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 Moira Hahn courtesy of Start Mobile |
Cultural Stimuli in SF
Issue 196: feathered flavor
From avian flu to tainted poultry, our feathered friends have been getting a bad rap lately. At least we can count on the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory's steadfast admiration of the creatures in the sky. Even emo kids are getting the spirit — as Andy Greenwald clearly illustrates (who loves those little bluebird tattoos more?). Bird lovers of a feather should flock to Birdmonster, playing Mezzanine for Bagel Radio's third anniversary. Elsewhere, Little Wings, with support from Karl Blau, flutter into Hotel Utah, and migrating geese are liable to take a Great American Music Hall detour when Of Montreal's soaring, hook-laden pop harmonies catch the breeze. There are plenty of earthbound amusements for you, too. Witness French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy strut around even the most cunningly laid existential traps. Let your most fanciful desires take wing, and spread it...
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flavorpill SF is an email magazine covering a hand-picked selection of music, art, and cultural events — delivered each Tuesday afternoon.
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Be a rocket scientist in your own home. Get started with the next issue of ReadyMade, the instructional magazine for people who like to make stuff. Find out how to build a head-banging headboard, recover your kitchen counter, find a f*&%ing awesome job, and get credit for your MacGyver-style solutions. It's all the know-how you need. |
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| Daily Updates |
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| MUSIC: Lo-fi Indie Pop |
Little Wings w/ Karl Blau
| when: |
Tue 1.31 (8:30pm) |
| where: |
Hotel Utah Saloon (500 4th St, 415.546.6300) map |
| price: |
$7 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Karl Blau is known for collaborations: playing with Laura Veirs and the Tortured Souls, joining Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum in D+, and releasing underground recordings through the audio zine Kelp! Monthly. Now, with a new album on K Records, Blau is striking out on his own. Lyrics about his waterfront hometown, the tiny music mecca of Anacortes, WA, drift through Beneath Waves, punctuated by saxophone harmonies that have never heard of smooth jazz. Each song encapsulates the onetime oyster farmer's style: lo-fi yet lush, complex, and natural. Label-mates Little Wings headline. (KE)
 What did Laura Veirs study in college? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to tonight's show.
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| READING |
Andy Greenwald: Miss Misery
| when: |
Wed 2.1 (7pm) |
| where: |
A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books (601 Van Ness Ave, 415.441.6670) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info | Andy Greenwald |
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Beltway blogger Ana Marie Cox's novel, Dog Days, may have given wonks their literary fix, but those more into the latest Death Cab for Cutie single than the trials of Tom DeLay may have felt a little left out. Fear not. Spin writer and emo historian Andy Greenwald saves the day, filling the void in blog-savvy fiction with his debut novel Miss Misery. His first book, Nothing Feels Good, explored the explosion of the histrionic musical genre and its resonance in youth culture. With Miss Misery, Greenwald continues to indulge his fascination with the young and music-obsessed in this tale of relationships and identity in the digital age. (AL)
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| MUSIC: Country Rock |
California Homegrown Music Series feat. Birdmonster, Ex-Boyfriends, and Serene Lakes
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Birdmonster delivers the kind of dynamic, sweat-drenched workout that makes live music so much fun. But it's not just their stage presence that has made them the toast of blogs everywhere: their hard-rocking songs move deftly from Springsteen to alt-country to something not entirely unlike Modest Mouse while maintaining a sound that is uniquely theirs. Completing the hometown lineup are punk-pop trio the Ex-Boyfriends (not to be confused with the a capella group of the same name) and Serene Lakes, whose sweet vocals float gently over a guitar-laced haze. (SD)
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| LECTURE |
Bob Andelman: Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
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You might not recognize his name, but Will Eisner was the original influence for many of your favorite comic artists including Bill Waterson and Charles Schulz. Credited as the founding father of the comic medium, Eisner is also regarded as a pioneer of adult-geared graphic novels, imbued with mature story lines and literary complexity. A diverse array of artists and writers such as Jack Kirby, Neil Gaiman, and Art Spiegelman credit him as a mentor or an inspiration. Tonight, biographer Bob Andelman shares rare Eisner photos and artwork and discusses his newly published tome exploring the artist's life and work. (CH)
