Our top 5 moments at Feist's Fillmore show on Tuesday, June 26th:

     5. Hearing a cash register clang at the back of the venue in the middle of the set, and realizing that the sold-out crowd was perfectly silent. San Francisco concertgoers can really take their music seriously. You stay classy.
     4. Instead of playing to the crowd, Feist literally played the crowd by dividing us into three sections (by type of shoe sole: leather, rubber, wood) and then giving us three notes to harmonize on, which she caught like a surfer on a wave and rode right into the first song.
     3. When Feist asked if anyone in the crowd was a pianist, and audience member Melisssa stepped onstage without warning to play the piano beautifully to cheers and hollers.
     2. The second time Feist ordered the stage lights dimmed and spotlights trained to the giant disco ball in the middle of the room. It made us marvel at all those times we've been to concerts at the Fillmore and the bands didn't take advantage of that giant disco ball!
     1. The point during the extended jam at the end of "Sea Lion" when Feist broke into the riff from The Constantines' "Nighttime/Anytime (It's Alright)". You didn't have to recognize the song to acknowledge it's a monstrous guitar riff, but the semi-obscure reference to one of our favorite bands was a real thrill.

The locals in Audrye Sessions have a brand new CD out this week and they're celebrating with a release party at Bottom of the Hill on Saturday night. We haven't heard the record yet, but we're expecting more epic, radio-friendly rock in the vein of Muse. Sounds great, looks great, feels great - why the hell is this band not signed yet? Maybe this is the record that will change things. Watch a video of their recent performance on Live 105's Sound Check after the jump and enter to win your copy of the new CD (contest ends 7/3; winner will be notified via email).

There are no less than three different shows tonight that we would love to see. It's a testament to the insane amount of entertainment served up to us in this city. A moment of silence for our good fortune...and on to this week's show recommendations:

Two bands that are playing tonight - As Tall As Lions and Fair To Midland - reminded us of a blog post we wrote last August. As Tall As Lions were on heavy rotation for us, and we'd just heard Fair To Midland highly recommended (and blasted at deafening volume) by none other than Jason Newsted. Fair To Midland are dynamic and grandiose, like Mew or the subdued sides of Tool or Mars Volta. As Tall As Lions' sounds are more mellow, but still melodic and complex. The singer reminds us so much of Craig Wedren it's uncanny; they don't list Shudder To Think in their influences on their MySpace page, which is probably an oversight or it means that someone's gonna blow this guy's mind by handing him a copy of Pony Express Record. See Fair To Midland on the Angels Love Devils tour tonight at Slim's, and Popscene presents As Tall As Lions at 330 Ritch. Speaking of beautiful voices, also playing tonight are The Veils at Cafe Du Nord. Singer Finn Andrews' voice is rumored to channel both angels and demons, and these rare Stateside live shows have proven him to be a captivating character.

We saw Iphigénie en Tauride last Wednesday, and the curtain fell not only on the last opening of this season, but on the Pamela Rosenberg era. There are still three more performances of Iphigénie to attend (including one tonight; plus three Rosenkavalier and two Don Giovanni), so it’s not yet time to look back.

This season was the last that Rosenberg planned (before her successor at the helm, SF Opera general director David Gockley tweaked it a bit), and the operas on display during the short summer run totally reflected her taste and values: take excellent singers, and put them into sleek, modernized productions, to reveal something new about the opera they display. This got dubbed as Eurotrash by some of her critics, since it seems only European audiences do mind seeing the same play performed the same way every times, and expect to be challenged. The picture to the right gives you what’s going on right now at La Scala in Milan, and yes, that is Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac, Silvio Berlusconi and George W. Bush dancing in speedos in a see of oil.

So here, we get a sociopathic Don Giovanni reveling sensually in the blood he drew from killing the Commendatore. And we get an absolutely magnificent Iphigénie, a grim, epured, thoroughly contemporary telling of the tale, for the first ever production of this 1779 Gluck opera by the SF Opera.

