Various venues, SF; www.sfsketchfest.com. Prices vary. Through Sun/9. This year’s 13th Sketchfest features over 200 shows in more than 20 venues.

Shit & Champagne Rebel, 1772 Market, SF; shitandchampagne.eventbrite.com. $25. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Extended through March 1. D’Arcy Drollinger is Champagne White, bodacious blonde innocent with a wicked left hook in this cross-dressing ’70s-style white-sploitation flick, played out live on Rebel’s intimate but action-packed barroom stage. Written by Drollinger and co-directed with Laurie Bushman (with high-flying choreography by John Paolillo, Drollinger, and Matthew Martin), this high-octane camp send-up of a favored formula comes dependably stocked with stock characters and delightfully protracted by a convoluted plot (involving, among other things, a certain street drug that’s triggered an epidemic of poopy pants) — all of it played to the hilt by an excellent cast that includes Martin as Dixie Stampede, an evil corporate dominatrix at the head of some sinister front for world domination called Mal*Wart; Alex Brown as Detective Jack Hammer, rough-hewn cop on the case and ambivalent love interest; Rotimi Agbabiaka as Sergio, gay Puerto Rican impresario and confidante; Steven Lemay as Brandy, high-end calf model and Champagne’s (much) beloved roommate; and Nancy French as Rod, Champagne’s doomed fiancé. Sprawling often literally across two buxom acts, the show maintains admirable consistency: the energy never flags and the brow stays decidedly low. (Avila)

The Speakeasy Undisclosed location (ticket buyers receive a text with directions), SF; www.thespeakeasysf.com. $60-90 (add-ons: casino chips, $5; dance lessons, $10). Thu-Sat, 7:40, 7:50, and 8pm admittance times. Through March 15. Boxcar Theatre presents Nick A. Olivero’s re-creation of a Prohibition-era saloon, resulting in an “immersive theatrical experience involving more than 35 actors, singers, and musicians.”

Ubu Roi Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, SF; www.cuttingball.com. $10-50. Thu, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 5pm. Through Feb 23. Cutting Ball Theater performs Alfred Jarry’s avant-garde parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, presented in a new translation by Cutting Ball artistic director Rob Melrose.

The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $8-11. Sun, 11am. Through March 9. The popular, kid-friendly show by Louis Pearl (aka “The Amazing Bubble Man”) returns to the Marsh.

BAY AREA

Geezer Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $25-50. Thu, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Geoff Hoyle moves his hit comedy about aging to the East Bay.

Gideon’s Knot Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; www.auroratheatre.org. $32-60. Previews Wed/5, 8pm. Opens Thu/6, 8pm. Runs Tue, 7pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 2. Aurora Theatre Company performs Johnna Adams’ drama set within the tense atmosphere of a parent-teacher conference.

The Grapes of Wrath Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale, Foster City; www.hillbartheatre.org. $23-38. Fri/7-Sat/8, 8pm; Sun/9, 2pm. Hillbarn Theatre continues its 73rd season with Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic American novel.

The House That Will Not Stand Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $29-59. Opens Wed/5, 8pm. Runs Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, Feb 13, and March 13, 2pm; no Sat matinee Feb 15); Wed, 7pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 16. Berkeley Rep performs the world premiere of Marcus Gardley’s tale of free women of color in 1936 New Orleans.

The Laramie Project Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond; www.masquers.org. $22. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 22. Masquers Playhouse performs the theatrical collage about the real-life hate-crime murder of Matthew Shepard.

Man in a Case Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $45-125. Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm; Wed, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 16. It’s a desultory country evening among friends — Belikov (Mikhail Baryshnikov), Barbara (Tymberly Canale), Ivan (Chris Giarmo), Burkin (Paul Lazar), and Kovalenko (Aaron Mattocks) — who chatter and quibble among themselves, just dying for a good story. Two tales eventually unfold, becoming the basis for an effervescent and emotive theatrical outing in this canny, elegant adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “Man in a Case” and “About Love” by co-directors Paul Lazar and Annie-B Parson of Big Dance Theater. In a style that revels in what it reveals, the action centers around a long table to the left of the stage, at the far end of which sound designer Tei Blow manages sound effects and Jeff Larson triggers video projections from his laptop. (Peter Ksander’s attractive, non-naturalist scenic design comes animated throughout by a discerning array of choice foley work and atmospheric video projections.) With each humorous and wistful story, the stage expands in unexpected ways, thanks to Parson’s vibrant choreography, the shape-shifting mise-en-scene, golden-throated musical director Giarmo’s exquisite score (much of it delivered live), and the superbly unaffected acting and supple movement of the cast. Acting the leads in both stories, Baryshnikov etches his respective characters with a masterful hand and a light step, making for a vivid presence at every turn. Opposite him each time, Canale’s luminous vitality proves a perfect match. But this is truly an ensemble effort, and the fine result produces a poignant, moody combination of the earthy and sublime. (Avila)

Quality of Life Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear, Mtn View; www.thepear.org. $10-35. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 23. Pear Avenue Theatre performs Jane Anderson’s play about two couples coming to grips with losses in their lives.

Silent Sky TheatreWorks, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; www.theatreworks.org. $19-73. Wed/5, 7:30pm; Thu/6-Sat/8, 8pm (also Sat/8, 2pm); Sun/9, 2 and 7pm. Lauren Gunderson’s drama explores the life of groundbreaking early 20th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt.

PERFORMANCE/DANCE

“All Aunt Hagar’s Children” JCC of San Francisco, 3200 California, SF; www.zspace.org. Mon/10, 7pm. $15. Word for Word presents this “Off the Page” staged reading of a story by Pulitzer winner Edward P. Jones.

“ASKEW Film and Performance Festival” Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF; www.ybca.org. Thu/6-Sat/8, 7pm. $8-10. Femina Potens Art Gallery presents this festival of performance and activism via film and performance.

Aszure Barton and Artists Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 700 Howard, SF; www.sfperformances.org. Fri/7-Sat/8, 7:30pm. $35-50. The Bay Area debut of this Canadian choreographer includes the celebrated work Awáa.

“The Big Buttery Sketch Show” Exit Theater, 156 Eddy, SF; www.pianofight.com. Fri/7-Sat/8 and Feb 14-15, 8pm. $20-30. PianoFight Productions’ female-driven sketch comedy group Chardonnay (formerly ForePlays) performs.

“Bill and Lenny” and “Swimming to Romulous” ACT’s Costume Shop, 1117 Market, SF; www.strangerx.com. Fri/7-Sat/8, 8pm. $10. Tim Green and Chris Plflueger star in Strange Prescription’s West Coast premiere of Bill and Lenny; companion play is a Star Trek-themed Spalding Grey homage by Richard Ciccarone.

Black Choreographers Festival: Here & Now This week: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF; www.bcfhereandnow.com. Sun/9, 11am-5pm. 50 cents. The festival kicks off its 10th anniversary with “50 Cent Tabernacle,” featuring Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Robert Moses, and Nora Chipaumire. Performances continue through March 8.

“The Buddy Club Chilren’s Shows” Randall Museum Theater, 199 Museum Wy, SF; www.thebuddyclub.com. Sun/9, 11am-noon. $8. Cowgirl tricks with Karen Quest. Also Sun/9, 11am-noon, $8, JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut, Berk. The Brian Waite Band performs “Tour to the Center of the Earth!” Also Sun/9, 11:30am-12:30pm, $8, Kanbar Center for the Performing Arts, 200 N San Pedro, San Rafael. Family comedy improv with Kenn Adams’ Adventure Theater.

“Carbon Song Cycle” Joe Goode Performance Annex, 401 Alabama, SF; carbonsongcycle.brownpapertickets.com. Fri/7-Sat/8, 8pm. $12-25. Composer Pamela Z and artist Christina McPhee present the SF premiere of their work for chamber ensemble and expanded cinema.

Caroline Lugo and Carolé Acuña’s Ballet Flamenco Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell, SF; www.carolinalugo.com. Sat/8, Feb 14, 16, 22, March 1, 8, 16, 22, and 30, 6:15pm. $15-19. Flamenco performance by the mother-daughter dance company, featuring live musicians.

“Chinese Whispers: Heritage of Hope” Aboard the Balclutha, Hyde St Pier, SF; nps.gov/safr. Sat/8, 2-4pm. Free with $5 boarding pass (free for accompanied children under 16). Storytelling, presentations, and interactive activites about Chinese immigrant heritage highlight this Lunar New Year celebration aboard the historic ship.

“Comedy Bottle” Purple Onion at Kells, 530 Jackson, SF; www.purpleonionatkells.com. Fri/7-Sat/8, 7pm. $10. With headliner Lyall Behrens.

“Curves N Cupcakes Comedy Tour” Punch Line San Francisco, 444 Battery, SF; www.punchlinecomedyclub.com. Tue/11, 8pm. $15. All-female lineup of comedians with host Queenie TT.

“Factory Parts II” NOH Space, 2840 Mariposa, SF; www.foolsfury.org. Fri/7-Sat/8, 8pm (also Sat/8, 5pm). $15. FoolsFURY presents the latest in its series of work-in-progress performances by cutting-edge companies, including Los Altos’ ACME Performance Project, SF’s Affinity Project, and Palo Alto’s Arc: hive.

Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, SF; www.feinsteinssf.com. This week: Lady Rizo in “Violet,” Thu/6-Fri/7, 8pm, $25-35; John Bucchino in “The Music of John Bucchino,” Sat/8, 7pm, $25-35.

“How I Lost My Virginity at 29 and Other Embarrassing Tales” Stage Werx, 446 Valencia, SF; www.stagewerx.org. Sun/9-Mon/10, 7pm. $15. Brian Schiller performs his coming-of-age comedy.

“Love Bites: Down the Hatch!” Martuni’s, 4 Valencia, SF; lgcsf.org/whats-new. Sun/9, 4pm; Mon/10, 7:30pm. $10. The Lesbian Gay Chorus of San Francisco performs solo, duet, and small-group numbers.

“Magic at the Rex” Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter, SF; www.magicattherex.com. Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. $30. Magic and mystery with Adam Sachs and mentalist Sebastian Boswell III.

“ODC/Dance Unplugged” ODC Dance Commons Studio B, 351 Shotwell, SF; www.odctheater.org. Fri/7, 7pm. $25. Work-in-progress performance of the Andy Goldsworthy-inspired boulders and bones, set to premiere this spring.

“Point Break Live!” DNA Lounge, 373 11th St, SF; www.dnalounge.com. Fri/7, March 7, and April 4, 7:30 and 11pm. $25-50. Dude, Point Break Live! is like dropping into a monster wave, or holding up a bank, like, just a pure adrenaline rush, man. Ahem. Sorry, but I really can’t help but channel Keanu Reeves and his Johnny Utah character when thinking about the awesomely bad 1991 movie Point Break or its equally yummily cheesy stage adaptation. And if you do an even better Keanu impression than me — the trick is in the vacant stare and stoner drawl — then you can play his starring role amid a cast of solid actors, reading from cue cards from a hilarious production assistant in order to more closely approximate Keanu’s acting ability. This play is just so much fun, even better now at DNA Lounge than it was a couple years ago at CELLspace. But definitely buy the poncho pack and wear it, because the blood, spit, and surf spray really do make this a fully immersive experience. (Steven T. Jones)

“Pop! A Night of Pop Cabaret” Martuni’s, 4 Valencia, SF; (415) 241-0205. Sun/9, 7pm. $7. Cabaret with Essie Hyun, Jesse Cortez, Alexander Concas, Gilbert Beltran, and pianist Katy Stephan.

“Shotz: Winter Games” Tides Theatre, 533 Sutter, SF; www.amiosnyc.com. Tue/11, 8pm. $10. Seven plays, five minutes each, created in less than a month, and united under the theme “Winter Games.” Also required: a plot twist in which “someone must fail at something” and the line “This is the absolute best!” must be used.

“Writers with Drinks” Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St, SF; www.makeoutroom.com. Sat/8, 7:30pm. $5-10. With Jeff VanderMeer, Lucy Corin, Marian Szczepanski, and Lisa Evans.

BAY AREA

“Boomeraging: From LSD to OMG!” Angelica’s Bell 2 Dining Room, 863 Main, Redwood City; www.angelicasllc.com. Wed/5, 8pm. $10-15. Will Durst performs his Boomer-centric comedy show.

Company C Contemporary Ballet Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 701 Mission, SF; www.companycballet.org. Feb 13-14, 8pm; Feb 15, 6pm (benefit gala); Feb 16, 3pm. $25-48. The company’s winter program includes premieres by Susan Jaffe and Charles Anderson.

“Cosmic Variety Show” Open Secret, 923 C St, San Rafael; bit.ly/CosmicVarietyShow. Sat/8, 8pm. $12-15. Magic, belly dance, storytelling, and more.

“Die Fledermaus” Bankhead Theater, 2400 First St, Livermore; www.bankheadtheater.org. Sat/8, 8pm; Sun/9, 2pm. $22.50-47. Lamplighters Music Theatre (noted for its Gilbert and Sullivan productions) performs Johann Strauss’ “bubbly tale of revenge and temptation.” Continues at Bay Area theaters through Feb 23; visit www.lamplighters.org for future dates.

“Ebb + Flow 2014” Lisser Theater, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; www.mills.edu. Fri/7, 8pm. $10. The Mills College Dance Alumni Group presents its third annual showcase of choreographers who hail from the Mills community, including Jalila Bell, Rebekah Brown, Garth Grimball, and others.

“In Search of My Father … Walkin’ Talkin’ Bill Hawkins” Performing Arts Bldg Studio Theatre, College of Marin, Sir Francis Drake at Laurel, Kentfield; www.marin.edu. Thu/6-Sat/8, 8pm; Sun/9, 2pm. $10-25. W. Allen Taylor performs his acclaimed solo show.

“MarshJam Improv Comedy Show” Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. Fri, 8pm. Ongoing. $10. Improv comedy with local legends and drop-in guests.

“Q.U.E.E.N. From Throne to Altar” Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon, Oakl; www.mixdingrdnts.com. Fri/7-Sat/8, 8pm (also Sat/8, 2pm). $25. Mix’d Ingrdnts Dance Company performs its second full-length show, which takes a look at “how society views women and how we are creating or saying what a queen is to us.” *

Tee time: a peek inside Urban Putt, the Mission’s indoor mini-golf course

Sue Vaughan

-

January 30, 2014

2

On the back wall of the main room of the old Victorian building at 1096 S. Van Ness is a sculpture of two creepy angels. One holds the other in its arms, their wings keeping them up. These angels are part of the original construction of the building, back when it functioned as a mortuary. Perhaps due to the haunting angels, perhaps due to the thought of a dead body storage center, the building has sat empty on the corner of South Van Ness and 22nd Streets for 15 years.

Today, the angels are still there and the building’s new owner has no intention of taking them down. “We will preserve as much as we can from this old look,” says Steve Fox, the man behind San Francisco’s first indoor mini-golf course, Urban Putt, set to open in April. The “high-concept” course will feature a restaurant with “eclectic California comfort cuisine” upstairs and two bars with a “creative bar program,” according to Urban Putt’s most recent press release.

Urban Putt is not your traditional mini-golf course. The fantastical, technologically advanced, steampunk-y 14-hole course (four short of the customary 18 due to space constraints) will be composed of high-tech gadgets, countless buttons and nobs, and a few obligatory tongue-in-cheek twists (see: the “TransAmerica Windmill”) contained within its homages to San Francisco landmarks.

A replica of the Painted Ladies shakes in a simulated earthquake at the first hole. At the “Musical” hole, the golf ball is catapulted toward the ceiling before bouncing delicately on drums and a cymbal. A two-hole underwater area pays homage to Jules Verne: an intricate submarine embellished with control panels and levers — although the 150 motion-sensor LED floorboards (imitating the lights of phytoplankton) are exceptionally post-Verne. Next to those wistful angels, the “Day of the Dead” hole honors the building’s previous tenants.

With a name like Urban Putt and its kitschy concept, it’s tempting to call out the spot as yet another example of gentrification in the Mission. Can’t you just see the hordes of trendy techies lining up to play putt-putt before hitting up the Make-Out Room on a Saturday night? (Because you know they will…)

Fox, a longtime mini-golf fanatic, was prepared for the criticism. “The very first note we got was like ‘the nerve of these people.’ It was written up on the Chron that we were doing this,” he says about the initial backlash. “We had signed the lease two days before.”

So Fox put up his phone number outside the building to encourage any and all complaints about Urban Putt. He also set out to connect with the neighborhood, reaching out to the community when he started hiring. “I think they realized that I had every intention of not being some sort of carpet bagger,” says Fox.

For Fox, Urban Putt is a longtime dream. A lousy golf player himself, the former editorial director of PCWorld and editor in chief of InfoWorld is an avid putt putt player. Since the 1990’s Fox and his wife have been hosting mini golf parties at their house. So what happens when you grow old and have a lot of money? Make your dream come true.

“My theory in all of this, having spent years and years running organizations — albeit editorial organizations, not mini golf — is if you don’t have expertise, go out and find the best people you can and have them do it,” says Fox.

With experience that spans Burning Man, Maker Faire, the Exploratorium, and even MythBusters, the members of the design and construction team have an expansive background in creativity and innovation. “We have a group of people with real expertise in these areas. You can get that in San Francisco. There’s a lot of places you couldn’t find that. There’s that kind of wonderful talent base,” says Fox. At their disposal: the $17,000 3D printing ShopBot. Claiming it as one of their competitive advantages, Fox explains that the in-house printer will help his team can easily innovate, make changes, and repair the course over time.

Despite UrbanPutt’s extravagance, Fox maintains that the wonderland will be accessible to both children and adults, as well as both techy transplants and long-established local residents. His mission to keep games affordable ($8 for kids, $12 for adults) and to retain the vibrant local culture demonstrates his dedication to the city. Much of the building’s original construction will remain the same: the historical exterior, the metal front gate, the Victorian sconces, and the two angels at the back wall.

“People get that I am really of this neighborhood,” says Fox. “I think they’re responding well to that.”

Theater Listings: January 29 – February 4, 2014

Michael Redmond

-

January 28, 2014

0

Stage listings are compiled by Guardian staff. Performance times may change; call venues to confirm. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Rita Felciano, and Nicole Gluckstern. Submit items for the listings at listings@sfbg.com.

THEATER

OPENING

Hir Magic Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Third Flr, SF; www.magictheatre.org. $20-60. Previews Wed/29-Sat/1, 8pm; Sun/2, 2:30pm; Mon/3, 7pm. Opens Tue/4, 8pm. Runs Wed-Sat, 8pm (no show Feb 5; additional show Feb 19, 2:30pm); Sun, 2:30pm (also Feb 9, 7pm); Feb 11, 7pm. Through Feb 23. Magic Theatre presents the world premiere of Taylor Mac’s comedic drama about a woman determined to help her two wayward children succeed, while stretching the boundaries of her own gender identity

The Scion Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-60. Previews Thu/30-Fri/31, 8pm. Opens Sat/1, 5pm. Runs Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Brian Copeland’s fourth solo show takes on “privilege, murder, and sausage.”

BAY AREA

Gideon’s Knot Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison, Berk; www.auroratheatre.org. $32-60. Previews Fri/31-Sat/1 and Feb 5, 8pm; Sun/2, 2pm; Tue/4, 7pm. Opens Feb 6, 8pm. Runs Tue, 7pm; Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 2. Aurora Theatre Company performs Johnna Adams’ drama set within the tense atmosphere of a parent-teacher conference.

The House That Will Not Stand Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $29-59. Previews Fri/31-Sat/1 and Tue/4, 8pm; Sun/2, 7pm. Opens Feb 5, 8pm. Runs Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, Feb 13, and March 13, 2pm; no Sat matinee Feb 15); Wed, 7pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through March 16. Berkeley Rep performs the world premiere of Marcus Gardley’s tale of free women of color in 1936 New Orleans.

ONGOING

Foodies! The Musical Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.foodiesthemusical.com. $32-34. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. AWAT Productions presents Morris Bobrow’s musical comedy revue all about food.

Hemorrhage: An Ablution of Hope and Despair Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St, SF; www.dancemission.com. $20-25. Thu-Sat, 8pm (Feb 8, shows at 4 and 7pm); Sun, 6pm. Through Feb 8. Dance Brigade presents this “dance installation at the intersection of the new San Francisco and world politics.”

Jerusalem San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post, SF; www.sfplayhouse.org. $20-100. Tue-Thu, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun/2, Feb 9, and 16, 2pm. Through March 8. SF Playhouse performs the West Coast premiere of Jez Butterworth’s Tony- and Olivier-wining epic.

Lovebirds Marsh San Francisco Studio, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 8:30pm. Through March 15. Theater artist and comedian Marga Gomez presents the world premiere of her 10th solo show, described as “a rollicking tale of incurable romantics.”

Major Barbara ACT’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary, SF; www.act-sf.org. $20-140. Wed/29-Sat/1, 8pm (also Wed/29, 2pm); Sun/2, 2pm. American Conservatory Theater performs a new production of George Bernard Shaw’s political comedy.

Noises Off Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter, SF; www.sheltontheater.org. $38. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 8. Shelton Theater presents Michael Frayn’s outrageous backstage comedy.

The Oy of Sex Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $20-100. Sat, 5pm. Extended through Feb 22. Comedian Alicia Dattner performs her solo show, based on her stories from her own life and love addiction.

Pardon My Invasion Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, SF; pardonmyinvasion.brownpapertickets.com. $15-30. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun/2, 2pm. Through Feb 8. A pulp fiction writer’s characters come to life in this dark comedy by Joy Cutler.

The Paris Letter New Conservatory Theater Center, 25 Van Ness, SF; www.nctcsf.org. $25-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 23. New Conservatory Theatre Center performs Jon Robin Baitz’s tale of a Wall Street powerhouse desperately trying to keep his sexual identity a secret.

The Pornographer’s Daughter Z Below, 470 Florida, SF; www.zspace.org. $32. Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 10:30pm); Sun, 5pm. Through Feb 16. Liberty Bradford Mitchell was a good kid growing up, and a pretty innocent one — probably more than you would expect given her proximity to the family business, the veritable empire of porn founded and run by her father and uncle, San Francisco legends Artie and Jim Mitchell. Now in her 40s and a mother of her own, Mitchell proves a likeably earthy presence if a less-then-compelling actor-playwright in her new one-woman show, directed by Michael T. Weiss, a firsthand account of growing up in San Francisco’s first family of raunch. Inseparable brothers Artie and Jim were the 1970s porn pioneers who founded the O’Farrell Theatre and road high in the industry, weathering court battles and substance abuse and divorce, but succumbing ultimately to their own lethal fallout — Jim Mitchell shot and killed Liberty’s father Artie in 1991. The material here is rich to say the least, and together with generous and explicit excerpts from archival footage and classic porn (including the Mitchells’ own era-defining Behind the Green Door, from 1972), it makes a fascinating bed for Liberty Mitchell’s reminiscences. Musical accompaniment by three-person SF band the Fluffers, meanwhile, punctuates the chronology with blasts of period rock, though often just a few bars worth, and backs up Liberty on the a single, rather awkward musical number. Moreover, despite the keen interest the basic historical facts and family anecdotes can generate, Mitchell’s filial narrative lens is only intermittently effective, being finally too pat, poorly drawn, and predictably sentimentalized to fully reverberate with the larger, almost archetypical or classical themes hovering nearby. (Avila)

“SF Sketchfest: The San Francisco Sketch Comedy Festival” Various venues, SF; www.sfsketchfest.com. Prices vary. Through Feb 9. This year’s 13th Sketchfest features over 200 shows in more than 20 venues, featuring both big-name talents (Alan Arkin, Tenacious D, Laura Dern and the cast of Enlightened, Maya Rudolph, etc.) and up-and-comers, plus tributes to films, theatrical and musical events, improv showcases, and more. Much, much, much more.

