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 Richard Colman |
Cultural Stimuli in SF
Issue 279: vampiric flavor
It's easy to get drained in this town. That's why, like Bunnicula, you have to just suck the juice out of life (thank God for Jamba Juice). Down at the Cartoon Art Museum, you can see macabre illustrator Edward Gorey's theatrical take on the original bloodsucker, Dracula. And, as Halloween Superstores begin popping up around town, get an early taste of creepiness with Imp of Satan onscreen and Sweeney Todd onstage. Creepy in a different way is William Friedkin's Cruising, which sends Al Pacino into the world of gay S&M. Other forms of cultural cannibalism seem mild by comparison, whether they're mining childhood nostalgia like the Id Is exhibition and Nintendo-tribute band the Advantage, or digging into the past like the Ukulele Festival or the Gatsby Afternoon picnic. Sink your teeth in, and spread it.
- Lisa Hix, Managing Editor
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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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GOING GATSBY
Time to dig deep at your local vintage boutique, because Gatsby Afternoon picnickers accept nothing but true '20s-'40s attire. Besides, you couldn't look as good doing the Charleston or lunching next to Model Ts in neon Nikes.
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| ART |
Edward Gorey's Dracula
| when: |
Now through 1.20 (Tue-Sun: 11am-5pm) |
| where: |
Cartoon Art Museum (655 Mission St, 415.227.8666) map |
| price: |
$6 |
| links: |
Event Info | Edward Gorey |
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Edward Gorey (1925-2000) remains one of the most admired and emulated illustrators to date, each meticulous shade and line of his drawings maintaining a darkly humorous style. His body of work spans theatre, puppetry, television (the intro to Masterpiece Theatre, for instance), and literature. In the '70s, Gorey won awards for his stage design of Dracula and now Cartoon Art is displaying a collection of notes, prints, photographs, and other elements of that production, giving fellow artists and fans alike a glimpse into the inner workings of the reclusive artist. (TF)
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| THEATRE |
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
| when: |
Now through Sun 9.30 (schedule) |
| where: |
American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Blvd, 415.749.2228) map |
| price: |
$20-80 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Really, nothing could be ominous about a musical tale of a friendship between a barber and a baker. Seriously, nothing. 'Cept maybe that the barber happens to be Sweeney Todd, a notorious killer who slits his victims' throats with a straight razor, and that his accomplice is Mrs. Lovett, a baker who sells meat pies made of those victims' body parts. On the surface, Stephen Sondheim's libretto is morbid and gruesome. But underneath the gore and madness lies a moral story told through a man's quest for revenge and the devastating toll the murderous rage takes on his life. (TF)
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| ART |
Billy Childish
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Hundreds of releases from garage-rock gods Thee Headcoats and Thee Mighty Caesars are just the tip of Billy Childish's ridiculously prolific iceberg — poet, photographer, and art-movement co-founder are just a few of his (many) hats. OK, so the woodblock prints and drawings on display here — many of which he's used as cover art for his various projects — are not exactly mind-blowing. But like the 1-4-5 chords that form garage rock's skeletal frame, Childish's visual art exerts its power from a limited range with seemingly endless permutations, and that is no small feat. (MS)
Note: This exhibition runs through Sun 9.30 (Daily: 12-7pm).
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| THEATRE |
SF Fringe Festival
| when: |
Wed 9.5 - Sun 9.16 (schedule) |
| where: |
Various locations |
| price: |
Varies |
| links: |
Event Info |
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The titles alone should be enough to tantalize you: Fuck You Cancer, Jesus Rant, i hate my friends, Korean Badass, Tesla's White Pigeon, and Heavy Metal Playground. If not, then perhaps the promise of theatre with "total creative freedom" piques your interest. Certainly, there's no arguing that the more experimental-minded drama geeks cook up their kookiest plots for the beloved Fringe Festival. This time around, the schemes include a man climbing through his own innards, a cabaret about a "psycho-sociological-spiritual evolutionary crisis caused by computers," and a sci-fi satire of women's magazines. (LH)
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| FESTIVAL |
SF Electronic Music Festival
| when: |
Wed 9.5 - Sun 9.9 (8:30pm) |
| where: |
Theater Artaud (450 Florida St, 415.626.4370) map |
| price: |
$55 festival pass / $16 per show |
| links: |
Event Info |
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SF may still be in the throes of its affair with funky tech-house (thanks, dirtybird), but it's good to see that there is still a place in this town for electronic music's weirder, less dancey incarnations. This year's SF Electronic Music Festival has really outdone itself with Mexico's Fernando Corona (performing as Murcof) and Canadian Tim Hecker both on the bill. The melancholy strings and stuttering beat programming of Murcof's 2005 album Remembranza gave way to this year's Cosmos, a far lusher affair. Hecker, meanwhile, uses digital signal processing like a sandblaster, reshaping melody through the veil of distortion. Rounding out the lineup are local power-electronics hero Lesser and improv legend Fred Frith. (MS)
 What does sound look like? The five most colorful responses in 50 words or less each receive a pair of tickets to the festival. Entries close at 6pm on Wed 9.5.
