Emily Savage

“So this will really be a doggie disco.”

Tony Robles
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“So this will really be a doggie disco.”

Let’s just get this out of the way immediately: there’s going to be a doggie dance this Sunday at the Stud. I could say no more about it and there would still be a segment of people, myself very much included, that would need to go, no questions asked. I mean, it’s a dance for dogs.

Well for the rest of you, I asked the questions. The official title is “Dance Doggy Dance A Fundraiser for WonderDog Rescue” and it’s the first of its kind for Wonderdog. The Stud is dog-friendly, and there will be DJs spinning lower decibel levels so as not to hurt those velvety pup ear flaps. 

“So the first DJ David Sternesky will be spinning disco during that time. ,” says Wonderdog volunteer “So this will really be a doggie disco.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jyd1LdZpqA

Here’s hoping we see a Chihuahua mix doing the non-sexual hustle with a Lab, or perhaps a Bullmastiff  howling Chic’s “Le Freak.”

After Sternesky (Rocket Collective, Solid), Taco Tuesday (OH! & I Cochina Tonga’s) sidles into the DJ booth and real live humans can get in on the dancefloor as well. Either way, it’s a spot to bring your dog and have a cocktail.

Wonderdog is a volunteer group that rescues dogs from all over Northern and Central California. According to its site, it has “saved blind and deaf dogs, puppies as young as two weeks and seniors as old as 15.” It also offers hospice to special needs and elderly dogs.

The fundraising will go towards Wonderdog’s ability to pay vet bills, rent out its Western Addition space, transport dogs, and of course, feed the things.

Dance Doggy Dance
Sun/29, 9 p.m., $10-$20 donation
The Stud Bar
399 Ninth St., SF
www.wonderdogrescue.org

Dome rock

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Dome rock

MUSIC “I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a geodesic dome,” says drummer-guitarist Andy Duvall, formerly of Zen Guerilla, and currently one third of the improvisational space rock outfit Carlton Melton. “But if you stand right in the middle, there’s a sweet spot.”

Carlton Melton records all its stripped down, lo-fi material in a dome house located a few hours north of here, though the three mainstays — Duvall, Rich Millman, and Clint Golden — call Oakland and San Francisco home. As for their process: “We just go up, hang out, and record all weekend. It’s very sloppy in many ways but I’ve always been a fan of slop. I think perfection can be a little boring.”

During recording other musician pals drop in and out. Live, the trio switches up the instrumentation mid-set. Duvall, a gifted, frenetic drummer influenced by Colm Ó Cíosóig of My Bloody Valentine among others (“[He’s] completely overlooked when people talk of their brilliance”), added guitar to his repertoire for Carlton Melton. The band will again show its live prowess locally this Saturday at El Rio.

In the few years since the vocal-less act formed in 2008 — I use “formed” tentatively, as it was more of a natural progression than the word implies — it’s released a cluster of DIY material on indie labels and its own, Mid-To-Late Records. There was the initial, 2008 “Live in Point Arena” CD-R, an Empty Shapes split LP, another split with Qumran Orphics and a few seven-inches on SF’s Valley King Records and the Irish Trensmat Records (which specializes in “transmitting drone, noise, oscillations and grooves”), both in 2011. In 2012 they’ll put out yet another long-player (already recorded), likely in spring, and are currently hammering out the details for a European tour.

Last year also saw the release of the swirling, spacey Country Ways LP, a record that begins with the 20-minute titular track, a slow-building stunner of dangling drums and psychedelic guitar with the irregular cosmic zap. A track that seemingly has no beginning or end, with the foggy vortex of pleasing chords hanging on for eternity, it’s trance-like, sensory, afferent. And something clicks when you remember they made this sound while cracking beers amongst friends over a few days in a specially-shaped structure.

The band actually came to be because of the dome. After Zen Guerrilla — a band that, should be noted, amassed many local fans and was a 2001 GOLDIES winner — split up in 2003, Millman was busy raising his two kids. Duvall was happily spending time with his girlfriend and their two cats, Gerard and Cheval. In 2008, Millman called Duvall, and asked if he’d want to start playing again. He agreed but it was mostly to jam with an old friend, the opposite of a definition band. The two, now both 44, who first began creating music together in 1990 when they lived in Delaware, talked to the owner of the dome and said “hey, we’re going to come up and bring some amps and make a bunch of noise at your place, do you mind?”

Back to that sweet spot — it naturally enriches sound. “If you’re talking, your voice just instantly amplifies. Same thing happens with music, you’re playing guitar and it’s just swirling around in the dome. It’s sort of ideal for psychedelic music.” says Duvall in a phonecall from his home in Oakland.

That first night up north was magic. They realized they needed name. Duvall, with all his genial charm recalls the conversation then whispers “Carlton Melton.” Melton was a cool guy he knew from junior high in Delaware, a real bad-ass. Strangely, Millman, who went to another school, also knew Melton in Delaware — they’d played one another in football. Years later, Duvall and Melton happen to meet another dude named Carlton Melton, and that last bit of coincidence seems to have sealed the name’s fate. “It’s bizarre but it really fits the band. I just hope the guy from Delaware’s not offended, because we named the band after him for all the right reasons.”

CARLTON MELTON

With Feral Ohms, and Glitter Wizard

Sat/28, 9 p.m., $8

El Rio

3158 Mission, SF

www.elriosf.com

Ben Gibbard pops up at Cobb’s, plays the theme from “Mannequin”

Tony Robles
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It was well past midnight when a surprise musical guest was announced Saturday night at Cobb’s. “Jon,” the host of the Delocated Witness Protection Program Variety Show, which swung through SF Sketchfest last weekend (and airs on Adult Swim as simply Delocated), came back out to the stage after the last of a thrilling round of comedians – Eugene Mirman, David Cross, Paul Rudd. Approaching the modified mic in a ski mask, baby pink 49ers jersey, and gold lamé bootie shorts, “Jon” introduced (and I’m totally paraphrasing here, because I can’t recall his exact joke) “Sven Jibberd of Meth Cat for Tootie.”

Out came Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie in a yellow makeshift ski mask and his traditional collared shirt and jeans. With modded mic still buzzing, Gibbard picked up an acoustic guitar and played his Postal Service hit, “Such Great Heights.” Why was Gibbard there? I know he was one of the noted musical guests at SF Sketchfest this year, but I still just wonder what drew him here? Or at least, why he keeps popping up unannounced at additional shows. Perhaps to mend his ailing Deschanel heart? Or most likely, he’s just an entertaining guy who wanted to play a few smaller clubs in San Francisco for fun and hang out with some friends.

Even despite the jokey nature of the set-up, with the the ski mask and the weird Witness Protection Program augmented deep voice, “Such Great Height” still sent nostalgic chills down my spine. It was the closest I’ve ever come to seeing him live. And while he had all that comedic accoutrement, he performed with the same profoundness as his usual gig, he still squeezed his eyes shut and hollered out the lyrics of lasting lovers. It was still Gibbard, just encased in a makeshift comedic costume.