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| LAUNCH: Art Books |
Elena Dorfman and Lynn Hershman Leeson
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Perhaps it's their proximity to Silicon Valley, or maybe it's coincidence, but local artists Elena Dorfman and Lynn Hershman Leeson are both fascinated by the impact of artifice and technology on sexuality. Still Lovers, a collection of Dorfman's photographs, depicts an intimacy between Real Dolls and their owners that's as realistic as its subjects are synthetic. Leeson's best-known work (the feature films Conceiving Ada (1997) and Teknolust (2002)) uses her apparent muse, Tilda Swinton, to explore femininity and sexuality in cyberspace. This dual book launch celebrates the release of Still Lovers and The Art and Films of Lynn Hershman Leeson: Secret Agents, Private I. (JK)
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| COMEDY |
A Book Burning Comedy Showcase
| when: |
Fri 2.3 (7pm) |
| where: |
AK Press (674-A 23rd St, Oakland, 510.208.1700) map |
| price: |
$5 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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AK Press, a worker-run book publisher and distributor organized around anarchist principles, hosts its first ever Book Burning Comedy Showcase. Fresh off an appearance at the Comedy Central Stage, Will Franken injects the event with his hilarious, multi-persona, one-man sketch comedy. John Hoogasian serves up a quirky, edgy kind of humor, and New Yorker Samantha Chanse provides a fresh female voice in the stand up comedy scene. The evening is hosted by Rusty Mahakian and is an absurdly cheap evening of comedy and radical book browsing. (JLG)
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| MUSIC: Indie Pop |
Of Montreal
| when: |
Fri 2.3 (9pm) |
| where: |
Great American Music Hall (859 O'Farrell St, 415.885.0750) map |
| price: |
$13 |
| links: |
Event Info | Of Montreal |
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Whether or not critics agree that Of Montreal's mastermind Kevin Barnes is a genius, only the most hardened of them could sit through a couple of the band's swooping harmonies and gleefully experimental melodies without feeling a tad euphoric. Emerging from the Elephant Six universe (the collective best known for Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control), this band from Athens, GA is on tour to promote their latest album, The Sunlandic Twins — the auditory equivalent of a box of Day-Glo bouncy balls dropped from a very high place, all electronically-tinged joy and irrepressible energy. (SD)
Note: DJ Jester the Filipino Fist, Grand Buffet, and MGMT open.
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| DJ |
Kenny "Dope" Gonzales (of Masters at Work)
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Since the early '90s, two of New York's premier dance music producers have gone by the moniker MAW, or Masters at Work. Kenny "Dope" Gonzales and "Little Louie" Vega combine their sampled beats with live instrumentation to create a uniquely emotional experience. The duo effortlessly meshes genres as varied as hip-hop, jazz, disco, house, Afrobeat, and Latin, resulting in a sound that is all their own. Tonight, local DJ collective the Culprits have flown out one half of the MAW sound — Kenny Dope — for a rare and intimate DJ set at Pink. (JC)
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| ALSO ON FRI |
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Om Records Ten-Year Anniversary Celebration feat. Mark Farina, Colossus, and more
Fri 2.3 (10pm-5am) Mezzanine (444 Jessie St, 415.625.8880) map $15
Event Info |
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Mark Farina's "mushroom jazz" sessions made him a dance floor legend, with a cool, left-of-pure Chicago-style approach to house exceptionally conducive to VIP dreams. Tonight, for Om Records' tenth anniversary, Mezzanine hosts the hometown fave for a night of decadence and uber-positive vibes. (JMS)
 
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| DANCE |
Bollywood Berkeley: The Fifth Annual Hindi Film Dance Competition
| when: |
Sat 2.4 (7pm) |
| where: |
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (701 Mission St, 415.978.2787) map |
| price: |
$25 / $20 advance |
| links: |
Event Info |
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A typical dance number in a Bollywood film may include any number of the following: costume/location changes between cuts, everyone jumping into a fountain, background dancing that wildly veers between traditional folk moves and *NSYNC choreography, and/or the entire routine taking place on top of a moving train. The competing national college teams at this year's Bollywood Berkeley dance-off are likely to attempt all of the above and more (except for maybe the locomotive) in real time as they vie for the gold. Competition may be fierce, but it has never looked (or sounded) so spectacular. (MS)
What is the name of the first feature film to come out of pre-Bollywood India in 1913? The third and fourth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the performance.
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| FUNDRAISER |
Kitchen Sink and KALX present The Love and Rockets Ball feat. Sugar & Gold, Get in Shape, Bitch!
