Interpol, Chemical Brothers and Lauryn Hill also help kick off first day.
By Mary J. DiMeglio

Kings of Leon perform on day one of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2011
Photo: Getty/ Jeff Kravitz

INDIO, California — Despite finding message-board haters among some festival vets for snagging a headlining spot at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Kings of Leon won over the first-day crowd on Friday night, as the masses in attendance couldn't help but sing and sway to the band's radio-friendly rock.

Saying they were "tired of playing the new stuff," the Kings dug out "Molly's Chambers" from their pre-big-time 2003 debut EP, Holy Roller Novocaine, which joined more-recent hits "On Call," "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody."

The rockers' Who-reminiscent "Black Thumbnail" finale of feedback and drum pummeling ended not with smashed guitars, but with good-ol'-boy singer Caleb Followill knotting up his handkerchief to toss into the adoring crowd.

Check out photos from the Coachella Festival.

The Kings' bouncy, Southern-tinged, feel-good rock offered just a hint of the variety on which the the festival prides itself. More than 100 bands are slated to hit the stage during the three-day event, which was named by Pollstar as North America's best outdoor music festival for seven of the past eight years. Now in its 12th year, Coachella set attendance records in 2010, packing 75,000 people per day onto the Empire Polo Club fields.

This year's extravaganza sold out six days after tickets went on sale in January. The resulting slew of ticket resellers and scams prompted organizers Goldenvoice to post a message on the Coachella homepage warning desperate seekers: "Do not purchase tickets from a third party" and "Anyone trying to sell a paper ticket is not legitimate." In a change that began last year, single-day tickets were not available. Those lucky enough to place their orders legitimately received wristbands delivered to their door in elaborate packaging that included a calendar and photos.

Interpol — whose set included fan favorites "Slow Hands," "Say Hello to the Angels" and "Obstacle 1" — ended with a much-hyped collaboration with director David Lynch and the Creators Project that took trippy to a new level. That performance pushed an intensity of lights and sounds up, up, up until there was nothing to do but fade out and leave people walking away saying — like so many do after experiencing a Lynch creation — "Well, that was something," while not being sure whether they liked or understood it.

After announcing, "They are always leaving us for last call," Flogging Molly closed the Outdoor Stage with their riotous Irish punk. For those who still had the energy, the Chemical Brothers enticed the crowd to make one more swing by the main stage by turning up every light and bringing it home with "Galvanize," "Do It Again" and "Don't Think" in front of an eye-candy backdrop of psychedelic spinning heads, bouncing balls and splattering paint.

Earlier on the main stage, former Fugees leading lady Lauryn Hill delivered a soulful set while accompanied by a brass section of tubas, saxophones and trumpets. After promising, "I'm gonna play some classics, some songs you know," Hill pleased fans with "Everything Is Everything" and "The Sweetest Thing."

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, up against the late-afternoon heat of the day, succeeded at getting heads nodding as they let the beats remain in the background and their tight, old-school rhymes shine through.

Ozomatli surprised any metal lovers who caught their set by playing the first minute of Metallica's "Master of Puppets," from the metal icons' landmark album of the same name, which celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier in the week. Metallica themselves will rock the polo fields next weekend, along with Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth, when they bring their only scheduled Stateside Big 4 concert to the site.

In other unexpected nods to '80s rock, Cee Lo Green managed to sneak some bars of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " into his disappointingly short set. Those who stuck around for his late start heard "Lady Killer," Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and "F--- You."

Elsewhere, Nosaj Thing found new fans with his flavor of jungle in the Gobi tent, Cut Copy had the Mojave grooving and Robyn had girlfriends boosted on shoulders to wave their arms to her girlie jams. And while Crystal Castles suffered some unfortunate issues with their vocals, their glitch still managed to entrance. The Sahara tent boasted Erick Morillo, Sasha and Boys Noize, backed by the most impressive light shows in Coachella memory.

In the midst of the dance-heavy day, Cold War Kids and the Black Keys offered welcome bluesy, soulful breaks.

Still to come this weekend: Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Paul van Dyk, Wiz Khalifa, the Strokes, Duck Sauce and Kanye West.

Did you go to Coachella? Give us your review in the comments below!

Related Photos

• 2011 Coachella

Related Artists

• Kings Of Leon

Zabryna Guevara and Adam Rothenberg in Lanford Wilson’s “Burn This” at the Center Mark Taper Forum Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Spring steps into full stride in a week that has heavy metal headbangers coming out of their late winter holes for a film festival. Also, Yo Yo Ma brings the silk road to Grand Ave and Picasso will be portrayed on Spring. But for many Angelenos, it is not Spring until they hear the voice of Vin Scully tell Los Angeles to pull up a chair, because “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”

That is poetry.

