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Music

The best Bay Area rap albums of 2026 (so far)

Trunk Boiz' epic return, Larry June's smooth cruising, an Avengers-style rap supergroup: Local hip-hop remains unstoppable.
Alan Chazaro -
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Stage Review

Drama Masks: A message of trans power delivered with operatic oomph

As SF Opera aims to cut its workers' pay, Opera Parallèle celebrated resistance with 'Revolution is Just the Beginning.'
Charles Lewis III -
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Art

Luis E. Garcia’s paintings weave a vital connection to his Pipil roots

A CCSF class in Mesoamerican art history opened his eyes to Indigenous cultures, and sparked his own journey.
Mary Corbin -
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Big Week

BIG WEEK: Zinefest, Bizerkley, Hiero Day, Free Shakespeare, BART Speedrun…

'Frankenstein' goes heavy metal, Samara Joy, Bikini Kill, English Beat, 'Buddy,' Bloghaus, Ensambles Ballet Folklórico, more to do!
Marke B. -
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Best of the Bay

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Theatre Bay Area

50-year-old arts org helps the local show scene survive and stay accessible—especially with Bay Area Theatre Week.
Lou Fancher -
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Movies

Ficks’ Picks guide to CROSSROADS fest’s eerie experiments, fresh local voices

SF Cinematheque's annual avant-garde bonanza is haunted by graveyard perversions, pole dance ruminations, spooky homes.
Jesse Hawthorne Ficks -
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Music

Free jams and ‘Forever Grateful’ with Grahame Lesh & Friends

With a musical blast, the Grateful Dead scion opens part two of a sprawling exhibit dedicated to the band's memory.
Joshua Rotter -
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Best of the Bay

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Picks: Flower Piano

Planted among the gorgeous blooms of the Botanical Gardens, a dozen pianos tune players and listeners into instant community.
Lou Fancher -
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Culture

Viz Valley DIY joint Bric-A-Brac blends peculiar creations with punk attitude

Now a year old, the arts space hosts underground bands, esoteric films, synth workshops, and 'a bunch of bullshit thrown together.'
Dhruv Baronia -
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Music

Under the Stars: Sour Widows are back—and ‘crafted to curve’

Plus: Bad Brains bassist goes jazz, Space Ghost coasts the cosmos, Doohickey Cubicle get downtown, more you must hear
John-Paul Shiver -
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Best of the Bay

VOTE NOW in our 2026 Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll!

From Best Burrito to Best Drag Show: Tell us what you love, in our 52nd annual celebration of the Best Place on Earth.
Marke B. -
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Music Review

Was this 40-year clutch of shaggy queer tracks the real album of the summer?

Move over, Madonna: Scaling the critical hype around Nirosta Steel's sprawling, droll 'My Skyscraper'
Daniel Bromfield -
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Movies

Screen Grabs: The making of a spectacular Hollywood horror disaster

Plus: A feast of cinematic demonics, from 'Creature from the Black Lagoon" (in 3D!) to endlessly crying babies and fuzzy orange unicorns.
Dennis Harvey -
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Music Review

Herbie Hancock, live at 86: The legend still has the Lion’s dialogue

At Davies Symphony Hall, one of the 20th Century's last living jazz masters grooved full-tilt with an all-star band.
John-Paul Shiver -
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Music

‘We’re gonna smash!’ Multi-sensory videogame tournament + live band pushed all the buttons

Lower Haight community hub The Faight leveled up with a jazzy 'Super Smash Bros.' extravaganza.
Jess Oledan -
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Food & Drink

Good Taste: My McDonald’s-free decade started with a local special

Beyond the ethical morass and public nuisance complaints, messing with a sacred treat was the Golden Arches' final straw.
Tamara Palmer -
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Art

Maren Hassinger’s evocative BAMPFA retrospective reaches up, up, up

From coiled hemp rope to wall of eye-popping pink plastic, the artist's community, colors, and contrasts are a buoying force.
Lou Fancher -
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Stage Review

Drama Masks: A drag disaster to die for

Farewell, Dolly Parton. And hello 'Disastrous!'—D'Arcy Drollinger's latest uproarious sendup of '70s genre flicks.
Charles Lewis III -
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Big Week

BIG WEEK: Tori Amos, Scumdance Film Fest, ‘Hairspray,’ Black House Radio, Dick Day…

Annual Freight Fiddle Summit, Greyboy Allstars, Egg Pals, Down Dirty Drinks, Connie, more to do!
Marke B. -
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Movies

Screen Grabs: Meep meep! ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ finally crashes into theaters

Refreshingly old-fashioned but mixed-bag 'The Deb,' hard-hitting 'American Doctor,' hilarious 'Idiots,' Nippon sex cinema returns, more
Dennis Harvey -
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Music

