GENERAL ARTS
Marke B. keeps an eye and ear and everything else out.
THU/23: BHANGRA & BEATS NIGHT MARKET The Best of the Bay-winning blast is kicking off its summer season at a new location—Yerba Buena Gardens. And while I’ll miss dancing to wild and wonderful Indian bhangra beats, chowing down on roti rolls, and shopping terrific vendors in front of the Embarcadero Center, the lovely park backdrop will only add to this event’s fabulousness. 4pm-9pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, SF. More info here.
THU/23-SUN/26: SAN FRANCISCO ART BOOK FAIR Go to this free amazing thing! I should not have been surprised when I walked into last year’s edition of this to feel a wave of civic pride wash over me, but the indie spirit, communal creativity, sheer tremendousity that greeted me. Dozens and dozens of local indie publishers with books to drool over, plus clothing, records, talks, DJs, coffee … honestly it was old school SF all over again, and the 10th installment looks to be a blast. Minnesota Street Projects, SF. More info here.
FRI/24: LOVE ISN’T BLIND My single friends tell me that dating these days… well, all you can do is laugh. So how about a hilarious “life theater collides with a dating game show” called “Love Isn’t Blind,” presented by comedian Allison Goldberg, where “the gimmick of the show is that the men can’t speak—it’s funny, it’s feminist, and believe it or not, it’s (mostly) kind to men.” OK! 6:30pm, The Foundry, SF. More info here.
FRI/24-SAT/25: BALLET22 SUMMER SEASON This lovely dose of balletic liberation seems sweetly nostalgic in this era of fabulously fluid gender dynamics, and I love it. “Ballet22 presents world class ballet while breaking gender normative traditions, specifically by presenting men, trans, and non-binary artists ‘en pointe.’ The company performs beloved classical ballets, contemporary works, and new commissions that bring LGBTQIA+ representation in the ballet world in a way that has never been done before.” Cowell Theater at Pier 2, SF. More info here.
FRI/24-AUGUST 22: JANET DELANEY: TOO MANY PRODUCTS “Created in 1980 while Janet Delaney was pursuing her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute, ‘Too Many Products’ began as an investigation into the nature of work. Interested in documenting labor and everyday life, Delaney spent a week accompanying her father—a beauty supply salesman nearing retirement—throughout Los Angeles as he called on neighborhood beauty salons. Photographing his daily routine of driving between appointments, unloading inventory, negotiating orders, and maintaining decades-long relationships with his clients, Delaney produced a remarkable portrait of an occupation on the brink of disappearance.” Opening reception Fri/24, 5pm-7pm, Euqinom Gallery, SF. More info here.
SAT/25: ALAMEDA ROCK & ROLL FLEA MARKET I was recently stranded (don’t ask) in Alameda dn fell in love with it. There’s a Lucky 13 bar there! And this: 100+ vendors selling records, music memorabilia, musical instruments, vintage clothing, more—plus, of course, live rock bands like The Control Freaks, the Losin’ Streaks, and Muck & the Mires and tons of craft brews and food. 10am-6pm, Faction Brewing Co., Alameda. More info here.
SAT/25: “mdbr mdbr” AND ONLY GOOD FEELINGS 48 Hills is proud to present these two cool happenings at the SF Jewish Film Festival, both at the Roxie on Saturday evening. “mdbr mdbr” (6pm) is an immersive musical experience from Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer Brian Chase and Bay Area-based multimedia artist Annie Albagli, and Only Good Feelings (8pm) is a cool new “fast-paced tragicomedy” with wit and heart from director Shervin Nassi. Roxie Cinema, SF. More info here.
SAT/25 + SUN/26: 83rd GINZA BAZAAR & 95TH BON ODORI STREET DANCE FESTIVAL Not only can you catch incredible traditional Japanese dance, great goods, and yummy Japanese food here, you also get to connect to the spirit world. “The Buddhist Church of San Francisco presents its 95th street dance festival, celebrating the return of the spirits of their ancestors.” There’s bingo and daruma dogs, too. 11am-4pm, Buddhist Church of San Francisco. More info here.
