Wednesday night, three young, up-and-coming bands gathered at the Milk Bar, an intimate venue on the western edge of Haight Street, to lay down fun, unseasonably warm beats – a welcome contrast to the decidedly autumnal weather.
Street Joy, a LA-based rock trio comprised of Jason DeMayo (vocals, guitar), Scott Zimmerman (drums), and Mike Coleman (bass), kicked off the show with upbeat pop and punkish tunes. These musicians, who organized into a formal band in 2012, describe their songwriting as “that of the cassettes a dad would show his son on car rides to baseball practice.” Sigh, nostalgia.
The highlight was their spirited cover of “Hold Me Tight” — a Beatles release circa 1963 — and the dynamic on-stage rapport between Zimmerman and DeMayo kept me enthralled throughout their set.
The She’s — a teenage girl group whose crooning, feminine, summery sound is inspired by ‘60s girl groups and pop acts like the Beach Boys — followed. While many of their songs sound very similar (at times their set felt like a contagious throw-back daze), their multipart harmonies, which are the crux of their songwriting, felt expert. In addition to playing catchy tracks off of their 2011 release (Then It Starts To Feel Like Summer) such as “Jimmy” and “Fabian,” they played some newer songs, including “Anywhere But Here,” which is somewhat dark and subdued – at least in the She’s universe.
Bassist Sami Perez, guitarists Hannah Valente, and Eva Treadway, and drummer Sinclair Riley (they all sing) have been best friends since kindergarten, and it shows. On stage, they are incredibly in-sync; they even managed to all crouch down and grab their plastic water cups at once point in a synchronized sweep. Yes, their water cups — no booze yet.
By the time the Tambo Rays took the stage at 11:15pm, I was starting to feel pretty exhausted, but Sara DaMert’s spirit and spunk picked me right back up. The group’s alternative percussionist extraordinare, Sara, who at any given moment was either playing keys, drums, cymbals, tambo, or a combination of the four, was the heart of the “chill pop” foursome’s performance. Sara’s brother, Brian DaMert, perhaps the slightly subtler member of the family, laid down entrancing guitar riffs, engulfing the waning audience in a beautiful wall of sound.
The Tambo Rays showcased a surfy rock’n’roll (occasionally hippie-laced) sound onstage; their set was fluid and kept my attention. The highlight of their performance was “Take That,” whose enthused delivery, distinctly summery feel, and sardonic lyrics about Georgia the chicken instantly made me smile.
SF
Live Shots: Street Joy, the She’s, the Tambo Rays at Milk Bar
Music Listings: Oct. 23-29
WEDNESDAY 23
ROCK
Amoeba Music: 1855 Haight, San Francisco. Best Coast, 5 p.m., free.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Thunderegg, On Telegraph, Jared Cohen & The Future Proof, 9 p.m., $8.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Leagues, The Dig, 8 p.m., $10-$12.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. Supersuckers, Hellbound Glory, The Devil in California, 8 p.m., $15-$20.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Young Moon, Feelings, Sandy’s, 8:30 p.m., $6.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Golden Youth, Venus Beltran, Books on Fate, Slow Cult, 8:30 p.m., $7.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Oh Land, Sun Rai, 8 p.m., $15.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. Chief, Major Lifts, Cougar on a Meth Binge, 7:30 p.m., $8.
Milk Bar: 1840 Haight, San Francisco. The Tambo Rays, The She’s, Street Joy, 8:30 p.m., $5.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. NoNoNo, Helado Negro, DJ Aaron Axelsen, 9 p.m., $13-$15.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Au Revoir Simone, Genius, CALLmeKAT, 8 p.m., $16.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Leon Russell, 8 p.m., $39.
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 Fright Rocks V, 18+ dance party with Ookay, B33, Dead Sequitur, Krishna, more, 9 p.m., $10-$20.
Edinburgh Castle: 950 Geary, San Francisco. “1964,” w/ DJ Matt B & guests, Second and Fourth Wednesday of every month, 10 p.m., $2.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “Bodyshock,” w/ Ssleeper Hold, Troller, Justin Anastasi, DJ Crackwhore, DJ Unit 77, 9 p.m., $7.
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. “Tainted Techno Trance,” 10 p.m.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Housepitality,” w/ Sety, Nick Williams, Sharon Buck, Jerry Nice, 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.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. “Mushroom Jazz,” w/ Mark Farina, J-Boogie, 9:30 p.m., $10-$20.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Booty Call,” w/ Juanita More, Joshua J, guests, 9 p.m., $3.
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. William Robert & Esteban Warren, 7 p.m.
Cafe Divine: 1600 Stockton, San Francisco. Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, 7 p.m., free.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Stephen Kellogg, Fort Atlantic, 8:30 p.m., $20.
Club Deluxe: 1511 Haight, San Francisco. Happy Hour Bluegrass, 6:30 p.m., free.
Fiddler’s Green: 1333 Columbus, San Francisco. Terry Savastano, Every other Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., free/donation.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Todos Santos, 6 p.m., free.
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.
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.
Oz Lounge: 260 Kearny, San Francisco. Hard Bop Collective, 6 p.m., free.
Revolution Cafe: 3248 22nd St., San Francisco. Michael Parsons Trio, Every other Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., free/donation.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Charlie Siebert & Chris Siebert, 7:30 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. “Cat’s Corner,” 9 p.m., $10.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. Jesse Foster, 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. Anya Malkiel, 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.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. “Cafe LatinoAmericano,” 8 p.m., $5.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. J.W. Jones, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Craig Horton, 9:30 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. New Music from the Mills College Center for Contemporary Music, 8 p.m., $10-$15.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. “Sing Out,” w/ Fred Frith/Patrice Scanlon Duo, Grex, Dominique Leone, 9:30 p.m., $7-$10.
THURSDAY 24
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Earthless, Joy, Hot Lunch, 9 p.m., $12.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. Annie Girl & The Flight, Everyone Is Dirty, Lee Gallagher & The Hallelujah, 9 p.m., $7.
S.F. Eagle: 398 12th St., San Francisco. Thursday Nite Live: Ash Reiter, The Visibles, The Electric Magpie, 9 p.m., $7.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Cool Ghouls, Neighbors, Satan Wriders, 8:30 p.m., $6.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Rusted Root; Goodnight, Texas; Lorne & The Wayhighs, 8 p.m., $25.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. The Welcome Matt, The Jaded, Your Cannons, 6:30 p.m., free with RSVP; Electric Shepherd, Wild Eyes, Mystery Ship, 10 p.m., $6.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. O Presidente, Spider Heart, The Shape, Secret Town, 8 p.m., $8.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. “Popscene,” w/ Night Terrors of 1927, Parade of Lights, Basic Vacation, Aaron Axelsen, Miles the DJ, 9 p.m., $10-$12.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. Tav Falco & The Panther Burns, Big Tits, Lonesome Shack, 9 p.m., $12.
DANCE
Abbey Tavern: 4100 Geary, San Francisco. DJ Schrobi-Girl, 10 p.m., free.
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. “Phonic,” w/ Morten, Lucas Med, Lorentzo, Brenn Wilson, Zoe Parties, 9:30 p.m.
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge: 133 Turk, San Francisco. “Tubesteak Connection,” w/ DJ Bus Station John, 9 p.m., $5-$7.
The Cafe: 2369 Market, San Francisco. “¡Pan Dulce!,” 9 p.m., $5.
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. “XO,” w/ DJs Astro & Rose, 10 p.m., $5.
Club X: 715 Harrison, San Francisco. “The Crib,” 9:30 p.m., $10, 18+.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “Afrolicious,” w/ DJs Pleasuremaker, Señor Oz, and live guests, 9:30 p.m., $5-$8.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “I Love Thursdays,” 10 p.m., $10.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Night Fever,” 9 p.m., $5 after 10 p.m.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “Crisco Disco,” w/ DJs 2shy-shy, Melt w/U, and Ka-Boom, 9 p.m., free.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. “Future Perfect,” w/ Maria Minerva, Metal Mother, Cherushii, Marco de la Vega (in the OddJob Loft), 9 p.m., $5-$10.
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 1, w/ Pendulum (DJ set), WhiteNoize, 9 p.m., $20-$30 advance.
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,” w/ Hot Since 82, Emanate, 10 p.m., $5-$10.
HIP-HOP
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. Riff Raff, UltraViolet, Napsty, DJ Dials, Trill Team 6, 9 p.m., $17.50 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.
John Colins: 138 Minna, San Francisco. “#Quattro,” w/ DJ Dino, Fourth Thursday of every month, 9 p.m.
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.
ACOUSTIC
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Polecat, The Drifter Sisters, David Wagner, 7 p.m., $7-$10.
Atlas Cafe: 3049 20th St., San Francisco. Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam Session, 8 p.m., free.
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Acoustic Open Mic, 7 p.m.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Tipsy House, Fourth Thursday of every month, 9 p.m., free.
JAZZ
Blush! Wine Bar: 476 Castro, San Francisco. Doug Martin’s Avatar Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., free.
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Mike Dillon Band, 9 p.m., $10 (free before 9:30 p.m.).
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. Nova Jazz, 7:30 p.m., free.
Cigar Bar & Grill: 850 Montgomery, San Francisco. DU UY Quartet, 8 p.m.
Le Colonial: 20 Cosmo, San Francisco. Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, 7:30 p.m.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Vince Lateano Trio, 7 p.m., free.
The Rite Spot Cafe: 2099 Folsom, San Francisco. Ralph Carney & Michael McIntosh, 8:30 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. Julio Bravo y Su Orquesta Salsabor, DJ Hong, 8 p.m., $12.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. “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. J.W. Jones, 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. P.A. Slim, 4 p.m.; Chris Cobb, 9:30 p.m.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. G.G. Amos, 9 p.m.
EXPERIMENTAL
The Luggage Store: 1007 Market, San Francisco. Space Burn, Shanna Sordahl, 8 p.m., $6-$10.
SOUL
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. Raheem DeVaughn, Khela, LB Muzac, Veronica Timms, 9 p.m., $25-$35.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Freddie Hughes & Chris Burns, 7:30 p.m., free.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Cassoria, Insects vs. Robots, 8 p.m., $16.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Macy Gray, 8 & 10 p.m., $48.
FRIDAY 25
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. The Blow, Kisses, The Ian Fays, 9:30 p.m., $14-$16.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. The Icarus Line, Golden Veins, The Spyrals, Creeping Pink, DJ Al Lover, 9:30 p.m., $10-$12.
Connecticut Yankee: 100 Connecticut, San Francisco. Superjack, The Yes-Go’s, Stomping Grounds, 10 p.m., $10.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Screature, DJ Omar, 9:30 p.m., $8-$10.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. Friday Live: Thith, DJ Emotions, 10 p.m., free.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Astro Zombies, He Who Cannot Be Named, 9:30 p.m., $6.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Caught a Ghost, Song Preservation Society, 9 p.m., $15.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. Pomegranate, Tender Mercies, Be Brave Bold Robot, 9 p.m., $5-$8.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Keep Shelly in Athens, Chad Valley, Spells, DJs Glenn Jackson & EOTB, 9 p.m., $15.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. Halloween Costume Party Show with Posole, Bonnie & The Bang Bang, Growwler, Dot Punto, 9 p.m., $8 ($6 with costume).
DANCE
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. Third Annual Halloween Free Party, w/ Kaytranada, Maxim, Groundislava, Hard French DJs, Massive Selector DJs, Afrolicious DJs, Marco de la Vega, Bessed Drest, White Mike, Lé Swndle, Kevvy Kev, DJ Drome, DJ Dials, Shouts!, 10 p.m., free with RSVP (required).
4Fourteen: 414 Mason, San Francisco. “Helix 4th Fridays,” Progressive techno tunes spun by resident DJs Means+Function, David Gropper, Derek Ryan, and rotating guests, Fourth Friday of every month, 10 p.m., $20.
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. Halloween Masquerade Party, w/ Claptone, Galen, Papa Lu, 9:30 p.m., $10 advance.
BeatBox: 314 11th St., San Francisco. U-Haul: Halloween Animal Kingdom Edition, w/ DJs Von Kiss & China G, 10 p.m., $5 before 10:30 p.m.
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. Monster Mash: Dark Shadows Howling Halloween Party, w/ DJs Daniel Skellington, Owen, Mz. Samantha, Melting Girl, Unit 77, and Netik, 9:30 p.m., $7.
The Cellar: 685 Sutter, San Francisco. “F.T.S.: For the Story,” 10 p.m.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. “120 Minutes,” w/ Gatekeeper, Tamara Sky, DJs Santa Muerte & Chauncey CC, 10 p.m., $10-$15.
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 Factory: 525 Harrison, San Francisco. Eye Heart Halloween, w/ Tommie Sunshine, Tasty Treat, Traviswild, The Schmidt, DJ Zaq, El Cool J, Jay Ev, Justin Milla, TruthLive, 9 p.m., $25-$85 advance.
The Grand Nightclub: 520 4th St., San Francisco. “We Rock Fridays,” 9:30 p.m.
Harlot: 46 Minna, San Francisco. “Vivid: A UV Party,” 9:30 p.m.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. “Escape Fridays,” 10 p.m., $20.
Julia Morgan Ballroom: 465 California, San Francisco. Superfreaks, w/ Viceroy, Tropicool, Pacific Disco, 9 p.m., $35 advance.
Lookout: 3600 16th St., San Francisco. “HYSL,” 9 p.m., $3.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “I ♥ the ‘90s,” w/ DJs Samala, Teo, Mr. Grant, & Sonny Phono, Fourth 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. Vitalic, Nolan Gray, 9 p.m., $20.
Mighty: 119 Utah, San Francisco. Set: Halloween Edition, w/ John Digweed, Spesh, Quinn Jerome, 9 p.m., $40 advance.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. Thugfucker, DJ Atish, Jimmy B, 9:30 p.m., $20 advance.
Old Mint: 88 Fifth St., San Francisco. The Haunted Ball, w/ DJ Donovan, Chris Clouse, Dave Kim, Hector Garza, Frenchy Le Freak, DJ Nader, DJ Hanik, DJ Lorentzo, 9 p.m., $49.99+ advance.
OMG: 43 6th St., San Francisco. “Release,” 9 p.m., free before 11 p.m.
Project One: 251 Rhode Island, San Francisco. Rouge: Halloween Edition, w/ DJs Mike Parsons, R&D, and Danny Firpo, 9 p.m., $5 suggested donation.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. Freakers Ball 2013: The Journey Begins, w/ Quantic (DJ set), Silkie, Love & Light, Christian Martin, Bogl, Skulltrane, Mozaic, Tony in Orbit, Stridah, Plantrea, Rob Monroy, Mitchy Manitou, Even Everyman, Aire Redtree, more., 9 p.m., $15-$30 advance.
Q Bar: 456 Castro, San Francisco. “Pump: Worq It Out Fridays,” w/ resident DJ Christopher B, 9 p.m., $3.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Freak Circus: Day 2, w/ Showtek, Trevor Simpson, 9 p.m., $45-$70 advance.
Slide: 430 Mason, San Francisco. Gatsby: Halloween at Slide, w/ DJs G-Roy, MoMentum, Lorenzo, and Gueco, 9 p.m.
Supperclub San Francisco: 657 Harrison, San Francisco. Reflections: A Mixed Masquerade & Halloween Extravaganza, w/ DJs Aaron Pope, Didje Kelli, and Nugz, 9 p.m., $5-$15.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Bionic,” 10 p.m., $5.
Vessel: 85 Campton, San Francisco. Paris Blohm, Das Üntz, Feldy, 10 p.m., $10-$30.
Wish: 1539 Folsom, San Francisco. “Bridge the Gap,” w/ resident DJ Don Kainoa, Fridays, 6-10 p.m., free.
Women’s Building: 3543 18th St., San Francisco. SF IndieFest Roller Disco Costume Party, w/ skate rentals and music provided by Black Rock Roller Disco, 8 p.m., $10.
HIP-HOP
EZ5: 682 Commercial, San Francisco. “Decompression,” Fridays, 5-9 p.m.
John Colins: 138 Minna, San Francisco. “#Flow,” w/ The Whooligan & Mikos Da Gawd, Fourth Friday of every month, 10 p.m., free befoe 11 p.m.
Sloane: 1525 Mission, San Francisco. Fright Night, w/ Dee Sinatra, West Kraven, 10 p.m.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Halloween Monster’s Ball: Vixens, Heroes, and Villains, w/ DJs Big Von, Ivan, and Daddy Rolo (in Yoshi’s lounge), 10:30 p.m., $20+ advance.
ACOUSTIC
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Maddy Toy, 7 p.m.
The Chapel: 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. The Dustbowl Revival, The Defibulators, The Wild Reeds, 9 p.m., $15.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. The Giving Tree Band, The Lady Crooners, The Americans, 9 p.m., $8.
Old First Presbyterian Church: 1751 Sacramento, San Francisco. One Great City, 8 p.m., $14-$17.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Benjamin Brown, 9 p.m.
The Sports Basement: 610 Old Mason, San Francisco. “Breakfast with Enzo,” w/ Enzo Garcia, 10 a.m., $5.
JAZZ
Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant: 1000 Great Highway, San Francisco. Johnny Smith, 8 p.m., free.
Bird & Beckett: 653 Chenery, San Francisco. Chuck Peterson Quintet, Fourth Friday of every month, 5:30 p.m.
Cafe Claude: 7 Claude, San Francisco. Jinx Jones Jazz Trio, 7:30 p.m., free.
Cafe Royale: 800 Post, San Francisco. The Glasses, 9 p.m.
Center for New Music: 55 Taylor St., San Francisco. Best Coast Jazz Composers Series #3: Aram Shelton, 7:30 p.m., $12-$15.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko: 222 Mason St., San Francisco. Tony DeSare, 8 p.m., $40-$50.
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.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Steve Lucky & Carmen Getit, 7:30 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Carol Luckenbach, 7:30 p.m., $8.
Top of the Mark: One Nob Hill, 999 California, San Francisco. Black Market Jazz Orchestra, 9 p.m., $10.
Verdi Club: 2424 Mariposa, San Francisco. San Francisco Zombie Prom: Haunted Hollywood, w/ music by Slim Jenkins & DJ Undead Jeff, plus a $200 costume contest, 8 p.m., $17-$20.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Joyce Grant, 8 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Baxtalo Drom, International shimmying for lovers of Balkan music, bellydancers, and burlesque., Fourth Friday of every month, 9 p.m., $5-$10.
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).
Cigar Bar & Grill: 850 Montgomery, San Francisco. Conjunto Picante, 8 p.m.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. Cuban Night with Fito Reinoso, 7:30 & 9:15 p.m., $15-$18.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Al Son de Mi Rumba, 8 p.m., free.
Space 550: 550 Barneveld, San Francisco. Club Fuego: Halloween Party Edition, w/ Sito Rocks, 9:30 p.m., $20 advance.
