Arts+Events: August 2009 Archives

by Moses Namkung
What do you get when you mix members of the Smashing Pumpkins, Hanson, Fountains of Wayne and Cheap Trick? Apparently... Tinted Windows. Aidan Vaziri at SFGate has an amusing interview with Taylor Hanson, the 26-year old father of four, in which he says, and we quote, "Heroin has a real down side, so I try to stay away from the hard stuff" and "I've figured out what to do with my hands ... onstage... I subtly molest the mike stand." The kid apparently has grown up a lot in the 12 years since 1997. You can catch the demi-supergroup at GAMH on Friday. Select list of shows around the city, after the jump...

                            

As many of you probably know, the weather took a turn for the San Franciscan on Sunday and Golden Gate Park remained socked in all day. But that did not deter fans from coming out to Outside Lands to see their beloved M.I.A. (who made a single shout-out to the Beasties and sang a two-song cover medley, and also had two slightly creepy twin redhead backup dancers), Modest Mouse and of course, Tenacious D. Whatever you may say about them not being real musicians, they certainly are entertainers, and from the flat screen TVs in the Winehaven wine tent their set sure did look fun. Band of Horses' late set in Lindley Meadow was mesmerizing and mellow, and Calexico also did a bang-up job with six or seven horns on stage to boot. But the best performance of the day, if we had to choose, came from recently re-issued soul singer Bettye LaVette, who sang a doozy of a number called "Let Me Down Easy" and also covered Sam Cooke's "Change is Gonna Come," which she sang at President Obama's inauguration. See some pics here, also including Slug of Atmosphere fame, the hippie-hunky Avett Brothers, the "brothers" Gene and Dean Ween who constitute Ween, and those joyful and boisterous kids from Brooklyn, Matt & Kim.

                    

The second day of Outside Lands on Saturday was equally as hot (temperature-wise) as the first, and the crowd was estimated at near the festival's capacity of 60,000 -- and it was all probably thanks to Dave Matthews Band and The Black Eyed Peas (and not, as we might have hoped, TV on the Radio, who were nonetheless swell). Other highlights were the Street Sweeper Social Club (featuring Boots Riley of The Coup and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine), Deerhunter, Bat for Lashes, the ever emotive Conor Oberst, and we got to hand it to Jason Mraz for keeping it breezy with a set of surf music -- not our thing, but the girls seem to like it. Here are some pics by SFist music editor Moses Namkung, and a gallery of Day 3 is here.

FILM: Cambodian pop band Dengue Fever journeys to Cambodia in Sleeping Through the Mekong, and explores the history of the vibrant 1960s and 1970s music scene, when Cambodian musicians reinvented Western rock 'n' roll with a distinctly Khmer flavor. The trip is both a homecoming for lead singer Chhom Nimol and a transformation for the rest of the band.

ART: Check out the world's largest touring sneaker hip-hop lifestyle exhibition at Sneaker Pimps World Tour, featuring over 1,500 pairs of rare, limited edition, vintage, celebrity-signed, artist-collaborated sneakers and a collection of sneaker inspired artwork, fashion and photography. There will be live street art installations, live skateboarding demonstrations, street basketball competitions, and live hip-hop performances by Clipse, J. Billion, Beetiki, Jern Eye, and special guests.

                              

It was hotter than anyone could have dreamed possible for August in SF yesterday, and the sun stayed out much of the day for the opening of the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park yesterday. Many fans of all ages showed up, and judging from the crowd on the Polo Field around 8 p.m., Pearl Jam is still huge! Who knew. Here we bring you some pics from the scene, including Akron/Family, Los Campesinos! (who were sort of like The Psychedelic Furs meets Le Tigre), Silversun Pickups, Blind Pilot, The National (who were phenomenal), Thievery Corporation, and of course, the now white-haired but still rocking Tom Jones. Apologies for all ye Eddie Vedder fans -- there were special approvals required to photograph His Highness, and we were not among the chosen.

Starting today, folks will trickle out of SF to head for the Playa for Nevada's most popular circuit party. Bye-bye.