Live Shots: Salt Lake’s Krooked Kings find indie adoration

At The Independent, the five-piece communed with fans on 'In Another Life' tour.
D.A. Mission -
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Remembrance

RIP, Dolly: Read our 2011 interview about drag queens, dance floors, honky tonk preaching

“I couldn’t really get much gaudier—unless maybe I walked out with a beaver on my head!” We'll miss you, Country Queen.
Marke B. -
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Music

Under the Stars: Jeff Parker & co. stepped into Berkeley with spectral, slippery riffs

Plus: Alice Coltrane tapes—once heard only by ashram members—to take flight, and producer Carré serves dubby late-summer heat.
John-Paul Shiver -
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Movies

‘American Doctor’: Racing against death and dehumanization in Gaza

Poh Si Teng's doc follows three medics—Muslim, Jewish, Zoroastrian—and the threats they face during Israel's bombardment.
Pam Grady -
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Live Shots

Live Shots: Prestidigitation, ichthyomancy, and more legerdemain at ‘Secret Magic’

Yes, there was even a fortune-telling fish at this intimate lollapalooza of sorcery at Palace Theater.
Jon Bauer and Patty Riek -
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Lit

Deep lessons from art and life in Dave Eggers’ ‘Contrapposto’

Local literary hero and trained artist's latest novel dives into a wide-ranging love story that shows a more mature side.
Lou Fancher -
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Art

Reshaping Yelamu: ‘Indigenize SF’ makes visible Native past, present, future

American Indian Cultural District's unveiled orbs bring the Raven and the Medicine Wheel to 16th Street BART Plaza.
Herbert F. Mintz II -
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Food & Drink

Good Taste: SF confectioner opens a sweet (and affordable) cooking school

Iranian chef Shekoh Moossavi offers one-day classes ranging from Persian and Italian cooking to knife skills.
Tamara Palmer -
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Music

Under the Stars: Black Rave Culture locks in for the groove corrective

Plus: Cindy Blackman Santana bangs out the vibes, Pearl & the Oysters open their 'Monkey Mind,' Club DeLuxe reopens, more music
John-Paul Shiver -
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Lit

She touched roses: From Book of Love to ‘Plants That Heal’ with Susan Ottaviano

As synth-pop queen prepares band debut's 40th anniversary tour, she pops into Omnivore Books with some natural wisdom.
Joshua Rotter -
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Big Week

BIG WEEK: Crash an Indian Wedding Party, SF Bay Popfest, ‘Disastrous!,’ David Byrne…

'Girl of the Golden West,' Starman SF, SF Cocteaufest, All Mo' Wax, SF Queer Film Fest, more to do!
Marke B. -
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Music

In Kensington, a small-town orchestra survives as civic triumph

Navigating an era of gutted arts funds, a volunteer symphony rallies for its 49th season, teddy bears in tow.
Michael James Tapscott -
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Movie Reviews

Screen Grabs: Sassy ballers, Latino leathermen, E’ville queens? It’s SF Queer Film Fest time

Plus: Willem Dafoe finds 'Late Fame,' snarky summer camp romp 'Floaters', excellent 'Everyone is Lying to You for Money'
Dennis Harvey -
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Music

This year’s Bliss Fest was all about the sparkling ride

Elliott Peck's immersive jazz-folk, Combo Tezeta's energizing cumbia, Circus Bella's high clownery drove some Presidio heat.
John-Paul Shiver -
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Stage Review

Drama Masks: A sensitive Julius Caesar, lost in the ’70s shuffle

Marin Shakes' bold, beautiful, but muddled adaptation humanizes a tyrant at the expense of message or meaning.
Charles Lewis III -
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Lit

Kiev, 1911: the Bund, revolution, and a sparkling work of historical fiction

'Radiant as the Stars' tells of a young woman who returns from the US to fight in the Russian Revolution—and it's based on a real story
Tim Redmond -
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Music Review

Al Green gilded Stern Grove’s season finale in golden soul

80-year-old legend brought R&B classics, funky arrangements, 'Love and Happiness' to adoring crowd.
Jess Oledan -
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Music

Toro y Moi’s sweeping show at Bottom of the Hill hurt so good

Chaz Bear's trip through artistic eras served as poignant reminder of why small rooms matter.
Ankita Bhanot -
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Onstage

Monét X Change: retired party girl, current comedy queen

'Drag Race' and 'Traitors' star brings two nights of coming-of-age cracks to Cobb's.
Joshua Rotter -
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Music

Musical genius runs in the family—but the Womack Sisters’ success didn’t come easy

'We got it out the mud,' they say, as debut album soars.
Tamara Palmer -
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