REGGAE
Gestalt Haus: 3159 16th St., San Francisco. “Music Like Dirt,” 7:30 p.m., free.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Contino, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $20.
Lou’s Fish Shack: 300 Jefferson St., San Francisco. Robert “Hollywood” Jenkins, 8:30 p.m.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Jan Fanucchi, Last Friday of every month, 4 p.m.; Steve Freund, 9:30 p.m.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. The O.G. Rhythm & Blues Band, 9 p.m.
FUNK
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Topaz, HowellDevine, DJ K-Os, 9:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Korty & Friends, 9 p.m., $20-$25.
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “Loose Joints,” w/ DJs Centipede, Damon Bell, & Tom Thump, 10 p.m., $5; “Loose Joints: 5-Year Anniversary Party & All Star Jam Session,” w/ DJs Tom Thump, Damon Bell, Centipede, and guests, 10 p.m., $5-$10.
SOUL
Edinburgh Castle: 950 Geary, San Francisco. “Soul Crush,” w/ DJ Serious Leisure, 10 p.m., free.
Underground SF: 424 Haight, San Francisco. “Sissy Strut,” w/ The Handsome Young Men (DJs Ponyboy, Lil MC, Katie Duck, & Durt), Fourth Friday of every month, 10 p.m., $3-$5.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Howard Hewett, 8 & 10 p.m., $27-$31.
SATURDAY 26
ROCK
Bender’s: 806 S. Van Ness, San Francisco. Black Sabbitch, Grandma, 10 p.m., $5.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Haunted Hoedown IV, w/ Rin Tin Tiger, Vandella, Moxie Kids, 9:30 p.m., $12.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Sunbeam Rd., Timothy Robert Graham, 6 p.m., $5; Successors, Horrible Present, Burnt Palms, 9:30 p.m., $6.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. Deathtrap America, After Nations, Booker Long Duo, Brendan Hangauer, 9 p.m., $5.
Red Devil Lounge: 1695 Polk, San Francisco. Super Hella Halloween: A Rock & Roll Costume Party, w/ Stenner Glen, Smell the Glove, 9 p.m., $10.
The Riptide: 3639 Taraval, San Francisco. The Shitones, 9:30 p.m., free.
The Rite Spot Cafe: 2099 Folsom, San Francisco. Halloween Party with The Barneys, 8 p.m., free.
Thee Parkside: 1600 17th St., San Francisco. Cobra Skulls, Jabber, ToyGuitar, Point of View, 9 p.m., $10.
DANCE
Audio Discotech: 316 11th St., San Francisco. Tanner Ross, Robert James, Keith Kraft, 9:30 p.m.
BeatBox: 314 11th St., San Francisco. Bears in the Dark: Halloween Underwear Edition, w/ DJ Steve Sherwood, 10 p.m., $5-$10.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Dark Room 2.0: Third Annual Dark Drag Cadaveret, Lady Bear hosts shadowy drag performances by Peaches Christ, Phatima Rude, Johnny Rockitt, Drewnicorn, Per Sia, Jem Jehova, Rita Dambook, and Beatrix Carr, plus music by DJs Tori and Le Perv, 9:30 p.m., $15.
Cafe Flore: 2298 Market, San Francisco. “Bistrotheque,” w/ DJ Ken Vulsion, 8 p.m., free.
Cat Club: 1190 Folsom, San Francisco. Villainy: The Dance Club with a Dark Side – Horror Night, w/ DJs Tomas Diablo, Tripp, Sage, and Mz. Samantha, 9:30 p.m., $5-$8.
The Cellar: 685 Sutter, San Francisco. Wicked Halloween, w/ Brian V, The Les, DJ Oasis, 10 p.m., $15-$30.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. Halloween Booootie S.F., w/ A+D, Smash-Up Derby, DJ Dada, DJ Entyme, Meikee Magnetic, Joe Pickett, Ben Holder, DJ Decay, Joe Radio, Melting Girl, more, 9 p.m., $15-$30.
S.F. Eagle: 398 12th St., San Francisco. “Sadistic Saturdays,” Fourth Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., free.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. The Devil Made Me Do It, w/ DJs “Bloody” Brown Amy & Jackie “Sheer Terror” Sugarlumps, 10 p.m., $10 ($5 in costume).
The EndUp: 401 Sixth St., San Francisco. Shangri-La, Asian queer dance party., Fourth Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $15-$20 (free before 11 p.m.).
The Grand Nightclub: 520 4th St., San Francisco. Heaven & Hell: Halloween 2013, w/ DJs Arno Cost & John de Sohn, 9:30 p.m., $25-$50 advance.
Harlot: 46 Minna, San Francisco. Dead Sexy: Harlot Halloween, w/ DJs Posso, Bones, Troy Kurtz, Ryan Lucero, and Jakey, 10 p.m., $20-$50 advance.
Infusion Lounge: 124 Ellis, San Francisco. Stairway to Hell: Halloween ‘13, w/ DJ Ikon, 10 p.m., $15 advance.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. The Smithfits Friends Club Halloween Monster Costume Party, w/ DJs Jamie Jams & Josh Yule, 10 p.m., $5.
Lexington Club: 3464 19th St., San Francisco. Wicked Gay Halloween, w/ DJs Jenna Riot & Pony Mane, 9 p.m., free.
Mezzanine: 444 Jessie, San Francisco. Remedy: Haunted Ruins Halloween Party, w/ Mark Farina, Miguel Migs, Fred Everything, Julius Papp, 9 p.m., $20.
Mighty: 119 Utah, San Francisco. Night of the Living Bass, w/ Stanton Warriors, Syd Gris, Melyss, Kimba, Hil Huerta, Influence, J:Miah, Vitamindevo, more, 9 p.m., $20-$25 advance.
Monarch: 101 6th St., San Francisco. Wolves Night Out, w/ Huxley, Shiny Objects, DJ M3, Nikola Baytala, Elz, Jaime James, Ryan Poulsen, 9:30 p.m., $10 advance.
Pier 40: Second St., San Francisco. Titanic Masquerade: S.F. Halloween Party Cruise, w/ DJ Zhaldee, 9 p.m., $85-$875.
Pier 70: 22nd St., San Francisco. Ghost Ship: The Abyss, w/ Space Cowboys & friends, 9 p.m., $25-$50.
Project One: 251 Rhode Island, San Francisco. No Trick, w/ DJs Charlotte the Baroness, Tee Cardaci, Mike Bee, Just, and guests, 8:30 p.m., $10.
Public Works: 161 Erie, San Francisco. Freakers Ball 2013: Become One with the Infinite, w/ Bonobo (DJ set), Pumpkin, Russ Liquid, Mihkal, Quade, Black 22s, Worthy, Shawna, Jenö, Little John, Dax Lee, Hypnotech, Dao & Pwny, Digital Honey, Buckner, Malarkey, more, 9 p.m., $15-$30+ advance.
Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel: 55 Cyril Magnin, San Francisco. Monster Manic, w/ Miles Medina, Enfo, J-Trip, E-20, Robot De Niro, Sk0step, Input Output, more, 9 p.m., $29-$105 advance.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Club 1994 Halloween Bash, w/ DJs Vin Sol & Jeffrey Paradise, 10 p.m., $10-$20.
Ruby Skye: 420 Mason, San Francisco. Freak Circus: Day 3, w/ Paul Oakenfold, Kissy Sell Out, 9 p.m., $40-$70 advance.
Slide: 430 Mason, San Francisco. Gatsby: Halloween at Slide, w/ The Rock-It! Scientists, 9 p.m.
Sloane: 1525 Mission, San Francisco. The Sloane Asylum, w/ DJs Cobra & Prestige, 10 p.m.
Supperclub San Francisco: 657 Harrison, San Francisco. Dark Forrest & Evil Fairies: Halloween 2013, w/ Tall Sasha, Mikey Tan, Rokrida, Alchemind, Darmor, Jason Kwan, Ks Thant, French Kiss, 10 p.m., $25+ advance.
Temple: 540 Howard, San Francisco. Nightmare on Howard Street: Part 2, w/ Suns of Temple, Niteppl, DJ IQ, Liam Shy, more, 10 p.m., $20.
Vessel: 85 Campton, San Francisco. Pleasurekraft, Kid Alien, 10 p.m., $10-$30.
W San Francisco: 181 Third St., San Francisco. Haunted Hotel, w/ The Disco Fries, Twin Spin, Feldy, 9 p.m., $25-$100.
HIP-HOP
John Colins: 138 Minna, San Francisco. “Nice,” w/ DJ Apollo, Fourth Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $5.
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. Haunted House Party, w/ DJs Spooky Bank, Bloody Knuckles, and Mummy Yeah, 9 p.m., $5.
Manor West: 750 Harrison, San Francisco. Rockstar S.F.: Halloween Edition, w/ DJs Klever & Thrawn, 10 p.m., $25-$45 advance.
Monroe: 473 Broadway, San Francisco. Erotic Exotic Halloween, w/ DJs K.C. & Gravity, 9 p.m., $20+ advance.
Slate Bar: 2925 16th St., San Francisco. A So Fresh Halloween, w/ DJs Audio1 & Tactics, 9:30 p.m., $10-$25.
Space 550: 550 Barneveld, San Francisco. Funhouse, w/ DJs Marcus Lee, JE, IllEfect, Beatknoxx, Alie Layus, Miles Medina, and Jazzy Jim, 9 p.m., $50-$100 advance.
ACOUSTIC
Atlas Cafe: 3049 20th St., San Francisco. Craig Ventresco & Meredith Axelrod, Saturdays, 4-6 p.m., free.
Exit Theatre: 156 Eddy, San Francisco. “Songwriter Saturdays,” hosted by Melissa Lyn, Last Saturday of every month, 8:30 p.m., free/donation.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. Marty O’Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra, Hana Kim, Frankie Boots & The County Line, 9 p.m., $10.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Canyon Johnson, 9 p.m.
JAZZ
Cafe Claude: 7 Claude, San Francisco. Lori Carsillo, 7:30 p.m., free.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko: 222 Mason St., San Francisco. Tony DeSare, 7 p.m., $40-$50.
Jazz Bistro At Les Joulins: 44 Ellis, San Francisco. Bill “Doc” Webster & Jazz Nostalgia, 7:30 p.m., free.
The Royal Cuckoo: 3202 Mission, San Francisco. Jules Broussard, Danny Armstrong, and Chris Siebert, 7:30 p.m., free.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Savanna Jazz Trio, 7:30 p.m., $8.
Sheba Piano Lounge: 1419 Fillmore, San Francisco. The Robert Stewart Experience, 9 p.m.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Lake Street Dive, Miss Tess & The Talkbacks, 9 p.m., $15.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Anne O’Brien, Last Saturday of every month, 8 p.m., free.
INTERNATIONAL
1015 Folsom: 1015 Folsom St., San Francisco. Pura Halloween, 10 p.m., $20.
Bissap Baobab: 3372 19th St., San Francisco. “Paris-Dakar African Mix Coupe Decale,” 10 p.m., $5.
Cafe Cocomo: 650 Indiana, San Francisco. Sixth Annual Salsoween Extravaganza, w/ Mazacote, Orquesta Evolución, more, 8 p.m., $15 advance.
Cigar Bar & Grill: 850 Montgomery, San Francisco. Orquesta Borinquen, 8 p.m.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. “Mango,” Fourth Saturday of every month, 3 p.m., $8-$10.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. El Conjunto Nueva Ola, María del Pilar, 10 p.m., $10.
The Fairmont Hotel: 950 Mason, San Francisco. Halloween International Ball, w/ Julio Bravo y Su Orquesta Salsabor, plus DJs Trevor Simpson, Aykut, Kblo, Santero, TaTi, Dr. T, and Nitro, 9 p.m., $25-$75 advance.
Jerry Garcia Amphitheater: 45 Shelly, San Francisco. Bill Ortiz, La Mixta Criolla, 2 p.m., free.
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. Ballet Flamenco, 6:15 p.m., $19-$39.95; Peña Eddy Navia & Pachamama Band, 8 p.m., free.
The Ramp: 855 Terry Francois, San Francisco. La Fuerza Gigante, 5:30 p.m.
Red Poppy Art House: 2698 Folsom, San Francisco. Mochi Parra & Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15.
Roccapulco Supper Club: 3140 Mission, San Francisco. Super Halloween, w/ Fulanito, DJs, costume contest, more, 9 p.m., $25+ advance.
REGGAE
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Native Elements, Last Saturday of every month, 10 p.m., $10-$15.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Earl Thomas & The Blues Ambassadors, Last Saturday of every month, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $24.
Lou’s Fish Shack: 300 Jefferson St., San Francisco. Eldon Brown, 8:30 p.m.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Dave Workman, Fourth Saturday of every month, 4 p.m.; Ron Hacker, Last Saturday of every month, 9:30 p.m.
FUNK
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. Vinyl, The Humidors, DJ K-Os, 9:30 p.m., $12-$15.
Brick & Mortar Music Hall: 1710 Mission, San Francisco. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Swoop Unit, 9 p.m., $20-$25.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. The Motet, Joy & Madness, 9 p.m., $20.
SOUL
Edinburgh Castle: 950 Geary, San Francisco. “Nightbeat,” w/ DJs Primo, Lucky, and Dr. Scott, Fourth Saturday of every month, 9 p.m., $3.
San Francisco Belle: 3 Pier, San Francisco. 98.1 KISS FM Screamin’ Halloween Cruise, 7:30 p.m., $45.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Howard Hewett, 8 & 10 p.m., $27-$31.
SUNDAY 27
ROCK
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. The Ocean Blue, The Orange Peels, DJ Rubberband Girl, 9 p.m., $12-$15.
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. Periphery, Born of Osiris, Dead Letter Circus, Twelve Foot Ninja, 6:30 p.m., $18-$20.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. Victory & Associates, Nervous Curtains, Helen Money, 8:30 p.m., $6.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. The Deadfly Ensemble, La Fin Absolute du Monde, Disanova, 8 p.m., $7.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. Aotearoa, Memory Motel, Hibbity Dibbity, 9 p.m., $7.
DANCE
440 Castro: 440 Castro, San Francisco. “Sunday Furry Sunday,” Last Sunday of every month, 4-10 p.m., $1.
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 Sep, Ludichris, Maneesh the Twister, 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.; “Elements of House,” w/ Lisa Rose, Joseph Lee, Keith Kraft, 8 p.m.
F8: 1192 Folsom St., San Francisco. “Stamina Sundays,” w/ DJs Lukeino, Jamal, and guests, 10 p.m., free.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Federico Aubele, Lisa Alma, 8 p.m., $17-$20.
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.
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.
San Francisco Belle: 3 Pier, San Francisco. Sunset Halloween Costume Boat Party, w/ Tiefschwarz, Kim Ann Foxman, Galen, Solar, J-Bird, 5-11 p.m.
The Stud: 399 Ninth St., San Francisco. “Cognitive Dissonance,” Fourth Sunday of every month, 6 p.m.
HIP-HOP
Boom Boom Room: 1601 Fillmore, San Francisco. “Return of the Cypher,” 9:30 p.m., free.
SOMA StrEat Food Park: 428 11th St., San Francisco. “The Beat Down: Summer Beats & Eats,” w/ resident DJ Mr. E, Last Sunday of every month, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. continues through, free.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Camp Lo, 9:30 p.m., $34-$39.
ACOUSTIC
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.
Neck of the Woods: 406 Clement St., San Francisco. “iPlay,” open mic with featured weekly artists, 6:30 p.m., free.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Seisiún with John Sherry & Kyle Thayer, 9 p.m.
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.
JAZZ
Chez Hanny: 1300 Silver, San Francisco. Jon Mayer Trio with Vince Lateano & Robb Fisher, 4 p.m., $20 suggested donation.
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.
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.
Savanna Jazz Club: 2937 Mission, San Francisco. Macy Blackman, 7 p.m.
Zingari: 501 Post, San Francisco. Barbara Ochoa, 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.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. “Salsa Sundays,” Second and Fourth Sunday of every month, 3 p.m., $8-$10.
Pachamama Restaurant: 1630 Powell, San Francisco. Riffat Sultana with Richard Michos, 8:30 p.m.
Pier 23 Cafe: Pier 23, San Francisco. Danilo y Universal, 6 p.m., free.
The Ramp: 855 Terry Francois, San Francisco. Grupo da Sete, 5:30 p.m.
Thirsty Bear Brewing Company: 661 Howard, San Francisco. “The Flamenco Room,” 7:30 & 8:30 p.m.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Sussan Deyhim, 7 p.m., $36-$40.
REGGAE
Il Pirata: 2007 16th St., San Francisco. “Ragga Ragga,” w/ DJs Vinny Ras, Kure All, & Theory, Last Sunday of every month, 7 p.m., free.
BLUES
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
Lou’s Fish Shack: 300 Jefferson St., San Francisco. Nat Bolden, 4 p.m.
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.; The Door Slammers, 9:30 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.
EXPERIMENTAL
The Lab: 2948 16th St., San Francisco. “Godwaffle Noise Pancakes,” w/ Negativwobblyland, Xo Xinh, Future Death Toll, Black Spirituals, Mother, v’Maa, noon, $5-$10.
FUNK
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Soul Bingo Halloween Masquerade Ball, w/ Katdelic, DJ I-Cue, Phil Harvey, 8 p.m., $10-$15.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. The Love Gangsters, 9 p.m.
SOUL
Delirium Cocktails: 3139 16th St., San Francisco. “Heart & Soul,” w/ DJ Lovely Lesage, 10 p.m., free.
MONDAY 28
ROCK
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. Dinner with the Kids, The Fourth & King, Build Them to Break, 7 p.m., $5.
DANCE
DNA Lounge: 375 11th St., San Francisco. “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
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Earl Sweatshirt, Vince Staples, 9 p.m., $21.
ACOUSTIC
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. The Pick Bluegrass Jam, Fourth Monday of every month, 6 p.m., free; The Earl Brothers, Fourth Monday of every month, 9 p.m., free.
Cafe Royale: 800 Post, San Francisco. Django Mack, 9 p.m.
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.
Osteria: 3277 Sacramento, San Francisco. “Acoustic Bistro,” 7 p.m., free.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Peter Lindman, 4 p.m.
JAZZ
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.
Tupelo: 1337 Green St., San Francisco. Kit Ruscoe, 9 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.
INTERNATIONAL
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Hot Blood Orkestar, Dusty Brough, 9 p.m., $8-$12.
Yoshi’s San Francisco: 1330 Fillmore, San Francisco. Los Pericos, 8 p.m., $30-$40.
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.
SOUL
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “M.O.M. (Motown on Mondays),” w/ DJ Gordo Cabeza & Timoteo Gigante, 8 p.m., free.