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Kitchen Sink's name implies a haphazard mélange of different influences and content. Appropriately, the magazine's winter formal/benefit is a prom on a bender, featuring the psycho-Fonda aerobics of Get in Shape, Bitch!, the punk disco of the Sugar & Gold troupe, and the fabulosity of drag queen supreme Anna Conda, all backed by a roster of KALX DJs and the emcee prowess of Suicide King slam poet Geoff Trenchard. While there are no guarantees against a session or two of the Electric Slide, there will be enough champagne and chocolates to dull your sense of decency. Formal wear — or a rendition thereof — is requested. (CH)
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| PERFORMANCE |
Papi Chocho in the Mixxx
| when: |
Sat 2.4 (8pm) |
| where: |
Galería de la Raza (2857 24th St, 415.826.8009) map |
| price: |
$5-10 sliding scale |
| links: |
Event Info |
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It's not often that you get the chance to see a whole night of top-quality queer Latin performance art, even in San Francisco — but opportunity knocks this weekend. Los Angeles-based foursome Butchlalis de Panochtitlan, who played a sold-out show (Teenage Papi: The Second Coming of Adolescence) here last July, return to the Bay to join local trans multimedia performance artist Macho Cabrera-Estevez and emcee Rigomortis for their latest piece, Papi Chocho in the Mixxx. Count on it to be funny, smart, and thuggishly sexy. (HMT)
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| MUSIC: Synth Pop |
Scissors for Lefty w/ Tartufi and Hijack the Disco
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Tonight's theme is "variety pack," as in those mini-bagged junk food collections Mom bought for school lunches. The perky pop of Hijack the Disco is like the potato chips, lightly salted, and with a hint of vinegary dance-synth. Tartufi are the earthier Fritos of the night, with jangly guitars and bittersweet, countrified piano counterbalancing the crunch of hardscrabble vocals. No snack pack would ever be complete without its Cheetos: Scissors for Lefty. Packed with crispy synths that dissolve into a softer, more delicate guitar-driven mass, SFL are cheesy, but surprisingly addictive. Luckily, prolonged exposure won't leave your tongue neon orange. (CH)
Note: Lemon Sun also open.
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| FILM |
Floating Clouds (1955)
| when: |
Sat 2.4 (9:15pm) |
| where: |
Pacific Film Archive (2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 510.642.0808) map |
| price: |
$8 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Not nearly as well known as Ozu and Mizoguchi, Japanese director Mikio Naruse remains an unsung master sketch artist of the mores and manners of the middle class, often training his realist's eye on the consequences of the collision between a character's inner world and the world at large. In this case, a beautiful woman skittishly attempts to rekindle her love affair with an old flame amidst a broken, postwar Japan. While the beauty of the camerawork offsets the bleakness of the narrative, Naruse damns his characters to pursue a love accessible only through the distorting glass of memory. (MS)
Before marrying, Mikio Naruse and Sachiko Chiba collaborated on what movie? The first two correct responses each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| FILM |
Eighth Annual San Francisco Independent Film Festival
| when: |
Fri 2.3 - Tue 2.14 (schedule) |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Couldn't make it to Sundance? SF's homegrown film festival, now in its eighth year, boasts nearly 50 full-length films, as well as a plethora of shorts and animated features. Notable entries include a look at a Christian family of indie rockers, a comedy about pirates in Utah, and a documentary chronicling Up in Smoke's Tommy Chong and his controversial arrest. For those with film fest ADD, KISS KISS is a collection of romance shorts, while BANG BANG gathers thriller and action quickies. And if you really require festival glitz, hit the opening gala at Balazo. (CH)
Note: Sunday's offerings include the Cartoons, Etc program — sort of an avant-garde and slightly more tasteful Spike & Mike's.
If you could move Sundance to a new city, where would it be and why? Our two favorite responses of 50 words or less each win a pair of tickets to the opening night at the Castro (including the party at the Balboa Theatre) Thur 2.2 (7pm).
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| DISCUSSION |
Food Bloggers Face Off
| when: |
Mon 2.6 (5:30-7:15pm) |
| where: |
Ferry Building, 2nd Fl, Port Commission Hearing Room (1 The Embarcadero, 415.597.6705) map |
| price: |
$22 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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It's not surprising that the most wired city in the US is also home to one of the most prolific food blogging communities, with writers posting about everything from a latest restaurant find or a wonderful new family winemaker to cooking one's way through a cookbook collection. San Francisco Chronicle food writer Amanda Berne has gathered a sampling of a few of the most track-backed of the Bay Area blogging foodies in a favorite haunt to let readers meet the people behind their favorite mouth-watering dispatches. Panelists include the bloggers behind Vinography, 101 Cookbooks, Chez Pim, and Saute Wednesday. (EC)
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| DISCUSSION |
Bernard-Henri Lévy: American Vertigo
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Bernard-Henri Lévy is a throwback to an era when black-clad Frenchmen ruled the intellectual waves, yet his flashy persona is about as far as you can get from France's other Algerian-born, Jewish philosopher. Nonetheless, BHL is an icon across the pond, thanks to his designer wardrobe, his actress wife, and a certain palace he owns in Marrakech. While he did once inspire a profile titled "God Is Dead But My Hair Is Perfect," it's not just in matters of coiffure that he takes after Alexis de Tocqueville. His latest book, American Vertigo, follows in the political philosopher's footsteps. While we can't vouch for his book, BHL is a true character, and a leftfield reading like this is not to be missed. (TW)
Note: Bernard-Henri Lévy also appears at the Mechanics Institute Library today (12:30pm, $15).
