 |
|
|
| |
| |
FEB 3 - FEB 9 
With the brilliant, newly released compendium The World of Arthur Russell spurring us to "Go Bang," we're reminded of all the sparks and explosions jumpstarting the week. Setting aside those rogue waves of rain so vast you could surf them, SF's collective fog is lifting. So turn snoozy zzzs into a sexy tease to electrify the night. Activate, invigorate, and spread it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
With its two-day industry summit, four days of poolside parties, five days
of private networking, and a week of premier music events throughout South
Beach, M3 Summit represents the culmination of Miami's annual tradition of
music in March. Tickets go on sale today. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | San Francisco is no stranger to film festivals. With the Silent Film Festival, the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, the Jewish Film Festival, and an endless smattering of others, this is a city for cinephiles. Now is your chance to support one of the fests you most love to attend. The 2004 International Asian American Film Festival, to be held in the Bay Area March 4-21, hosts a launch party and fundraiser replete with tasty treats and fresh beats. Browse the festival catalogue, view its trailer, munch your heart out, and groove to the music provided by Windy Chien and Robay aka Sweet Trip while fostering your film fetish. (LB)
  
 What's the sweetest trip you ever took? Our favorite answer wins a pair of tickets to the party.
|
|
|
| |
PANEL: Art
Artivism
|
| when: | Tue 2.3 (7-9pm) |
| where: | Southern Exposure (401 Alabama St, 415.863.2141) |
| price: | $5 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | In today's convoluted political climate, art serves as the balancing force for social dialogue and change. Tonight's panel discussion features an artist, curator, educator, and activists who use art in their political activism. On hand are artist Packard Jennings — whose art installation Cultural Quarantine (part 2), currently on view at SoEx, addresses people's warped sense of patriotism — Working Assets creative producer Becky Bond, CorpWatch project director Pratap Chatterjee, and other cultural workers and activists. (LW)
CorpWatch used to have a different name. What was it? The first correct answer wins a pair of tickets to this event.
|
|
|
| |
| | Everybody loves Susie Bright. This vibrator-touting, open-minded, sex-positive San Francisco writer freely drops her thoughts on everything from sex changes to porn to politics. Bright also boasts an esteemed breadth of experience that qualifies her to select erotica with an authority most of us can only fantasize about. Tonight she reads from Best American Erotica of 2004, the new anthology of sexy shorts she's culled from writers as varied as Jerry Stahl and Alan Cummings. A date with Ms. Bright is sure to be a titillating experience. (LB)
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | ZZ Packer's debut story collection, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, has generated a buzz comparable to a triple shot of espresso. Although each story is highly distinct, Packer's themes and scenarios gel together effortlessly and with a surprising lack of gimmicks. Flooded with superlative detail and a host of highly specific characters — rambunctious church ladies, wayward inner-city intellectuals, a troop of black Girl Scouts who encounter a troop of mentally handicapped white Girl Scouts — Packer's writing is authentic, funny, and tender. (NN)
|
|
|
| |
DISCUSSION
The Fog of War — film clips and a conversation with Robert McNamara and Errol Morris
|
| when: | Wed 2.4 (7:30pm) |
| where: | Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley (2000 University Ave, 510.642.9988) |
| price: | $10 |
| links: |
Event Info | The Fog of War |
| | Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara is the unlikely star of Errol Morris' new film, The Fog of War, a riveting analysis of the war-torn 20th century by someone involved in the decision-making behind US foreign policy and military conflicts. This Commonwealth Club-sponsored event features clips from the film, nominated for this year's best Documentary Feature Oscar, and a discussion with filmmaker Morris and the 87-year-old McNamara, who served under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations during the Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam war. Mark Danner, a UC Berkeley journalism professor, moderates. (TP)
|
|
|
| |
| | The haunting warmth of Barbara Morgenstern's debut album, Fjorden (2000), felt like music for sailing through ice floes on a balmy night. Though Morgenstern is part of the continuing tide of excellent electronic music coming out of Germany, there is something much more, well, pleasant about her sound. Her most recent album, Nichts Muss (2003) — whose tracks have been remixed by the likes of Ellen Allien, Tarwater, and Dntel — lives up to Fjorden's auspicious afterglow with a continued accessibility and IDMish infusions of pop- and funktronica, with production aid from Thomas Fehlmann and Pole's Stefan Betke. This is tronic for the soul. (JKG)
Note: Berlin romantic Maximilian Hecker opens.
