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MAY 13 - MAY 19
Attention all couch potatoes: you'd better lie low this week, because San Francisco is getting active. The Golden State Warriors may have gone down, but our cousins the Sacramento Kings are still in the running. And speaking of running, seems like the whole city is warming up and scarfing down pasta in preparation for Sunday's Bay to Breakers race (that is, if they're not stocking up on film to document the hallowed freak-fest). So lace up your sneakers and spread it...
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tema celeste is a bimonthly contemporary art magazine, published in both Italian and English. Founded in 1983, it is recognized internationally as one of the most prestigious publications in the sector, for the quality of artists covered, its cutting edge content and bold design. |
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This week's flavor:
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READING
Simon Doonan
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| when: | Tue 5.13 (7pm) |
| where: | Booksmith (1644 Haight St, 415.863.8688) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Booksmith |
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| | Although philosophy arguably renders biography irrelevant, few scholars would pass up an interview with a philosopher himself. Along those lines, director Kirby Dick brings the philosophical first person to life in his documentary Derrida, which focuses on Algerian-born French philosopher Jacques Derrida. The father of the theory of deconstruction, Derrida is one of the pivotal thinkers of the last decade of the 20th century — the golden moment for Theory, as any semiotics student knows. Dick's film, a rare glimpse into rarified thought, engages Derrida on questions ranging from marriage to narcissism, to — ironically — the insignificance of biography. (SNS)
  
 Name one of Derrida's books; the third correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the film.
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FILM
Scanners, presented by SF IndieFest MicroCinema
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| when: | Tue 5.13 (8pm) |
| where: | Jezebel's Joint (510 Larkin, 415.352.0810) |
| price: | FREE (donations appreciated) |
| links: |
Jezebel's Joint |
| | With the recently critically acclaimed Spider, and past indie favorites including Naked Lunch and Crash, David Cronenberg has molded an enviable film career with stories that delve into the dreary, creepy, and rarely visited crevices of our world. Tonight see the movie that put Cronenberg on the map — dealing with the classic struggle between good and evil, Scanners is a cult classic based on the eerily timely subject of mind control. The Scanners have psychic powers and the ability to inflict pain much worse than your chronic migraines. Will the evil underground movement succeed in world domination, or will Dr. Paul Ruth's good prevail over evil? Find out in the cozy confines of Jezebel's Joint, and enjoy a beer or two during the show while you're at it. (MG)
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MUSIC: Indie Rock
The Rapture
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| when: | Tue 5.13 (8pm) |
| where: | Great American Music Hall
(859 O'Farrell St, 415.885.0750) |
| price: | $13 advance / $15 |
| links: |
Event Info | Tickets |
| | If you have any doubts about checking out New York dance-punk buzz band the Rapture, perhaps these honest-to-goodness descriptions of their live performance (gleaned from the most reputable of music mags) will change your mind: "Spasms of ecstasy." Swayed? "Fits of violence and pleasure." Convinced? How 'bout this: "Tumultuous explosion of hair and motion." You're so there. You will dance, you will sweat, you will revel in the sonic assault, propelled to jerk and jump by the raunchy guitar, pulsing beats and funked up bassline, not to mention Luke Jenner's visceral vocals. Formerly San Francisco-based Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, everyone's favorite lovesick lo-fi beat nerd, opens. (LB)
Name two labels for which the Rapture has recorded; the first four correct answers each win a copy of the CD.
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| | As far as we know, "happy hour" has never been a particularly Jamaican tradition, but that hasn't stopped Ross Hogg from dedicating his new post-work party at Du Nord to the sweet sounds of reggae, dub, and dancehall. Hogg's not what you might expect from a typical reggae selector: The Texas-born ex-punk moonlights as the DJ for the Bay Area's queer hip hop crew Deep Dickollective, and he's also one of the cleverest cats you're likely to bump into, whether he's spinning tracks or tales (check out his occasional editorials at Soul1350 if you don't believe us). Come early and often, for the Dup's on deck every week sporting wax so fresh the DJ booth smells like a candle shop. (PS)
Who's your favorite dancehall vocalist? The third and fourth answers each win a copy of Duppy Ranks' Simma Dung, Mi Selecta mix CD, to be picked up at the event.