Pictures of Iphigénie below, courtesy Terrence McCarthy/SF Opera. Picture above of Candide at Théâtre du Châtelet, by Marie-Noëlle Robert

We don't say this lightly, because there are really a lot of great artists coming out of the Bay Area, but we do have a current favorite: Birds & Batteries. We've been telling you about this co-ed quartet for a little while now, and our expectations for their new record were really high. Thankfully it's good news: we love I'll Never Sleep Again. It's still the B&B we met on their last release, but this time the woeful steel guitar and Mike Sempert's deep drawl are buffered by better production, including warm bursts of synth so thick you could hold them in your hand. The record starts out by making the simple, straightforward Neil Young classic "Heart of Gold" into an existential epic, and we love the song "Starclusters" so much that it's secured a solid entry in our top 10 tracks of the year. One lucky winner will get a Birds & Batteries prize pack, including two tickets to the CD release party on Wednesday night at Cafe Du Nord, a limited edition copy of the CD with silk screened artwork, plus a poster from the show. Enter to win (contest ends 6/25; winner will be notified via email).

There are a bunch of great shows to see this week, but frankly the pickins are a little slim compared to the embarrassment of riches that we're used to here in SF. Tonight Sean Hayes celebrates a CD release party at Great American. Catch The New Year and David Bazan (of Pedro The Lion and Headphones) at Bottom of the Hill, or head to Cafe Du Nord for Great Lake Swimmers and Eleni Mandell with opener Ferraby Lionheart. Noise Pop presents Rock n' Read with Dan Strachota at Beauty Bar, where writers read music-themed poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is a showpiece for a virtuoso of the keyboard, one with enough guts to tackle its challenges, and enough confidence to laugh at its difficult twists. Yefim Bronfman displayed more than guts and confidence, he showed some serious chutzpah. He impressed us last year in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and renewed our awe Thursday night at Davies Symphony Hall with as solid a performance. He even got an extra brownie point for tongue-in-cheek creativity. (The program notes for this concert include a nice eulogy to Slava Rostropovich, who was last conducting the SF Symphony during the Shostakovich run that included Bronfman’s performance).

A finely modulated musicality pervaded his interpretation whenever Prokofiev gave him the opportunity, but the concerto is mostly a showpiece to display a dazzling technique, and Bronfman was up to the task, hands flying up and down the keyboard in neck-breakingly fast scales or in giant block chords.

Bronfman even brought a touch of, shall we say, creativity to the proceedings, by missing the last note of the first movement, a fortissimo ending which he landed slightly off, only to rebound one octave lower on an improvised, yet perfectly fitting ending. The whole thing happened so smoothly, so naturally, and Bronfman was so impassive, that we even doubt it ever happened. So pleased was the audience, it broke convention to applaud in-between movements. Yet MTT could not stop chuckling at his virtuoso for such clever resourcefulness and had to extend the break a little bit so he could regain his composure.

Yefim Bronfman, picture by Deborah Feingold

Huge congratulations to our friend DJ Ted from BAGeL Radio who landed in the New York Times this week! A photo of BAGeL Radio HQ is featured in the story called "Big Radio Makes a Grab for Internet Listeners", along with a quote from Ted and mentions of bay area-based Soma FM, Live365 and Pandora. Ted's fighting the good fight to save internet radio from being crushed by soaring broadcasting fees. He's got full details on how to help the cause on his blog, along with an announcement of a benefit show on July 1st at Bottom of the Hill. We'll keep you posted with details on the show as it approaches.

Anyone looking for an arresting new album to fall into? We always are, and we're pretty sure we've found our favorite candidate in Shearwater's latest release. Begun in 2000 as a project with Okkervil River's Will Sheff, Shearwater has morphed into the full vision of Jonathan Meiburg, anchored by the arc of his voice, from a whisper to a wail, and propelled by epic songwriting. Sublime and intense, this is the type of music you must give your full attention to -- throwing on their new record Palo Santo while vacuuming would be just...wrong. Shearwater play Wednesday night with Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Minus Story at Bottom of the Hill. We've got tickets to the show plus a copy of the CD for one lucky winner. Listen to several songs from Palo Santo and enter to win. (Contest ends 6/18; winner will be notified via email.)