Name three other artists on the Monika label. The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | If gray skies have got you down and you're dreaming of running away to join the colorful set of a Bollywood film, Vicki Virk's Dholdrythyms classes may be just what the meteorologist ordered. All over the Bay Area, Virk teaches bhangra dance set to the hypnotic sounds of North India, often mixed with hip hop and Latin grooves. Check out a free demo bhangra class tonight for a transporting experience at serene Bodytonic. Dancers get a heart-thumping workout as they learn sizzling dancefloor combos that export perfectly to the club scene — Virk and her students are known to show up en masse at local pal Cheb i Sabbah's gigs. (SGL)
Where did Bhangra originate? The first 25 correct answers each win a free first Bhangra class at Berkeley's or San Francisco's Dhol Rhythms Studios.
|
|
|
| |
MULTIMEDIA
Platform #16 — The City
|
| when: | Thur 2.5 (8pm-1am) |
| where: | Mezzanine (444 Jessie St, 415.820.9669) |
| price: | $10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | An ambitious idea began Platform: to bring together the SF arts community for socializing and sharing creations. What followed were two years of celebrating some of our best artists, DJs, VJs, fashion designers, musicians, filmmakers, and photographers; Platform's first anniversary was one of the grandest showcases of SF artists in recent memory. But now Platform is saying a tearful good-bye, and what better way to end its run than with a tribute to our city. Take an exhibit, curated by Joey Piziali, including the works of 15 artists, add a dozen fashion designers, three short films, DJs from Qöol and Sister SF, and a dance performance from Michelle Bolong and Maija Garcia, and you've got a good-bye to remember. (SC)
What's your favorite city and why? The best answer wins a pair of tickets to the event.
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | Choreographer Merce Cunningham uses a technique more often employed successfully by visual artists and experimental musicians than by modern dancers: chance. For 50 years his works have taken advantage of the infinite possibilities hidden in surprise, coincidence, and lottery. Instead of using dance for emotional or narrative means, which would require linear composition, he creates movement sequences that can be fragmented and shuffled at random (or sometimes by the roll of dice). A pioneer since the '50s with his avant-garde work, he's an 86-year-old who hired Sigur Rós as a collaborative partner. The program for MCDC's annual Berkeley visit includes BIPED (1999) and Interscape (2000). (JU)
Which feature of your daily life would most benefit from the application of chance operations? The four best answers each win a pair of tickets.
|
|
|
| |
FESTIVAL
Activating the Medium Festival
|
| when: | Fri 2.6 & Sat 2.7 (8pm) |
| where: | SomArts Cultural Center (934 Brannan St, 415.552.2131) |
| price: | $10 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | San Francisco's 23five, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of sound art and experimental music, kicks off its seventh annual Activating the Medium Festival with performances from Quebec's Jean-Francois Laporte, Berkeley's John Bischoff, and Oakland's Kenneth Atchley. That Laporte has recorded a CD sourced from nothing but the sounds of an ice-rink air compressor (rumored to be a Zamboni, in fact) should give you some idea of the sonic extremities to which these artists are willing to go. Tomorrow's performances, running the gamut from computer composition to field recording, include LA's Solid Eye, SF's Thomas Dimuzio, North Carolina's Michael Thomas Jackson, Oakland's Trevor Paglen, and Crawl Unit founder Joe Colley, known for collaborations with Francisco Lopez. (PS)
|
|
|
| |
DJ
Tokyo Electric with Kean and DJ Bre-ad
|
| when: | Fri 2.6 (9pm) |
| where: | Up and Down Club (1151 Folsom St, 415.626.2388) |
| price: |  $8 / FREE before 10pm |
| links: |
Event Info | DJ Bre-ad |
| | For those in search of a more rarified evening of electronica and hard-hitting beats, might we suggest Paris' Kean and SF's own DJ Bre-ad. Not your standard whistle-blowing techno, Tokyo Electric has slated a night of beats sure to slake your thirst for the sublime. In the pursuit of deconstructive rhythms that synchronize and syncopate, Kean — a Circus Company colleague of Gallic gadabouts Ark and Krikor — and DJ Bre-ad thread strong bass lines with clinical pulses and piercing tones into minimalist dub and ghetto-tech sounds that take you to the pinnacle of avant-garde electronica. Did I mention you can dance to it? It's true: danceable avant-garde electronica exists. (TS)