Shit & Champagne Rebel, 1772 Market, SF; shitandchampagne.eventbrite.com. $25. Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Feb 8. D’Arcy Drollinger is Champagne White, bodacious blonde innocent with a wicked left hook in this cross-dressing ’70s-style white-sploitation flick, played out live on Rebel’s intimate but action-packed barroom stage. Written by Drollinger and co-directed with Laurie Bushman (with high-flying choreography by John Paolillo, Drollinger, and Matthew Martin), this high-octane camp sendup of a favored formula comes dependably stocked with stock characters and delightfully protracted by a convoluted plot (involving, among other things, a certain street drug that’s triggered an epidemic of poopy pants) — all of it played to the hilt by an excellent cast that includes Martin as Dixie Stampede, an evil corporate dominatrix at the head of some sinister front for world domination called Mal*Wart; Alex Brown as Detective Jack Hammer, rough-hewn cop on the case and ambivalent love interest; Rotimi Agbabiaka as Sergio, gay Puerto Rican impresario and confidante; Steven Lemay as Brandy, high-end calf model and Champagne’s (much) beloved roommate; and Nancy French as Rod, Champagne’s doomed fiancé. Sprawling often literally across two buxom acts, the show maintains admirable consistency: the energy never flags and the brow stays decidedly low. (Avila)

The Speakeasy Undisclosed location (ticket buyers receive a text with directions), SF; www.thespeakeasysf.com. $60-90 (add-ons: casino chips, $5; dance lessons, $10). Thu-Sat, 7:40, 7:50, and 8pm admittance times. Through March 15. Boxcar Theatre presents Nick A. Olivero’s re-creation of a Prohibition-era saloon, resulting in an “immersive theatrical experience involving more than 35 actors, singers, and musicians.”

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind Boxcar Playhouse, 505 Natoma, SF; www.sfneofuturists.com. $11-16. Fri/31, 9pm. Thirty plays in 60 minutes, with a show that varies each night, as performed by the Neo-Futurists.

Ubu Roi Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, SF; www.cuttingball.com. $10-50. Opens Thu/30, 7:30pm (gala opening Fri/31, 8pm). Runs Thu, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 5pm. Through Feb 23. Cutting Ball Theater performs Alfred Jarry’s avant-garde parody of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, presented in a new translation by Cutting Ball artistic director Rob Melrose.

The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $8-11. Sun, 11am. Through March 9. The popular, kid-friendly show by Louis Pearl (aka “The Amazing Bubble Man”) returns to the Marsh.

BAY AREA

Can You Dig It? Back Down East 14th — the 60s and Beyond Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $20-35. Sat/1, 8:30pm; Sun/2, 7pm. Don Reed’s new show offers more stories from his colorful upbringing in East Oakland in the 1960s and ’70s. More hilarious and heartfelt depictions of his exceptional parents, independent siblings, and his mostly African American but ethnically mixed working-class community — punctuated with period pop, Motown, and funk classics, to which Reed shimmies and spins with effortless grace. And of course there’s more too of the expert physical comedy and charm that made long-running hits of Reed’s last two solo shows, East 14th and The Kipling Hotel (both launched, like this newest, at the Marsh). Can You Dig It? reaches, for the most part, into the “early” early years, Reed’s grammar-school days, before the events depicted in East 14th or Kipling Hotel came to pass. But in nearly two hours of material, not all of it of equal value or impact, there’s inevitably some overlap and indeed some recycling. Note: review from an earlier run of the show. (Avila)

Geezer Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $25-50. Thu, 8pm; Sat, 5pm. Through March 1. Geoff Hoyle moves his hit comedy about aging to the East Bay.

The Grapes of Wrath Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale, Foster City; www.hillbartheatre.org. $23-38. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 9. Hillbarn Theatre continues its 73rd season with Frank Galati’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic American novel.

Man in a Case Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $45-125. Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm; Wed, 7pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Feb 16. Mikhail Baryshnikov returns to Berkeley Rep to star in a play based on a pair of Anton Chekhov’s short stories, “Man in a Case” and “About Love.” Obie-winning Big Dance Theater stages the high-tech adaptation.

Silent Sky TheatreWorks, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro, Mtn View; www.theatreworks.org. $19-73. Tue-Wed, 7:30pm; Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun 2 and 7pm. Through Feb 9. Lauren Gunderson’s drama explores the life of groundbreaking early 20th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt.

PERFORMANCE/DANCE

Caroline Lugo and Carolé Acuña’s Ballet Flamenco Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell, SF; www.carolinalugo.com. Sat/1, Feb 8, 14, 16, 22, 6:15pm. $15-19. Flamenco performance by the mother-daughter dance company, featuring live musicians.

“Dance and Diaspora” ODC Theater, 3153 17th St, SF; www.odcdance.org. Sat/1-Sun/2, 8pm. $25-35. Works by Persian artists Farima Berenji and Shahrzad Khorsandi.

“Does This Joke Make Me Look Fat?” Mutiny Radio, 2781 21st St, SF; www.mutinyradio.org. Fri/31, 8pm. $10. Also Sat/1, 5pm, $10, Purple Onion at Kells, 530 Jackson, SF; www.purpleonionatkells.com. Pam Benjamin performs her solo comedy show at two different venues. Aaron Barrett and Christopher Conatser open.

Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, SF; www.feinsteinssf.com. This week: Anita Gillette in “After All,” Thu/30, 8pm, $30-40; Leslie Jordan in “Fruit Fly,” Fri/31, 8pm, $25-35; Terry White, Sat/1, 7pm, $25-30.

“Gang Bang Comedy Show” Playland, 1351 Polk, SF; www.playlandbar.com. Wed/29, 8pm. $10. Hella gay Comedy presents queer and queer-friendly stand-up with Charlie Ballard, Carrie Avritt, Jesus Fuentes, Yuri Kagen, and Sampson McCormick.

Jess Curtis/Gravity Joe Goode Annex, 401 Alabama, SF; www.joegoode.org. Thu/30-Sat/1, 8pm. $15-20. The company performs Performance Research Experiment #2.2.

“Live Yiddish Radio Show” Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission, SF; www.thecjm.org. Sun/2, 1-3pm. $20 (includes museum admission). Musicians, comedians, and actors combine their talents to re-create a Yiddish radio show as it might have sounded in the 1930s.

“Magic at the Rex” Hotel Rex, 562 Sutter, SF; www.magicattherex.com. Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. $30. Magic and mystery with Adam Sachs and mentalist Sebastian Boswell III.

“Point Break Live!” DNA Lounge, 373 11th St, SF; www.dnalounge.com. Feb 7, March 7, and April 4, 7:30 and 11pm. $25-50. Dude, Point Break Live! is like dropping into a monster wave, or holding up a bank, like, just a pure adrenaline rush, man. Ahem. Sorry, but I really can’t help but channel Keanu Reeves and his Johnny Utah character when thinking about the awesomely bad 1991 movie Point Break or its equally yummily cheesy stage adaptation. And if you do an even better Keanu impression than me — the trick is in the vacant stare and stoner drawl — then you can play his starring role amid a cast of solid actors, reading from cue cards from a hilarious production assistant in order to more closely approximate Keanu’s acting ability. This play is just so much fun, even better now at DNA Lounge than it was a couple years ago at CELLspace. But definitely buy the poncho pack and wear it, because the blood, spit, and surf spray really do make this a fully immersive experience. (Steven T. Jones)

“The Romane Event Comedy Show” Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St, SF; www.pacoromane.com. Wed/29, 8pm. $10. With Paco Romane, Jules Posner, Matt Gubser, Rajeev Dhar, Cameron Vaninni, Joey Devine, and host Nicole Calasich.

“This Boy is Just So Strange” Eric Quezada Center, 518 Valencia, SF; www.518valencia.org. Sat/1, 8pm; Sun/2, 3pm. Free. Original songs and monologues with Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Joel Mark, and Diana Hartman.

“Untitled Feminist Show” Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 700 Howard, SF; www.ybca.org. Thu/30-Sat/1, 8pm. $30-35. Playwright and director Young Jean Lee’s latest work “shakes up gender norms through movement and music.”

BAY AREA

Company C Contemporary Ballet Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; www.companycballet.org. Thu/30-Sat/1, 8pm (also Sat/1, 3pm). Also Feb 13-14, 8pm; Feb 15, 6pm (benefit gala); Feb 16, 3pm. $25-48. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 701 Mission, SF; www.companycballet.org. The company’s winter program includes premieres by Susan Jaffe and Charles Anderson.

Diablo Ballet Shadelands Arts Center, 111 N. Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek; www.diabloballet.org. Fri/31-Sat/1, 8pm (also Sat/1, 2pm). $29-34. The company’s 20th anniversary season continues with its Emotions Into Movement program.

“Die Fledermaus” Napa Valley Performing Arts Center, Yountville; www.lincolntheater.com. Sat/1, 8pm; Sun/2, 2pm. $15-59. Lamplighters Music Theatre (noted for its Gilbert and Sullivan productions) performs Johann Strauss’ “bubbly tale of revenge and temptation.” Continues at Bay Area theaters through Feb 23; visit www.lamplighters.org for future dates.

“MarshJam Improv Comedy Show” Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. Fri, 8pm. Ongoing. $10. Improv comedy with local legends and drop-in guests.

Martha Graham Dance Company Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft at Telegraph, UC Berkeley, Berk; www.calperformances.org. Fri/31-Sat/1, 8pm. $30-92. Performing Appalachian Spring (1944), Cave of the Heart (1946), and Maple Leaf Rag (1990). *

Live Shots: !!! lead a sweaty Saturday at the Chapel

Steven T. Jones

-

January 27, 2014

1

“San Francisco, San Francisco, San Francisco,” chants !!!’s Nic Offer as he struts onto the Chapel’s glowing red stage, facing a screaming sold-out crowd. The practicality of Offer’s typical performance outfit — tonight he is wearing beat-up, bone-white monk strap loafers, short white shorts emblazoned with the Rolling Stones’ Some Girls cover art, and a black crewneck tee — quickly becomes apparent as he races back and forth across the stage, light brown curls flying, wrapping the mic cord around his neck. Before the first song is over he leaps on the center monitor, thrusts his pelvis forward, and generously pulls his very short pant leg open so a fan can get his money shot. Now that’s showmanship.

The Sacramento natives, whose careers have spanned 18 years at this point, initially earned a spot in the hearts of heathens across the country for drug-jam favorites like “Hello? Is This Thing On?” and “Me and Guiliani Down By The Schoolyard — A True Story,” both tracks off of 2004’s Louden Up Now. The band quickly became synonymous with the ambiguous genre “dance-punk” — a classification they shared with other saxophone aficionados, The Rapture, as well as fellow Californians, Moving Units — but with their more recent efforts !!! has made a departure from their christened moniker and has adopted a warmer, less anxious sound. Crisp disco beats and a smooth sax mark this transition on their newest album, 2013’s Thr!!!er, a record that encourages slinky grooving as opposed to unruly slamming on the dance floor.

Saturday’s second song of the evening, “Californiyeah,” had Offer jumping into the crowd (as he does) and gyrating with, and at, fans who were apparently already drunk enough to not protest the lyrics that went, “Now I miss California almost as much as I miss you/But why would I live somewhere/Where the bars close at 2?/That ain’t right, that ain’t right.” The set consisted of mostly new material, with performances of the spiraling, clap-fest “Slyd” being among the favorites.

The rest of the band let their musicianship take the front seat throughout the evening and appeared reserved, even stoic, though perhaps it only seemed that way in contrast with vocalist Offer’s tireless presence (his dancing can best be described as traffic cop-meets-cheerleader). Other highlights included “One Girl/One Boy,” a poppy, bass-heavy number that’s reminiscent of last summer’s inescapable hit “Get Lucky” — in fact, it could be said !!!’s track acted as an aperitif of sorts for the Daft Punk onslaught we were going to experience, being released only two weeks prior to the disco-doused behemoth).

The Chapel was packed (this was a sold-out show) and the band had the crowd sweating it up before long, exuding impressive control over the room even on songs that teetered at the edge of chaos. One would think that things would mellow out somewhat as they started to play “AM/FM,” a considerably more reserved track off their fourth album, Strange Weather, Isn’t It?, but the fans’ enthusiasm was relentless and unavoidable, as hands jutted into the air and girls in the front danced like battling robots. Right before the obligatory encore, the overwhelming feeling could best be described as clammy. Anyone with hair past their shoulders unfortunate enough to not have a rubber band was sporting the Cher Horowitz side-flip hair in efforts to cool off — as if. Meanwhile, Offer resembled a ’70s gym teacher/porn star with his once-white-now-grey-sweat-stained shorts and a white gym towel draped around his neck. He laughed into the audience, his lyrics from earlier — “I miss Sac and I miss the bay (Ain’t that right)” — resonating into the night.

A first glance at ‘Looking’

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

-

January 15, 2014

20

Imagine a place where all the gay men are masculine, well-built, physically unselfconscious, and fashionably tousled; where young male artists and young male people of color mingle with young white male techies (yet are still happily banished to Oakland or work the door at Esta Noche); where having a “lazy eye” or being “slightly portly” renders you disqualified for relationships; where HIV, addiction, and politics barely exist; and where everyone is drenched in soft-spoken sophistication, vague existential ennui, and puppy-eyed cuteness.

This isn’t quite San Francisco (yet), but it is the San Francisco of gorgeously produced, play-it-safe-so-far gay-themed HBO series Looking (it begins airing Jan. 19) — at least the first two episodes, which previewed tonight at the Castro Theater. It’s too early of course to pass any kind of judgment on the entire series, which in many ways may be an accurate reflection of current gay culture, and I maintain very high hopes, especially with such good actors, writers, and attention to detail involved.

But let me tell you: I have never wished more for a stereotypically sassy drag queen to stomp onscreen and break some shit in my life.

The dramatic comedy series so far is so polite, well-crafted, and unassuming that even though you gotta applaud the desire to produce a mainstream gay program whose mission is to avoid gay stereotypes — no flaming creatures here — the end result seems to be a warm apple pie with no teen dick stuck in it, let alone a Cockette. And while Looking is more representative when it comes to ethnicity than initially feared (two Latinos!), it doesn’t seem too keen on taking any risks when it comes to social issues or body types. There is nothing remotely “queer” about Looking so far. Sad trombone!

Hopefully, Looking isn’t shooting itself in the expensive workboots with its own good intentions: to present gay men as basically “normal.” Trouble is, normal gay men at this point on our yellow brick road toward complete assimilation are basically just straight people with an extra hot dog between them. It’s simply not enough anymore to have gay men do normal things — like experience typical relationship problems or worry about getting older — and consider it interesting just because they’re gay. There have to actually be interesting things. And so far the most interesting thing here, besides the yummy SF-centric particulars, might be the characters’ varying degrees of facial hair. (Is contemporary gay exceptionalism hiding behind its own beard?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnGwmP8qg2c

Here are the dilemmas the three hunks we’re following on Looking face so far: the young, cute videogame designer keeps flubbing dates by saying the not-quite-right thing; the beautiful artist and his beautiful boyfriend just moved in together and one’s worried they’re not going out enough; and the smokin’ hot late-30ish career waiter is having mild symptoms of a midlife crisis and ambient ex-in-the-picture anxieties. Except for the primly presented three-way, a fumbling public hand job, and a brief Grindr hookup, we might as well be inside a Cathy cartoon. Seriously: one of the characters even ends up guiltily diving into a late-night bowl of naughty starch to eat his problems away. ACK.

To be sure: this show is also in many ways a scruffy dream date, all scrubbed up for dinner at farmerbrown. Hot Chip and Hercules and Love Affair replace Britney and Rihanna at Castro bars. Characters who surely have never seen a real backroom before wave around coffee mugs from The Cock in NYC and other super-insidery gay culture totems. There has been no gym scene. And some of the lines are pretty funny, especially from the requisite saucy gal pal. San Francisco looks absolutely perfect, and well-wrought local details abound. The Brit director is Andrew Haigh, whose dreamy, oh-so-indie “gay boys on fixies” romance Weekend (2011) was like a cool, refreshing splash of the Smiths — or more like the Sundays, or, for the young’uns, James Blake — onto an overheated gay film scene that seemed skewed more towards Katy Perry.

But transplanted to TV mode, the yearning hipster mumblecore aesthetic isn’t casting quite the same spell yet.

Maybe I’m jaded/spoiled, but I remember the feeling of the top of my head being ripped off during the first episodes of the British Queer as Folk (still the high water mark of guilty-pleasure gay television) and parts of The L Word and Six Feet Under — that wondrous sense of audacity that fully dimensional queer people with epic faults, uncanny similarities, and infuriating differences were being flaunted in plain sight. Even the severely problematic American Queer As Folk and Will and Grace, with their flaming stereotypes and frustrating pop culture naivety, at least gave us some fascinating characters. I hated the fact that Middle America probably thought all gay men were like Jack, but I really couldn’t wait to hear what outrageous zinger would come flying out of his mouth next.

There isn’t much of that so far on Looking, although it’s still holding my curiosity. (An after-screening Q&A with writer Michael Lannan indicated that there would be lesbian and trans characters as the series progressed, as well as some actual male nudity finally — come on, HBO). I realize that the show owes as much verisimilitude to the actual San Francisco gay scene as Queer as Folk USA owed to Pittsburgh. But for goddess’s sake, someone protest a condo eviction, somebody get blocked on Grindr for being too fem, someone eat a whole burrito drunk on a unicycle, somebody be nude or pagan or Asian, hopefully all three!

Again, this is just the start of a show whose initial demographic may quite possibly be a swath of gay men hoping for nothing more than to look hip and fit in. But if fitting in means blanding out, we might want to start Looking for something different.

In ‘tuni

Michael Redmond

-

January 14, 2014

11

marke@sfbg.com

SUPER EGO I was pleasantly surprised this weekend to find that it still only takes one of those splashy martinis at stealth piano bar Martuni’s (4 Valencia, SF.) to knock me right on my ass. Boing! But I was also shocked at how crowded it was, and not just with showtune aficionados rushing to “Book of Mormon.” There are hordes of new people moving in up and down Market Street, and they’re starting to discover our secret dive bars. That’s cool, but maybe a little scary. (Twitter-facing gem The Hotspot is closing down until February for mysterious “repairs” — will it reopen as a pricey themed cocktail lounge? Please goddess, no.) Meanwhile, tops down and bottoms up!

QBERT

He who scratches all, the East Bay turntablism wizard, is back with a new, crowd-supported album after 17 years called Extraterrestria (Thud Rumble). Seriously monumental news for heads. He’ll be at the Nightlife party, themed “Mind and Body” — but you just might leave both behind.

Thu/16, 6pm-10pm, $12. California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, SF. www.calacademy.org/nightlife

AVALON EMERSON

The long-simmering local techno talent explodes with the release of her lauded Pressure EP debut on Icee Hot records. (It is the jam.) She’s at the Play it Cool party with Guillaume Galuz, Matthew “Favorites” Howell, and Derek Opperman.

Fri/17, 9pm, $5. Public Works, 161 Erie, SF, www.publicsf.com

DAVID HARNESS

The master of soulful house has been showing his deeper tech chops lately and reeling in a new generation of fans. This five-hour all-night set should send everyone over the rainbow and into the stratosphere.

Fri/17, 10pm-3am, free before midnight with RSVP, $10. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

LEVON VINCENT

Celebrating four years of bass-heavy earhole-tingling, the Icee Hot party is bringing in this hyper-intelligently funky NYC techno favorite, along with left-field groover Joey Anderson. Upstairs in the loft: one of my absolute favorites, Floating Points, whose jazz-informed selection of deep tracks is usually quite stellar.

Sat/18, 9pm-4am, $15. Public Works, 131 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com

STIMMING

Hamburg’s Mark Stimming makes deceptively restrained-sounding techno that creates an emotional undertow on the dancefloor and seriously pulls you in. Humble epiphanies unfold when you least expect them in his high-risk, high-wire style. Lovely stuff at the Sound Department party.

Sat/18, 9pm-3am, $10–$25. Monarch, 101 Sixth St, SF. www.monarchsf.com

NICKODEMUS

The storied Turntables on the Hudson party head honcho comes to SF from NYC to celebrate the Wonderwheel label’s 10th Anniversary at our own great Dub Mission party. Expect a ton of warm funk and global house vibes.

Sun/19, 9pm, $12–$15. Elbo Room, 647 valencia, SF. www.elbo.com

SF ALBUM PROJECT: NEVERMIND

You’ll reach drag Nirvana with this gender-bending theatrical take on one of the most influential albums of all time. SFAP does all the songs, in order, in drag, fantastically. Surely one to rival the troupe’s great interpretation of OK Computer last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50Y8UBKI09k

Sun/19, doors 7pm, show 8pm, $15. Victoria Theater, 2961 16th St., SF. www.tinyurl.com/sfapnirvana

DISCO DADDY

Venerable DJ Bus Station John brings his intense collection of underground disco classics to burn up the Eagle’s dance floor. Yes, the Eagle has a dance floor now! Dancing to red-hot disco in a leather bar. Let’s do it.

Sun/19, 8pm-midnight, $5. SF Eagle, 398 12th St., SF. www.sf-eagle.com

HNY + MLK

An MLK Day eve tradition: The boys of Honey Soundsystem pull out the house classics, new jams, and miles of smiles all night long. Peace and harmony, y’all.

Sun/19, 10pm-4am, $10. Beatbox, 314 11th St., SF. honeysoundsystem.tumblr.com

What “Google bus” really means

Michael Redmond

-

January 14, 2014

79

EDITORIAL In recent years, “Google bus” has become a term that encompasses more than just the shuttles that one corporation uses to transport its workers from San Francisco down to the Silicon Valley. It has taken on a symbolic meaning representing the technology sector’s desire to shield itself from the infrastructure, values, and responsibilities that most citizens choose to share.

These are the very things that motivate many of us to live here, finding that community spirit in such a beautiful, world-class city. More than just the great restaurants and bars, its vistas and artistic offerings, San Francisco represents an experiment in modern urbanism and cultural development.

It is this collision and collusion of disparate yet public-spirited cultures that gave birth to the region’s great economic and social movements, from gay rights and environmentalism to groundbreaking academic research and the creation of the Internet economy.

The antithesis of this idea of creative collaboration is to consider San Francisco just 49 square miles of valuable real estate, to be used and developed as the highest bidder sees fit, as some tech titans seem to believe. It’s ironic that an industry based on creating online communities would place so little value on engaging with its physical community.

The proposed $1 per bus stop use, and $50 per docking that new exclusive Google ferry is paying, is a privatization of public space that barely covers the city’s costs. The tech industry should be doing much more just to counteract its negative impacts on the city’s economy, let alone actually being good corporate citizens of this region.

A new report called for by the Mayor’s Office says Muni needs a $10 billion investment over the next 15 years just to maintain current service levels. A big chunk of that should come from the wealthy corporations in our community through a downtown transit assessment district and higher fees on Silicon Valley companies that are using us as a bedroom community.

San Francisco writer Rebecca Solnit has been developing a critique of the Google bus since her initial shot last February in the London Review of Books, answering a subsequent techie/enviro criticism published in Grist with a Jan. 7 article in Guernica called “Resisting Monoculture.”

“And thus come the well-paid engineers to San Francisco, and thus go the longtime activists, idealists, artists, teachers, plumbers, all the less-well-paid people,” she writes, citing surveys that the buses allow Silicon Valley workers to live in San Francisco when they otherwise wouldn’t.

That’s the issue. The only thing green about Google buses are the piles of money their riders and their bosses are keeping from the city we all share. Segregated buses have never been a good idea, but if these companies insist on them, that should come with a higher price tag.

Wrap it up

Michael Redmond

-

January 7, 2014

3

culture@sfbg.com

TABLEHOPPING How was your New Year’s Eve? Did you tell 2013 to not let the door hit it on the ass on its way out, or who knows, maybe 2013 was oh-so-good to you? Hopefully the latter. One thing I do know is deadlines were a little wonky over the holiday, and yours truly started early on the Champagne (oops), so my end-of-the-year recap is running in the paper a wee bit late.

Here are brief highlights of new places that opened in 2013 that I’m fired up to have in our culinary scene, and look forward to visiting more in 2014. Did you check all of these off your list already? No? Let’s roll the tape.

PATISSERIES AND BAKERIES

So much beauty resides in the pastry case at b. patisserie, everyone must try the honey cake (and knishes!) at 20th Century Café, and croissants and savory creations at Le Marais Bakery in the Marina are trés destination-worthy.

BURGERS

A simple but good one can be found at the revamped Fog City. It’s the way you wish a McDonald’s cheeseburger would taste — the American cheese is even made in-house! And the renovated MKT at the Four Seasons has a delicious duck fat burger. (The steak tartare is also really, really good.) The beef and bacon burger at RickyBobby in the Lower Haight is the business, and the version at Mason Pacific comes on a pretzel bun with smoked tomato, tasty.

IS IT A BAR OR A RESTAURANT?

