Welcome to our calendar feature BIG WEEK, wherein our expert Arts & Culture writers recommend the best things in Arts, Music, Food & Drink, Stage, Film, Nightlife, and more.
GENERAL ARTS
Caitlin Donohue keeps an eye on things. Don’t ask how, she just does.
ONGOING THROUGH MARCH 1: UNBOUND: ART, BLACKNESS & THE UNIVERSE Offering boundless inspiration is this religio-mythic, techno-cyborgian philosophical inquiry of an exhibition, curated by Best of the Bay 2024 winner Key Jo Lee. According to the museum, “the show invites visitors to reimagine Blackness not as fixed or earthbound, but as infinite—expansive, unknowable, and cosmically rich.” Museum of the African Diaspora, SF. More info here.
THU/9 THROUGH OCTOBER 25: LITQUAKE A true bounty of all things book is upon us with the Bay’s annual world-class literary festival. There are readings, gatherings, and concerts for every kind of reader—here’s a good place to start flipping through the pages of programming. On Sun/12, catch our valiant publisher Marke B. in conversation with The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity author Sarah Schulman and featuring performance troupe Skywatchers (RSVP here). Various Bay Area venues. More info here.
THU/9 THROUGH OCTOBER 31: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Need some help getting in the Halloween spirit? The soon-to-be-departed Oasis (spooky news for any dedicated Bay Area drag fan!) serves as a primo stage for this take on a very freaky night in Dr. Frank N. Furter’s abode. Starring Oasis owner D’arcy Drollinger as Frank, Lisa Frankenstein as Janet, and Julio Chaves as Brad, this production surely will not skimp on the sass. As of press time, tickets were still available for the shows on Thu/9 and October 15, 16, and 23. Oasis, SF. More info here.
THU/9 THROUGH DECEMBER 11: CCSF RETIREE ART SHOW Ready for a multi-generational visualization of community college creativity? The spotlight is on the CCSF retiree community, members of which will be sharing their ceramics, dance, drawing, fabrics, fashion, and so much more. Head over Thu/9 6-8pm for an opening reception and a chance to hobnob with the creators in question. Room 402, Chinatown/North Beach Center, SF. More info here.
FRI/10: CHINATOWN NIGHT MARKET Show up for Chinatown’s independent businesses—and have a blast out on these streets at the same time. This monthly celebration features a gaming alley, ample al fresco seating, food venders, DJs—and ample time to connect with Chinatown’s spectacular entrepreneurs, from calligraphy shops to dessert cafes galore. Grant between California and Pacific, SF. More info here.
FRI/10: THE DECEMBRISTS WITH SF SYMPHONY Extremely literate and thrillingly jangly rock band helped define 2000s indie, and has carved its own heady path through the past two decades. Adding in a symphony? It’s revolutionary, baby. 7:30pm, David Symphony Hall, SF. More info here.
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SAT/11: BART SOUND TRACKS JAZZ FESTIVAL Catch SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, B DeVeaux, and Sun Hop Fat in a jam for our beleaguered public transportation system. A $10 adult ticket comes with a mocktail to whet your train-loving whistle. Be sure and wear your Cappy socks. (What, you didn’t know those existed for purchase?) North Berkeley BART station parking lot. More info here.
SAT/11 JOHN C. REILLY The beloved actor has his hangs full this year with his vaudeville production Mister Romantic, an eternal seeker of love. Happily, that quest is now immortalized in What’s Not To Love?, a song-and-dance LP featuring the man himself—who will be signing copies today at Amoeba. Kindly keep in mind you must pre-order What’s Not To Love? with Amoeba (do it now!) to gain entry. Amoeba Music, SF. More info here.
SAT/11: OPTRONICA Experimental cinema fans, your moment has come. This “eye-and-ear-popper unveils an all-star line-up of seven inter-media magicians” featuring synth history, hallucinatory visuals, liquid lightshows, and more, courtesy of Other Cinema. ATA Gallery, SF. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great tunes and shows every week.