Aside from Circus Company, name two labels for which Kean has recorded. The third and fifth correct answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
|
|
|
| |
DJ
Beatmatch II
|
| when: | Fri 2.6 (10pm-4am) |
| where: | Mezzanine (444 Jessie St, 415.820.9669) |
| price: | $5 |
| links: |
Mezzanine |
| | Word around town is that the dormant dance music scene — along with the crowds that make it move — is coming back fast and furious. (Just check Monty Luke's blog if you don't believe us.) One indicator is the new party Beatmatch, in which DJs from SF's tightest crews infuse the opulent settings of Mezzanine with a bit of the underground spirit that nourished them on the long way up. Tonight's party offers a mix of house and breaks from Green Gorilla's M3 and Anthony Garlic, Sister SF's Melyss and Samira, and Space Cowboys' Brad Robinson and Smoove. No funny business, just straight-up dance music for an energizing Friday night. (PS)
Which crews were represented at the first Beatmatch party? The first correct answer wins a doublepack CD from Sister's Melyss and Samira.
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | Expect happy vibes and hooks aplenty when local favorites Mates of State team up with indie up-and-comers Rogue Wave for an afternoon/evening twin bill of pop ringleaders. MoS are a dripping-with-cute married couple who create a full sound with just an organ, drums, and perfectly harmonized vocals. This is the last opportunity to see the duo for a while — they're headed back to the studio post-tour to record their follow-up to 2003's Team Boo. Rogue Wave's sweetly addictive take on '60s rock, meanwhile, has earned them critical acclaim and a rapidly growing SF fan base in the past year. (JS)
What kind of organ and drum set do Mates of State use? The fourth correct answer wins a pair of tickets to the 5pm show.
|
|
|
| |
| | The defensive tone of Nada Surf's self-penned web bio reveals the band's omnipresent struggle to remove the one-hit wonder tag attached to their name since success in the mid-'90s gave the trio buzz alongside contemporaries such as Weezer and the Foo Fighters. The culprit? "Popular," a smash on 1996 alt-rock radio. A four-year hiatus between albums saw them lose momentum, and they haven't achieved anything nearly as, ahem, popular since. On closer inspection, though, Nada Surf have evolved into a more mature band with smarter lyrics and a genuine pop flair. They spent most of 2003 touring to reconnect with old fans and to gain some newfound indie cred after the critically lauded Let Go (2002), which introduced a more vulnerable and occasionally mellow sound. (JS)
Which former member of Scritti Politti produced one of Nada Surf's records? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets.
|
|
 |
|
| |
MUSIC: Early Choral Music
Love & Death
|
| when: | Sun 2.8 (4pm) |
| where: | St. Ann's Chapel (541 Melville St, Palo Alto) |
| price: | FREE |
| | Death isn't proud, but it can occasionally be unintentionally funny. Just check the subtitle of Victoria's 1605 Requiem, a rumination on death for six voices: Officium defunctorum. Add that to the list of synonyms for "deceased" in Monty Python's dead parrot sketch: "defunct." All kidding aside, tonight's program, performed by the six-person ensemble St. Ann's Consort, sweeps the spectrum of emotions, running from the measured grief evoked by Victoria's late-Renaissance work to the light-hearted joy sparked by the program's second half — a set of romantic madrigals by Wilbye, Striggio, Croce, and Morley. (PS)
|
|
|
| |
MUSIC: Breakcore
Trouble presents Doormouse w/ Sote
|
| when: | Sun 2.8 (9:30pm) |
| where: | Li Po Lounge (916 Grant Ave, 415.982.0072) |
| price: | $8 / $5 with flyer or flavorpill printout |
| | San Francisco's Trouble club — a degenerate bunch of laptop punks, noisenik nerds, and unrepentant techno DJs — have been roaming homeless of late, due to an unfortunate incident with Wonder Bread that got them banned from their last residency. But last month's show at Chinatown's Li Po Lounge suggested that the cavelike basement may be the perfect place for Trouble's subterranean mischief. Test that theory tonight with a blistering breakcore lineup including Zod and Planet Mu artist Doormouse, Australia's Dsico, and the Bay's own Sote (Warp, Dielectric). DJ support comes courtesy Trouble residents Sindri and Mochipet, spinning IDM, electro, and of course, noise, noise, noise. (SK)