TUESDAY 29
ROCK
Amnesia: 853 Valencia, San Francisco. Major Powers & The Lo-Fi Symphony, Joshua Cook / The Key of Now, Linda Robertson, 9 p.m., $8-$10.
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Halloween Boogie with Cumstain, Pookie & The Poodlez, Sex Snobs, 9 p.m., $8.
Elbo Room: 647 Valencia, San Francisco. Dimesland, Murder Murder, 9 p.m., $6.
Hemlock Tavern: 1131 Polk, San Francisco. The World War I’s, Gravys Drop, Mr. Elevator & The Brain Hotel, Tik Tok, 8 p.m., $7.
Hotel Utah: 500 Fourth St., San Francisco. The Dandy Lions, Sunhaze, The English Language, 8 p.m., $8.
The Knockout: 3223 Mission, San Francisco. The Trawggz, Gigi & The JBRS, Hampton Wicks, DJ Lightnin’ Jeff G, 9:30 p.m., $7.
Rickshaw Stop: 155 Fell, San Francisco. Kirin J Callinan, Seatraffic, All Your Sisters, Pro Fan DJs, 8 p.m., $12.
Slim’s: 333 11th St., San Francisco. Falling in Reverse, 7:30 p.m., $32.
DANCE
Aunt Charlie’s Lounge: 133 Turk, San Francisco. “High Fantasy,” w/ DJ Viv, Myles Cooper, & guests, 10 p.m., $2.
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.
ACOUSTIC
Bazaar Cafe: 5927 California, San Francisco. Songwriter-in-Residence: Olivia Clayton, 7 p.m. continues through.
Cafe Du Nord: 2170 Market, San Francisco. Therese Aune, Most Thieves, 8 p.m., $8.
The Independent: 628 Divisadero, San Francisco. Foy Vance, Rams’ Pocket Radio, 8 p.m., $12-$14.
Plough & Stars: 116 Clement, San Francisco. Song session with Cormac Gannon, Last Tuesday of every month, 9 p.m.
The Rite Spot Cafe: 2099 Folsom, San Francisco. Toshio Hirano, 8:30 p.m., free.
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.
El Rio: 3158 Mission, San Francisco. The Emergency Ensemble, 8 p.m., free.
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.
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; Patricia Barber, 8 p.m., $25.
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.
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
Biscuits and Blues: 401 Mason, San Francisco. Tia Carroll & Hard Work, 7 & 9 p.m., $15.
The Saloon: 1232 Grant, San Francisco. Charles Wheal, 9:30 p.m.
FUNK
Madrone Art Bar: 500 Divisadero, San Francisco. “Boogaloo Tuesday,” w/ Oscar Myers & Steppin’, 9:30 p.m., free.
SOUL
Make-Out Room: 3225 22nd St., San Francisco. “Lost & Found,” w/ DJs Primo, Lucky, and guests, 9:30 p.m., free. 2
Tenant groups propose sweeping package to ease the “eviction epidemic”
Tenant advocates today proposed a sweeping set of legislative proposals to address what they’re calling the “eviction epidemic” that has hit San Francisco, seeking to slow the rapid displacement of tenants by real estate speculators with changes to land use, building, rent control, and other city codes.
“In essence, it’s a comprehensive agenda to restrict the speculation on rental units,” Chinatown Community Development Center Policy Director Gen Fujioka told the Guardian. “We can’t directly regulate the Ellis Act [the state law allowing property owners to evict tenants and take their apartments off the rental market], but we’re asking the city to do everything but that.”
The package was announced this morning on the steps of City Hall by representatives of CCDC, San Francisco Tenants Union, Housing Rights Committee of SF, Causa Justa-Just Cause, Tenderloin Housing Clinic, UNITE HERE Local 2, Community Tenants Association, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
“San Francisco is falling into one of the deepest and most severe eviction crises in 40 years,” SFTU Director Ted Gullicksen said. “It is bad now and is going to get worse unless the city acts.”
The package includes: require those converting rental units into tenancies-in-common to get a conditional use permit and bring the building into compliance with current codes (to discourage speculation and flipping buildings); regulate TIC agreements to discourage Ellis Act abuse; increase required payments to evicted tenants and improve city assistance to those displaced by eviction; require more reporting on the status of units cleared with the Ellis Act by their owners; investigate and prosecute Ellis Act fraud (units are often secretly re-rented at market rates after supposedly being removed from the market); increase inspections of construction on buildings with tenants (to prevent landlords from pressuring them to move); prohibit the demolition, mergers, or conversions of rental units that have been cleared of tenants using no-fault evictions in the last 10 years (Sup. John Avalos has already introduced this legislation).
“The evidence is clear. We are facing not only an eviction crisis but also a crisis associated with the loss of affordable rental housing across the city. Speculative investments in housing has resulted in the loss of thousands affordable apartments through conversions and demolitions. And the trend points to the situation becoming much worse,” the coalition wrote in a public statement proposing the reforms.
Evictions have reached their high level since the height of the last dot-com boom in 1999-2000, with 1,934 evictions filed in San Francisco in fiscal year 2012-13, and the rate has picked up since then. The Sheriff’s Department sometimes does three evictions per day, last year carrying out 998 court-ordered evictions, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi told us, arguing for an expansion of city services to the displaced.
At “Housing for Whom?” a community forum the Guardian hosted last night in the LGBT Center, panelists and audience member talked about the urgent need to protect and expand affordable housing in the city. They say the current eviction epidemic is being compounded by buyouts, demolitions, and the failure of developers to build below-market-rate units.
“We’re bleeding affordable housing units now,” Fred Sherburn-Zimmer of Housing Right Committee said last night, noting the steadily declining percentage of housing in the city that is affordable to current city residents since rent control was approved by voters in 1979. “We took out more housing than we’ve built since then.”
Peter Cohen of the Council of Community Housing Organizations actually quantified the problem, citing studies showing that only 15 percent of San Franciscans can afford the rents and home prices of new housing units coming online. He said the housing isn’t being built for current city residents: “It’s a demand derived from a market calculation.”
Cohen said the city’s inclusionary housing laws that he helped write more than a decade ago were intended to encourage developers to actually build below-market-rate units in their projects, but almost all of them choose to pay the in-lieu fee instead, letting the city find ways to build the housing and thereby delaying construction by years.
“It was not about writing checks,” Cohen said. “It was about building affordable units.”
Last night’s discussion began with a debate about the waterfront luxury condo project proposed for 8 Washington Street, which either Props. B or C would allow the developer to build. Project opponent Jon Golinger squared off against proponent Tim Colen, who argued that the $11 million that the developer is contributing to the city’s afforable housing fund is an acceptable tradeoff.
But Sherburn-Zimmer said the developer should be held to a far higher standard given the obscence profits that he’ll be making from waterfront property that includes a city-owned seawall lot. “Public land needs to be used for the public good.”
Longtime progressive activist Ernestine Weiss sat in the front row during the forum, blasting Colen and his Prop. B as a deceptive land grab and arguing that San Francisco’s much ballyhooed rent control law was a loophole-ridden compromise that should be strengthened to prevent rents from jumping to market rate when a master tenant moves out, and to limit rent increases that exceed wage increases (rent can now rise 1.9 percent annually on rent controlled apartment.
“That’s baloney that it’s rent control!” she told the crowd.
A toast
culture@sfbg.com
CHOW NOW
One of San Francisco’s finest watering holes has her lights back on, her white-jacketed bartenders are shaking drinks again … and she’s now sporting a shiny kitchen serving Italian food until 1am. Tosca Café (242 Columbus, SF. www.toscacafesf.com) has new owners (Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield, of New York restaurant fame, like the Spotted Pig and The Breslin), and they did a bang-up job updating the space, while keeping the changes as minimal as possible, so stealth. As you admire the improved acoustics — opera arias and Johnny Cash still flow from the jukebox — you’ll notice your Negroni has a bit more going for it as well. It’s also clocking in at $12, but you can pay for it with a credit card, bet you didn’t see that coming.
As for the famed house “cappuccino,” you’ll taste finer spirits in it, as well as ganache from local Dandelion Chocolate. Since there is now a dining room in the back area, you can order off a rustic Italian menu of dishes like chicken liver spiedini, a couple of salads, plenty of pasta options, and roasted chicken, or trout, for two. Ceri Smith and Randall Grahm (yup, the one and only of Bonny Doon) have plenty of classic Italian wines to keep you feeling warm this fall.
A few more lights that are on: State Bird Provisions (1529 Fillmore, SF. www.statebirdsf.com) has reopened after a petite expansion and remodel. The news: you can come by for Sunday dinner, and there are two tables for large groups. Sorry, scoring a reservation remains as tough as ever, though. Keep the faith.
Over on Broadway, Taps Social House and Kitchen (1516 Broadway, SF. www.taps1516.com) is now open, and it’s a big’un, with 170 seats, 28 beers on draft, and chef Michael Lamina’s gastropubby menu (which took a trip to France) includes a range of hearty items, from suckling pig to poutine and macaroni and cheese, plus there’s a raw bar. Oh yeah, and cocktails. Cheers.
You like baked goods? I’m not talking about how you start your morning. Wait, actually, I am. Now open in Bernal Heights is Little Bee Baking (521 Cortland, SF.) baking up croissants, fruit tarts, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and pouring Four Barrel coffee. Meanwhile, over in SoMa, Savage Flour (1246 Folsom, SF. www.savageflour.com) is in the Crème Brûlée Cart space during the day, serving all kinds of goodies: sticky buns, biscuits, scones, cookies, and more.
BALLIN’ ON A BUDGET
Anyone who loves fluffy baked bao should head on over to Pan Grill Sandwich Shop (Pier 33, SF. www.facebook.com/pangrillsandwichshop), a lunchtime pop-up by chef-owner Rob Lam of Butterfly. Pan is the Japanese word for “bread,” and that’s what the kitchen’s perfected here. Swing by the takeout window on the south side of the restaurant from Wed.–Sun. (11am–3pm) for sandwiches made on a tasty milk bun — think pork katsu, tsukune chicken meatball — plus donburi bowls and salads. And nothing costs more than nine dollars.
Were you a fan of the awesome chef Guddu when he was at Lahore Karahi in the Tenderloin? Well, he has now opened up his own place in the Outer Sunset, Guddu de Karahi (1501 Noriega, SF. www.guddudekarahi.com), where you can score his fantastic tandoori fish, naan, paneer dishes, and more. Welcome back, Guddu!
YOU GOTTA EAT THIS
Last week, while I was getting my hair did by Mister Anthony at Ginger Rubio in the Mission, I was lucky to nosh on some lunch items from the nearby and newly opened Green Heart Foods (3321 20th St., SF. www.greenheartfoods.com). This new health-conscious café totally rocks. The owner, Lisa Chatham, is cooking up some mighty tasty food. From the roasted tomato soup packed with basil to the kale salad in a tahini dressing with zaatar-roasted butternut squash, currants, red onion, and feta — oh hell yes — it’s all delish. You can also come by for breakfast (granola, mango muffins, smoothies, and more) or pick up something for dinner too. It’s the kind of food you wish you ate every day, so dang good for you, and damn good. Please open a location in the Western Addition, pllllllease!
Marcia Gagliardi is the founder of the weekly tablehopper e-column, www.tablehopper.com. Get her app: Tablehopper’s Top Late-Night Eats. On Twitter: @tablehopper.
Kids in America
emilysavage@sfbg.com
TOFU AND WHISKEY “Us Kids,” the first single off French Cassettes‘ debut full-length Gold Youth (self-released), is a sunny, upbeat slice of San Francisco life. It’s unadulterated indie pop exuberance, the shiny glee of mischievous youth in a extraordinary city under a thick layer of fog.
That sheen might be due to the simple fact that the single — along with all songs on Gold Youth — includes backing tracks of actual kids (read: early 20-somethings) clapping, singing, shouting, rabble-rousing beneath the music.
The basic quartet makeup of French Cassettes is brothers Scott and Thomas Huerta on guitar-vox and bass, respectively; keyboardist-guitarist Mackenzie Bunch; and as of six months ago, drummer James Gallagher. But Gold Youth was a far broader group effort, with early roots spawned in the Central Valley.
The brothers Huerta and Bunch both grew up in sleepy Ripon, Calif., which wouldn’t seem the breeding ground for melodic indie pop compared to the likes of the Strokes and the Generationals. But when French Cassettes began in high school, they gained an early local following in a surprisingly lively Modesto music scene. Eventually, the whole group moved northwest to San Francisco. And as musicians from small towns are wont to do, many of their friends eventually joined them here as well.
It was while living mostly under the same roof — or across the street in a neighboring home — in a house joking dubbed “the Cat House” (thanks to a chunky tabby named Sprout) in the Sunset that French Cassettes spent a year writing and recording Gold Youth. (The record was also recorded partially at Tiny Telephone.)
And during that time, the musicians of French Cassettes would hole up for days perfecting songs, then invite friends over at night under false pretenses.
“We had a lot of musical friends that moved from the Central Valley. They would come and we’d trick them and be like ‘hey, come over and let’s party and drink beer,'” explains Scott, sitting in the back patio of Bottom of the Hill before a French Cassettes headlining show. “We’d get them drunk and be like, ‘you know what we should do?’ and then make our friends sing on the album. We would do it in the middle of us hanging out, so we had to put noise gates on some of the tracks because you can hear people just belligerently talking in the background.”
The record is full of these handclaps and multipart harmonies along with the punchy bass lines and tight rhythms. It’s summer year-round inside Gold Youth, and there’s no shame in the merriment.
It’s clear there’s an intimacy between the members of the band, hanging out on this back patio, giggling nervously and peppering our conversation with inside jokes and exclamations (“excited” is the word most frequently used).
“This is our first band. It’s really comfortable,” Scott says. “It always discourages me when I hear people have been in like, four bands. It just sounds sad to me, I don’t know why.” He laughs.
Scott and Thomas had an early advantage with that closeness — the brothers began playing together at ages 12 and 14, gifted a guitar and a set of drums by their guitar-playing, blues-loving dad. Their mom plays piano and their dad raised them on a diet of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, the Doors.
“I asked [our dad] why he started playing [guitar] one time and he said he wanted a hobby that he could do while watching TV,” Thomas says. Everyone laughs.
“He’s really good at that,” Scott adds. “He made a new score to Seinfeld episodes. He’d put the TV on mute and play along.”
Rather than rescore sitcoms, the brothers started playing where many aspiring rockers do: with Nirvana covers. Later, when they began French Cassettes in 2006, Scott says they tried going the experimental rock’n’roll path, “being as loud and crazy as we could” before “realizing we wanted to do something more approachable” and breaking into pop tunes.
Those pop songs first turned SF heads after the release of their first official EP, 2011’s Summer Darling. Around then the band starred in a Perez Brothers-directed video for the song “Radley,” off Summer Darling, which hit local blogs thanks to too-cute scenes of them hanging out and drinking beers on the beach with a mermaid. They followed that up a year later by participating in the first annual 48-hour Music Video Race, starring in a ’60s mod-referencing video for “Mouth Drum” by filmmaker Dalan. They also toured to SXSW, playing 12 shows in one week, and hit MusicFestNW in Portland. Last week, French Cassettes played Noise Pop’s California Academy of Sciences’ Treasure Island Nightlife event before Thao & the Get Down Stay Down.
But in August of this year, French Cassettes played their biggest headling show yet, a CD release party for Gold Youth at the Great American Music Hall. It was a big moment for them, and you can tell they’re proud, especially drummer Gallagher.
He joined the band earlier this year but has long been a fan. The trained jazz drummer had been to French Cassettes shows and fell hard for their sound; he jokingly says he pestered himself into the group when the original drummer left. At the time, Gallagher had a roommate who was also a drummer — Rob Mills from Black Cobra Vipers, another local group he’s into. In fact, the whole French Cassettes crew is enamored of Black Cobra Vipers.
“Black Cobra Vipers is my favorite band,” says Bunch. “We played a show with them probably three years ago and ever since then we’ve been like, in love with each other. We’ve had like, a band relationship.”
Starting next week, French Cassettes and Black Cobra Vipers will share the Amnesia monthly residency for the entirety of November. Every Tuesday, they’ll play tracks off Gold Youth, a few new songs, and there’ll “probably be a few tricks up their sleeves,” for they are young, and they are free (but the shows cost $7).
Tuesdays beginning Nov. 5. Amnesia, 853 Valencia, SF. www.amnesiathebar.com.
OH LAND
Danish musician Nanna Øland Fabricius (otherwise known as Oh Land) is a Renaissance woman. She’s a producer, a singer-songwriter, a former student of the Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet schools (before an injury nudged her toward music-making). And this is perhaps why “Renaissance Girls,” the first single from her newest full-length Wish Bone (Federal Prism/Tusk Or Tooth) works so well. Like much of Oh Land’s output, it’s musically all over the place, with beats and piano, quick-dropped lyrical phrases and twee girlish high notes. And the video both harkens back to her early dancerly ways and provides a hard/soft dichotomy with interpretative choreography performed by Fabricius herself in Hello Kitty-pink overalls set to the backdrop of a dusty, cement-filled construction site and urban alleyways. With Sun Rai.
Wed/23, 8pm, $15. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. www.theindependentsf.com
DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Speaking of alleyways…Firstly, there are a few new things you should know about long-running “goofballs of the East Bay punk scene” Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits. The ’95-born act has two new books out through Microcosm Publishing, a comic listen-along book (Meal Deal with the Devil) and a complete discography songbook (The Bobby Joe Ebola Songbook). Both are oddball hilarity at its finest. The Bobby Joe Ebola Songbook contains song lyrics and guitar chords — play along at home! — witty how-to band/life advice, tour anecdotes, and “other bizarre detritus.” Secondly, the band is playing the annual Clarion Alley Block Party this weekend and that should be wall-to-muraled-wall fun. Support DIY punk and an important SF artist-community institution with a full day of live music. With Apogee Sound Club, CCR Headcleaner, Quite Polite, Devotionals, and more.
Sat/26, 11am-10pm, free. Clarion Alley at Mission Street, SF. Facebook: Clarion Alley Block Party.
Fame and blame
cheryl@sfbg.com
LIT Every student of salacious San Francisco history knows the tale of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Over Labor Day weekend in 1921, the silent-film comedian hosted a rager at Union Square’s Hotel St. Francis (now known as the Westin St. Francis), the largest hotel on the West Coast at the time. Starlet Virginia Rappe fell ill at the party, and when she died days later as a result of internal injuries, Arbuckle went on trial (three times) for the crime.
The resulting media frenzy was the first of its kind, a show-biz scandal in the earliest days of movie stars. The public greeted it with both disgust and relentless curiosity. The industry reacted first by shunning Arbuckle — to this day, he’s rarely championed on the level of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin — and then ushering in nearly four decades of the Motion Picture Production Code, “moral” guidelines by which studios self-censored film content.