"Scratch your name into the fabric of this world before you go." - Noisettes

Let Noisettes show you the future tonight at 7pm for free when they perform at Amoeba. Singer Shingai Shoniwa's voice is a force in and of itself, but we give her two snaps up for bringing some true new rock-n-roll style to the stage as well. Popscene presents a full set by Noisettes later tonight at 330 Ritch, a scene where a creative outfit is always appreciated, along with The Maccabees, yet another band of British blokes.

Get a load of Noisettes:

For a thorough sampling of the current Bay Area rock/indie/pop/folk scene, look no further than Penny Arcade, a monthly, semi-acoustic showcase hosted by one of the cities most likeable citizens, Raul Sanchez. For the past two years, Raul has regularly packed various venues, such as the Make-Out Room -- now the event's permanent home, Bottom of the Hill, and The Hotel Utah with bands and fans alike.

Tonight, come celebrate Penny Arcade's Two-Year Anniversary at the Make-Out Room with the following stellar line-up: Mumlers, The Dodos, Nathan Moomaw & Raul and more!

Penny Arcade
Make-Out Room
3225 22nd St, SF
Tonight, 9pm, $6

If you can't make it tonight, the next few months' events are July 19th, August 15th, and September 27th, all at the Make Out Room.

Upon reading Raul's answers below, we find ourselves left with a hankering for margaritas, more local history, and of course, lots more music...

What's been the most stand-out Penny Arcade show so far?
Ooh, hard to say. They’ve all had their own unique moments of radness. The 1 Year Anniversary Party with The Papercuts was awesome. The Sugar & Gold gig was nuts. LSD and The Search for God were pretty cosmic…But I’d have to say the first one in 2005 still resonates in my mind quite a bit. I can’t believe it’s been 2 years…We had the Bellyachers, Loquat, Patrick Abernethy, the Junior Panthers, Pat Johnson, and Nathan Moomaw perform…6 acts!…My pal Greg Morantz was DJing…I don’t think anyone went on stage sober…including myself. (We can vouch for that! -- SFist Leanne)

If Penny Arcade could transcend space and time, what would be your ultimate line-up of all time?
Aw man…lets see…Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - you know the “Muppet Rock band”, The Banana Splits, The Monkees, and Fat Albert’s band…alright we’ll throw in Billy Bragg to politicize it a bit…hmm no. Ok…Seriously? I’d have to say Woody Guthrie, Silvio Rodriguez, Big Star and George Harrison.

Got any crazy stories that happened during Penny Arcade?
Pat Johnson was scheduled to play solo, but recruited enough musicians in the audience to play with a full backing band…even the sound engineer/musician, Chris von Sneidern, got into the action playing bass…rad times indeed. (Yep, that was awesome! -- SFist Leanne)

Lots more after the jump!

Thursday, the SF Symphony opens a two week Prokofiev festival. They even have a fancy title: Russian firebrand, Russian virtuoso: the music of Prokofiev. We think they're trying to say that Prokofiev was Russian. He wrote five Russian piano Russian concertos which will all be performed by four Russian soloists: Yefim Bronfman, Vladimir Feltsman, Ilya Yakushev (he'll do two), and Mikhail Rudy. That's a pretty rare opportunity to hear all these concertos performed in such a short span by such distinguished performers.

There will be a party on Thursday night after the performance to start the Russian festival, which you can join too (ticket info here). We would suggest showing the Big Lebowski on a giant screen as an excuse to drink some white Russians. We even rehearsed: "that red carpet really ties Davies Symphony hall together." But from the web site, it looks more like a Russian caviar and Russian vodka affair.