SUN/26: UP YOUR ALLEY FAIR “Folsom Street Fair’s naughty little sibling,” this long-running SoMa bacchanal offers all the painful pleasures and pleasurable pains of Folsom’s giant spectacle, but on a more hardcore and queer scale. Vendor booths, live entertainment, food and drink, and bared flesh galore. See our Nightlife section below for our satellite party picks. 11am-6pm, Folsom Street between 8th Street and 11th Street. More info here.
WED/29: THE BUDS This great “toe-tappin’ and vocal-hamonizin'” local band is perfect to catch the evening summer breezes (we hope!) on the El Rio patio: “Enjoy classic covers and original songs with lyrics you’ll be repeating for days. Groove to driving acoustic guitars, solid keyboard and bass, and tasty touches of harmonica and pennywhistle.” 6pm-8pm, El Rio, SF. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
FRI/24: DJ MARYZELLE & DJ CENTIPEDE: ULTIMATE DISCO BREAKS AND BEATS Listen, the world is out of sorts these days… A family of orcas attacked a pod of dolphins in Monterey Bay this past weekend. Lettuce is still tied to an “explosive” reaction most of us want no parts of. Music festival goers are now wearing diapers for fear of the port-a-potties, but headlining acts can catch a whiff of what’s brewing in that front row. I bring these scenarios to you because we’re stressed, people. It’s so bad that folks have gone back to actually smoking tobacco cigarettes; that’s how rough it is out there. Here’s what’s good. Friday night, two very qualified DJs are bringing you the funk for free. DJ Centipede and DJ Maryzelle will deliver those ESG breaks and James Brown funk grooves without hesitation. This is the solace you deserve because it’s rough out there. 10pm, Kilowatt, SF. More info here.
TUE/28: MARCOS VALLE At age 80, Marcos Valle, the polymath wizard of Brazilian pop, has forgotten more sun-drenched bossa nova grooves than most of us have ever heard. But here is what’s dope. That singer-songwriter-producer, who rode the fusion-soaked sound of ’80s MPB into the 21st century, will be on hand, exacting magic for all to see at UC Theater on Tuesday. You can thank the LA-based production team Jazz Is Dead for bringing this music legend to the East Bay. Expect minds to get blown with every samba. 7pm, UC Theatre, Berkeley. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork.
GET THE “IT” SCONE! Known for the “Story” restaurants like Kitchen Story and U Dessert Story, restaurateur Jiyeon Choi has a new café concept called Jandii that serves coffee, matcha, hojicha, and fresh-baked scones. The drinks are delicious, but the large scones steal the show with a crisp exterior and pillow soft interior. They’re served split with a housemade jam—blueberry, on the day of my recent visit. According to SFGATE, a second Jandii will open soon at 3499 16th Street, which is the owner’s’ former Kitchen Story location, and a Mountain View outpost will follow next year. Jandii, 1100 Taraval Street, SF. More info here.
SUN/26: DOODLE BOOGIE Bring the family to Al Pastor Papi for Doodle Boogie, a pop-up day of drawing. Bringing your own art supplies from home is welcome; pencils, pens, and coloring sheets will be provided. Chef-owner Miguel Escobedo will DJ alongside the legendary Shortkut, Tef1, Gelson, and yours truly! The event is free, and donations are appreciated. Noon-4pm., Al Pastor Papi, SF. More info here.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week in the Drama Masks column.
THROUGH SUN/26: CROWDED FIRE’S IN TANDEM: TWO NEW WORKS ON TRANSFUTURIST VISIONS I dare you to tell me that title didn’t grab you? SF’s notoriously scrappy theatre troupe is using this weekend to present two fully staged in-development plays—the movement piece Box [M] by Landyn Endo, Genie Cartier, and Os Roxas; and the staged reading of Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel’s lupe finds me in the garden of dreams—that force us to ponder what a trans future looks like when the present isn’t all that optimistic. The shows rotate by day, but Saturday will feature both shows back-to-back. Through Sunday at various times at Potrero Stage, SF. More information here.