But then things got even weirder, by which I mean better. He next announced he’d be playing the theme from the 1980s flick Mannequin – you know, the one where Kim Cattrall  comes to life and there’s a great sidekick named Hollywood – and he launched into an inspired version of Jefferson Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” During this Delocated’s “Jon” was miming sensual acts on a molded plastic woman. She quick-changed into a real live person as in the aforementioned film, this time played wordlessly on the Cobb’s stage by Maria Thayer, a.k.a Tammi Littlenut or “Copperhead” from Strangers With Candy. But “Jon” preferred the mannequin. Gibbard kept playing through this entire scene and by the end of it all, my stomach hurt from laughing. Where else but SF Sketchfest?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRZ1fzGWQz4

Incidentally, Jefferson Starship kicks off a five-day long residency at the Rrazz Room tomorrow. Though I doubt it’ll play that particular hit as only a few members of the band actually played on it. Best to stick to “Wild Again” from Cocktail (thanks Wikipedia!).

SF Sketchfest
Through Feb. 4, various times and prices
sfsketchfest.com

Jefferson Starship
Wed/25-Sun/29, 8 p.m., $45
Rrazz Room
222 Mason, SF
(415) 394-1189
therrazzroom.com

Last night with Michael: Cirque Du Soleil revives the King of Pop

Tony Robles
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Last night with Michael: Cirque Du Soleil revives the King of Pop

I consider myself a casual Michael Jackson fan; I’ve long owned worn vinyl copies of Thriller and Off the Wall, and have fuzzy memories of attempting — painfully — to learn the dance moves in the videos for “Beat It” and “Scream” (oddly, a personal favorite). But I know I will never fully appreciate what Michael did for his fans, how much he obviously meant to the costumed group sitting in front of me at the Oracle Arena in Oakland on Tuesday evening during Cirque du Soleil’s thrilling new production, Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. But I was there for the spectacle of it all, and spectacle I got.

It began with a whimper, as I suspect most Cirque du Soleil productions do, to impress with the thundering glittery expanse soon thereafter and to later highlight the true magnitude of the event. Start small, end gigantic. Tumbling on to the rounded area of the stage at the center of the arena, a few young Michaels in bright bell-bottoms and ‘fros stumbled around in a clowny dance routine. Drop the curtain, flash the lights, and shoot the pyrotechnics into electric showers of flickering white; and the stylized beauty of the production was on its way.

There were dozens of costume changes, impressive backdrops, and a few totems of MJ  (hearts, globes, a giant hot air balloon). The physical humming, lit-up red heart was a constant throughout the night, with dancers holding up flashing hearts during big important moments. Michael’s “Heal the World” sentiment was also a recurring theme; bulbous globes appeared in both dancers’ paws and hovering above, raised into the Oracle’s huge space, as contortionist acrobats spun on spindly hoops. Near the end dancers came marching out holding gigantic national flags. Throughout the evening there were taut bodies wearing light-up costumes – the bodysuits sometimes shone harsh and bright with severe neon curve-defining lines a la Tron, other times twinkled with sparkling stars during heartfelt numbers — those moments occasionally nearing schmaltzy.

Each number popped with Michaelian (Jacksonian?) intensity, be it by force or remembrance. From the bold, stomping silver heart-shaped military marching during “They Don’t Really Care About Us” to the sweet, earthy white-draped mid-air tumbling during the more somber songs. I suspect those more subdued, tender parts — “You Are Not Alone” et al. — were for the true, obsessed fans in the audience, of which there were many. They were for those who miss him dearly, eternally, and came out dressed in bright red military garb, a solitary sequin glove, liquid black eyeliner, and delicate Michael-style curls plastered to the nape of the neck (again I’m talking about the crew near me). I felt the devotion and melancholy of the impersonator in Harmony Korine’s Mr. Lonely. It was luck that I got to be so near these fans, I felt their heat, and I danced when they danced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPP9wVmxtVk

I much enjoyed the clock-cranking steampunk dance number with brassy robots pulling dancers, tapdancers atop pedestals, and high-flying acrobats flipping over machines. “Thriller” was also properly awesome, a smoky graveyard filled with mummy-like zombies wrapped in sexy gauze. There were song montages, classic choreography, and videos throughout, along with a man-sized sequined glove dancing, a pair of giant loafers, and plenty of actual Michael clips and quotes.

The musicians on stage brought a sense of the present, playing over MJ’s own recordings. With live brass horns, an insanely awesome bikini-clad electric cellist, and a seriously shredding guitarist (along with a full backing band), the show was also very much an arena concert.

Cirque and Michael merged best when a cluster of expert dancers would move seamlessly from classic choreography to high-flying acrobat, shot to the roof on pulleys and chords while the live band played below. An expert breakdancer mime in a sequined b-boy cap, the ringmaster also provided a nice bridge between the late King of Pop and the French-Canadian company.

While celebrating Michael in likely the most spectacular way possible, the night also served as a sobering reminder of his untimely passing. I saw many wiping tears from their cheeks. I couldn’t help but feel the same. The touring show is not for just the eternally Michael obsessed (though they’ll be there), it’s for the casual fan as well, those who only pull out Off The Wall when it’s time to dance.

Localized Appreesh: The Fucking Buckaroos

Tony Robles
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Localized Appreesh: The Fucking Buckaroos

Localized Appreesh is our weekly thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. Each week a band/music-maker with a show, album release, or general good news is highlighted and spotlit. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.

It takes some serious chutzpah to name your band the Fucking Buckaroos. But then, the Fucking Buckaroos is a seriously ballsy act. Eschewing glamour and easy labeling, the playful San Francisco band blazes dusty trails, boasting a noisy, boozy, punkish bluegrass clatter.

The punkabilly act’s newest release (suitably titled The Fucking Buckaroos: II) is said to “make the angriest metalhead a Christian and the soberest dad chug a bottle of Night Train,” whatever that means. See for yourself, the Fucking Buckaroos are offering their new album by donation. Be a gentleperson and pony up for the record, then ride that bucking bronco (49 Van Ness-Mission) down to the Knockout for the riotous album release party this weekend.  How many more cowboy references can I fit here? A horse walks into a bar:

Year and location of origin: San Francisco, 2004
Band name origin: Buck Owens had his Buckaroos, so why couldn’t Fuck Owens have his Fucking Buckaroos?
Band motto: Shiniest coat, best of show!
Description of sound in 10 words or less: New-Rage Punkabilly Psychograss
Instrumentation: Mandolin, Banjo, Guitar, Bass, Drums, (in studio: Accordion, Piano, Lapsteel, Tuned 40oz Bottles)
Most recent release: The Fucking Buckaroos: II.
Best part about life as a Bay Area band:  Having so many cities to play right at your fingertips.
Worst part about life as a Bay Area band: Not having a combined place to both practice and hang out.
First record/cassette tape/or CD ever purchased: Weird Al Even Worse.
Most recent record/cassette tape/CD/or Mp3 purchased/borrowed from the Web: Ovens “Now It’s Over” 7″
Favorite local eatery and dish: Mission’s Kitchen – Breakfast Burrito.

