WEDNESDAY 28
World Party
While The Cure and R.E.M. were soaking up all the mainstream recognition, British singer-songwriter Karl Wallinger quietly churned out some of the most infectiously jangly pop of the 1980s and ’90s under the World Party moniker. Since the release of his magnum opus, Goodbye Jumbo (1990), Wallinger has gone on hiatus numerous times, coming out of the woodwork with a new set of songs, and a fresh cast of supporting musicians, whenever inspiration strikes. It’s been 12 years since his last LP, but with a new career-spanning box set on the way, and a rare US tour to support it, we’ll take whatever we can get. (Taylor Kaplan)
With Martin Harley 8pm, $26 Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell, SF (415) 885-0750 www.slimspresents.com
GOLDIES after-party
You read all about the 24th annual Goldie winners — that’s Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery awards! — in the Nov. 14 issue of the paper. Now’s your chance to come celebrate with us and the winners (musicians the Mallard, 5kinandbone5, and WATERS; theater company PianoFight; performers Mica Sigourney and Anna Ishida; filmmaker Jamie Meltzer; visual artist Brett Amory; dance winners Joe Landini and the Garage; and lifetime achievement winners Frank Shawl and Victor Anderson of Berkeley’s veteran Shawl-Anderson Dance Studio. The free party features performers Mad Noise, Kat Marie Yoas, and Dr. Zebrovski, plus tunes by Goldie alumni DJ Bus Station John. Gold attire encouraged! (Cheryl Eddy)
9pm, free
111 Minna Gallery
111 Minna, SF
THURSDAY 29
Houses
If the 2010 album All Night from Chicago’s Houses seems sunnier and warmer than what you’d expect, given a cliched notion of the windy city, it may be because the album originated while the band was on a sort of idyllic, post-layoff stay in Hawaii. Seemingly lost in a year that was flooded with too many DOA “chillwave” bands, the album — with an air of IDM and standout track “Reds” — deserves a second listen, mainly for the vocal intimacy engendered by Dexter Tortoriello and Megan Messina, partners on and off record who have an immediately apparent rapport that suggests a hybrid sound of Mazzy Star and the xx, with feet on the dancefloor. (Ryan Prendiville)
With D33J, Yalls, Elephant and Castle
8pm, $8–$12
Public Works
161 Erie St., SF
(415) 932-0955
Instrument
It’s one of those contradictions that I guess those of us who love live performances are also aware that the minute it happens, it dies. Gone, finished, never to return. It’s what Monique Jenkinson is exploring in her new Instrument, a solo performance piece to which she invited choreographers Miguel Gutierrez, Chris Black and Amy Seiwert — talk about diversity! — to set movement on her, which she then adapted to her own purposes. Somewhere, the late Rudolph Nureyev also entered into the equation. Jenkinson, who lives and breathes live performance, has made the slithery ground of identity a major theme of her dance/theater-making. She is a superb artist and entertainer, with immaculate craft and a fabulous perspective on what it means to be alive today whether as drag queen, fashion maven, opera diva or, perhaps, ballet super star. (Rita Felciano)
Also Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2, Dec. 6-9, 8pm, $20–$30
CounterPULSE
1310 Mission St. SF
$20-30.
FRIDAY 30
Rah Rah
“Rah Rah,” is accurately named — even its slower songs have a go-get-em, anthemic feel. At times this comes off as mildly ironic with some nonplussed singing paired with invigorating chord progressions. Our generation does love its irony. Mostly though, Rah Rah is full of wonder and cheer. The Canadian sextet makes good on the team spirit promise with a collaborative effort in which all the band members chip in for songwriting. With everybody switching instruments, singing, and maybe even tossing around balloons (or confetti), the band members bring the mirth wherever they go. (Molly Champlin)
With Travis Hayes
9pm, $10
Thee Parkside
1600 17th, SF
(415) 252-1330
Moodymann
Hailed for his massive influence on the Detroit techno scene he’s contributed to ever since the early ’90s, enigmatic producer Moodymann is that rare EDM artist who milks the album format for all it’s worth. Unlike the majority of his peers, content to churn out standalone tracks for the dancefloor, Moodymann stuffs his propulsive beats with funk and soul flourishes, samples from blaxploitation films, and impossibly lush, glossy synth tones, assembling cohesive LPs that conjure up a seductive, luminous sound-world all their own. Finding common ground between ravers and headphone geeks can be a challenge, but this master makes it look easy. (Kaplan)
With Galen, J-Bird, Solar, Deron
9:30pm, $20
Public Works
161 Erie, SF
(415) 932-0955
SATURDAY 1
Come Out and Play Festival Weekend
