As the winners of Live 105's Local Band competition, Maldroid will be opening for Modest Mouse, Jimmy Eat World, Angels & Airwaves, Spoon, and Paramore tomorrow night at the "Not So Silent Night" bash at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Maldroid's sound is a mix between The Beatles and The Hives. They first became popular when their video, "He Said, She Said," won "The Youtube Underground" competition - Youtube's first ever music video competition. They......

Sure. We'd love to see Hilary Clinton win just for the darling Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton pattern that's coming along nicely, but we're also curious about this Barack Obama fella. He seems to be some guy running for President of the U S of A, and you can see him this Wednesday night. He's here to talk, make the rounds, look deep into your eyes, and probably make nice with a few unreasonably sensitive gays. Who: Barack......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on SFist. NY Times Home Delivery, with 50% off home delivery. Cazadores, the one with the deer head. Truly CA, stories about California on KQED. World War Z, perfect as Halloween is coming up. SF Dish, where AMEX cardmembers can dish about restaurants. Interpol, tomorrow at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Wristcutters, opening next month. Stylized Sculpture, at the Asian Art Museum. Travelzoo,......

Despite the, err, soap opera that happened at City Hall, Project Homeless Connect is still happening. Tomorrow, there'll be another one at the Bill Graham Civic Center, from 9-3 PM. We doubt this time around, we'll see photos of Gavin washing people's feet (sadly, we couldn't find a photo of it) or awkward meetings that get reported in breathless detail by the Chronicle. ...

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day which means some of you are working and some of you aren't working. We're guessing more of you are working than not working so a whole lot of you are bitter while the rest of you are probably still asleep right now....

Today we're going to write about the Web site Wolfgang's Vault, one of those things we were always meaning to write about but never got the chance to. For various reasons which we'll get to later, we're going to write about it today. ...

Not everyone is afraid of answering questions from people as MUNI, of all groups, is holding a series of Open Houses to talk to you, the rider, and hear what you have to say. And if Gavin thinks taking questions from Chris Daly is scary, how would you like to be in MUNI's shoes and have to listen to disgruntled riders. The meetings are being held by the Transportation Effectiveness Project, you know, the one's who declared war on the "transit-dependent" so here's your chance to fight back. ...

Because we've started the column "Who's Attacking Newsom Now!", we figure it's only right to start the counterpoint column next: Who's Defending Newsom Now!. So who's Mayor McDreamy got on his side? (beside these young ladies in the picture above, that is!): --Ken Garcia!: The Examiner columnist looks for the silver lining (.pdf, page 5) on the gloomy month that Newsom's been having. Ed Jew'll vote with Gavin on the Board of Supervisors (even......

Last week we got to see one of our favorite new bands Scanners twice, in two different cities. At Cafe Du Nord there were maybe 50 people in the house, but in New York we were sardined amongst a few hundred sweaty, sweater-clad CMJers. No matter the size of the audience, frontwoman Sarah Daly pouts, glowers, stares and gives it her all. This band is talented, comely, exciting, dynamic both live and on record, and......

Did you know that the band AFI has its roots in Ukiah, California? They've come a long way in the last 15 years, winning a Video Music Award last week for Best Rock Video for their song "Miss Murder". Watch the winning video and enter to win tickets to see AFI at the Bill Graham Civic Center tomorrow night. We're giving away two pairs of tickets and will select and notify the winners via email......

Who saw Pearl Jam this week? With three sold out shows at Bill Graham Civic Center, at least a few of you must have been there. We braved the packed, sweaty, drunken crowd on Sunday night to remind ourselves why we’re really no fan of large venues. It was hard to see from any vantage point on the floor if you weren’t over six feet tall, and even if you found yourself a decent sight......

Richard Hargraves v. Clint Coronel Though last week's Golden Gloves was not actually the "Golden Gloves" event sanctioned by boxing's governing body, USA Boxing, that information failed to dissuade some of the Bay Area's greatest fighters from appearing at the Civic Center this weekend. After battling Symphony, Asian Art Museum, and fight fans for parking, we entered Bill Graham Coliseum as the Chronicle's Editor, Phil Bronstein departed (insert joke about the shifting tides of......

Clap your hands say Wednesday! Tonight: Have a mellow hump day in that interregnum between Christmas and New Year's and check out the Mission-area Community Music Center's jazz clinic performance at the Savanna Jazz Club on Mission between 25th and 26th Streets at 7:30. Thursday: After trying and failing to return to Virgin that horrendous joke CD you won in the office Christmas pool ("come on! It's still shrink-wrapped!"), stop by Union Square and watch the Bill Graham menorah get the fifth candle lit at 5 p.m. Friday: Well, no one's going to try and swallow an alligator here or anything, but the Academy of Sciences will be conducting its weekly snake feedings at the Steinhart Aquarium today. Most of the snakes will be fed humanely-euthanized mice and rats, but the Burmese whipsnakes will be fed fish. Feedings start at 2, and we're guessing no, they will not allow you to wear a python like Britney Spears either. Don't forget the Academy of Sciences has temporarily moved to SoMA. Picture of Ned McAllister with a snake from the Academy of Sciences webpage...

...because SFist Rita can't! OK, last week's winner was the Guardian. It's their 39th anniversary, and we're talking about housing in the city. Cover story: characterless and expensive condos on the East side. The Warfield sues the Weekly, claiming, among other things, that a Bill Graham staffer threateded to "f**k up" the Warfield. (SFist f**ks stuff up all the time, where's our cool lawsuit?). Oakdale projects are unbelievably squalid. Third Street light rail will......