The Fucking Buckaroos
With Filthy Thieving Bastards, Deadly Gallows
Sat/21, 4-8 p.m., $8
Knockout
3223 Mission, SF
(415) 550-6994
www.theknockoutsf.com

There are no words for this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZBY-a4Eqqg&feature=related

Maximum Consumption: Vegan cookbook release party with live jazz at MOAD

Tony Robles
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Maximum Consumption: Vegan cookbook release party with live jazz at MOAD

In a rather appetizing blend of vegan culinary skill and music, The Museum of the African Diaspora will soon play host to cookbook author Bryant Terry and a smattering of local musicians.

The event goes down Jan. 24 at the museum. It’s to commemorate and celebrate the release of Terry’s newest book, The Inspired Vegan: Seasonal Ingredients, Creative Recipes, Mouthwatering Menus, and, it’s Terry’s birthday party. He’s an Oakland-based eco-chef and food justice activist who was a Food and Society Policy Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg and Fair Food Foundations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAH1dawfw70&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL61B876749C0F605E

I know from first-hand experience the joy of Terry’s teaching, having devoured his 2009 book, Vegan Soul Kitchen. That book came with a soundtrack to each dish, a feature I dig in any cookbook but especially Vegan Soul Kitchen. My favorite meal was the open-faced barbecue tempeh sandwich with cayenne-carrot coleslaw. The crunchy-spice of the coleslaw on that rich barbecue protein is heavenly. It’s making me hungry just thinking about it.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking; there will indeed be seasonal, creative, and mouthwatering food at the party itself. The event features food by Roger Feely and Soul Cucina food truck with recipes from The Inspired Vegan and drink from Slow Down Wines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OM2rmOdZzQ

Also worth the price of admission ($15-$30 by the way): an appearance by the finger-snapping jazz group the Marcus Shelby Trio, lead by award-winning composer and bassist Marcus Shelby, along with performances by Renee Wilson, and DJs Max Champ and Ellen Choy. 

Book Release and Birthday Party with Bryant Terry
Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m., $15-$30  (with signed book)
Museum of the African Diaspora
685 Mission, SF
(415) 358-7200
www.moadsf.org

Global mashup: Nine-piece world music act Califa hits the Bay

Tony Robles
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Global mashup: Nine-piece world music act Califa hits the Bay

With nine members currently blending Afro Balkan and Middle Eastern sounds and dance moves, Califa certainly refrains from limiting itself. The new Los Angeles-based ensemble – which features members of Fishtank Ensemble, Plotz, and Ballet Asaneh – is something of a world music supergroup. It’s a blend of other acts, and of live music, live dancing, and obscure instruments.

Still in its infancy (it formed in May 2011) Califa takes its first tour up the northern coast this week, with show stops in the Bay Area at Red Poppy Art House and Ashkenaz Music & Dance Center. I spoke with band member Ursula Knudson, who sings and plays theremin along with the occasional hand-held percussion instrument, on the eve of the tour and got the lowdown on Califa’s origins, its interest in global music, and the group’s desire to draw out movement in crowds.

San Francisco Bay Guardian: How did Califa form, and where does the group write its music?
Ursula Knudson: Originally the idea was to have a group of all women superstars who could sing, dance, and play instruments. We decided to have a mixed group because we knew we didn’t want to limit the quality of the musician by sex – meaning if there was a kickass bass player that was female we’d take her but if there was an even better one who was a man, we wanted that choice as well.

Basically, we wanted our dream group. Different members of the group offer either arrangements or original compositions, and with nine people, there is a lot of choice! The original concept was [created by] our singer Rosa Rojas, and my husband Fabrice Martinez, also with Fishtank Ensemble, they were the two who dreamed up the group.

SFBG: Why did Califa decide to focus on the music of North and East Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East?
UK: Like I mentioned, this is intended to be our dream band, so even though those [sounds] are what we are focusing on now because it is our new interest, whatever else strikes anyone’s fancy could be pursued later.

We wanted beautiful singers, rock players, traditional players, experimental plays, and it seems we are getting all of it! Right now we chose those regions because most of us have experience already with Balkan music or Middle Eastern music, we have a Morrocan in the band, and ever since I visited Senegal last year I have been in love with the music of West Africa.

SFBG: And are there personal connections with those regions within the band?
UK: Momo Loudiyi is from Morroco and plays sintir and got our violinist is playing bendir, and he brings an awesome North African love power vibe to the group. Four members of the group are in a band called the Plotz, which is like crazy Balkan time signature rock, and of course Fabrice and I are both in Fishtank Ensemble which is known to play a lot of Eastern European/Balkan music, so that is our connection as well. And Rosa Rojas, our other singer, has spent years studying the dances of the Silk Road and performed for a while with Ballet Afsaneh in Bay Area.

SFBG: How do you incorporate those styles into your music?
UK: We play some original songs composed by various members in certain ethnic styles (rhumba, a Ukrainian song that sounds slightly African, Momo’s music) and also the Balkan and Middle Eastern songs, already in our repertoire, that we have arranged for this particular ensemble.

SFBG: Was it intentional to create a sound that encourages dance?
UK: Of course! The show should extend beyond the stage; it should encompass the whole room!

Califa
Thurs/12, 7 p.m., $15
Red Poppy
2698 Folsom, SF
(415) 826-2402
www.redpoppyarthouse.com

With Inspector Gadje
Sat/14, 8:30pm
Ashkenaz
1317 San Pablo, Berkl.
(510) 525-5054
www.ashkenaz.com

Bonus related show: Fishtank Ensemble
With George Cole Quintet
Jan. 27, 8 p.m., $22.50
Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison, Berkl.
(510) 644-2020
www.thefreight.org

Create and destroy

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Create and destroy

WINTER LOOKS You might have spotted Collin Weber running through the Mission on the way to the Knockout, frantic, with a bag full of satin bows to complete a trio of Sailor Moon costumes. Or perhaps you’ve seen his handy-work elsewhere, in the colorful capes and pointed hats Shannon and the Clams wear in their video for “Sleep Talk” or the sixties striped shifts the Dirty Cupcakes sport in “I Want It (Your Love).”

Weber, a library aid by day and seamster by night, has been creating costumed frocks for an incestuous batch of Bay Area garage rockers for the past two years — Dirty Cupcakes, Shannon and the Clams, Hunx and His Punx, Human Waste — and is open to taking on more acts. ” I think there’s a lot more payoff when you do something and it’s up on stage and out on tour and tons of people see it, and it’s in a music video,” he says leaning against an rack of cloth at Fabric Outlet, “not that I wouldn’t just want to make thing for people to wear. But the costumes are the fun project for me.”