PARTY: For those who'd love the chance to redo their prom experience, the Mishap Prom is your chance. Musical acts include The Missing Teens, Spandex Tiger, R&B Free Jazz Gospel Supreme 80, and The Torn ACLs. Spiked punch guaranteed!

This track off of Thievery Corporation's lastest album features jazz guitarist Chuck Brown, a.k.a. The Godfather of Go-Go. Check out TC, maybe with Chuck in tow, at Outside Lands tomorrow night, simultaneous with Pearl Jam's set.

The weather for Outside Lands this weekend is looking downright grand, so for those of you with tickets and those still on the fence, SFist brings you this roundup of highlights.

Hanging out in the SOMA arrondissement this evening? Yes? Well, then, why not stop by Electric Works on Eighth Street for a photo exhibit by local photographer (and MOREboy) Brandon Norris. Known for his "outlandish and often debaucherous club photography, Norris has created a new body of work whose cast of characters is all too familiar" (that is to say, he snaps the shots of drunkards at Booty Call in the Castro), tonight "Norris ditches the constructed sets, the props, and the costumes in an attempt to expand on the deeper soul of his subjects."

PARTY: Green Zebra is celebrating the launch of their brand new Environmental Action Center and reMake Lounge. Learn about solar lease programs, composting, rainwater catchment, and other sustainable lifestyle techniques. There will also be opportunities to make your own green cleaning products, create an art piece from scrap materials, and learn to mend your clothes. The event features music, electric bike test rides, eco-friendly cocktails, local, organic snacks by Living Room Events, and raffle prizes.

Oakland's Eat Real Festival, which was founded last year, is a sister event to the San Francisco Street Food Festival and sounds like a much better run event than the SF-based debacle trial run was. Get Real also benefits La Cocina, and there's no entry fee.

Deborah Butterfield's horse sculptures will be on display at 425 Market until September 14. Check them out if you're in the neighborhood.

Oakland's own Loop Station! comprises the classically trained duo of Sam Bass and Robin Coomer, and their unique mix of cello and raw, lyrical emotion has earned them a gaggle of Bay Area fans. They perform live, each with a foot-pedal-controlled loop station tool that they use to layer cello and voice tracks over one another. They'll be playing two sets this weekend at Outside Lands, one early on Friday and one on Saturday. Here's a video of them performing "The Last Time I Saw You" at DNA back in '06.

MUSIC: Terrorbird and Smile! present a stellar night of disco pop. Hailing from NYC, octet The Phenomenal Handclap Band will get the dancefloor moving and sweating. Bay Area faves Bart Davenport, Tempo No Tempo, and DJ Neil Martinson will get the party started.

San Francisco photographer Joe Budd is debuting a new collection of photographs from his travels across the world as a commercial photographer, featuring people and landscapes in exotic locales such as Brazil, Thailand, and Africa in En Route.

Well, this is, as the gays say, just fabulous. The glorious M.I.A. took to Twitter on Saturday to (rightfully) bitch about having to open for Tenacious D, that funny-/fat-man band your younger brother likes, who replaced the ailing Beastie Boys at Outside Lands Festival.

Your cleanser du jour comes to us from one of the bands we're most looking forward to seeing this weekend at Outside Lands, Brooklyn's own The National. They'll be playing on Friday at 5 p.m. (right before Tom Jones (!) on the Sutro Stage), and here for your listening and viewing pleasure is a live studio rendition of "Slow Show."

If you're a theater nerd, you might already know the most famous aspect of Samuel Beckett's two-person play Happy Days, which is currently being performed at the California Shakespeare Theater in Orinda. This is the play with the woman buried up to her neck in dirt -- not to be confused with Endgame, which features two legless characters who live in trash cans -- and it's getting a rare and riveting staging here in the East Bay. Part dark-humored feminist allegory, part existentialist experiment, it takes balls to attack this play, both as director and performer.

