When The Lights Go Down In The City
Our concert picks for the week of 9/22-9/28.
We've got not one, but three CDs to give away to a lucky winner this week, in honor of three upcoming concerts: Bloc Party tonight at the Warfield and Popscene, John Wilkes Booze on Saturday at Thee Parkside, and Jeff Hanson at Cafe Du Nord on Monday. Enter to win Silent Alarm Remixed, Telescopic Eyes Glance The Future Sick and Jeff Hanson. (Contest ends 9/28).
This week is chock full of music, starting tonight with an appearance by Stellastarr* at Popscene with Tom Vek and guest DJs from Bloc Party fresh from their Warfield show. Playing in Fog presents Seventeen Evergreen and Foxtail Somersault at the Makeout Room and Hotel Utah has Whyspy and The Skygreen Leopards. At the Canvas Gallery, jump/cut and Beatropolis use live instrumentation to reinterpret drum-n-bass and downtempo. Head to Bimbo's for sensitive, pop-minded singer-songwriters Duncan Sheik and David Poe. They've been recording together so expect some collaborations in addition to their solo material.
On Friday, SFist throws a kickoff party for Webzine 2005 at Cafe Du Nord from 8-10pm. You have to be a Webzine registrant or friend of SFist to get in for cheap booze and DJ sets by DJ Karen (KALX) and DJ Roxy Fox of Touch Me I'm Sick. If you want to join us, send an email. There are plenty of pre-Love Parade festivities going on around town, including Test Shot Starfish performing at Pyramind's Remix Lounge at 4 pm. That night Stellastarr* plays the Independent with Every Move a Picture, and 12 Galaxies has the intriguing lineup of Rosin Coven, Barbez and Zegnotronic Rocket Society.
On Saturday the Love Parade envelops San Francisco, complete with a metric ton of DJs performing. Head to Market & 2nd Street by 12 noon and wear your most comfortable dancing shoes, because there's no such thing as a spectator in this dance parade extravaganza. That night, Cafe Du Nord has the raw rock of The Noisettes and The Herms, or catch John Wilkes Booze at Thee Parkside. Minmae and Thee More Shallows bring down the volume at Hotel Utah. Locals Scrabbel open for Nouvelle Vague at Bimbo's. If you want a challenge, see Xiu Xiu (listen) and Yellow Swans at Bottom of the Hill or Dengue Fever and Scissors For Lefty at the Hemlock. Thistle returns to the Red Devil and Maceo Parker throws an all-out shindig at the Fillmore. If you like huge crowds, you can see Green Day at SBC Park or Neil "Love On The Rocks" Diamond at HP Pavilion.
On Sunday, Alice radio's Now & Zen Festival starts at noon at Sharon Meadow with music by Maroon 5, Billy Idol, Natasha Bedingfield, and Josh Kelley (who we think is just terrible). Audioslave and Seether rock the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. A more intimate choice would be to hear Chuck Prophet and his band at Cafe Du Nord.
On Monday, Blackalicious celebrates an album release show at the Independent and Jeff Hanson plays Cafe Du Nord. On Tuesday, Space Mtn plays at Hotel Utah. We like the sound and concept of Space Mtn, but we can't get over how simple their lyrics are. Let us know what you think. Bottom of the Hill has Portastatic and Citizens Here and Abroad. The New Pornographers play their first of two shows at Bimbo's with Destroyer and Immaculate Machine. As part of the Mad Cat Film Fest, The Secrets of Family Happiness and Dear Nora play at El Rio.
Image of Xiu Xiu from the Kill Rock Stars website.