Some of those projects include dinosaur hats, American flag bell-bottoms, gold fake snakeskin skirt and vest combos, and once, for Human Waste, he created full face-masking bodysuits. “The theme they gave me was prisoners on the moon in the future,” Weber laughs. “There’s a whole story behind it, but that’s what I had to go on.”

He created flesh-covering suits, with shiny knee pads and strips of mesh across the mouth and eyes. (Mesh so the band could still see its instruments.) “It’s pretty creepy. The first time I tried it on I was a little scared of my own reflection in the mirror. I think that was a sign that it was going in the right direction.”

I ask if he has his own signature design fixture, something that’s uniquely Weber, and he explains that it can be difficult because he’s often catering to bands’ specific visions, keeping with their imagined themes. Though he says, “one thing that shows up though — and I’ve always been kind of obsessed with — is futuristic, but circa 1960. Special effects, when people tried to guess what people would be wearing in 2012. Shiny, still really mod, but futuristic.” He smiles sheepishly, Queen’s “We Are The Champions” comes pumping through Fabric Outlet’s speakers.

Weber’s style is also influenced by David Bowie circa Ziggy Stardust era, and the designer of those costumes, Kansai Yamamoto. He drops references to the broader glam and loud statement pieces, along with interesting menswear, specifically Comme des Garçons which he describes as “crazy stuff for men that’s just barely wearable.”

His interest in sewing came from a bout of post-college, pre-work boredom while living in Milwaukee. While roommates with Dirty Cupcakes drummer Laura Gravander in the Midwest he learned how to use her sewing machine and begin deconstructing thrifted clothes, doing alterations, and eventually creating his own pieces. He’s all self-taught, and learned through both trial-and-error and diligent YouTube viewing.

Now living in San Francisco (though he moved first with Gravander from Milwaukee to the East Bay), he works shelving books at two library jobs, an aid at the Central Library in Berkeley and a page at the Main Library at Civic Center in SF. He awaits an open librarian position and has kept up the sewing and costume-making as a creative outlet.

Weber mentions that he likes making costumes for bands specifically because there’s a definite deadline: the night of the show. Do or die. He may have been known to run down the street trailing thread, or sew up a piece as the band is about to step on stage, but he also understands the great responsibility of outfitting hard rocking musicians — certain areas must be reinforced, seams must be sturdy because of fierce movement.

And with that comes the punk fate of it all, in sewing costumes for bands, he’s essentially creating what will likely be destroyed. “When you put a lot of work into something, it’s sad to see it get trashed, or blood on it,” says Weber, “but it’s just something you have to take into consideration, whether something just looks nice or whether it’s going to last through rock ‘n’ roll.”

Thriller

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Thriller

emilysavage@sfbg.com

MUSIC There are so many extravagant things you could say about the late King of Pop, our holy father of stage theatrics and sequined gloves, Michael Jackson. The moon-walking man, the storied myth, the embattled legend.

If you want to get at the core of his power, the lifelong devotion of his millions of followers, try to envision a scenario that took place decades ago; look back at a then-12-year-old choreographer named Laurie Sposit, mimicking dance moves in her bedroom plastered with Michael Jackson posters. “I also wanted the red [Thriller] jacket but my dad wouldn’t get it for me, I was traumatized,” says Sposit from a brief stop in Phoenix, Ariz.

Now grown, Sposit has toured the world with the likes of Madonna, Beyonce, and Janet Jackson, but never had the chance to dance on stage with Michael. As of October, she’s been traveling as dance master for Cirque Du Soleil’s newest grand-scale production Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. Says Sposit, “it feels like it came full-circle for me.”

A vibrant, eye-popping mixture of remixed videos, pyrotechnics, elaborate costumery, pulsating live music, breakdancers, high-flying acrobats, and a wealth of that classic Michael choreography (including one routine that appears to be performed in a pair of human-sized black loafers and white socks), The Immortal World Tour reflects, expands, and magnifies the classic Michael Jackson live show — with the expected Cirque flair.

Cirque produced something similarly spectacular with the Beatles catalogue (Love), but this one seems to lend itself even more to the format given the sheer drama of Michael-the-star. Written and directed by Jamie King, the production kicked off Oct. 2 in Montreal and is in the midst of a massive tour, with an eventual, inevitable home in Las Vegas. It incorporates the grand span of Michael’s career; there’s even an accompanying remix album which has been charting since its release in November. It’s all there in the production: Jackson 5 hits, “Billie Jean,” “Black or White,” “Dangerous,” “Thriller” — even “Scream,” the hit duet with Janet. The nearly three hour, approximately $60 million production includes more than 60 performers each night.

One of the production’s youngest performers is 20-year-old Holland-based breakdancer Pom Arnold. In the show, Arnold performs in 10 different numbers and after shows, he says, the dancers often keep moving. They go back to their hotels, order pizza, and dance in their rooms together. “Like breathing for you, is dancing for us,” he says.

A breakdancer since age 10, this is Arnold’s first international production — and by the far the biggest. “I think for many of the dancers this has been one of the biggest productions. It’s Michael. You can’t go bigger, I think, unless you’re working with the man himself.”

The intensity of that comes through in his performance. When Arnold was rehearsing the routine for “Smooth Criminal” with the backing band for the first time, surrounded by other dancers, he was unprepared for the sudden wave of emotion rushing through him. “I got goosebumps on the stage. And that never happened to me before, dancing and getting goosebumps,” he says in a phone call from tour.

Sposit too has felt the connection. As dance master, her responsibilities include overseeing the choreography to help maintain the integrity of the production. During the first two months of the tour, she cried every time the curtain went up, just as she did when she caught Michael’s tour as a tween. It’s a visceral response to seeing the music enlivened once more. “And I also watch the audience,” Sposit says of her nightly routine, “I’ve seen many people cry. It kind of takes them on an emotional journey.” *

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE IMMORTAL WORLD TOUR

Fri/13-Sat/14, 8 p.m.; Sun/15, 4 p.m., $50–<\d>$250

HP Pavilion

525 West Santa Clara, San Jose

Jan. 17-18, 8 p.m., $50–<\d>$250

Oracle Arena

7000 Coliseum Way, Oakl.

www.cirquedusoleil.com/MichaelJackson

Localized Appreesh: Prize

Tony Robles
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0

Localized Appreesh is our weekly thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. Each week a band/music-maker with a show, album release, or general good news is highlighted and spotlit. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.

Perhaps it’s a sign of these chilling, uneasy times, but there seems to be an opera-meets-electro thing happening right now (looking at you, Austra), and I’m not about to complain. The removed digital synth laid over with dramatic, emotion-packed operatic vocals is a shivery, highly effective combo. Local digi-folkster Prize knows this firsthand. A classically trained musician, she fled the world of strict opera and meshed her given skill with the digital toys of the future. Plus, she threw in a dash of Victorian cabaret. 

This weekend at Hotel Utah she premieres the music video for her song “Terror Machine” – machine, check, high drama, check – off The Split EP, recorded by Ian Pellicci at Tiny Telephone. At the show you can expect a gothy carnival of lasers, lights, and shredded lace.