MUSIC: Poppy folk band Fruit Bats are promoting their latest Sub Pop album The Ruminant Band with a free show at Amoeba this evening, and they're also at The Independent later tonight, along with Death Vessel and A B & the Sea.

by Moses Namkung

Outside Lands has arrived. Remember last year? Substantial Muni fail, Radiohead's sound cutting out, Mr. Clothezoff, and other freshman-year festival growing pains... this year, we have a gaggle of headliners and acts that hit their prime a generation ago, but also an array of potentially promising Outside Lands night shows the entire week, including The Dodos (sold out, unfortunately), Holy Fuck and Os Mutantes. And that's on top of a week that's already front-loaded with Ted Leo at BOTH and Pete Yorn at the Fillmore on Monday and SubPop's Fruit Bats at Ameoba SF and the Independent on Tuesday. We've been analyzing the schedule, trying to figure out which day of the festival we are the most (and least) excited for. For some reason though, while we do so, we're finding ourselves drifting off and daydreaming of the Flaming Lips, Girl Talk and Grizzly Bear...

Select list of shows around the city, after the jump...

MUSIC: Smile! presents an eclectic mix of bands tonight at the Knockout with gothic/dark Chelsea Wolfe, pop/folk Helene Renaut, singer/songwriter J. Irvin Dally, and folk rock/shoegaze Upstairs Downstairs.

COMEDY: Seattle comedian Hari Kondabolu speaks truth to power with confrontational and personal material, along the same lines as his comedic heroes Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, according to the Seattle Times. KayDee Kersten, Chris Garcia, and Dhaya Lakshminarayanan also perform.

In addition to the SF Street Food Festival on Saturday and the Rock Make Street Festival on Sunday, there's also SF Zine Fest going on all weekend. The event is an annual celebration of independent and underground publishing, featuring a long list of exhibitors who represent all types of DIY publications, such comics, arts and crafts, literary presses, and more.

VARIETY: "Backpack Burlesque! Campfire Comedy! Sultry Acts of Nature!," boast the organizers of tonight's Summer Camp-themed Hubba Hubba Revue. Come enjoy a whole line-up of performers at this titillating variety show that won Best of SF 2009 and Best of the Bay 2008.

The Bay Bridged, Noise Pop,Tartufi, and WhizBang Fabrics bring you the 2nd annual Rock Make Street Festival this Sunday. The six-hour party will consist of approximately 60 Bay Area vendors selling their handicrafts, visual arts, and fashion, nestled between two stages featuring 12 local bands, including Tartufi, Music for Animals, The Don'ts, and the Odawas.

       

A charming French lady by the name of Meshá Mongé-Irizarry is hosting a little event outside City Hall right now featuring free grenadine, bread, paté, and pétanque. The event functions both as a "celebration of Franco-American Unity," a show of artworks by a man who makes sculptures out of recycled cork, and a remembrance of her son, Idriss Stelley (featured in the painting pictured at right) who was shot 48 times by 9 SFPD officers at the Metreon in 2001. (Meshá went on to sue the city and won a settlement with which she started a foundation.) The cork Eiffel Tower is pretty cute, and we do enjoy free things. Anyhow, the sun is kind of peeking out (since these pictures were taken a couple hours ago), so stop on by if you're in the 'hood. Or just look at the pics.

The Asian Art Museum presents Matcha: Way of the Sword next Thursday, which is the second event in their three-part MATCHA series.

ART: It's your last chance to view the current exhibitions at SF Camerawork. The Summer Exhibition Cool-Down Party features Ersatz Group Exhibition, Leaving A Mark: Cutter Photozine, and The 2009 James D. Phelan Art Award in Photography. The publication of the Ersatz exhibition catalog will also be announced.

FILM: This month's Incredibly Strange Picture Show features the zany Zach Galifianakis: Live at the Purple Onion. Filmed in 2005, Galifianakis' performance at SF's famed Purple Onion is said to still be his funniest. The footage of the stage show is accompanied by a tour diary and an interview between Brian Unger and Zach's "twin brother." It's also the Incredibly Strange Picture Show's 5th anniversary, and there will be pre-show entertainment and giveaways with host John Hamilton.

is a series of fictional explorations of the afterlife that range from downloading one's consciousness to a computer to meeting God (both male and female versions). Fans of Radio Lab on NPR may have heard him as well as a couple pieces from the book on their recent episode about the afterlife (listen to the podcast here).

