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JULY 22 - JULY 28
This week we have as rich an array of musical flavor as ever, from the rock stylings of the the Jayhawks, the Kills, and Ted Leo to the soul and hip hop of Dudley Perkins and Wildchild to the wide-ranging electronic music of µ-Ziq and those madcats at the Fool — to say nothing of Squarepusher and Luke Vibert. The fact that Vibert used to record as Plug gives us the perfect opening to plug our own newest plot: Earplug, a newsletter published every other week to keep you clued in to the ever-morphing electronic music scene. So keep your ear to the ground — or the modem — and spread it... |
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LA-based American Apparel is a youth-driven company dedicated to
producing the highest quality, most socially responsible T-shirts and
knitwear. At their sweatshop-free, environmentally conscious workplace
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This week's flavor:
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| | The Jayhawks have been playing their folk-rock formula for years now, and it's their sunny, Byrds-like jangles and sharp lyrical darts that keep the fans coming back for more. On their most recent album, Rainy Day Music, the band builds on its trademark heartland melodies and slow, waltzing guitars, while lead singer Gary Louris still manages to reinvigorate the alt-country genre. Supporting act supergroup the Thorns is composed of Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge. The band has cut an album of original material that takes advantage of the trio's vocal harmonies and pop sensibilities — not to mention their perfect pedigrees. (NN)
  
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FILM
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
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| when: | Tue 7.22 (8pm) |
| where: | El Rio (3158 Mission St, 415.282.3325) |
| price: |  FREE |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | You may not know it, but few movies have shaped the cultural landscape of America the way Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (1985) has. Besides launching the careers of Sarah Jessica Parker (Square Pegs) and Helen Hunt (Mad About You), elevating Cyndi Lauper to '80s icon status, cementing slouch socks as the cornerstone of female fashion, and paving the way for Velcro-equipped Catholic school uniforms, this movie contains one of the best revenge sequences ever filmed. Without giving too much away, just know that, when the mean people don't invite you to their super-exclusive, incredibly well-catered birthday parties, all you have to do is slide on a few scrunchies and head to the nearest Kinkos. And bring pies. Lots of pies. (RH)
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MULTIMEDIA
Art After Hours: Sagas & Ragas
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| when: | Wed 7.23 (6:30-10pm) |
| where: | Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St, 415.581.3500) |
| price: | $25 |
| links: |
Event Info | Tickets |
| | The Asian Art Museum's quarterly evening art party makes its second appearance since the museum moved into its cool new digs in March. Tonight's Southeast Asian theme ties with the current exhibition of Indonesian rod puppets. You may not usually view puppets as high art, but puppet-making is an exalted craft in Indonesia, and this exhibition shows off the art form at its finest. Here's your chance to savor cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, mingle with friends, view an excellent Asian art collection, groove to the eclectic sounds of the Dhamaal Collective, listen to epic tales of kings and demons, and watch the Indonesian dance troupe Harsanari perform. (LW)
Note: Advance tickets may be purchased at the museum. Will call opens at 6pm.
 Name two dance styles performed by Harsanari; the first correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the event.
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FESTIVAL: Computer Music
San Francisco Electronic Music Festival
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| when: | Wed 7.23 - Sun 7.27
(Wed-Sat: 8pm / Sun: 7pm) |
| where: | SomArts Gallery (934 Brannan St, 415.552.2131) |
| price: | $15 / $40 all-festival pass |
| links: |
Event Info | SomArts Cultural Center |
| | The San Francisco Electronic Music Festival is back with a vengeance this
year, hammering away at the boundaries of electronic music and performance.
Subtitled "East Meets Left," the fourth-annual SFEMF features the best of
New York's avant-garde electro-acoustic composers, performers, and burgeoning
laptop artists, juxtaposes NYC against the home-spun talent of Disc, David
Wessel, SPL, Kristin Miltner, Krankenkabinet, Jake Rodriguez, Sean Rooney,
and homemade turntablist Kitundu, and climaxes with a 3-set marathon of
classic and modern fixed-media masterpieces projected over a 16+ speaker
surround-sound system. See the future of music and art expand before your
very eyes, all this week at the SomArts Cultural Center. (CW)
Which of Morton Subotnick's recordings became the first best-selling work of computer music? The first three correct answers win a pair of tickets to the event; the first respondent also takes home the festival CD.