Preview continues after the jump

Der Rosenkavalier opens with two women making out in bed, and the SF Opera did not even think of asking Miller Lite to sponsor the performance? Actually, one of the characters is only sung by a woman, and is supposed to be a precocious 17-year-old lad, Octavian, a.k.a. Quinquin, taking advantage of the lessons and wisdom of an older woman, the Marschallin, a.k.a. Princess Marie Thérèse von Werdenberg, a.k.a. Bichette (literally "little doe").

If the set-up sounds French to you, don’t worry: it reminds us of La Chartreuse de Parme rewritten by Proust, complete with the blurred genders and the turn of the 20th century decadence of the aristocracy. The opera was written in 1911 for the latter, and Quinquin, already a soprano in pants, takes two turns as a man in drag, for the former.

That Quinquin is still quite innocent is proved by the fact that he’s singing enthusiastic arias after a night of love making, while a more knowledgeable lover would run away from the morning breath and sweaty armpits of his partner, or solidly doze away. But it’s all for our benefit: Joyce DiDonato does a convincing turn in a male character, and brings an angelic voice to the proceedings.

Pictures Terrence McCarthy, SF Opera. Above Joyce DiDonato kneeling in front of Soile Isokoski, as we should all do. Below, Miah Persson.

No performance in Berkeley would be complete without a political statement. The Tyrant, a 65mn chamber opera west coast premiere which kicked of the Berkeley Edge Fest Thursday night at the Zellerbach playhouse, on the UC campus, does not disappoint. A tyrant, operatic tenor John Duykers, is confined to his throne, afraid of being overthrown if his august tush were to sit somewhere else. The libretto is loosely based on an Italo Calvino short story, so you’ll recognize the absurdist set up.

Despite wearing the beret of a dictator, Duykers comes across as pretty innocuous as far as tyrant goes: he anguishes about writing a speech for the 20th anniversary of the coup that put him in power, he is worried about his people loving him; he is weary of forcing people to sing for him, so much he’d rather set up an American Idol contest to identify the voice he overheard through his palace window. He is a lion in a zoo: a king trapped in a gilded cage of his own paranoid making.

Los Gatos-based NetFlix has one of the greatest products around, and we give them a lot of leeway despite the company's annoying, ever-present pop-up ads.

The company just announced a summer concert series that attempts to mesh movies with music. We originally thought, "how cheesy." But then we decided we liked the idea -- more or less because it's so cheesy. Also, they're all free to the public. Unfortunately, none of the concerts are local -- but get a load of the line-up:

-- Dennis Quaid and The Sharks will play a show in New Orleans on Thursday, June 21, after which fans can see a showing of "The Big Easy."
-- The Bacon Brothers will perform in Baltimore on Sunday, July 15, after which "Diner" will be screened.
-- Finally, the Bruce Willis Blues Band will wrap up the series with concert at the Kennedy Space Center, which will be followed with one of Bruce's space-oriented movies, "Armageddon."

Bonus: Maria Menounos will serve as the host of all three shows.

Now THAT's convergence! And it seems pretty clever in a marketing sense for NetFlix. But, c'mon -- weren't Keanu and Dogstar available?

Cal Performances' biennial Berkeley Edge Fest is dedicated to presenting works of contemporary music and performance. Starting this Thursday (June 7) and running through Sunday June 10 at Zellerbach Hall, the Edge Fest seems to be pushing an anti-Bush theme this year. Oh, they're just giving the people of Berkeley exactly what they want to hear!

This year, the Edge Fest is featuring a musical theater piece by Paul Dresher called The Tyrant, based on a short story by Italo Calvino, about a king that clings to power for fear of losing his throne. They are also featuring performances and conversation with anti-war composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski, whose most famous work is entitled "The People United Will Never Be Defeated." Rzewski will also be performing the new pieces he's written in opposition to the Iraq war (one of which is entitled "Bring 'Em Home," and another of which is entitled, "The Fall of the Empire Part 6: Sacrifices." This program actually sounds like a lot of fun!