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| | After showing in his book Fast Food Nation how the long arms of the fast food industry have established a chokehold on America's meals, Eric Schlosser has turned his eye on some even less palatable businesses. In Reefer Madness, Schlosser connects the markets for porn, pot, and undocumented labor to, well, almost every niche of American life. The heart of any debate about how to control or even gauge unofficial commerce is freedom, and Schlosser makes the point repeatedly that the line between "legal" and "illegal" business is fluid, subject to the whims of the governing party. In the age of Ashcroft, when personal freedoms contract as federal power expands, these lessons seem increasingly relevant. (RH)
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| | Mon dieu, they're back and ready to burn down Bottom of the Hill all over again! (Wait, forget we said that.) Kit Kat Le Noir, Celine Dijon, and Les Sans Culottes take the stage tonight, dishing out French '60s pop à la Gainsbourg as well as saucy originals. Wear your loudest polka dots, come ready to dance, and indulge your Francophilia without fear of angering the "freedom-philes": These Frenchies hail from Brooklyn. How about a little rêve-pop on le side? Les Culottes appear tonight with Park Avenue Music, the girl-meets-boy-meets-keyboard duo, and dreamy trip-poppers Loquat. (SGL)
What's your favorite French word? The third answer wins a pair of tickets plus a CD and a "Freedom tickler" (Sacre bleu!). The second and third each win a pair of tickets to the event.
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THEATRE
The Bruno's Island New Plays Festival
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| when: | Thur 5.15 - Thur 5.22 (8pm) |
| where: | Thick House (1695 18th St, 415.401.8081) |
| price: | $20 |
| links: |
Thick House |
| | Killing My Lobster, the fabulously funny crustacean comedy troupe, is at it again — diversifying quicker than grunion multiply on the Western shores. This time, the lobsters are clawing into the world of "legitimate" theater as they launch the Bruno's Island New Plays Festival. The four plays include musings on the doomed romance of David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer (Kevin Shay's The Conjurer and the Concubine) and a chance meeting of two strangers at a diner that leads to debate, flirtation, and a shared dessert (Jesse McCormack's Ode to a Cupcake). This weeklong event provides an excellent opportunity to catch world-premiere works of up-and-coming artists, a fascinating blend of comedy, drama, farce, supermodels, and the sketchy illusionists who love them. (LE)
What cartoon character famously said, "I love legitimate theatre!" - and in what context? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the festival (Sun 5.18 or Wed 5.21 shows).
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DJ
Riot
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| when: | Thur 5.15 (10pm) |
| where: | The Top (424 Haight St, 415.864.7386) |
| price: | $5 |
| | Maybe it's just because we're burned out on the word "progressive" after Yes and ELO, but we're none too thrilled by the preponderance of "progressive house" around SF — basically, it's just trance putting on airs. Thankfully, Monty Luke, Jonah Sharpe, Mark Johns, and M3 aren't afraid to go back to basics (or maybe that's "jack to basics"), with their new weekly party Riot — a celebration of "Regressive House." With deep crates brimming with dirty soul, scruffy funk, and the queasiest bass lines ever to come out of a TB-303, the Riot residents are house music revolutionaries. Tonight's grand opening features the mischievous Kit Clayton stirring up a batch full of classic acid house. Jack to the future, baby. (PS)
What's the best "regressive house" track of all time? Our favorite five answers each win a pass to the event.