Year and location of persona origin: I had been writing my own music while studying at the conservatory for a bit before I came up with Prize. It was probably around 2010, when I started becoming sick of the tightly-laced opera world, when I came up with my deconstructed Victorian aesthetic.
Performer name origin: I came up with the name as I was falling asleep- I had a story running in my head about a young child finding a Crackerjack prize. I thought it captured a feeling of curiosity and excitement, and I had a feeling that the name would make me feel sparkly.
Performer motto: Drink more water than whisky.
Description of sound in 10 words or less: Minimal, electro-orchestral arrangements of siren songs. Primadonna folk-punk.
Instrumentation: Vocals, guitar, drums, synth, violin, cello.
Most recent release: The Split EP.
Best part about life as a Bay Area performer: I have performed at the coolest places even as a young singer, and I didn’t have to live in LA.
Worst part about life as a Bay Area performer: Well, I have a Master’s in Music and I still had to live out of my van for four months to make things work.
First record/cassette tape/or CD ever purchased: I had the entire Madonna discography on cassette tape by the time I was 11.
Most recent record/cassette tape/CD/or Mp3 purchased/borrowed from the Web: I recently downloaded ill.Gates’ free track, a freakybass remix of Die Antwoord.
Favorite local eatery and dish: Millenium for overall vegetarian dining experience, and the garlic spread from Stinking Rose for the best actual thing to put in my mouth.

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

Prize
With the Cuss, and Deeper
Fr/13, 9 p.m., $8
Hotel Utah
500 Fourth St., SF
(415) 546-6300
www.hotelutah.com

Coachella lineup revealed, many reunited acts

Tony Robles
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Coachella lineup revealed, many reunited acts

It’s official: the Coachella lineup for 2012 is out and it’s a doozy. The mix of acts in the sunbaked California desert will surely please all camps; there’s the hip new guard, and more importantly, there are some thrilling reunions.

Friday night headliners include the Black Keys, Pulp, Refused, Arctic Monkeys, and Mazzy Star; the mid-range boasts Tim Armstrong, Girls, Rapture, Frank Ocean, Yuck, and Neon Indian, and below those some newbies such as WU LYF, EMA, and LA Riots are listed (along with dozens of others).

Saturday brings back Radiohead and gains the elusive Jeff Mangum, along with the Shins, Bon Iver, fIREHOSE, Andrew Bird, Feist, A$AP ROCKY, Buzzcocks — the list surely goes on and on.

Sunday seems perhaps the most eclectic lineup with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headlining, softly below that a reunited At The Drive-In, along with Justice, Florence and the Machine, Beirut, the Hives (huh?), Wild Flag, Greg Ginn, araabMUZIK, and just gaggles more.

I’m running out of ways to say additional bands here. Why not take a look for yourself.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PST. Or you could stay in San Francisco and soak up our cooling fog.

Time is now

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Time is now

emilysavage@sfbg.com

Music Last spring there was no end in sight. The future seemed bleak for what was once a promising project — the chance of a lifetime for Bay Area septet the 21st Century. Now, a full year after its intended release, the colorful debut album, The City, will see the light of day.

The struggle for The City began in 2010 with Kickstarter. Well, technically it began with an idea. Multi-instrumentalist Bevan Herbekian had been bouncing around the world since graduating from U.C. Santa Cruz. He’d come to San Francisco, the city closest to his Northern California-born heart, then promptly traveled to Europe, back to SF, next out to the Middle East — Israel, Egypt, Jordan — a quick stop in New Orleans and he was again back to the Bay. During those years, he was collecting sound. A guitarist, bassist, pianist and singer-songwriter since age 12, he fiddled with mandolin and banjo. In Jerusalem, he was gifted a small guitar and ended up busking a few times at a local shuk.

Upon Herbekian’s return to San Francisco, he decided to create the band of his dreams, an expansive folk-pop act with intricate arrangements, multi-part harmonies, and plenty of acoustic instruments. He gathered up friends, former bandmates, and a few Craigslisters, and created the 21st Century. The band now includes a lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardists, a trumpet player, a set of musical sisters, and the occasional live saxophonist.

Herbekian then worked on a set of creamy folk-pop tunes with abstract lyrics touching on the darkness and ebullient light of moving to a new city, specifically San Francisco (though he now resides in Berkeley). Sitting in the eternally packed Mission Pie, Herbekian recounts crafting the songs for The City, while he was living just down the street from the restaurant, near 25th and Bryant. “[the song] ‘We Are Waiters’ has some specifics about living in San Francisco, in the Mission,” he pauses, taking a moment to collect his thoughts, “[it’s] about being young, living in this city, and going back and forth between feeling exuberant and like you don’t know how to reconcile that with adulthood.” A common refrain in this adult-kid city of ours.

He recounts the battle to release The City. “It honestly felt like this project was fated to never be completed. There was always some catch, some snag.” In the summer of 2010 the band met a producer who wanted to record and promote the album. Void of funds enough to travel and record, the 21st Century turned to Kickstarter and brought in $11,000, which Herbekian describes as “nuts” and “truly amazing.”

With funding in place, the band flew to Texas, recorded the album, then returned home to await mixing. Something got lost in translation however, and the mixes, which was returned to them months after recording (in spring of 2011) were “way off the mark.”

“[Our music] is relatively pop-based, but I like to think that there’s a sense of artistry to it. We really pay attention to the details and do all these big arrangements, but the mixes just sounded like glossy top 40 pop,” explains Herbekian. He wanted more Brian Wilson, less Justin Bieber. He next made the difficult decision to part ways with the producer, gather the loose tracks, and find another way to finish the album. A few band members left at this point, and Herbekian felt the pressure weighing down.

“Four weeks after that decision was made we were left with a fraction of our musical family, still in debt, and no relationship with the person who we were hoping was going to be our ticket to something — and all these sessions we had no idea what to do with.” Herbekian had worked on home recording projects, but nothing of this scale.

By chance, one of the band members was pals with Ben Tanner, a touring musician and producer who works at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “I had him take a shot at the song that I thought was the absolute worst and he resurrected it.” Tanner continued to resurrect the album, piece by piece, working closely with Herbekian. The two wrote tireless emails and many late night phone calls transpired; they were sending mixes back and forth for months. “I’ve never met him in person but he’s a saint to me,” Herbekian enthuses.

The hard work has paid off, and Herbekian beams as he finally holds the completed album in his hands. The City‘s release party is this weekend at Red Devil Lounge and he can hardly believe it. At this point the process has taken so long that the band already has a batch of new songs, two full albums-worth. For this one, Herbekian says, “We might just go back to recording it ourselves.” *

 

The 21st Century

With the Blank Tapes, Mark David Ashworth, and Muralismo

Fri/6, 8 p.m., $10

Red Devil Lounge

1695 Polk, SF

(415) 921-1695

www.reddevillounge.com

King of the beach

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King of the beach

emilysavage@sfbg.com

Music In the beginning, the ocean was quiet. And before Dick Dale, the chords were thin, flat, and sweet. A young surfer growing up in picturesque 1950s Southern California, Dale changed the course of rock’n’roll with the thick, wet reverberating sound of Middle Eastern-influenced surf guitar and a little song called “Misirlou.”

