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APR 13 - APR 19
San Francisco just keeps hammering out culture, and this week's events are particularly well-fashioned. Lone auteurs and tightly-knit collectives alike peer into their laptops, examining the precise dimensions and carefully calculated metrics of definitive design. Master builders dig the foundations for well-turned structures of square shapes and sheared-off surfaces: it's a new international style perfectly suited for our Western vantage. Sharpen your pencils, check the blueprints, and spread it. |
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Never quit. Never do the expected. Never rest on your laurels. Never think great is good enough. Never Follow. For more than 100 years, Audi has lived by those words. Whether it's design, performance or technology, Audi relishes the lead.
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| | You don't even have to see a Greg Pak film to get a sense of the young director's genius; the titles of his works alone — Asian Pride Porn, All Amateur Ecstasy, Fighting Grandpa — get us giggly. As a precursor to his feature-length debut, Robot Stories, a hilarious critique of human and humanoid machine interaction, Locus Arts and the Korean American Coalition of San Francisco present an exclusive screening of Pak's shorts — and we mean shorts, as some clock in at two minutes — at the Mission's Galeria de la Raza. Following the films, Pak leads a Q&A session on his work. (KT)
  
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DISCUSSION
MoveOn.org presents 50 Ways to Love Your Country
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| when: | Wed 4.14 (7:30pm) |
| where: | Cody's Books (2454 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, 510.845.7852) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Event Info | MoveOn.org |
| | MoveOn.org's success story as a two million-member political activist website has motivated a previously immobilized contingency. Now, the MoveOn team offers 50 Ways to Love Your Country as a guide to help people who grapple with the question, "But what can I do?" Offering inspiring essays from 50 members around the country, this latest MoveOn endeavor should move you to become involved in the political process. Co-founder Joan Blades along with Rebecca Walker, Arthur Blaustein, and Skip Robinson introduce the book this evening, and offer a town-hall gathering to talk about political engagement. So quit your frettin' and come hear what all the fuss is about. (AK)
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| | Metric's synthed-out new wave vision of indie rock is so retro-fabulous, you can almost hear some B-list comedian on VH1 pining away for the band: "I looooooved Metric!" Metric lead singer Emily Haines (also a member of Broken Social Scene) combines her sultry yet playful vocal stylings (á la Juliana Hatfield) with synth prowess to create a funky sound reminiscent of '80s electro-pop, but with an updated dance-punk twist. The band is named for its metered approach to songwriting, yet its lyrics eschew formality for socially relevant topics. It's a rare band that's able to exude both sex and politics in the same breath. (JS)
 What's the best thing about the metric system? Our two favorite answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | During the six years of Def Jux's existence, the label and crew have waged a constant battle against mainstream hip-hop — and occasionally against itself. Its collective members — ten-odd and growing — have rested precariously on the cusp of hitting pay dirt, reluctant to swim up from indie backpack heroes to become small fish in a huge pond of bling. They're a conscious lot for the most part, with a biting sound unsuitable for the spoils of mainstream success. But what keeps the crew from hurdling the fence at once is also what keeps us interested: can the delicately split personalities of experimentally charged El-P and Mr. Lif ever fully jell with the hard-hitting ethos of Murs and SA Smash? Find out tonight. (KT)
Who directed the film documentary about the 2002 Def Jux tour? The second and fourth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Tonight's show is within spitting distance of the Marina, but expect less Cole (Kenneth, worn on feet) and more coal (miners, songs about) as the lineup pulls together some of SF's best unsung purveyors of alt-country and roots music. Last of the Blacksmiths grace their dirge rock with banjo and mandolin, a rootless drawl, and heavenly harmonizing. The John Francis, whose ambitious CD The Unspoken Rules of Frontier Justice comes complete with a booklet that's like a cross between McSweeney's and a Dada manifesto, turn out acoustic music that's part Neil Young, part Bauhaus. Judith & Holofernes play "fado core" — a mixture of indie rock and Portuguese folk you won't hear anywhere else. El Capitan's lush, twangy music's a mite more traditional, but no less rewarding. (PS)
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| | Video artist Wynne Greenwood's one-woman "band" reaffirms that pop music can be an artistic medium while still shaking the ass-bone. Playing Tracy live onstage, as well as all of the Plastics, projected on screens behind her, Greenwood scripts a concept for fanciful grad students dying for modern-art depth in their entertainment. Lucky, then, that her synth-heavy industrial-pop nuggets (think guitarless PJ Harvey demos) also pack a wallop. This synthesis got Tracy + the Plastics into a hoity-toity museum show (the 2004 Whitney Biennial), where all good pop flashes should end up. (PO)
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ART: Opening
Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo
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| when: | Fri 4.16 (8-11pm) |
| where: | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St, 415.978.2787) |
| price: | $12 / $10 advance |
| links: |
Event Info | Fela Kuti |