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| | Warp Records guru Scott Herren has taken a nontraditional approach to crafting hip hop, replacing two turntables and a mic with samplers and sound cards. Also known under such guises as Savath + Savalas and Delarosa & Asora, tonight Herren is Prefuse 73, celebrating his new album One World Extinguisher. With his taste for soul-driven jazz and hip hop, he has a need to bend rhythms, break down lyrics, and rip up everything in his reach to make detailed beat poetry. Opening up is Def Jux's newest underground hip hop genius, RJD2, who works the decks to bring us his impressive one-man show. Demonstrating a dense, fluid style on his debut full-length Deadringer, RJD2 offers the perfect complement to the microsampling, overdriven minimalism of Prefuse 73. (JK)
What does Herren's "Prefuse 73" alias refer to? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the event.
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| | When he's not writing smartypants screeds for outlets like URB, The Source, and the Bay Guardian, Oliver Wang, aka O-Dub, is flipping through his back catalog, concocting mix CDs such as Incognitos Redux, full of gems so rare he gives armchair crate-diggers sore backs just thinking about it. Every third Friday, O-Dub joins forces with Cool Chris (Dis-Joint/Groove Merchant) and Matthew Africa (KALX) for Popcorn, a monthly devoted to funk, soul, Latin, and hip hop. No compilation tracks, no clunkers — just freshly mined rocks, cut and polished for maximum trainspotters' delight. (PS)
What's your favorite B-side? The first five answers each win a pair of tickets to Popcorn.
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| | "Alternative" long ago ceased to mean, well, much of anything. But tonight's performance, a presentation of the SF Alt Fest, should convince you that "alternative" isn't simply a lifestyle category. Lesser has long been known for his abrasive, processed-beyond-recognition fusion of jungle, noise, and computer music, and Wobbly has made (air)waves by plundering commercial radio broadcasts and reconfiguring the saccharine R&B and thug-lite hip hop into a bilious mass of clicks and gurgles. Guitarists Chris Forsyth and Ernesto Diaz-Infante take one of the 20th century's most iconic instruments, the electric guitar, and turn it into a lightning rod for pure electric sound. Hit the alt key and shift your perception of what's possible. (PS)
Tell us who you think is the most interesting experimental musician working right now, and why; our favorite answer wins a pair of tickets to the event plus two CDs by the artists.
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| | Sit back down, Simpsons fans — this isn't a rare appearance by Bart's favorite comic book superhero. It is, however, a rare appearance by one of the Two Lone Swordsmen, aka Keith Tenniswood, Andrew Weatherall's longtime collaborator. In his solo guise, Radioactive Man pushes an eclectic mixture of electro, breakbeats, and techno in his predictably unpredictable DJ sets. Known for his crisp, sometimes-brittle beats and austere yet lush techno-fused productions, Tenniswood's perfectionist leanings (not to mention his affection for krautrock legends such as Neu! and Can) ensure a refreshingly diverse, infectious DJ set. Capes, while recommended, are optional. (TP)
What label released Radioactive Man's self-titled full-length? The first correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the event.
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DJ
Mindcontrol
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| when: | Sat 5.17 (10pm-8am) |
| where: | TBA (510.594.4344) |
| price: | $20 advance / $25 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Now that the much-reviled Rave Act has become law — surreptitiously attached to the Amber Alert bill by Senator Joe Biden — and John Poindexter and John Ashcroft are busily whittling away our civil liberties, it's clear that Americans are already being served a healthy dose of mind control. So why not remind us of our dwindling freedoms with a mind-controlling techno party? The people behind the local Trust parties are all about high-concept affairs, and this, held at an undisclosed location, is no exception. Featuring two rooms of techno and jungle, brainbending visuals, and one room sunk in complete darkness, a slew of hardcore local underground DJs and producers are on hand to control minds as well as feet. (TP)
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SPORTS
Bay to Breakers
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| when: | Sun 5.18 (8am) |
| where: | Start at Howard & Spear Sts; finish at western edge of Golden Gate Park |
| price: | $32-37 to register / free to watch |
| links: |
Bay to Breakers |
| | As if San Franciscans need another excuse to wear a wig or get naked: May means Bay to Breakers, that beautiful fusion of athletics and debauchery. The 12k footrace began as an attempt to cheer up Barbary Coasters after the 1906 earthquake. Almost 100 years later more than 100,000 people still wake up before the fog lifts to compete for best dressed (or undressed) jogger. Get there early if you want to line up with the Kenyans (they're flown in every year to win). Plan to stay awhile if you want to push your own tiki bar through the streets. (MC)
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| | It's hard to tell which is more compelling: an evening of Om, with Afro-Mystik performing live to celebrate the release of Morphology, or the promise of a ridiculously lavish cruise aboard the legendary Spirit of San Francisco. We do know that, taken together, these two options make for a hot party. In addition to the live magic of J-Boogie's Dub Science, Rithma and Kaskade bring their deep house offshore, while Nikola, Michael Tello, Jonathan Beech, and Andrew Kelsey all spin in the KinkyFunk cabin. Dare we re-christen the ship the Love Boat? (RH)
Note: Boarding commences at 6pm, with the ramp scheduled to lift at 6:30, so don't miss the boat.