On that same album, 1962’s Surfer’s Choice (Deltone), he released crashing waves of perma-hits, from the similarly instrumental first hit “Let’s Go Trippin'” with its walking guitar line, to juicy-hippie pop track “Peppermint Man.” In the decades that followed, Dale influenced an expanding scope of musicians with innovative style, new amp sounds created with the help of pal Leo Fender, and his own signature guitars. He’s lead a paradoxical life, the eccentric icon keeping exotic animals (most notably, a pet jaguar), but also a ’60s-famous rocker who never touched a drug in his life. Thanks to healthy living and strong values, he’s in a continuous prime despite lifelong illnesses; he keeps playing, keeps touring, and has hopes to get back to the beach soon.

I spoke with the maestro on the phone days before the holidays in anticipation of his Oakland show this weekend; in a friendly, frank, and meandering conversation he openly discussed his storied past, his eternal love for the water, and a surprising favorite instrument:

San Francisco Bay Guardian You’re about to go back out on tour?

Dick Dale We just finished another tour — 20 concerts on the East Coast where I was born. And now I’m going up to Washington and back. I go to Solana Beach, San Jose, and Oakland at the Uptown. We play all over the world though. In Europe we play to 490,000 people outdoors, then we go play fairs. But I like the club circuit, I’ve been doing it so many years. It’s good because it’s a personal thing. I’ve been dealing with cancer for the last five years and diabetes on top of that, and when they see me on stage, it’s like a big club [atmosphere], and they say ‘how can he do that without taking drugs?’

I’ve never had a drug in my body in all my life. I don’t take pain pills, never had alcohol in my body in my life. Your body is your temple. I’ve been a vegetarian for many years, never ate anything with a face. That’s what gave me the strength to fight the cancer. The people, they see me performing and say ‘wow, how do you keep doing that?’

When I was 20 they gave me three months to live from rectal cancer. I’m still here at 74, doing 30 concerts in a row. When I get to performing I just don’t leave. I get at the doorway with my wife Lana and I talk with the people and sign until everybody leaves.

SFBG Where’s your home base now?

DD I live near Twentynine Palms, actually Wonder Valley above Palm Springs. I still have my boats in Balboa in Newport Beach though, I came there in 1955. I came first to Southwest LA then to Balboa where I created what I created in the Rendezvous Ballroom — [it was] where all the big bands played in the late ’50s.

I created the first power amplifiers with Leo Fender, we put transformers and big 15-inch speakers. That’s why they call me not only the King of the Surf Guitar — ’cause I was surfing everyday — but also the Father of Heavy Metal because I played on 60-gauge guitar strings, and strings are normally small, thin, but mine, they called ’em telephone cables, because I wanted a big, fat sound.

SFBG When did you first discover an interest in music?

DD When I was a kid back in Boston. I’m self-taught. Never took a lesson. Piano being my favorite. And I always played trumpet, sax, accordions, and harmonicas — you name it! I was just inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville. That’s the real deal, that’s where you’re voted upon by over a hundred thousand players, musicians.

SFBG And how’d that feel? It must’ve been exciting.

DD That was the real thing! That other [rock history museum], that’s just governed by a dozen people around a table. I really never paid attention to any of these though really, I’ve always been a rebel in the business. The big agencies and recording companies, they don’t like me, haven’t liked me since I was a beginner in this business because I knew what they were doing when they had these kids sign — they were taking away all their royalties. I tell the kids now, don’t sign with a big company, the minute you sign, you sign over your rights.

SFBG Do you meet a lot of younger bands? Do you see your influence on their music?

DD Yeah, they all open up for me. It’s been going on and on though. I found Jimi Hendrix when he was playing bass for Little Richard in a bar in Pasadena for 20 people. Stevie Ray Vaughan, his first records he learned on were Dick Dale records. I’m the guy who created the first power amplifiers with Leo Fender. In fact, I just got through doing one of the songs on the album for Glen Campbell’s last album. Glen played backup guitar in my recording sessions back at Capitol [in the 1960s].

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCCJtR-RjHg&feature=fvst

SFBG Do you ever think about releasing new material?

DD My son, Jimmy [who’s 19], he matches me note to note, but I also taught him drums like Gene Krupa. Jimmy and I, we do dueling guitars. We just created two new guitars. Jimmy has one called the Jimmy Dale Signature Kingman guitar, and I have the Dick Dale Signature Malibu guitar. And my guitar is about three-quarters size so you can put it in a car and play it. It’s something I’ve been screaming about for 20 years, nobody would listen. Finally Fender wanted to me to do something and I said I won’t do it unless you make this guitar.

On acoustic guitars it’s usually six-to-eight inches deep to make a big sound, but they don’t realize its unnatural for the average human to put their arm over the top of the guitar and start strumming, you get a cramp in your back, the older you get, the quicker that comes. I’ve always said ‘why can’t I just drop my arm straight down?’ Instead of eight inches deep, make it three inches. They all said ‘you’re not going to get the sound.’

When you have molecules for mahogany, they’re a certain shape, you strike a note with a string, it’ll go ‘BING!’ The note wants to travel like a tsunami wave, a continuation, so it travels through the back, up the side, but when it goes to the top base with a different wood, it’s like somebody changed the recipe for your soup. You’re going to hear the string, but you’ll never hear the color of the sound, the pureness, undisturbed.

I tried to explain that to them using one wood so it’ll be all the same molecules. I convinced them to do that, they made that guitar then I had them put on two pick guards, one on top, so you save the face of the guitar, then I had them put on a tuner. Then I had them strum it and those techs, their jaws just dropped. I said, ‘see? The world is no longer flat, fellas.’

The last tour we did, was only just Jimmy and I doing dueling guitars. We sat in two chairs like the Smothers Brothers, picking on each other, father and son. Now we’re doing the tour with my band, and now he’s doing drums for me.

SFBG I saw that you were inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach.

DD Yeah, everybody can walk all over me now. No, I’m just joking, I make fun of everything. I used to surf the pier all the time. I’ll be back in the water again, it’s just that we’ve been on such a hellacious schedule that I don’t even have time. When I go back, I’ll be back in the water. To me that’s the greatest healer.

 

Dick Dale

With The Bitter Honeys, and the Dirty Hand Family Band

Sat/7, 10 p.m., $20

Uptown

1928 Telegraph, Oakl.

(510) 451-8100

www.uptownnightclub.com

Pop your cork

Andrew Lam
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Pop your cork

Below are our picks to ring in the new. Events are listed alphabetically. Parties end at 2 a..m. except where noted. For more New Year’s parties, see This Week’s Picks. For New Year’s Day parties, click here. Lampshade hats not included.

