*MUSIC: Hotel Utah launches a brand spanking new party, YEAR. The night is being labeled as an "innovative branded concept," hosted by KUSF radio personality and creative director for the Mill Valley Film Festival, Dennis "The Menace" Scheyer. Each month at YEAR, one year will be celebrated -- ranging from 1956 to 2006 -- and the playlist for that month's event will be the top hits from that year. Which year will be the......

MUSIC: San Francisco's favorite crooner, Utah-born singer/songwriter Spencer Day, performs tonight at the one of the city's newest music venues, the Rrazz Room located at Hotel Nikko. COMEDY: Let hilarity wash over you with the comedic stylings of Arj Barker, Kristopher Tinkle ("Tinkle" = hee!), and Matt Morales. They hit the mic tonight at Punchline. *FILM: SF Indiefest is going on, folks. Tonight check out La Trinchera Luminosa del Presidente Gonzalo, 7:15 p.m. at......

This week there's a recommendation every night at a different venue - talk about a great week of music. Starting with Monday, MGMT, the super-hyped duo from Brooklyn, will be playing Bottom of the Hill. MGMT is: Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser, two psychic pilgrims whose paths first intersected in the green pastures of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, circa 2002. After a post-college "existential crisis" they decided to create their masterpiece, Oracular Spectacular, released......

Wow, one show on Monday and twelve on Friday. This week we definitely start off a bit slow, but by the end of the week, we have a ton of choices. Wednesday, there is the sold-out Ingrid Michaelson show that had to be moved from Cafe du Nord to Slim's because apparently everyone is into "librarian chic" right now. Though it's sold-out, you can still find tickets on craigslist; the prices aren't too inflated, yet.......

Back in December, The Lovemakers, a glam-rock outfit from Oakland, decided to stay put and forego their national tour to record their next full-length album entitled "Love is Dead." (For a band called "The Lovemakers," that's quite a title!) According to their blog, they've also decided to "be a 3-piece [band] again for the next while live. Scott, Lisa and Michael Urbano on drums. Back to basics. Very cool. Very fun." What we didn't......

If you haven't decided what you are doing to celebrate the New Year, it's okay - it seems that limited tickets are still available to tonight's biggest shows. We have a feeling they will go quick. If you don't like crowds, you can check out Radiohead's New Year's Eve bash on your couch with a bottle of booze. For the partiers, there are several options ranging from $8 at Hotel Utah to $100 at Cafe......

Ah, today should be a citywide holiday, it really really should. December 5th marks the 74th anniversary of the end of Prohibition, just a tick of the geological clock since that final state (Utah, who else) grudgingly ratified the 21st Amendment. You couldn't really blame the Prohibitionists for their distaste for John Barleycorn. A flood of cheap corn whiskey in the early years of the nineteenth century changed the way an already soggy American......

-- Completely Hollywood (abridged): The Reduced Shakespeare Company's latest stage play skewers "Tinseltown's most lauded stars and starlets" ranging from the silent era to today's most beloved and pretentious independent films. The curtain goes up at 8 p.m. at Marines Memorial Theater; $45-60. -- Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1973): David Bowie's swan song as Mr. or Miss Stardust screens tonight at 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 at the the Red Vic. --......

There is no doubt that coach Don Nelson and his sidekick Chris Mullen have reshaped the Warriors, and the team now has a pretty strong pool of players from which Nellie can choose to implement his failed system of up-tempo small-ball.

Here's todays sports news...

Between the black n' purple checkered floor and the burlesque porn that was playing in the TV over the bar, we knew we had entered the perfect world's most interesting venue, Bottom of the Hill. (We continued that thought as we ventured into the sticker/grafitti laden walls of the cramped men's bathroom.) Bumping into Chris Reynolds, Eulogies' drummer, at the merchandise table before the show was unexpected as the porn but we digress. After a......

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......

-- Wayward Sway, Diablo's Dust, Smoky as the Devil: Listen to some stellar country-ish rock music as you sup on one of Hotel Utah's tasty shepherd's pies. Mmm. Nothing more hip than shepherd's pie! Music starts at 9 p.m. at Hotel Utah,, $6. -- Coo-Yah: Stoners rejoice! And dance! Green B and Daneekah pump out roots, reggae, and dancehall tunes tonight in the Mission. Starts at 10 p.m. at Bruno's, free. -- Papillon (1973)......

-- Audiofly: Euroduo (England's Anthony Middleton and Italy's Luca Saporito) throw down here in the states. Expect lots of basslines, techno-ness, and Italian-pop. Music starts at 9 p.m. Mighty,119 Utah (at 15th Street); $10-12. -- Annual Hank Williams Birthday Karaoke Sing-Off: Scenesters and country fans alike come to wish this dead guy a happy birthday by crooning one or two of his songs. (Does this mean that Carrie Underwood will receive crazy hipster cred......

-- Benefit Show Honoring Erno "Tattoo" Szabady: Local rock bands Slowfinger, DickDusters, and the Walker Brothers get together to raise money for a burial "niche" for well-known, recently deceased tattoo artist, Szabady. Show starts at 8 p.m. at Peacock Lounge, 552 Haight Street (at Fillmore); $10-$15. -- Live-in Maid (Cama adentro): Norma Aleandro's dramatic role, about a "wealthy woman and her live-in housekeeper" dealing with the economic collapse in Argentina, finally arrives in the......

-- Veronica Klaus: High-art performer and jazz songstress croons alongside her Boom Boom Boys tonight at 9 p.m. at Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market Street (at Sanchez); $15. -- DMX Krew: Hipsters of SF! Come and dance to this electro beat, '80s-y, rap-ish star at the tres popular club night "Eggs". DJs PJ Pooterhoots and Safety Scissors will also man the decks for your added aural pleasure. It all goes down tonight at 10......