Delving into l’affaire de Arbuckle is Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal that Changed Hollywood (430 pp., Chicago Review Press, $29.95), Greg Merritt’s page-turner that explores not just the trial, but the often-misunderstood lives of both Arbuckle and Rappe. I called him up to further discuss the book, a must-read for film-history buffs.
SF Bay Guardian Why were you drawn to this story?
Greg Merritt To me, it had always been the ultimate Hollywood scandal. And there just wasn’t a good book that really dealt fairly with the two principals, Arbuckle and Rappe.
SFBG How did Arbuckle’s fame impact his trial?
GM People were just getting to know these movie stars. They saw them in their little towns, up on the big screen. And suddenly, this character that people thought of as a friend — they changed their opinion of him basically overnight. There were headlines calling him a beast. That is paramount to this whole story, that he was one of the first people to experience what it was like to be a movie superstar, and then he was accused of rape and murder.
SFBG What bearing did the Arbuckle case have on the film industry?
GM It stopped his career in 1921, which is huge; we never got to see what he could have done, especially since [at that time] comedy features were a phenomenon that hadn’t really developed yet. And it changed the public’s whole relationship with movie stars. Suddenly, people wanted to know what these stars were really like, not just the PR from the studios. Not just the bad, but what they were really, truly like.
And then probably the most important way that it affected the industry was the wave of movie self-censorship [that followed in its wake]. [The case] received so much condemnation that Hollywood had to censor itself to avoid actual censorship.
SFBG What role did Prohibition play?
GM It was all part of the changing society. This was the beginning of the Jazz Age, a time when women were coming out to nightclubs — before that, public drinking had been kind of a guys’ thing. When this erupted in 1921, a lot of the [outrage] was about how Fatty was at a party with these women who weren’t his wife, and effectively breaking the Prohibition laws, although the laws were complicated about where or when you could drink. It was the Victorian Age versus the Jazz Age — it was kind of the first culture war.
SFBG Was it hard finding information on Virginia Rappe? Why has she been so misunderstood?
GM Surprisingly, it wasn’t hard to find out information about her. She was putting herself out there in the papers, doing interviews when she was a model and a costume designer, and I was able to find out so much about her story.
As for why she was treated so poorly, I think both sides just used her during the case. The press built her up as this innocent, and then the defense did the opposite. Decades afterwards, no one stood up for her, and she was called a slut or a prostitute or whatever. The case was eventually, essentially, blamed on her.
SFBG Why do you think history has distorted so many of the facts of this case?
GM I think the rumors were probably so spectacular that they eventually sort of replaced the facts. Now, when I talk to people, most haven’t heard of Fatty Arbuckle. Or if they have, they only know that he supposedly raped someone with a bottle. That story just took off, and now it seems to be the only thing people know about this case. It’s incredible, because he was the second-biggest movie star at the time after Charlie Chaplin. People ask me, “Can you imagine a scandal being this big today?” It’s really hard to imagine someone so hugely popular being accused of murder today. O.J. Simpson wasn’t Fatty Arbuckle, you know. It just doesn’t compare. *
Spinning a precise web
arts@sfbg.com
DANCE Israeli-born choreographer Idan Sharabi pays meticulous attention to detail, but serendipity still has a place in his creative process. His Spider on a Mirror receives its world premiere as part of Zhukov Dance Theatre’s sixth season at the SFJAZZ Center this weekend. The work will be paired with Enlight, the latest piece by company artistic director Yuri Zhukov.
Take the way Sharabi chooses his music. For the last couple of years, romantic music — think Chopin — has “often been in the back of my mind when starting a new work,” he explains in a post-rehearsal conversation at the Zhukov studio space on Folsom Street. That’s how late 19th-century Russian maverick Alexander Scriabin popped up for Spider. But then Sharabi went clubbing and happened to encounter Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” The pop hit had good beat, melodies, and it was fun. “Besides,” he says, “it was all over the place.” So that’s how a Russian wild man met MTV.
Serendipity of a less entertaining kind also kicked in when Sharabi came to work with Zhukov’s dancers. On his first trip to San Francisco, he stayed in Pacific Heights. On his return, living south of Market Street, he got a much grittier vision of the streets of SF. Sharabi drew on this eye-opening experience for Spider. “I am not talking about the difference between rich and poor, but about not having a roof over your head, where people’s skins acquire the gray color of the streets,” he explains.
Trained at Juilliard, where he won the Zaraspe Prize for Best Juilliard Choreographer of 2006, Sharabi has spent his working life in Europe as a freelance choreographer, and as a dancer and choreographer for Nederlands Dans Theater and Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company.
Working on refining Spider — he put the bones together during a four-week residency in June — Sharabi is solicitous of, and aware of, the dancers’ individuality. Yet the process is very detail-oriented. Flailing on the floor, Doug Baum at first looks like a bug fallen on its back. But then trembles and shakes seem to throw him into death throes, tearing his body apart. Sharabi encourages a differently angled knee and fingers that extend into a line. Nick Korkos works on a dropping-wrist gesture that, as the choreographer demonstrates, releases energy to travel up the arm and down the side of the body to pull the dancer to the ground. A limb-entangling duet for Christopher Bordenave and Jeremy Neches finally breaks apart — except, as Sharabi insists, they stay glued together through their big toes.
The exactitude with which Sharabi puts Spider together seems to infuse a sinewy strength into fractured choreography that can look convulsive — sometimes to the point where one becomes conscious of how tenuously these wildly shaking body parts are connected to the skeletal structure.
At the end of the afternoon, the dancers are thoroughly spent. Yet they clearly have what Sharabi always looks for: passion and curiosity. Those are the qualities, he says, that allow superbly trained dancers to go beyond their training and step into unknown territory.
In his own life, Sharabi has encountered and worked with three choreographers who have inspired him to pursue his own path with passion and curiosity. In Jirí Kylián, Czech-born founder of Nederlands Dans Theater, he saw what he calls a “tragic vision.”
“Kylián’s choreography is often quite dark, dealing with death,” he says. “And yet it’s always so elegant. He can take garbage or cans being squashed on the floor, and make them look elegant.” Smiling broadly, he adds, “I am actually a dark person myself,” something he attributes to having suffered a serious injury, and one that may have affected his own perspective on the dancing body. One of the distinguishing marks of his choreography is the extensive and imaginative use of the floor. He views it as more than just something to hit and bounce off; instead, it offers a way to embrace what contact with the earth can offer.
The work of Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of Batsheva Dance Company, remains an intriguing puzzle. With just a touch of embarrassment, Sharabi admits “I still don’t know whether I am supposed to try to understand his work or just go with the sensations.” But about the American-born but Europe-based William Forsythe, who has been rethinking ballet’s fundamental principle, Sharabi is clear: “It’s the math. I love his mind, the clarity of his complex and never compromising thinking.”
What about artists outside dance? Without hesitation Sharabi answers “Quentin Tarantino.” While he is comfortable with Tarantino’s sense of time and even his films’ violence, Sharabi reveres the details (always the details), the sheen, the completeness of the design, the wholeness of the vision, and the absolute control Tarantino exerts over his product. “It’s not the amount of blood that counts,” he says. “It’s the way the blood flows.” *
ZHUKOV DANCE THEATRE
Oct 29-30, 8pm, $25-$55
SFJazz Center
201 Franklin, SF
Boo!
Halloween listings below were compiled by Guardian staff. Submit items for the listings to listings@sfbg.com.
FRIDAY 25
Roller Disco Costume Party Women’s Building Auditorium, 3543 18th St, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. 8pm-midnight, $10. Costumes + roller skates (rentals available) + groovy tunes by Black Rock Roller Disco + a full bar, and SF IndieFest reaps the benefits? Winning!
Ruth Asawa Dia de los Muertos Altar Installation Ruth’s Table, 580 Capp, SF; www.ruthstable.org. 6:30-8:30pm, $7-15. Artist-in-residence Monica Lee hosts an altar-making workshop for both individual artists and those who’d like to contribute to the Ruth Asawa alter, to be displayed Nov. 2 at the Marigold Project’s Dia de los Muertos Festival of Altars in Garfield Park (more info: dayofthedeadsf.org/marigold-project.html).
Some Thing Spooky The Stud, 399 Ninth St, SF; www.thestudsf.com. 10pm-4am, $8. Everybody’s favorite artsy-weirdo Friday night drag party ladles a little fright into your pants with performances by a dozen gender clowns and a special so-corny-it’s-terrifying DJ set by Hoku Mama Swamp.
Trannyshack Halloween: A Party DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF; www.trannyshack.com. 9:30pm-2am, $20. Trannyshack’s wild and kooky drag queens (led by the most unholy Heklina) join the cinematic mistress of camp gore, Peaches Christ, for this night of terror and hilarity. Performances by Raya Light, Exhibit Q, Fou Fou Ha, Elijah Minelli, many more.
SATURDAY 26
“Boo at the Zoo” Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakl; www.oaklandzoo.org. 10am-3pm, $11.75-15.75. Through Sun/27. Halloween, science, and zoo animals create the theme for this annual event, highlighted by a costume parade (11am and 1pm), a Wildlife Theater presentation focusing on creepy-crawly animals, face painting, a craft station to make Halloween creations for zoo-dwellers, and more.
The Devil Made Me Do It El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF; www.devilmademe.com. 10pm-late, $5 with costume, $10 without. A devilishly sexy holiday’s in store when burlesque favorites Red Hots Burlesque with old-time soul DJs Brown Amy and Jackie Sugarlumps (and drag hostess Lil Miss Hot Mess) for a horn-sporting good time.
“Halloween International Ball” Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason, SF; halloweenpartysanfrancisco-full.eventbrite.com. 9pm, $65-75. Three separate dance floors and seven DJs spin a variety of music styles, plus a live salsa band and more.
Juanita More! Halloween Runway Massacre Jones, 620 Jones, SF; www.juanitamore.com. 9pm-2am, $25. Fierce drag mother of the nightlife scene Juanita More injects some glamour and fashion into the usual Halloween party proceedings. Get your looks together for a $3000 cash prize costume contest, a red carpet rollout, disco tunes from Robert Jeffrey and the Go Bang! DJs, a fabulous crowd, and special scary-lovely surprises.
“Monster Movie Salon presents Creature Comforts and Sublime Mysteries” Community Miracles Center, 2269 Market, SF; www.monstermoviesalon.com. 1-7pm, $75. Screenwriter and psychotherapist Doug Ronning leads this multi-dimensional workshop, featuring lectures illustrated by classic horror film clips, dynamic writing exercises, and more.
“Scary Halloween Storytelling” Bazaar Café, 5927 California, SF; www.bazaarcafe.com. 7pm, free. Peter Finch hosts this spooky night of tales; bring a 5-10 minute story, song, or performance piece to share.
“Spiral Dance Ritual” Kezar Pavilion, 755 Stanyan, SF; www.reclaimingspiraldance.org. 7:30pm, $29-150. Pagans and witches unite to welcome the new year at this 34th annual “ritual to honor our beloved dead and dance the spiral of rebirth.”
Michael Jackson “Thriller” Dance-Off and Costume Contest Studio One Art Center, 365 45th St, Oakl; www.thrilltheworldbayarea.com. 1-2:20pm (workshop to learn the dance, 11am), free but $5 donation requested (registration required). Prepare thyself for the funk of 40,000 years, because a “Thriller” flash mob is the best kind of flash mob, full stop.
SUNDAY 27
“Days of the Dead Community Celebration” Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak, Oakl; www.museumca.org. Noon-4pm, $6-15. This 19th annual event features craft activities, food, live dance and music, and a chance to view “The Tree of Life and Death: Dias de los Muertos 2013,” guest curated by muralist Eduardo Pineda and on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences.
“Let’s Talk: Satan, Serial Killers, and the Murder of a Child Star” Vortex Room, 1082 Howard, SF; Facebook: The Vortex Room. 9pm, $6.66. “Murderabilia expert,” artist, and cultural anthropologist Shane Bugbee holds forth on serial killers and other macabre subjects, including Satanism and the death of Dana Plato.
Spooktacular Halloween Party, Parade, and Trick or Treat in Japantown Japantown Peace Plaza, Post at Buchanan, SF; www.sfjapantown.org. Noon-4pm, free. Japantown beckons Halloween revelers with spooky crafts, haunted games, trick-or-treating at local businesses, a costume contest (2:30pm), and more.
TUESDAY 29
Dia de los Muertos in the Gourmet Ghetto Shattuck between Rose and Vine, Berk; www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com. 5-9pm, free. Foodies and friends are welcomed to this street fair, with a community altar, a wine and beer garden, free skeleton face painting, and more.
“Macabre Curios” ASI and CCSC Art Gallery, Cesar Chavez Student Center, SF State University, 1650 Holloway, SF; sfsustudentcenter.com/artgallery. Reception tonight, 5-8pm, free. Exhibit runs through Nov 8. Eleven SFSU artists, alum, and curio collectors participate in this All Hallows’ Eve-themed, found-object installation project. Opening night features live music, a scary-stories open mic, and creepy paper-doll projects; throughout the exhibit’s run, visit for daily horror-movie projections, “sacrifices” of candy, and “oddly-behaving” gallery staff.
WEDNESDAY 30
Eerie SF Public Works, 161 Erie, SF; www.publicsf.com. 7pm-1am, $5-15. Here’s a concept: a tour through a haunted graveyard of tech start-ups. Ghougle! YouTomb! Mummington post! OKLucifer! Mark Zombieberg! Artists, performers, dancers, porn actors, musicians and more come together with organizers Maxine Holloway and Val Killmore to bring to life all the horrors of the tech boom.
Housepitality Halloween F8, 1192 Folsom, SF. www.housepitalitysf.com. 9pm-2am, $10. One of the city’s best weekly dance parties (“Best Midweek Throwdown” 2013 Best of the Bay Winner) brings in Detroit-Windsor, Canada techno legend Daniel Bell for a deep, dark night of sounds that go boom in the night.
THURSDAY 31
Afrolicious Super Fly Halloween Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF; www.elbo.com. 9:30pm-2am, $10-15. Get retro-spooky with the Latin funk and super-groovy sounds of the Afrolicious party crew. Style out in ’70s-inspired costumes and get down: the live Afrolicious house band will be covering legendary Blaxploitation masterwork soundtrack Super Fly by Curtis Mayfield in its entirety. Far out!
All Hallows’ Eve DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF; www.dnalounge.com. 9pm, $13 advance. The annual party at the DNA Lounge is a showcase of its party talent, with DJs from club nights Bootie, Meat, Death Guild, New Wave City, Fringe, 120 Minutes, and more spinning goth and New Wave dance favorites and mashups. Plus an airborne performance by the high-flying Vau de Vire Society.
Back2Back Halloween Project One, 251 Rhode Island, SF; www.p1sf.com. 8pm-2am, $10. Beloved Wicked crew DJs Jeno and Garth celebrate nine years of their Back2Back party with some psychedelic house gems.
Black Mammoth Mighty. 119 Utah, SF; www.mighty119.com. 9pm-3am, $13-15. Buoyant Burning Man juggernaut Pink Mammoth gets dark for another one of its enormous blowouts, with DJs Galen, Kramer, Miguel Solari, Tyrel Williams, Gravity, and more.
“Creatures of the NightLife” California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse, Golden Gate Park, SF; www.calacademy.org. 6-10pm, $12. NightLife teams up with the Bay Area Science Festival for this spooky night hosted by Peaches Christ. Highlights include tips on how to survive a zombie attack, the latest on bioengineering (for any aspiring Dr. Frankensteins out there), monster make-up application, and more.
“Hacienda Halloween” Peralta House Museum of History and Community, 2465 34th Ave, Oakl; www.peraltahacienda.org. 5-7pm, free. Visit the Peralta Hacienda Historical House for a unique Halloween party, with stories of California’s early years, autumn vegetables, and maybe even an East Bay spirit or two.
Halloween at the Chapel The Chapel, 777 Valencia, SF; www.thechapelsf.com. 9pm-2am, $15. Bobb Saggeth, the female-fronted Black Sabbath tribute band, headlines this black mass with Haight Breeders (covering Misfits songs, natch).
Honey Soundsystem + No Way Back Halloween F8, 1192 Folsom, SF; www.eventbrite.com. 9pm-4am, $15. Two of SF’s sharpest DJ collectives combine forces to bring in the dark-edged house of NYC DJ Willie Burns and Split Secs. Should draw a great mixed crowd ready to dance.
House of Babes Halloween Holy Cow, 1535 Folsom, SF; www.thehouseofbabes.com. 9pm-2am, $10-$13. A young, fun shindig featuring a queer rainbow of hip-hop flavors from DJs Rapidfire, Pink Lightning, Dav-O, Boyfriend, and Jenna Riot, plus drag performances Amo A Nia, Rheal’Tea, and Vain Hein. Proceeds go to St. James Infirmary.
Lights Down Low Halloween Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF; www.mezzaninesf.com. 9pm-late, $30. Two amazing house headliners: The Magician, from France, who truly has a magic touch, and Germany’s Tensnake, genius of disco-tinged tunes. Should be bonkers stuff from the ever-reliable Lights Down Low party crew.
Minus Monster Mash Public Works, 161 Erie, SF; www.publicsf.com. 9pm-3am, $18. A spooky showcase of classic techno label M-nus, now based in Berlin, with gaiser and matador performing live and DJ Hobo warming up.
Monarch Monster Mash Monarch, 101 Sixth St, SF; www.monarchsf.com. 9pm-3am, $20. The Green Gorilla party DJs celebrate 18 years of Gorillaness with awesome house DJ Heidi from the UK.
The Monster Show The Edge, 4149 18th St, SF; qbarsf.com/EDGE. 9pm-2am, $5. Loveable drag queen Cookie Dough’s weekly drag show takes a killer turn, with blood-soaked performances by Mutha Chicka, Sugah Betes, Sue Casa, and more. Music by MC2. Will Cookie do her infamous Carrie number?
Nerd-O-Ween Churchill, 198 Church, SF; www.eventbrite.com. 8pm-2am, $20. It’s a nerd party, duh! Dress up as your favorite Poindexter and join the Motown on Mondays and San Franpsycho crews for some soulful hits and coke-bottle glasses.
SFJazz Halloween SFJazz, 201 Franklin, SF; www.sfjazz.org. 7:30pm, $35-55. Join jazz wiz Maceo Parker and his band for an upbeat concert, followed by a dance party with DJ Dancy Pants and a costume contest presented by drag dears Lil Miss Hot Mess and VivvyAnne ForeverMore.
Total Trash Halloween Bash Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph, Oakl; www.totaltrashfest.com. 9pm, $5-10. NoBunny as Bo Diddley! Shannon and the Clams as The Saicos! Monster Women as the Go-Gos! Yogurt Brain as Weezer! The fantastic annual four-day garage-rock Total Trash Fest kicks off this year with a great concept: rockers as other rockers.