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| | There won't be a shortage of flailing arms, head bobbing, and other herky-jerky body shaking when Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson) performs tonight. And we're not even talking about the audience — yet. The eccentric British producer, acclaimed for his recordings for Warp and Aphex Twin's Rephlex imprint, returns to San Francisco to drill still more wildly frenetic jazz-drenched off-kilter drum 'n bass rhythms into your skull, touring with the equally odd and compelling sounds of Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ). Though Jenkinson's mad scientist-style live performances may have you frothing at the mouth, don't forget to keep a sharp eye on audience members as they make a valiant attempt to "dance" to Squarepusher's bizarro beats. (TP)
What is the name of Squarepusher's recent auto-erotic hit single? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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DANCE
Fiendish Variations
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| when: | Thur 7.24 (6pm reception, 7pm performance) |
| where: | ODC Theater (3153 17th St, 415.863.9834) |
| price: | $25 |
| links: |
Event Info | Tickets |
| | ODC continues to produce some of the most inventive and engaging dance theater in the country. In a novel series called ODC Unplugged, audience members get a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a new piece, as artistic director Brenda Way presents her latest work, Fiendish Variations. Be the first to see this work in progress, and engage in pre- and post-performance dialogue with the choreographer and dancers. Doors open at 6pm with complimentary beverages and hors d'oeuvres before the 7pm show. (NN)
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| | The fourth International San Francisco Photographic Print Exhibition (aka Photo SF) brings together more than 65 galleries and dealers for a weekend show and sale. Photo
enthusiasts can stroll the pavilion, looking over (and pricing) works by noted photographers such as Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Eugene Atget, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Henri
Cartier-Bresson, Imogen Cunningham, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man Ray, Sebastião Salgado, and Edward Weston. Discussion panels on the art of photography (and of collecting) are also scheduled. Even if you're not in the market to buy, hanging out by the water taking in these masterful images isn't a bad way to spend a summer day. (EC)
Note: The opening reception is tonight (6-9pm). Tickets are $50 and may be purchased at the door or by calling the Fort Mason Center Box Office at 415.345.7575.
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| | Listening to New York singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia is akin to peering into the still, tiny center of a tornado. Like an Okie Cassandra, she engenders remarkable unease with her intangible voice, layered atop spare Southern Gothic instrumental arrangements. On her new album, Run to Ruin, producer Steve Albini unearths surprising orchestral atmosphere from the tricky austerity that surrounds deadpan lines such as "You should not tease and play tricks for a laugh" and "I am a superstar"; the violin rejoinders to her pronouncements suggest at once certain dread and tremendous space. Steve Von Till and the Heavenly States open. (EL)
How many albums has Nastasia released? The third correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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GETAWAY
Gilroy Garlic Festival
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| when: | Fri 7.25 - Sun 7.27 (10am-7pm) |
| where: | Christmas Hill Park (7050 Miller Ave, Gilroy, 408.842.1625) |
| price: | $10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | Way back in 1978, when garlic was still a vaguely exotic herb used in ethnic dishes and Gilroy was still only a vaguely known town, before America broke out of its comfort food-induced culinary coma, someone had the crazy idea of throwing a garlic party. Twenty-five years and 125,500 people later, the Gilroy Garlic Fest is one of the premiere food festivals in the world. Featuring a Great Garlic Cook-off; the famed Garlic Alley, home to mouth-watering dishes such scampi and peppersteak; and the crowning of the Garlic Queen (she's the "Belle of the Bulb"), this year's festival promises a smorgasbord of flagrance and fragrance. Don't bother with directions — just follow your nose. (LK)
Note: Admission gates close at 6pm.
