So you're heading to Berkeley to see Two Gallants tonight. You'll probably love them. We caught them at a party last night, and man, they really are good. The nicely fill a current hole in the fabric of rock (yes, we did just make that metaphor up, and we are going to stick with it). We are of the opinion you can never give enough love to local acts-- make sure to check them......

SFist gives away tickets to Two Gallants at the Independent ...

R.I.P. When The Lights Go Down In The City November 2004 - September 2007 It was SFist's first editor Jackson West who asked me to write a music column back in '04 and he also came up with the name of it. I thought, it's SF-related and a quote from a Journey song - perfect! For the past three years my aim has been to tell you about the music in San Francisco that......

We've got two contests this week, one to celebrate over a decade of experimentation and the other to to support some stalwart locals. Giveaway #1! On Monday and Tuesday, Blonde Redhead make their gorgeous art rock at Bimbo's with openers Annuals. Annuals weave intricate melodies with ambitious sounds while still giving you hooks to hold onto (and remind us a little of the wonderful Aloha in the meantime.) One winner will get a pair of......

SFist interviews Andrew Kerwin, guitarist of Trainwreck Riders...

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,......

Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian. Save Chris Daly! Rob Black's dirty Swift-Boat campaign tactics. PG&E (sigh). Cover articles: What's happening with Halloween this year? TELL US! Also, where'd our fun gay Halloween go?, and (non-SF) themed costumes. What, no Alix Rosenthal costume? Maybe Steven T. Jones edits the costume section. Sonic Reducer's days behind the counter at Tower. Lit section: books about seedy SF, and Michelle Tea's interview with the editor and publisher of......

SFist interviews Tyson Vogel and Adam Stephens of Two Gallants...

There sure are a lot of fans of The Decemberists, judging by the fact that they're about to play tonight and Friday night here at the relatively giant Warfield Theater. If you haven't heard their new album The Crane Wife, we're giving you a chance to win a copy of it plus a 20"x10" lithograph signed by all 5 members of the band. We'd show you a photo of the lithograph if we had one,......

More hijinks at the Lusty Lady, and this time, not union-related! A Cal football player has been suspended from the team after he got in a fight with a bouncer at the famed feminist strip club. Last weekend, the player allegedly entered into a video booth while his friend (whom the player called his "agent," even though the player's not currently represented) demanded they be given two prostitutes. When they were denied, Lusty Lady reps......

We're not crazy about instrumental music (in case you haven't noticed) so we're especially impressed when an artist can break through our predilections. RATATAT's music is so melodic, varied and compelling that it makes vocals and lyrics seem superfluous. The Brooklyn duo expertly mixes snakey synth lines with sneering guitar, cello, sleigh bells and samples like the appropriately primal roar in "Wildcat". It's a little early to tell, but RATATAT's Classics just might make it......

Listen up, because SFist has a scoop for you. Our hometown boys in Two Gallants are heading out on a fall tour with Langhorne Slim and fellow San Franciscans Trainwreck Riders, starting in September and culminating with two nights at Bottom of the Hill on October 21st and 22nd. Two Gallants are supporting their sophomore release what the toll tells; you can still get it if you haven't already gotten it. Watch Trainwreck Riders rock......

Now that Noise Pop is over, things are settling down at live music venues across the city, and we miss it a little. Our highlights from the festival included Feist at Bimbo's, Britt Daniel at Swedish American, Two Gallants at Bimbo's, the David Dondero and Craig Wedren show at The Knockout, and seeing old friends and making new ones. Feist's performance at Bimbo's, which SFist Emily posted a vibrant review of last week, was one......

Special Noise Pop 2006 edition Noise Pop '06 is already proving to be memorable. Tuesday night's Feist show was among the best shows we've ever seen, despite the relentless sound problems at Bimbo's, and last night we went backstage to witness a saucy embrace by Britt Daniel and John Vanderslice. Luckily our new favorite photographer Julie Schuchard was there to document the love; look for her photos in our show reviews! See another hot indie......