Tubesteak Connection Halloween Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, 133 Turk, SF; www.auntcharlieslounge.com. 10pm-2am, $7. DJ Bus Station John’s great gay weekly party pays tribute to the bathhouse disco parties of the past. And the naughty spirits of those days will rise again on Halloween, with a $100 midnight costume contest hosted by the gorgeous Miss Donna Persona and a full dance floor of horribly cute boys.
FRIDAY 1
“Resurrect Sex Workers Fundraiser Day of the Dead Celebration” Fireside, 1453 Webster, Alameda; www.esplerp.org. 9pm, $15 single, $25 couple. All proceeds from this burlesque show benefit the Erotic Service Provider Legal, Educational and Research Project’s legal battles.
Halloween events
Halloween listings are compiled by Guardian staff. Submit items for the listings to listings@sfbg.com.
FRIDAY 25
Halloween Bash Professional Wrestling-Lucha Libre Fundraiser Buchser Middle School, 1111 Bellomy, Santa Clara; halloweenwrestlingbash.eventbrite.com. 7:30pm, $10-20. Support the Santa Clara Schools Foundation and enjoy some rockin’ wrestling with Wrestling for Charity’s array of characters, including “Vampire Warrior” Gangrel, Joey Ryan, Drake Younger, the Mexican Werewolf, and more. This is a family-friendly event and includes a Halloween costume contest.
Roller Disco Costume Party Women’s Building Auditorium, 3543 18th St, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. 8pm-midnight, $10. Costumes + roller skates (rentals available) + groovy tunes by Black Rock Roller Disco + a full bar, and SF IndieFest reaps the benefits? Winning!
Ruth Asawa Dia de los Muertos Altar Installation Ruth’s Table, 580 Capp, SF; www.ruthstable.org. 6:30-8:30pm, $7-15. Artist-in-residence Monica Lee hosts an altar-making workshop for both individual artists and those who’d like to contribute to the Ruth Asawa alter, to be displayed Nov. 2 at the Marigold Project’s Dia de los Muertos Festival of Altars in Garfield Park (more info: dayofthedeadsf.org/marigold-project.html).
Some Thing Spooky The Stud, 399 Ninth St, SF; www.thestudsf.com. 10pm-4am, $8. Everybody’s favorite artsy-weirdo Friday night drag party ladles a little fright into your pants with performances by a dozen gender clowns and a special so-corny-it’s-terrifying DJ set by Hoku Mama Swamp.
Trannyshack Halloween: A Party DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF; www.trannyshack.com. 9:30pm-2am, $20. Trannyshack’s wild and kooky drag queens (led by the most unholy Heklina) join the cinematic mistress of camp gore, Peaches Christ, for this night of terror and hilarity. Performances by Raya Light, Exhibit Q, Fou Fou Ha, Elijah Minelli, many more.
SATURDAY 26
“Boo at the Zoo” Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakl; www.oaklandzoo.org. 10am-3pm, $11.75-15.75. Through Sun/27. Halloween, science, and zoo animals create the theme for this annual event, highlighted by a costume parade (11am and 1pm), a Wildlife Theater presentation focusing on creepy-crawly animals, face painting, a craft station to make Halloween creations for zoo-dwellers, and more.
The Devil Made Me Do It El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF; www.devilmademe.com. 10pm-late, $5 with costume, $10 without. A devilishly sexy holiday’s in store when burlesque favorites Red Hots Burlesque with old-time soul DJs Brown Amy and Jackie Sugarlumps (and drag hostess Lil Miss Hot Mess) for a horn-sporting good time.
“Halloween International Ball” Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason, SF; halloweenpartysanfrancisco-full.eventbrite.com. 9pm, $65-75. Three separate dance floors and seven DJs spin a variety of music styles, plus a live salsa band and more.
Juanita More! Halloween Runway Massacre Jones, 620 Jones, SF; www.juanitamore.com. 9pm-2am, $25. Fierce drag mother of the nightlife scene Juanita More injects some glamour and fashion into the usual Halloween party proceedings. Get your looks together for a $3000 cash prize costume contest, a red carpet rollout, disco tunes from Robert Jeffrey and the Go Bang! DJs, a fabulous crowd, and special scary-lovely surprises.
“Monster Movie Salon presents Creature Comforts and Sublime Mysteries” Community Miracles Center, 2269 Market, SF; www.monstermoviesalon.com. 1-7pm, $75. Screenwriter and psychotherapist Doug Ronning leads this multi-dimensional workshop, featuring lectures illustrated by classic horror film clips, dynamic writing exercises, and more.
“Scary Halloween Storytelling” Bazaar Café, 5927 California, SF; www.bazaarcafe.com. 7pm, free. Peter Finch hosts this spooky night of tales; bring a 5-10 minute story, song, or performance piece to share.
“Spiral Dance Ritual” Kezar Pavilion, 755 Stanyan, SF; www.reclaimingspiraldance.org. 7:30pm, $29-150. Pagans and witches unite to welcome the new year at this 34th annual “ritual to honor our beloved dead and dance the spiral of rebirth.”
Michael Jackson “Thriller” Dance-Off and Costume Contest Studio One Art Center, 365 45th St, Oakl; www.thrilltheworldbayarea.com. 1-2:20pm (workshop to learn the dance, 11am), free but $5 donation requested (registration required). Prepare thyself for the funk of 40,000 years, because a “Thriller” flash mob is the best kind of flash mob, full stop.
SUNDAY 27
“Days of the Dead Community Celebration” Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak, Oakl; www.museumca.org. Noon-4pm, $6-15. This 19th annual event features craft activities, food, live dance and music, and a chance to view “The Tree of Life and Death: Dias de los Muertos 2013,” guest curated by muralist Eduardo Pineda and on view in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences.
“Let’s Talk: Satan, Serial Killers, and the Murder of a Child Star” Vortex Room, 1082 Howard, SF; Facebook: The Vortex Room. 9pm, $6.66. “Murderabilia expert,” artist, and cultural anthropologist Shane Bugbee holds forth on serial killers and other macabre subjects, including Satanism and the death of Dana Plato.
Spooktacular Halloween Party, Parade, and Trick or Treat in Japantown Japantown Peace Plaza, Post at Buchanan, SF; www.sfjapantown.org. Noon-4pm, free. Japantown beckons Halloween revelers with spooky crafts, haunted games, trick-or-treating at local businesses, a costume contest (2:30pm), and more.
TUESDAY 29
Dia de los Muertos in the Gourmet Ghetto Shattuck between Rose and Vine, Berk; www.anotherbullwinkelshow.com. 5-9pm, free. Foodies and friends are welcomed to this street fair, with a community altar, a wine and beer garden, free skeleton face painting, and more.
“Macabre Curios” ASI and CCSC Art Gallery, Cesar Chavez Student Center, SF State University, 1650 Holloway, SF; sfsustudentcenter.com/artgallery. Reception tonight, 5-8pm, free. Exhibit runs through Nov 8. Eleven SFSU artists, alum, and curio collectors participate in this All Hallows’ Eve-themed, found-object installation project. Opening night features live music, a scary-stories open mic, and creepy paper-doll projects; throughout the exhibit’s run, visit for daily horror-movie projections, “sacrifices” of candy, and “oddly-behaving” gallery staff.
WEDNESDAY 30
Eerie SF Public Works, 161 Erie, SF; www.publicsf.com. 7pm-1am, $5-15. Here’s a concept: a tour through a haunted graveyard of tech start-ups. Ghougle! YouTomb! Mummington post! OKLucifer! Mark Zombieberg! Artists, performers, dancers, porn actors, musicians and more come together with organizers Maxine Holloway and Val Killmore to bring to life all the horrors of the tech boom.
Housepitality Halloween F8, 1192 Folsom, SF. www.housepitalitysf.com. 9pm-2am, $10. One of the city’s best weekly dance parties (“Best Midweek Throwdown” 2013 Best of the Bay Winner) brings in Detroit-Windsor, Canada techno legend Daniel Bell for a deep, dark night of sounds that go boom in the night.
THURSDAY 31
Afrolicious Super Fly Halloween Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF; www.elbo.com. 9:30pm-2am, $10-15. Get retro-spooky with the Latin funk and super-groovy sounds of the Afrolicious party crew. Style out in ’70s-inspired costumes and get down: the live Afrolicious house band will be covering legendary Blaxploitation masterwork soundtrack Super Fly by Curtis Mayfield in its entirety. Far out!
All Hallows’ Eve DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, SF; www.dnalounge.com. 9pm, $13 advance. The annual party at the DNA Lounge is a showcase of its party talent, with DJs from club nights Bootie, Meat, Death Guild, New Wave City, Fringe, and more spinning goth and New Wave dance favorites and mashups.
Back2Back Halloween Project One, 251 Rhode Island, SF; www.p1sf.com. 8pm-2am, $10. Beloved Wicked crew DJs Jeno and Garth celebrate nine years of their Back2Back party with some psychedelic house gems.
Black Mammoth Mighty. 119 Utah, SF; www.mighty119.com. 9pm-3am, $13-15. Buoyant Burning Man juggernaut Pink Mammoth gets dark for another one of its enormous blowouts, with DJs Galen, Kramer, Miguel Solari, Tyrel Williams, Gravity, and more.
“Creatures of the NightLife” California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse, Golden Gate Park, SF; www.calacademy.org. 6-10pm, $12. NightLife teams up with the Bay Area Science Festival for this spooky night hosted by Peaches Christ. Highlights include tips on how to survive a zombie attack, the latest on bioengineering (for any aspiring Dr. Frankensteins out there), monster make-up application, and more.
“Hacienda Halloween” Peralta House Museum of History and Community, 2465 34th Ave, Oakl; www.peraltahacienda.org. 5-7pm, free. Visit the Peralta Hacienda Historical House for a unique Halloween party, with stories of California’s early years, autumn vegetables, and maybe even an East Bay spirit or two.
Halloween at the Chapel The Chapel, 777 Valencia, SF; www.thechapelsf.com. 9pm-2am, $15. Bobb Saggeth, the female-fronted Black Sabbath tribute band, headlines this black mass with Haight Breeders (covering Misfits songs, natch).
Honey Soundsystem + No Way Back Halloween F8, 1192 Folsom, SF; www.eventbrite.com. 9pm-4am, $15. Two of SF’s sharpest DJ collectives combine forces to bring in the dark-edged house of NYC DJ Willie Burns and Split Secs. Should draw a great mixed crowd ready to dance.
House of Babes Halloween Holy Cow, 1535 Folsom, SF; www.thehouseofbabes.com. 9pm-2am, $10-$13. A young, fun shindig featuring a queer rainbow of hip-hop flavors from DJs Rapidfire, Pink Lightning, Dav-O, Boyfriend, and Jenna Riot, plus drag performances Amo A Nia, Rheal’Tea, and Vain Hein. Proceeds go to St. James Infirmary.
Lights Down Low Halloween Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF; www.mezzaninesf.com. 9pm-late, $30. Two amazing house headliners: The Magician, from France, who truly has a magic touch, and Germany’s Tensnake, genius of disco-tinged tunes. Should be bonkers stuff from the ever-reliable Lights Down Low party crew.
Minus Monster Mash Public Works, 161 Erie, SF; www.publicsf.com. 9pm-3am, $18. A spooky showcase of classic techno label M-nus, now based in Berlin, with gaiser and matador performing live and DJ Hobo warming up.
Monarch Monster Mash Monarch, 101 Sixth St, SF; www.monarchsf.com. 9pm-3am, $20. The Green Gorilla party DJs celebrate 18 years of Gorillaness with awesome house DJ Heidi from the UK.
The Monster Show The Edge, 4149 18th St, SF; qbarsf.com/EDGE. 9pm-2am, $5. Loveable drag queen Cookie Dough’s weekly drag show takes a killer turn, with blood-soaked performances by Mutha Chicka, Sugah Betes, Sue Casa, and more. Music by MC2. Will Cookie do her infamous Carrie number?
Nerd-O-Ween Churchill, 198 Church, SF; www.eventbrite.com. 8pm-2am, $20. It’s a nerd party, duh! Dress up as your favorite Poindexter and join the Motown on Mondays and San Franpsycho crews for some soulful hits and coke-bottle glasses.
SFJazz Halloween SFJazz, 201 Franklin, SF; www.sfjazz.org. 7:30pm, $35-55. Join jazz wiz Maceo Parker and his band for an upbeat concert, followed by a dance party with DJ Dancy Pants and a costume contest presented by drag dears Lil Miss Hot Mess and VivvyAnne ForeverMore.
Total Trash Halloween Bash Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph, Oakl; www.totaltrashfest.com. 9pm, $5-10. NoBunny as Bo Diddley! Shannon and the Clams as The Saicos! Monster Women as the Go-Gos! Yogurt Brain as Weezer! The fantastic annual four-day garage-rock Total Trash Fest kicks off this year with a great concept: rockers as other rockers.
Tubesteak Connection Halloween Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, 133 Turk, SF; www.auntcharlieslounge.com. 10pm-2am, $7. DJ Bus Station John’s great gay weekly party pays tribute to the bathhouse disco parties of the past. And the naughty spirits of those days will rise again on Halloween, with a $100 midnight costume contest hosted by the gorgeous Miss Donna Persona and a full dance floor of horribly cute boys.
FRIDAY 1
“Resurrect Sex Workers Fundraiser Day of the Dead Celebration” Fireside, 1453 Webster, Alameda; www.esplerp.org. 9pm, $15 single, $25 couple. All proceeds from this burlesque show benefit the Erotic Service Provider Legal, Educational and Research Project’s legal battles.
*
Film Listings and Reviews
Film listings are edited by Cheryl Eddy. Reviewers are Kimberly Chun, Dennis Harvey, Lynn Rapoport, Sam Stander, and Sara Maria Vizcarrondo. For rep house showtimes, see Rep Clock. For complete film listings, see www.sfbg.com.
OPENING
All Is Lost As other reviewers have pointed out, All is Lost‘s nearly dialogue-free script (OK, there is one really, really well-placed “Fuuuuuck!”) is about as far from J.C. Chandor’s Oscar-nominated script for 2011’s Margin Call as possible. Props to the filmmaker, then, for crafting as much pulse-pounding magic out of austerity as he did with that multi-character gabfest. Here, Robert Redford plays “Our Man,” a solo sailor whose race to survive begins along with the film, as his boat collides with a hunk of Indian Ocean detritus. Before long, he’s completely adrift, yet determined to outwit the forces of nature that seem intent on bringing him down. The 77-year-old Redford turns in a surprisingly physical performance that’s sure to be remembered as a late-career highlight. (1:46) Albany, SF Center, Sundance Kabuki. (Eddy)
The Counselor Ridley Scott directs Cormac McCarthy’s script about a lawyer (Michael Fassbender) who gets involved in the drug underground. The supporting cast includes Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, and Brad Pitt. (1:57) Marina.
I Am a Ghost In local director H.P. Mendoza’s latest, a young woman named Emily (Anna Ishida) wanders the claustrophobic corridors of a sumptuously decorated Victorian house, repeating her actions in each room in a perfunctory loop: frying eggs, flipping through old photographs, dusting the furniture, stretching in bed. Besides herself, the place initially appears to be uninhabited, until the house begins to creak and groan restlessly around her, and a disembodied voice begins to address her by name. It doesn’t give too much away to reveal at this point that Emily is a ghost, and the voice purportedly that of a professional medium (Jeannie Barroga) who has been hired to assist her out of the house and “into the light.” Unraveling who Emily is and what is keeping her from ascending to the next level takes up most of the rest of the film, and the eerie tension that builds as Emily’s memories return, filling in the unpleasant blanks, explodes at the end with a brutal chaos only otherwise hinted at in earlier scenes. Ishida’s Emily is full of complexity and confusion, and much of the movie’s real “horror” stems from her own sense of powerlessness and realization that the world that she’s inhabiting doesn’t appear to be one rooted in reality, or at least in other people’s realities. Experimental musician and Fringe Festival performer Rick Burkhardt makes a terrifying cameo as the presumed source of Emily’s inability to move on — and speaking of experimental music, the movie’s score, penned by Mendoza, does a lot to create the sense of creeping unease that characterizes most of the film. (1:14) Castro. (Nicole Gluckstern)
Informant Local filmmaker Jamie Meltzer’s complex, compelling Informant makes its theatrical bow at the Roxie a year and a half after it premiered at the 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival (it’s been playing festivals nearly nonstop since). The doc explores the strange life of Brandon Darby, a lefty activist turned FBI informant turned Tea Party operator who helped send two 2008 Republican National Convention protestors to jail. He’s a polarizing guy, but the film, which is anchored by an extensive interview with Darby, invites the audience to draw their own conclusions. (Side note: if you conclude that you want to yell at the screen and give Darby a piece of your mind, chances are you won’t be alone.) (1:21) Roxie. (Eddy)
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Hidden-camera pranks with Jeff Tramaine, Johnny Knoxville, and other Jackass alums. (1:32) Presidio.