In what musical style would you most like to hear a cover version of the theme from the Love Boat? The first answer wins a pair of tickets to the party; the following three each take home Afro-Mystik's Morphology CD.
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MUSIC: Hip Hop
Mush Records Tour w/ Busdriver & Radioinactive
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| when: | Sun 5.18 (10pm) |
| where: | Storyville (1751 Fulton St, 415.441.1751) |
| price: | $7 |
| links: |
Storyville |
| | If you're in the mood for some run-of-the-mill, running-on-autopilot hip hop, Storyville is probably not your place tonight. If, however, you want to wrap your head around some of the most esoteric, eccentric, and engaging music ever to be filed under "rap," this is the gig for you. Tonight's bill features three acts from LA's Mush Records, each testing the limits of hip hop — from Andre Afram Asmar's Middle-Eastern-tinged beats and ambient textures to Awol One's dry, earthy flow to Busdriver and Radioinactive's Beatnik bebop spiel. One man's mush is another's manna; tonight, the two coincide. (PS)
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| | Free drinks, sweet eats, and stellar photography — all for a great cause? Yes, please! Acclaimed photographer Andrew George is donating the proceeds from his SF opening of Weights and Measures; Natural Abstractions in Photography to CoachArt, an LA-based charity that offers underprivileged and chronically ill kids free lessons in the arts and athletics. George, himself a CoachArt volunteer and winner of the Lightworks Young Filmmakers Grant for the short The Blue Hotel, is an up-and-comer on the SoCal scene. Tonight, the LA-based artist displays the results of worldwide trips down roads less traveled, during which he tapped the tension between nature and its manmade interlopers — capturing the momentary beauty of the mundane. (LK)
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MUSIC: Contemporary Chamber Music
Earplay Chamber Music Concert
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| when: | Mon 5.19 (8pm) |
| where: | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum (701 Mission St, 415.978.2787) |
| price: | $18 |
| links: |
Earplay | Yerba Buena |
| | New American chamber music ensemble Earplay and conductor Mary Chun present a program of Bay Area composers and premieres that offers a farrago of contemporary idioms. Several pieces plumb the past for inspiration, from minimalist sound designer Mark Grey's nostalgic Wonder Years to Matthew Rosenblum's hybrid-tuning work, Ancient Eyes to Steven Clark's Earplay commission, Suite for Bass Clarinet, Cello and Laptop, whose techno-derived loops put a DJ's spin on the Baroque-era dance suite. Earplay founder Richard Festinger's overpowering Construction in Metal and Wood for piano and percussion contrasts boldly with the studied easiness of young Swedish composer Mika Pelo's aptly named Chains and Transparency. Finally, Earplay salutes two late-scholar composers with works of an Asian bent: Alexander Post's Thou Art the Sky, a song-setting of Bengali poet Rabindrinath Tagore, and Glenn Glasgow's Rakka for violin and the taped sounds of Japanese temple bells. (SS)
Note: Many of the composers are present to discuss their work at a pre-concert talk (7:15pm).
Who's your favorite contemporary composer? The first three answers each win a pair of tickets to the event.