SFist Sam was kind enough to take a picture for WRTW for us -- isn't it gorgeous? Thanks, SFist Sam! Last week's winner, the SF Weekly: Tributes to the dearly departed PUNI, including a hilarious letter from the NextBus people that we know SFist MattyMatt will enjoy. New section called "Sucka Free City," with a profile of Killing My Lobster. Where will illegal indoor smokers go now that Sherlock's Haven is closing? Cover: land use......

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......

Best Musical Event: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival Best Local Venue: Golden Gate Park Were you among the tens of thousands who attended the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this year? We cannot say enough good things about this event. If you're a fan of folk, Americana, country, bluegrass, or roots music of any ilk, you should have been at Golden Gate Park on September 30th and October 1st. This year's Hardly Strictly drew over 50 acts,......

Our concert picks for the week of 11/10-11/16. It's another great week of music, with more of our favorites in town including Stars, The Oranges Band, our beloved Spoon and one of our newest favorites Silversun Pickups. Weeks ago we were offered review tickets to write up Sunday night's Death Cab For Cutie show, but we were just told that Atlantic Records had to "cut their press list" and our tickets were revoked. Folks, that's......

Is this chicken what I have, or Wednesdays? Tonight!: The SF Cinematheque is featuring an evening of experimental film called "How to Philosophize With a Flicker." Their website describes it: "Less of a 'how-to' manual than a hall of mirrors, these works move beyond the True, the Beautiful, and the Good to pose their questions with a flicker, wrestling with the world of appearances and searching out subjective spaces rather than smashing them to smithereens." We have absolutely no idea what that means but it sounds like there'll be some cool-looking movies! The flickering starts at 8, at the California College of the Arts. Thursday: it's go go go! The Exploratorium presents "Executive Order 9066," a show by puppet troupe Lunatique Fantastique about the Japanese-Americans internment camps in World War II, as envisioned through found household items. The description warns that children under 13 may need parental guidance. 8 p.m. in the McBean Theater. SFist Jeremy also wants us to remind you to go check out Joshua Wolf Shenk at Cody's SF tonight, who'll be reading from "Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness," which you may remember him discussing just the other day! If those options are too heavy for you, there's also the Bay Guardian's 2005 Goldies Award party at 12 Galaxies starting at 9, celebrating Outstanding Local Discoveries in art and music. Two Gallants is playing, and the $10 door donation goes to the Bay Guardian Community Fund and Katrina relief. And Friday: Remember when people used to rant about sex on paper and not on the Internet? Lisa Suckdog Carver does. Throw it back to the early 90s and Sassy Magazine's "zine of the month" column as Lisa reads from her new memoir, "Drugs Are Nice," at 7:30 at Modern Times. ...

The June music issue of The Believer will come packaged with a CD compilation of pure indie rock gold. We hear that local do-gooder and author extraordinaire Dave Eggers is behind the compilation, proving his excellent taste and indubitable influence by convincing the persnickety indie rock elite to cover each other's songs. Local duo Two Gallants made the cut, as did Devendra Banhart, Vetiver and Joanna Newsom. The majority of the songs were recorded specifically......

Our concert picks for the week of 5/5-5/11. We can't help but sing Liz Phair's "Cinco De Mayo" in our head every May 5th. The lyrics make no sense, but dang is it a catchy tune. Some of us get Ween stuck in our head today, and how many of us wished someone a Happy Valen-talen-tine's Day on February 14th? Musicians take note: writing a song about a holiday guarantees the kind of longevity of......

[Ed. Note: And our pleading pays off yet again, with new SFist Krissy bringing news of the music scene.] True San Francisco hipsters and locals with the finest taste in indie rock will convene for a Tiny Telebration this Friday at Café du Nord and the Swedish American Hall.  What’s a Tiny Telebration, you ask?  It’s a party that San Francisco's unofficial musical mascot John Vanderslice is throwing to celebrate Tiny Telephone's 7th anniversary.  Vanderslice......