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| ART: Opening |
Libby Black: The Past Is Never Where You Think You Left It
| when: |
Thur 9.6 (5:30-7:30pm) |
| where: |
Heather Marx Gallery (77 Geary St, 2nd Fl, 415.627.9111) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Working in oils and graphite, Libby Black questions our relationship with commercialism and luxury goods. But it's her work in paper, acrylics, and hot glue that is most arresting: painstaking recreations of haute-couture shoes, handbags, and hat boxes, with meticulously recreated logos and seals. Her contrasting themes range from the facetious (a full-scale faux Louis Vuitton-monogrammed canoe with matching logo-encrusted life vest) to the poignant, as seen in her version of America's westward expansion, in which she ruminates on the importance of her own possessions and personal journey from the Midwest to the Left Coast. (CH)
Note: This exhibition runs through Sat 10.27 (Tue-Fri: 10:30am-5:30pm / Sat: 11am-5pm).
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| ART |
Id Is
| when: |
Thur 9.6 (5:30-7:30pm) |
| where: |
Steven Wolf Fine Arts (49 Geary St, Ste 411, 415.263.3677) map |
| price: |
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Event Info |
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The five artists in this group show each draw upon concepts of childhood, ranging from sculptures of teddy bears to explorations of the space between the real and the imagined. The show also features works by musicians/video artists Hooliganship, whose visual onslaught waxes nostalgic on cartoons and '90s computer graphics, and Frances Trombly's lovingly crocheted birthday-party debris. These artists aren't treading down some daffodil-lined path, though — each examines childhood as a state of mind, reminding us of just how bonkers those little minds can be. (TMW)
Note: This exhibition runs through Sat 9.29 (Tue-Sat: 11:30am-5:30pm).
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| MUSIC: Bossa Nova |
Bebel Gilberto w/ Forro in the Dark
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Though she's the daughter of Brazilian legend Joćo Gilberto, US-born singer Bebel Gilberto has far more than just a famous name. Like her father, the New York-based singer's worldwide acclaim is the result of sheer, stunning skill. Blending bossa nova beats with sexy, modern arrangements, the chanteuse invokes a breathy croon and dreamy delivery — the perfect complement to sultry tropical sounds. Opening for the girl from Ipanema (or, rather, the real girl's daughter), New York-based band Forro in the Dark drop David Byrne-sanctioned Brazilian pop that blends traditional sounds with an edgy attitude. (EJ)
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| MUSIC: Nintendo Rock |
The Advantage w/ Them Hills and the Lovely Public
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Sacramento's the Advantage cater to eight-bit sentimentalists and NES nostalgia junkies, recalling the glory days of Mario, Luigi, and Bomberman in all their 2-D, pixilated glory. The four-piece band has a very specific mission and gimmick: to cover every single theme song ever created for the original Nintendo console, recreating the tinny tunes with guitar, bass, and drums. With more than 40 already under their belts (including classics from Contra and Castlevania), they shouldn't have many more levels to conquer. The Lovely Public provide a fuzzed-out selection of creepy, disjointed psychedelic songs as a "practice round." (CH)
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ART: Opening
Lisa Congdon: The Tenderhearted
Thur 9.6 (6:30-9:30pm) Candy Store (3153 16th St, 415.863.8143) map
Event Info
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With no formal training, local mixed-media artist Lisa Congdon takes an intuitive approach to her work, mixing crafty vintage patterns and natural-form designs to create whimsical scenes. (TMW)
Note: This exhibition runs through Tue 10.9 (Mon-Sat: 12-7pm / Sun: 12-6pm).