Josh Wolf captures the one, the only Frank Chu on tape. Listen and learn, people. Harder to capture is reclusive local author Laura Albert JT LeRoy. Also at large is the motherf**ker who vandalized Farmer John's coastside teepee. A former Seattle Chief of Police writes a column in the LA Times about legalization. Split the difference and we arrive at San Francisco's general opinion. Speaking of libertarians, Cal Berkeley's Republican rag the California Patriot......

Cut Copy's CD Bright Like Neon Love makes us smile and dance like no other CD we own. We haven't taken a shine to an upbeat electro-pop band like this since Tahiti 80. Their bio describes theirs as a "sound that references 70’s rock staples like ELO and Fleetwood Mac, late 80’s/early 90’s indie like Sonic Youth and Guided By Voices, the disco production of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, post-punk and French house." Fans......

This week we're giving away an EP by promising up-and-coming local band Finest Dearest. We're excited to watch where this comely and talented co-ed group's bright future takes them. Fans of female-fronted indie rock should preview a few tracks here or here and pick up your own copy of their EP when they play the Hemlock this Friday night. (Contest ends Wednesday 10/12.) Hipsters unite at the Bill Graham Civic Center tonight for Franz......

"What? This isn't the Beck show?" we heard a guy ahead of us in line cry out in the Great American ticket line last night. Nope, the sold-out show was for quirky folkster Sufjan Stevens, who's touring on the second of his albums dedicated to the American states, Illinois. (Beck was about five blocks down the street, at the Bill Graham.) According to Asthmatic Kitty, the label that's putting out Illinois, they got an angry letter from DC Comics complaining about a picture of Illinois resident Superman on the cover art for Sufjan's album. They managed to work out a deal where they can sell the CDs they have but future albums won't have Clark Kent on them. So naturally, we ran to the merch table as soon as we got in, and, to our delight, they were selling off the CDs with the pictures of the Man of Steel. No, we didn't buy two (one to listen to, one to sell) -- but we thought about it! Making the pre-concert settling-in process complete, we looked up from lovingly caressing our new purchase to see -- not only SFist Krissy, but also -- Jason Schwartzman! Well, it was either Jason Schwartzman or a guy with Jason's distinctive nose and bad posture, wearing an aqua tank top and swimming upstream with his posse to get closer to the stage. uneven metered time, the Fighting Illini, a loud guy in the back, and a song about John Wayne Gacy, after the jump....

Last week's winner, the Guardian: Cover articles: SF school superintendant Arlene Ackerman haaaaaaates the Guardian. Okay, we've now read too much about the school board, we had a nightmare about her and members of the Green Party chasing us around and around in a circle last night. Bill Graham Presents is working exclusively with the Weekly, grr! Hey, we actually went to one of the events listed in "The Mix," that little box of things that the cooler-than-you-are SFBGers went to last week. We're sure this is completely mortifying to the cooler-than-you-are SFBGers to hear, like when the cool kids would go to the Esprit store in high school, only to find that group of math club nerdgirls already there. Tura Satana nee Yamaguchi! Miranda July! And Norwegian Annie, loved by Pitchfork! Next up, the EBX: The EBX brags up all the awards it won. The SF Hooters is now boycotting the SF Weekly because the EBX ran a I Like Eating cartoon making fun of their bad food! (The Weekly and the EBX are both owned by New Times Media.) More horse coverage. Cover article: everyone gets along in Newark, CA. The Hootersly-banned I Like Eating dines at the 7-11. Miranda July! But no Annie. And Savage Love: eeps, more tips on rectal tampons! After the jump, the triumphant return of the Metro and the Weekly....

In a press release from the California Culinary Academy we received today, the executive chefs and students at the CCA will be serving 1,000 lunches to the local homeless at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium tomorrow as part of Gavin's Project Homeless Connect, which strives to bring city services and volunteers directly to the local homeless population. From the release: "Because Project Homeless Connect really makes a difference for those in our own neighborhood......

We've already broken our New Year's resolution to not be late anymore, but we can still rally to see more live music in '05. Things remain a bit askew during this first week of January (holiday parties are still happening?) but there are many musical options if you need to get out and about. Or as those kooky Canadians like to say, oot and aboot. Groove is in the heart tonight down at the 111......

"Because tonight, tonight, tonight - oh. Gonna make it right, tonight, tonight, tonight - oh." In the immortal words of Phil Collins, we're referring to our SFist shindig down at Milk, which everyone within the sight of these words should be attending tonight. Because the Iron and Wine show at Slim's is sold out anyway, you aren't a big enough old school GNR fan to see Adler's Appetite at Pound SF, and you're dying to......

Tonight marks the first of eight nights of Hanukkah, that minor holiday puffed up to major holiday deal so goyim have something to say after that awkward pause that invariably arises when they ask a member of the Tribe how their Christmas shopping is going. So there’s only two Hanukkah songs of note, there’s no kitschy Rankin-Bass holiday special featuring little Moishe and Rebecca as they and Judas Maccabee try and save Hanukkah from......

SFist is thankful that San Francisco has the greatest live music venues in the country, despite the bad news SFist Isaac gave us about the closure of seminal Lower Haight club The Top. If you're looking for an excuse to get away from visiting relatives, or a fantastic place to take them for some entertainment, read on for our suggestions. Tonight you can get your punk rock served up stadium-style with hometown boys Green Day......

Once again, the Essefficist is back, a day late and at least a dollar short. We could go on all night about what a piece of junk this column is -- she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid -- but we're a little rushed, so if you'll just get on board, we'll get started. We've got two questions to answer today, both from esteemed colleagues. First, let's check......

Citius, Altius, Fortius -- and Kotaku? What's being styled as the Gamer's Olympics, the finals of the World Cyber Games, are set to kick off tomorrow. Seven hundred video game players representing 62 countries, out of over a million who started out in the prelims, will converge on the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco to play an array of video games for medals and (more saliently) cash prizes totaling $425,000.......