FILM: It's $3 Movie Night, featuring A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil, an inspirational documentary about environmental innovations that transformed Curitiba, Brazil, into one of the most livable cities in the world, and The Story of Stuff, which examines the underside of our production and consumption patterns and compels us to create a more sustainable world.

by Moses Namkung

This week, the Bay Area plays host to Third Eye Blind, Green Day and the Warped Tour -- quite the triumvirate of throwback California alternative rock. Just wondering, is anybody out there going to the 3eb gig? Ever since we stopped contemplating purchasing their debut and/or ) on Tuesday and also has J. Tillman of Fleet Foxes fame on Sunday for a solo show. See you out there.Select list of shows around the city, after the jump...

MUSIC: Jazz quartet Yellowjackets are promoting, Lifecycles, their first album in 15 years, which was recorded in collaboration with high-energy guitar virtuoso Mike Stern and received a Grammy nomination. The five players will be shaking up Yoshi's tonight and tomorrow night.

MUSIC: The legendary M-E-T-H-O-D Man, aka "Cheese" from The Wire, joins the equally legendary Redman and Ghostface Killah.

It's been a busy day for the Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu Dancers, who started their Hit and Run Hula at Pier 39 this morning, bused over to the Ferry Building, made their way to the stage at Union Square, stopped at the Apple Store, the Cable Car Turnaround, were kicked out of the Westfield Mall food court by security (figures), and quickly ambushed the BART station instead. They spent this afternoon at Dolores Park, the Castro, Academy of Sciences, and should be on their way to Ocean Beach for a picnic right about now.

DRAG: It's the 14th Annual SF Drag King Contest, the biggest and longest running drag king contest in the world. This year's event is beach-themed, and proceeds will benefit P.A.W.S. (Pets Are Wonderful Support). Advance tickets available at Retro Fit Vintage (910 Valencia Street), Madame S (385 8th Street), and online at the DNA Lounge.

Wow, there's a lot of day-time events happening this weekend. We are fried from putting this all together. Time to get outside!

In lieu of posting the actual question -- we've received several written and oral inquires regarding the matter -- we'll just go ahead and ask: are there any Mad Men viewing parties happening on Sunday night? We want to know. So does Yelp. So does... anybody who enjoys magnificent TV.

ART: San Francisco artist Micke Tong will be exhibiting a new series of site-specific conceptual art pieces, drawings, and installation sculptures in Micro-Habitat. Viewers can expect to find "low-rider inspired candy colored taxidermy forms infested by cities, pre-fab homes, and other human dwellings made of wood," as well as San Francisco-inspired facades that mimic Victorians, Edwardians, and present-day building aesthetics.

SonicLiving is ramping up its crusade against the Alcoholic Beverage Control's unreasonable crackdown on San Francisco's all-ages music venues with their first Stop the War on Fun benefit concert at the Uptown Nightclub in Oakland tomorrow night. The Uptown is donating 100% of the proceeds to benefit the venues' Legal Defense Fund. (Unfortunately the Uptown is a 21 and over venue.)

FILM: It's a double feature at the Castro with cult classic Repo Man, starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton, and Model Shop, about an American who receives a draft notice for the Vietnam War and falls in love with a French prostitute in L.A.

The silence, as it were, will be deafening tonight at Shoreline Amphitheatre after Depeche Mode's abrupt cancellation of their show due to Dave Gahan's exhausted vocal chords. As some small consolation to those fans currently crying into their lunchboxes, we give you this: the slightly pixelated, probably VHS-transferred, official video for "Enjoy the Silence" off 1990's Violator. Ah, how we long for the days when the boys were so young, well-rested, and svelte.