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| | While Senator Orrin Hatch threatens to destroy the computers of file sharers, Oakland's Electronic Frontier Foundation continues to battle for Net users' rights. Tonight the rabble-rousing law aficionados and XLR8R present Digital Mix, a benefit celebrating "illegal art" — sampled beats, repurposed images, and copyrighted culture snippets. Catch clicks 'n cuts laptoppers CatFive, experimental hip hoppers Meanest Man Contest, and Tigerbeat6/Trouble affiliates Uprock, Mochipet, and Fresh Blend. Fred von Lohmann of EFF, Glenn Otis Brown of Creative Commons, and Ray Beldner of Illegal Art share words of wisdom on cyber-rights. So all you crate-diggers, beatmakers, and media recyclers, get your art on for a good cause. The lawsuit you prevent may just be your own. (CT)
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| | Late nights in the studio with mad beat scientist Madlib might give you some wacky ideas. One such night found MC Declaime singing on "Flowers," an R&B track so well-received that he's made an entire album's worth of raw neo-soul about the big issues: God, money, mom, and his love for cheeba. Since releasing A Lil' Light under his real-life name, Perkins has come wide open, "bringing crowds to church" at his live shows. Revel in the mellow, spacey-but-spastic tracks "in the key of everybody." The man can't sing any better than you can, but he sure feels it, and so will you. (HH)
Note: Perkins is joined by Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Design, Cool Chris, and Sweet Steve.
Who are two other artists in Perkins' West Coast 805 Hip Hop crew? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | To settle any pronunciation disputes, Mike Paradinas' rather odd moniker is pronounced "mew-zik," not "U-Zeek" or some other variation. But then, µ-Ziq's musical style has never been easy to describe or understand. Paradinas (also known as Tusken Raiders, Kid Spatula, Gary Moscheles, and Jake Slazenger) playfully smashes a cornucopia of scruffy yet metallic drum 'n bass beat patterns, brittle bass lines, and various other digitized audio oddities into an abrasive electronic maelstrom — often offset by soothing, ethereal synthesizers. Armed with a blistering new album, Bilious Paths, that adds the syncopated cadence and roughneck ragga chatter of UK garage to his mix, Paradinas' performance promises more cacophony for your concert dollar. Just don't forget your earplugs. (TP)
Note: Him and From Monument to Masses open.
What is the name of Paradinas' collaboration with Aphex Twin? The third correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | When people say an MC has paid dues, they usually mean he's been struggling, building street cred by playing basements, garages, and bars, working up to playing to a live crowd the way a DMC champion plays a turntable. SoCal native Wildchild (33% of Lootpack) has a receipt for his dues: He rocks the mic, spits the heat, and brings the noise to his live shows. He likes to cram as many words into a bar as he possibly can, and his verbose yet staccato style is only enhanced by his utter confidence. Although his lyrics make for good head exercise, his new tracks boast a party vibe that gets in your pants, so whether you'd rather hold up the wall or cut a rug, Wildchild has you covered. (HH)
Name two of the producers on Secondary Protocol; the first three correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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DJ
The Fool, S.W.A.T, and Aesoteric present Sweatbox
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| when: | Sat 7.26 (10pm) |
| where: | Call voicemail @ 415.356.9879 |
| price: | $12 |
| | Everyone's trying to throw a party that evokes the early underground days, but the trick gets harder and harder to pull off, especially in a way that infuses the nostalgia with novelty. Together with S.W.A.T and Aesoteric, the Fool once again proves that DJs and house producers can come and show with skills matching or surpassing those of any band or live act. Decked out floor to ceiling with original artwork (courtesy of Nick Port), these fools have a few more tricks up their sleeves. Alongside Fool residents Nikola Baytala, Andrew Kelsey, and Guthrie, special guests Demarkus Lewis, Iain Macpherson, Hesohi, and James Brennan (live) promise to live up to the name -- Sweatbox, a night so hot, the walls perspire. (JK)
Who are the five original Fools? The first correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the party.