 
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| FILM |
Cruising (1980)
| when: |
Fri 9.7 - Thur 9.13 (Fri-Thur: 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:15pm) |
| where: |
Castro Theatre (429 Castro St, 415.621.6120) map |
| price: |
$10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Even while still in production, director William Friedkin's Cruising was panned by critics and greeted with vehement public protests from the gay community. The controversial murder mystery follows Al Pacino as a rookie cop who goes undercover to catch a killer loose in NYC's gay S&M scene. Shot in actual leather bars, the film offers glimpses of a homosexual milieu that no longer exists, but also uses that world's denizens as fodder for a relentlessly sadistic spectacle. It is brutal, sloppy, dark, and dramatic — in other words, necessary viewing. (MS)
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| DJ |
Tittsworth w/ Sleazemore and Shane King
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Tittsworth explodes the boundaries of the B'more club sound with raucous and irreverent injections of classic pop, house, and party breaks. Sure, the Internet has lately been flooded with weak, ironic B'more remixes by bandwagon jumpers, but Tittsworth is the real deal — a consummate DJ who can juggle club-friendly eclecticism and dance-floor-destroying beats, both in his wild live sets or his many volatile remixes. For a taste, track down his volatile mix CD with the Rub's DJ Ayres, or simply sample the brain-melting summer mix on his site. Don't overdress for this one, kids — it's gonna be sweaty. (TW)
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| DJ |
In Flagranti w/ Jan Müller and Immigrant
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SF must have been appropriately naughty last time, because In Flagranti are back to reward our dance-floor misbehavior with more deliciously dirty mutant disco. While their venerable Codek imprint has been launching spacey productions for a minute now, In Flagranti do justice to their name with tracks that tend toward raunchy electro topped with sassy Italo bass lines and sleazy vocal samples. They've further perpetrated these saucy standards on their album, Wronger than Anyone Else, and in wicked remixes for everyone from Kudu to Black Devil Disco Club. (TW)
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PARTY
Hella Tight Seven-Year Anniversary Party
Fri 9.7 (10pm) Elbo Room (647 Valencia St, 415.552.7788) map $5
Event Info
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A motto such as "playing beats that taste like chicken" conjures the Colonel frying up some greasy goodness with a heavy emphasis on the drumstick — and that wouldn't be too far from the truth about Hella Tight's parties. (JC)
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| FESTIVAL |
Chocolate Festival
| when: |
Sat 9.8 & Sun 9.9 (12-5pm) |
| where: |
Ghirardelli Square (Beach and Larkin Sts) map |
| price: |
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| links: |
Event Info |
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Ghirardelli Square might be where San Franciscans go to get away from San Franciscans who are trying to get away from tourists, but put aside your locals-only angst and skip on down to the Square for a weekend-long festival celebrating everyone's favorite bean. Not only does Beach Street teem with vendors hawking the latest confections, there are truffle- and cupcake-cooking demonstrations, Italian accordion music by Steve Albini (no, not that Steve Albini), and a bar dedicated to pairing wine and chocolate. As if bounties of chocolate weren't enough, the festival also benefits Project Open Hand, which provides meals and groceries to those living with HIV/AIDS. (ZN)
Note: While this event is free, cocoa lovers do pay $20 for 15 tastings or $10 for six tastings.
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| DJ |
Ghislain Poirier
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Using a simple drum kit and a rugged bass line, Ghislain Poirier is obviously a devotee of devastatingly effective beats, whether they're from London, Rio, Kingston, or Dakar. For his live sets, the globally minded DJ splices a fierce, high-octane mix of hip-hop, ragga, grime, soca, and dancehall. He's also no slouch on the production tip, with several albums of deconstructed hip-hop, mixtapes of fresh African beats, and an endless series of dirty remixes of the likes of Clipse, TTC, and Lady Sovereign. The Ghis is in town to tide over the local bass fiends and shorten the wait for the early '08 release of No Ground Under on the Ninja Tune label. (TW)
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| FILM |
Imp of Satan
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Flynn Witmeyer, local director of Imp of Satan and the impresario behind Synchronium Films, is saving queer horror film from the clutches of mediocre types who are hell bent on tearing it down. "Scary" and "campy" deliciously play off of each other as Ethan and his boyfriend try to settle in for a movie night — their apartment acts up in a diabolic manner and an ancient evil force makes its presence known. SF's higher-ups may think they can take Halloween out of the Castro, but Imp shows that you can't take the Castro out of Halloween. (MS)
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| ALSO ON SAT |
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FESTIVAL
San Francisco Ukulele Festival
Sat 9.8 (11am-4pm) Yerba Buena Gardens (Mission & 4th Sts, 415.543.1718) map
Event Info
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Though not as bombastic as, say, the accordion, the ukulele is slowly becoming the instrument of choice on the vintage-music scene. Celebrate the little-guitar-that-could with Tin Pan Alley revivalists and Hawaiian traditionalists. (LH)
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ART: Opening
Richard Colman: The Ghost
Sat 9.8 (7-11pm) White Walls Gallery (835 Larkin St, 415.931.1500) map
Event Info | Richard Colman
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A Richard Colman painting has the almost-mystical balance of a tarot card: sex and death pictured hand-in-hand, set against surrealistic, cartoon-like scenes painted in two dimensions. (LH)
Note: This exhibition runs through Sat 10.6 (Tue-Sun: 12-7pm).