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| DJ |
Massive Selector presents: King Britt
| when: |
Mon 2.6 (9pm-2am) |
| where: |
Social Club (1751 Fulton St, 415.441.1751) map |
| price: |
$1 |
| links: |
Event Info | King Britt |
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King Britt has given us a good decade of music to light candles to (anybody want to rub on some cocoa butter?), whether on duty in the early '90s as DJ for Digable Planets, conjuring Isaac Hayes on his own smooth-jam hip-hop releases like Adventures in Lo-Fi, or releasing after-hours house tracks under the Scuba moniker. Currently, Mr. Britt tours the West Coast in support of his new release, King Britt Presents: Sister Gertrude Morgan, a groovy reworking of gospel songs recorded by the aforementioned Sister in the 1960s. Tonight he promises a four-hour DJ set with soul, jazz, house, and everything funky in between. (AB)
Note: This is the kickoff party for the Social Club's closing week.
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| MUSIC: Bluegrass and Old-Time |
San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival 2006
| when: |
Fri 2.3 - Sun 2.12 (schedule) |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
Various |
| links: |
Event Info |
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If American civilization were to be obliterated tomorrow, what would we leave behind? We've given the world Britney, Elvis, and Miles, sure, but imagine for a moment climbing through the rubble of a ruined Smithsonian and finding an old 78, miraculously preserved. You place it on the platter of your turntable and press play. There's a strange crackling, and suddenly a fiddle, and then a banjo. And then a voice calls out as if from some ancient forest, howling like a restless ghost. You can barely fathom the culture that produced such haunting and intricate melodies. Thankfully, this culture is alive and well, as Dr. Ralph Stanley and dozens of legends and up-and-comers of the scene prove at the SF Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival. (GM)
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| THEATRE |
The Mystery Plays
| when: |
Now through Sat 2.11 (Wed-Sat: 8pm) |
| where: |
SF Playhouse (536 Sutter St, 415.677.9596) map |
| price: |
$36 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Better-known for writing the Fantastic Four comic books, Robert Aguirre-Sacasa presents the West Coast debut of his theatrical effort The Mystery Plays. Plays comprises two acts loosely tied together by the main characters, who each take "involuntary" journeys of self-discovery to places where things aren't always what they appear. The first act features a train ride that begins with tragedy and leads to an even grimmer conclusion. The second act chronicles the emotional tale of a woman's trip home to meet with her brother's attorneys in order to discuss a crime she would rather not revisit. Both stories have their share of traumatic moments, but it's the theme of forgiveness that makes Plays more captivating then the typical whodunit. (EF)
Note: There is also a 3pm performance every Saturday.
Even if it didn't lead to self-discovery, where did your last "involuntary" journey take you? The most interesting answer wins $10 off the ticket price.
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| ALSO ONGOING/UPCOMING |
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FILM: Double Feature
Baby Face (1933) and Night Nurse (1931)
Fri 2.3 - Thur 2.9 (12:10, 3:35 & 7pm) Balboa Theatre (3630 Balboa St, 415.221.8184) map $8.50
Event Info |
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In this double feature, which includes a newly restored Baby Face, Barbara Stanwyck sleeps her way to the top and dresses down to nearly nothing, just before the Production Code took effect. (JK)
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WALK THIS WAY: Oakland Art Murmur |
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Long a staple of the art world, monthly art walks offer an artistic community the opportunity to expose their most recent and cutting-edge work in the area's best venues. Starting this year, the hip, thriving, and decidedly un-snooty Uptown Oakland art scene is hosting new openings on the first Friday of every month from 7-10pm. Nothing can prepare you for the scene's characteristic bright colors, abstract sculptures, and politically minded installations. Participating venues include the Rock Paper Scissors Collective, Mama Buzz Café, and the just-moved 21 Grand, all within walking or biking distance from each other. (JG)
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CD REVIEW: Cat Power, The Greatest |
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Matador
Released January 2006
$13.99 (Insound)
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As the story goes, Matador Records' royalty sat Chan Marshall down and asked
what it would take to get her to record a new Cat Power record. Having grown
up on classic Southern soul, she requested a dream-cast of Memphis session
musicians — led by Al Green's favorite guitarist and songwriting
partner — to record with her in the Stax label's famed Ardent Studios,
where Big Star forged their own link between underground rock and soul over
30 years ago. Her wish granted, The Greatest finally allows
Marshall's hazy introspection to breathe. Full, gorgeous arrangements only
deepen her forlorn intensity, as on the elegiac track, "The Moon."