Here's the schedule (and video clips are here):
Thurs. June 7: The Tyrant, 8 p.m., $36. Zellerbach layhouse.
Fri. June 8: Piano pieces by Rzewski, 8 p.m., $32. Hertz Hall.
Sat. June 9: The Tyrant, 8 p.m., $36. Zellerbach Playhouse.
Sun. June 10: The Rzewski anti-war pieces, 3 p.m., $32. Hertz Hall.

Picture of The Tyrant.

Live 105's annual BFD Festival this Saturday brings 25 bands (check out the full lineup) to Shoreline Amphitheatre, but Interpol has ponied up two spots on the guest list for one lucky SFist winner.

There's something about Interpol's first album, Turn On The Bright Lights, that reminds us of our two year stint living in Manhattan. Perhaps it's because we were leaving the city just as Interpol were taking it by storm, but more than that it's the mood of the record that recalls our time in NYC -- stark and intense, concrete and cold yet somehow inspiring. After putting out two albums with respected indie Matador, they've raised the stakes to put out their third on Capitol. We haven't heard it yet, but be sure we're curious about how a three-year wait, working with a producer for the first time (Rich Costey) and a change to a major label have influenced their sound.

Our Love to Admire isn't out until July 10th, but you can see the band on Saturday, June 9th, at Shoreline. Listen to the brand new single "The Heinrich Maneuver" and enter to win two tickets to the show. (Contest ends tomorrow, June 5th! Winner will be notified via email.)

A controversy was brewing, surrounding the dismissal of Hope Briggs, who was originally scheduled to sing Donna Anna, and her replacement with Elza Van Den Heever, in the new SF Opera production of Don Giovanni, which kicked off the summer season on Saturday night. The explanation for the switch from the upper floors of the opera house was rather laconic, which left the door open to wild speculations.

Was it, as this Berkely Daily Planet op-ed conjectured, due to the new media suite, which will record every performance on high definition from this Don Giovanni on and thus will put some demand on the singers to look good, conjectures the writer? And wouldn’t anyone from Texas (SF Opera's general director David Gockley's previous job was in Houston) consider a white woman such as Elza Van Den Heever better looking than a black woman such as Hope Briggs, asks the op-ed writer? The wild, unsubstantiated conspiracy theory says more about the person making those connections that it does about the process inside the opera house, but nonetheless, even the NY Times jumped in the debate!

Race most likely did not play a role, but still one consequence of the switch was to cancel an African-American community outreach event, which is still a slap in the face and a tough situation for the PR to handle. Is Al Sharpton flying into town soon?

Yet last night performed slammed shut the questioning and finger pointing and Monday quarterbacking of the move: while Hope Briggs performed quite expertly a few excerpts of her part in Dolores Park a week ago, Elza Van Den Heever was a revelation last night. She had all the qualities of a major star: range, power at the top, yet the required Mozartian agility in the more challenging parts. She would reveal the high notes, clear and fully formed, hit them straight on the mark, confidently, when so many singers get to a nearby approximate spot and slide to the right tone.

Pictures of Mariusz Kwiecien by Terrence McCarthy and Elza Van Den Heever (with Charles Castronovo) by John Lee, courtesy of SF Opera. The second picture was actually taken during Saturday's first act. Short of taking you with us, you cannot get any closer!

Good God, it was cold out last night. On our trek up to the Greek Theater in Berkeley to see Arcade Fire in the first of their two gigs in the area, we ended up having to stop by the American Apparel store on Bancroft and Telegraph to buy a scarf. Who knew they even sold scarves at the daringly-bare no-sweatshop emporium?

We are now officially so old, we didn't even bother looking for seats down below, and went straight up the hill and got seats on the bleachers by the portapotties. Any shame we might have felt was somewhat assuaged by the commentary by the folks sitting behind us: "Thank god we're not down in the stands. This way we don't have to hear the people singing along." Truer words were never spoken.

Arcade Fire really are trying to turn into Montreal's Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -- every song was an anthem, and they certainly know how to put on a show. We thought the neon bible logos they had on stage looked kind of like underpants, though.

YouTube clip of yesterday's Neighborhood #3 (Power Out). More clips here. One more gig tonight at the Greek at 8 p.m.