Judging from the range of performers this week, there is something for everyone. Starting first, in our weekly recommendations, is New Zealand singer-songwriter, Brooke Fraser. Prior to this post, we knew nothing about this accomplished 19 year-old but a quick visit to her MySpace page and we were hooked. Tuesday, you can catch this gorgeous, pop-writing sensation at Cafe du Nord. If not, download her latest release, Albertine on iTunes. Wednesday, we are welcoming... more ›

SFist re-runs an interview with John Vanderslice. He's playing at Noise Pop tonight. more ›

-Bad cops, bad cops, whatcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they start tracking you -Man found dead in Page Street apartment is finally ID'd. The guy whose apartment it was says he hired the guy to look after his cat. more ›

-Barack Obama Superstar is a hit in the Bay Area. -UC Merced runs afoul of some shrimp. more ›

We gobble the various food sections up each Wednesday. These are our favorite tidbits from this week's offerings. We know, we know, we are a day late. But hey, we just got back from New Zealand. more ›

Beach House likes our Burritos, and we like them. We've always trusted Jennifer's taste in music. After all, she led us to the Grizzly Bear show at The Independent in September, and more recently she played us some of Alela Diane's haunting vocals, which have been banging around in our heads since we first heard it. So when she told us we shouldn't miss the Beach House playing at the The Hemlock on Tuesday night, we listened to her, even though we had our hearts set on seeing one of our favorite local bands, Vetiver, at 12 Galaxies. more ›

SFist interviews John Vanderslice. Repeated for the Feist/ Vanderslice show at Noisepop 2006 more ›

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They respect no law of man or God. They hedonistically pursue pleasure and merriment at all costs. They look fantastic in red and white. They are the legions of Santas who have gathered every year here in San Franicisco since 1994. Any number of artists, writers, musicians, engineers, freaks and raging drunks have been in their number since, and the movement has spread worldwide, including an appearance in Antarctica. This year's festivities kicked off on the other side of the International Date Line in sunny Auckland, New Zealand. more ›

SFist inteviews musician John Vanderslice more ›

Just when you thought your mom was menopausal, you find out about her cache of frozen embryos, and out pop three new sisters. That's right, the 'ist network is welcoming three new cities to the fold (we also have an illegitimate brother in New Zealand to report, but while he shares a striking family resemblance, he's not invited to the reunions). more ›

We are big fans of Feist, the Canadian chanteuse with an esteemed indie pedigree and smooth, seductive, award-winning sound. She's quite popular throughout the blogosphere, even though her internationally acclaimed record Let It Die just saw its US release in late April. So sending us to see her open for Rilo Kiley was basically preaching to the converted. Unfortunately, we're not sure how many new converts she won over at The Grand Ballroom on Saturday night. more ›

Further amplifying the rivalry between here and there, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors' Bureau has launched a new website, called Not in L.A.. Supposedly, this is going to lure Angelenans up what they call "the 5" to visit us in the winter. Now, we're always happy to host SoCal-ers on their trips north, and sure, we have lovely skiing in Tahoe, and we have no issues with the SF Visitors' Bureau (since we can buy our FastPasses with a credit card there and all) -- but, um, why? It's like those weird ads for San Diego that were basically like, "Your foggy city sucks [creepy Teletubbies-like smiling sun logo]." ("WE don't need to layer," "Your beaches are dirty and kill people," etc.) How much better are New Zealand's ads, "From one beautiful city to another: Auckland!" It doesn't seem like inflaming intrastate rivalries are the best way to encourage others to come visit, is all we're saying. more ›

We know he gets a bad rap, but we love Martin Yan. It's so easy! Look at this! The Chron pays for a meal to get the interview, and it doesn't bother us one bit. GraceAnn Walden totally bites Doyle, leading with troubles at Michael Mina. Been reading SFist lately, GraceAnn? Also, enough caucasians have discovered pho (pha? phur? phuh?) to warrant an introduction by the Chron. SFist has been curing hangovers and colds with pho since high school. more ›