THEATER: Tonight is the first preview night of Cal Shakes' production of Samual Beckett's Happy Days, directed by Jonathan Moscone. Beckett's astounding portrait of a woman buried up to her waist in sand explores the theme that "we are all alone in the face of death, and all alone in the face of life." Ticket availability for tonight's show is limited, so act fast!

You remember Salt-N-Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex", right? Sure you do. It's the GenX ode to safe sex that kicks off thusly: "Spinderella cut it up one time." Anyway, the cutter in question, DJ Spinderella, was an unofficial member of Salt-N-Pepa for a time in the '90s. She was the "-N-," if you will. And tonight, she will be spinning at 330 Ritch. Flavorpill reports that "hip-hop and soul party Pacific Standard Time throws the pioneering DJ a b-day bash, and the guest of honor will be on the ones and twos." That is to say, she will be manning the decks tonight in SOMA. Help her celebrate her birthday, won't you?

Haven't you heard? Medjool is the new Zeitgeist. It's true. (Well, what with the good folks at 7x7 Magazine now waxing poetic over the Mission cyclist bar these days, even the Routunda at Neiman Marcus could win that title.) So, why not head over to the place you used to hate for a very good cause?

COMEDY: Off-the-wall comedian Maria Bamford has a knack for introducing the audience to her myriad of multiple personalities/dysfunctional family members during her stand-up routine, and we especially enjoy her occasional appearances on Tim & Eric's Awesome Show. Larry Vazeos and SF's own Chris Garcia open.

by Moses Namkung


What's on tap for this w eek? Wednesday packs a nice double punch - Shoreline Ampitheatre hosts the 29-year old Depeche Mode, who have already "had to cancel 12 dates on this tour — the first chunk for
Gahan's bout with gastroenteritis and subsequent removal of a tumor on
his bladder, and then a second stretch when he tore a calf muscle", and Vincent Gallo & Sean Lennon, who will be at Red Devil Lounge.

On Tuesday, Crooked Jades bring their folk revival tunes to Cafe du Nord. while the upcoming weekend fulfills our rap quota with N.A.S.A., proud owners of a big fat one point six from Pitchfork, and the trio of Method Man, Redman and Ghostface Killah, who will be coming to town on Saturday and Sunday at the Independent and Mezzanine, respectively. See you out there.

MUSIC: Japanese cowboy possessing amazing yodeling skills Toshio Hirano will perform his beloved bluegrass favorites for adoring fans as part of Amnesia's free Bluegrass Mondays.

FOOD: Explore the Slow Food movement with tapas, wine, and a film screening at Slow Food on Film: Mad City Chickens. Mad City Chickens tells the story of how more and more city dwellers are choosing to reject industrial farming by keeping birds in their backyards. Experts and authors, a rescued landfill chicken, an inexperienced family that takes the poultry plunge, and a mad scientist and giant hen are all featured in the film.

PARTY: It's an all-out celebration of art, music, surfing, and skating at Surf Movie Party. Local bands Thee Oh Sees, Black Bow, and bands from the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp will kick off the show. At sundown, surf film Dear and Yonder will make its San Francisco debut, and pro skaters Amy Caron, Vanessa Torres, and Leticia Bufoni will simultaneously "shred the skatepark."

COMMUNITY: Celebrate the diversity of Lower Haight with an evening of live music, live painting, food, drink, merriment, and merchant discounts at the Lower Haight Art Walk.

In honor of the opening of Julie & Julia today (a movie which Robert Wilonsky calls "half of a great movie" in the Weekly), gay blogger JoeMyGod points to a 2007 Boston magazine piece in which the venerable Julia Child was revealed to be a homophobe, much like the majority of her generation. In specific:

Tenacious D (Jack Black's funnyman rock 'n' roll shtick) will replace the ailing Beastie Boys at the upcoming Outside Lands Festival. Ta-da. (If you recall, doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in Adam Yauch's left parotid gland, so BB had to cancel both their tour and upcoming album release.)

Muni Metro riders might encounter some extra special entertainment on their commutes tomorrow. The traveling Cut and Run tour will be projecting films on the N, L, and J lines randomly throughout the day, with the accompaniment of Silicon Valley-based band Dusty Organ. If you encounter the show, let us know how it was!