Space Battleship Yamato The year is 2199, five years after mysterious aliens began bombarding Earth with radiation. The scrappy humans who’ve managed to survive by living underground are rapidly dying out — so a crew assembles for a deep-space “journey of hope” to a planet where a “radiation elimination device” might be acquired. Based on a 1974 Japanese anime series (it aired in the US under the name Star Blazers), this live-action adventure contains plenty of CG-enhanced battles and a cast stuffed with stock characters: the gifted, brash young pilot who’s haunted by a dark past (Takuya Kimura, whose flowing locks betray his teen-idol origins); the tough chick who gradually softens (Meisa Kuroki); the grizzled, wise captain (Tsutomu Yamazaki of 2009’s Departures), etc. Fans of the original series may gobble this up, but the casual viewer might find there’s not much to distinguish the overlong Space Battleship Yamato — saddled with a score that vacillates between bombastic and sentimental — from space operas (particularly Battlestar Galactica) that’ve come before. (2:18) Four Star. (Eddy)
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story Other Cinema anticipates Halloween in vintage style with Jeffrey Schwarz’s 2007 documentary about the late, beloved Hollywood schlockmeister. After a mostly undistinguished early career in programmer mysteries, Westerns, and 3D features, William Castle found his métier in the late 1950s making horror thrillers with B budgets (and C scripts) but A-plus marketing gimmicks. Macabre (1958) offered life insurance policies to patrons who might die of fright; the next year’s The Tingler infamously gave patrons in select theater seats slight electric shocks; the same year’s House on Haunted Hill had ushers yank a plastic skeleton over the audience’s heads; Mr. Sardonicus (1961) gave ticket buyers a chance to vote on its title character’s fate. (It was so predictable that they’d vote for mortal punishment, an alternative “happy ending” never actually existed.) Straight-Jacket (1964) had Joan Crawford as a battle-ax axe murderess, a concept that could sell itself. Castle’s perpetual hopes to gain respect and make a “serious” picture were somewhat rewarded by Rosemary’s Baby, even if he wound up merely producing that 1968 smash. (He’d hoped to direct, but was smart enough to realize Roman Polanski was the more inspired choice.) This fond portrait includes input from various Castle collaborators, admirers and family members, as well as plenty of priceless clips. Guest host Christian Divine will offer additional retro horror goodies during this evening of cheap thrills. (1:22) Artists’ Television Access. (Harvey)
Torn An explosion at a mall throws two families into turmoil in this locally-shot drama from director Jeremiah Birnbaum and scenarist Michael Richter. Maryam (Mahnoor Baloch) and Ali (Faran Tahir) are Pakistani-émigré professionals, Lea (Dendrie Taylor) a working-class single mother. Their paths cross in the wake of tragedy as both their teenage sons are killed in a shopping center blast that at first appears to have been caused by a gas-main accident. But then authorities begin to suspect a bombing, and worse, the principals’ dead offspring — one as a possible Islamic terrorist, another for perhaps plotting retaliation against school bullies. As the parents suffer stressful media scrutiny in addition to grief and doubt, they begin to take their frustrations out on each other. An earnest small-scale treatment of some large, timely issues, the well-acted Torn holds interest as far as it goes. But it proves less than fully satisfying, ending on a note that’s somewhat admirable, but also renders much of the preceding narrative one big red herring. (1:20) Opera Plaza, Shattuck. (Harvey)
The Trials of Muhammad Ali If you’ve seen an Ali doc before (or even the 2001 biopic), a lot of the material in The Trials of Muhammad Ali will feel familiar. But Bill Siegel’s lively investigation, which offers interviews with Louis Farrakhan and Ali’s former wife Khalilah, among others, does well to narrow its focus onto one specific — albeit complicated and controversial — aspect of Ali’s life: the boxing champ’s Nation of Islam conversion, name change, and refusal to fight in Vietnam. And as always, the young, firebrand Ali is so charismatic that even well-known footage makes for entertaining viewing. (1:26) Opera Plaza, Shattuck. (Eddy) *
The Selector: October 23-29, 2013
WEDNESDAY 23
Nederlands Dans Theater
With this program, Nederlands Dans Theater is sticking its neck out. For the last 33 years, the company’s bone-deep identity, its very soul and the refined contemporary perspective on ballet, was associated with one man, Jiry Kylian, the choreographer and artistic director who took his troupe around the world to highest acclaim. He recently turned the reins over to resident choreographers, the British-born Paul Lightfoot and Spain-native Sol Leon, who as artistic partners have co-choreographed for Nederlands for the last 20 years. Though Kylian’s rep will not be neglected, we’ll get an inkling of how the two of them will shape the company’s future. No Kylian on this visit, but two contrasting West Coast premieres: Lightfoot’s Sehnsucht (Longing), to Beethoven, and Leon’s Schmetterling (Butterfly) to a score by the Magnetic Fields. (Rita Felciano)
Also Thu/24, 8pm, $30–$92
Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, Berk.
(510) 642-9988
THURSDAY 24
CitiesAlive NightLife
Once, long ago, Earth was covered in green grass, shrubs, moss, and trees, with not a roof or window to be seen, and plenty of oxygen to get around. One day in the future, land could look the same from above, and it’ll happen sooner than later through the educational efforts of CitiesAlive, a green roof and wall conference, which will host this week’s Nightlife at the Cal Academy of Sciences. Thump and bump to DJ Sep, cocktail in hand, through the festivities, which include mastering tricks to grow your own living things — herbs, fungi, you name it — from your urban flat with Gudrun Ongania and Wanda Keller of VEG and the City, eating flowers with rooftop garden blogger Kristin McArdle, tasting Terry Oxfords of Urban Bee SF’s city-bee honey, and going on a virtual tour of the greatest green buildings to currently grace Earth. (Kaylen Baker)
6pm, $12
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse, SF
(415) 379-8000
Forest Fringe SF
There’s the Edinburgh Fringe and then there’s Forest Fringe. A mini-fest roaming the outskirts of the world’s largest arts festival, Forest Fringe started in 2007 as a platform for more experimental work and has become an itinerant force in its own right. This week it comes to the Bay Area, as part of an exhilarating ongoing artistic exchange between the UK and the Bay, initiated two years ago by the theater department of the University of Chichester in collaboration with local artists and organizations. CounterPULSE hosts this week’s varied four-night program of UK-based artists, including returning duo Action Hero, as well as Andy Field, Brian Lobel, Lucy Ellinson, and Sam Halmarack and the Miserablites. There’s also an evening devoted to work by both UK and local artists — a set of hothouse collaborations devised entirely within the preceding week. (Robert Avila)
Through Sun/27, 8pm, $10–$30
CounterPULSE
1310 Mission, SF
FRIDAY 25
Abstract Alchemist of Flesh
GRAHHR! Opening night of the Berkeley Video and Film Festival premieres Abstract Alchemist of Flesh (55 min), the Colin Still-directed documentary on the Bay Area’s literary lion, Michael McClure, with the poet himself on hand. Featuring new and archival footage of such friends and fellow travelers as Allen Ginsberg, Dennis Hopper, Ray Manzarek, and Terry Riley, Abstract Alchemist provides an extended glimpse into the poetry and collaborative methods of a countercultural figure from the days when they built ’em to last. Also on the bill is The Party in Taylor Mead’s Kitchen, a short documentary on everyone’s favorite (and recently deceased) Warholian dadaist; the William Burroughs-based experiment One Night at the Aristo; and a second premiere, Moment of the Making, focusing on the sculpture of McClure’s partner, the artist Amy Evans-McClure. (Garrett Caples)
7:15pm, $8–$12
East Bay Media Center
1939 Addison, Berk.
(510) 843-3699
Kisses
Boy-girl duo Kisses is some kind of weird fun. Its poppy sound incorporating analog keyboards, simple percussion, and pleasant harmonies is easy listening at its finest. But the pair isn’t afraid to employ negative space in its tracks, and often places simple beats next to minimal lyrics, creating a sound that falls somewhere between pop and a ’70s tribute group. The dream pop enthusiasts released their second full-length album Kids in LA this past September and have been touring the US with the Blow since the beginning of October. Singer Jesse Kivel embodies a somber nostalgic romantic behind the mic, and keyboard-soundboards Zizi Edmundson, tinkering nonchalantly and occasionally oozing vocally into the mic, makes apathy cool again. (Hillary Smith)
With the Blow and the Ian Fays
9:30pm, $16
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St, SF
(415) 626-4455
SuicideGirls: Blackheart Burlesque Tour
After six tour-less years, the SuicideGirls are back with their Blackheart Burlesque Tour, presented by Inked Magazine. Redefining ideas of female beauty through sexy and silly performance, seven talented SuicideGirls take the country by storm on a tour full of gorgeous stripteases and nods to popular culture, including favorites such as Star Trek, The Avengers, Game of Thrones, The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, Planet of the Apes, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Choreographer to the stars Manwe Sauls-Addison has assembled only the best for this raunchy and riotous show. (Kirstie Haruta)
9pm, $25
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000
Deer Tick
In 2013 Deer Tick is proving that the only constant is change. The Providence alt-country outfit has always been reliable and consistent in its consistent touring, heavy drinking, and all-around debauchery. But that was before frontperson and primary songwriter John McCauley dealt with an imploded engagement, a father gone to prison, and the realization that maybe it was time to start drinking responsibly. Deer Tick has scaled back its usual 200+ shows per year schedule, and its penchant for escapism, focusing instead on showmanship and honest, personal songwriting. Negativity, its newest studio album, is almost entirely autobiographical. But don’t worry, it’s still Deer Tick — the shows will still be a riotous, sweaty mix of originals and covers, and despite the band’s clean-up act, audience drunkenness and hooliganism is still highly encouraged. (Haley Zaremba)
With Robert Ellis
9pm, $21
Slim’s
333 11th St, SF
(415) 255-0333
SATURDAY 26
Por-Trai-Ture
Lindsey Renee Derry likes to go it alone. You can’t blame her. One could almost pity anyone having to share the stage with her, even though she worked with Jon Navas/Compagnie Fracas in Montreal for five years. At Kunst-Stoff, earlier this year, she proved herself a mesmerizing soloist whose power, range and fearlessness is strongly ballet-based but whose approach to dance ranges beyond what her training would have implied. For Por-Trai-Ture, she is reaching to back to a piece that José Navas set on her but expanding it by working with excellent choreographers. No doubt Sidra Bell from New York, Alex Ketley from SF, and Iratxe Ansa from Spain will challenge her in unexpected ways as will video designer Erin Malley. (Felciano)
Also Sun/27, 8pm, $10-$15
Kunst-Stoff Arts
1 Grove, SF
portraiture.brownpapertickets.com
Haunted Hoedown IV
Local folk favorite Rin Tin Tiger hosts its fourth annual Haunted Hoedown at Bottom of the Hill tonight. Celebrate Halloween a few days early by donning your coolest costume and heading out for a night of music and spooky fun. Riding on the recent release of its new album, Splinter Remedies, headliner Rin Tin Tiger is joined by fellow San Francisco rockers Vandella and the Moxie Kids. And what would a Halloween show be without the chance to indulge your sweet tooth? While you’re picking up your CDs and T-shirts, trick-or-treat at the merch tables and enjoy some free candy! (Haruta)
8:30pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St, SF
(415) 626-4455
SUNDAY 27
Chef Boulud
Where does a celebrity chef, that god-like being in a starched and double-buttoned smock worshipped by a lucky few behind foaming duck terrine, go for a good time? When not looking after 10 award-winning restaurants, writing a seventh cookbook, or winning more Michelin stars and James Beard awards, Lyon-born Chef Daniel Boulud comes to San Francisco, assurément. As part of the JCCSF’s Food For Thought series, Boulud talks to Lucky Peach’s Chris Ying about his new cookbook, Daniel: My French Cuisine (Grand Central Life & Style, 2013), which will feature 75 Daniel-worthy recipes and 12 made-by-the-hearth French classics. Don’t miss the man who’s influenced American cuisine with his edible je-ne-sais-quoi for the past 20 years. (Baker)
7pm, $25
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco
3200 California, SF
(415) 292-1200
MONDAY 28
CocoRosie
Bianca and Sierra Casady — nicknamed Coco and Rosie by their mother — grew up under unusual circumstances, bouncing around from city to city with their nomadic mother, doing “vision quests” with their Iowa farmer father who had a fascination with Native American religion, and being encouraged to practice art and creativity rather than worry about finishing school. The sisters eventually became estranged, reuniting in Paris in 2003, where they formed their wonderfully weird and experimental indie pop duo. Always unexpected and startlingly beautiful, the sisters’ music is unlike anything you’ve heard, and the live performance, never skimping on spontaneity or costume changes, endeavors to match their twisted whimsy. (Zaremba)
8pm, $28
Regency Ballroom
1300 Van Ness, SF
theregencyballroom.com
TUESDAY 29
Noise Pop’s “Musical Pursuit” Trivia Night
Show off your musical know-all at Noise Pop’s monthly “Musical Pursuit” trivia night! With sonic trivia covering contemporary and vintage tunes, it could be anyone’s game. Prizes change monthly and could include anything from gift certificates, to concert tickets, to your bar tab. This month, the prize is a biggie: Everyone on the winning team will win a badge to next year’s Noise Pop fest. And the second place prize is tickets to the Flaming Lips on Halloween. So come prepared, your head crammed with musical knowledge. Enjoy drink specials, eats by SF Burger Brawl winner Wes Rowe, and music by Jamie Jams of Debaser. (Haruta)
6pm, free
1772 Market, SF
(415) 371-9705
Horror double features with HobGoblin
For those of us who prefer to stretch out anticipation of the best holiday of the year into a week-long (or month-long) affair, there’s no better way to ramp up to the Big H than checking out a horror-film double feature. Over two nights, the Balboa Theatre and November Fire Productions unspool a trio of silent horror classics with brand-new soundtracks performed live by HobGoblin, plus other aural enhancements, including spooky sound effects. Tonight, it’s OG vamp Nosferatu (1922) and the sleepwalking stalker of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); tomorrow, 1920’s don’t-play-with-black-magic tale The Golem screens with a tribute to Bob Wilkins, the late, great host of TV’s Creature Features. (Cheryl Eddy)
Through Oct. 30
7:30pm, $10
Balboa Theatre
2630 Balboa, SF
www.cinemasf.com/balboa
Rep Clock
Schedules are for Wed/23-Tue/29 except where noted. Director and year are given when available. Double and triple features marked with a •. All times pm unless otherwise specified.
ATA GALLERY 992 Valencia, SF; www.atasite.org. $6-10. The Beast in Heat (Russell, 2013), Thu, 8. “Frenkel Defects,” short 16mm films from the Process Reversal Collective and other artist-run film groups, Fri, 8. “Other Cinema:” Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (Schwarz, 2007), Sat, 8:30.
BALBOA THEATRE 3630 Balboa, SF; cinemasf.com/balboa. $10. “Popcorn Palace:” Gremlins (Dante, 1984), Sat, 10am. Matinee for kids. •Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922), and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene, 1920), Tue, 7:30. With new, original soundtracks performed live by HobGoblin.
CASTRO 429 Castro, SF; (415) 621-6120, www.castrotheatre.com. $8.50-12. •Alien (Scott, 1979), Wed, 7, and Dark Star (Carpenter, 1974), Wed, 9:10. Author Veronica Roth (Allegiant) in person, presented by Books Inc., Thu, 7. This, event, $30 (includes a copy of Roth’s book); advance tickets at booksincveronicaroth.brownpapertickets.com. “Trapped in the Closet Sing-Along,” Fri-Sat, 7 and 10. Annie (Huston, 1982), presented sing-along style, Sat, 2. “James of All Trades: An Evening with James Franco,” Sun, 6:30pm. Advance tickets ($30-95) at jamesfrancosf.eventbrite.com. •Interior. Leather Bar. (Mathews and Franco, 2012), Mon, 2:30, 7, and Cruising (Friedkin, 1980), Mon, 3:45, 8:45. I Am a Ghost (Mendoza, 2013), Tue, 1, 3, 5, 8. With filmmaker H.P. Mendoza and cast in person for a Q&A and a live musical performance by Carolyn Oliss at 8pm show. Advance tickets ($10) at brownpapertickets.com/event/484123.
CHRISTOPHER B. SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER 1118 Fourth St, San Rafael; (415) 454-1222, www.cafilm.org. $6.50-$10.75. Zaytoun (Riklis, 2012), call for dates and times. Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy (Couturie, 2013), Thu, 7. Filmmaker Bill Couturie in person. The Wicker Man (Hardy, 1973), Oct 25-31, call for times. Newly restored version. House of Wax 3D (De Toth, 1953), Fri-Mon, call for times. The Right Stuff (Kaufman, 1983), Sat, 7. Filmmaker Philip Kaufman in person; this event, $15. “The Return of Creature Features:” •Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong (Wyrsch, 2008), and Bob Wilkins Super Horror Show, Tue, 7. With horror hosts John Stanley and Lord Blood-Rah and filmmaker Tom Wyrsch in person.
CLAY 2261 Fillmore, SF; www.landmarktheatres.com. $10. “Midnight Movies:” The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Sharman, 1975), Sat, midnight. With the Bawdy Caste performing live.
EAST BAY MEDIA CENTER’S PERFORMANCE SPACE 1939 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyvideofilmfest.org. “Berkeley Video and Film Festival,” Fri-Sun and Nov 1-3. Works by over 90 filmmakers.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 9 Ross Valley Dr, San Rafael; www.mitfamericas.org. $5-10 donation suggested. Gold Fever (Haines, Haines, and Sherburne, 2013), Fri, 7.
MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE 57 Post, SF; milibrary.org/events. $10. “CinemaLit Film Series: Haunted Hollywood:” The Bride of Frankenstein (Whale, 1935), Fri, 6.
PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE 2575 Bancroft, Berk; (510) 642-5249, bampfa.berkeley.edu. $5.50-9.50. “Committed Cinema: John Gianvito and Paul Chan:” From Baghdad to Badlands (Chan, 2010-13), Wed, 7. “Moumen Smihi: Poet of Tangier:” 44, or Tales of Night (1981), Thu, 7; The Sorrows of a Young Tangerian (2012), Sun, 7:30. “Love is Colder Than Death: The Cinema of Rainer Werner Fassbinder:” The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971), Fri, 7; Fear of Fear (1975), Fri, 8:50; The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant (1972), Tue, 7. “Pier Paolo Pasolini:” The Decameron (1971), Sat, 6:15; The Canterbury Tales (1972), Sat, 8:30; The Arabian Nights (1974), Sun, 5.
ROXIE 3117 and 3125 16th St, SF; (415) 863-1087, www.roxie.com. $6.50-11. After Tiller (Shane and Wilson, 2013), Wed-Thu, 7, 9. Escape From Tomorrow (Moore, 2013), Wed, 7; Thu, 9. Zero Charisma (Matthews and Graham, 2013), Wed, 9. “SF Art and Film for Teenagers Fest,” Thu, 7. Informant (Meltzer, 2013), Oct 25-31, 6:45, 8:30 (also Sat-Sun, 2). “Slumber Party Nite,” Sat, 10:15. “Not a White Wash,” short films by Dan Reed and live music by John Morgan and John Thatcher Boomer III of the John Brothers Piano Co., Wed, 9 and 11.
TANNERY 708 Gilman, Berk; berkeleyundergroundfilms.blogspot.com. Donations accepted. “Berkeley Underground Film Society:” The Phantom of the Paradise (De Palma, 1974), Sun, 7:30.
VORTEX ROOM 1082 Howard, SF; Facebook: The Vortex Room. $10. “The Satanic Rites of the Vortex Room”: •Poor Devil (Scheerer, 1973), Thu, 9, and To Hell With the Devil (Postma, 1981), Thu, 11.
WILD EQUITY INSTITUTE 474 Valencia, Ste 295, SF; (415) 349-5787, www.wildequity.org. Free. “Movie Night at Wild Equity,” short films with filmmaker Kevin White in person. Thu, 6:30.
YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS 701 Mission, SF; www.ybca.org. $8-10. “Films by Fassbender:” Effi Briest (1974), Thu, 7:30; Love is Colder than Death (1969), Sun, 2. *
Stage Listings
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
The Barbary Coast Revue Stud Bar, 399 Ninth St, SF; eventbrite.com/org/4730361353. $10-40. Opens Wed/23, 9pm. Runs Wed, 9pm (no show Nov 27). Through Dec 18. Blake Wiers’ new “live history musical experience” features Mark Twain as a tour guide through San Francisco’s wild past.