Elsewhere, she achieves something like rapture amid swirling organs, funky
horns, and especially the swooning string arrangements on the album closer,
"Love and Communication." (KB)
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MULTIMEDIA: Warp Records |
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Warp is coming off a banner 2005 that saw notable releases from Jamie Lidell, Jackson and His Computer Band, Boards of Canada, Maxïmo Park, and many others. The label, founded by Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell back in 1989, is indisputably one of the most important forces pushing electronic music's evolution, having served as an early home for the likes of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. In 2006, Warp shows no signs of fatigue, with albums in the works from Prefuse 73, Jimmy Edgar, and — definitely a band to watch — Battles. Here, indulge in some Warp media, including a dazzling live Lidell performance, videos from the Maxïmo lads and — the coup de grâce — an exclusive streaming megamix from Jackson. (CJN)
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Jamie Lidell: Live at the Royal Festival Hall (Robo-soul)
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Maxïmo Park: Various videos (Post Punk)
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Jackson: "Smash Up Megamix 1.0" (Cut-up techno)
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| Header Design: |
| Kiowa headdress | Moira Hahn courtesy of Start Mobile |
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| Editors: |
| Ben Franklin's pen | Jocelyn K. Glei | | Macaroni | Lisa Hix | | Daffy Duck | Connie Hwong | | Ostrich-plumed hat | Jonathan Knapp | | Down comforter | Jake Lancaster | | Dumbo | Doug Levy | | Emu | Sascha Lewis | | Velociraptor | Gerry Mak | | Dream catcher | Mark Mangan | | Andy Gibb | Colin J. Nagy | | Phoenix | Claire Smith | | São Paulo Carnival | Peter Stepek | | Toby Warner |
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| ABOUT US |
| flavorpill SF is a free weekly email magazine covering music, arts, and cultural events in San Francisco. All listings are pure editorial, never paid advertisements — no money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Read more about us, and spread it... |
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| FEEDBACK |
| As always, feel free to send in any and all feedback — comments, questions, ideas, or rants. |
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| EVENT & DESIGN SUBMISSIONS |
To let us know about an upcoming event that you think belongs here, please email us at events at least two weeks prior to the date.
To find out more about submitting cover art to run at the top of Flavorpill publications, go to flavorpill.net/design. |
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MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS |
| Every week, flavorpill SF presents one exclusive media partner. Click for more information about advertising opportunities on all Flavorpill publications. |
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| Contributors: |
| Valerie Bertinelli | Anna Balkrishna | | Crazy Horse | Karl Briedrick | | Cupid | Erika Christiansen | | Duster | Sidra Durst | | Chickadees | Kjersti Egerdahl | | Silverhawks | Lauren Epstein | | Boa | Ellisa Feinstein | | Kookaburra | Jennie Gruber | | Flapper | Joyce L. Guan | | Hulu kupuna | Annie Lo | | Dodo | Jennifer M. Stais | | Indigo-winged parrot | Matt Sussman | | Crow | Hallie Montoya Tansey |
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Production: |
| Cassawarie | Casey Acierno | | Valkyrie | Anjuli Ayer | | Horus | Jessica Bauer-Greene | | Hermes | Morgan Croney | | Quetzalcoatl | Jules Gaffney | | Big Bird | Sander-Martijn Milks | | Chicken Lady | David Morrow | | Farrah Fawcett | Leah M. Taylor | | Tengu | Judah Wiedre |
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MORE FILTERED CULTURE |
Hi-fidelity updates
A twice-monthly email magazine high- lighting the latest in electronic music — including news, reviews, and original features
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Books worth reading
A monthly review focusing on smart, readable works of fiction and nonfiction, from current titles to past gems
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Global fashion trends
A twice-monthly, insider view on fashion trends breaking in Paris, London, New York, and around the world
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International art
A twice-monthly email magazine covering art, design, and architecture with profiles, news, and reviews of inter- national shows
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© 2006 Flavorpill Productions LLC. All rights reserved.
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