THURSDAY MARCH 31

The Los Angeles Dodgers will host their rival, the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day. That alone should rile up Dodger fans in the All-You-Can-Boo Pavilion. And now that the Giants are defending their World Series crown, expect to hear extra jeers. The opening day pitcher is 23-year-old left-hander Clayton Kershaw, the youngest to take the hill on Dodger Opening Day since 22-year-old Fernando Valenzuela back in 1983. The National Anthem will be performed by a 12-time Grammy winner, the right-hander Placido Domingo. Thu Mar 31 5:05pm / Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks. When the Lakers last played Dallas, it was a road game and they were 1 1/2 games behind the Western Conference No. 2 seed Mavericks. The Lakers won, despite Kobe Bryant spraining an ankle. Now the season series with Dallas will be decided Thursday, and a victory means home court advantage during the NBA playoffs. Thu Mar 31 7:30pm / Staples Center / 1111 S. Figueroa

Art Share L.A. hosts an evening with Darryl Van Leer, a singer who adds storyline to his impersonations of Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Little Richard and others. The one-man show transforms the stage into The Roadhouse, a club waiting for preservation that has soul artists “dropping by” to help save the historic joint. Opens Thu Mar 31, Runs Fri April 1 and Sun Apr 2 at 7pm / Art Share Los Angeles / 326 S. Hewitt

My Run is a documentary about Terry Hitchcock, the 57-year-old man who ran 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days. The critically acclaimed documentary, narrated by Billy Bob Thornton, will have a nationwide one night premiere event Thursday. Thu Mar 31 7pm / Regal Cinemas / 1000 W. Olympic

Heavy Metal Film Fest: The inaugural––and perhaps the first ever anywhere––film fest dedicated to metal bands and their fans will open March 31 with the L.A. premiere of Las Marimbas del Infierno (Marimbas From Hell), Julio Hernandez Cordon’s 2010 film. Thu Mar 31 through Apr 3 9pm / Downtown Independent Theater / 251 S Main

Oro Solido is a 14-piece merengue band from New York led by Raul Acosta, also known as “El Presidente del Merengue,” Thu Mar 31 8pm / The Conga Room / 800 W. Olympic

Wabich and Wahid: Avant-garde jazz musician Chris Wabich and Dimitris Mahlis form WAHID, a jazz ensemble skilled at fusing the oud and frame drums, two folk instruments often used for classical ensembles. Thu Mar 31 9pm / Blue Whale / 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka

FRIDAY APRIL 1

Jagermeister Country Tour featuring Dierks Bentley: Outlaw country music star Bentley rides his popularity from four respected country albums (and a progressive bluegrass album) to headline a tour that includes Josh Thompson and Miss Willie Brown. Fri Apr 1 8pm / Nokia Theatre / 777 Chick Hearn Ct

Aspects of Adès I: “In Seven Days” is a piano concerto that mixes hi-tech imagery by Tal Rosner with Adès’ music. This rendition of the familiar Creation story is a commission from Walt Disney Concert Hall and the South Bank Centre (London). Nicolas Hodges conducts. Fri Apr 1 8pm (and Sat Apr 2 8pm, Sun Apr 3 2pm) / Walt Disney Concert Hall / 111 S. Grand

Shawn Pelofsky: Pop culture observations by the USC grad, a self-described sibling from a family “of ten Jews in Oklahoma.” Fri Apr 1 (and Sat Apr 2) 9pm / Downtown Comedy Club / 114 W. 5th

SATURDAY APRIL 2

From Newsprint to New Media: Media upheaval has forced many Nikkei community newspapers to shut down. However, as seen from the recent crisis in Japan, those remaining are a vital link between the U.S. and Japan. A panel will discuss the history and future of Nikkei community newspapers. Sat Apr 2 2pm / Japanese American National Museum / 369 E. 1st

The 6th annual REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival picks up from last week’s opening weekend with a full afternoon slate. All Creatures Great and Small is “a selection of short films filled with cuddly animals, sweet music and gentle stories” (12pm); Indigenous Showcase spotlights “emerging talents from indigenous communities” (1:30pm); Round the World and Home Again is a global look of the “plans, schemes and dreams of reel-life kids in seven different countries.” (3pm) Sat Apr 2 / REDCAT / 631 W. 2nd

Broadway 100: The U.S. premiere of “Tempest: Without a Body” renowned New Zealand director and choreographer Lemi Ponifasio. Created by Ponifasio for his company MAU, this “visually stunning work entwines formally precise dancing with elements of theater, ritual, and social activism.” Sat Apr 2 (8:30pm) and Sun Apr 3 (7:30pm) / Million Dollar Theatre / 307 S. Broadway

The Colburn Chamber Music Society closes their season with guest Menahem Pressler in a presentation of Dvořks Czech folk music inspired Piano Quintet in A Major. Sat Apr 2 8pm / Zipper Hall at The Colburn School of Performing Arts / 200 S. Grand