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| CITY GEM |
Gatsby Summer Afternoon
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An eagerly anticipated event for fans of the art-deco era, the Gatsby Summer Afternoon transports picnickers back in time while listening to a full jazz orchestra on the stunning lawns of the Dunsmuir Historic Estate. Pack a lunch and step into a pair of plus fours or put on a cloche hat, as only outfits from the time between the wars are welcome here. With a chance to snap pictures (digi cameras are about the only anachronism allowed) with slick vintage Buicks and Alpha Romeos, dance along with the Deco Belles, win prizes, and taste wines, this fashionable, daylong flashback is the cat's pajamas. (TF)
Note: Take a look in the Art Deco Society's closet for inspiration.
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| MUSIC: Indie Rock |
Dinosaur Jr. w/ Band of Horses
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Even if they'd recorded nothing after 1987's catastrophically good You're Living All Over Me, Dinosaur Jr.'s place in the indie-rock hall of awesome would have been assured. The trio's classic sophomore effort — brimming with lazy, stoner vocals and brilliant feedback-drenched guitar — helped launch a new paradigm in alternative college rock and inspired countless imitators. Now, the indie veterans have reunited to promote their new nostalgia-burning album, Beyond, the first in 19 years featuring the original lineup of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph. Heart-heavy indie rockers Band of Horses open. (SN)
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| READING |
George Saunders
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The wonderfully vicious wit of George Saunders' imaginative, irreverent fiction has long been an antidote to the absurdities of modern life — leading the MacArthur folks to officially classify the author as a genius. In his first work of nonfiction, The Braindead Megaphone, Saunders finds himself running into a number of curious people and situations, from Dubai's luxury-laden hotels and Nepal's Buddha Boy cult to the US-Mexico border's Minutemen. This collection of essays firmly supports his virtuoso title (particularly the travel pieces) by perfecting the stranger-in-a-strange-land voice that has distinguished so much of his work. (TW)
Note: Read the George Saunders interview in our sister pub, Boldtype.
 So many books, so little time — for a shortlist of great reads, sign up for
Boldtype, Flavorpill's monthly review of books. |
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| ART |
Olafur Eliasson
| when: |
Sat 9.8 - Sun 2.24 (Mon, Tue & Fri: 11am-5:45pm / Thur: 11am-8:45pm) |
| where: |
SFMOMA (151 3rd St, 415.357.4000) map |
| price: |
$12.50 |
| links: |
Event Info | Olafur Eliasson |
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From the almost primordial rising sun he installed in the Tate Modern to walk-in kaleidoscopes, Danish/Icelandic artist Olaf Eliasson's enormous, experiential sculptures and video pieces transform their installation spaces into self-contained weather systems of color and light. They are like mini-Bermuda Triangles, whose mysterious phosphorescence and meteorological phenomena play with our perception. As a special installation conceived for SFMOMA's unparalleled Eliasson retrospective, the museum's vertiginous sky bridge is transformed into a tube of swirling color. (MS)
Eliasson's 1997 work "Room for One Color" features a whole room tinted which hue? Two randomly drawn correct responses each win a pair of tickets to the show. Entries close at 6pm on Wed 9.5.