THU/9: AUTECHRE This English IDM group consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth takes the music seriously, not themselves, focusing on how to do electronic music that moves with humanity. That, right there, is intelligent. Experience these masters of blinking lights and melodic bass music in one of the most forward-thinking electronic music cities in the States. Regency Ballroom, SF. More info here.
FRI/10: THE MUSTACHE BASH This fall tradition promises an exciting lineup of performances with a focus on sculpting those funk muscles. Why should you attend? First, you definitely want to see Harvey Sutherland for that undeniable charisma. However, the local highlight of the event is Mae Powell & The Local Honeys, performing on Friday at 5:15pm. Backed by a powerhouse lineup of local hitters, expect Powell and her cool vocals to fill the space with that confident easy-going vibe. Secondly, it will be an opportunity to formally say goodbye to the Phoenix Hotel. After 39 years of hosting Pride extravaganzas and unforgettable pool parties, it will be closing its doors at the end of the year. The Phoenix Hotel, SF. More info here.
SAT/11: TV ON THE RADIO This band is making the rounds once again (for the first time in five years) for the 20th anniversary release of their debut record, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes. It was actually in the late ’90s while bartending at Uptown that I first met TVOTR singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kyp Malone, who was always tapin’ up weird band posters on the bar’s bathroom doors containing names that I cannot repeat here. Fast-forward to the early 2000s and boom, he’s on the cover of the arts section of the New York Times with his new band, donning a name that can be spoken aloud. This Black rock and roll band sounded like no other, certainly not the slew of bands—Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem—coming out of post 9/11 New York. They’ll also be at Fox Theater with Mild Universe on Sun/12. The Warfield, SF. More info here.
SAT/11: SECRET EMCHY SOCIETY Following through on our promise of great shows in all venues, big and small, Secret Emchy Society, an artist on the local Broken Clover Records imprint, packs those gothy, spaghetti Western vibes, exploring identity and new uses for all cowboy tropes. Oakland-based Cindy M. Emch, dubbed the “First Lady of Queer Country,” accomplishes what all great musicians do in tying the common thread that binds all genres, dealing out those yarns one at a time. Come in, come down for those stories. The Knockout, SF. More info here.
SUN/12: CRUCIAL REGGAE SUNDAYS Just about every Sunday from 4:20pm, heh, to 7:30pm at the Golden Gate Bandshell, you can get your cool runnings in order amidst the trees and breeze for no cost. Crucial Reggae Sundays brings free, family-friendly reggae music to the historic bandshell. Hosted by residents Irie Dole (Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi), Guidance (Infinite Guidance Sound/Nice Up Radio), and DJ Sep (Dub Mission), the day party features special guest live performances and DJ sets every week. Golden Gate Bandshell, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s weekly Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork. Sign up for the new Good Taste newsletter here!
THU/9: LA COCINA POP-UP NIGHT MARKET SF food business incubator La Cocina is hosting a night market in its Tenderloin kitchen with some of the newest food makers on the roster: Chiricana Cocina Panameña (Panamanian cuisine), Cool Rolls (rolled ice cream), Fusion Rolls (egg rolls), Hippie Chai (vegan chai), Lunar Bakery (French/Taiwanese pastries), Sabores Komali (Mexican food), and Savoree (Creole food). Tickets are $52.22 and include two small plates from each of the seven vendors and non-alcoholic beverages. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase. 6-8:30 p.m., 101 Hyde Street, SF.
SUN/12: WORLD OF DUMPLINGS Asians Are Strong will once again host a day of cultural performances, international dumpling tasting (purchased à la carte) from local vendors such as Dacha and the Korner Store, and demos from chefs including Ukrainian author Anna Voloshyna, self-taught Chinese-American home cook Rebecca Yang, and teaching chef Linda Tay Esposito, who focuses on East and Southeast Asian cuisines. Tickets are free; 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 1 Ferry Building, SF.