| | Spanning music and politics, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti lived a life that was so interesting, creative, and influential, that it deserves an exhibition in a contemporary art museum. In the '50s and '60s he created a hybrid sound that fused elements of Yoruba music with jazz, funk, and big band, which he dubbed Afrobeat in 1968. Rebelling against the oppression of a corrupt regime that regularly harassed, beat, and imprisoned him, Kuti named himself Black President of the Kalakuta Republic, a pan-African utopia that he established for the marginalized masses and his spliff-smoking, freethinking followers. Although Nigerian soldiers burned the compound to the ground in 1977, he remained active in music and politics until his death in 1997. This exhibition offers a glimpse of Fela's life through the words and images of his contemporaries Femi Osunla and Ghariokwu Lemi, the internationally acclaimed Kendall Geers and Yinka Shonibare, artistic crossover Satch Hoyt of the Burnt Sugar Arkestra, Venice Biennale star Fred Wilson, and a host of other visionary talents. (PL)
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| | Not every artist describes himself as the "supreme musical genius of our generation." Whether or not he warrants the moniker, Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) is one of the last decade's preeminent programmer/musicians. Despite obvious comparisons to Aphex Twin and other electronica gurus, Squarepusher stands on his own. Building jazzy loops on a drum 'n bass foundation decorated with spazz-core ornamentation, Jenkinson has shown that electronica can be as naturally jazzy as it is beat-heavy. Squarepusher's latest, Ultravisitor, continues his rhythmic exploration of circuit boards while adding bass solos to his live drumming and embracing melody in a way he hasn't since Music Is Rotted One Note. (SC)
Squarepusher recorded a song that name checked which Oscar-winning actor? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Paintbox purses, spangling bangles, pumping music, and strong cocktails — the fashion club fête is quite possibly the best invention since the high-heeled shoe. Chillin' sets 40 local designers to a soundtrack of eight DJs, two bands, and lots of '80s synth music. The gaggle of talented designers specializes in a grab bag of funky styles: everything from Nectar Designs' shoulder-grazing leather earrings to 52weekhigh's daring men's ties, woven basket-style from shiny satin ribbons. Those watching their wallets can down a few cocktails and groove to the tunes of DJs Russell Vargas, Dave Madix, Stink, Claudy Nielson, Noel, Ray, Matt, Paz 38, and bands the Love Makers and Justin Wright. (LK)
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| | Carl Craig's musical resume is a long and complicated one. Whether you associate the Detroit artist with his early groundbreaking techno (under his own name, as well as pseudonyms such as Paperclip People and BFC), his jazz and funk-oriented projects like Innerzone Orchestra and the Detroit Experiment, his acclaimed label Planet E, his rep as the controversial founder of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, or his stature as a celebrated club DJ, there's little doubt of the 34-year-old's towering influence on electronic music. Craig returns to San Francisco for what promises to be an eclectic and electrifying DJ set from one of techno's most notable pioneers. (TP)
Which Carl Craig track has had the greatest impact on electronic music, and why? The two best answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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ART
Pay to Play
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| when: | Sat 4.17 (8pm) |
| where: | New Langton Arts (1246 Folsom St, 415.626.5416) |
| price: | $5-10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | We love having our picture taken almost as much as we love drinking beer. Tonight, do both at Pay to Play, a dual installation project at New Langton. Patrick Rock's The American Flag Beer Vending Machine dispenses red-white-and-blue decorated cans of brewski while an automated band of Flying V guitars churns out loops of sound, and Ian Treasure's Maldive Evenings invites attendees to have their Polaroid taken while on "virtual holiday." What binds the two projects? We're not sure, but we're intrigued. A trenchant and witty critique of American leisure culture or a cynical, post-ironic grab at well-worn tropes of empire? You'll have to decide, but at least you can wash your critique down with a cold one — and look fabulous doing it. (PS)
In what year did the Maldives gain independence? The third and fifth answers each win a pair of tickets to this event.
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| | Fans of the Peter Sellers-starring Blake Edwards classic The Party might view the conspicuously named South Asian comic Russell Peters with intrigue. One of the few Desi (read: Indian) stand-ups to corner a legion of devoted fans, Peters sounds off on religion, subcontinental stereotypes, and politically charged topics like exporting jobs and importing culture. A four-time Canadian Gemini Award Nominee for Best Solo Comedy Show, Peters has made appearances in some of London's hippest joints as well as on Comedy Central. Expect a radically different take on multiculti comedy. (SNS)
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FASHION
Nice Collective Sample Sale
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| when: | Sun 4.18 (12-6pm) |
| where: | SomArts Cultural Center (934 Brannan St, 415.552.2131) |
| price: | FREE |
| links: |
Nice Collective |
| | Give those ubiquitous ironic T-shirts and ill-fitting jeans a break, and get yourself to the annual Nice Collective sample sale. These local designers' urban wardrobes keenly fit San Francisco — casually luxe, technologically inspired, and artfully complex. Expect unusual prints, counterintuitive zippers, sly straps, and D-rings, plus Nice Collective's lithe cut wrapped into designs both functional and pleasing to the eye — all on the cheap. The annual sample sale usually pulls together several seasons and includes long-unavailable gems, so now's your chance to snap up what you missed the first time. Regressive house DJ Monty Luke provides the soundtrack to your shopping frenzy. (CT)
Note: Cash or check only. Shoppers arrive well before the doors open and items go fast, so come early.