 

1984

Light on the Orwellian totalitarianism and heavy on ceaselessly pumping ’80s music, longtime favorite retro night 1984 takes you back to the future once again. And it is free!

9 p.m.-2 a.m., free. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

 

ALL DAY PUNK ROCK NEW YEAR’S

Considering we’re about to embark upon another year full of economic gloom and doom, the band names from Eli’s lineup — World of Shit, Short Changed, Society Dog — aren’t too uplifting. But at least they’ll help you rage through.

2 p.m.–12:30 a.m., $10. Eli’s Mile High Club, 3629 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Oakl. www.elismilehigh.com

 

BEARRACUDA

What could possibly say New Year more than a hunky mass of sweaty, hairy gay bears getting down until the wee hours? You in the middle! DJs Craig Gaibler and Brian Maier keep it steamy.

8 p.m.-3a.m., $25. Club 8, 1151 Folsom, SF. www.bearracuda.com

 

BOBB SAGGETH

Elbo Room’s NYE spectacular includes the West Coast’s greatest Black Sabbath cover band* Bobb Saggeth, featuring members of Saviours, Citay, 3 Leafs, Sean Smith. Plus, it’s dark metal lords Black Cobra’s homecoming show. *Note: the “greatest Black Sabbath cover band” descriptor is self-inflicted though accurate. With Black Cobra.

9 p.m., $20. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. www.elbo.com

 

BOOTIE

Mashup mayhem galore at the original bastard pop party, whose special NYE installment includes mashup band Smash-Up Derby performing live and DJs Adrian and Mysterious D., Mykill, and Dada. Plus: ballon drop!

9 p.m.-3 a.m., $25–$50. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS

With raucous group efforts towards blues, gospel, New Orleans jazz, and R&B, California Honeydrops tend bring the sonic party wherever they play — why should NYE be any different? Admission price gets you live Americana music and a drink of your choosing.

11 p.m., $40. Pizzaiolo, 5008 Telegraph, Oakl. (510) 652-4888, www.pizzaiolooakland.com

 

ECLECTIC FEVER

A glowing, global party to dive into, with the effervescent Zap Mama, plus Sila, Non Stop Bhangra, Sambaxe Dance, and DJs J-Boogie, Jimmy Love, DJ Jeremiah, and Matt Haze. A real ear-opener for 2012.

8:30-4 a.m., $65. 1290 Fillmore, SF. zapmama.eventbrite.com

 

EL SUPERRITMO!

We have a soft spot for this weekly throwdown of tuneful styles from Latin America — cumbia, baile funk, reggaeton, and more. This promises be a wild installment with residents El Kool Kyle and DJ Roger Más joined by Ricky Garay, aka Señor Mucho Musica.

9 p.m., $20. Makeout Room, 3225 22nd St., SF. www.makeoutroom.com

 

FOREVERLAND

The show stars 14-piece Michael Jackson tribute band Foreverland, but there also will be the frisky Kitty Kitty Bang Bang Burlesque, an appearance by “the girl in the fishbowl” (a vintage Bimbo’s tradition), complimentary bubbly, party favors, and a traditional balloon drop at countdown. With Slim Jenkins, the Cottontails.

8 p.m., $65. Bimbo’s, 1025 Columbus, SF. www.bimbos365club.com

 

GO BANG!

This awesome, mixed-crowd monthly disco party has zero attitude but all the glamour. It’s like a Studio 54 you can actually get into. Atlanta’s DJ Osmose will bring his scratching turntable technique to bear on some rare disco tracks this NYE, along with Doc Sleep, Eddie House, and hosts Sergio and Steve Fabus. Good times!

9 p.m.-late, $10. Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin, SF. wwwdecosf.com

 

KINK

The colorful boys behind two of the Bay’s most vital party machines — Honey Soundsystem and Pacific Sound (Sunset) — join forces to bring in hot and heavy Bulgarian techno hero KiNK. He’ll be playing live, with a few melted minds sure to follow. Eight other DJs on two floors will help it all out.

9 p.m.-5 a.m., $15-$30. Public Works, 161 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com

 

KREAYSHAWN

Yep. The controversial, anti-Gucci mini-rapper in thick black frames is back, playing her biggest SF venue to date. The show is all ages and the event is titled “Never Coming Down.” With Wallpaper, Roach Gigz, Starting Six, DJ Amen.

9pm, $38. , Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness, SF. www.theregencyballroom.com

 

LEA DELARIA

The much-lauded Broadway star, swingin’ jazz musician, and fabulously blue comedian is back in the town to ring in the new year with peals of laughter. Latest show “Last Butch Standing” promises to be a full-on entertaining eve, topped with some outrageous New Year’s surprises, of course.

7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $30–$35, Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St., SF. www.therhino.org

 

LEXINGTON NYE BLACKOUT

If you can’t remember who you kissed at midnight, does it really count? Find out at SF’s favorite lesbian bar, when rockin’ DJs Andre and Jenna Riot and host Sara Goodman turn out your lights — and turn on the craziness. Oblivion awaits!

9 p.m., free. Lexington Club, 3464 19th St., SF. www.lexingtonclub.com

 

MAGIC LEAVES

Presented by Seaweed Sway, Loving Cup Presents, and Song Bird, the show boasts a glut of crunchy local freak-folk and a singular midnight champagne toast. Should be a delightfully analog evening. With Little Wings, Range of Light Wilderness, Au Dunes.

9 p.m., $15–$20. Amnesia, 853 Valencia, SF. www.amnesiathebar.com

 

MIDNIGHT NYE 2012

Get ready for a blast of warm tropicalia and clouds of fun, as Club Six rocks steady to reggae, dancehall, and global bass sounds, courtesy of the Daddy Rolo, Spicey, Dee Cee Shakedown crews. With DJs Shawn Reynaldo, Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi, Pam the Funkstress, and many more on two floors.

8 p.m.-4 a.m., $20–$30. Club Six, 66 Sixth St., SF. www.clubsix1.com

 

“NEW YEAR’S EVE SHAKE”

This party is all about the shimmy-n-shake, soul, surf, and all other 1960s rock’n’roll sounds. There’ll be live music courtesy of the Barbary Coasters, the Ogres, and the TomorrowMen, along with go-go dancing by the Mini Skirt Mob (which features members of the Devile-Ettes. And of course, the requisite champagne and balloons.

9:30 p.m., $10–$15. Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berk. www.starryploughpub.com.

 

NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS SHOW

The damp, strength-sapping chill of midnight on the Embarcadero is still worth the 15 minutes of promised pyrotechnic glory. Thousands of San Franciscans huddled together under the sky = magic.

12 a.m., free. Pier 14, Embarcadero, SF.

 

NYE CONFIDENCE STARTER 2012

A nice little bash on the edge of the Tenderloin with some quality local peeps. DJ Ed Dee Pee will play “down tempo, New neo-soultronica imports, and broken beat-ish styles.”

