Revealed by its competitor Live105 this morning, word is that Alice 97.3's Morning Radio Show just pruned part of its morning team, on-air personality No Name (AKA Mike Nelson). Alas. Together for six years on the radio, and a few weeks on television with an ill-advised spin-off of the show, Sarah and No Name have entertained the Bay Area masses every morning with, ahem, shocking banter and bon mots. (Or so we assume. We haven't listened to the radio since the advent of the talking picture box. But we have seen their mugs grace the sides of Muni buses now and then.)

Although we received two anonymous emails telling us that No Name was fired by Sarah, that doesn't seem to be the case. We spoke to the show's delightful executive producer, Jan Landis, who told us the idea to get rid of No Name was "management's decision," and that they're currently searching for a new sidekick to go along with "a new version of the show." She also pointed out that "fired is too strong a word" for the now job-free No Name. Deja vu, right? A few years ago, if you recall Sarah's former on-air partner, Vinnie, was (allegedly) booted for hitting the crystal pipe too hard.

Oh, and if you listen to this program on a regular basis, spill it. Were they right to get rid of this No Name? Should they have done something else? Are you excited about the show's up-and-coming different direction? And why on earth are you still listening to the radio?

SFist has been a fan of Why? since we first saw them at Bottom of the Hill a few years back. We recently came across a cover they did of the Cure’s “Close to Me”, which we highly recommend. Their new album “Alopecia” comes out on March 11th. Besides being named for everyone’s favorite form of hair loss. its good. They’ll be performing some of these new songs tonight at the Great American Music Hall. They’ll playing some other great local bands including a new Asthmatic Kitty band, Cryptacize. Cryptacize members include former Kill Rock Stars artist Nedelle Torrisi and Chris Cohen of The Curtains and formerly of Deerhoof. Why? front man Yoni Wolf has undergone the SFist interview—read on for more.

Favorite song to perform these days?
"The Fall of Mr. Fifths"

Where are the best fans?
Right here in sunny San Francisco!

Lamest crowd request?
"Take your shirt off!!"...Frankly ladies, I look better with my shirt on.

Favorite thing about your own music?
I know all the words and can sing along.

What music are you listening to these days?
Leonard Cohen and a lot of Ambient music like The Dead Texan and Fennesz. Anything I might fall asleep to (not in a bad way).

Got your calendar ready? We heard you when you told us to give more notice about fun events like the International Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason. Knowing that, along with the fact that Single Awareness/Valentine's Day beckons soon, we have a stellar line up of tasty chocolate events to get you in the mood. You know, it's totally okay to buy sweets for yourself -- we do it all the time. Think of it as buying for someone you truly love. Nibble, taste, gulp... now wasn't that fun?

First up, an interesting sounding short film called In Search of the Heart of Chocolate, about a Bay Area filmmaker named Sarah Feinbloom, a chocolate shop (Chocolate Covered in Noe Valley), assorted chocoholics, and lots and lots of chocolate.

As annoying as Don Bleu is with his "bleupers," Star 101.3 is guilty of something even more annoying. Something that makes our skin crawl every time we glance up at it. Something even more annoying than Alice's whiny Sarah & No Name. The billboard Star 101.3 has in SOMA, which is viewable to 101-South drivers, has been up since late summer. As proud as Oakland must be that the featured STAR Listener is their own tank-top clad Michelle, well, frankly, we're sick of looking at her.

We beg of you Clear Channel Communications, please change the billboard. At least switch it to a more attractive different listener. Please?!

P.S. Who else is stoked that Alice & No Name After Dark has been canceled?

Although no longer in danger of collapsing, the Irish fraternal organization on San Francisco's Mission Street is still on fire, ten hours after it started. Yikes. Rita reported on this earlier today, but according to many media outlets (including Curbed) the place is still on fire. And not in a good way. My word.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Image credit: Sarah Hromack / Curbed

With Chris Daly focusing on the birth of his second child (congrats, Chris and Sarah!), SF Board of Supes prez Aaron Peskin has manfully taken over the essential city function of provoking District 2's Michela Alioto-Pier: today's Matier and Ross column has MAP running crying to City Attorney Dennis Herrera and DA Kamala Harris about Aaron Peskin telling her "payback's a bitch" when she asked why he'd changed his vote on her proposed charter amendment proposal and killed it in committee.

Boo hoo hoo, now MAP won't be able to set qualifications for appointees to the city's Ethics, Elections and Sunshine commissions! MAP claims the supposed payback is because she supported a no vote on Prop A (in vain, since Prop A is currently winning with 55% of the vote). So now, with tacit endorsement by Big Daddy Newsom, MAP is asking someone to look into whether Peskin's response to her is some kind of an ethical violation. Okay, sure, if that's how you're going to play it, MAP, we get why you wrote City Attorney Dennis Herrera a letter about it, but -- why also cc: DA Kamala Harris? Do you want Peskin criminally charged for this? Doesn't Kamala have enough to do, prosecuting your buddy Ed Jew?

Anyhow, Peskin remains unrepentent, telling the Chron that MAP has always been beholden to downtown interests, and adding: "She's a whiny brat, and she has been a whiny brat ever since she arrived at the Board of Supervisors." As to allegations that Newsom's already asked people to look into whether Peskin is threatening people for votes, Peskin claimed he didn't know anything about it. That seemed a good enough response for M&R, who then seamlessly segued their column into a discussion of beavers.

Do you have any Bay Area ties?
Yes, our singer Sarah is from here. And she went to SF State. Actually, none of us are from LA. Chris and I are from DC.

What’s your favorite song to perform live?
Sarah wrote a new one, it’s kind of like our Bohemian Rhapsody. It sounds nothing like that, but it’s a complicated arrangement. She does some Eddie Van Halen style finger tapping. It’s an anti-war song called “Lieutenant Owl”.

Where are the best fans at?
We get a good response in LA, but they aren’t the best fans. Portland, Oregon. The crowds there aren’t scenesters. They are hard core music fans. They know a lot more about bands than we do. They’re definitely the most knowledgeable fans. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. It’s like the DC of the west coast.

Critics have lauded her latest efforts saying, "Stromata follows adventurous suit...reveling in wild time signatures and stark, synthesized percussion, its only constant her unadorned, operatically trained vocals." (Paste Magazine) Collected Sounds wrote "...a great record for both long time Charlotte fans and the newly joined as well." Martin's music is a mix between Tori Amos and Sarah Brightman - really it's just emotionally-charged expressive storytelling at its best (besides the fact she has an incredible voice)!

Luckily for her fans, Martin is selling Reproductions, a new CD that will be only available on her Never Say Never, Fall 2007 Tour. That alone, is worth coming down to Cafe du Nord tonight.

First Wave Hello, Charlotte Martin and Ken Andrews
Cafe du Nord (2170 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114)
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Show: 9:00PM/Doors: 8:00PM
In Adv: $13.00/Door: $15.00
GET TICKETS!
Ages: 21+

Photo courtesy: Erin Russell Photography