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MUSIC: Electronic
Laptop Battle
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| when: | Sun 4.18 (9pm-2am) |
| where: | Club Six (60 6th St, 415.863.1221) |
| price: | $5 |
| links: |
Event Info | Club Six |
| | As laptops burrow deeper and deeper into pop consciousness, it only makes sense that they increasingly crop up at rock shows, techno parties, and hip-hop joints. The folks at Seattle's Laptopbattle.org turn sound processing into 8 Mile-style combat tonight as they host San Francisco's first PowerBook face-off. In head-to-head elimination, 16 local competitors are pared down to one, made victorious by the swell of the crowd's response to his or her creative clicking. Special celebrity guests are expected to appear and they may just wow the amateurs with an ASCI-shaking live set of their own. (KT)
If you were challenged to a laptop battle, how would you begin? The best two answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Fans of Will Oldham, Songs:Ohia, and similar indie balladeers should find plenty to love in Shearwater's sparse, graceful songs. The Austin quartet shares members with Okkervil River and borrows from that band's approach to Americana, but something in the production — the chill, the hollow loneliness, the stark arrangements — also nods to proto-post-rockers Talk Talk. Vocalist Jonathan Meiburg's warble even sounds a bit like Talk Talk's Mark Hollis at times, and his lyrics read like particularly cryptic (and moving) blog entries, only deepening the conflicting sense of intimacy and estrangement the music visits upon you. (PS)
The Okkervil River flows through which city? The third correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Tonight's program by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players deftly illustrates the soundtrack's artistic contribution to a motion picture. Two film scores written for Luis Buñuel's surrealist silent Un Chien Andalou provide contrasting accompaniment to consecutive live screenings of this infamous classic: German composer Wolfgang Rihm's sinister 1984 piece Bild, eine chiffre and Argentine Martin Matalon's 1996 work of scintillating wit, Las siete vidas de un gato. Rounding out the program, Julie Steinberg plays Luciano Berio's Piano Sonata, a late work and immediate classic by a true giant of postwar European art music. (SS)
Note: There is a pre-concert talk at 7:15pm.
Berio held a position at which prominent French institution? The first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Incorporating footage shot over seven years, director Ondi Timoner paints a less than glamorous picture of the bumpy road to rock 'n roll stardom in this Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary film. Comparing the divergent career paths taken by Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and his friend and rival Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols, much of the film, narrated by Taylor, focuses on a dysfunctional, volatile, and seemingly self-imploding Newcombe. Given Newcombe's publicly expressed displeasure with some of the footage, and its outdated representation of him and his band, this documentary is sure to be fodder for much indie rock cocktail hour discussion. (EC)
Note: DIG! also screens on Sat 4.17 (6:15pm).
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FESTIVAL: Film
San Francisco International Film Festival
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| when: | Thur 4.15 - Thur 4.29 |
| where: | Various locations |
| price: | $7.50-12 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | San Francisco's largest film festival opens its two-week run Thursday night with Coffee and Cigarettes, described by director Jim Jarmusch as "a series of short films disguised as a feature." Shot in black-and-white, the film's cast is a who's who of indie film, including Roberto Benigni, Steven Wright, Steve Buscemi, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Tom Waits, RZA and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Meg and Jack White, and Iggy Pop. Other highlights of the festival — which features heavy-hitters like Lars von Trier, Mario Van Peebles, and Milos Forman as well as newcomers from every conceivable corner of the globe — include the documentary film program, which includes Lars von Trier's The Five Obstructions, the fast food documentary Super Size Me, and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, as well as the Extreme Cinema program, focused this year on edgy Asian cinema. (EC)
Note: There is a party following the Castro's opening night screening ($75) at the Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center (9:30pm-12am).
Which member of the Coffee and Cigarettes production team also worked on Michael Jackson's Moonwalker? The second and fourth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to a film.