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| | He made his money crafting the backing tracks for J-pop phenomenon Kahimi Karie, but Momus has made his own name as a particularly postmodern kind of dandy. One part Beck,
one part Baudelaire, and one part Oscar Wilde, the globe-trotting singer/songwriter (he's lived in Athens, Montreal, Aberdeen, London, New York, and Tokyo) reinvigorates pop music with a healthy dose of intellectualism, inventing genres such as "analogue baroque" (no matter that now he dedicates himself to digitalist "sound dust"), penning tales for Taschen, and posting essays on art, theory, and pop culture on his own website. You never know where Momus and his eyepatch may pop up next, but if your passport hasn't been stamped in a while, your best bet is to drop by Bottom of the Hill tonight. (PS)
What is the name of the work in progress MP3 available on Momus' website? The third correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Pop-punk impresario Ted Leo gracefully fuses his D.C. hardcore roots and political meanderings with powerfully catchy melodies. The ex-Chisel frontman's been called the
"Jesus act" of rock 'n roll for his unpretentious vocal and lyrical stylings and technically stunning strumming skills, not to mention his conscious disavowal of the garage rock revival. Very savior-like, indeed. Tonight, Leo and his band the Pharmacists share the stage with fellow Lookout Records labelmates, the Pattern. Front-runners of the
Bay Area's increasingly credible rock scene, the Pattern serve straight-up blues punk on a leather platter with a healthy side of shaggy-haired attitude. Delicious. (CT)
The first two people to correctly name the title of Ted Leo's most recent album each win a pair of tickets to the show.
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COMEDY
I Look Like An Egg, But I Identify as A Cookie
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| when: | Mon 7.28 (7:30pm) |
| where: | Chez Spencer (82 14th St, 415.864.2191) |
| price: | $15-20 advance / $20 |
| links: |
Event Info | Tickets |
| | Heather Gold is practically a veteran of the alternative comedy scene, having played everywhere from Austin's SxSW to NYC's Gotham Comedy Club and having written for performers as estimable as Alan Cumming. Through July, Gold performs I Look Like An Egg, But I Identify as A Cookie, an interactive baking comedy in which she serves up fresh dough (and dishes the dirt) as she tackles topics ranging from straight women's food fetishes to growing up in Niagara Falls to lesbian kink. She even manages to do this while actually baking chocolate chip cookies in Chez Spencer's wood-burning oven; the show's climax, appropriately enough, is a buttery, gooey free-for-all of fresh cookies — assuming there's dough left after the bowl gets passed around for stirring. (NN)
Note: This is an intimate venue with limited seating, so reserve tickets early. Monday is the last night.
What's your favorite kind of cookie? The third answer wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | If you've heard of the Kills, chances are you've heard them being compared to the White Stripes. Sure, they're a male/female duo. And yes, they dirty up classic blues to suit their lo-fi fancy. But Hotel (Jamie Hince) and VV (Alison Mosshart) have a dark side Meg and Jack can't quite match. The bands may come from the same musical family, but the Kills are the White Stripes' evil, sexed-up twin, stripping their garage rock to the basest of notes. They sing about fighting and frugging. They revel in their minimalism. They are a refreshing alternative to color-coordination and "it" band hype. Enjoy it while you can. (LB)
The third person to correctly name the title of the Kills' most recent album wins a pair of tickets to the show.
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| | Time was when youth culture defined itself by more than what its members wore, drank, listened to, or smoked — when twenty-somethings were angry rather than apathetic. The documentary The Weather Underground revisits that era by exhuming the Weathermen, a largely forgotten group of young US radicals. Operating under the motto "Bring the War Home," they protested the Vietnam War by bombing not only police stations, prisons, and courthouses, but the Capitol Building itself. Directors Sam Green and Bill Siegel intersperse footage of the Weathermen then and now with an overall look at the civil unrest of the '60s and '70s, posing the very timely question of whether any end could really justify such means. (LR)
Note: Director Sam Green will introduce and be available for Q&A at the 7pm screenings on Fri 7.25 and Sat 7.26.