I love being able to do double duty at places with great cocktails and superior vittles, like Hard Water — have you had the fried chicken, or the fried milk-braised celery hearts?! Or Trick Dog, where the late-night kitchen hours are brilliant — and the boneless chicken wings and Manimal-style thrice-cooked fries are gifts to drunks and stoners everywhere. And then there’s the renovated Tosca, now serving some of the city’s best meatballs and housemade bucatini all’amatriciana: Start with the Trouble in Paradise cocktail.

FANCY PANTS

Gotta hand it to Saison for having one of the sexiest bar menus — the same can be said of the china and stemware. Gorgeous don’t come cheap.

NEIGHBORHOOD JOINTS

Russian Hill gets a two-fer: 1760 (the crudos!) and Stones Throw (squid ink conchiglie pasta for the win), while the Castro is cozying right up to Fable, and Nico is trying to charm Laurel Heights.

MEXICAN PARTY BUS

Padrecito is getting Cole Valley tipsy on good drinks — La Copa Verde, we are talking about you! — to go with goat tacos (points for selling a kale taco), while La Urbana is curing hangovers with its chilaquiles and Mexican Dude cocktail. And bienvenidos to the fiesta, Sabrosa.

SANDWICHES

For your must-try list: the Italian combo and Arista at Merigan Sub Shop, the lampredotto (it’s tripe, yo) at Elmira Rosticceria, and the Rachel at Shorty Goldstein’s in the FiDi.

JUST DAMN TASTY

Maruya in the Mission is giving us a new counter where we can enjoy some top sushi, while the Sri Lankan-influenced 1601 Bar and Kitchen brings us a spin on the traditional egg hopper, my idea of a killer app. The new menu at Betelnut is also rocking the party, with the char siu spring rolls and hamachi sashimi.

STYLIN’

The Cavalier in SoMa is plying us with eggs and soldiers and a mighty fine burger, while Coqueta flirts with us over gin and tonics and pintxos.

THANKS FOR NOT TAKING ALL MY MONEY

It’s so good to have Guddu de Karahi back with us (and his tandoori fish), while the second location of Ramen Underground in Japantown means you can find a place to sit while you enjoy spicy miso ramen. The tortillas from the Burr-eatery truck, get ’em! And I’m digging the savory waffles at Linea Caffe.

WINE BAR 2.0

Fortunately we have moved past the lousy style and cheap wines at too many wine bars around the city — there are good bites and pours at the funky 20 Spot, excellent Italian wines from true wino pros at InoVino and La Nebbia, and some fab Frenchie picks at Aquitaine, including a duck Reuben at lunch.

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

Sorry to say farewell to all the cool Kiwis and their fresh ingredients at pop-up restaurant Waiheke Island Yacht Club, which played up its America’s Cup connection.

FRESH ON THE SCENE

Looking forward to trying Verbena from Berkeley’s Gather crew, getting smoky at TBD in SoMa, tucking into a Hunanese banquet dinner on at Leader House, and diving deeper into the menu at Daniel Patterson’s Alta CA, where you gotta get the cracked wheat porridge with hen of the woods mushrooms. 2014, you’re looking damn good.

Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column; subscribe for more at www.tablehopper.com. Get her app: Tablehopper’s Top Late-Night Eats. On Twitter: @tablehopper.

Wrap it up

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

-

January 3, 2014

5

TABLEHOPPING I’m writing this end-of-year recap while looking at thousands of pictures of food from 2012 (oh, I see, that’s how I got these love handles). New Year’s Eve is just four days away, but my tidal wave of sparkles and bubbles is starting early at a party I’m hosting with Louis Roederer Champagne at Marianne’s, the private room at one of this year’s new hotspots, The Cavalier. Yes, it’s Champagne o’clock, and look at that, my watch is running fast. There’s a lot to toast this year! Here are brief highlights of places I’m fired up to have in our culinary scene, and look forward to visiting more in 2014. Let’s roll the tape. And Happy New Year, pop!

Patisseries and bakeries
So much beauty in the pastry case at b. patisserie, everyone needs to try the honey cake (and knishes!) at 20th Century Café, and the croissants and savory creations at Le Marais Bakery in the Marina are so destination-worthy.

Burgers
A simple but good one can be found at the revamped Fog City (it’s the way you wish a McDonalds cheeseburger would taste — they are even making the American cheese in house!), and the renovated MKT at the Four Seasons has a delicious duck fat burger (the steak tartare is also really, really good). The beef and bacon burger at RickyBobby in the Lower Haight is the business, and the version at Mason Pacific comes on a pretzel bun with smoked tomato, so tasty.

Is it a bar or a restaurant?
I love being able to do double duty at places with great cocktails and vittles, like Hard Water (have you had their fried chicken, the fried milk-braised celery hearts?!), Trick Dog (the late-night kitchen hours are brilliant — and the boneless chicken wings and Manimal-style thrice-cooked fries are gifts to drunks and stoners everywhere), and then there’s the renovated Tosca, now serving some of the city’s best meatballs and housemade bucatini all’amatriciana (and start with the Trouble in Paradise cocktail).

Fancy pants
Gotta hand it to Saison for having one of the sexiest bar menus — the same can be said of the china and stemware. Gorgeous doesn’t come cheap.

Neighborhood joints
Russian Hill gets a two-fer: 1760 (the crudos!) and Stones Throw (squid ink conchiglie pasta for the win), while the Castro is cozying right up to Fable, and Nico is trying to charm Laurel Heights.

Mexican party bus
Padrecito is getting Cole Valley tipsy on good drinks (La Copa Verde, we are talking about you!) to go with goat tacos (points for selling a kale taco), while La Urbana is curing hangovers with its chilaquiles and Mexican Dude. And bienvenidos to the fiesta, Sabrosa.

Sandwiches
For your must-try list: the Italian combo and Arista at Merigan Sub Shop, the lampredotto (it’s tripe, yo) at Elmira Rosticceria, and the Rachel at Shorty Goldstein’s in the FiDi.

Just damn tasty
Maruya in the Mission is giving us a new counter where we can enjoy some top sushi (arigato!), while the Sri Lankan-influenced 1601 Bar & Kitchen brings us the egg hopper, my idea of a killer app. The new menu at Betelnut is also rocking the party (like the char siu spring rolls and hamachi sashimi).

Stylin’
The Cavalier in SoMa is plying us with eggs and soldiers and a mighty fine burger, while Coqueta flirts with us over gin and tonics and pintxos.

Thanks for not taking all my money
It’s so good to have Guddu de Karahi back with us (and his tandoori fish), while the second location of Ramen Underground in Japantown means you can find a place to sit while you enjoy its spicy miso ramen. The tortillas from the Burr-eatery truck, get ’em! And I’m digging the savory waffles at Linea Caffe.

Wine bar 2.0
Fortunately we have moved past the lousy style and cheap wines at too many wine bars around the city — there are good bites and pours at the funky 20 Spot, excellent Italian wines from true wino pros at InoVino and La Nebbia, and some fab Frenchie picks at Aquitaine (plus a duck Reuben at lunch).

Here today, gone tomorrow
Sorry to say farewell to all the cool Kiwis (and their fresh ingredients) at pop-up restaurant Waiheke Island Yacht Club.

Fresh on the scene
Looking forward to trying Verbena (from Berkeley’s Gather crew), getting smoky at TBD in SoMa, getting my Hunanese banquet dinner on at Leader House, and diving deeper into the menu at Daniel Patterson’s Alta CA (you gotta get the cracked wheat porridge with hen of the woods mushrooms). 2014, you’re looking damn good.

Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column; subscribe for more at www.tablehopper.com. Get her app: Tablehopper’s Top Late-Night Eats. On Twitter: @tablehopper

Hairy dilemma

Erica Hanna

-

December 24, 2013

3

news@sfbg.com

It used to be rare to see dogs in restaurants — which many people see as gross and the health codes don’t allow — but not anymore. It’s an increasingly common sight to see dogs in Bay Area restaurants, grocery stores, bars, and others businesses that traditionally haven’t allowed them.

Call it part of our love affair with canines, a loophole in medical privacy laws that stymies inquiries into whether Fido is a service dog needed for some ailment, or a manifestation of some people’s entitlement issues, but more and more pet owners see no problem with bringing their dogs to the dinner or lunch table.

Some have even angrily defended their supposed right to do so when confronted.

The city estimates there are about 120,000 dogs living in San Francisco, which equates to almost one dog per seven people. Sometimes it seems like even more than that given how omnipresent dogs seem to be, popping in places that used to be off-limits to them, such as restaurants.

Some people now see restaurants as dog-friendly zones, but they’re not, and for good reason. Due to public health concerns, dogs are banned by federal law from any establishment that serves or handles food.

The lone caveat to that rule is provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it allows those who need service dogs to have them at all times, overriding the aforementioned policy established by the US Food and Drug Administration. The existence of the caveat isn’t really a problem — service dogs are necessary, helpful, and are highly trained animals — but the loophole it provides is.

That loophole allows regular, untrained folks to take regular, untrained dogs into restaurants under the guise of service.

“Under those provisions, restaurants are somewhat limited in that they can’t be too forceful in their line of questioning,” said Angelica Pappas, communications manager at the California Restaurants Association (CRA). “So I think that some people who want to bring their dogs know that and might think that they can get around the law that way.”

And in San Francisco, the trend is particularly pronounced, creating a problem for those who work in restaurants.

“The most obvious issue you see [when a dog is in a restaurant] is cross contamination,” said Terrence Hong, senior environmental inspector with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. “A food handler might pet a cute dog, for instance, where service dog handlers go through training themselves and are more prepared for that situation.”

Food can be contaminated with fecal bacteria — something many dogs just love to roll around in — in addition to just the unsightly hairs ending up in people’s meals. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in six people (about 48 million) are sickened by food-borne illness each year. Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die, according to the CDC’s last comprehensive study of the issue in 2011.

“Safety, too, is an issue,” Pappas said. “There’s no guarantee that all these dogs are well-trained and even having them on a patio is really no different than having them inside when it comes to that.”

Florida became the first state to allow non-service dogs in outdoors seating areas in restaurants in 2006, and California had followed the lead of the Sunshine State by 2012.

“But the application of those laws is far more difficult than the black and white on a piece of paper,” Hong says.

The ADA — the same law that allows service dogs to enter restaurants— is proving to be one of the biggest obstacles when it comes to identifying the fakes. The language in the ADA states that anyone entering a business with a dog claiming to be a service animal can be asked only two questions: Is the dog a service dog? What task is it trained to do for you?

Business owners can’t ask a person in question for identification, because no federally or municipally approved uniform identifier exists, according to Hong. They can’t ask what a customer’s ailment is, because that question violates a privacy clause in the ADA.

DOGS EVERYWHERE

While the restaurants are being unlawfully infiltrated, other areas around the city are experiencing atypical levels of canine traffic as well.

Buses? Sure, why not. As long as your dog has a muzzle, it can legally take part in the herkiest, jerkiest, most claustrophobic ride available in the Muni playground, at least according to the unbothered gentleman with his dog on the 47-Van Ness bus on a recent Saturday.

Cabs? Hop on in, Rover. The mall? Every dog could use an afternoon at Michael Kors. Grocery stores? Screw the food handling laws, dogs gotta eat too.

And if someone gets in the way of you and your pet canine’s umbilical relationship? Just claim it’s a service dog. Sure, it’s considered a federal offense to misrepresent your pet as a service animal, but you can order a super-official looking vest off the Internet easier than you can order a book off of Amazon. The malfeasance is also nearly impossible to report.

Thus, the misrepresentation of service dogs is a rapidly growing problem, and one that seems to be trivialized by a large number of people.

Unfortunately for those who need legitimate service dogs, Hong said the general public has offered little opposition to the fakes. He said that there is no exact figure for dog-related complaints, because they don’t consolidate them, but he also noted that many people are reluctant to speak out against the malfeasant service dog owners.

Whether it’s because they think the business owners will handle the complaint (they won’t, according to the CRA) or if they are just privately, rather than publicly, opposed to the trend (which Hong had said he thinks people are), it still leaves the owners of real service dogs in a tough place.

“We’ve been affected many times by fake service dogs,” said Wallis Brozman, service dog owner from Corporate Advancement Assistant for Canine Companions for Independence, a service dog training academy located in Santa Rosa. “It’s happened to us everywhere, we’ve been attacked right outside of restaurants. We’ve been denied service at restaurants, denied service at hotels.”

Brozman says that she has been denied service at those institutions expressly because of the bad name that poorly trained service dogs have given to the whole industry.

But Brozman needs her dog. She uses a manual wheelchair full-time due to a condition called dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that causes extremely painful and involuntary muscle contractions. Even with her condition, she says that she has been made to pay pet deposits in hotels, even though her dog isn’t even classified as a “pet” by the ADA.

And Caspin, Brozman’s dog, is definitely not a pet. He understands both Sign Language and English, making him a bilingual dog (and more linguistically savvy than this writer). He’s been trained to stay calm in loud, obnoxious public settings. He can pick up anything Brozman might drop. He’s a talented dog, but he’s no pet.

NOT JUST PETS

According to the California Penal Code Section 365.5, a “service dog means any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, minimal protection work, rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.”

Service dogs not only provide assistance when necessary, but they provide their handlers with a sense of autonomy that they can’t achieve through other means. That’s why service dogs were included in ADA of 1990.

It was a huge victory for the people that really need service dogs, like Brozman, for instance, or war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. One of the prescribed treatments for PTSD victims happens to be the presence of a service dog.

“It can cost us $5,000 to train these dogs for veterans,” said Robert Misseri, president of a service dog training organization called Guardians of Rescue. “Poorly behaved dogs make things more difficult for the vets who need our dogs.”

But the benefits of owning a service dog can be voided in a hurry if the dog encounters another dog without the same composure, training, and restraint.

“Our graduates have been bitten by dogs in public, provoked, and mistreated by other dogs,” said Angie Schact, an instructor at Canine Companions for Independence, a program that requires a minimum six-month program for their graduates. “They have gone through so much more training than the average dog. We’ve raised the issue with the Department of Justice. We’re serious.”

But when the ADA was originally drafted, according to Paul Bowskill, general manager of ServiceDogsAmerica.com, it “provided for very few mental disabilities. Most of the qualifying disabilities at the time were physical and [visible].”

After the ADA was passed, guidelines were expanded to include mental illness and seizure risk, in addition to physical ailment, so visual cues became far less notable.

“You can’t tell if someone needs a service dog now,” said Bowskill. “The law was written so you can train your own service dog, and by law, you don’t need an ID.” And as we, as a culture, become even more accustomed to steady streams of “Sure you can!” responses and discomfort demolishing inventions, our reluctance to leave pets behind is only trending upwards.

But for service dog owners just trying to lead an autonomous existence and those patrons simply tired of seeing dogs in places previously forbidden, it’s a scary thought. “Sometimes, [people] just assume that my service dog is a fake,” said Brozman. “I explain to people again and again, and I show them that my dog is perfectly trained and there to help me, yet people still stigmatize us.”

All together now

Michael Redmond

-

December 10, 2013

2

news@sfbg.com

The latest attempt to legalize marijuana in California took one step forward last week when a group of advocates filed a ballot initiative with the office of the Secretary of State.

Titled California’s Marijuana Control, Legalization and Revenue Act of 2014 (MCLR), the new marijuana legalization proposal is being floated by Americans for Policy Reform (AFPR). For the past year, the organization has made the draft initiative open to the public as an editable Google Doc for anyone to read, comment on, and even modify.

The next step is for the Secretary of State to evaluate the initiative and compose a title and summary. Only after that process, which could take up to two months, will the AFPR be free to begin collecting the 500,000 signatures it must amass in order to get the marijuana legalization act on the 2014 ballot.

Such a task may sound daunting, but AFPR members have already done some of the heavy lifting, having spent the past year soliciting thousands of individual Californians’ input and support. The policy reform group even postponed an earlier submission target date to allow time for a statewide tour to gauge public opinion one last time before formally filing the proposed legislation. The initiative began as a grassroots, “open source” document to legalize cannabis for medical, industrial and adult social use.

“About a year ago, we held a cannabis conference in San Jose where we presented a document that was two paragraphs long and basically said, ‘Marijuana should be legal and nobody should be sent to jail,'” recounts AFPR member Dave Hodges. “Then we put that document into a Google Doc and just started promoting it, telling everybody, ‘If there’s anything in it that you don’t like, get in there — and change it yourself.'”

Hodges opened San Jose’s first medical cannabis club in 2009, but wasn’t drawn to the forefront in the fight for legalization until the death of a good friend a year and a half ago. His friend suffered from a condition caused by daily consumption of alcohol.

“About two weeks before he passed away, we were smoking a joint and the fucker had the balls to tell me: ‘If this shit were legal, I would have never drank alcohol.’ This is something I’ve believed in a lot, in general — but that was probably the thing that made me really get into it and not let go.”

The AFPR has gone to great lengths to garner broad support and lay the groundwork for a strong coalition once the signature gathering process begins. In the past year, the policy reform group has reached out to attorneys, activists, and other members of the community, trying to include as many Californians as possible in shaping the MCLR initiative. They’ve also issued press releases and blasted the word out on social media.

The editable Google Doc upon which the proposal is based has been circulated to thousands of people, via e-mail lists. When someone posted a link to the document on the popular website Boing Boing, more than 1,000 people logged into it within 48 hours.

Hodges has personally sat down to meet face-to-face with more than 100 different people. Over time, the two-paragraph long Google Doc grew to a length of 24 pages.

“The process of creating it was a little bit of a nightmare,” Hodges chuckles. “I’ve probably read that 24 pages a thousand times,” a feat he admits could not have been accomplished without copious amounts of marijuana.

Nonetheless, he agrees with fellow proponent Bob Bowerman, who said, “This is the best cannabis initiative ever put together for California. It follows federal guidelines and regulates cannabis in a way that makes sense.” Bowerman added, “It corrects the other legal mistakes.”

The open-source style in which MCLR was created might have been headache inducing, but its proponents believe it will prove to be the key to the initiative’s success on the 2014 ballot — in contrast with previous failed efforts at legalization.

As Hodges states, “In the case of Prop 19 in 2010, the message that was circulating — and the reason that it failed — was that everybody was saying, ‘It’s a bad law, but vote for it anyways,’ because everybody just wanted to see legalization happen. In 2012, we had nine different initiatives all competing to be on the ballot, because everybody had their own view of how this had to happen and nobody was really trying to get everybody to work together. And then none of them ended up on the ballot.”

These defeats in 2010 and 2012 led Hodges and his associates to the conclusion that the essential problem with legalization efforts was internal division across the movement, caused by respective groups disagreeing on language and prioritizing different aspects of the issue.

“When you do this process and combine so many perspectives, you see a lot of things that you wouldn’t otherwise,” Hodges explains. “And if there are any critics who come out and say this is a bad law, well, we’ve taken over a year to reach out to everybody. Anybody who hasn’t responded doesn’t really have an excuse at this point.”

While the original document put forth by the AFPR a year ago stated simply that Californians should be free to smoke marijuana, its final form is a detailed set of regulations on how the drug ought to be sold, provided, and regulated. It also outlines new protections against issues, such as federal regulation, still complicating the movement toward legalization. The need for such a precise, comprehensive initiative was underscored by a recent California Supreme Court ruling, determining that individual cities are allowed to ban medical marijuana dispensaries, despite provisions established by Prop 215 in 1996 and reinforced by SB-420 in 2003 clearing the way for their operation.

“There were a lot of lessons to be learned from that Supreme Court ruling,” Hodges says. “We learned that if we want this structured properly, we need to spell it out in very fine detail, to make sure that legally the courts can’t come back and do something like this again.”

He went on to explain the essence of the MCLR initiative. “The core of what we’ve done is create a bipartisan, independent cannabis commission that’s going to regulate this, set up further detailed regulations, and adjust for anything in the future,” he said. “Everything else is more basic structures around protections and limitations for businesses that could exist, and protections for the people who are currently using it.”

Some of those “basic structures” proved especially important to the co-collaborators. They include enforcing laws against driving under the influence by testing a driver’s impairment rather than testing the amount of THC in their bloodstream; prohibiting employers from firing employees simply for testing positive for marijuana; disregarding, in custody battles, whether one of the parents smokes; and establishing independent financial and insurance cooperatives for the cannabis and hemp industries, so that banking and insurance transactions may be done apart from the federal framework.

“Those are the little things that we would not have thought of, unless we’d been reaching out to individuals,” Hodges states. “So it really is a much stronger document because we’ve been so open about it.”

Once the document had been collaboratively shaped and vetted, AFPR took it to an attorney, who drafted it as legislation in preparation for submission to the Secretary of State.

As the final, amended version of the MCLR initiative undergoes evaluation by the office of the Secretary of State, the greatest obstacle now facing AFPR is the task of raising the $2 million needed to gather signatures for the petition. Without that funding, the measure won’t appear on the 2014 ballot, regardless of all the effort and collaboration already invested. The organization has been cultivating relationships with prospective sponsors, but collecting that large of a sum will not be easy.

Still, the initiative’s proponents remain confident. According to the most recent survey data released by AFPR, 64 percent of California voters want to legalize marijuana in 2014. This support follows a broader trend: Results of a recent Gallup poll show that for the first time since Americans were first polled on their attitudes toward marijuana in 1969, a clear majority of Americans — 58 percent — say it should be legalized.

“The time is now,” declared John Lee, another proponent. “The voters are ready, and we can get it done.”

What getting it done will ultimately mean, in practice, is anyone’s guess.

“We’re talking about a lot of saved money as far as people going to jail, better use of resources, and a new stream of revenue for the state,” Hodges predicts. “There’s obviously gonna be some sort of liquor-store type models. But I’ve heard of everything from marijuana-friendly bed and breakfasts, to high-end bars that will have girls going around like cigarette girls used to, but with different types of pre-rolled joints.”

Taking it all in, he concluded, “The possibilities are pretty endless. But if this initiative passes, we will set a standard for the rest of the country.”

