We headed to Cafe Du Nord last Friday to catch the sold-out early show by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton. By the 9pm showtime, the band was still soundchecking behind closed curtains and didn't start playing to the crowd until an hour later, but it was worth the wait. Haines crouched behind the keys, bird-skinny and soft-voiced, embodying the delicate yin to her animated Metric persona's yang. Eerie old black and white film clips played in the background while she drenched the crowd with slow, forlorn song movements. This introverted version of Haines was just as intense as you'd expect her to be. Between songs she debated whether or not she should talk to the audience more, and when a woman in the crowd encouraged her to, Haines thought and then replied, "I don't feel like it." Then she let the songs speak for her. more ›

get SFist Chris to write an anti-fixie column so we can get this kind of entertainment on our very own website! Books section: Joan Didion, still not in the best shape after her family died. Meg Tilly wrote a book? Cover article: TV mashups with Dick Cheney. Also: Pixies documentary opening at the Roxie this week. And SFist Eve's horoscope: "Your life is on fire -- grab your three most precious things and get out." more ›