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| | Director Jacques Perrin dazzled us with 1996's Microcosmos, his innovative exploration of the world of insects. Now he sends us soaring with his latest documentary, Winged Migration. But this film is rendered breathtaking not only by its director but by 14 cinematographers, 17 pilots, locations in 40 different countries, and a bounty of birds. Small robotic cameras used on a variety of aircraft allow viewers to fly on the feathered wings of exotic cranes, stunning storks, and even the legendary albatross. The effects are almost spiritual. Minimal narration (complete with a French accent) takes place over some lo-fi electronic beats, but it is the haunting sound of these birds in their natural environments that truly captivates. (KK)
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| CD REVIEW: Albert King, Talkin' Blues |
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Thirsty Ear
Released April 2003
$17 (Amazon)
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Most self-respecting hip hop DJs have bluesman Albert King's infamous breakbeat "Cold Feet" stashed away for special occasions. A breakbeat from a bluesman? Yes, a massive breakbeat. Today, in cooperation with the Albert King Trust, Thirsty Ear Records has unearthed a real treasure here — a previously unreleased live recording of Albert King in Chicago circa 1978 that includes some valuable interview excerpts. This new CD captures King in the pocket and in the zone, more phat than bacon and raw to the bone. Of note is |
the funky version of King's immortal "Born Under a Bad Sign." Those seeking more nuggets of Albert King gold should look no further than this valuable new release. (JM)
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Tell us a story about the blues — our favorite answer will win a copy of the album.
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| HELP: Buy-A-Book |
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"There's more to life than books, you know — but not much more." Unfortunately, folks in the East Bay are about to be plunged into the "not much more" category, unless some generous souls well versed in the joys of slipping between the covers lend a hand. The Oakland Public Library is desperately short of funds, so help it continue lending erudition to the masses by purchasing a book to donate to its shelves. Cody's Books in Berkeley has set up a wish-list page through which beneficent literati can refill Oakland's stacks. No kid should grow up sans Captain Underpants or devoid of Lemony Snicket. (MB)
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| STREAMS: Groovetech |
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Hear ye, hear ye! Groovetech pumps the streams from the digital minarets, calling you to worship on demand. The Groovetechians welcome back Mr. Cotter and his Tech House Connection, the Return of Shasta, and the needle treatment of an acute drum 'n bass therapy session. Chuck your prayer mat and pump the Real Audio for some real salvation through streams. (NP)
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| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Gary Payton | Gabriel Mott | | |
| Staff: |
| Bill Walton | Philip Sherburne | | World B. Free | Sascha Lewis | | Daryl Dawkins | Mark Mangan | | Clyde Frazier | Christopher Hampton | | |
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...
EVENT SUBMISSIONS
Please send all interesting event information (press releases, links, etc.) to events |
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| Contributors: |
| Manute Bol | Husani Oakley | | Kurt Rambis | Sander-Martijn Milks | | Isiah Thomas | Peter D Stepek | | Dennis Rodman | Jocelyn Glei | | Mugsy Bogues | Cristy Turner | | Spud Webb | Sam Smith | | Drazen Petrovic | Reyhan Harmanci | | Hakeem Olajuwon | Nish Nadaraja | | Robert Parish | Robert Rosenthal | | Reggie Miller | Menaka Gopinath | | Julius Erving | Jennifer Bachman | | Brian Shaw | Lisa Butterworth | | Bill Laimbeer | Karine Versace | | Kevin McHale | Laura Kenney | | Larry Bird | Andrew Strickman | | Nancy Lieberman-Cline | Lisa Rosman |
| John Starks | Lauren Epstein | | Lucious Jackson | Ari Bendersky | | Travis Knight | Lisa Won | | Latrell Sprewell | Sarah G Lefton | | Corliss Williamson | Marke Bieschke | | Bob Cousy | Jana Klass | | Artis Gilmore | Rebecca J Hill | | Hal Greer | Michael Chandler | | Fennis Dembo | Tim Pratt | | Rick Barry | Sam N Shah |
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