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| FILM |
Tomu Uchida: Japanese Genre Master
| when: |
Sat 9.8 - Sat 9.29 (schedule) |
| where: |
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 510.642.0808) map |
| price: |
$9.50 per screening |
| links: |
Event Info |
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Unlike other Japanese masters of genre cinema who have already received their due respect — Kinji Fukasaku and Suzuki Seijun for their re-imaginings of the yakuza flick, as well as Koji Wakamatsu for his T&A-meets-Godard pink films — Tomu Uchida's praises are only starting to be sung outside of Japan. This retrospective makes a riveting contribution to the choir, showcasing not only the samurai period dramas for which Uchida is most famous (The Mad Fox, The Master Spearman), but also his take on film noir (A Fugitive from the Past), which rivals Shohei Imamura's postwar films in their depiction of the downtrodden. (MS)
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| ALSO ONGOING/UPCOMING |
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FILM
Look Back at England: The British New Wave
Now through Fri 10.26 (schedule) Pacific Film Archive Theater (2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, 510.642.0808) map $9.50
Event Info
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Postwar British cinema is an oft-understated subgenre of true grit and emotional energy that deserves more attention. Luckily, this PFA series comes correct by culling the best films of those highly influential times. (KH)
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GET EXTRA CREDIT: Architecture for Humanity's Own the Day |
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Two years after Hurricane Katrina, stories of rebuilt schoolhouses and renewed tourism give the impression that normalcy is well on its way back to the Big Easy — but thousands of families along the Gulf Coast are still wading through a sea of bureaucracy to put roofs over their heads. While FEMA checks are slowly rolling in, Cali-based do-gooder Architecture for Humanity wants to speed that progress and put your name on it. Own the Day publicly dubs you a benefactor when you give a day's pay to fund 24 hours of the org's advocacy-through-design projects in East Biloxi (and around the world). Pool your cash with pals to meet the minimum, so those of us with less than a c-note to spare can finance philanthropy and still make rent. (IB)
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CD REVIEW: Liars, Liars |
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Mute
Released August 2007
$14.99 (Insound)
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Over the course of three albums, Liars have tackled everything from clever dance punk to divisive sound collage and tribal drone, proving themselves to be inventive experimentalists beholden to no genre. Liars' self-titled fourth marks another sharp directional change, this time taking the least predictable approach of all: straightforward rock. At times, Liars feels like an inversion of the band's last effort, Drums Not Dead, swapping that album's sluggish percussive layers for swift stabs of punk-rock aggression. Opening track "Plaster Casts of Everything" sets a volatile tone with breakneck guitars, while melodic rocker "Freak Out" filters '70s glam through fuzzy noise. The band dabbles in gauzy trip-hop on "Sailing to Byzantium," then crafts a brilliant, filthy beat for industrial throbber "Leather Prowler." At a brief 39 minutes, Liars succeeds, yet again, by thrusting the band in new directions — lest stagnancy stand in the way of even greater success. (JPC)
This review originally appeared in our sister publication, Earplug.
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MEDIA: Daytrotter |
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At first glance, Rock Island, Illinois, seems an unlikely hub for a thriving independent-music scene. And yet, the act of stopping by Daytrotter's makeshift studio to record a session is quickly becoming a right of passage for up-and-coming acts — a respectful nod to the legacy of John Peel's Maida Vale recordings. What's more, the site offers a wide range of editorial content, adding context and background to its downloadable performances. Don't miss recent recordings from Harlem Shakes, Laura Gibson, Menomena, and Sunset Rubdown — the last of which holds the distinction of being the site's most downloaded act. (CJN)
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| Header Design: |
| Richard Colman |
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| Editors: |
| Isaac Amala | | Anna Balkrishna | | Melody Caraballo | | Eli Dvorkin | | Todd Goldstein | | Lisa Hix | | Kai Hsing | | Connie Hwong | | Doug Levy | | Sascha Lewis | | Mark Mangan | | Colin J. Nagy | | Matt Sussman | | Toby Warner | | Zolton Zavos |
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| ABOUT US |
| Flavorpill SF is a free weekly email magazine covering cultural happenings across art, music, film, theatre, dance, literature, and DJ events. All content is produced by a local team of writers in SF. We don't include sold-out events, and all listings are pure editorial — no money is accepted from venues, artists, or promoters. Read more about us. |
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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 increase the chances of your event being listed, read our full event submission guidelines.
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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| Irene Bradish | | Joe P. Colly | | Shana Nys Dambrot | | Tanya Feldman | | Elisa Jacobs | | Steve Nalepa | | Zak Nelson | | Andrew Phillips | | Tonya M. Warner |
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| Production: |
| Anjuli Ayer | | Jessica Bauer-Greene | | Chelsea Bauch | | Morgan Croney | | Myla Dalbesio | | Teel Lassiter | | Sarah Steele | | Anna Wolfgang | | Daphne Yang |
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