This Week’s Picks: November 13 – 19, 2013

Michael Redmond

-

November 12, 2013

0

WEDNESDAY 11/13

Chinese American Film Festival

San Francisco has a number of film series that pluck programming from recent international runs and festivals (see “New Italian Cinema” write-up elsewhere in Selector), but the Chinese American Film Festival is unique in its embrace of genre and popcorn movies. Where else are you gonna see Dante Lam’s MMA drama Unbeatable, starring the sweaty torsos of Nick Cheung and Eddie Peng, or NBA-sanctioned sci-fi Tron-meets-hoops mash-up Amazing? Also featured: rom-coms, historical dramas, crime thrillers, a disease-epidemic disaster movie, and a haunted-elevator horror flick. All films in Chinese with English subtitles. (Cheryl Eddy)

Wed/13-Tue/19, $6–$8

Four Star Theater

2200 Clement, SF

www.lntsf.com

WEDNESDAY 11/13

Cults

In 2010, two New York art students posted three songs on their Bandcamp page under the name Cults. Their insanely catchy glam earworm “Go Outside” immediately began catching the attention of the blogosphere, landing them on “Bands to Watch Out For” lists everywhere. Now, three years and one successful album later, they’re facing the second-album hurdle and a breakup. After four years of being romantically involved, Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion have ended their relationship for the sake of the band. After post-breakup depression (Follin) and a soul-searching drug binge in Japan (Oblivion) the pair has reunited to focus on music, and the result is not the breakup album you might expect, but a fuzzed-out dreampop gem. (Haley Zaremba)

With Sacco, Mood Rings

8pm, $25

Fillmore

1805 Geary, SF

(415) 346-6000

www.thefillmore.com

WEDNESDAY 11/13

New Italian Cinema

The San Francisco Film Society continues its autumn of international showcases with “New Italian Cinema,” unspooling new works by Paolo Sorrentino (whose The Great Beauty opens theatrically later this month), Silvio Soldini (Garibaldi’s Lovers), and others, plus a Neapolitan cinema spotlight that includes Napoli 24, an omnibus film composed of 24 three-minute shorts about the iconic city. Bobbling alongside the mini-fest’s many selections set in contemporary Italy is Mario Martone’s star-studded costume drama We Believed, which celebrates the country’s 150th anniversary. (Eddy)

Wed/13-Sun/17, $10-25

Clay Theater

2261 Fillmore, SF

www.sffs.org

THURSDAY 11/14

Feminism in Action Open Mic

Here’s your chance to speak out against domestic violence during Feminism in Action’s first ever open mic night. FIA, an SF State organization, is working to break silences and to heal and support through artistic expression. Bring your music, poetry, or prose and share in a safe, positive space. The pieces you share do not have to be explicitly about domestic violence, as FIA recognizes art in general as a way to transform and heal. The event includes musical performances by local artists Bedroom Witch and Zamora. FIA will also use the evening to debut their first zine on domestic violence. Get vocal and get involved. (Kirstie Haruta)

7pm, $3–$5

Dolores Park Cafe

501 Dolores, SF

(415) 621-2936

www.doloresparkcafe.com

THURSDAY 11/14

Theatre Flamenco’s “Con Nombre y Apellido”

While flamenco will always be associated with Spain despite its roots in Gypsy, North African, Jewish, and Indian traditions, it has truly become part of world culture. Go to any flamenco school in Sevilla — more than half of the students will be from abroad. There is something about that tension, the give and take between the music — both melodic and percussive — and the dancer that is irresistible no matter where you are born. This is what Theatre Flamenco, now in its 47th year and the oldest company of its kind in the country, is exploring in its newest show, “Con Nombre y Apellido” (“With Name and Surname”). Carola Zertuche and Marién Luévano learned their first rhythms in Mexico; Cristina Hall at SF’s High School for the Performing Arts. (Rita Felciano)

Thu/14-Sat/16, 8pm; Sun/17, 2pm, $34–$40

Southside Theater

Fort Mason Center, SF

brownpapertickets.com/event/454980

THURSDAY 11/14

“Remembrance of Things Proust: 100th Anniversary of Swann’s Way“

Though our material landscape drastically technologized since Marcel Proust’s Belle Époque, the manner in which we humans digest and respond to our world remains the same. Music, be it Pandora or a live string quartet, continues to mold our emotions; art, found on Pinterest or in Beaux Arts museums, still disguises the ordinary through resemblance; parties, in the elusive Sub or Villeparisis’s salon, let us get wild and loose; and words, on Twitter or in novels, allow us to capture a present and cling to the past. In honor of Swann’s Way‘s 100 year anniversary, Mrs. Dalloway’s hosts an evening featuring readings from William C. Carter’s new translation, live period music, signed copies of painter David Richardson’s Resemblance: Portraits of Characters from Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and tea with madeleines, to take you back. (Kaylen Baker)

7pm, $10

St John’s Presbyterian Church

2727 College, Berkeley

(510) 704-8222

www.mrsdalloways.com

THURSDAY 11/14

“The Intergalactic Nemesis: Book One: Target Earth“

The planet is in the crosshairs of a slimy race of extraterrestrials and only valiant reporter Molly Sloan and trusty sidekick Timmy Mendez, with help from an enigmatic librarian, can save it in this family-friendly multimedia spectacular from Austin, Texas. First performed in an Austin coffee shop in 1996, Jason Neulander’s live-action radio serial cum graphic novel has grown in size and following, but still has a spare quality leaving room for the imaginations of its audience to do the really heavy, CGI-type lifting. To get you going: three versatile actors, a hard-working Foley artist, a keyboard accompanist (delivering an original score by composer Graham Reynolds), a period-style narrative in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and over a thousand illustrations by Tim Doyle projected onto a 20-foot screen. The program includes a children’s one-hour school-time performance on Wed/13, as well as Cal Performance’s second annual arts learning forum for educators, administrators, and policy makers. (Robert Avila)

8pm, $18–$42

Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley

Bancroft Way at Dana Street, Berk.

(510) 642-9988

www.calperformances.org

FRIDAY 11/15

“Miles’ Wish To Be a Superhero”

The Make-A-Wish foundation transforms San Francisco into Gotham City for a day, and suddenly the entire city is caught in its own worst nightmare — fatal accidents occur on the cable cars, while an evil villain by the name of the Puzzler robs a bank and takes the fate of the San Francisco mascot Lou Seal into his own treacherous hands. But fear not, denizens! Batkid, also known as five-year-old Miles, infamous for his heroic battle against leukemia, comes to save the day. Join your fellow terror-stricken neighbors at specific lookout spots throughout the day (see the website below for details) to watch the action and cheer Batkid on. (Baker)

12:45am and 2pm, free

Various locations in SF

(415) 402-2775

sf.wish.org

FRIDAY 11/15

Cass McCombs

For most people, the idea of wandering around, homeless and aimless, surrounded by drugs, drug addicts, and general debauchery for the duration of your adult life sounds like some sort of nightmare. For Cass McCombs, this is reality. The nomadic singer-songwriter thrives on the alternative nature of his existence and anchors himself not to a home, family, or possessions, but to music. Lots of music. This year sees the release of his seventh studio album, and it’s a doozy. At 22 songs long, Big Wheel and Others is an enormous undertaking. Filled with his trademark flair for imaginative storytelling, compelling characters, and black humor, Big Wheel is a delicious slice of Americana and skilled songwriting. (Zaremba)

With Meg Baird

9pm, $16

Great American Music Hall

859 O’Farrell, SF

(415) 885-0750

www.slimspresents.com

SATURDAY 11/16

Bay Area Rainbow Symphony Concert

Continuing the tradition of “community and visibility through artistic excellence,” the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, formed in 2008, brings its newest performance to the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church this weekend. Led by guest conductor Cyrus Ginwala, this group of talented musicians tackles Kenton Coe’s Ischiana Overture, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell with readings from “Letters from a Life.” Acclaimed violinist Jassen Todorov joins symphony for the Mendelssohn and Coe pieces. Join BARS for a weekend of music in a space that is safe and welcoming for musicians of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. (Haruta)

11/16, 7pm, 11/17, 4pm, $15-35

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

1111 O’Farrell, SF

(415) 578-4652

www.bars-sf.org

SATURDAY 11/16

“Fashioning Women”

San Francisco fashion designer Kate Mitchell’s lifelong dedication to dance, combined with her wry take on culture and academic interest in American history manifests in her most recent work, “Fashioning Women.” Both a mock-magazine book and a faux couture collection, this project parodies the contemporary fashion industry while exploring the boundaries between women’s bodies, movement, and the absurd constrictions of the feminine ideal. Featuring several guest artists, 25 women in a dance and theater performance, a catwalk of the couture collection, and copies of the book, this show is sure to fabricate an interesting trend story. (Baker)

8pm, $25

SOMArts Cultural Center

934 Brannan, SF

(415) 863-1414

www.fashioningwomen.com

TUESDAY 11/19

“Light Up the Night 2013: March for Inclusion and Tolerance”

In observation of Transgender Day of Remembrance, head over to City Hall and join the march to the Castro in loving memory of the transgender people we have lost to senseless violence and transphobia. The organizers emphasize that this event is about visibility rather than protesting, so lend your support and let the silenced be heard. Come together as a community and celebrate by stomping out transphobia all the way to Midnight Sun, where the festivities will continue. And to show its support, Midnight Sun will donate 10 percent of its bar sales that evening to the Transgender Law Center. (Haruta)

5pm, free

SF City Hall

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, SF

(415) 621-2936

www.doloresparkcafe.com

Home from prison

Michael Redmond

-

November 5, 2013

3

rebecca@sfbg.com

Danielle Evans, director of Women’s Services at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, likes to tell the story of a woman who managed to turn over a new leaf after spending a year in a residential support program.

The client was found on the streets of San Francisco, pregnant, after an overdose. She was over 40, had never graduated from high school, and had a string of drug offenses on her rap sheet. She had multiple children who had been given up for adoption, and she was homeless.

But after getting emergency treatment at San Francisco General Hospital and entering substance abuse counseling and transitional housing from there, she was able to overcome her drug addiction, regain custody of her daughter from Child Protective Services, and enroll in a vocational program for janitorial work.

The woman was aided through a yearlong stay at Cameo House, a transitional home for homeless pregnant women and new moms run by CJCJ. After living there with her daughter while getting pointers on parenting from the staff, she’s now working toward her GED and has a goal of landing a job — something she’s never had.

“I’m like, look where you came from and where you are today,” Evans reflected. The client’s daughter is now a healthy two-year-old, Evans said, and “she is so motivated to be a good mom.”

It’s not a typical narrative. A recent event hosted by New America Media focused on the personal stories of Bay Area youth who’ve grown up with parents entangled in the criminal justice system. More often, those parent-child relationships are strained or nonexistent, especially in cases where parents are far away from home, serving out prison sentences.

CHILDREN OF REENTRY

For many, having a parent behind bars has the potential of becoming a vicious cycle, but new realizations about how harmful that childhood experience can be are giving rise to a new way of thinking about how to deal with parents in the criminal justice system.

New approaches include alternatives to incarceration, something that’s gaining momentum in this era of prison overcrowding and realignment, which has shifted some responsibility of housing inmates from the state to California counties.

Children of incarcerated parents are three times as likely as their peers to wind up in the criminal justice system, Jessica Flintoff, director of the Reentry Division at San Francisco’s Adult Probation Department, said at the New America Media forum in downtown San Francisco. Some policies that the county has embraced are designed to factor in long-term youth impacts, at the time when key decisions are being made about their parents’ fates.

The event featured a series of short films and multimedia projects spotlighting the experiences of youth and their formerly incarcerated parents, with a focus on what happened when the parents returned home.

Young producers, working with the nonprofit Silicon Valley DeBug and community newspaper Richmond Pulse, created the projects through hours of interviews in which parents and kids divulged intensely personal details about their experiences. The idea behind the Children of Reentry media project was to open up a conversation that kids with incarcerated parents often shy away from, because of an associated stigma.

The project conveyed intimate narratives about an experience that an estimated 2.7 million children of incarcerated parents are familiar with nationwide: A son who got to know his father in a prison visitation room; a mother who gave birth to her daughter in prison only to be separated until completing her sentence; a father who barely knew his daughter before her 21st birthday because he’d been in prison for the duration of her childhood.

WHAT DO KIDS NEED?

In San Francisco, the mission of the San Francisco Adult Probation Department explicitly includes a goal of “breaking the intergenerational cycle of incarceration,” Flintoff explained at the forum.

The city tries to take a child’s needs into account before the parent is sentenced, she said. Under this system, a deputy probation officer is required to conduct an investigation into the needs of the affected children, and even maps out a genogram of the convicted person’s familial ties, to convey to a judge what kind of situation the child will wind up in once their parent is imprisoned.

The sentencing then takes this background information into account. “The criminal justice system is a series of decisions,” Flintoff said. “We can make different decisions at every turn.”

The impact of parental incarceration on youth has been a hot topic lately. In August, a White House conference was devoted to understanding the problem, which is fueled by an American incarceration rate that’s four times higher than it was in the 1970s.

Research has yielded sobering data. According to the American Bar Foundation, which hosted the White House conference, roughly half of all inmates serving time in U.S. prisons are parents. Communities of color are disproportionately impacted — nationwide, one in four black children has had a parent behind bars at some point. These youth tend to have a tougher time once they reach adulthood, with typically lower rates of academic achievement, decreased chances of graduating from college, and a higher percentage facing unemployment.

“I feel like I saw both of my parents in each video,” Mailee Wang said after the series of short film screenings, tearing up a little. Wang, whose mother and father each spent time in prison, is now program director at Project WHAT! (We’re Here And Talking), an initiative run by local nonprofit Community Works that aims to assist these impacted youth.

“Having a prison mentality is real,” she added. “How do you lock somebody up, and keep them from their kids, and release them, and expect that prison mentality to turn off? It’s chaos when the person returns home. People talk about family reunification, but what does that look like?”

SERVICES INSTEAD OF PRISON

Meanwhile, a new partnership between San Francisco and CJCJ seeks to eliminate the traumatizing effect of parental incarceration by swapping out time behind bars for a different rehabilitative approach. That option involves sending would-be inmates to Cameo House, the transitional home that already helps homeless moms to get on track as providers for their young kids.

Housed in an 11-unit Victorian in the Mission, the center offers group therapy, parenting classes, training for job seekers, and other kinds of support services to help put women in the position of being able to provide for their kids. Cameo House contracts with the Department of U.S. Housing and Urban Development to provide the services, and receives local funding and assistance from private donors.

Under this alternative, pregnant women or mothers with children under six who are facing prison or jail time could be placed in Cameo House instead of being made to spend time behind bars away from their kids.

“It’s an option on the table, where before it was, ‘you’re going to county jail, and there is no other option,'” Evans said. “But we’re saying, ‘hey, let’s try this. Let’s intervene where intervention is needed. Let’s not re-traumatize this family.'”