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | When 764-HERO frontman John Atkins and Black Heart Procession percussionist Joe Plummer consolidate as the Magic Magicians, potent pop trumps the melancholia of their respective bands. Opener Richard Baluyut started all kinds of trouble with Versus and Flower, but now with the jangly guitar rock of Whysall Lane, he, along with former Jawbreaker Adam Pfahler and Mikel Delgado, has demonstrated his true worth. San Franciscan M.C. Taylor (Court & Spark's vocalist) fills the Americana troubadour quota of the evening, albeit in a nebulous, less Wilco- and more Byrds-like manner. (CT)
|
|
 |
|
| |
| | In the midst of awards season, many of the smaller films considered the Oscars' hidden gems make guest appearances in the Bay Area. The Castro Theatre is featuring Nathaniel Kahn's documentary nominee My Architect, a film about famed architect Louis Kahn. This tale travels well outside the realm of blueprints and flying buttresses; it reveals how Nathaniel, the illegitimate child of Kahn, struggles with the secrets and lies that defined his father's life. More than a portrait of an artist, My Architect offers up a look at the complicated life of a troubled man and a brilliant architect. (LE)
|
|
|
| |
FESTIVAL: Film
11th Annual San Francisco Art Institute Film and Video Festival
|
| when: | Fri 2.6 & Sat 2.7, and Fri 2.13 & Sat 2.14 (8pm) |
| where: | San Francisco Art Institute (800 Chestnut St, Lecture Hall, 415.771.7020) |
| price: | $8 / $25 for 4 night pass |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | The San Francisco Art Institute boasts a pantheon of visual art legends who've studied, visited, or taught there, including Ansel Adams, Marcel Duchamp, and Mark Rothko. Lesser known but equally innovative is the school's engagement with experimental film and video; its yearly festival has become a hot spot for non-traditional, genre-bending pieces from artists across the world. This year, four themed nights are on the lineup: narrative, the poetics of time, animation, and the function of light and shadow. With films ranging from cut-and-dried cinema cinema vérité to abstract commentaries on the unconscious, the work runs the gamut from minimalist video installation to visually sweeping cinema. (NN)
|
|
|
| |
FESTIVAL: Film
2004 San Francisco Independent Film Festival
|
| when: | Thur 2.5 - Sun 2.15 |
| where: | Various locations |
| price: | $9 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | The sixth annual installment of the San Francisco film festival dedicated to showcasing the best local and international independent film returns for a ten-day run. Founded by film enthusiast Jeff Ross, who launched the fest to remedy the lack of venues for independent works, this unconventional festival brings together a robust assortment of more than 100 films and videos. Highlights include Revengers Tragedy (2002) from director Alex Cox — known for the classics Repo Man (1984) and Sid & Nancy (1986) — as well as a Valentine's Day dose of horror fare, and the short film Value Added Cinema, which cobbles together product placement shots from 70 films. Come see if Suicidal Tendencies' "Gimme a Pepsi" line, immortalized in Repo Man, made the cut. (EC)
|
|
|
| |
| | Artist and musician Romare Bearden was best known for his vibrant collages. Assembling complex images with foil, wrapping paper, wallpaper, rice paper, and pictures cut from magazines and art reproductions, Bearden revealed his understanding of the cultural and political climate of 20th-century America, particularly the Civil Rights movement. He challenged viewers to consider the unfair social conditioning inherent in much popular European and American museum art, which predominantly depicts white subjects and is made by white artists. Bearden was as prolific as he was skilled, which is astonishing because, for most of his career as an artist, he also held a day job at the New York City Department of Social Services. (SB)
After World War II, at which European university did Bearden study? The first two correct answers each win a pair of tickets to SFMOMA.