BAY AREA
Don’t Dress For Dinner Center REPertory Company, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; www.centerrep.org. $33-52. Previews Fri/25-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 2:30pm. Opens Tue/29, 7:30pm. Runs Wed, 7:30pm; Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Nov 23, 2:30pm); Sun, 2:30pm. Through Nov 23. Center REP performs Marc Camoletti’s sequel to his classic farce Boeing-Boeing.
The Pianist of Willesden Lane Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $29-89. Previews Fri/25-Sat/26 and Tue/29, 8pm; Sun/27, 7pm. Opens Oct 30, 8pm. Runs Tue and Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Nov 7, Dec 5, and Sat, 2pm; no matinee Nov 9; no show Nov 28); Wed and Sun, 7pm (also Sun, 2pm). Through Dec 8. Mona Golabek stars in this solo performance inspired by her mother, a Jewish pianist whose dreams and life were threatened by the Nazi regime.
ONGOING
Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo SF Playhouse, 450 Post, SF; www.sfplayhouse.org. $30-100. Tue-Thu, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun/27, 2pm. Through Nov 16. In Rajiv Joseph’s Pulitzer-nominated Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo, the dead quickly outnumber the living, and soon the stage is littered with monologist ghosts lost in transition. In Joseph’s world, at least, death is but another phase of consciousness, a plane of existence where a man-eating tiger might experience a crisis of conscience, and a brash young soldier with a learning disability might suddenly find himself contemplating algebraic equations and speaking Arabic —knowledge that had eluded his comprehension in life. Will Marchetti’s portrayal of the titular tiger is on the static side, though his wry intelligence and philosophical awakening comes as a welcome contrast to the willfully obtuse world view of the American soldiers (Gabriel Marin and Craig Marker) guarding him. But it’s Musa (Kuros Charney), a translator for the Americans and a former gardener and topiary “artist,” who eventually emerges as the play’s most fully realized character and also the most tragic, becoming that which he dreads the most, a beast in a lawless land, egged on by the ghost of his former employer, the notoriously sadistic Uday Hussein (Pomme Koch). At times, director Bill English’s staging feels too understated and contained for a play that’s so muscular and expansive (an understatement not carried over into Steven Klems’ appropriately jarring sound design) focused less on its metaphysical implications than on its mundane surface, but however imperfect the production and daunting the script, it remains a fascinating response to an unwinnable war — the war against our own animal natures. (Gluckstern)
BooKKeepers: A True Fiction Southside Theatre, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, SF; www.generationtheatre.com. $20-35. Thu/24-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 3pm. GenerationTheatre presents Roland David Valayre’s Kafka-inspired fantasy.
BoomerAging: From LSD to OMG Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Tue/29, 8pm. Will Durst’s hit solo show looks at baby boomers grappling with life in the 21st century.
Carrie: The Musical Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St, SF; www.rayoflighttheatre.com. $25-36. Wed-Sat, 8pm (also Sat/26, 11:30pm; Nov 2, 2pm). Through Nov 2. Teen bullying is très topical at the moment, making Stephen King’s terrifying tale of a telekinetic girl pushed to the breaking point by her unsympathetic classmates ripe for revival. Although it flopped on Broadway in 1988, Carrie: The Musical has aged more gracefully than you might expect, thanks to the relative timeliness of its overarching theme and a judicious 2012 facelift of its script and score. In Ray of Light Theatre’s slam-dunk production, Carrie unfolds a bit like an after-school special on scapegoating, except with show tunes and, of course, the stratospheric consequences of the final, tragic revenge sequence. The songs themselves are mainly forgettable in terms of hooks and lyrics, but the vibrant young cast makes the most of them, with excellent harmonizing and powerful range. Amanda Folena’s tight choreography borrows the sinuous hip rolls and stomp of a Janet Jackson routine and just a touch of twerk, while Joe D’Emilio’s lighting and Erik Scanlon’s video design work in unholy symbiosis to create the supernaturally charged ambience of Carrie’s world. As Carrie, Cristina Ann Oeschger really shines, embodying the heartbreaking fragility of a lonely outcast whose optimism has not yet been entirely crushed, while Heather Orth as her frighteningly pious mother, Margaret White, reveals the vulnerability of her equally lonely character that many portrayals miss altogether. Standouts among the solid supporting cast include Jessica Coker as a compassionate gym teacher and Riley Krull as the ultimate mean girl. (Gluckstern)
The Disappearance of Mary Rosemary Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason, SF; secondwind.8m.com. $15-25. Thu/24-Sat/26, 8pm. Script-wise, Second Wind Production’s J.M. Barrie adaptation The Disappearance of Mary Rosemary might well be the unique ghost story of the season. But in contrast to their masterfully suspenseful The Woman in Black (staged in 2009), Disappearance fails to sustain that charged atmosphere of unease that defines the best terror tales. It begins promisingly enough in a purportedly haunted parlor being shown to a young soldier (Ryan Martin) by its taciturn caretaker (Juanita Wyles). After she leaves him alone in the room, lights flicker, his video camera spontaneously begins to play, and a mysterious light emerges from under a locked door, all evidence pointing to either a supernatural event, or to a PTSD-style mental breakdown. Cutting to the same parlor 29 years before, where domestic tranquility prevails, a lot of that initial tension gets lost, and even though the equally unexplainable events that ensue prove to be much bigger in actual scale, they don’t quite manage to scare so much as to puzzle. Of the performances, Gigi Benson’s matter-of-fact matriarch is by far the most nuanced, and her chemistry with her stage husband (Dave Sikula) is far more convincing than that of their daughter and son-in-law (Caroline Elizabeth Doyle and Brian Martin). Finally, a very unexpected twist turns this story of a young woman who never grows old into one who has grown perhaps too fast, uncomfortably invoking V.C. Andrews rather than J.M. Barrie, and not for the better. (Gluckstern)
Dirty Little Showtunes New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness, SF; www.nctcsf.org. $25-45. Wed-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Nov 10. New Conservatory Theatre Center presents the return of Tom Orr’s bawdy Broadway parody.
First Stage Werx, 446 Valencia, SF; www.firsttheplay.com. $25-35. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Nov 3. Altair Productions, the Aluminous Collective, and PlayGround present the world premiere of Evelyn Jean Pine’s play, which imagines a 20-year-old Bill Gates’ experiences at a 1976 personal computer conference.
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.
Forbidden Fruit Garage, 715 Bryant, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. $25. Fri/25-Sat/26 and Mon/28, 8pm. Back Alley Theater and Footloose present the West Coast premiere of Jeff Bedillion’s stylized love story that takes on social and religious conformity.
444 Days Z Below, 470 Florida, SF; www.goldenthread.org. $10-45. Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 3pm); Sun, 3pm. Through Nov 3. Golden Thread performs Torange Yeghiazarian’s drama about an Iranian revolutionary and an American diplomat who encounter each other 25 years after first meeting during the hostage crisis at the US Embassy in Tehran.
Geezer Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $25-50. Wed/23-Thu/24, 8pm; Sat/26, 5pm. Geoff Hoyle’s hit solo show, a comedic meditation on aging, returns to the Marsh.
Gruesome Playground Injuries Tides Theatre, 533 Sutter, SF; www.tidestheatre.org. $20-40. Wed-Sat, 8pm. Through Nov 9. Tides Theatre performs Rajiv Joseph’s drama about two people who first meet as eight-year-olds in the school nurse’s office.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Boxcar Theatre, 505 Natoma, SF; www.boxcartheatre.org. $27-43. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Open-ended. John Cameron Mitchell’s cult musical comes to life with director Nick A. Olivero’s ever-rotating cast.
Lovebirds Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-100. Thu-Fri, 8pm; Sat, 8:30pm. Through Nov 9. Workshop performances of Marga Gomez’s 10th solo show, about different characters seeking romance in the 1970s.
Randy Roberts Live! Alcove Theatre, 414 Mason, SF; www.randyroberts.net. $40. Thu-Sat, 9pm. Through Nov 2. The famed female impersonator performs. He will also perform a different show with jazz pianist Tammy L. Hall: Mon/28, 7pm, $20, Martuni’s, 4 Valencia, SF.
The Scion Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $15-100. Fri/25, 8pm; Sat/26, 8:30pm. Popular solo performer Brian Copeland (Not a Genuine Black Man, The Waiting Period) performs a workshop production of his latest, “a tale of privilege, murder, and sausage.” The show has its official world premiere Jan 9, 2014.
Sex and the City: LIVE! Rebel, 1760 Market, SF; trannyshack.com/sexandthecity. $25. Wed, 7 and 9pm. Open-ended. It seems a no-brainer. Not just the HBO series itself — that’s definitely missing some gray matter — but putting it onstage as a drag show. Mais naturellement! Why was Sex and the City not conceived of as a drag show in the first place? Making the sordid not exactly palatable but somehow, I don’t know, friendlier (and the canned a little cannier), Velvet Rage Productions mounts two verbatim episodes from the widely adored cable show, with Trannyshack’s Heklina in a smashing portrayal of SJP’s Carrie; D’Arcy Drollinger stealing much of the show as ever-randy Samantha (already more or less a gay man trapped in a woman’s body); Lady Bear as an endearingly out-to-lunch Miranda; and ever assured, quick-witted Trixxie Carr as pent-up Charlotte. There’s also a solid and enjoyable supporting cast courtesy of Cookie Dough, Jordan Wheeler, and Leigh Crow (as Mr. Big). That’s some heavyweight talent trodding the straining boards of bar Rebel’s tiny stage. The show’s still two-dimensional, even in 3D, but noticeably bigger than your 50″ plasma flat panel. (Avila)
Shakespeare Night at the Blackfriars (London Idol 1610) Phoenix Arts Association Annex Theatre, 414 Mason, SF; www.subshakes.com. $20-25. Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 7pm. Through Nov 17. Subterranean Shakespeare performs George Crowe’s comedy about a playwriting contest between Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton, Frances Beaumont, and the ghost of Christopher Marlowe.
“Shocktoberfest 14: Jack the Ripper” Hypnodrome, 575 10th St, SF; www.thrillpeddlers.com. $25-35. Thu-Sat and Oct 29-30, 8pm. Through Nov 23. It’s lucky 14 for the Thrillpeddlers’ annual Halloween-tide Shocktoberfest, and while there are few surprises in this year’s lineup, there’s plenty of reliable material to chew on. Opening with A Visit to Mrs. Birch and the Young Ladies of the Academy, a ribald Victorian-era “spanking drama,” the fare soon turns towards darker appetites with a joint Andre De Lorde-Pierre Chaine work, Jack the Ripper. Works by De Lorde — sometimes referred to as the “Prince of Fear” — have graced the Hypnodrome stage over the years, and this tense Victorian drama, though penned in the 30s, is suitably atmospheric. Although it becomes pretty evident early on who dunnit, it’s the why that lies at the heart of this grim drama, and in the course of that discovery, the play’s beleaguered lawmen reveal themselves to be no less ruthless than the titular Ripper (John Flaw) in pursuit of their quarry. Norman Macleod as Inspector Smithson particularly embodies this unwholesome dichotomy, and Bruna Palmeiro excels as his spirited yet doomed bait. Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s Salome, the Thrillpeddlers’ piece by the same name is perhaps the weak link in the program, despite being penned by the ever-clever Scrumbly Koldewyn, and danced with wanton abandon by Noah Haydon. Longtime Thrillpeddlers’ collaborator Rob Keefe ties together the evening’s disparate threads under one sprawling big top media circus of murder, sex, ghosts, and sensationalism with his somewhat tongue-in-cheek, San Francisco-centric The Wrong Ripper. (Gluckstern)
Sidewinders Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, SF; www.cuttingball.com. $10-50. Thu, 7:30pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm (also Sat, 2pm); Sun, 5pm. Through Nov 17. Cutting Ball opens its 15th season with the world premiere of Basil Kreimendahl’s absurdist romp through gender queerness.
The Taming Thick House, 1695 18th St, SF; www.crowdedfire.org. $10-35. Wed/23-Sat/26, 8pm. Crowded Fire Theater presents the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s modern farce.
The Voice: One Man’s Journey into Sex Addiction and Recovery EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy, SF; www.theexit.org. $15-25. Fri/25-Sat/26, 8pm. David Kleinberg performs his autobiographical solo show.
The Wizard of Oz Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market, SF; www.shnsf.com. $45-210. Wed/23-Sat/26, 7pm (also Sat/26, 1pm); Sun/27, 1 and 6:30pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new stage adaptation of the classic, complete with a Dorothy (Danielle Wade) chosen through a Canadian reality-show competition.
The World’s Funniest Bubble Show Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia, SF; www.themarsh.org. $8-11. Sun/27, 11am. Soapy, kid-friendly antics with Louis Pearl, aka “The Amazing Bubble Man.”
BAY AREA
Can You Dig It? Back Down East 14th — the 60s and Beyond Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston, Berk; www.themarsh.org. $15-50. Sat/26, 8:30pm; Sun/27, 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. Reed, who also directs the show, may start whittling it down as the run continues. But, as is, there are at least 20 unnecessary minutes diluting the overall impact of the piece, which is thin on plot already — much more a series of often very enjoyable vignettes and some painful but largely unexplored observations, wrapped up at the end in a sentimental moral that, while sincere, feels rushed and inadequate. (Avila)
I and You Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller, Mill Valley; www.marintheatre.org. $37-58. Tue, Thu-Sat, 8pm (also Thu/24, 1pm; Nov 2, 2pm); Wed, 7:30pm; Sun, 2 and 7pm. Through Nov 3. Lauren Gunderson’s world premiere explores how Walt Whitman’s words affect the lives of two teenagers.
Lettice and Lovage Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 East Hillsdale, Foster City; www.hillbarntheatre.org. $23-38. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Nov 3. Hillbarn Theatre, now in its 73rd season, performs Peter Shaffer’s raucous comedy.
Metamorphoses South Berkeley Community Church, 1802 Fairview, Berk; www.infernotheatre.org. $10-25. Thu and Sat-Sun, 8pm; Fri, 9pm (no show Nov 9). Through Nov 23. Additional performance Nov 9, 8pm, $5-20, Laney College, 900 Fallon, Oakl. Inferno Theatre performs a multimedia, contemporary adaptation of Ovid’s classic.
Red Virgin, Louise Michel and the Paris Commune of 1871 Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berk; www.centralworks.org. $15-28. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Nov 24. Central Works presents a new play (with live music) by Gary Graves about the Paris Commune uprising.
Rich and Famous Dragon Theatre, 2120 Broadway, Redwood City; www.dragonproductions.net. $15-35. Thu-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 2pm. Through Nov 3. Dragon Theatre performs John Guare’s surreal musical comedy.
strangers, babies Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby, Berk; www.shotgunplayers.org. $20-35. Wed-Thu, 7pm; Fri-Sat, 8pm; Sun, 5pm. Through Nov 17. Shotgun Players present Linda McLean’s drama about a woman confronting her past.
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison, Berk; www.berkeleyrep.org. $35-89. Wed/23, 7pm; Thu/24-Fri/25, 8pm. Berkeley Rep performs Christopher Durang’s comedy about a dysfunctional family in rural Pennsylvania.
Warrior Class 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 Nov 3. TheatreWorks performs Kenneth Lin’s incisive political drama.
PERFORMANCE/DANCE
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Fall Home Season 2013 Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Lam Research Theater, 700 Howard, SF; www.linesballet.org. Fri/25-Sat/26 and Nov 1-2, 8pm; Sun/27 and Nov 3, 5pm; Oct 30-31, 7:30pm. $30-65. Featuring the SF premiere of Writing Ground, a collaboration with writer Colum McCann, and a world-premiere new work set to Bach.
Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program fall showcase Z Space, 450 Florida, SF; www.zspace.org. Wed/23, 7:30pm. $20. The company’s artists-in-training perform original and diverse works by Maurya Kerr, Dexandro Montalvo, and other choreographers.
BATS Improv Bayfront Theater, B350 Fort Mason Center, SF; www.improv.org. $20. “Horror Super Scene,” Fri/25, 8pm; “Improvised Farce,” Sat/26, 8pm.
“Broadway Bingo” Feinstein’s at the Nikko, Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, SF; www.feinsteinssf.com. Wed, 7-9pm. Ongoing. Free. Countess Katya Smirnoff-Skyy and Joe Wicht host this Broadway-flavored night of games and performance.
Caroline Lugo and Carolé Acuña’s Ballet Flamenco Peña Pachamama, 1630 Powell, SF; www.carolinalugo.com. Sat/26, 6:15pm. $15-19. Flamenco performance by the mother-daughter dance company, featuring live musicians.
CounterPULSE 1310 Mission, SF; www.counterpulse.org. “Forest Fringe SF” with CounterPULSE and the University of Chichester, Thu/24-Sat/27, 8pm, $10-30; “Beware the Band of Lions (They’re Dandy Lions)” with Bandelion, Sun/27, Nov 3, 10, and 17, 3pm, free (reservations required as space is extremely limited; to request an invitation, email info@dandeliondancetheater.org).
“Crissy Broadcast” Crissy Field, SF; www.airfieldbroadcasts.org. Sat/26, 10am and 4pm; Sun/27, noon. Free. Composer Lisa Bielawa brings her “Airfield Broadcasts” series to Crissy Field. It’s a “massive, spatialized symphony involving more than 800 professional, student, and amateur musicians,” all performing live together.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason, SF; www.feinsteinssf.com. “Lightning Strikes” with Joey Arias and Kristian Hoffman, Thu/24, 8pm. $25-35 (plus $20 food and beverage minimum). “My Generation: The Contemporary American Songbook” with Tony Desare, Fri/25, 8pm; Sat/26, 7pm, $40-50.
“The Hula Show 2013” Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon, SF; www.cityboxoffice.com. Fri/25-Sat/26, 8pm; Sun/27, 3pm (children’s matinee Sun/27, noon). $15-90. Patrick Makuakane and his Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu dance troupe perform 20 world premieres, a blend of traditional hula and hula performed to modern music.
“The Kepler Story” Morrison Planetarium, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr, SF; www.calacademy.org. Sun/27, 6:30pm. $15. Cal Academy and Motion Institute team up to produce this “immersive performance work” about astronomer Johannes Kepler.
“Long Story Short” Exit Studio Theatre, 156 Eddy, SF; www.arenhaun.com. Fri/25-Sat/26, 8pm. $15. Slacker Theater presents comic short plays by Aren Haun.
“Mission Position Live” Cinecave, 1034 Valencia, SF; www.missionpositionlive.com. Thu, 8pm. Ongoing. $10. Stand-up comedy with rotating performers.
