The UK's latest sensation, Kate Nash, makes her San Francisco debut this Saturday night at popscene at 330 Ritch Street. We are so very excited about this show. Not only do we absolutely love Kate Nash's EP (her CD is coming out tomorrow) but we get an added bonus of seeing Minipop, San Francisco's own indie-pop band. This show is bound to be genius. Nash is only playing three other shows in the US -......

-- Colors of Christmas: Oh yeah. You know you want to hear this KOIT-ish night of soulful holiday tunes live at Davies, right? Well, we sure do. Peabo Bryson, Oleta Adams, Ben Vereen, and Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. croon R&B-tinged holiday classics and modern hits starting at 8 p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall; $20-$80. -- The SantaLand Diaries & Season's Greetings: David Sedaris' famous dysfunctional and wry Christmastime tales hit the stage.......

-- Cinewhores Present Midnight Cowboy (1970): Although tame by today's smut-filled standards -- oh, you heard right! -- Midnight Cowboy has the distinction of being the only X-rated film to have ever snagged the Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The film -- about the friendship between Joe, a rookie New York City hustler, and Ratso, a terminally-ill New Yorker -- is prefaced by a reading by queer author Kirk Read. (Oh, and Sylvia......

coarse language = a wee bit NSFW -- The Boys in the Band: Mart Crowley's work, which takes place one night during a birthday party, details what happens to the gays after leaving the 18- to 25-year-old demographic, with twink rage aging into fine bitterness. Really, it's the most accurate depiction of gay men, ever. Screens tonight at 7 p.m. at -- where else? -- the Castro Theatre, Castro & Market Streets; $6-$9. --......

-- "Hold Yr Horses": Vowel dismissive DJ Rchrd Oh?! spins electro, no wave, '80s, '90s, hip hop, disco punk, synth pop, and more tonight at this TL dive bar's gipster club night. Music goes from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Aunt Charlie's Lounge, 133 Turk; $3. -- Mahjong: Drop In and Play: Amos 'n' Andy, mahjong and platinum hair, but...oh, pardon us. We got carried away into song thinking about playing this fun......

-- The Drift!: Soothing yet stirring indie rock-dub-ambient band performs tonight. CJ Boyd, Balmorhea open. Show starts at 9:30 p.m. at Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk; $6. -- Peter Case: Roots songwriter-guitarist performs tonight along with Ari Shine. Music starts at 8 p.m. at Cafe Du Nord, Market and Sanchez Streets; $15. -- This Is England: Set in 1983 England, a 13-year-old lad befriends a group of skinheads one day after getting into fisticuffs. Fun!......

-- Fil Lorenz & the Collective West Jazz Orchestra: Check out this choice 12-piece jazz band tonight at 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. at Jazz at Pearl's, 256 Columbus; $10-$15. -- Tomo, Caribbean, Change!: Experimental indie pop and plinky sounds abound  tonight at 9:30 p.m. at Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk; $5. --  The S.F. International Festival of Short Films: For people like us who suffer from drug-company-created disorder ADHD, this film festival, featuring 60+ short films,......

-- Rykarda Parasol: Dreamy rock crooner (and fellow beverage taste-tester) performs tonight along with the Dilettantes and Brad Brooks. Show starts at 9 p.m. at Cafe Du Nord, 2174 Market; $10. -- Porchlight: A Storytelling Series' Five-Year Anniversary: Hostesses and superb comedians Beth Lisick and Arline Klatte celebrate their spoken-word comedy showcase's fifth birthday with stories from Kelly Beardsley, Lisa Margonelli, Hemlock Tavern's Anthony Bedard, journalist Sylvie Simmons, Hai Ning Luan, and Matt Gonzalez.......

-- "Chilidog": Italo, "nu/no wave," (?) and disco sounds abound at the Transfer's Tuesday weekly dance party named after a most vile, vile act. (We’re sorry, but you will have to look up what a modern-day chilidog is for yourselves.) Music starts at 9:30 p.m. at the Transfer, 198 Church; admission is free and well-drinks are a ridiculously cheap $2! -- Fuckwolf, Prismatics, and 3 Leafs: Acoustic and plugged-in rock outfits -- some more......

-- Using the garbage and junk-drawer debris from oh-my-God real-life celebrities (!), crafty artist Jason Mercier creates jaw-dropping portraits of A- through D-list notables, which range from Parker Posey to Heidi Fleiss. Celebrity Junk Drawer opens tonight starting at 9 p.m. at 111 Minna Galley (at Second St.); admission is free. -- Dance, get trashed, shove something up your nose in the bathroom, shove something up, um, somewhere elsewhere in the bathroom, have a......

--Our city rules. [Examiner.] --Today's Matt Gonzalez Mayoral Candidate Magic Eight-Ball reading: Maybe yes. [Left in SF.] --The Punk Rock Sideshow at the Hemlock is hosting a benefit concert next Monday (July 16th) for Roisin Isner, the girl hit by the firecracker on July 4th. It'll feature a lot of all-girl bands. We're wishing you the best, Roisin! [Hemlock Tavern, via All Shook Down] --Do you play the piano? Paul Hogarth wants to talk......

We visited The Homestead for the first time last summer and it instantly fell in love with the relaxed ambiance, gilded decor and fantastic jukebox. We'd never seen a DJ in there before, so when we saw one this past Monday we were a little worried. It didn't take long for Shellac Shack, a weekly 78 rpm listening party hosted by DJ Chas Gaudí, to win us over. He plays blues, jazz, R & B,......

SFist Interviews Nate Grover, Singer of Love is Chemicals...

SFist interviews Marco Panella from Dark Side of the Cop...

Before anyone accuses us of having a soft spot in our hearts for bands from Texas, let us just go ahead and admit we do. That leads us to this week's giveaway featuring Pilotdrift, a band from Texarkana. Don't get any ideas about their sound from their hometown though. Their music is atmospheric, symphonic, theatrical, and the singer even sounds a bit like Bowie. Their debut album is out now on Good Records Recordings, owned......

The Black Angels swoop down on San Francisco tonight to bring their grimy psychedelic swing to Cafe Du Nord. Listen to their self-described Electrified Native American Drone 'n' Roll here or download the song "Black Grease" and stream the video for it [high or low]. Enter to win a copy of The Black Angels EP (contest ends Weds. 2/15). Thursday 2/9 Popscene's Valentine's Day Party with DJ Mike Relm and Von Iva @ 330 Ritch......

Okay, so you don't understand why the Dowd/Friedman double-bill Friday night is the most exciting thing ever. And the rest of your Friday night social calendar is about as slim pickings as the new coked out Lindsey Lohan. Well, then SF Sketchfest, Club Chuckles, and The Sound of Young America might just have the thing for you as they present "All Tommorow's Jokes" at the Hemlock Tavern tomorrow night. Yep, the Hemlock Tavern: it's not just for alt-country fan boys and smokers anymore. And the show happens not just once, but twice, as there's a show at 9 and 11:30. "All Tommorow's Jokes" features the comedy stylings of music duo Hard N Phirm, stand up comedian Jasper Redd, the sketch comedy group Prank the Dean, and stand up comedian Brent Weinbach. It’s hosted by another stand up comedian (go figure) Jordan Morris. Tickets are $7 at the door....

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......