ART: Nine emerging artists sought out inspiring mentors to explore the collaborative experience for Ever Gold Gallery's Double Trouble exhibition. Mentor-student pairs include John Casey + Althea James, Jihaari Terry + Kale Cooley, Tara Foley + Nina Potepan, Troy Lovegates + Griffin Snyder, Monica Canilao + Constance Castillo, Barry McGee + Nathaniel Galipeau, Tahiti Pehrson + Emma Hazen, Mona Caron + Elina Ansary, and Ray Potes + Bryan Marciano.

Director Ang Lee, along with screenwriter/producer James Schamus and star Demetri Martin appeared last night at a preview of Taking Woodstock at Embarcadero Cinemas. The film is a gorgeously shot and executed ode to the late 60s, and, unlike much of Lee's work of the last decade, it is LOL funny and doesn't end tragically. It's anchored by the story of Elliot Tiber, a young gay man who, while managing his parents' motel in the Catskills, became a central figure in bringing the great hippie tsunami of '69 to Bethel, New York. The movie features a fine and subtle performance by stand-up comedian and first-time actor Martin (pictured above, tripping, with Kelli Garner and Paul Dano), a restrained turn by Liev Schrieber as a transsexual, and a killer performance by Imelda Staunton at Elliot's mother that will, mark our words, win her an Oscar.

by Moses Namkung

PARTY: Celebrate with the Bay Guardian at their 35th Annual Best of the Bay Party. There will be live music performances by Sila & The Afrofunk Experience, J-Boogie's Dubtronic Science, Sellassie, and The Fresh & Onlys, a dance performance by Project Em (Funkanometry SF), DJing by Paul Paul & Lucky and Stanley Frank, and "eye candy" by the Lusty Lady Dancers. Broke-Ass Stuart will emcee.

PERFORMANCE: Joe Goode Performance Group presents Traveling Light, an installation combining dance, language, irony and reflection, which will take the audience on a journey through the vaults and chambers of the oldest stone building in San Francisco. Production and lighting design by Jack Carpenter, and music and sonic landscape by Jay Cloidt.

No need to raise your hand if you've read a book by potboiler novelist Danielle Steel. Even if you haven't, millions of others have, and you've probably strolled by her Pacific Heights mansion to gawk. She has sold more than half a BILLION copies of her books, which adds up to a whole lot of words. She's also a serious art collector, and the folks at the Andrea Schwartz Gallery got her to combine the two by curating a group exhibition of art incorporating the written word.

by Moses Namkung

Did you miss out on buying tickets to the secret show for Sonic Youth at the Independent tonight? Never fear, they're available for... oh, wait... somebody's asking for the extortionary amount of $175, or 5x face, on craigslist!? For shame. If you aren't in the mood to shell out that kind of dough to see some aging rockers from two decades ago, you can still kind of get your 80's fix with Black Francis, aka the big, bald white guy from the Pixies, Frank Black, at Hotel Utah on Thursday and Friday.


Two other shows of note, both on Thursday, include Harlem, recently signed to Matador at Rickshaw Stop and The Dry Spells
celebrating their CD release at Cafe du Nord. Otherwise, it's a bit of a slow week in the Bay Area, so to keep you entertained, here's a nice mixtape of KZSU digital sessions, courtesy of the recently and dearly departed SF music blogger ipickmynose.

THEATER: The Thunderbird Theatre Company presents Aaron Trotter and the Incident at Bikini Beach, a coming-of-age comedy in which Aaron Trotter, boy wizard/surfer must win the respect of his classmates, overcome the trials of adolescence, and solve the mystery behind the disappearance of his long-lost parents while attending a tight-knit California surfing academy.

MUSIC: There are still tickets available for the epic Sonic Youth show at the lovely Fox Theater tonight (in case you weren't lucky enough to score tickets to their surprise show at the Independent tomorrow night, which swiftly sold out within minutes). Don't forget those earplugs!