The SOMArts gallery and grounds will transform into a playground with games that are as fun as they are artistic in the finale to its month-long “Come Out and Play” exhibit. There will be plenty for the kids, such as the parkour-inspired Sloth Chase, which will force the young ones to get creative in navigating everyday spaces. This is all-ages, so keep an eye out for adult games too, including the mind-bending experiment, Out of Body Labyrinth. It includes video goggles that give the player a third person perspective on his or her movements as they navigate a labyrinth. And then there’s Propinquity, which uses neon lights to measure scores in an experience that is equal parts club and Capoeira. Be sure to register in advance to skip the lines. (Champlin)
Also Dec. 2, 11am–5pm, free
SOMArts
934 Brannan, SF
(415) 863-1414
somarts.org/playsf
Bay Brewed Rock and Roll Beer Festival
What pairs better with rock and roll bands than beer? And I’m not talking about half-watching the (admittedly, enticing) dad rock band in the back corner of a pub while nursing a warm Pabst. This second annual Bay Brewed event, again hosted by the Bay Bridged blog, will feature performances by bands you actually want to see live: Bear in Haven, Sonny and the Sunsets, Born Gold, Blasted Canyons, James and Evander, and Trails and Ways. Plus, tickets include endless tasting of the frosty, locally-brewed stuff by 13 SF Brewers Guild breweries, including 21st Amendment and Social Kitchen and Brewery. Added bonus: Seoul on Wheels and Adam’s Grub Truck will be standing by to help you soak up your indulgences. (Emily Savage)
12:30-6pm, $60
Public Works
161 Eerie, SF
(415) 932-0955
Opal Dust Opening
Casey Watson works graphite and colored pencil like paint to create rich, intricate floral patterns. This isn’t your typical flower power art though, her pieces combine to create abstract forms evocative of microscopic organic life or macrocosmic activity. The process is poetically described as the “sharp-edged task of portraying a soft exterior.” The exhibit will be on display at Johansson Projects, the fine art gallery with the DIY spirit people always remember from Oakland’s Art Murmur. Also showing will be Rachel Kaye, whose abstract work explores the relationship between fashion and fine art through geometric color fields. If you can’t make it to the reception on Saturday, you can always check out the exhibit at the First Fridays event, Dec. 7 this month. (Champlin)
3pm, free
Johansson Projects
2300 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 444-9140
Wovenhand (canceled)
Wovenhand might be one of the only folk-rock bands around whose songs can evoke both the cool grandeur of a cathedral arch and the sweaty tent of a traveling preacher man set up beneath a wide-open prairie sky. Even if the band’s lyrics weren’t deeply rooted in the Christian faith of frontperson David Eugene Edwards, its intense, pounding rhythms, tightly-knit instrumentation and otherworldly vocals would be enough to drive even the most committed atheist to their knees. With The Laughing Stalk, Edwards eschews the occasional diversions of earthly delights and goes straight for the marrow, a nine-song cycle of tormented devotion using the Old Testament (and bone-shaking guitar riffs) as points of departure. Known particularly for the ferocity of their live shows, you will not want to miss these passionate Denverites at Bottom of the Hill — or anywhere else, really. (Nicole Gluckstern)
With Yassou Benedict and Yir
10pm, $12–$14
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
MONDAY 3
Death Grips
The easiest explanation for the attention and acclaim this band has garnered — including a hot-off-the-presses of SPIN award for Artist of the Year — would be controversy. We are talking about a group that canceled a tour, leaked its second album of the year onto the Internet (complete with the title, No Love Deep Web, scrawled across one member’s turgid member on the cover) and subsequently got dropped from Epic Records. (Epic Records still exists?) But to get past the ceaseless debate surrounding Death Grips and its currently incomparable hybrid of growling, punk infused rap, just see the band live, like some did last year at 103 Harriet, when barking singer Stefan Burnett and frenetic drummer Zach Hill delivered a memorable, aggressive, and beyond sweaty performance. (Prendiville)
With Cities Aviv
8pm, $20
Slim’s
333 11th St., SF
(415) 255-0333
TUESDAY 4
“The News”
Have you heard the good “News”? Freshly minted Goldie winner Mica Sigourney (as his unforgettable alter ego, VivvyAnne ForeverMORE!) is guest-curating SOMArts’ popular monthly showcase of queer, experimental debut and in-progress works. With Ms. ForeverMORE! at the helm, the event will be a blend of performance art and nightlight, featuring costume designer, accordionist, and queer-identity explorer DavEnd; interdisciplinary performer Cara Rode DeFabio; drag performers Elliot “Christina Christopher Damnit” Orona and Nathan “Nikki Sixx Mile” Rapport; and more. Space is limited, so get your tickets (a steal at just $5!) in advance. (Eddy)
7:30pm, $5
SOMArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan, SF
thenewsperformance.eventbrite.com
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