Music Listings: Oct. 30-Nov 5

Tony Robles

-

October 30, 2013

0

WEDNESDAY 30
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Oceanography, Timothy Robert Graham, Buzzmutt, 9 p.m., $8.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Cellar Doors, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, The Spiral Electric, DJs Joel Gion & Darragh Skelton, 9 p.m., $6-$10.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Lee DeWyze, Jeff Conley, 8 p.m., $18-$60.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. Big Baby Guru, Just People, The Beggars Who Give, 8 p.m., $8.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Nobunny, Mongoloid, Shannon & The Clams with Russell Quan, 9:30 p.m., $8.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Battle of the Network Cover Bands, w/ The Booze Brothers, Lady Stardust, Th Mrcy Hot Sprngs, 8:30 p.m., $6.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Fast Romantics, Mise en Scene, Bears for Sharks, 8 p.m., $8-$10.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. Dancer, Crez DeeDee, Jerks, DJ Ryan Smith, 9:30 p.m., $6.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band; Now, Now; Jonah’s Onelinedrawing; Harrison Hudson, 8 p.m., $13-$15.
DANCE
The Cafe: 2369 Market, San Francisco. “Sticky Wednesdays,” w/ DJ Mark Andrus, 8 p.m., free.
Cat Club: 1190 Folsom, San Francisco. “Bondage A Go Go,” w/ DJs Damon, Tomas Diablo, & guests, 9:30 p.m., $5-$10.
Club X: 715 Harrison, San Francisco. Electro Pop Rocks: CarnEvil, 18+ dance party with St. John, Jays One, Harris Pilton, Sound It Out, Linx, more, 9 p.m.
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “Tainted Techno Trance,” 10 p.m.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. Housepitality Halloween, w/ Daniel Bell, Tyrel Williams, Miguel Solari, Joel Conway, Fil Latorre, 9 p.m., $5-$10.
Harlot: 46 Minna, San Francisco. “Qoöl,” 5 p.m.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “Indulgence,” 10 p.m.
Lookout: 3600 16th St., San Francisco. “What?,” w/ resident DJ Tisdale and guests, 7 p.m., free.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Rock the Spot,” 9 p.m., free.
MatrixFillmore: 3138 Fillmore, San Francisco. “Reload,” w/ DJ Big Bad Bruce, 10 p.m., free.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. Powwoww, Witowmaker, Bubblegum Crisis, The Early Days of Aviation, 8:30 p.m., $5.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. The Overlook 3D, w/ Meikee Magnetic, Brycie Bones, DJ Fact.50, 9:30 p.m., $5-$10 (free before 10:30 p.m.).
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Booty Call,” w/ Juanita More, Joshua J, guests, 9 p.m., $3.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Freak Circus: Day 4, w/ Arty, 9 p.m., $25-$30 advance.
Slide: 430 Mason, San Francisco. Gatsby: Halloween at Slide, w/ Crazibiza, 9 p.m.
HIP-HOP
Double Dutch: 3192 16th St., San Francisco. “Cash IV Gold,” w/ DJs Kool Karlo, Roost Uno, and Sean G, 10 p.m., free.
Skylark Bar: 3089 16th St., San Francisco. “Mixtape Wednesday,” w/ resident DJs Strategy, Junot, Herb Digs, & guests, 9 p.m., $5.
ACOUSTIC
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Acoustic Guitar Showcase, w/ Teja Gerken, 7 p.m.
Cafe Divine: 1600 Stockton, San Francisco. Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, 7 p.m., free.
Club Deluxe: 1511 Haight, San Francisco. Happy Hour Bluegrass, 6:30 p.m., free.
Johnny Foley’s Irish House: 243 O’Farrell St., San Francisco. Terry Savastano, Every other Wednesday, 9 p.m., free.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. The Toast Inspectors, Last Wednesday of every month, 9 p.m.
JAZZ
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Gaucho, Eric Garland’s Jazz Session, The Amnesiacs, 7 p.m., free.
Burritt Room: 417 Stockton St., San Francisco. Terry Disley’s Rocking Jazz Trio, 6 p.m., free.
Cafe Royale: 800 Post, San Francisco. Negative Press Project, 9 p.m.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Charles Unger Experience, 7:30 p.m., free.
Le Colonial: 20 Cosmo, San Francisco. The Cosmo Alleycats featuring Ms. Emily Wade Adams, 7 p.m., free.
Martuni’s: 4 Valencia, San Francisco. Tom Shaw Trio, Last Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m., $7.
Oz Lounge: 260 Kearny, San Francisco. Hard Bop Collective, 6 p.m., free.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Macy Blackman, 6 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. “Cat’s Corner,” 9 p.m., $10.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. Sebastian Parker Trio, 8 p.m.
Top of the Mark: One Nob Hill, 999 California, San Francisco. Ricardo Scales, Wednesdays, 6:30-11:30 p.m., $5.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Linda Kosut, 7:30 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. Timba Dance Party, w/ DJ WaltDigz, 10 p.m., $5.
Cafe Cocomo: 650 Indiana, San Francisco. “Bachatalicious,” w/ DJs Good Sho & Rodney, 7 p.m., $5-$10.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “International Freakout A Go-Go,” 10 p.m., free.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. 15th Annual Halloween Party with Freddy Clarke & Wobbly World, 8 p.m.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. The Hound Kings, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Jose Simioni, 9:30 p.m.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. Chris Cobb, 9:30 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
Meridian Gallery: 535 Powell, San Francisco. Maria Chavez, Beauty School, 7:30 p.m.
SOUL
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Freddie Hughes & Chris Burns, 7:30 p.m., free.
THURSDAY 31
ROCK
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Talking Heads Halloween Bash with Naive Melodies, 9:30 p.m., $8-$10.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Halloween Show with La Plebe, The Re-Volts, Ruleta Rusa, Bum City Saints, 9 p.m., $12.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. The Shondes, Naive Americans, The Galloping Sea, 8:30 p.m., $7.
The Chapel: 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. Bobb Saggeth, Haight Breeders, 9 p.m., $12-$16.
Connecticut Yankee: 100 Connecticut, San Francisco. Halloween Party with Steel Hotcakes, The Insufferables, plus a costume contest, 9:15 p.m., free.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Ultra Bide, Lord Dying, Tiger Honey Pot, 8:30 p.m., $8.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. The Beards, The Wave Commission, Wild Ass, 9 p.m., $12-$15.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. Kill Yr Idols, Kiss Me on the Butt, Jesus Fuck, Pyl-It-On, 9:30 p.m., $6.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Popscene: Popscream Halloween 2013, w/ North American Scum, Bang On, plus DJs, Aaron, Omar, and Miles, 9:30 p.m., $10.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. Hallorager II, w/ Glitter Wizard, Twin Steps, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, more, 9 p.m., $8.
DANCE
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. Mad Hatters Ball, w/ R.L. Grime, Tourist, DJ Funeral, Gladkill, Noah D, Sugarpill, DJ Dials, Goldrush, Astronautica, more, 10 p.m., $20 advance.
Abbey Tavern: 4100 Geary, San Francisco. DJ Schrobi-Girl, 10 p.m., free.
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. Halloween Night with Marcus Schössow, Tall Sasha, 9:30 p.m., $15 advance.
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge: 133 Turk, San Francisco. “Tubesteak Connection,” w/ DJ Bus Station John, 9 p.m., $5-$7.
Beaux: 2344 Market, San Francisco. Heklina’s Halloween Costume Contest, w/ DJ Kidd Sysko, 9 p.m.
The Cafe: 2369 Market, San Francisco. Sugar: All Hallows’ Eve, 9 p.m.
Cat Club: 1190 Folsom, San Francisco. “Throwback Thursdays,” ‘80s night with DJs Damon, Steve Washington, Dangerous Dan, and guests, 9 p.m., $6 (free before 9:30 p.m.).
The Cellar: 685 Sutter, San Francisco. Dungeon, w/ Romeo Reyes, J-Trip, St. John, 10 p.m., $15-$30; “XO,” w/ DJs Astro & Rose, 10 p.m., $5.
Chambers Eat + Drink: 601 Eddy, San Francisco. Ritual x Haus: A Halloween Party, w/ Bixu, Azin Ash, Siouxsie Black, Chrissie Six, 9 p.m., $5 (free with costume).
Club X: 715 Harrison, San Francisco. “The Crib,” 9:30 p.m., $10, 18+.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. All Hallow’s Eve, 18+ dance party with DJs Zach Moore, KidHack, A+D, Santa Muerte, Blondie K, subOctave, Shindog, Mitch, BaconMonkey, Decay, Joe Radio, and Netik, 9 p.m., $13 advance.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. No Way Back + Honey Soundsystem Halloween, w/ Willie Burns, Split Secs, Robot Hustle, Conor, P-Play, Jason Kendig, Solar, Josh Cheon, 10 p.m., $5-$20.
Harlot: 46 Minna, San Francisco. Monster Mash, w/ DJ Spider & The Schmidt, 9 p.m., $10-$30 advance.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “I Love Thursdays,” 10 p.m., $10.
Lookout: 3600 16th St., San Francisco. The Drunk Tank: An Underwater Halloween Adventure, w/ DJ Russ Rich, 8 p.m., $8.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. Halloween Night Fever, w/ DJs Jerry Nice & Sonny Phono, 9 p.m., $5 after 10 p.m.
Manor West: 750 Harrison, San Francisco. Villains & Vixens, w/ J. Espinosa, The Les, 10 p.m., $20.
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. Lights Down Low, w/ The Magician, Tensnake, Andre Bratten, Richie Panic, Sleazemore, 9 p.m., $25-$40.
Mighty: 119 Utah, San Francisco. Black Mammoth, w/ Gravity, Derek Hena, Galen, DJ Kramer, Josh Vincent, A.M. Rebel, Miguel Solari, Tyrel Williams, DJ Dane, DJ Alvaro, Mystr/Hatchet, Wobs, Christopher Charles, 9 p.m., $10 before 10 p.m.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. A Nightmare on Haight Street, w/ DJ Vin Sol., 9 p.m., $5.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. Green Gorilla Lounge: The Monster Mash, w/ Heidi, DJ M3, Anthony Mansfield, Jimmy B, Sharon Buck, Greer, Mozhgan, Davi A, 9 p.m., $10-$20.
The Parlor: 2801 Leavenworth, San Francisco. Halloween Hoedown, w/ Chris Clouse, 9 p.m., $7-$15.
Project One: 251 Rhode Island, San Francisco. Back2Back: 9-Year Anniversary – Halloween Edition, w/ DJs Jenö & Garth, 8 p.m.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. M-nus Monster Mash, w/ Gaiser, Matador, Hobo, 9 p.m., $15-$20.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Throwback Thursday,” w/ DJ Jay-R, 9 p.m., free.
Raven: 1151 Folsom St., San Francisco. “1999,” w/ VJ Mark Andrus, 8 p.m., free.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Freak Circus: Day 5, w/ Jack Beats, Bones, 9 p.m., $20-$30 advance.
San Francisco Belle: 3 Pier, San Francisco. S.S. Crowdtilt, w/ Traviswild, DJ Purple, American Tripps ping-pong, open bars, more, 9 p.m., $65-$75.
Slide: 430 Mason, San Francisco. Gatsby: Halloween at Slide, w/ DJ Midnight SF, Zhaldee, Grandwizard, Duy Pham, 9 p.m.
Supperclub San Francisco: 657 Harrison, San Francisco. Beautiful Nightmare, w/ DJ Chris White, 10 p.m., $15 advance.
Temple: 540 Howard, San Francisco. Detonate: Halloween Thriller, 18+ dance party with Goshfather & Jinco, Indo, Tigran, GLSS, 10 p.m., $15.
The Tunnel Top: 601 Bush, San Francisco. “Tunneltop,” DJs Avalon and Derek ease you into the weekend with a cool and relaxed selection of tunes spun on vinyl, 10 p.m., free.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Bubble,” 10 p.m., free.
Vessel: 85 Campton, San Francisco. Base: Halloween, w/ Pete Tong, 10 p.m.
W San Francisco: 181 Third St., San Francisco. Saints and Sinners, 10 p.m.
HIP-HOP
111 Minna Gallery: 111 Minna St., San Francisco. My Boo, w/ Neil Armstrong, DJ Shortkut, Ry Toast, Prince Aries, Royce, Chauee, 9 p.m., $10.
Atmosphere: 447 Broadway, San Francisco. Thriller on Broadway: Halloween Night Extravaganza, w/ DJs Mind Motion, Supreme, and Momix, 10 p.m., $10 advance.
Eastside West: 3154 Fillmore, San Francisco. “Throwback Thursdays,” w/ DJ Madison, 9 p.m., free.
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “Cypher,” w/ resident DJ Big Von, 10 p.m., $5-$10.
Park 77 Sports Bar: 77 Cambon, San Francisco. “Slap N Tite,” w/ resident Cali King Crab DJs Sabotage Beats & Jason Awesome, free.
Skylark Bar: 3089 16th St., San Francisco. “Peaches,” w/lady DJs DeeAndroid, Lady Fingaz, That Girl, Umami, Inkfat, and Andre, 10 p.m., free.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Freaks & Beats 2013, w/ DJs D-Sharp, Apollo, Sake One, Mr. E, and Ruby Red I (in Yoshi’s lounge), 10:30 p.m., $10 advance.
ACOUSTIC
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Halloween with Rube Waddell, Sour Mash Hug Band, The Barbary Ghosts, 9 p.m., $10-$15.
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Acoustic Open Mic, 7 p.m.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Elephant Revival, Allie Kral & The Morrison Brothers, 8 p.m., $16-$18.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Halloween Costume Party with Crooked Road, 9 p.m.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Boograss 2013: Hillbilly Halloween Hoedown, w/ The Pine Box Boys, The Fucking Buckaroos, The Harmed Brothers, Kemo Sabe, 9 p.m., $15.
JAZZ
Blush! Wine Bar: 476 Castro, San Francisco. Doug Martin’s Avatar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., free.
Bottle Cap: 1707 Powell, San Francisco. The North Beach Sound with Ned Boynton, Jordan Samuels, and Tom Vickers, 7 p.m., free.
Cafe Claude: 7 Claude, San Francisco. Alex Conde Trio, 7:30 p.m., free.
Le Colonial: 20 Cosmo, San Francisco. Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, 7:30 p.m.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Snakebite & Friends, 7 p.m., free.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Charlie Siebert & Chris Siebert, 7:30 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Savanna Jazz Jam with Eddy Ramirez, 7:30 p.m., $5.
Top of the Mark: One Nob Hill, 999 California, San Francisco. Stompy Jones, 7:30 p.m., $10.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Barbara Ochoa, 7:30 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. “Pa’Lante!,” w/ Juan G, El Kool Kyle, Mr. Lucky, 10 p.m., $5.
Cafe Cocomo: 650 Indiana, San Francisco. Special Halloween Night with N’Rumba, DJ Good Sho, DJ Hong, 8 p.m., $12.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. Flamenco Halloween Party, 8 p.m.; “Jueves Flamencos,” 8 p.m., free.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. Latin Breeze, 8 p.m.
Verdi Club: 2424 Mariposa, San Francisco. The Verdi Club Milonga, w/ Christy Coté, DJ Emilio Flores, guests, 9 p.m., $10-$15.
REGGAE
Pissed Off Pete’s: 4528 Mission St., San Francisco. Reggae Thursdays, w/ resident DJ Jah Yzer, 9 p.m., free.
BLUES
50 Mason Social House: 50 Mason, San Francisco. Bill Phillippe, 5:30 p.m., free.
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. R.J. Mischo, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Bohemian Knuckleboogie, 7:30 p.m., free.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Freddie Roulette, 4 p.m.; Carlos Guitarlos, 9:30 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. Ken Ueno, Tim Feeney, and Matt Ingalls, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15.
FUNK
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Soul Discipilz, The Hogan Brothers, Extra Ordinary Astronauts, 9 p.m., free.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Afrolicious: A Super Fly Halloween, w/ Afrolicious Band (performing Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly soundtrack), plus DJs Still Life, Boogiemeister, Pleasuremaker, and Señor Oz, 9:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Cameo’s Funky Halloween, 8 & 10 p.m., $46.
SOUL
Cigar Bar & Grill: 850 Montgomery, San Francisco. Halloween Party with Big Blu Soul Revue, 7:30 p.m., free.
FRIDAY 1
ROCK
50 Mason Social House: 50 Mason, San Francisco. Lemme Adams, Coo Coo Birds, Not Sure. Not Yet, Tall Fires, 8 p.m.
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Ash Reiter, FpodBpod, Li Xi, 9 p.m., $7-$10.
Amoeba Music: 1855 Haight, San Francisco. Golden Void, 6 p.m., free.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Pirates Press Ninth Anniversary Weekend, w/ Street Dogs, Harrington Saints, Custom Fit, Sydney Ducks, 9 p.m., $15 (or $45 for 3-day pass).
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Satan’s Pilgrims, The Gregors, The Deadbeats, 9 p.m., $12-$15.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Battlehooch, Just People, Guy Fox, 9:30 p.m., $8-$10.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. Friday Live: The Dead Ships, DJ Emotions, 10 p.m., free.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Early Graves, Narrows, Glaciers, 9:30 p.m., $10.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Lady Zep, Sordid Humor, Mental 99, 9 p.m., $10.
Red Devil Lounge: 1695 Polk, San Francisco. Stroke 9, Jackson Rohm, 9 p.m., $15.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. American Tripps Halloween/Día de los Muertos Party, w/ Still Flyin’ (as New Order), Honeymoon in Canada, DJ Beauregard, 8 p.m., $10-$12.
Sub-Mission Art Space (Balazo 18 Gallery): 2183 Mission, San Francisco. Inferno of Joy, Beast of England, Gozzard, Asada Messiah, Szandora LaVey, Miss Bella Trixx, 8 p.m., $7.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. The Memorials, Gigantis, Bite, Gotaway Girl, 9 p.m., $10.
DANCE
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Witness 4.0,” w/ Cyril Hahn, Ryan Hemsworth, XXXY, Oneman, Henry Krinkle, Letherette, DJ Dials, Sleazemore, Richie Panic, Popgang, Pedro Arbulu, Kevvy Kev, 9 p.m., $17.50-$20 advance.
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. “Brass Tax,” w/ resident DJs JoeJoe, Ding Dong, Ernie Trevino, Mace, First Friday of every month, 10 p.m., $5.
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. Amine Edge & Dance, Quinn Jerome, J. Remy, Glade Luco, 9 p.m., $20.
Balancoire: 2565 Mission St., San Francisco. “Haçeteria: 3-Year Anniversary,” w/ Sapphire Slows, Magic Touch (DJ set), Bobby Browser (DJ set), Roche (DJ set), 10 p.m., $5-$8.
Cafe Flore: 2298 Market, San Francisco. “Kinky Beats,” w/ DJ Sergio, 10 p.m., free.
The Cafe: 2369 Market, San Francisco. “Boy Bar,” w/ DJ Matt Consola, 9 p.m., $5.
Cat Club: 1190 Folsom, San Francisco. Strangelove: Día de los Muertos, w/ DJs Tomas Diablo, Sage, Prince Charming, and Fact.50, $7 ($3 before 10 p.m.).
The Cellar: 685 Sutter, San Francisco. “F.T.S.: For the Story,” 10 p.m.
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “Fever,” 10 p.m., free before midnight.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Vintage,” w/ DJ Toph One & guests, 5 p.m., free.
The Grand Nightclub: 520 4th St., San Francisco. “We Rock Fridays,” 9:30 p.m.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “Escape Fridays,” 10 p.m., $20.
Lookout: 3600 16th St., San Francisco. “HYSL,” 9 p.m., $3.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Dirty Rotten Dance Party,” w/ Kap10 Harris, Shane King, guests, First Friday of every month, 9 p.m., $5.
Manor West: 750 Harrison, San Francisco. “Fortune Fridays,” 10 p.m., free before 11 p.m. with RSVP.
MatrixFillmore: 3138 Fillmore, San Francisco. “F-Style Fridays,” w/ DJ Jared-F, 9 p.m.
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. “Future Fridays,” w/ One More Time: A Tribute to Daft Punk, 9 p.m., $15-$20.
Mighty: 119 Utah, San Francisco. French Express Label Night, w/ Jonas Rathsman, Moon Boots, Isaac Tichauer, 10 p.m., $15 advance.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. Spooktasm 2.0, w/ Falcons, Light Echo, GHz Funk, 9:30 p.m., $12-$14 advance.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. Día de los Muertos, w/ 8Ball, Aaron Pope, Clarkie, Ding Dong, Kapt’n Kirk, Matt Kramer, Tamo, ViaJay, Shooey, Mace, Ethan, John Schiffer, 9 p.m., $10-$15.
OMG: 43 6th St., San Francisco. “Release,” 9 p.m., free before 11 p.m.
Powerhouse: 1347 Folsom, San Francisco. “Nasty,” First Friday of every month, 10 p.m., $5.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. As You Like It: Freaky Friday, w/ Maya Jane Coles, Cosmin TRG, Bells & Whistles, Brian Knarfield, Mossmoss, Mike Bee, Nackt, William Wardlaw, more, 9 p.m., $20 advance.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Pump: Worq It Out Fridays,” w/ resident DJ Christopher B, 9 p.m., $3.
Region: 139 Steuart St., San Francisco. Hollywood Halloween, w/ DJs Rufio, Rose, and Feldy, 9 p.m., $38 advance.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Aly & Fila, 9 p.m., $20 advance.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Bionic,” 10 p.m., $5.
Vessel: 85 Campton, San Francisco. “Blitz,” w/ Festiva, Traviswild, Kean B, Aditiv, Loud Mouth, 10 p.m., $10-$30.
Wish: 1539 Folsom, San Francisco. “Bridge the Gap,” w/ resident DJ Don Kainoa, Fridays, 6-10 p.m., free; “Depth,” w/ resident DJs Sharon Buck & Greg Yuen, First Friday of every month, 10 p.m., free.
HIP-HOP
EZ5: 682 Commercial, San Francisco. “Decompression,” Fridays, 5-9 p.m.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Cash4Gold: Some Kind of Way,” w/ Cellus, Pony P, Phleck, Roost Uno, Kool Karlo, 9 p.m., $5.
Nickies: 466 Haight, San Francisco. “First Fridays,” w/ The Whooligan & Dion Decibels, First Friday of every month, 11 p.m., free.
Slate Bar: 2925 16th St., San Francisco. Thriller: Post-Halloween/Pre-Día de los Muertos Costume Dance Party, w/ DJs Sean G & Mackswell, 10 p.m.
ACOUSTIC
The Chapel: 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. Jonathan Wilson, Extra Classic, 9 p.m., $15.
The Sports Basement: 610 Old Mason, San Francisco. “Breakfast with Enzo,” w/ Enzo Garcia, 10 a.m., $5.
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church: 2097 Turk, San Francisco. First Fridays Song Circle, First Friday of every month, 7 p.m., $5-$10.
JAZZ
Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant: 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco. Johnny Smith, 8 p.m., free.
Bird & Beckett: 653 Chenery, San Francisco. Don Prell’s SeaBop Ensemble, First Friday of every month, 5:30 p.m., free.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Charles Unger Experience, 7:30 p.m., free.
The Palace Hotel: 2 New Montgomery, San Francisco. The Klipptones, 8 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Savanna Jazz Trio, 7 p.m., $8.
Top of the Mark: One Nob Hill, 999 California, San Francisco. Black Market Jazz Orchestra, 9 p.m., $10.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Joyce Grant, 8 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. “Paris-Dakar African Mix Coupe Decale,” 10 p.m., $5.
Cafe Cocomo: 650 Indiana, San Francisco. Taste Fridays, featuring local cuisine tastings, salsa bands, dance lessons, and more, 7:30 p.m., $15 (free entry to patio).
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. La Gente, Bayonics, Emcee Infinite, 10 p.m., $10.
The Emerald Tablet: 80 Fresno St., San Francisco. Brazil Beat, 8 p.m., $15 suggested donation.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. Cuban Night with Fito Reinoso, 7:30 & 9:15 p.m., $15-$18.
Roccapulco Supper Club: 3140 Mission, San Francisco. “Viva la Cumbia,” w/ Aniceto Molina, Los Hermanos Flores, Orquesta San Vicente, 8 p.m., $55-$60 advance.
REGGAE
Gestalt Haus: 3159 16th St., San Francisco. “Music Like Dirt,” 7:30 p.m., free.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. Thicker Than Thieves, Perro Bravo, Midnight Sun Massive, Burnt, 8 p.m., $10.
Showdown: 10 Sixth St., San Francisco. “How the West Was Won,” w/ Nowtime Sound, First Friday of every month, 10 p.m., free.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Sonny Rhodes, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $22.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. Jinx Jones & The KingTones, First Friday of every month, 9 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. Ouroboros, Distant Intervals, poetry/music hybrids, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15.
FUNK
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Swoop Unit, First Friday of every month, 6 p.m., $3-$5.
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Funk Revival Orchestra, The Bumptet, DJ K-Os, 9:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “Loose Joints,” w/ DJs Centipede, Damon Bell, & Tom Thump, 10 p.m., $5.
SOUL
Edinburgh Castle: 950 Geary, San Francisco. “Soul Crush,” w/ DJ Serious Leisure, 10 p.m., free.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Hiatus Kaiyote, Martin Luther, Oscar Key Sung, Ghost & The City, 9 p.m., $20.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. “Oldies Night,” w/ DJs Primo, Daniel, Lost Cat, friends, First Friday of every month, 10 p.m., $5.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Avant, 8 & 10 p.m., $29-$33.
SATURDAY 2
ROCK
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Día de los Muertos with Novos Beaches, Sugar Candy Mountain, Jared Saltiel, 9 p.m., $7-$10.
Bender’s: 806 S. Van Ness, San Francisco. Altamont, Frehley’s Vomet, Stone Chimp, 10 p.m., $5.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Pirates Press Ninth Anniversary Weekend, w/ Street Dogs, The Interrupters, Druglords of the Avenues, Bishops Green, 9 p.m., $15 (or $45 for 3-day pass).
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Tracorum, JeConte, The Sleeping Giants, 9 p.m., $12-$15.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Midnight Cinema, 8:30 p.m., $12-$15.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. Black Cobra, Hot Lunch, Owl, 10 p.m., $10.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. The Shape, Buzzmutt, Appendixes, 8:30 p.m., $6.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Dax Riggs, 9 p.m., $15.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. Down Dirty Shake, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, The Love Dimension, We Are the Men, 8:30 p.m., $5.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. Subkulture: Eternal Death Wake XI, w/ Peeling Grey, Roadside Memorial, Sorrow Church, Dominion, DJs Xiola & 1369 (on the upstairs stage), 8 p.m., $8.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Total Trash Halloween Bash, w/ The Sonics, Roy Loney, Dukes of Hamburg, Wounded Lion, Chad & The Meatbodies, The Rantouls, Midnite Snaxxx, Thee S’Lobsters, 7 p.m., $35-$45.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Little Comets, Starsystem, 9 p.m., $13-$15.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. Blaak Heat Shujaa, Buffalo Tooth, Wicked Goddess, 9 p.m., $8.
DANCE
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. Amtrac, Dr. Fresch, Anoctave, 9:30 p.m.
BeatBox: 314 11th St., San Francisco. “Chaos,” w/ DJs Stephan Grondin & Tristan Jaxx, 10 p.m., $20 ($5 before 11 p.m.).
Cafe Flore: 2298 Market, San Francisco. “Bistrotheque,” w/ DJ Ken Vulsion, 8 p.m., free.
Cat Club: 1190 Folsom, San Francisco. “Leisure,” w/ DJs Aaron, Omar, & Jetset James, First Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $7.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. “Bootie S.F.,” w/ DJ Tripp, Faroff, Billy Jam, DJ Fox, Kool Karlo, John!John!, more, 9 p.m., $10-$15.
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “Play,” w/ DJ Three, Francis Harris, Michael Perry, Will Spencer, 10 p.m., $15-$20 (free before 11 p.m.).
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Cult,” w/ Dubtribe, DJ Markie, DJ Jenö, Danja, Andre, Jason Douglas, Matt Holland, 10 p.m., $10-$15.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “Volume,” First Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $10-$20.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. “Debaser: Day of the Dead – Nirvana Nirvana,” w/ DJs Jamie Jams & EmDee, 10 p.m., $5.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “The Prince & Michael Experience,” w/ DJs Dave Paul & Jeff Harris, First Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., $5.
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. “Lights Down Low,” w/ Jamie Jones, Dax, Richie Panic, Sleazemore, 9 p.m., $15-$25.
Mighty: 119 Utah, San Francisco. “Deep Blue,” w/ Guti, DJ Rooz, DJ Bo, more, 10 p.m., $13 advance.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. Night Moves: Day of the Disco, w/ Doctor Dru, J-Boogie, Deejay Theory, Papa Lu, Joey Alaniz, 9 p.m., $10-$20.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. LTJ Bukem, MC Armanni Reign, Bachelors of Science, 10 p.m., $20-$22.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Homo Erectus,” w/ DJs MyKill & Dcnstrct, First Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., $5.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Cazzette, 9 p.m., $30-$40.
The Stud: 399 Ninth St., San Francisco. “Go Bang!: I-Beam Tribute,” w/ Lester Temple, Kenneth L. Kemp, Sergio Fedasz, Steve Fabus, 9 p.m., $7 (free before 10 p.m.).
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Push the Feeling,” w/ residents Yr Skull & Epicsauce DJs, First Saturday of every month, 9 p.m.
Vessel: 85 Campton, San Francisco. “One Night in Morocco,” w/ Pheeko Dubfunk, Kada, Nile, Lorentzo, 10 p.m., $10-$30.
HIP-HOP
John Colins: 138 Minna, San Francisco. “N.E.W.: Never Ending Weekend,” w/ DJ Jerry Ross, First Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., free before 11 p.m.
Slate Bar: 2925 16th St., San Francisco. “Touchy Feely,” w/ The Wild N Krazy Kids, First Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $5 (free before 11 p.m.).
ACOUSTIC
Atlas Cafe: 3049 20th St., San Francisco. Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, Saturdays, 4-6 p.m., free.
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Fourth Annual Mary Elizabeth Beckman Memorial Concert, 7 p.m.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. “Americana Jukebox,” w/ Spidermeow, Doug Blumer & The Bohemian Highway, 9 p.m., $6-$10.
Revolution Cafe: 3248 22nd St., San Francisco. Seth Augustus, First Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., free/donation.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. Shantytown, 9 p.m.
JAZZ
The Emerald Tablet: 80 Fresno St., San Francisco. Clairdee with the Ken French Trio, 8 p.m., $5-$10.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Bill “Doc” Webster & Jazz Nostalgia, 7:30 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Savanna Jazz Trio, 7 p.m., $8.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. The Robert Stewart Experience, 9 p.m.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Barbara Ochoa, 8 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Pura,” 9 p.m., $20.
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. “Paris-Dakar African Mix Coupe Decale,” 10 p.m., $5.
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Lagos Roots, Cha-Ching, 9:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “El SuperRitmo,” w/ DJs Roger Mas & El Kool Kyle, 10 p.m., $5.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. Peña Eddy Navia & Pachamama Band, 8 p.m., free.
Qi Ultra Lounge: 917 Folsom St., San Francisco. Brazilian Halloween Ball 2013: Back to the ‘80s, w/ 20V Band, Energia do Samba, Roberto Martins, The Les, DJ Kblo, DJ Hanik, 10 p.m., $15 advance.
REGGAE
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. John Brown’s Body, Stick Figure, Alific, 9 p.m., $20.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Sista Monica, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $22.
The Lucky Horseshoe: 453 Cortland, San Francisco. Dr. Mojo, 9 p.m., free.
EXPERIMENTAL
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. Ray-Kallay Duo, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Hyde Street Pier: 499 Jefferson St., San Francisco. “Vessels for Improvisation,” Featuring the Rova Saxophone Quartet with dancer Shinichi Iova-Koga (aboard the history ferryboat Eureka)., 6 p.m., $12-$20.
The Lab: 2948 16th St., San Francisco. A Benefit for the Lab with Rodger Stella, Heartworm, Erors, Malocculsion, Pink Gaze, Omer Gal, 7:30 p.m., $8+.
FUNK
Red Devil Lounge: 1695 Polk, San Francisco. Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 9 p.m., $15.
SOUL
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. “Hard French,” w/ DJs Carnita & Brown Amy, First Saturday of every month, 2 p.m., $7.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “Saturday Night Soul Party,” w/ DJs Lucky, Phengren Oswald, & Paul Paul, First Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $10 ($5 in formal attire).
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Avant, 8 & 10 p.m., $29-$33.
SUNDAY 3
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Pirates Press Ninth Anniversary Weekend, w/ FM359, The Ratchets, Downtown Struts, Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One, 8 p.m., $15 (or $45 for 3-day pass).
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. The Bloodtypes, Blammos, The Custom Kicks, Whoosie What’s It’s, 4 p.m., $6.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. He Is Legend, Name, When Earth Awakes, 8 p.m., $10.
DANCE
The Cellar: 685 Sutter, San Francisco. “Replay Sundays,” 9 p.m., free.
The Edge: 4149 18th St., San Francisco. “’80s at 8,” w/ DJ MC2, 8 p.m.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “Dub Mission,” w/ DJ Beset, DJ Sep, J-Boogie, 9 p.m., $6 (free before 9:30 p.m.).
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “T.Dance,” 6 a.m.-6 p.m.; “BoomBox,” First Sunday of every month, 8 p.m.; “Sunday Sessions,” 8 p.m.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Stamina Sundays,” w/ DJs Lukeino, Jamal, and guests, 10 p.m., free.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. “Sweater Funk,” 10 p.m., free.
Lookout: 3600 16th St., San Francisco. “Jock,” Sundays, 3-8 p.m., $2.
MatrixFillmore: 3138 Fillmore, San Francisco. “Bounce,” w/ DJ Just, 10 p.m.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. “Black Magic Disko,” w/ Finnebassen, Bob Campbell, NDK, 9 p.m., $10-$20.
Otis: 25 Maiden, San Francisco. “What’s the Werd?,” w/ resident DJs Nick Williams, Kevin Knapp, Maxwell Dub, and guests, 9 p.m., $5 (free before 11 p.m.).
The Parlor: 2801 Leavenworth, San Francisco. DJ Marc deVasconcelos, 10 p.m., free.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Gigante,” 8 p.m., free.
HIP-HOP
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. “Return of the Cypher,” 9:30 p.m., free.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. “Swagger Like Us,” First Sunday of every month, 3 p.m.
Skylark Bar: 3089 16th St., San Francisco. “Shooz,” w/ DJ Raymundo & guests, First Sunday of every month, 10 p.m., free.
ACOUSTIC
The Chapel: 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. Zoë Keating, You Are Plural, 9 p.m., $20-$22.
The Lucky Horseshoe: 453 Cortland, San Francisco. Sunday Bluegrass Jam, 4 p.m., free.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Spike’s Mic Night,” Sundays, 4-8 p.m., free.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. Dave Dondero, Virgil Shaw, Tom Heyman, 7:30 p.m.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. Parlor Tricks, Grand Lake Islands, 3 p.m., free.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. “iPlay,” open mic with featured weekly artists, 6:30 p.m., free.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church: 1755 Clay, San Francisco. “Sunday Night Mic,” w/ Roem Baur, 5 p.m., free.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. “Twang Sunday,” 4 p.m., free.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Makana, 7 p.m., $17-$23.
JAZZ
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Kally Price Old Blues & Jazz Band, First Sunday of every month, 9 p.m., $7-$10.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Bill “Doc” Webster & Jazz Nostalgia, 7:30 p.m., free.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Sunday Sessions,” 10 p.m., free.
Musicians Union Local 6: 116 Ninth St., San Francisco. Noertker’s Moxie, 7:30 p.m., $8-$10.
Revolution Cafe: 3248 22nd St., San Francisco. Jazz Revolution, 4 p.m., free/donation.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Lavay Smith & Chris Siebert, 7:30 p.m., free.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. The Joe Cohen Show, 9 p.m.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Lisa Lindsley, 7:30 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Atmosphere: 447 Broadway, San Francisco. “Hot Bachata Nights,” w/ DJ El Guapo, 5:30 p.m., $10 ($15-$20 with dance lessons).
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. “Brazil & Beyond,” 6:30 p.m., free.
Thirsty Bear Brewing Company: 661 Howard, San Francisco. “The Flamenco Room,” 7:30 & 8:30 p.m.
BLUES
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Girls Got the Blues, Salamander 6, 8 p.m., $12-$15.
Revolution Cafe: 3248 22nd St., San Francisco. HowellDevine, 8:30 p.m., free/donation.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Blues Power, 4 p.m.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. Bohemian Knuckleboogie, 8 p.m., free.
Swig: 571 Geary, San Francisco. Sunday Blues Jam with Ed Ivey, 9 p.m.
COUNTRY
The Riptide: 3639 Taraval, San Francisco. “The Hootenanny West Side Revue,” First Sunday of every month, 7:30 p.m., free.
EXPERIMENTAL
Artists’ Television Access: 992 Valencia, San Francisco. Ollie Bown & Raven with Bill Hsu, Tim Perkis, 8 p.m., $6-$10.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Fred Frith Trio, Surplus 1980, 9 p.m., $8-$10.
SOUL
Delirium Cocktails: 3139 16th St., San Francisco. “Heart & Soul,” w/ DJ Lovely Lesage, 10 p.m., free.
MONDAY 4
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. The Cliks, KVSK, Hot Peach, 9 p.m., $10.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Social Studies, Upstairs Downstairs, Tartufi, 9 p.m., $6.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Destroyer, Pink Mountaintops, 8 p.m., $15-$17.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. The Chariot, Glass Cloud, Birds in Row, To the Wind, 8 p.m., $13.
DANCE
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. “The Party Strikes Back,” w/ Mega Ran & K-Murdock, D&D Sluggers, Amanda Lepre, Professor Shyguy, 8:30 p.m., $8-$11; “Death Guild,” 18+ dance party with DJs Decay, Joe Radio, Melting Girl, & guests, 9:30 p.m., $3-$5.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Wanted,” w/ DJs Key&Kite and Richie Panic, 9 p.m., free.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Vienetta Discotheque,” w/ DJs Stanley Frank and Robert Jeffrey, 10 p.m., free.
HIP-HOP
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “Bass Is Great,” w/ PremRock, Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro, DJ Halo, 9 p.m., $5.
ACOUSTIC
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Front Country, First Monday of every month, 9 p.m., free.
The Chieftain: 198 Fifth St., San Francisco. The Wrenboys, 7 p.m., free.
Fiddler’s Green: 1333 Columbus, San Francisco. Terry Savastano, 9:30 p.m., free/donation.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Open mic with Brendan Getzell, 8 p.m., free.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. Jeff Desira, Kitten Grenade, Hart Bothwell, Tate Tousaint, 8 p.m., free.
Osteria: 3277 Sacramento, San Francisco. “Acoustic Bistro,” 7 p.m., free.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Peter Lindman, 4 p.m.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. The Barren Vines, 9 p.m.
JAZZ
Cafe Divine: 1600 Stockton, San Francisco. Rob Reich, First and Third Monday of every month, 7 p.m.
Le Colonial: 20 Cosmo, San Francisco. Le Jazz Hot, 7 p.m., free.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. City Jazz Instrumental Jam Session, 8 p.m.
The Union Room at Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. The Session: A Monday Night Jazz Series, pro jazz jam with Mike Olmos, 7:30 p.m., $12.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Nora Maki, 7:30 p.m., free.
REGGAE
Skylark Bar: 3089 16th St., San Francisco. “Skylarking,” w/ I&I Vibration, 10 p.m., free.
BLUES
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Bohemian Knuckleboogie, 7:30 p.m., free.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. The Bachelors, 9:30 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. Dyemark, Hora Flora, Voicehandler, 8 p.m., free.
SOUL
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “M.O.M. (Motown on Mondays),” w/ DJ Gordo Cabeza & Timoteo Gigante, 8 p.m., free.
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. K. Michelle, Sevyn Streeter, 9 p.m., $26.
TUESDAY 5
ROCK
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. French Cassettes, Black Cobra Vipers, Ash Reiter, 9:15 p.m., $7.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Deerhoof, LXMP, Solos, 9 p.m., $17.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. “Wood Shoppe,” w/ Strange Talk, Battleme, Aan, 9 p.m., free.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. Soulfly, Havok, 8 p.m., $20-$25.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. PSSNGRS, Red Light, Cry, DJs Robert Spector & Sky Madden, 9 p.m., $5.
DANCE
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. Neon Indian (DJ set), Matrixxman, Avalon Emerson, Manics, 10 p.m., $12-$15.
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge: 133 Turk, San Francisco. “High Fantasy,” w/ DJ Viv, Myles Cooper, & guests, 10 p.m., $2.
Laszlo: 2532 Mission, San Francisco. “Beards of a Feather,” Enjoy classy house records, obscuro disco, and laid-back late-’80s jams with DJ Ash Williams and guests, First Tuesday of every month, 9 p.m., free.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. “Soundpieces,” 10 p.m., free-$10.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Switch,” w/ DJs Jenna Riot & Andre, 9 p.m., $3.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Shelter,” 10 p.m., free.
Wish: 1539 Folsom, San Francisco. “Tight,” w/ resident DJs Michael May & Lito, 8 p.m., free.
HIP-HOP
Skylark Bar: 3089 16th St., San Francisco. “True Skool Tuesdays,” w/ DJ Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist, 10 p.m., free.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. SoMo, PropaneLv, Kid Slim, 8 p.m., $16.
ACOUSTIC
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Andy Padlo, 7 p.m. Starts . continues through Nov. 26.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Jon Dee Graham, Mike June, Colonels of Truth, 8 p.m., $10-$12.
JAZZ
Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant: 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco. Gerry Grosz Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.
Blush! Wine Bar: 476 Castro, San Francisco. Kally Price & Rob Reich, 7 p.m., free.
Burritt Room: 417 Stockton St., San Francisco. Terry Disley’s Rocking Jazz Trio, 6 p.m., free.
Cafe Divine: 1600 Stockton, San Francisco. Chris Amberger, 7 p.m.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. M.B. Hanif & The Sound Voyagers, 7:30 p.m., free.
Le Colonial: 20 Cosmo, San Francisco. Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, 7 p.m.
Oz Lounge: 260 Kearny, San Francisco. Emily Hayes & Mark Holzinger, 6 p.m., free.
Revolution Cafe: 3248 22nd St., San Francisco. West Side Jazz Club, 5 p.m., free; Conscious Contact, First Tuesday of every month, 8 p.m., free.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. Mal Sharpe’s Big Money in Jazz Band, 6 p.m.
Verdi Club: 2424 Mariposa, San Francisco. “Tuesday Night Jump,” w/ Stompy Jones, 9 p.m., $10-$12.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Tommy Igoe Big Band, 8 p.m., $22.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Brenda Reed, 7:30 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Cafe Cocomo: 650 Indiana, San Francisco. “Descarga S.F.,” w/ DJs Hong & Good Sho, 8 p.m., $12.
The Cosmo Bar & Lounge: 440 Broadway, San Francisco. “Conga Tuesdays,” 8 p.m., $7-$10.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Benefit to Help Roberta with Bayonics, Grupo da Sete, Fogo Na Roupa, BrazilVox, Gringa, DJ Lucio K, DJ Carioca, 8 p.m., $10-$20.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Underground Nomads,” w/ rotating resident DJs Cheb i Sabbah, Amar, Sep, and Dulce Vita, plus guests, 9 p.m., $5 (free before 9:30 p.m.).
REGGAE
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. “Bless Up,” w/ Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi, 10 p.m.
BLUES
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Lisa Kindred, First Tuesday of every month, 9:30 p.m., free.
EXPERIMENTAL
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. sfSoundSalonSeries, 7:49 p.m., $7-$10.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Les Rhinocéros, Glimr, Lost Animal, 8:30 p.m., $7.
FUNK
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Fat Tuesday Band, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Boogaloo Tuesday,” w/ Oscar Myers & Steppin’, 9:30 p.m., free.
SOUL
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. The JRo Project, First Tuesday of every month, 9:30 p.m., $5.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “Lost & Found,” w/ DJs Primo, Lucky, and guests, 9:30 p.m., free. 