-- Barefoot Nellies: "The Bay Area's finest all-gal bluegrass band" headline at one of the Bay Area's finest bars, Amnesia, starting at 8:30 p.m., 853 Valencia; free. -- Killer of Sheep (1977): Charles Burnett's masterwork about a slaughterhouse worker/father and his family living in Watts, LA screens tonight at 7:15 p.m. 9:15 at The Red Vic, 1727 Haight (at Cole). -- Ryan Auffenberg: Local, tender singer-songwriter performs in the Mission. So does Clare Burson.......

Friday night at the de Young never looked so good! Get a sneak peek into the closet of Nan Kempner, San Francisco native turned famous New York socialite as part of an upcoming exhibition. Drink, socialize and check out the galleries, which stay open until 8:45. Also - fashion lecture at 7pm by Harold Koda, curator-in-charge of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Authors on Film - Always wondered what goes......

For a thorough sampling of the current Bay Area rock/indie/pop/folk scene, look no further than Penny Arcade, a monthly, semi-acoustic showcase hosted by one of the cities most likeable citizens, Raul Sanchez. For the past two years, Raul has regularly packed various venues, such as the Make-Out Room -- now the event's permanent home, Bottom of the Hill, and The Hotel Utah with bands and fans alike. Tonight, come celebrate Penny Arcade's Two-Year Anniversary at......

SFist interviews Dan Smith from the Noisettes and gives away tickets and a drumhead...

The 3rd annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival kicks off tonight, at the Brava Theatre. Over 40 movies in three days. Check the schedule, grab some popcorn and enjoy the show(s)! 2781 24th St (at York), SF. Get your daily art fix in high style -- check out a rare selection from Picasso's body of work at the W hotel on view from 12-7pm, with a wine tasting from 6-7pm. RSVP for the......

It's another music giveaway bonanza this week! First up is a prize pack from Sea Wolf. They've been touring with Silversun Pickups (see a few SSPU members in the video for "You're A Wolf"), but they're a far more mellow outfit: Alex Church's vocals and melodies are gentle, strummy and soothing. Sea Wolf open for Devotchka on Friday night at the Grand Ballroom Bimbo's, and we have a pair of tickets for the winner......

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......

Did you miss us last week? Here are our excuses: we caught a cold, had a birthday, and were up to here with work at our dayjob, for real. We're back now and anxiously awaiting a copy of Or, the Whale's brand new CD Light Poles and Pines to arrive in our mailbox. The few songs we've previewed on their site offer up banjo, steel guitar, and a chorus of male and female vocals......

It's Bad Movie Night at the Dark Room SF! Every Sunday night, they screen some terrible-sounding movie with some wisecracking hosts and free popcorn. May is Razzies Month, where they'll screen the 2006 worst-movie nominees, and tonight's featured movie is Little Man, where Shawn Wayans plays a midget criminal pretending to be a baby. That looks awful. 2263 Mission (x 18th), 8 p.m., $5. Other events: --Belly dancers, including local troupe Fat Chance Belly Dance,......

Bust out the Thin Lizzy Warrior Nation, because the boys are back in town.

Thursday night in the vaunted O-rena, the Warriors rebounded from back-to-back shoulda-coulda-wouldas in Salt Lake City to dominate the Utah Jazz, 125-105. In the must-win game 3, the Warriors not only staunched the momentum bleed of games 1 and 2, they completely reversed it. And they couldn't have done it without the uplifting energy and emotion of the hometown crowd -- and of course, Baron Davis.

We were pretty much wrong about everything.

Last night in Salt Lake City, in game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series, it was the Utah Jazz who had the energy and it was the Warriors who were a step behind. The Jazz looked confident; the Warriors looked hesitant. The Jazz ran the Warriors off the court. Matt Harpring done brought it. And the Jazz backcourt held its own behind the spirited play of Deron Williams. Did we leave anything out? Oh yeah, the Jazz didn't lose by 20, they, uh, won, 116-112.

Game 1 was a back-and-forth nailbiter (16 lead changes and 21 ties) that went right down to the quick. And like a bamboo shoot to the quick, it hurts. The Ws fought hard all night and had a chance to take the lead on a three-pointer by Stephen Jackson with eight seconds to play, but the shot clanked and so did the Warriors fortunes in game 1.

Improbably, almost impossibly, the Golden State Warriors' dream season continues tonight with game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal matchup with the Utah Jazz. The Warriors are into the semis by virtue of their historic six-game stunner over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks; the Jazz eeked out a game 7 road win over the Houston Rockets.

The Jazz are the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but in our minds, its the Dubs that enter this series as the favorites. The Jazz are undoubtedly mentally and physically drained after their game 7 thriller on Saturday, while the Warriors are riding a wave of emotion that shows no sign of dissipating.

Update: So hey! We just got this in our inbox. JetBlue is giving away round-trip tickets to the first 150 people who show up in Union Square tomorrow Saturday (we totally thought today was Friday) dressed up as their favorite New York icon and carrying two or more canned goods to give away to a local food bank. Contest starts at 10 a.m., line starts at 7 a.m. SFist will throw in your lunch for......

A good NBA season is like a good acid trip: it's all about peaking at the right time. Just ask last year's champions, the Miami Heat, about that one (the NBA season, not the acid trip). Well lo and behold, the Warriors are playing the last month of this season like a seasoned DeadHead instead of a burned-out meth-breath. After stomping the playoff-bound Utah Jazz Monday night in the O-rena, 126-102, the Warriors' playoff chances are skyrocketing like so many fantastic colors, and their days as league doormat may truly be numbered.