SUN/12: YVONNE’S SOUTHERN SWEETS’ 19TH BIRTHDAY The legendary Bayview bakery, which recently reopened after a fire and vandalism, celebrates almost two decades in business with light refreshments. Stop by to wish her well and to purchase comforting desserts like Mama’s 7UP Cake, pecan pralines, and peach cobbler. 1-3 p.m., 5128 Third Street, SF.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III checks out theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
THROUGH OCTOBER 19: THE HOT WING KING Katori Hall’s Pulitzer-winning play is about walking the balance between found and biological families. It’s practically based around the old Black American saying “jus’ ‘cus they skin folk don’t mean they yo’ kin folk.” That it does so through subversion of the Black American stereotype of eating fried chicken is inspired. The best way to understand The Hot Wing King is the way it takes well-worn clichés and makes them its own. Not every joke is a gut-buster, but every scene holds a sincerity that’s easy to recognize and pleasant to watch. New Conservatory Theatre Center, SF. More info here.
THROUGH NOVEMBER 1: TERROR VAULT’S HEXED It’s safe to say that when Kat Robichaud welcomes you into a production that the show is more than likely to be enjoyable. I wasn’t expecting to see her as one of the goth-y ghouls inside Peaches Christ’s latest Hallowe’en horror, but an in-character Kat greeting we opening-night patrons was a good sign. This year has a much better balance of round-the-corner shocks and story details, making it much easier to follow the latter. The group I was with were invested in the story and paying attention to every noise, so they’d occasionally be pulled out of a scene by hearing another scene in the next room. Fortunately, there were plenty of rat-people and yetis to pull them back in. The San Francisco Mint. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
FRI/10-SUN/12: SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL SOUTH ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL Several countries the US at least used to be friends with are well-represented in the latest edition of this fest. Subtitled “Beyond Bollywood,” it’s a celebration of independent cinema from around the world, including the immigrant diaspora. Highlights include Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Cactus Pears (originally Sabar Bonda), a Sundance prize winner that portrays a closeted gay son’s awkward homecoming to his native Indian village, where improbably he just might find love. Roxie Theater, SF. More info here.
OPENS FRI/10: A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE A veteran filmmaker has weighed our immediate future, and the outlook is not good. Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow’s first feature in eight years is a Fail Safe-like portrait of US government officials reacting to a grave emergency in what’s rapidly become a new Cold War. There’s a strong atmosphere of white-knuckle suspense, and the script by NBC News president Noah Oppenheim has a firm, fascinating grip on how our government might operate in such worst-case-scenario circumstances. Opens in theaters Fri/10, then begins streaming on Netflix October 24.
OPENS FRI/10: ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5 There is a punishing completeness to Haitian documentarian Raoul Peck’s latest, a sort of biopic-slash-essay in which the ideas and work of the titular late, great British author get applied to over a century of fascist movements and totalitarian states. Archival footage of related wars, propaganda, oppression, and state-sanctioned violence from around the globe, as well as clips from myriad film versions of Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm. With Edward Snowden and Bernie Sanders among the latterday experts interviewed, and actor Damien Lewis reading from the writer’s texts, this is a brilliant assembly that might enlighten those still resistant to the notion that we’re careening towards an end to democracy. Fri/10 at the Roxie and October 17 at the Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. usually knows what’s up. Check out his club The Stud for more great parties.
FRI/10: SQUISH x VITAMIN1000 x FLUXIONS Three of our edgier party crews intertwined their neon tentacles to bring us a hella diverse slate of forward-sounding tunes from Syz + Ema + Huey Mnemonic + Farsight. 9:30pm-3:30am, Great Northern, SF. More info here.
FRI/10: FRANÇOIS K For its latest High Level party, the fabulous Fatsouls records brings in a true NYC legend who has been doing it since the 1970s, and has probably made your favorite dance record. He’s joined by Brooklyn house stalwart Spinna and DJ Said. 8pm-2am, The Foundry, SF. More info here.
SAT/11: MARQUES WYATT AT GOLDEN GATE PARK BANDSHELL Super-tickled for this one: LA house giant takes over the bandshell with some lovely fellow spinners for a free day party that will get all ages dancing. 1pm-6pm, Golden Gate Park Bandshell, SF. More info here.