Party with us at our 39th annual Best of the Bay celebration!

Maria Poblet

-

October 25, 2013

0

Party with us at our 39th annual Best of the Bay celebration!

The San Francisco Bay Guardian presents our 39th Annual Best of the Bay party to celebrate the awesome people, places and things that make living in the Bay Area so great, featuring Maus Haus and MicahTron!

Plus: DJ Dials to start out the evening, with House of Babes DJs Rapidfire, Pink Lightning, and Jenna Riot to follow. Upstairs, you will find a special Motown on Mondays dance party with special guest vocalist Ezekiel McCarter (Afrolicious, Con Brio, Ascension)!

With three hosted bars, Hella Vegan Eats, Minnie Bell’s Soul Movement, and Hey Cookie! on site, free photos by Snappea Photobooths, and more!

Get your tickets here (advance tickets are recommended!) and click on “Purchase Now.” At check out, please consider donating to La Cocina, our official non-profit sponsor of the event. Other sponsors include Fiat, Rolling Rock, Distillery 209, Stein Family Wines, La Cocina, WillCall, and Guitar Center.

Wednesday, November 6 from 8:30pm-midnight @ 1015 Folsom, SF | $10, includes hosted bar, free photo booth, and more!

Sweet ‘n’ local: chocolate-making with Dandelion at the SF Botanical Garden

Sue Vaughan

-

October 21, 2013

45

“My name is Kaylen, and I’m a chocoholic,” I announced at the Mesoamerican cloud forest at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (SFBGS), where users like me met for a recent course taught by Dandelion Chocolate. But what else is there to know about chocolate, apart from learning how to quit?

A whole botanical and cultural history, as it turns out, including tribal trading spats, terroir to make a oenophile envious, and ancient medicinal remedies — so don’t stop drinking just yet. (Sound enticing? Sign up for SFBGS’s upcoming class with Dandelion Chocolate and Four Barrel Coffee on Nov. 9; more Dandelion events here.) Here’s the report.

Cacao and the cloud forest
The cacao plant thrives in Mesoamerican cloud forests, 6,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level and only 10 degrees north or south of the equator. This explains why San Francisco’s climate doesn’t agree with the picky pod. Mesoamerican botanist Dr. Joseph Barbaccia, leading the class on a tour through the cloud forest, explained, “We can grow the trees, but we can’t approximate the environmental factors.”

Nevertheless, many transplants from Mesoamerican cloud forests flourish here in the bay fog instead of down south, where cloud forest cutting has ravaged the flora and fauna. Among the high-scaling daisy trees, oaks, and pines, plants called out to Barbaccia like old friends, and he couldn’t help stopping every few feet.

“Aha! The pièce de résistance!” he said, pointing at yellow and pink flowers hanging from the Deppea splendens in overturned bouquets, shivering like limp fingers. Dr. Dennis Breedlove, the botanist who collected the initial seeds for SFBGS’s cloud forest, took seeds from this stunning, macabre flower while hiking through southern Mexico. Returning 13 years later, that plant had gone extinct in the wild … but before straying too far down this mossy tangent, it’s time to head to the classroom.

A brief history of chocolate
Dandelion chocolate makers Alice, Joey and Cynthia — not to be confused with chocolatiers, who make confections from pre-made chocolate — led the class. Joey began with a quick history lesson.

The pre-Columbian natives consumed cacao in a sludgy, half-wet, half-ground gruel of sorts. Sound appetizing? Actually, most of their meals had this consistency, and began on a stone, or metate, where Mesoamerican mamas ground maize, chilies, pumpkin seeds, and cacao. (Every household had one, like your modern KitchenAid wedding present.) Once the cocoa beans released oils, the paste was combined with herbs, honey, vanilla, spices, even dyes, as well as maize and hot water.

We ground our beans on a metate but skipped the corn meal and went straight for hot water. Traditionally, someone poured the boiling drink from one terra cotta bowl at shoulder height into another on the floor, back and forth until the drink foamed, but these chocolate makers didn’t care to get dirty. They used a whisk. “You probably don’t want to taste this,” cautioned Alice.

I took a hesitant sip. Despite her warning, I found something mildly pleasing in the thin drink. It tasted oddly like coffee — sort of beany, without the disguise of milk, sugar, and added fats. It had me thinking, does our exhaustively artisanal coffee-culture have room for a new style of mocha, made from ground cacao bean instead of overly artificial sauce?

Bean to bar
Back in 2010, Dandelion Chocolates began experimenting with chocolate-making in a garage using hair dryers and blenders, before moving their factory to Valencia Street. The open space resembles the interior of a barn, if a barn were made of glass and the animals wore aprons.

While most mass producing chocolate companies source from a variety of plantations and over-roast their beans to achieve a uniform “chocolate” flavor in every square, Dandelion makes each bar from a single bean variety, playing around with roasting and mixing until finding a sweet spot, so to speak. Ultimately, they’ve created a broad collection of bars that rival a Napa winery’s selection of pinots, cabs, and malbecs.

Nibbling, melting, slurping
I’ve saved the best for last, so let’s cut to the chase, and taste.

The first samples foiled three of Dandelion’s 70 percent darks, emphasizing the variety in beans — the boom without the frills. Joey called the Patanemo, Venezuela bar “platonic,” since it wasn’t too sweet, nor floral, citrusy, intense or bitter. So what is it? Round, warm, and buttery. It tasted of chocolate at its most classic.

The bean from Mantuano, Venezuela was grown on a women’s co-op farm, just a valley and forest away from the Patanemo bar, yet this one arched and changed on the tongue, beginning sweetly, sliding to citrus, and biting, bitterly, just before the swallow.

The Ambanja, Madagascar bar began with a deep, earthly flavor like wet, ripe fruit, rose to an acidic high, and finished “like a raisin,” said Joey, though I thought of pomegranate. If chocolate tasted like colors, this one was red.

The same Madagascar bean made up Francois Pralus’ 100 percent bar, but a different process and darker roast deafened the subtle harmonies, creating one tone. Still delicious, less interesting. Ritual’s southern Belize bar, which processes wet beans together, immediately pleased my taste buds, skipping the tang and going straight for sweet indulgence. The gritty, unrefined texture of TAZA’s bar tasted of slowly cooling desert sand and S’mores. The only milk chocolate sampled, San Francisco’s TCHO 55 percent, made for an anticlimactic, diluted finish.

Before heading back into the bracing chill, the chocolate makers passed out small cups of their Mission Hot Chocolate. It went down frothing and thick, the pasilla chili nipping at the back of my throat. Oddly, the drink lingered even longer, like an oddly pleasant after-aftertaste in my belly. It pleased and purified the same way a spicy curry cures you of the blues on a rainy day. No wonder the Mesoamericans believed in cacao divine.

Best of the Bay 2013: BEST WAY TO THROW SHADE (LAMP EDITION)

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

-

October 16, 2013

0

Best of the Bay 2013: BEST WAY TO THROW SHADE (LAMP EDITION)

And then there are times when you just need a retreat from harsh illumination. Perhaps the fluorescent bars at the office seared your retinas too deeply today, or maybe you wish to give your date a softly lit, haloed-in-shadow version of ever-romantical you. These are the moments in which you’ll be grateful for Lamp Shades SF and its colorfully appointed showroom, ready to shield you from the ever-burning light. A leopard topper for that candlestick fixture? Modern puce shades for the chandelier in the foyer? A pair of matching onyx horse head bedside numbers? You will find them all here. Bring the base or bulb for which you need a topper, ring the doorbell to be allowed entrance, and let the decidedly unshady staff help you select the level of lighting best suited for your look.

199 Potrero, SF. (415) 431-6720

Best of the Bay 2013 Editors Picks: Shopping

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

-

October 15, 2013

0

SHOPPING

BEST PLACE TO PARK YOUR CARD

Get that paper, paper, paper — printed. Holed up in a cozy garage with a cute dog and a hunky Vandercock proof press (a rare specimen last produced in the 1960s), the letterpress-loving ladies of Western Editions create and design paper goods for all occasions and situations, from badass business cards with handmade charm to colorful and direct wedding invites that may just get your flaky San Franciscan friends to actually attend the soirée. “Letterpress is magic,” is the motto of Western Addition residents Taylor Reid and Erin Fong, two friends turned business partners who are down to customize and open to suggestions, meaning you can make all the cute shit your ambitious heart desires, or purchase some one else’s great idea from their online store. Oh, hey, and they offer supercool DIY workshops, too — just in time for the holidays.

555 Rose, SF. www.westerneditions.com

BEST BE-SPOKED FASHION

We’re constantly on the hunt for the perfect outfit that will make it through our daily transition from work serf to night owl. Reversible scarves, tear-away skirts, all black outfits — those work OK. But what about then shoes? What pair of hoofers can glide us from the workbound bike lane to the underground dance floor? Welp, a local company has the solution to our woes: DZR Shoes, an SF-based (though they manufacture overseas) outfit that creates sneakers that can clip to all manners of pedal types, but look fly as all getout. Whether you go for high or low top, fully vegan design or whole grain leather, knee-high lace-up or slip-in, chances are you can find the kicks to complete your Lycra-free lane look in style. Our current favorite? The sleek, all-black Minna, designed by artist-DJ Jeremiah Bal.

www.dzrshoes.com

BEST FLORAL HUNTRESS

Her eyes scanning the abandoned lots and hillsides of the Stinson area and East Bay, Louesa Roebuck of Louesa Roebuck Flora isn’t afraid to snoop, sneak, or hustle in the name of foraging for flowers. Her mission: fetch that wild flora and arrange it in ways that exemplify the plant’s natural majesty. Gleaning armloads of budding branches, floppy magnolias, brilliant poppies, sweet mallow, bright berries, and sharp citrus from both public and secret locations, Louesa finds beauty in imperfection, a sublime bouquet in nature’s fantastic mistakes. She lets the blooms and leaves curl, crawl, and droop as they will, showcasing the fascinating juxtaposition between life and slow, dreamy decay. Visit her tiny Hayes Valley shop to see the day’s treasures and meet some of the gorgeous plants living right beside you.

597 Hayes, SF. (415) 686-5482, www.louesaroebuck.com

BEST ONE-STOP SCOTCH SHOP

Like a sweater for your insides, the names warm your gray matter: Broichladdich, Glayva, Mackillop’s, Benriach, Balvenie, Glenmorangie. Standing in the sweetly crammed back bottle room of downtown’s Whisky Shop can be a meditative experience for scotch lovers — the selection of malts and blends vies for the city’s best, with employees as helpful as their kilts are fetching. And should the Whisky Shop staff’s sartorial motif inspire, the front portion of the store is stocked with a rainbow of tartan, wool, and waxed fabric wardrobe. Score kilts and genuine, betasseled fur sporrans you’ll use to stash your new perfectly heart-shaped silver flask. And possibly a novelty gift or two — the Whisky Shop is also flush with crest-adorned coasters, canned haggis, and artisan lotions from the United Kingdom.

360 Sutter, SF. (415) 989-1030, www.whiskeyshopusa.com

BEST COMMUNITY BOARDS

While there can be no debate that surf shops, in general, are selling a lifestyle, few are hawking a way of living as healthy as Mill Valley’s beloved Proof Lab. Need proof? The nine-year-old store (whose owners used reclaimed and reused materials wherever possible in its construction) stocks the best in sustainable men’s and women’s clothing, surfboard brands, and skateboard fixins, of course. But it also hosts a passel of community-minded offerings: sustainability workshops, toddler art classes, a native plant nursery, a biodiesel fuel station. On the lot next door you’ll find a teaching garden co-founded by Proof where one can take the occasional canning seminar, and buy fresh local produce. Plus: a new Equator coffee bar, to keep you up for those waves.

244 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley. (415) 380-8900, www.prooflab.com

BEST CLAWS CARTEL

We bow down to the business acumen and sharp eye for trends possessed by Floss Gloss duo Aretha Sack and Janine Lee. These two California College of the Arts grads eschewed inward-looking artistic exploration, instead embarking on a mission to paint the world with the sizzling neons and kick-ass, vintage-inspired shades that haunt their minds eye. Their canvas? The fingernails of the Bay Area’s young, hip, and gifted. How did they take their line of animal cruelty-free nail polishes from late-night study sessions to indie and corporate retailers around the globe? (All while remaining 100 percent free of DBPs, formaldehyde, and other harmful chemicals — these colors may scream “heavy metal,” but contain none.) Let us count the ways: perfect nacho cheese orange and bikini coral lacquers; irresistibly chic tones like Party Bruise, Dimepiece, Black Holy, Faded, Pony, and Blood, Suede, and Tears; endless pop-up nail salons, hard work … and the knowledge that you can do anything when you’ve got a perfect 10 to point the way.

www.flossgloss.com

BEST BLADE RUNNER

It is a satisfying, luxurious — if fundamental — satisfaction, settling in to make dinner with a hiss-sharp passel of well-honed knives. Fans of cutting-edge pleasures will want to slip into Nob Hill’s Town Cutler, a well-hewn, immaculately organized shop of blades both wildly fabulous (a $1,050 Wilburn Forge Japanese chef knife, its silver nickel sharp marbled and lovely) and craftily utilitarian (a $100 handleless Takeda Kogotana meant for woodworking). Owner Galen Garretson will sell you these, sharpen the utensils you already own, teach you to work your own knives in a sharpening tutorial or informative class, and even help you get a handle on blunter culinary objects — the back of Town Cutlery is an elegantly hung array of those most-unsharp kitchen friends: spoons.

1005 Bush, SF. (415) 359-1519, www.towncutler.com

BEST BOOKS FOR THE BROKE

These are the facts: Reading is cool, books are rad, free books are even radder, and the best combo of all of these is the Bay Area Free Book Exchange. At any given moment, the space — run cooperatively by a cadre of indie booksellers and printed-page junkies — houses some 10,000 books, all free for the taking. (“It’s like an ever-changing treasure hunt among thousands of books,” its website declares, and we have to agree.) Since opening in May 2009, the Exchange has given away over 350,000 books during its weekend hours, with an ultimate goal of handing out a million, and beyond! Since it survives on donations, consider adding your own previously-read tomes to the stacks proudly bearing this stamp: “Not for Resale, This is a Free Book.”

10520 San Pablo, El Cerrito. (510) 705-1200, www.bayareafreebookexchange.com

BEST ROUNDABOUT OF FOUND GEMS

A compellingly curated combination of artwork by some of San Francisco’s eye-catching countercultural artists — with noteworthy post-industrial tinge courtesy of the Burning Man diaspora — and intriguing flea market finds by diligent shoppers with an eye for the urban aesthetic, Carousel Consignment SF is an oasis of great pre-found finds. This welcoming and decidedly funky Mission whirl, set in motion by co-owners Kelley Wehman and Illy McMahan (who bonded over their passion for all things circus and vintage), can turn a quick fly-by into an afternoon-long exploration. Furniture, toys, lighting, textiles … Its quirky assemblage of wares preserves its surroundings’ penchant for the wacky and weird.

2391 Mission, SF. (415) 821-9848, www.carouselsf.com

BEST SOLO STARTUPS

You know how it goes: surfing the www.aves of one’s sleek laptop, a stray image distracts. Suddenly, you’re no longer typing that return email — your mind has fixed on a different kind of click entirely. For you, sweets, SoMa brand Crave‘s line of tech-happy sex toys. Designed and produced by Ti Chang and Michael Topolovac, and assembled in the land of SF startup, each of the company’s gorgeous, whisper-quiet specimens have all the design and functionality of your favorite Apple toy. Our favorite is the Duet, a vibe with a double-pronged, silicone clitoral approach available in gold plating and with the option of eight or 16 GB of data storage thanks to a USB charging battery. That’s right: there is a USB port up in this vibrator. Adventurous souls can wear their pleasure out in public: Crave’s “Droplet” lariat necklace doubles as discreet nipple vibrators.

www.lovecrave.com

BEST HORROR HOUND DECOR

To some, a house full of Alex Pardee visual art would reap naught but disturbed sleep and missed meals. A living dream catcher made of exposed sinew and dripping eyeballs dangling from tendons, ready to snatch a soul; a roaring “Sharkasus” with razor teeth, four legs, and wings; an endless parade of your favorite horror icons rendered somehow even more terrifying by his spindly, precise strokes. But given the fact there are now two Bay Area shops stocked primarily with his prints, originals, and tees — in addition to the unnerving yet painterly work of other artists like Dave Correia — plenty of us are digging it. While shopping for the creep-craver in your life, you’ll do no better than the Oakland or Lower Haight location of Zero Friends, which has become a ground zero of sorts for the street art marketing scene.

