Welcome to Big Week, our weekly guide to cool things to do, put together by our expert critics and writers.
GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. keeps an eye and ear out.
THU/21-SAT/24: “STRING QUARTET NO. ATE” “Set in motion by REYES Dance founder Jocelyn Reyes’ adult Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, this evening-length dance piece explores the tension between food, pleasure, and health. Set to Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 and performed live by members of San Francisco-based One Found Sound, ‘ATE’ engages a serious subject with REYES Dance’s trademark vulnerability and wit.” 7:30pm, ODC, SF. More info here.
FRI/22: LARAAJI The incredible innovator of celestial music comes to the Ambient Church series with Arji OceAnanda, marking his 1980 collaboration with Brian Eno, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance. “First released on Eno’s Obscure imprint, the album remains a cornerstone of ambient and new age music, merging Laraaji’s electrified zither with shimmering cascades of resonance that continue to inspire generations of listeners. Accompanied by longtime collaborator, sound healer and reiki master, Arji OceAnanda, Laraaji will revisit this seminal work alongside selections from his vast and luminous catalog.” 7:15, Calvary Presbyterian Church, SF. More info here.
FRI/22: AMERICAN FOOTBALL Terrific Midwest emo outfit, whose 1999 debut s/t album still sits at the top of the indie pantheon, just released their excellent fourth LP, appropriately titled LP4. I’ve seen them live and they are terrific, having reformed 14 years after their initial 2000 breakup. Even better, one of my favorite newcomers Mei Semones is opening up—come for her addictively twisty indie-jazz-pop tunes, stay for her true guitar virtuosity. 8pm, Regency Ballroom, SF. More info here.
SAT/23 + SUN/24: 48TH ANNUAL CARNAVAL CELEBRATION AND PARADE 17 blocks, five music stages, five DJ block parties, and tons of incredible food—don’t forget the 20-block, 60-contingent Sunday parade—the enormous celebration of Latin culture returns to rev us into summer. Mission District, SF. More info here.
SUN/24: TERRY RILEY AT 90: A PIANO CELEBRATION The composer/mage, who gifted the world with the immortal “In C,” among many other musical wonders, is closely associated with the Bay Area, but now lives in (and tweets often from!) Japan. He won’t be here but his spirit will: Pianist and KALW radio host Sarah Cahill is slated perform several of his remarkable compositions at this free celebration, along with music composed in his honor by Sam Adams and Danny Clay. 2pm-3:30pm, SF Public Library Main Branch. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
5/21: AVALON EMERSON & THE CHARM After years of building and dizzying dancefloors as a DJ, from San Francisco to Berlin and back, Avalon Emerson became an indie musician. A pretty good one to boot. The conversion happened during lockdown, and fast-forward a couple of years, Emerson is signed to one of the most prestigious indie labels, Dead Oceans, home of Toro y Moi, Khruangbin, and others. So she arrives at the Rickshaw Stop bearing electronic indie pop tunes and a new and old fanbase that just can’t wait. 8pm, Rickshaw Stop, SF. More info here.
FRI/22: PRIMITIVE RING Bert Hoover (bass, vocals), Charles Moothart (guitar, vocals), and Jon Modaff (drums) kick that foggy, dusty lo-fi Sabbath-kinda math. You know, with the proto-metal leanings, mid-song time signature changes, and the type of crunch and bump that White Stripes and The Stooges would laugh admiringly at. Debut Primitive Ring is 11 tracks deep and doesn’t blink for a nanosecond. Moothart shines, dives, and wades in that fuzz, moving between the progressive chug and the rip-and-riff 70s rock model. This album, which, for sure, plays like one, is a trippy excursion worth taking. Prepare yourself for a helluva show at Kilowatt. 7pm, Kilowatt, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork.
TRY A “SUPER SECRET BURGER” When I recently bellied up to the counter at the new Richmond District café Hologram, I succumbed to a big orange “Super Secret Burger” sign. After hearing it had American cheese, Korean gochujang mayo and a sesame seed bun, I impulse ordered a double to split with a friend. Though it’s a smashburger, it’s substantial with two patties. I paired it with a Kona Gold cold brew with a makapuno cream top that was pure heaven. We also thought the Frisco Shorty burrito with eggs, cheese, bacon, and tots was a good snack! Hologram, 2512 Clement Street, SF. More info here.
FRI/22—SUN/24: TEST YOUR FOODIENESS AT THE FOODIELAND FOOD FESTIVAL The summer season of traveling stunt food massives is upon us. The now nationwide Foodieland Food Festival is a pretty uncreative name for an event of this magnitude, but it honestly sounds like a potentially fun holiday weekend activity to bop around drinking things out of fun vessels and eating weird things on sticks for a reasonable admission price of $11.94; get tickets here. Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Avenue, Daly City. More info here.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week in the Drama Masks column.
SAT/23: SONGS FROM A SINKING SHIP Direct form Spain, Flamenco Arts International presents this mystical tale: A mysterious siren’s warning sets off a chain of events that transforms a routine voyage into a supernatural battle between ego and redemption, told through the passionate art of flamenco. Thunder cracks, and the ship veers off course. Will the crew rise above their own demons, or be lost to the depths forever? 2pm and 7pm, Presidio Theatre, SF. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
FRI/22-MON/25: HITCHCOCK FEST The master of suspense takes over the Balboa Theater this weekend, with screenings of 14 films. A full half-century after his final feature was released, Alfred Hitchcok’s status hasn’t really been rivaled. Yes, directors like Tarantino or Christopher Nolan may have substantial popular followings, and myriad others their cultier ones. But Hitchcock remains a behind-the-camera star on a different level, one that was frequently a bigger lure than the biggest star actors he utilized. Not only is he still widely identified with the screen thriller in general, just about any extant variation on that genre can be traced back to his pioneering imprint—whether it’s the slasher (Psycho), spy intrigue (North by Northwest), or odd-couple comedy mystery (The Lady Vanishes). Balboa Theater, SF. More info here.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up.
FRI/22: WORLD GOTH NIGHT It turns out World Goth Day (technically May 22) is actually a month-long celebration here in SF, as it should be! But for the real deal on the real date, you’ll want to black crepe and pancake-up for this huge event at DNA Lounge, with dancing in four Rooms with 10 DJs representing some of the goth scene’s best parties SF nights: Death Guild, Gothicumbia, Nightshift, After Life, Dark Sparkle, and Dancing Ghosts. Plus: art, visuals, fashion, and looks. Sparkle darkly, lovelies. 9pm-2am, DNA Lounge, SF. More info here.
SAT/23: JOTERÍA For decades, Ethiopian restaurant and awesome dive bar Club Waziema on Divis has hosted terrific off-the-beaten-path parties—like this all-local QTBIPOC DJ lineup “night of FAGGOTRY for all enjoyers of latincore and its ever-changing sound. From guaracha, to dembow, to neoperreo and more obscure global sounds, the high-BPMs and heavy bass are sure to keep you dancing the whole night through.” With FINISHHER, lobottomy, Grassjelly Bimbo, more. 9pm-2am, Club Waziema, SF. More info here.