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THEATRE
Dangerous Corner
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| when: | Fri 7.25 through Sat 8.30 (schedule) |
| where: | Actors Theater of San Francisco (533 Sutter St, 415.436.9400) |
| price: | $20 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | "Truth is a sleeping dog", proclaims British author JB Priestley in his first stage
thriller Dangerous Corner. The classic whodunit revolves around the dinner
conversations of a group of overachieving young publishers. The casual
cheat-chat coincidently opens a can of worms about the mysterious death of
the host's younger brother. What follows is a roller coaster of murderous
and adulterous confessions revealing the reckless hedonism of the seemingly
respectable guests. The current production is updated to fit modern-day
yuppies in SF, which draws close parallels to Priestley's original intent of
exposing the darker side of bright young minds in '30s London. (KV)
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| CD REVIEW: Various Artists, Fueled for the Future [5 CD box set] |
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Compost
Released May 2003
$49.98 (Amazon)
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While many labels search for the newest, hottest sound of the moment, Deutschland's Compost Records prefers to concentrate on the sound of the future with its hypnotic blend of nu-jazz, hip hop, electro, techno, house, Brazilian, and soul. Celebrating nearly a decade of being way ahead of the curve, Compost has teamed up with partner labels Jazzanova-Compost and Sonar Kollektiv to release a five CD box set Fueled For The Future, which features 69 tracks (many previously unreleased) mixed by a formidable crew of |
| international DJs — Yukihiro Fukutomi, DJ Spinna, Toshio Matsura, Michael Reinborth, and Kyoto Jazz Massive. Available individually only in Japan, the FFF collection is a one-stop, essential addition for the collection of any listener who wants to hear music evolving, one beat at a time. (SL) |
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| ENABLING ART: Creative Growth Art Center |
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At a recent gallery opening at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, a middle-aged man milled around with a huge, warm smile on his face, shaking hands and saying "hi" to everyone he passed. He'd then point to a ceramic sculpture on display and say proudly, "I did that. I made it myself." This man is just one of the many emotionally, physically, or developmentally disabled adults who find a sense of accomplishment — and create some very accomplished art works — at Creative Growth. The organization, which houses a studio and gallery space, is dedicated to teaching, developing, and marketing the artistic talents of disabled adults, making it possible for them to say "I did that." (LB)
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| STREAMS: Groovetech |
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Evolved from the online version of a cottage industry, Groovetech now towers over its competitors with a capacity and span far larger and wider than any other streaming electronica provider. The site is jam-packed with live sets and radio shows appealing to every possible quirk that the inquisitive listener may fancy. Best of all, none of it costs a dime. So go ahead, indulge — you deserve it. (NP)
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| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Radiohead, Hail to the Thief | Josip Klobucar | | |
| Staff: |
| The Meteorites | Philip Sherburne | | Danger Mouse & Gemini | Sascha Lewis | | Beyonce, Dangerously in Love | Mark Mangan | | Best of A-Ha, Vol 1 | 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: |
| Pole, Pole | Husani Oakley | | Ral Partha Vogelbacher, Kite vs Obelisk | Sander-Martijn Milks | | The Beatles, Rubber Soul | Peter D Stepek | | Lizzy McGuire Original Soundtrack | Karine Versace | | Swarai | Paul Laster | | Dock of the Bay | Lisa Rosman | | Prince, Purple Rain | Jennifer Bachman | | Karen Dalton, It's So Hard to Know... | Jocelyn K Glei | | Kenna, Newsacredcow | Cyrus Wadia | | Outhud, S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. | Cristy Turner | | Fannypack, So Stylistic | Tim Pratt | | Cinematic Orchstra | Reyhan Harmanci | | Madlib, Shades of Blue | Hillary Hall | | ?uestlove, Babies Makin' Babies | Sam N Shah | | The 400 Blows | Rebecca J Hill | | White Stripes, Elephant | Lauren Epstein |
| Iron & Wine | Lisa Butterworth | | New Order, International | Laura Kenney | | Paul Oakenfold, Tranceport | Lisa Won | | Nico, The Classic Years | Monica Naman | | Deerhoof, Apple O | Elizabeth Lobsenz | | Tabla Beat Science | Sarah G Lefton | | The Roots, Phrenology | Marke Bieschke | | Flaming Lips, Fight Test | Jana Klass | | New Pornographers, Electric Version | Nish Nadajara | | Jesus & Mary Chain, BBC Live | Erika Christiansen |
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We are always looking for new writers and designers to contribute some flavor. If you follow what's happening in SF and know how to put it into words, email us here. If you have a design that would look good atop this mailer, please email us with any submissions or questions.
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