419 Haight, SF. (415) 418-9912; 489A 25th St., Oakl. (510) 735-9405 (open first Fridays of the month or by appointment only); www.zerofriends.com

BEST REPAIR GRAND CENTRAL

Should you need a custom cabinet, a staircase rehab, perhaps a new cupola on your clock tower, you can turn to Clipper Construction’s Mathieu Palmer. But 501 Waller, the storefront Palmer owned and used as storage space — as he told local blog Haighteration — wasn’t the best use of a neighborhood-facing corner shop. Enter Palmer’s friend Dan Daniel, who created Clipper Repair from this clutter, a friendly place for fixing up, designing, or refurbishing anything you could imagine: lamps, cabinets, antique furniture, electrical things. The interior is a gorgeously organized wonderland of screws, nails, tools, gears, and random curiosities. And then! Garret Peters turned Clipper’s back storage room into a bike shop called Wiggle Bikes, conveniently located off the Wiggle, our crosstown thoroughfare for the two-wheeled. Could there be a more useful stop-off for lovers of sustainable transportation and reuse than the Clipper Repair-Wiggle Bikes complex?

501 Waller, SF. (415) 621-4733, www.clipper-construction.com

BEST GIVING FACE, FLAWLESSLY

You could find no better brand rep than Swagger Cosmetics‘ Blake Karamazov. The tiny club kid (who came to us a few years ago fresh from the female drag-friendly land of Seattle) rarely leaves the house without her face immaculately, fantastically done — think ruby red 4mm glitter lips, sherbet orange eyebrows, or an exaggerated, smoky cat eye. The woman lives for everyday drag queen. But as a vegan, Karamazov bridled at many heavily pigmented makeup lines. Lucky us, because the Sanrio-obsessed entrepreneur started designing her own one-woman line of glitters, lipsticks, eye shadows — and most recently, fake eyelashes — manufactured 100 percent sans animal cruelty. Having recently made up one of her genderbending idols James St. James, there’s no question this babe’s got swag. Check her wares online, and don’t miss her wildly popular, glam inspiring Instagram game.

www.swaggercosmetics.com

BEST WAY TO THROW SHADE, PART I

You don’t care if they work from home or not — the neighbors are taking too much pleasure from your lax approach to towels on the post-shower strut from the bathroom, and you sense an overeager, extra pair of peepers when you and your sweet are snuggled up watching Jessica Lange chew the scenery on American Horror Story: Coven. Thank goodness for Christine and Jeff Vidall, whose Art Shade Shop has been keeping neighborly boundaries firm in a densely-packed city since 1934. Wood slats, pleated blinds, sunbrellas, fabric coverings — this Castro couple has it all, perfect for the moment you need more privacy than those gorgeous bay windows will afford on their own. The basement shop (nook, really) also offers bead and reel clutch mechanisms, bottom-up lock pulleys, and Hauser roller shades. If you don’t know what any of that is, they’ll gladly install it all for you anyway.

698 14th St., SF. (415) 431-5074, www.artshadeshop.com

BEST WAY TO THROW SHADE, PART II

And then there are times when you just need a retreat from harsh illumination. Perhaps the fluorescent bars at the office seared your retinas too deeply today, or maybe you wish to give your date a softly lit, haloed-in-shadow version of ever-romantical you. These are the moments in which you’ll be grateful for Lamp Shades SF and its colorfully appointed showroom, ready to shield you from the ever-burning light. A leopard topper for that candlestick fixture? Modern puce shades for the chandelier in the foyer? A pair of matching onyx horse head bedside numbers? You will find them all here. Bring the base or bulb for which you need a topper, ring the doorbell to be allowed entrance, and let the decidedly unshady staff help you select the level of lighting best suited for your look.

199 Potrero, SF. (415) 431-6720

BEST RIFFS KEPT REAL

If you’re looking for a vintage instrument with a personal touch, Panhandle Guitar hits all the right chords. Rock fiends will swoon for the intimate, nicely overstuffed shop’s collection of prime and shiny vintage guitars, basses, amps, and effects. Panhandle buys old instruments too — on consignment, or trade-in — and offers on-site repairs. Owner Robert Williams is known for his encyclopedic knowledge, and there’s a laid-back and welcoming vibe we dig, charmed by store windows cluttered with neon signs and a child mannequin in an oversized Panhandle Guitar T-shirt. Guitar Center this is not; the stated store hours seem more like vague suggestions of when it might be open, and Mondays are simply listed as “some times” open with a smiley face. This kind of store is sadly uncommon these days — a unique, owner-run vendor of rare instrumental goods, tuned into the needs of fellow artists.

1221 Fell, SF. (415) 552-1302, www.panhandleguitarsf.com

BEST RING-A-DING STYLE

When Cable Car Clothiers — venerable haberdasher to dashing gents since 1946 — announced it was vacating its Sansome and Bush location in 2012, our hearts sank. Was this incredible emporium of all things Mad Men-Rat Pack-Nautical Chic-Dressy Preppy about to vanish, like so many other San Francisco institutions? Where, oh where, would we get our crushable Trilby fedoras, handsomely polka-dotted navy blue ascots, and elaborate cherry-handled horsehair brush sets? Never fear: the relocation a few blocks away signaled a snazzy revamp. Jonathan Levin, grandson of original Clothier Charles Pivnick, had returned to the family business, determined to pump some classy 21st Century zazz into the joint. The large, handsome new showroom retains all the charm of the former space — but decks it out in voluminous racks and shelves of exquisite menswear treasures. Another reason to spend your entire afternoon here: the in-store barbershop with master barber Nicky and associates providing hot lather and straight razor shaves, hot toweling, scissor hair cuts, and more. You want full-service swank? This is the place, my man.

110 Sutter, SF. (415) 397-4740, www.cablecarclothiers.com

BEST DREAMY DRESSMAKER

Wiggle your bike down to this sweet little corner shop near Duboce Park for lessons in fine and lovely things. Aline’s Closet is the three-year-old queendom of a one Aline Dazogbo, a seamstress whose French-inflected takes on dresses, skirts, and blouses may just lead you to the customized wardrobe item of your dream. Dazogbo designs and creates nearly everything in the shop: yoga pants, handbags, column skirt-tube top combos, and more. Though many items are ready-to-wear, a rack along one wall of the sunny store showcases the garments she can tailor-make just for you: a lace-paneled velvet slip, a clingy, cap-sleeved onesie. Should her sweet, sassy patterns stray even one iota from your fantasy outfit, don’t fret: Dazogbo loves to help customers concoct one-of-a-kind wearables based out of nothing more than their own visions.

101 Pierce, SF. (415) 312-3468, www.alinescloset.com

BEST CULINARY GEPETTO

Powerful chrome and polished enamel parts, operated by hand, executing a series of swift cuts and swooping motions. Classic design masterfully crafted, all building to — gasp! — the perfect slice of salami. Welcome to the world of Emilio Mitidieri, the man who brings the Bay Area’s venerable Emiliomiti “culinary toys” to life. Though his company is playfully named, Mitidieri’s creations mean business — wood fire and gas brick ovens that yield perfectly cooked pizza pies, pasta machines that extrude dreamy strands of fettuccini, and specimens like the Slicer Mito 300, an elegantly crafted meat slicer that mimics the classic designs of the deli of yesteryear. Mitidieri has been supplying restaurants and dedicated chefs with the tools needed for success for decades now, so chances are you’ve already sampled some of his playful perfection topped with marinara or nestled in a hoagie roll.

www.emiliomiti.com

BEST HAVEN FOR HEARTS OF GLASS

Bolivian-born David Forte’s SoMa workshop has one mission: to light up your life, and colorfully at that. Opened in 1971, Forte’s San Francisco Stained Glass Works is the place to go for those who would have blooming lilies twinkling above a front door, or an Art Deco Emerald City to enliven the upper strata of one’s workspace. The shop turns out devotional works for pane-minded churches and synagogues and extravagantly lovely flatware sets. Others flock to learn the craft themselves. A course on glass fusing and a stained glass 101 are both offered by Forte’s staff, not to mention monthly space rentals for artists in need of a communal glass grinder, firing kiln, and place to indulge a penchant for transcendent translucents.

1246 Howard, SF. (415) 626-3592, www.sfsgw.com

BEST SF TO A TEE

Local artist Amos Goldbaum hand-draws and hand-prints some of the most recognizable, SF-centric t-shirts (and hoodies, tanks, and baby onesies) available on the streets — literally, on the streets, since he also hand-sells his wares from wire racks on Valencia, near the Ferry Building, at street fairs like the recent Castro Street Fair, and other open-air spots. Goldbaum’s complete repertoire goes far beyond the familiar tourist-friendly landscapes he’s known for: his web portfolio is packed with psychological, fantastical illustrated scenes you’d spot immediately in a gallery — but probably never witness out a Muni window. When it comes to uniquely Bay gifts, though, you won’t want to miss his quirky, amazingly detailed and vibrant line-drawing takes on local landmarks like Dolores Park, with old-school playground intact, and Bernal Hill — or his illo of the old-timey Sutro Baths, complete with Cliff House aflame in the background.

www.amosgoldbaum.com

BEST JUNK BONDS

Inside the massive American Steel building, a relic of Oakland’s industrial past repurposed and managed mostly for the Burning Man art world, there’s a beautifully intricate two-story Western saloon made from recycled materials, originally built as the Dustfish Bordello for Black Rock City in 2009. In the intervening years, the structure has matured into what is now known as American Steel’s Oaktown Hall, an art gallery and event space that became a hub this year for a variety of ventures within what its organizers call the salvage and reuse arts. Skate ramps! Haitian art tours! Crazy, old-timey auctions! The hall is a gathering place and focal point for those who would find creative reuses for so-called junk, and build relationships among West Oakland’s diverse communities.

1960 Mandela Parkway, Oakl. (415) 794-1827, www.oaktownhall.com

BEST TIP-TOP SPIFF UP

It has been remarked that West Portal is quite the happy village in the middle of this teeming city. We concur. Tucked into the side of a hill topped by a Twin Peak, slung happily along a leafy central promenade, the neighborhood is not the worst model for Main Street, USA. Tip and Top Vacuum & Shoe Service, particularly seen in this light, is an all-American gem. Bring in your dirt sucker for a fix-me-up and the capable staff will get it back to dirt bunny-busting in two shakes of a dusty rug. And like any good member of a small community, Tip and Top is a multitasker, as evident from the boots in the window. The shop also repairs shoes, and will even custom-cobble you a boot or slipper. To recap: Tip and Top fixes vacuums and shoes, it’s cute as a button, and you kind of need to check it out.

173 W Portal, SF. (415) 664-9320

BEST FRESH FLOWERS

All over the news last year: Medical marijuana dispensaries in San Francisco and other cities were being shut down by a spasm of overzealous and anachronistic enforcement by the federal government (see “Why?” 8/14/12). But a wave of young clubs were undaunted by the headlines. Indeed, many went through the entirely navigable local approval process for cannabis clubs and threw open their doors, come what may from Kamala Harris, Eric Holder, and the rest of the “drug warriors.” Among the best of the bunch? Bloom Room, an elegant establishment just a stone’s throw from hoity-toity Mint Plaza and the Chronicle Building in the heart of downtown. “Where medicine blooms wellness follows” is its somewhat logically fuzzy yet totally cromulent motto. Bloom Rooms got great weed — strains like Grape Romulan (I), Girl Scout Cookies, Chem Dawg, Pink Lemonade, and a special Bloom Blend — at decent prices, weighed out by super-nice and knowledgeable employees, in a classy, exposed brick interior. Here’s hoping Bloom’s given enough room to put down some roots.

471 Jessie, SF. (415) 543-7666, www.bloomroomsf.com

BEST 78S OFF HAIGHT

“I’ve had it with these cheap sons of bitches who claim they love poetry but never buy a book,” SF literary legend Kenneth Rexroth once supposedly said. Many share his sentiment when it comes to music — especially as our city rapidly empties itself of neighborhood record stores (and book stores, too, for that matter). Rexroth himself used to live above Jack’s Record Cellar, one of our longest-operating vinyl concerns — since 1951! — and also one of the most poetic spots in the city. Packed with the rarest of 33s, 45s, and, miraculously, stacks of so-desirable-we-can’t-stand-it 78s, Jack’s has all the jazz you want — plus soul, opera, country, doo-wop, standards, and classic pop. Memorabilia papers the walls, and piles of records spill out onto the aisles. Like many spots in the area, it’s more of a relaxed hangout than a capitalist venture. Conversation is prized over cash receipts. Open hours are spare and unpredictable. Saturday afternoons are a good bet, proprietor Wade Wright might be there to let you in. Unlike Rexroth, he values the love over the sale.

254 Scott, (415) 431-3047

BEST READING REVIVAL

After a 25-year stint on 16th Street in the now-teeming Valencia Corridor, and years of rumors of impending closure, a steep rent increase nearly caused literary, cultural, and artistic hub Adobe Books to shut its doors for good. But supporters launched a fundraising campaign using crowd-funding platform Indiegogo and succeeded in raising $60,000, enough to secure a new home on 24th Street — which, along with the re-situated Modern Times Bookstore, has become somewhat of a haven for gentrification-fleeing libraries. “Adobe has been such an important part of our lives as artists, writers, book lovers, and Mission dwellers,” the bookstore and gallery’s boosters wrote, in what turned out to be a wildly successful pitch. “We couldn’t see the Mission without it.”

3130 24th St, SF. (415) 864-3936, www.adobebackroomgallery.com

Best of the Bay 2013: BEST COMMUNITY CENTERING

Michael Redmond

-

October 15, 2013

0

Best of the Bay 2013: BEST COMMUNITY CENTERING

As San Francisco’s Mission District undergoes rapid rent increases and neighborhood demographic change, spaces like the Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics become fewer and farther between. We need spaces like this, where artists and activists come together to share stories of their fights for economic and social justice, or deliver stirring performance through music, poetry, art, and dance. Named for beloved Mission dweller and Guatemalan activist Eric Quezada, who lost his battle with cancer in 2011, the space seeks to be a cultural gathering spot that is both affordable and accessible — just blocks from 16th Street BART, and in the middle of a stretch of Valencia more known for spendy restaurants and hipster bars than progressive candidate forums and multicultural celebrations. An apt setting for those seeking to retain their sanity in a shifting SF.

518 Valencia, SF. www.518valencia.org

Best of the Bay 2013 Editors Picks: City Living

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks

-

October 15, 2013

0

CITY LIVING

BEST RENEGADE RECITAL

And then one day in June, a piano appeared. Not a tiny Schroeder model, but a full-size, stand-up set of ivories, plopped on top of Bernal Hill with an open invitation attached for giggly renditions of “Chopsticks” and gorgeous, soul-stirring Chopin scores alike. Bernal Heights being the magical neighborhood it is, a full-on recital was planned and performed for a grinning crowd of over 200 very lucky folks. The Bernal Heights piano lineup of skilled musicians sent sassy jazz numbers and symphonic pleasures into the breeze and charmed the perching crowd, as the sun set over the city below. The piano may not be a permanent fixture on the Bernal bedrock — indeed, the instrument used for the recital was a replacement, hastily lugged up by the same start-up workers who donated the first, after it disappeared. (“One does not simply get rid of a piano,” one of the gifters wrote in a blog post. “[We] concocted a plan to bring it to a public place so that it could be enjoyed by many.”) All the more reason to hike to the top and play sweet, sweet songs for the city you love.

www.tynan.com/bernal

BEST BART STRIKE BENEFIT

We all got a four-day taste of Bay Area life without BART during the labor strike in early July (with another one coming in October, or so it seems at press time) — and it was hardly a transit flavor we savored. But amid all the bitter, there was a sweet worth noting, for anyone who used the opportunity to finally try commuting by San Francisco Bay Ferry. What a way to go! For instance, did you know we actually live on a bay, with water and everything? It’s true! With the ferry, you’re out on that very water, viewing the Bay’s waterfront cities from new vantage points, traveling in comfort, usually right on schedule — with access to an on-board bar serving reasonably priced beer and cocktails, no less. Plus, the ferries travel to Marin County, that land considered so inaccessible for adherents of non-aquatic public transportation. It’s almost enough to avoid the underground for good. Almost.

www.sanfranciscobayferry.com

BEST SUPERGENIUS BAR

Look, we’ve all done it: accidentally spilled a tall glass of vodka on our laptop keyboard, but kept watching our Breaking Bad marathon anyway. Sure, a few of the keys have stopped working, but we’re far too engrossed in the saga of Walter White to shut down, wipe down, and store that sucker in a bag of rice for a couple days until it dries out. Uh oh, though — the next morning it won’t turn on at all, or the morning after that. No need to hover around the Apple Store’s genius bar in dismay, hoping for a shot at paying $750 for a basic diagnostic — and who knows how much to actually repair the thing. The superfriendly, incredibly attentive folks of Keane Mac Repair can save the day quickly, professionally, and far more cheaply. (Recently they charged us $150 for an out-of-warranty diagnostic.) Full-service, fully licensed, and located somewhat incongruously in the gorgeous historic Flood Building — no wonder were keen on Keane.

870 Market, SF. (415) 835-9800, www.keanesf.com

BEST COMMUNITY CENTERING

As San Francisco’s Mission District undergoes rapid rent increases and neighborhood demographic change, spaces like the Eric Quezada Center for Culture and Politics become fewer and farther between. We need spaces like this, where artists and activists come together to share stories of their fights for economic and social justice, or deliver stirring performance through music, poetry, art, and dance. Named for beloved Mission dweller and Guatemalan activist Eric Quezada, who lost his battle with cancer in 2011, the space seeks to be a cultural gathering spot that is both affordable and accessible — just blocks from 16th Street BART, and in the middle of a stretch of Valencia more known for spendy restaurants and hipster bars than progressive candidate forums and multicultural celebrations. An apt setting for those seeking to retain their sanity in a shifting SF.

518 Valencia, SF. www.518valencia.org

BEST LADY-LOVING BIKE GANG

Roll up hot and cruise in the cool company of other bike-loving women who make up Fixed With Out Dix—a nonexclusive weekly ride for female-identified folks and their two-wheeled BFFs. The crew meets every Wednesday at the Lake Merritt BART station and pedals around parks, crushes hills, and rolls through town with the wind in its grinning faces. Whether you straddle a flashy fixie, speedy road bike, rusty cruiser, or your aunt’s muddy mountain ride, FWOD welcomes your wheels and the company. Share a snack, make new friends, and discover fresh trails for adventure. They’re pumped to empower women and encourage cycling, and these badass biker babes want others to feel good, be safe, and revel in camaraderie on the move.

Weekly rides meet Wednesdays, 6:30pm, free. Lake Merritt BART station, Oakl. fwodoakland.tumblr.com

BEST REPAIR GRAND CENTRAL

Should you need a custom cabinet, a staircase rehab, perhaps a new cupola on your clock tower, you can turn to Clipper Construction’s Mathieu Palmer. But 501 Waller, the storefront Palmer owned and used as storage space — as he told local blog Haighteration — wasn’t the best use of a neighborhood-facing corner shop. Enter Palmer’s friend Dan Daniel, who created Clipper Repair from this clutter, a friendly place for fixing up, designing, or refurbishing anything you could imagine: lamps, cabinets, antique furniture, electrical things. The interior is a gorgeously organized wonderland of screws, nails, tools, gears, and random curiosities. And then! Garret Peters turned Clipper’s back storage room into a bike shop called Wiggle Bikes, conveniently located off the Wiggle, our crosstown thoroughfare for the two-wheeled. Could there be a more useful stop-off for lovers of sustainable transportation and reuse than the Clipper Repair-Wiggle Bikes complex?

501 Waller, SF. (415) 621-4733, www.clipper-construction.com

BEST ROLLING TWEETS

This is the Bay Area — of course our most ubiquitous meteorological feature has a Twitter, and that Twitter belongs to Karl the Fog. Also of course: Karl trains CrossFit, Karl writes poetry about Folsom Street Fair, Karl creeps the “young, new, and pretty” eastern span of the Bay Bridge (although he’s gentlemanly enough to shout out the “babe” western span as well). Oh, and as befits a major part of our cultural landscape, Karl gets political, too. “The Tea Party and I have a lot in common: we’re great at obstruction, we’re really dense, and we’re almost entirely white,” Karl quips. And yet, like a silver-skinned Barry White, this smooth mover rolls a comforting blanket of seduction over all our areas, high and low, uniting and reminding us that there’s no place like home.

www.twitter.com/KarlTheFog

BEST EXCUSE TO ORGANIZE

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission adopted Plan Bay Area, a regional recipe for funneling an influx of new residents into San Francisco and the Bay’s other urban cores. It calls for San Francisco to somehow absorb 280,000 new souls, who will live in 92,000 new housing units and drive 73,000 more cars, by the year 2040 (see “Planning for displacement,” 5/28/2013), while doing little to preserve the homes of current residents, expand public transit, or discourage driving. In other words, it’s a free pass for developers, masquerading as environmentalism. Though the plan been challenged in court, activism is our best hope at mitigating the worst parts of it. To get involved, visit sfbay.sierraclub.org, www.cbecal.org, www.earthjustice.org, and the websites of other good activist organizations — and keep reading the Guardian.

BEST ANTI-GENTRIFICATION ELECTRO-PUNK SINGLE

It certainly touched a nerve. “Hey gurl, where you moving to? Moving to the East Bay, living life the broke way. SF keep your money. FUCK YOUR MONEY!” Esta Noche drag star Persia and local electro duo Daddies Plastik’s “Google Google Apps Apps” single came bouncing through the Web early this summer and ricocheted off hyperlocal blogs, paradoxically gaining speed through the power of social media. A bouncy yet sardonic party track that seriously skewers the tech industry and its effects on the San Francisco cost of living, the song (and wacky-genius video featuring the whole freak posse) successfully captured the rage of a city caught up in a tragic transition. It was an anger Persia herself felt when Esta Nocha, the Mission’s Latino gay bar, was in danger of closing. But she took that rage and turned it into summer anthem gold. Hey girl, could you tag me in that pic?

www.soundcloud.com/persia415

BEST TIP-TOP SPIFF UP

It has been remarked that West Portal is quite the happy village in the middle of this teeming city. We concur. Tucked into the side of a hill topped by a Twin Peak, slung happily along a leafy central promenade, the neighborhood is not the worst model for Main Street, USA. Tip and Top Vacuum & Shoe Service, particularly seen in this light, is an all-American gem. Bring in your dirt sucker for a fix-me-up and the capable staff will get it back to dirt bunny-busting in two shakes of a dusty rug. And like any good member of a small community, Tip and Top is a multitasker, as evident from the boots in the window. The shop also repairs shoes, and will even custom-cobble you a boot or slipper. To recap: Tip and Top fixes vacuums and shoes, it’s cute as a button, and you kind of need to check it out.

173 W Portal, SF. (415) 664-9320

BEST LITERARY BYWAY

Though the neighborhood can fascinate in a historic sense, sensory overload is a constant threat among the chain stores, tour buses, and souvenir sweatshirts of Fisherman’s Wharf. One can always head to Richard Henry Dana Place for a brief respite, however. Incongruously tacked onto the waterfront edge of Leavenworth Street, the quiet dead end — placid in a sea of tourist turbulence — was renamed in 1988 as part of a City Lights Bookstore proposal to name a dozen streets after local artists and authors. Richard Henry Dana Jr.’s renowned contribution to our canon, Two Years Before the Mast, contains some of the first accurate descriptions of the West Coast from aboard a merchant vessel. (Melville famously wrote of it, “But if you want the best idea of Cape Horn, get my friend Dana’s unmatchable Two Years Before the Mast. But you can read, and so you must have read it. His chapters describing Cape Horn must have been written with an icicle.”) Dana’s namesake street therefore manages to combine both literary and sea-faring history in one charmingly ramshackle locale.

Leavenworth and Jefferson, SF.