SAT/25: KILLING MY LOBSTER’S SKETCH ON SPEED. SF’s li’l sketch troupe that could is currently in the middle of its #6WeeksOfGoodNews campaign announcing creative and executive developments that have been going on. That doesn’t mean they’ve stoppe a-sketchin’. Their Sketch on Speed series (in which they put on a show that was created just 12 hours before show time) continues to be one of the most innovative ways to show off their talent, and one of the funniest live show in the city. You’ve got only one night this month to be tickled silly by these comedic crustaceans. Staturday at 9pm at Z Space, SF. More information here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
SUN/26: “ADA CELEBRATION” This afternoon of screenings is dedicated to the 1990 passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which belatedly provided sweeping address of access issues in public facilities and other concerns. (Incredibly, one reason it took so long was because conservative evangelicals had objected to the law providing any protections for people with HIV, whom they considered sinful.) The long road to that win is glimpsed in video collective Queer Blue Light’s Sign 504 Now!, which chronicles the 26-day sit-in by over 150 blind, deaf, epileptic, wheelchair-bound, et al. activists at SF’s Federal Office Building in 1977—as well as a subsequent DC trip by many of the same people to lobby the White House. This vintage B&W half hour captures the excited empowerment of participants who to a large extent had previously lived in alienated isolation, and were experiencing a community united by shared concerns for the first time. 1pm-6pm, Roxie, SF. More info here.
NIGHTLIFE: UP YOUR ALLEY FAIR EDITION
Marke B.‘s picks for satellite parties for the massive queer fetish bacchanal formerly known as Dore Alley Fair.
FRI/24: MR. CEDRIC’S NEIGHBORHOOD Kick off your wild fetish weekend by buying some delightfully high camp art from the incredible Blake Cedric, who paints everything from coffins to dildos with his swishy characters. (It will mostly be cheeky clothing and print here.) You can also dance to DJs Oscar and Siobhan at the very cool Lookout club! 9:30pm-close. Lookout, SF. More info here.
SAT/25: CHUNK DORE ALLEY: BEARS IN SPACE This unstoppable DJ duo has fluffed up the LA scene for decades, and it’s always a treat when they hit town. Expect disco and house classics mixed with aplomb, plus some newer treats from their cosmic den. The Chunk party loves ’em big, so snag a large friend while you are there. 10pm-4am, F8, SF. More info here.
SAT/25: SNEAKS: CARRY NATION This huge sportswear-fetish dance party—featuring, duh, delicious NYC kiki house duo Carry Nation—sells out in an instant, but rumor has it if you pull on your hot trainers and stand in line very early you might still score. You didn’t hear it from me! 10pm-4am, San Francisco Mint, more info here.
SUN/26: DISCO DADDY DOES DORE ALLEY DJ Bus Station John is fabulously “vintage” til the end (that’s why it’s “Dore Alley” and not “Up Your Alley”). Or, as he puts it in the promo for this heated and essential affair: “Hot On The Cha-Cha Heels Of His 13th Anniversary Pride Sunday, Yer DISCO DADDY Now Serves You His Annual POST-DORE DISCO MARATHON, Featuring *Seven Hours* Of Old-School Dancing & Patio Cruising At San Francisco’s Mother Of All Leather Bars, The SF Eagle!” 7pm-2am, The Eagle, SF. More info here.
SUN/26: DEVIANTS ADULT ARCADE The Deviants party made its name as a gigantic Folsom carnival of naughtiness—and you can expect a similar eye-popping spectacle as it takes over the SF Mint (which is very busy this weekend with fetish parties!) for an Up Your Alley afterparty. The Hot Goth and Boof parties provide music on two dance floors, while Deviants itself brings in excellent players Femanyst, Jumpr, Fawks, and River Moon. Yes, there will be dungeon fun. 7pm-2am, San Francisco Mint, more info here.
SUN/26: CLUB ESTRUS You should check out everything happening this weekend at the Stud (full disclosure: I’m a co-owner) but I’m highlighting this filthy-sexy Up Your Alley afterparty because I just came back from a wild queer campout that featured DJ Gizmoe, who blew my mind with his amped-up house sounds—it felt like three hours of intelligent and immersive samba, but extra gay—and Gizmoe is spinning this party. It’s a femme-forward event hosted by my loves Muñeca and Newoncé, and also features DJs Jasmine Infiniti and Papa Xanny. 9pm-2am, The Stud, SF. More info here.