“Okeanos Intimate” Aquarium of the Bay, Pier 39, SF; www.capacitor.org. Sat, 4:30 and 7pm. $20-30 (free aquarium ticket with show ticket). Extended through Dec 28. Choreographer Jodi Lomask and her company, Capacitor, revive 2012’s Okeanos — a cirque-dance piece exploring the wonder and fragility of our innate connection to the world’s oceans — in a special “intimate” version designed for the mid-size theater at Pier 39’s Aquarium of the Bay. The show, developed in collaboration with scientists and engineers, comes preceded by a short talk by a guest expert — for a recent Saturday performance it was a down-to-earth and truly fascinating local ecological history lesson by the Bay Institute’s Marc Holmes. In addition to its Cirque du Soleil-like blend of quasi-representational modern dance and circus acrobatics — powered by a synth-heavy blend of atmospheric pop music — Okeanos makes use of some stunning underwater photography and an intermittent narrative that includes testimonials from the likes of marine biologist and filmmaker Dr. Tierney Thys. The performers, including contortionists, also interact with some original physical properties hanging from the flies — a swirling vortex and a spherical shell — as they wrap and warp their bodies in a kind of metamorphic homage to the capacity and resiliency of evolution, the varied ingenuity of all life forms. If the movement vocabulary can seem limited at times, and too derivative, the show also feels a little cramped on the Aquarium Theater stage, whose proscenium arrangement does the piece few favors aesthetically. Nevertheless, the family-oriented Okeanos Intimate spurs a conversation with the ocean that is nothing if not urgent. (Avila)
“POR. TRAI. TURE” Kunst-Stoff Arts, 1 Grove, SF; www.linsdans.org. Sat/26-Sun/27, 8pm. $10-15. Lindsey Renee Derry presents an evening-length solo show with choreography by Derry as well as José Navas, Sidra Bell, Alex Ketley, and Iratxe Ansa.
“San Francisco Magic Parlor” Chancellor Hotel Union Square, 433 Powell, SF; www.sfmagicparlor.com. Thu-Sat, 8pm. Ongoing. $40. Magic vignettes with conjurer and storyteller Walt Anthony.
“SF Recovery Theatre Tours the Tenderloin” Various Tenderloin venues, SF; www.sfrecoverytheatre.org. Fri/25, 12:30pm, 4pm, and 6pm; Tue/29, 3pm; Oct 31, 2pm. Donations accepted. The company visits different Tenderloin hotels to perform versions of Porgy and Bess and Night at the Black Hawk.
“A Show of Hands” Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California, SF; www.garrettmoulton.org. Thu/24 and Sat/26, 1pm; Fri/25, 3:30pm. Free. Garrett and Moulton Productions present a site-specific New Music USA commission that explores the powers and possibilities of human hands.
“Solo Sunday: Life Without the Dull Parts” Stage Werx Theatre, 446 Valencia, SF; www.brownpapertickets.com. Sun/27, 7pm. $12. With Christian Cagigal, Jonathan Ehrlich, Xiaojuan Shu, and Angela L. Neff.
13th Floor Dance Theater Studio B at ODC Dance Commons, 351 Shotwell, SF; www.13thfloordance.org. Sat-Sun, 8pm. Through Nov 2. $18-23. Jenny McAllister’s company performs the world premiere of Being Raymond Chandler.
“Tickled Pink! Comedy Showcase” Café Royale, 800 Post, SF; www.tpinkcomedy.com. Thu/24, 8pm. Free. With Ronn Vigh, David Gborie, Casey Ley, Gloria Magaña, and host Stefani Silverman.
Zhukov Dance Theatre SFJazz Center, 201 Franklin, SF; www.zhukovdance.org. Oct 29-30, 8pm. $25-55. The company marks its sixth annual season, “Product 06,” with world premieres by Yuri Zhukov and guest choreographer Idan Sharabi.
BAY AREA
Nederlands Dans Theater Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk; calperfs.berkeley.edu. Wed/23-Thu/24, 8pm. $30-92. The Dutch dance masters perform Sehnsucht (2009) and Schmetterling (2010).
“Shine, Perishing Republic! Robinson Jeffers Speaks” Pegasus Books, 1855 Solano, Berk; www.1stpersonsingular.com. Wed/23, 7:30pm. Free. Dramatic reading.
“Stand Up! Women Write Resistance!” Rebound Bookstore, 1611 Fourth St, San Rafael; www.reboundbookstore.com. Sat/26, 4-6pm. Free. Spoken word with Gail Entrekin, Rebecca Foust, Susan Kelly DeWitt, and Dawn McGuire. *
Sister looks explode: Project Nunway V kicks fashion into “Dissident Futures”
You want looks? Here’s looks.
For the fifth year, Sister Baba Ganesh and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will put on their eye-popping, charitable fashion show Project Nunway — an extravaganza seriously not to be missed if you want some only-in-SF flavor. Or, as head sis Sister Roma puts it: “In my 25-plus years of being a sister this is one of the most amazing, jawdroppingly beautiful events we’ve ever produced.”
On Nov. 2 at YBCA, the big Sisters event will delve into the realm of Big Brother, with the theme “Dissident Futures.” Expect chills!Here are a couple behind the scenes looks at the preparations, with press release below.
San Francisco’s preeminent Order of irreverently irreligious nuns returns to YBCA for a spectacular extravaganza of the haute-est couture. Project Nunway V: Dissident Futures brings the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s annual gala back to the place of its glorious birth in the grandest fashion, featuring mistresses of ceremonies Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Gos, and Sister Roma, the Grand Marshal of San Francisco Pride 2012 and guest judge, Pandora Boxx of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Bay Area funketeers, Planet Booty, Honey Mahogany, and SpacEKrafT will provide the soundtrack as the Sisters turn out their best sashay and shantay, bedecked in original high-fashion (and high-concept) looks created from recycled materials in collaboration with local designers. Futuristic fierceness is the new black this year, so bring your Big Brother because it will be a night of glamour, drama—and, of course, cocktails—that you won’t want to miss.
Project Nunway V: Dissident Futures
Sat, Nov 2, 7pm
YBCA Forum
701 Mission, SF
Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week
Well lookie here — seems like SF really is for lovers. We’ve got hoards of young folks intermingling on OkCupid, Grindr, and Tindr. And yes, the penultimate event: Kimye got engaged at AT&T Park last night. Kanye West rented out the whole park to propose to Kim K., which seems…lavish and kinda lonely? Although, I hear there was a 50-piece orchestra, so those people he hired were there at least.
Anyway, that sprinkly-gooey-sweet stuff (ahem, love) extends to the bands you should be checking this week: tender Nanna Øland Fabricius (otherwise known as Oh Land), boy-girl duo Kisses, balmy Warm Soda, and um, Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits.
Plus, there are plenty more acts popping in. There’s even an orchestra event that should put Kanye’s small-ish offering to shame: Lisa Bielawa’s large-scale sound event in Crissy Field with more than a thousand musicians. See below for more on that and all the others.
Here are your must-see shows:
The Garden
“This Burger Records up-and-comer is an identical twin duo hailing from Orange, Calif. The 19-year-old Shears brothers specialize in melancholy snippets (most of their songs barely pass the one-minute mark) of post-punk drum ‘n’ bass, androgynous style that would make Boy George jealous, teen angst, and getting reblogged on Tumblr. Their songs are haunting and beautifully executed, though rarely understandable. The lyrics are drawn from inside jokes and twin-speak (the Shears have a secret language, for those occasions when they even need to communicate verbally) and the vocals are often drowned in feedback and reverb. But the words don’t seem to matter. Whatever they’re doing or saying, they’re doing and saying it unlike anyone else.” — Haley Zaremba
With Lovely Bad Things, Bicycle Day
Tue/22, 9pm, $10
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFIuZ3C7IJM
Oh Land
Danish musician Nanna Øland Fabricius (otherwise known as Oh Land) is a Renaissance woman. She’s a producer, a singer-songwriter, a former student of the Royal Danish and Royal Swedish Ballet schools (before an injury nudged her toward music-making). And this is perhaps why “Renaissance Girls,” the first single from her newest full-length Wish Bone (Federal Prism/Tusk Or Tooth) works so well. Like much of Oh Land’s output, it’s musically all over the place, with beats and piano, quick-dropped lyrical phrases and twee girlish high notes. And the video both harkens back to her early dancerly ways and provides a hard/soft dichotomy with interpretative choreography performed by Fabricius herself in Hello Kitty-pink overalls set to the backdrop of a dusty, cement-filled construction site and urban alleyways.
With Sun Rai.
Wed/23, 8pm, $15
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
www.theindependentsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFCYo3XocIM
Kisses
“Boy-girl duo Kisses is some kind of weird fun. Its poppy sound incorporating analog keyboards, simple percussion, and pleasant harmonies is easy listening at its finest. But the pair isn’t afraid to employ negative space in its tracks, and often places simple beats next to minimal lyrics, creating a sound that falls somewhere between pop and a ’70s tribute group. The dream pop enthusiasts released their second full-length album Kids in LA this past September and have been touring the US with the Blow since the beginning of October. Singer Jesse Kivel embodies a somber nostalgic romantic behind the mic, and keyboard-soundboards Zizi Edmundson, tinkering nonchalantly and occasionally oozing vocally into the mic, makes apathy cool again.” — Hillary Smith
With the Blow and the Ian Fays
Fri/25, 9:30pm, $16
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St, SF
(415) 626-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfzUlwXVcIU
Deer Tick
“In 2013 Deer Tick is proving that the only constant is change. The Providence alt-country outfit has always been reliable and consistent in its consistent touring, heavy drinking, and all-around debauchery. But that was before frontperson and primary songwriter John McCauley dealt with an imploded engagement, a father gone to prison, and the realization that maybe it was time to start drinking responsibly. Deer Tick has scaled back its usual 200+ shows per year schedule, and its penchant for escapism, focusing instead on showmanship and honest, personal songwriting. Negativity, its newest studio album, is almost entirely autobiographical. But don’t worry, it’s still Deer Tick — the shows will still be a riotous, sweaty mix of originals and covers, and despite the band’s clean-up act, audience drunkenness and hooliganism is still highly encouraged. “ Zaremba
With Robert Ellis
Fri/25, 9pm, $21
Slim’s
333 11th St, SF
(415) 255-0333
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNG6aK81ZAk
Clarion Alley Block Party with Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits
There are a few new things you should know about long-running “goofballs of the East Bay punk scene” Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits. The ’95-born act has two new books out through Microcosm Publishing, a comic listen-along book (Meal Deal with the Devil) and a complete discography songbook (The Bobby Joe Ebola Songbook). Both are oddball hilarity at its finest. The Bobby Joe Ebola Songbook contains song lyrics and guitar chords — play along at home! — witty how-to band/life advice, tour anecdotes, and “other bizarre detritus.” Secondly, the band is playing the annual Clarion Alley Block Party this weekend and that should be wall-to-muraled-wall fun. Support DIY punk and an important SF artist-community institution with a full day of live music.
With Apogee Sound Club, CCR Headcleaner, Quite Polite, Devotionals, and more.
Sat/26, 11am-10pm, free
Clarion Alley
Mission Street, SF
Facebook: Clarion Alley Block Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCp_oBuWUQw
Airfield Broadcasts
For this large-scale event, composer Lisa Bielawa will turn Chrissy Field into a giant “musical canvas” in which listeners can interact with broad sounds floating through the area with the help of nearly a thousand professional and student musicians including orchestras, choruses, bands, and experimental new groups. The musicians will begin in the center of the field then slowly move outwards, playing Bielawa’s original score.
Sat/26, 10 am and 4pm; Sun/27, noon, free
Crissy Field, SF
www.airfieldbroadcasts.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYz1ohOWdLo
Warm Soda
The fizzy, ‘70s glam-aping, powerpop local rockers of Warm Soda are welcome anytime in Heads Up, but this is an extra-special Warm Soda happening. It’s a rare acoustic set by the rock’n’roll band, presented by music mag Radio Silence. Prepare for an intimate evening with one of the Bay Area’s burgeoning acts.
With A Carnival of Hours
Sat/27, 7:30pm, $8
Make-Out Room
3225 22nd St, SF
www.makeoutroom.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seK8t41objc
Promo: United Nations Association Film Festival in San Francisco Wed/23
UNAFF was conceived to celebrate the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is currently screening films for the 16th year in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and at Stanford University.
The theme for this year is “Individual to Universal.” UNAFF celebrates the power of films dealing with human rights, environmental themes, women’s issues, population, homelessness, racism, children, health, universal education, war, and peace. In the past sixteen years, UNAFF has attracted a broad audience from the San Francisco Bay Area with regards to ethnicity – many finding the screenings to be a rare chance to see the state of human rights and culture in their own native countries. UNAFF promotes education, awareness and social change through images, dialogue and action.
UNAFF comes to San Francisco this Wednesday, October 23 at Ninth Street Independent Film Center (125 Ninth St., SF). Films include The Story of an Egg (USA), Irish Folk Furniture (Ireland), Shady Chocolate (Denmark/Ivory Coast), and Shift Change (Spain/USA), followed by the panel discussion “Alternative Economic Models.”
Find out more at unaff.org.
Hunx on running into Elvira, life in LA, and his all-time favorite punk bands
Hunx (aka Seth Bogart) is something of a hometown hero in San Francisco. While technically he grew up in Tucson, Ariz, his name and music became synonymous with the Bay Area underground garage sound. A former member of electroclash cheerleaders Gravy Train!!!!, he collected the chant-worthy fun elements of that group and added Wall-of-Sound backup singers, doo-wop, and party punk layers to his next group, Hunx and His Punx.
Since then, Hunx has released a handful of Hunx and His Punx records, a weepy solo album (Hairdresser Blues, Hardly Art), a few naughty singles, and a line of eye-popping t-shirts, along with other people’s records through his own label, Wacky Wacko. And in the midst of all this, that hometown descriptor slipped away: Hunx moved to LA and says it kind of saved his life.
But Hunx still returns to the Bay on occasion, like on this tour behind spring-released snotty punk record, Street Punk (Hardly Art), which brings him to the Chapel this coming Monday night. In anticipation of that show, I asked Hunx about his most recent releases, his personal favorite punk bands, what he loves so much about LA (note: running into icons), and if there’ll ever be a Hunx X-mas album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOM5jKK9pSU
SF Bay Guardian What changed for you between your solo record, Hairdresser Blues, and Hunx and His Punx release Street Punk?
Seth Bogart I moved to LA, basically quit my job and found a drug that made me stop getting depressed… Hairdresser Blues is kinda like an embarrassing suicidal teen diary entry? I was so sad.
SFBG What (or who) influenced the songs on Street Punk? Can you tell me about the song writing process for that record?
SB The crazy short punk songs were inside joke songs we made up on tour that turned into the real thing. The rest Shannon [Shaw] and I basically wrote in the “studio” aka my friend Cundo’s warehouse while she visited me in LA. Making this album was extremely easy and fast and fun.
SFBG Who are your favorite punks bands (living or dead)?
SB Bikini Kill, X Ray Spex, the Germs, Frumpies, Kleenex, the Dicks, Limp Wrist, Neo Boys, Nasty Facts.
SFBG What was the inspiration for “Everyone’s a Pussy (Fuck You, Dude)” off Street Punk?
SB Amy and Shannon wrote that when we were touring around our “Too Young To Be In Love” tour. But personally for me it’s like #1 fuck you to guys who use that word and #2 if I’m a pussy, so are you so shut the fuck up, man.
SFBG The Wacky Wacko shirts you create with Peggy Noland are brilliant — I saw Kenny Mellman wearing one at the Julie Ruin’s SF show. Where do you come up with the ideas and how do you and Peggy collaborate — who does what? Also, any more designs on the way?
SB Yes, I just put out a monster one and a Perfume Maniac one. I just think of a theme that would be a cool pattern and start painting and scanning. Peggy designed a couple for me back when I launched it earlier this year. It has become my job — I am totally obsessed. It’s really fun to tell companies like Urban Outfitters no and to see your shirts in a store like Patricia Field. I’m looking into moving into towels and sheets next.
SFBG “I Vant to Suck Your Cock” is now a Halloween anthem — do you have any intention of releasing more holiday records?
SB I love Christmas music. It’s only a matter of time…
SFBG What’s the best part of living in LA? What do you miss most about the Bay Area?
SB I miss my friends so much. And running into people wherever I went. LA is oddly anonymous but kinda saved me! Plus the other night I hung out with Pee Wee Herman and Elvira!
SFBG Can you take us through your typical day in LA?
SB The only thing a typical day always has almost no matter what is my boyfriend bringing me coffee and immediately having sex with me (he’s perfect). Then I go to Daddy’s Gym, work at the Wacky Wacko office or go to one of the weird design classes I just started taking. I try to make time to paint or do a creative activity — the secret to happiness
Hunx and His Punx
With Wet Drag
Mon/21, 9pm, $14
Chapel
777 Valencia, SF
www.thechapelsf.com
Commodifying urban real estate hurts the culture of big cities
When urban real estate is turned into merely a commodity — or just another safe place for the wealthy to park their cash in uncertain economic times, while also providing pied-a-terres in which to crash a few times a year — it tears at the social fabric of big cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and London.
That’s been the message in some excellent, widely circulated articles in the last week or so — including David Byrne’s Guardian article about New York City and “London’s Great Exodus” in Sunday’s NY Times — and it’s one that San Franciscans should be thinking about as we work through current eviction and gentrification battles and vote on the 8 Washington project through Props. B&C in a few weeks.
It’s also something that we’ll be discussing at Housing for Whom?, a free community forum that the Guardian is sponsoring on Oct. 23 from 6-8pm at the LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street, featuring opponents and proponents of those measures along with other activists and experts.
While both London and New York City may be ahead of the curve in letting capitalists and the real estate market drive away creative types and destroy what once made those cities great, San Francisco isn’t far behind, particularly given its current housing and economic development policies.
Another striking article on the issue comes from San Francisco Urban Research Association Executive Director Gabriel Metcalf, who wrote an article published in The Atlantic on Monday. It repeats his previous calls for San Francisco to build 5,000 new housing units per year and opens with a line many of us have uttered: “My friends keep moving to Oakland.”
But Metcalf (who hasn’t yet returned my calls for comment) also takes this familiar observation and his promotion of market rate housing a step further, basically calling for San Francisco and Oakland to start acting as one city: Rich people in SF, cool people and workers in Oakland, ala Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“If we were one city, San Francisco could spend some of its incredible wealth on the things Oakland needs, like hiring more cops and teachers, not to mention more transit connections between the two cities,” Metcalf writes. “This is not an argument for annexation but a call to think about the answers to our problems from a regional perspective. We can’t solve affordable housing or transit access within the limits of any one city.”
Actually, I’d argue that we can and should solve these problems within our borders rather than just ceding San Francisco to the wealthy. Yes, regional planning is good, and yes, there are things that San Francisco can do for Oakland (perhaps starting with not poaching it professional basketball team).
But regionalism isn’t the same thing as plutocracy — and San Francisco is still worth fighting for rather than just letting it go to the highest bidders.
Best of the Bay 2013: 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 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 of the Bay 2013: 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 of the Bay 2013: BEST TIP-TOP SPIFF UPS
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