BEST TWERK QUAKE

Long before Miley irrevocably shifted the national conversation in the direction of feverishly jiggling glutei, there were the Twerking Girls. This unabashedly trio of bootylicious women joyfully — but with hilariously straight faces — rapidly oscillated that which their mothers gifted unto them up and down the city. They shimmied through the Apple Store and all around Union Square. They headstood on cable cars and cafeteria tables, invaded laundromats and tiny GoCARS, stunned ’em on BART and at Macy’s. In the sight of God and 2Chainz, they twerked their way right down the veggie aisle at the Safeway. The hypnotically undulating hijinks of Cherry Red, Dollface, and Tastee were captured this summer in a viral video, “Twerking in San Francisco Prank” by the Simple Pickup crew (a trio of dudes made infamous by filming themselves aggressively hitting on unsuspecting women; this celebratory video proved there is a spark of good in everyone). At first watch, you can’t stop laughing at the befuddled, bewildered, or frozen faces of some of the people shocked by the Twerking Girls’ hypnotic undulations. But then a larger, deeper point takes over: damn, San Francisco’s gotten mighty uptight. Thank you, Twerking Girls and friends, for shaking some soul in the city’s face.

BEST PLACE TO PADDLE AND WADDLE

The de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences have the giant advertising budgets and thus get all the press, but Golden Gate Park’s hidden gem lies just down JFK from those twin attractions: the Stow Lake Boathouse, perched alongside the built-in-1893 lake. The historic, recently renovated boathouse (it was getting a little creaky) contains a café stocked with handmade piroshkis and serves as the launch spot for Stow Lake’s fleet of boats, including the iconic paddleboats so beloved by tourists — and locals who aren’t too cool to admit it. If hanging out on the water’s not for you, stroll around the lake, dodging rapidly waddling geese and ducks on the paved path. More ambitious hikers can cruise to Strawberry Hill atop Stow Lake’s tiny, wooded island. On days when the fog lifts, the view there is well worth the huffing and puffing.

50 Stow Lake Dr. E., Golden Gate Park, SF. www.stowlakeboathouse.com

BEST PUBLIC ART-CHITECTS

When the Exploratorium reopened at Pier 15 earlier this year, tech wizards Obscura Digital transformed the historic waterfront building’s façade with an ultra-high definition light projection show, dazzling nighttime gazers who flocked there with an array of spectacular, nature-themed dreamscapes. Enormous blooming crystals, fast-forward budding plants, time lapse microorganism interactions were all brought to life, precisely projected in a way that contained them within the lines of the building’s architecture — yet totally screwed with viewers’ perception. It wasn’t the first time this 13-year-old design studio has treated San Francisco audiences to surreal sound-and-light shows in public spaces. Its “Corazon Under the Dome” exhibit at downtown’s Westfield Centre dazzled shoppers with convex architectural mapping, and Obscura’s “Digital Arts Panorama” at the new San Francisco Public Utilities Commission building offers visitors a dynamic virtual tour of the regional watershed.

www.obscuradigital.com

BEST HOME RUN

If you’re a local baseball fan and you haven’t yet run the Giant Race, you’re missing out, and not just because race entry includes a bobblehead (this year: sparkle-eyed Sergio Romo decked out in running gear) and a shiny medal (also this year: an homage to the World Series ring … with glitter, because WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS). The late summer race, which benefits Project Open Hand and offers nearly pancake-flat 5K, 10K, and half-marathon distances, begins just outside AT&T Park but ends on the field. Sure, certain parts of the sacred grass are roped off, but the bulk of the diamond is open for post-race stretching, hydration, and field-of-dreams fantasies galore. Die-hards take special note: There are companion Giant Races in San Jose and Scottsdale, too. No AT&T Park finish, obviously, but think of the superfan bragging rights!

www.race-sfgiants.com

BEST SCHOOL OF THRASH

Between competing coffee shops and obscured by the whirl of growing foot traffic on Divisadero Street sits an old Victorian, surrounded by a fence, upon which hangs a hand-painted sign. The SF Skate Club‘s mission says it all: “[The club] strives to provide a safe, positive, and fun environment for youth of diverse backgrounds to pursue their passion to skateboard.” Skate Club creators, skateboarder Shawn Connolly and educator Thuy Nguyen, are on their grind to use skateboarding as a medium of youth empowerment and community building, and their school is a hub of fast friendship and solid ollies. Summer, weekend, and after-school programs for kids of most ages are offered which teach the basics and tricks. The school also organizes mobile outings, and hosts drop-in visits from professionals. If its pupils’ enthusiasm is any indication, after just a few months it’s already on a roll.

635 Divisadero, SF. (415) 572-2065, www.sfskateclub.com

BEST EYE ON THE OCEAN

Perched above Sutro Baths near Ocean Beach, on a cliff whose face always seems to be exploding with colorful blooms, the exceedingly graceful 4,050 sq. ft. National Park Service visitor center at Point Lobos known as Lands End Lookout is one of our new favorite places in the world. (Although it’s closed as of this writing due to the government shutdown, boo.) Opened earlier this year, it contains a smart little cafe, oodles of info on the area’s environmental features, wildlife, and historical hot spots, and a nature-loving staff. Most people will come here at a starting point of an energizing down to the or through the surrounding hills. But the low and angular yet surprisingly capacious design of the Lookout itself, by EHDD, fits so perfectly into its Point Lobos surroundings (and puts further to shame the industrial barn-like Cliff House next door) that you may find yourself lingering beyond a cappuccino to enjoy the light and light-filled space, waves frothing on the rocks far below.

www.parksconservancy.org

BEST BAR FOR A SECOND DATE

Fancy foodie joints, indie movies, trendy pop-ups, and all that jazz: all great ways to unwind the weirdness of date No. 2, but when it’s a Tuesday, you worked all day, and exhausted yourself in yoga, let’s be real: you’re hangry and horny. This evening out requires two things immediately: food and liquor. Forget trying to be impressive, go with our proven routine. We call up the Little Chihuahua on Divisadero, order something to go, and walk your awkward and excited date next door to The Page — one of the few chill, homey spots left on the rapidly developing (and stressing out) “Divisadero Corridor” — where one can snag a bar stool, drink some whiskey, and feast on your delicious assortment of salsas and burrito fare. This neighborhood staple is cool with your takeout as long as you promise to clean up your foils and spills — and generously tipping your bartender never hurts. Your date will be well fed, your confidence levels will be on the up, and the night is young. It’s time to turn the page on this.

298 Divisadero, SF. (415) 255-6101, www.thepagebar.com

BEST NEW DRONE HIVE (WITH BUZZ)

Face it: cafes do not want an all-day camper leeching off their wi-fi (and scaring away their customers), and people working on their laptops want a place to work where they don’t have to keep buying single espressos just to get that last report done. Now we out-of-office worker bees can bow to our caffeine-overlords guilt-free: The Workshop Cafe is a spot where laptop use is not only condoned, its encouraged. In fact, calling it a cafe may be a misnomer — it’s really a hip and sleek public office space that a cafe snuck into and never left. (And it’s already looking to expand to a location near you.) Each table is equipped with rows of outlets to charge your gear, and there’s a smartphone app to order coffee without moving your rump. Cubbies deep inside the FiDi coffee joint-cum-workspace come equipped with white boards and markers for impromptu meetings, and widescreen monitors await your PowerPoint-laden laptops. Workshop even offers scanning and printing services: no need to head to FedEx or Kinko’s or whatever the heck they call themselves these days. Pro tip: there are free portable batteries to plug your laptops into if you want to toil at the tables outside. For only two bucks an hour, you can work as long as you like, minus snide looks from annoyed baristas. Now we can work forever! Free time, what’s that?

180 Montgomery, SF. (415) 322-1048, www.workshopcafe.com

BEST SUPER-WELLNESS INSURANCE

Clamber up to the Queen Anne Victorian home on a quiet Richmond corner to find some of the best free health care in the city. For 20 years, the SF Free Clinic has tended to the uninsured and underinsured, doing the work that our great federal government is only just now starting to get to. Started in 1993 by Tricia and Richard Gibbs, two general practitioners who wanted to make the connection between low-income San Franciscans and the city’s high quality health resources, the facilities offer preventative health screenings, vaccines, and non-emergency care. Services like free diabetes screenings are aided by health facilities and pros from across the city who lend a hand at the California Street location. Example: renowned yoga instructor Betty Roi offers a regular healthful yoga class. The SF Free Clinic has seen more than 70,000 patient visits since it opened its doors, a staggering number that shows how valuable the clinic is to the city’s health and wellness.

4900 California, SF. (415) 750-9894, www.sffc.org

BEST MEMOS FROM HELL

“I’m so disappointed in Tartine. They can’t make a real croissant. They’re too heavy!” “I’ve had a really hard weekend, I’m exhausted. All I’ve done is go to music festivals.” “You know him, he’s a serial entrepreneur. We are going to have him give a talk!” Nothing could be more indicative of the tragically funny contemporary state of San Francisco than the exclamations posted to the Dispatches from Entitlementistan Facebook page. As the page’s anonymous proprietor explains “I overhear the most asinine snippets of conversation outside of our window. Here is a handcrafted, artisanal, seasonal, locally-sourced, curated selection of comments from the heart of the Mission.” Links to cringe-worthy tech exposes, snaps of “only in privileged SF” moments, and even some nuanced critiques of the state of this rapidly changing city are posted almost daily. Dispatches is no mere anti-tech hate fest, however. It showed some serious viral power when it posted a Bud Light “Party on the Playa” Costco banner at Burning Man time, and a now-iconic pic, shot by Meredith Perry and picked up by Valleywag, of a Google Glass-sporting nerd with a bicycle at Dolores Park selfie-ing while two leather clad unicorns frolicked in the background. The caption? “Perfection.”

www.facebook.com/entitlementistan

BEST GUIDE FOR A CHALLENGING FUTURE

The organization has offered lectures and panel talks on key policy issues to Bay Area audiences for years, but the Commonwealth Club of California’s Climate One series deserves a shout-out for bringing the most pressing environmental issues of our time to the fore. Climate One was founded by Commonwealth Club Vice President Greg Dalton in 2007 after he visited the arctic circle in a Russian icebreaker boat and saw firsthand the effects of climate change on life in that part of the world. So far, the series has brought together public officials, academic experts, key business players, and advocates for serious, in-depth conversations on everything from fracking and the implications of rising sea levels to “Corn, Cows, and Cars.” The result: scary stuff, but with a reach toward actual solutions. Educate thyself with a Climate One talk at the Club’s San Francisco headquarters or download a podcast from a recent event.

www.climate-one.org

BEST SAIL FROM SOBRIETY (ON WAVES OF NOTORIETY)

The cocktail menu at Virgil’s Sea Room pays homage to our city’s unfathomably quirky, endlessly entertaining heroes: fashionista twins Marian and Vivian Brown, departed philanthropist and devoted banjo player Warren Hellman, drag queen Empress I Jose Sarria, perennial 12 Galaxies sign-hoister Frank Chu. But when speaking of our burg’s best loved, mustn’t we also mention progenitors of accommodating neighborhood watering holes? If indeed we must, hoist a glass to the triple-threat owners of one of Bernal Heights’ new favorite hangouts. Lexington Club owner Lila Thirkield, DJ-promoter-political dervish Tom Temprano, and former Nickie’s drink slinger Gillian Fitzgerald opened their watering hole early this summer in the space that once housed karaoke dive-a-rama Nap’s III. They’ve slapped on some nautical accents, spruced up a surprisingly roomy patio, and nurtured a relaxed, quirky ambience that raises a welcoming flag to buoy local spirits — while saluting San Francisco’s rambunctious past.

3152 Mission, SF. (415) 829-2233, www.virgilssf.com

Elderly activists and SF natives march to preserve San Franciscan culture at Our Mission: No Eviction

Erica Hanna

-

October 14, 2013

46

Gum Gee Lee recognizes that she’s not the only one.

Dressed in her now signature floral patterned blue jacket, she climbed the white flatbed truck that served as a makeshift stage of the Our Mission: No Eviction rally on Saturday, and with the aid of a translator she spoke to the 300 or so protesters.

“Its not okay to use gentrification to takeover,” she said. “It is disproportionately affecting the elderly and disabled.”

Lee, 73, took to activism as she, her husband and her disabled daughter were evicted from their Jackson street apartment near Chinatown. Her home of more than 30 years is one of many casualties as rising prices push long time San Franciscans out of the city.

The demands the rally organizers made were to address just that, asking Mayor Ed Lee to halt all Ellis Act evictions and put a freeze on rent increases and for the city to declare a state of emergency as the culture of the city experiences a dramatic shift.

The rally was inspired by a wave of nonprofit and tenant evictions in the Mission district over the past year, like the recent threatened Ellis Act evictions of Chicano artists Rene Yanez, Yolanda Lopez, and Rio Yanez. The march started at the Brava theater on 24th street, a mostly feel good celebration of a shared San Franciscan culture. The elder Yanez, 71 years old, bemoaned the loss of the Mission’s heritage.

Stopped at 24th and Bryant to hear Rene Yañez, recently evicted artist, speak. @mlnow pic.twitter.com/jQhHRgzmJ1

— Alexandra Garretón (@GarretonA) October 12, 2013

“If a mural gets painted over, no one gets upset, but if a muralist gets evicted no one says anything,” he said to the crowd. He later told us that though he has seen many changes in San Francisco since he landed here, he feels the new tech culture only has dollar signs in their eyes. “In the 70’s people came here for love, not for money,” he said. “Those were hopeful times. That’s bohemia.”

Gum Gee Lee and Rene Yanez weren’t the only elderly rabble rousers, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise, Ted Gullickson, director of the San Francisco Tenants Union told us.

Its the elderly who are most often targeted, he said, because they’re the ones who pay the lowest prices by virtue of being tenants the longest.

Landlords who are “okay with” taking smaller amounts are more likely to house elderly tenants with reduced rents, he said, and those landlords are targeted by real estate speculators who want to flip the place to sell as tenancies in common. The landlords themselves are often elderly, and may be looking to get out of the market. This makes buildings with elderly tenants fertile ground for Ellis Act evictions, he said.

“There aren’t going to be a lot of landlords willing to sell if they’re renting to pricey tech people,” Gullickson said.

But older activists weren’t the only ones to make it out to the march. A surprising number of those the Guardian talked to were San Francisco natives, born and bred.

@AvalosSF our Mission no evictions Basta ya pic.twitter.com/EdAZgHoet6

— John Avalos (@AvalosSF) October 12, 2013

Paul Altamriano is a strapping guy with shoulders like a football player, so it made sense that he and his young son (also named Paul) both sported Joe Montana jerseys like true 49er faithful. They marched together with the procession, except for the occasional burst of energy causing the younger Paul to run excitedly ahead.

Altamriano went to Mission high, and so did his two daughters. When his son is old enough, he hopes he can carry on the tradition.

“I was born and raised here, you’ve got to fight,” he said.”I want my son to grow up here.”

His face grew dark when he said that his father died shortly after being evicted from his San Francisco apartment, passing in a city that was not his home.

Vida Ramirez was also out with her children, Cynthia, 16, and Jose, who is “seven and a half,” he said.

“This is our barrio and our neighborhood,” she told the Guardian, as she held her children and marched. Her mother, grey haired and graceful, kept pace. Ramirez remembers when the first Mexican coffee shops and bars packed up in the first tech boom in the 90s.

She felt wronged, as if someone had attacked her personally. Maybe they had.

That’s the heart of it. Longtime San Franciscans fear their culture is being left behind, erased. And its not just the Mission. As has been widely reported, Chinatown is a target for evictions as well as the Castro and Sunset districts.

Protesting evictions in the Mission today #vine https://t.co/woPLpWoDSJ

— Joe A. W. Fitzgerald (@FitzTheReporter) October 12, 2013

But despite the expressions of grief at the rally, San Franciscans also used the day to enjoy the culture thats left in the neighborhood. As dancers in colorful headdresses bobbed and stepped to the beat of a drum, local luminaries stopped to watch along with everyone else. Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, Sups. John Avalos and David Campos, Assembly Member Tom Ammiano, housing activist Sara Shortt, and a sister of Perpetual Indulgence showed up to the rally. Though they were all the usual suspects, there was something different about this march. A barely perceptible change, but there all the same.

There was hope.

“There’s been a lot of despair around seeing so many people unfairly pushed out, but people are starting to wake up,” Mani Drayton said. He’s an SF native who said he was “a Mustang” (he went to Lincoln High). He agreed that there were a lot more cheers and a lot more smiles than the usual SF protest. As the rally of folks made their way up to Mission street, he speculated on why.

Maybe it was the amount of kids in the crowd, maybe it was the good weather, he said, but maybe it was a newfound feeling of agency.

“I think there’s a positive vibe because a lot of people believe there’s a difference that can be made,” he said. He smiled, pushed up his glasses, and went back to marching with the crowd.

Jinkx Monsoon brings Little Edie to SF (and beyond)

Tony Robles

-

October 9, 2013

1

Who would have thought a self-described theater nerd, narcoleptic comedy queen would win it all in Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Anyone watching the season could have told you as much, especially after sweet, talented Seattle queen Jinkx Monsoon took on legendary Jackie O relative/documentary subject Little Edie Beale during the “Snatch Game” episode.

Her vivid, spot-on Little Edie drawl, mannerisms, and makeup made Monsoon a shoe-in for the episode winner at least, even though “Snatch Game” impressions usually lean heavily toward over-the-top pop star and actress imitations.

That’s not to say Monsoon’s not an actress — she’s a star of theater, having performed in a handful of colorful productions including her own two-person play, The Vaudevillians. And she’ll bring those sharp acting chops and glamorous old-fashioned movie star style to the Peaches Christ arena this weekend with two shows and showings of the original Grey Gardens (1975) documentary.

I spoke with Monsoon from her hotel room in San Francisco about her lifelong love of Little Edie, RuPaul’s Drag Race drama, her underdog status, and that “water off a duck’s back” thing:

SFBG How’s the planning going for Return to Grey Gardens?

Jinkx Monsoon It’s wonderful. It’s a combination between your typical drag show and a theater show. I like bringing theater to drag and vice versa. And Peaches is so good at this formula, she had everything planned before I even got here, so it’s been really well-structured and it’s going super well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypK1MVEB7Dw

SFBG Can you tell me about what’s going to happen in the show? I know Peaches always does a different twist on things.

JM In the show, Peaches and I are playing ourselves 40 years from today. So the idea is that we got together on Oct. 12, 2013 and we’re going to do the Grey Gardens show and then he kind of just kept me there and we’ve stayed in the theater, doing the show for 40 years, even though people stopped coming. And we kind of degraded into the characters. We did the show so much that we became just like Big Edie and Little Edie. So the show’s set in the future as if we’ve been doing this for 40 years and have warped into the actual characters. So we have a Big Edie/Little Edie dynamic, even though we’re still Peaches Christ and Jinkx Monsoon.

SFBG Have you ever done a longer form portrayal of Little Edie before, beyond “The Snatch Game” episode of Rupaul’s Drag Race?

JM This will be the longest I’ve been in character of Little Edie. I’ve played her a lot in cabaret shows and variety shows and stuff where one of my acts that night will be a whole like, Little Edie portion of the show but I’ve always dreamed of doing Grey Gardens the musical, and this is the closest I’ve gotten so far, so I’m really, really excited.

SFBG Did you realize during the filming of Drag Race that your portrayal of Little Edie would be such a sensation when it aired?

JM Absolutely not. I knew the queens on the show who didn’t who Little Edie was, they were going to have to eat their words later. I knew that fans of the show were going to know who Little Edie was. I think it was the Drew Barrymore movie that kind of revitalized the Beale sensation. So I became more confident about doing it on the show.

But I had no idea that the response America would have. It was so far spanning. The YouTube videos of Grey Gardens online went up several thousand views, and the DVD sales of the documentary went up; I got added to her Wikipedia page!

I mean, Little Edie has been a huge inspiration and gay icon for me since I was like, 17. And never did I think I’d get to be so closely associated with her in this way. It’s really a huge honor. It’s a little surreal but it’s wonderful. [Laughs].

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VANq1NDFgrc

SFBG What was it about her that so captivated you?

JM I just love how eccentric she is. I love people who have created their own way of doing things. And it’s like, I think I can just appreciate the world she built for herself and her circumstances and constraints.

I first was introduced to Grey Gardens through the musical, being a musical theater nerd myself. And I didn’t know the back-story behind it. But the music really got to me and made me love the story right away. And then when I watched the documentary I realized it was 10 times deeper than I even understood. She reminds me so much of me.

When I watch her in the documentary, I feel like that’s exactly what I did my whole life. When I feel like a loner and when I was keeping it to myself — I mean I knew my whole life that I was gay but I knew at an early age that it “wasn’t normal” so I kept it to myself. But at an early age I would play dress up and wrap blankets around me and I was always putting on little shows for the video cameras. She just reminded me so much of the kind of person I’ve always been in my private life.

SFBG So she was one of the people who influenced the character of Jinkx Monsoon — who were some other inspirations?

JM I based Jinkx Monsoon a lot on my mother. The whole idea with Jinkx Monsoon is that she’s a middle aged single mother, failed actress, and she has a gay son and he takes her out to the gay bars and she’s every gay boy’s favorite party mom. So I based it off Stifler’s mom played by Jennifer Coolidge and Peggy Bundy and my favorite female comedians have had a huge influence on my comedy and performance style: Sarah Silverman, Maria Bamford, Lucille Ball, Madeline Kahn, Carol Burnett. So it’s a huge range of different inspirations and then of course, my personal life experience.

SFBG What made you want to try out for Drag Race?

JM I’d been a fan of Drag Race and watched every episode religiously with my friends. Everyone who knew me insisted on me auditioning and every year I said I didn’t want to do it because I didn’t think it was the kind of environment, competition for a drag queen like me, a high-concept character actor like myself. And then when I saw Sharon Needles go on [Season 4], I felt like the show was started to become more all-inclusive and that the audience was starting to respect a wider variety of drag and different interpretations of the art form. So that was the motivation to audition for Season 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddvWmdbGNN0

SFBG How much creative editing was there, or were you really the underdog all through filming?

JM I’ve just always been kind of the odd one out in a room full of drag queens…I learned drag in an all-ages gay nightclub when I was like, 15 to about 20. I participated in the shows and did a lot of work at this nightclub in Portland, Oregon. So I knew a lot about traditional drag but when I went to college I kind of changed my focus and made it much more theater-oriented and character-oriented.

And so I spent a lot of time working in burlesque and cabaret and I hadn’t worked with drag queens for a long time when I went on the show. So I think the underdog aspect comes more from the fact that I was just..I didn’t know all the same lingo, I didn’t know how to interact with a lot of those girls, and I’m just kind of eccentric myself. I think some of the girls were irritated that the person they thought was too kooky was succeeding on the show.

SFBG How does it feel then to come out on top after all that, when such a part of your identity has been as an outsider?

JM For me, the coolest thing about it, and what I’ve found talking to my audience on the road, is that it just goes to show that you can’t discredit someone just because you don’t understand them.

I feel like the judges were always getting my jokes and my sense of humor and the work I was doing even when my fellow competitors didn’t see it as a threat. When I decided to do Little Edie, a lot of those girls thought that was going to be what sent me home because I was portraying a character that wears a headscarf instead of a wig and doing all these eccentric things and they didn’t understand it. But I was confident that the judges and audience would. And that was kind of the theme for the whole series. And I think it was cool for the fan base to see someone who was so ridiculed turn the tables on everyone and take them by surprise.

SFBG Where did that “water off a duck’s back” phrase that you repeated so often during judging come from?

JM One of my best friends in Seattle, her name is Robbie Turner, she’s another performer. I was working a lot in cabaret and burlesque but then I’d also do a couple of drag and variety shows, and when I was having trouble with other drags queens giving me a hard time because I was the “new girl” on the scene in Seattle and they were getting upset.

A lot of drag queens were kind of mean to me in Seattle because they felt like I came out of nowhere and started working everywhere. But I’d been doing drag as long as any of them [in Portland]. And so my friend Robbie Turner was always like, “just let it be water off a duck’s back.”

I never really made it my mantra until I was on that [Drag Race] runway and after the first two times of being ridiculed by Michelle Visage from head to toe, I just started saying it to myself because I had to remind myself: these are opinions and the best way to get ahead in this competition is to take in the critiques and incorporate them into my work so that I’m constantly evolving and growing.

So “water off a duck’s back” was less about ignoring what they were saying, it was more about taking it in and letting anything that felt like a personal attack or purely negative or negative thoughts it would generate in my own head — the self-doubt and insecurity — to let that all go and just take what I can from all the notes.

Return to Grey Gardens
With Jinkx Monsoon, Peaches Christ, Mink Stole
Sat/12, 3 and 8pm, $25
Castro Theatre
429 Castro, SF
www.castrotheatre.com

Peaches and Jinkx will then bring the show to Seattle’s Harvard Exit Theater on Oct. 17 as part of the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.