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| | Sacto to New York transplant !!! are easily one of the most buzzed-about bands on the funk-punk scene. And although that strange alias is usually pronounced "chik chik chik," come April 29, you'll be muttering something else three times fast if you don't get your tickets now. On the road to support its forthcoming album, Louden Up Now, !!!'s live show promises more funky drumming, enormous bass licks, and breathless yelps than you'll know what to do with. Throw in a live band performance from DFA superstar James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem, and you've got the dance party of the season. (PS)
What's your preferred pronunciation of !!!? The two best answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| Iron & Wine, Our Endless Numbered Days |
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Sub Pop
Released March 2004
$12.99 (Amazon)
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Sam Beam composed, performed, and recorded his stunning debut album without assistance in his home studio. For this, his sophomore disc, he gets some help from his friends, who expand the instrumental palette — where The Creek Drank the Cradle consisted primarily of guitar and banjo arrangements, Our Endless Numbered Days augments those strummings with bass, drums, mandolin, and heartbreaking backing vocals from Beam's sister, Sarah. Fitting, for the focus of the album itself is unions: brothers, lovers, sons, and daughters — the tides of time and togetherness. Beam adds a nuanced and subtle depth to his songs with the enriched instrumentation, but somehow his compositions have become quieter. Even more hushed and haunted, they're like soothing backwoods lullabies that stealthily secret themselves in your soul. (JKG)
Where is Beam from? First correct answer wins a copy of the album.
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| DREAM STREAM: Beta Lounge Relaunch |
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Fans of the Beta Lounge, one of the best damn sources for streaming electronic music on the web, have been seeing the same green-and-gray page for a solid four years now. But finally, timed roughly to coincide with the site's eight-year anniversary, Beta Lounge has redesigned and relaunched. The archive is still there, comprising hundreds of sets from DJ heavyweights (Richie Hawtin, Derek May, Matthew Herbert), local favorites, and relative unknowns, but now it's fleshed out with additional multimedia content, including photos, video, and even message boards. What better occasion to take a troll through the Lounge's thousands of hours of programming? Peep historic 1997 sets from the likes of Kevin Saunderson and Moodyman, or enjoy the wealth of European talent that's recently rolled through the site's Hamburg studio. For house hedonists, techno fiends, nu-jazz heads, and hip-hoppers alike, there's something for everyone. Here's to the next eight years. (SK)
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| STREAMS: dublab |
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Peer pressure is such a drag. All those kids trying to twist your arm are ultra lame-os. Why do they give a hoot about how you act? You're an individual. Who wants to be cool these days anyway? You have to spend too much time combing your hair. Doing your own thing is so much better. Listening to dublab is a pretty radical expression of your individualism. So work it out, Ace. It's the taste of a new generation's eardrums. (frosty)
*dublab's Spring Proton Drive is on now. Contribute to positive music today.
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| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Light bulb | Jon Rothstein | | |
| Editors: |
| Margiela trousers | Philip Sherburne | | iPod | Sascha Lewis | | Quonset hut | Mark Mangan | | Moog | Peter D Stepek | | Swiss Champ | Jocelyn K Glei | | Wassily chair | Paul Laster | | Mini Maglite | Lisa Rosman | | 1958 Aston Martin DB4 | Nick Parish | | | | | | | | | | |
ABOUT US
flavorpill SF is a free weekly mailer covering music, arts, and cultural events in San Francisco. All listings are researched and written based on what we think has flavor. As always, feel free to send in any and all feedback — comments, questions, ideas, or rants. Spread the flavor...
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Please send all interesting event information (press releases, links, etc.) to events. |
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| Contributors: |
| OXO ice cream scoop | Sam Smith | | White t-shirt | Cheryl Taruc | | Hula hoop | Christopher Hampton | | Rollerskate | Ellisa Feinstein | | Rock spare key holder | Ken Taylor | | Pablo Pardo lamps | Lauren Epstein | | Mont Blanc | Laura Kenney | | Converse All Stars | Seiji Carpenter | | Fat skis | Ali Kops | | Technics 1200 | Todd Sills | | Audi TT | Sebastian Koch | | Yanagi Butterfly stool | Jenni Updenkelder | | Barcelona chair | Erika Christiansen | | Stradivarius | Stuart A Sheldon | | Moleskine sketch book | Reyhan Harmanci | | Martini glass | frosty |
| Chef's knife | Sam N Shah | | Rabbit corkscrew | Tim Pratt | | Computer keyboard | Jeremy Sampson | | Chopsticks | Piotr Orlov | | Bubble wrap | Cyrus Wadia | | Wireless card | Lisa Won | | Cooper Mini | Nish I Nadaraja | | Treo 600 | Seiji Carpenter | | Fun dip | Jimmy Carson | | |
| Production: |
| Stark Juicy Salif | Jen Bachman | | Thimble | David Morrow | | 1971 Karmann Ghia convertible | Emily Welsch |
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MONTHLY BOOK REVIEW
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