OK first of all, don’t forget to vote in this year’s Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll. I want to know who you think the best local Drag Performer, DJ, Band, Dive Bar, and Burrito is! It’s our 50th one, and the 19th(!) one I’m editing— so yeah, there’s a lot of history there, and I’m looking forward to seeing who the “New Classics” of the next half-century will be.
Outside of that, it’s looking to be a gorgeous weekend, go get out and about and support some local things!
EVENTS OF NOTE
THROUGH JULY 14: “CENTRAL AMERICAN PIE” Last chance to check out this incredible show featuring paintings by Josue Rojas at the ever ascendant Incline Gallery: “‘Central American Pie” is a statement– by using images of products, retro ads and Americana and re-imagining them within a Salvadoran American, San Franciscan and ultimately neo-Central American post-war context and lens—’CAP’ is more than the sum of many parts, it is a new whole, a Central American take on a story as American as apple pie.” Through July 14, Incline Gallery, SF. More info here.
FRI/12: “URBAN TIDES” ART EXHIBITION OPENING RECEPTION This love letter to the City by the Bay’s eternal ebbs and flows features an array of local artists chosen by SF’s leading arts institutions, all decorating the Ferry Building’s Grand Hall with color and vibrancy. 5pm-7pm, Ferry Building, SF. More info here.
FRI/12: BHANGRA & BEATS NIGHT MARKET Downtown comes alive: This free Friday evening blast fills the street outside the Embarcadero Center with fabulous Punjabi pop music and dancing—courtesy of the folks behind the Best of the Bay-winning Non Stop Bhangra crew—and a wondrous marketplace (with food of course), three times during the summer. So don’t miss this one! This time, they’re blending in Afrobeat grooves courtesy of music makers Blaq Pages and Juan G. 5pm-10pm, Battery Street, SF. More info here.
SAT/13: TENDERLOIN PRIDE Last month I stepped out on the First Thursdays Tenderloin Art Walk and had a stunning time—it truly felt like I lived in a real city again, with underground art and music, cool shopping and food, and all those weird adventures you get into in strange spaces you can’t believe exist. So I am super-stoked about this opportunity to head back down and get a little gay about it all. “Drag shows, burlesque performances, special guest DJs, vendor and resource booths. Plus: chow main and pizza!” That’s me, I’m chow mein.” Noon-6pm, Larkin Street, SF. More info here.
SAT/13: BARDOT A GO GO We absolutely adore this annual Bastille Day bash—now on its 26th year! Pull up those thigh high patent-leather boots and get down to the tres chic retro sounds of Serge Gainsbourg, Plastic Bertrand, Jacques Dutronc, Francoise Hardy (RIP, you amazing being), and so many more from the Francophonic gogoverse. DJ Brother Grimm spins les hits. 9pm-2am, Rickshaw Stop, SF. More info here.
SAT/13: DARK ENTRIES 15TH ANNIVERSARY No one has done more to bring obscure gems of recent musical history to light than Josh Cheon of Dark Entries Records. From Sylvester’s intimate early recordings and synth wiz Patrick Cowley’s porn soundtracks to brilliant underground ’70s punk and ’80s New Wave lost acts, his label has don’e the most. It also pumps out wonderful new darkwave, queer core, and post-punk sounds—this bash at GAMH features hometown eternal loverboy Brontez Purnell, cold wave-shoegaze trio Topographies (featuring Lol Tolhurst of the Cure’s child), DIY pop duo Loveshadow, and one of my favorite local DJs, Topazu. 9pm, Great American Music Hall, SF. More info here.
SAT/13: FLAMIN’ GROOVIES MEET THE MERMEN Two beyond-legendary local rock bands—the Groovies from the ’60s, the Mermen form the ’80s—team up for this hyper-energetic blast, combing the proto-gothy psychedelia of one with the sparkling surf sounds of the other. The crowd alone will be some SF fire. 8pm, The Chapel, SF. More info here.
SUN/14: FOODWISE SUMMER BASH Every new restaurant I want to try is like $40 entrées lately? That’s why I adore this annual fundraiser inside and outside the Ferry Building, benefitting Foodwise’s awesome food education and outreach programs. You get to try generous bites and sips from 48 (great number) local restaurants, bars, wineries, and producers—and dish with a very cool crowd of local food-lovers. Super sweet summer vibes. 5:30pm-8pm, Ferry Building, SF. More info here.
SUN/14: SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE AND ART POP UP FESTIVAL 2024 Dancers, artists, comedians, poets, and a Hindustani classical band come together to celebrate South Asian cultural heritage and living arts—and of course, there will be plenty of delicious traditional food to enjoy. 3pm-6pm, American Industrial Center, SF. More info here.
SUN/14: HARD RESET You may have heard that one of my main interests is the music we call techno. I’m always listening for the new wave coming up from the underground—and the queer kids behind this daytime progressive techno party will be literally coming in from all-night gigs. You can’t go wrong with that infinite party continuance factor! Dance the last of your shell off and chill on the Stud patio before the weekdays and all their evil goings-on hit. With DJs Larissa Porto, Giovanni Sainz, Johnny Cañas, and Just Another Bitch. 2pm-8pm, The Stud (my club, full disclosure), SF. More info here.
