Shit. It's Valentine's Day this Thursday and by the looks of it most of you have already planned your perfect date. Three shows are already completely sold-out: The Kills at Rickshaw Stop, Slightly Stoopid at The Independent and Common at Mezzanine. While there are still several shows you can chance Thursday night, it might be wise to stay home and wait till the weekend to take your crush out. We are. Friday, the local music......

It's that time again. (We can't believe it's already Monday.) As usual, there is great music going on every night of the week so make sure you take the jump to see our daily recommendations. We've been counting down the days to see Sara Bareilles since we heard about this tour back in December. It's here. Finally. Bareilles will be opening for James Blunt in the VH1's "You Oughta Know" tour. There's no way you......

UndergroundfilmMaker Festival: It goes a little something like this, "In an era where filmmakers are called 'users' who 'generate content,' [Hey now! -- sfist] Undergroundfilm wishes to put the spotlight back where it belongs: behind the camera." So far the festival has had three rounds. The portfolio submission, filmmaker interview, and finally, new projects. Now, the filmmakers have been narrowed down to six and-- sigh. Okay, this is starting to sound a bit convoluted.......

-- Grilled Cheese Invitational : What's better than a grilled cheese sandwich? Nothing, that's what. (Our apologies go out to all and any lactose-intolerant readers. You live a life of heartache we can only imagine.) This competition, though, will feature ingredients ranging from Kraft Singles (yum!) to truffle butter, brie, rice, and more. Starts at 8:30 p.m. at Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland; $5. -- Edward Gorey's Dracula: Guests are encouraged to wear Gorey-inspired......

-- Aaah! Rosebud: This re-telling of Citizen Kane involves a "an evil sled, competitive curlers, an aspiring diva, and soul-devouring zombies." See, if Wells had jus incorporated those things into Kane, he might have won the Best Picture Oscar. The curtain goes up at 8 p.m. at New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom (at Eighth Street); $20-$25. -- Squaretape, Little Yellow Perfect, and Downtown Harvest: Local synth-rock band, Little Yellow Perfect; Squaretape, whose latest album......

Next Thursday, July 19th, Sonic Youth perform 1988's double album Daydream Nation in its entirety at Berkeley Community Theatre. The acclaimed album is lauded for its artistic vision and flowing dynamics from lulling instrumentals to all-out noise. We have a pair of tickets for one lucky winner to (re)discover the underground masterpiece. Watch the video for "Teen Age Riot" and enter to win. (Contest ends 7/15. Winner will be notified via email.) Tonight catch brazen......

Can you still remember how to roller skate backwards? How about shoot the duck? For $2 skate rentals, you can give it your best shot at Mighty to the tune of really bad (or really good, depending on how you look at it) disco music. 7pm, 119 Utah Street, SF. Drink your way through San Jose's historic Japantown at Sake San Jose, a tasting tour of downtown San Jo. Sample the sake offering from......

Set the rumor mill to spin: the latest word we're hearing is that everyone's favorite unstable gum-chewing rehab-graduating baldie mommy Britney Spears is making an attempted career revival at the Red Devil Lounge Monday night. You gossip mavens probably already know that Ms. Spears performed lip-synced a brief but dance-intensive 15 minute set in San Diego and LA earlier this week, under the name "the M+Ms." Well, guess who's listed on the marquee at the......

Official friend of SFist Irene McGee-- ex dj at Free FM (KIFR 106.9) and, yes, "Real World" alum and recipient of "the Slap Heard 'Round the World"-- is having a benefit tonight at the Red Devil lounge to raise money for her after she lost pretty much everything (including one of her cats) in a fire. To help her raise money, she has some fairly heavy weights to help her out-- Exene Cervenka formerly of X and Ben Fong-Torres and Kitten on the Keys will be your emcee for the night. Show starts at 8 and tickets are $15. ...

We missed SXSW last week, but some of our friends were down there covering the mayhem and brought back some great photos. You can see local photographer and friend of SFist Julie Schuchard get up close and personal with Iggy Pop and The Stooges in this slideshow and see tons of SXSW photos taken by DJ Ted of BAGeL Radio. Also check out a bunch of coverage from our friends at Austinist. Since all......

Special running-to-catch-a-flight edition. Who loves rock and roll? You do! So you better be at The Fillmore this Saturday to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. One lucky winner will get a pair of tickets to the show plus an autographed CD, and we'll send another CD to a runner up. Enter to win (contest ends tomorrow at noon; winner will be notified via email). Tonight Popscene presents SFist interviewees Voxtrot with Love Is All.......

It's not too early to make plans for Halloween weekend, and if you want to make this year especially memorable, hop a plane to Las Vegas for the Vegoose Music Festival. It's an impressive lineup of tons of bands in one place: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Mars Volta, The Raconteurs, Cat Power and the Memphis Rhythm Band (we'll see about that), Gomez, Fiona Apple, Jenny Lewis, BRMC, and a bunch of those jammy/jazzy......

We're trying out** a new way for you to hear the music we're writing about this week. Ever heard of a service called Rhapsody? We've been subscribing for nearly a year now, and for less than the price of one record a month, we get access to tons of artists and albums to stream at any time. If you have Rhapsody, click on the link below for songs from 10 of the artists who are......

Most 2005 holiday parties and Top Ten lists have already come and gone, but here at SFist we like to procrastinate. Thankfully we can count on friends like Ted from BaGeL Radio who is going to spin at our holiday party (which hasn't even happened yet). Until we post our Top 10 of 2005 next week, check out what Ted had on heavy rotation this year and congratulate him on being voted on of SFBG's......