|
|
|
| |
ART
Bang the Machine
|
| when: | Now through Sun 4.4 (Tue-Sun: 11am-5pm) |
| where: | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St, 415.978.2787) |
| price: | $6 |
| links: |
Event Info |
| | A long time ago, video games evolved beyond mindless entertainment into truly interactive, intelligent experiences with strong narratives and characters. Even if you still consider them just games, consider also that they have become part of our cultural landscape, and attract some of the brightest and most creative minds in art and design. Yerba Buena's latest exhibit, Bang the Machine: Computer Gaming and Artifacts, explores the pervasive influence of the computer gaming industry on artistic inventions and paradigms. Highlights include Playshop, an ongoing machinima film series, and a US military "training application" — one of the most realistic, absorbing game simulations in the world. (NIN)
What's your favorite video game and why? The best two answers each win a pair of tickets to the show.
|
|
 |
|
| CD REVIEW: Air, Talkie Walkie |
|
Astralwerks
Released January 2004
$18.98 (Amazon)
|
Air's third album is a goodie; a cheering soundtrack for the changing seasons. Universally loved then virtually ignored, the French duo return to their rightful cultural position — chiming out of boutiques, rotating on the radio, and de rigueur at dinner parties — with Talkie Walkie. The ten songs are so simple, melodic, pretty, and engulfing that it's hard to find fault, though any track featuring a banjo, whistle-hook, and jaunty tempo ("Alpha Beta Gaga") will surely grate eventually. On the second listen you'll think you've owned Talkie Walkie for years. (ND)
A member of Air was in an alternative band called Orange with which DJ? First correct answer wins a copy of this CD.
|
|
|
| |
| COOLHUNTER: Beinghunted.com |
|
Launched in 2001 as a resource to track down rare sneakers, toys, and clothing labels, Beinghunted now hunts down pretty much anything you'd want to find that represents the leading edge of urban culture. And their reviews of new magazines, events, and artists do live up to their motto: "We'll let you know. First." Check out current features on Made magazine, the DVD Dithers (which we've seen, and think is incredible), and the sneaker scene in Munich. They've also got an online store to buy your caps and tees, and a global event calendar. (CH)
|
|
|
| STREAMS: dublab |
|
Burn the courthouse! Set fire to the flag! Melt your bra! Slow down a minute sailor. We know you want to express your strong sense of non-conformity but there's no reason to go hog wild. You can let your individuality shine without all the mess. Just click on dublab.com and turn your speakers up to 10. Your friends and neighbors will all understand what a glorious weirdo you are. (frosty)
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
 |
| CREDITS |
| Header Design: |
| Television | Ron Russell | | |
| Staff: |
| Technics 1200 | Philip Sherburne | | Coffee grinder | Sascha Lewis | | Blackberry | Mark Mangan | | Toaster oven | Peter D Stepek | | |
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. |
|
|
| Contributors: |
| TiVo | Husani Oakley | | Universal remote | Sander-Martijn Milks | | Sony AIBO | Christopher Hampton | | Robot butler | Jocelyn K Glei | | Laptop | Paul Laster | | Electric toothbrush | Lisa Rosman | | Juicer | Jen Bachman | | Deep fryer | Nick Doherty | | Cuisinart | Seiji Carpenter | | Electric razor | Jeremy Sampson | | George Foreman grill | Rebecca J Hill | | Plasma screen TV | Tim Pratt | | Coffeemaker | Sarah S Sung | | Humidor | Scott Benbow | | Wine cellar | Cheryl Taruc | | Amplifier | Lisa Won |
| Electric bill-counter | Sebastian Koch | | Reading lamp | Jenni Updenkelder | | Electric carving knife | Laura Kenney | | Homer Simpson talking bottle opener | Lisa Butterworth | | Blowdryer | Nirmala Nataraj | | Unplugged alarm clock | Lauren Epstein | | Convection oven | Erika Christiansen | | Magic Wand | Sarah G Lefton | | iPod | Nish I Nadaraja | | Hot pot | Todd Sills |
|
| |
GLOBAL FASHIONS
In addition to Earplug and Boldtype, Flavorpill Productions also publishes JC Report, an inside track to fashions and trends from around the world.
It's free. Click to subscribe. |
|
|
MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
To learn more about becoming an exclusive media partner on flavorpill (SF, LA, NYC, and LONDON), email us at
media-partner.
EMAIL SERVICES
To find out more about the design and deployment of permission-based, graphical emails, contact our partners at Sublit Industries. |
|
|
|
| |
 |