9 p.m.-3 a.m., $10. Siete Potencias Africanas Gallery, 777 O’Farrell, SF.

 

OLDIES NIGHT’S NASTY ASS LATE NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

The title is a mouthful, but it should be a good one. There’ll be a live performance by the Cuts along with Oldies Night regulars DJ Primo and Daniel spinning that twist-worthy doo-wop, one hit wonders, soul, and scratchy seven-inch rock ‘n roll.

9 p.m.-4 a.m., $10. Knockout, 3223 Mission, SF. www.theknockoutsf.com

 

OPEL NYE

The spiritually minded, breaks-oriented underground collective rises to the 2012 occasion with and a mad, possibly fire-twirling free-for-all with the UK’s Lee Coombs, plus members of the Strategik and Ambient Mafia crews.

9 p.m.-4 a.m., $25–$40. Mission Rock, 817 Terry Francois, SF. opelnye.eventbrite.com

 

SWEATERFUNK

Fuzzy local weekly party Sweaterfunk has kept the lights on for soulful boogie — and its more contemporary twists and turns — in this city for a wonderful while. For NYE, special Swedish future-funker guests Opolopo and Amalia should really turn you inside out.

9 p.m.-3 a.m., $20–$30. SOM, 2925 16th St., SF. www.som-bar.com

 

THE ITALIAN JOB

Get a little swanky at North Beach’s lovely Monroe club, with some pumpin’ house from Italy’s Rufus plus a “family” of DJs, including Stef “The Baron,” Francesco Signorile, and Carol.

10 p.m., $20–$25. Monroe, 473 Broadway, SF. www.monroesf.com

 

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

This festive affair gives you a number of reasons to welcome 2012 into Oakland, among them a bang-up lineup of techno and house DJs from the Space Cowboys crew and an awesome onslaught of funk and hip-hop from the likes of Sake One, Platurn, and Joe Quixx. What up, East Bay!

9 p.m., $25–$85. Oakland Metro, 630 Third St., SF. stayeastbay.eventbrite.com

 

TRANNYSHACK NYE

Queens, queens, and more queens — they’ll be gushing out like a waterfall at this annual drag hoo-haw, with performances by Heklina, Suppositori Spelling, Holy McGrail, Honey Mahogany, Matthew Martin and a million more.

9:30 p.m.-3 a.m., $25–$39. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.trannyshack.com

 

VELVET TEEN

This is your twee, feel-good option, the soaring-sweet vocals and sharp riffs of perennial Bay Area indie rock favorites Velvet Teen will assure a night of arms slung around waists and peachy full body sways. With Happy Body Slow Brain, Fake Your Own Death.

10 p.m., $17. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. www.bottomofthehill.com

 

WAX IDOLS AND TERRY MALTS

And then there are the new local favorites, Wax Idols and Terry Malts — both bands are part of an exciting, classic garage punk rock surge in the Bay Area music scene. And if punks indeed have no future, celebrate the end of times at the Hemlock. The show also includes champagne toast at midnight.

9 p.m., $10. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. www.hemlocktavern.com

Localized Appreesh: Buffalo Tooth

Tony Robles
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Localized Appreesh: Buffalo Tooth

Localized Appreesh is our weekly thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. Each week a band/music-maker with a show, album release, or general good news is highlighted and spotlit. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.

This week’s Localized Appreesh hones in on the mysterious garage punk of San Francisco’s Buffalo Tooth. The band has a set of thrashy-fun songs up now on Bandcamp, recorded by the illustrious Matthew Melton of Oakland’s Bare Wires, but that’s all to be had so far besides the live show (you can catch that this week at Hemlock Tavern). Buffalo Tooth is patiently awaiting an official release. Which, aren’t we all?

Year and location of origin: 2011, Black Hills of South Dakota, Buffalo Specimen: A-46B.
Band name origin: It’s a symbol of resistance and power in Native American culture.
Band motto: Mid-set high fives.
Description of sound in 10 words or less: Blue Cheer/Black Flag; basically bands with colors in their names.
Instrumentation: Guitar/Vox – Greg Downing, Bass/Vox – Eric Kang, Drums/Vox – Sean Grange
Most recent release: Upcoming 7″ S/T EP on Archer’s Guild Records, recorded by: Matthew Melton (Bare Wires) and mastered by: Patrick Haight.
Best part about life as a Bay Area band: Tons of awesome bands to play with, the Bay has so many killer bands right now.
Worst part about life as a Bay Area band: No moneys……
First record/cassette tape/or CD ever purchased:Oh boy, Slipknot when I was 11.
Most recent record/cassette tape/CD/or Mp3 purchased/borrowed from the Web: Danava Hemisphere of Shadows.
Favorite local eatery and dish: Morty’s in the TL, Chicken BLT.

Buffalo Tooth
With Down Dirty Shake, and E Minor and the Dirty Diamonds
Wed/28, 9 p.m., $6
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0925
www.hemlocktavern.com

Snap Sounds: In the Christmas Groove

Tony Robles
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Snap Sounds: In the Christmas Groove

IN THE CHRISTMAS GROOVE
VARIOUS ARTISTS
(Strut)

Sick of the usual holiday favorites (though I’ll never tired of Saint Mariah), I was pleased as rare twist punch with In the Christmas Groove — a compilation of obscure stone cold soul, funk, and other vintage grooves from Christmas past, namely the 1960s and ’70s holiday spirits.

Kicking off with Jimmy Reed’s funkified “Christmas Presents Blues,” the album can instantly be split into two kinds of songs — those that would stand on their own, Christmastime or not, and those with an unavoidable level of merry X-mas kitsch. Most poignant of the bunch is Harlem Children’s Chorus’ soulful “Black Christmas” hoping for “that moment when/there’s peace on earth/good will to men/in the ghetto/Black Christmas.” The most James Brown-esque, get-on-your-feet and let’s dance, track come courtesy J.D. McDonald: “Boogaloo Santa Claus.” Hint: there are a few NYE tunes to help you ride out the holidays.

Get into it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMwtLZDuFjs

 

 

Snap Sounds: Super 11

Tony Robles
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0

SUPER 11
SUPER ONZE
(self-released)

Led by hand drumming, three-stringed n’goni lute, and organic pitch shifting Malian chant, Super 11’s Super Onze is a compelling set of songs. The band, a collective formed in a remote region of Northern Mali, plays Takamba, a type of music typically created for weddings and other ceremonies. It comes from a rich musical history, linked to other artists in the area, and in style to acts such as Ali Farka Touré.

I first came to Super 11 through cantorial-blues act Sway Machinery. The Sway Machinery traveled to Mali a few years back to work on an album and Gao-based Super 11 ended up appearing on the New York act’s double record — a brilliant decision. It’s no wonder the collab worked. Merely explore the fiery opening vocal solo on Super Onze‘s “Khoumeissa,” or fall deep into any of the album’s thumping hand-made dance beats. It’s available at www.super11.bandcamp.com.

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