You may have noticed that we're giving away 'Fisties this month. Did you read about our 'Fisties in the music category? We declared that the local boys in Two Gallants made the Best Career Move this year by signing with iesteemed indie label Saddle Creek Records. One of the perks of signing with an indie is artistic freedom, which the band exercised on the b-side of their just-released "Las Cruces Jail"/"Long Summer Day" 7-inch. Enter......

Perusing the club listings for December, we're seeing an awful lot of blank calendars. We reckon that means many of SFist's great music venues are being rented out for holiday parties. Perhaps even parties to which we were not invited. Party throwers, don't be afraid to invite SFist. We promise not to do anything untoward that might tarnish our sterling reputation. Not like we did last year. Dear readers, there is a wealth of good......

Our concert picks for the week of 10/27 - 11/2. Don't forget to "fall back" on Saturday night. The bad news is that it'll be all dark and creepy on our trip home from work, but the good news is that you'll have one extra hour to rock this weekend. Thursday 10/27 Captured! By Robots and Dead Hensons @ Bottom of the Hill The Joggers @ Popscene Negativland performs "Over The Edge" live in concert......

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......

Wednesday: Share your oral diatribes with the world through the magic of the Internet! San Francisco podcasters are meeting at 7 p.m. at Sauce (131 Gough Street) to talk iPod XML feed turkey. (We have absolutely no idea what that means!) Or share oral diatribes of another sort at the Best Sex Writing of 2005 reading at Modern Times (7:30), hosted by contributor SFist Violet and featuring friend of SFist Annalee Newitz's nerd convention erotica. (We think that's Annalee's piece, anyways!) Thursday: The Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad troupe bring their comedy/burlesque pro-Semitic act to the Red Devil Lounge. Show's at 8, $10/$5 students. They promise "a rendition of L'Chaim with a fist in the mouth;" what's not to love? Friday: The latest issue of Asian-American glossy-zine Hyphen is out! Come celebrate the release of Hyphen's Body Issue with electronica DJs and a raffle, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Social Club (1751 Fulton, at Masonic). Articles include: transgender Asian fetishists, the sartorial tragedy that is Bai Ling, and the results of the sex survey. RSVP on the evite -- sliding scale admission, but if you pay $10, you get the new issue. ...

Our concert picks for the week of 9/8-9/14. If you don't get yourself out of the house this week to see some live music, SFist is going to have to stage an intervention. SFist will get you started by giving away a copy of Tralala's self-titled CD, in honor of their show Saturday at the Hemlock. We like to think of Tralala as Tilly and the Wall's hip cousin from Brooklyn (sans the tap dancer),......

Our concert picks for the week of 8/11 - 8/17. It's August, and if we were anywhere else in the country, the sun would be beating down on us relentlessly and we'd be wishing September would come around to bring back the touring bands. But this is San Francisco, so we put on sweaters when we leave for work and we still get good concerts even during the touring lull that is August. And here......

Our concert picks for the week of 7/21-7/27. It's a good week of shows for those of us who love singer-songwriters, so let's celebrate by giving you something for free! Dark folk troubadour Chris Whitley has a new CD coming out on Tuesday on Messenger Records, and we want you to hear it. Enter to win Chris Whitley's new CD Soft Dangerous Shores. Contest ends 7/27. Tonight none other than the good Sir Mix-A-Lot is......

Our concert picks for the week of 4/21-4/27. If you're in the mood for something different tonight, Grupo Fantasma plays their genre-busting Tejano at Red Devil Lounge, or check out three new buzz bands, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Phoenix and Joy Zipper, at Great American. Popscene is giving away free copies of the Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary DIG! in honor of a performance by Joel Gion's new project The Dilletantes. Toots and the......

Our live music picks for the week of 3/3-3/9. We're sad that Noise Pop has ended, but glad to report that a regular ol' week in San Francisco still brings the noise, the funk, and the freaks out to play. Tonight's the night to get out and support local music. Bottom of the Hill has the angular, shoegazer sounds of Xiu Xiu, The Dead Science and The Rum Diary. Pep Love from Hieroglyphics hosts Fusion,......

There are a couple of unusual spikes on this week's live concerts chart, with Sunday and Tuesday giving the weekend nights a run for their money. Tuesday can't come soon enough because we've got tickets to Eisley on the release date of their debut record Room Noises! See what the buzz is about after the jump. Tonight marks the kickoff of the 6th Annual San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival, which runs through February 13th.......

Music-loving good samaritans, this is your lucky week. If you like to enjoy a little partying and live performance in exchange for your charitable contributions, you have no less than six different tsunami relief benefits to choose from. On Friday, The Independent is having their second benefit, featuring members of New Monsoon, ALO, Samantha and the Ritual for a donation of $10-50. Great American's benefit that night with indie kings Gibbard, Kozelek, Richman and Bachman......

ENTER TO WIN! "I've got a non-dairy creamer in my jeans, I'm happy to see ya if you know what I mean." Oh, do we ever. Those are the words of Jose Miguel Contreras, ringleader of By Divine Right, a power-pop quartet en route from their hometown of Toronto to rock the bay area next week. Sweet Confusion, the title of their latest release, is the perfect description of their sound -- they add a......

Special New Year's Eve edition. Judging by the horrendous traffic anywhere in the vicinity of the city's bridge and highway entrances, it's time for people to start hightailing it out of town. You're on your own if you want to find the coolest events in Poughkeepsie, Kalamazoo, Wichita Falls, whatever your holiday destination may be. For those of you who will be back in town to ring in 2005, we have suggestions for you. First......

Being Jewish, we made our peace with not celebrating the holidays a long time ago. Frankly, it’s kind of fun to be around the city during Christmas- there’s nobody around and it’s all sorts of peacefull and quiet. Best part of the holidays is that since nobody is around, if you feel like not wanting to do anything for three days other than lie around in your underwear eating nachos and watching football (or,......

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......