SUNDAY APRIL 3

More REDCAT Toons: Sunday’s list of programming at the International Children’s Film Festival includes “Into the Woods and Under the Sea” environmentally program (12pm); “Once Upon an Adventure” feats of derring-do, invasions and escapades (1:30pm); and Goosebumps Galore’s “spooky chills and thrills” that includes a curator note warning parents “We’re not kidding, some of these films are scary!” (3pm) Sun Apr 3 / REDCAT / 631 W. 2nd

Hogoz's first five episodes will be screened, then discussed with creator John Powers. The online comedy series, which made its debut on September 2010, is a satirical view of life in a fictional interment camp––which has never been done. Certainly there was Hogan’s Heroes, the TV show loosely patterned after Stalag 17, but a camp that holds citizens is new ground. Opinion of taste and appropriate content may be split between older and younger generations of Japanese-Americans. Sun Apr 3 2pm / Japanese American National Museum / 369 E. 1st

At The Smell, Black Elephant, Pangea, Heller Keller, and Fatty Dearest perform to benefit The Orphan Sponsorship International; hosted by Caring is Cool. Sun Apr 3 8pm / The Smell / 247 S. Main

Hattitude: Spring means donning extravagant hats, a tradition that the California African American Museum documents as form of social networking. Hattitude touches on the long history of the church-going people from South L.A., (and elsewhere) who take their Sunday bonnets very, very, seriously. After the quiet dignity of afternoon high tea, hat-wearers will hit the runway and become one with their hat’s personality and attitude. This annual Easter time affair will feature music, and spoken word. There will be prizes in categories for men, women and children. While the event is free, parking at 39th and Figueroa is $8. Sun Apr 3 Museum opens at 11am. Event begins at 1pm / California African American Museum / 200 State Drive at Exposition Park

MONDAY APRIL 4

The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo Yo Ma is a tour inspired by instruments found in cultures along the historic silk road, the main trade route between Asia to the Mediterranean, African, and Europe. With the use of traditional and folk instruments, the ensemble performs modernized versions of traditional music and new cross-cultural music it has commissioned. Mon Apr 4 8pm / Walt Disney Concert Hall / 111 S. Grand

A Weekend with Picasso supporting the West Coast premiere of the Herbert Siguenza-written “an Evening with Picasso." Siguenza also plays the lead role. The pre-show reception will be a night of tasting Spanish wines, cheeses, olive oil while roaming through an “exclusive exhibition and silent auction of original Picasso art works presented by the Andrew Weiss Gallery, Beverly Hills.” Todd Salovey directs. Mon Apr 4 8pm / Los Angeles Theater Center / 514 S. Spring

TUESDAY APRIL 5

Center Theater Group's production of Lanford Wilson’s "Burn This" opens at the Mark Taper Forum April 5. As the production was in previews, the Pulitzer-prize winning playwright died on March 24 at the age of 73. The Center Theater Group will dedicate this run of “Burn This” in memory of Wilson. Nicholas Martin directs. Previews until April 2. Opens April 5. Runs through May 1. Tue Apr 3 7pm / Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper

ALOUD with Jane Hirshfield and Sean M. Carroll: Through "On the Nature of Observation,” Hirshfield, a poet; and Carroll, a theoretical physicist, discuss different (and perhaps similar) point of views about observation and metaphor. Does a poet view time differently? For that matter, how does a physicist see words? Apr 5 7pm / Central Library / 630 W. 5th

An Evening With The Preservation Hall Jazz Band was first founded to preserve the New Orleans’ jazz gumbo-mix of Dixieland and sass. Some may know them for providing the soundtrack for Woody Allen’s Sleeper (1973). The history goes deeper than that. PHJB is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Tue Apr 5 8pm / Grammy Museum / W. 800 Olympic

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6

Aloud In “The Use and Abuse of Literature” with Marjorie Garber, Harvard English professor and David L. Ulin, book critic for the Los Angeles Times, Aloud explores how reading became a “revolutionary act” in the digital age and how to restore literature as the center of our lives. Wed Apr 6 7pm / Central Library / 630 W. 5th

Redwood Bar and Grill Benefit for Japan features Sassafras’ mix of blues, punk and metal; Plus Kamikaze, Brainspoon, Sex Wolf, and Roman Candle Wars. Proceeds will go to Japan Red Cross. Wed Apr 4 9pm / Redwood Bar & Grill / 316 W. 2nd

JUST AHEAD

The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival opens Thursday April 7 at the Downtown Independent Theater.

Big Willie’s Burlesque appears at The Edison Thursday, April 7.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to The Music Center for ten performances Friday April 8 through Sunday April 17. The Opening Night cocktail reception following the performance is sold separately.

John Mellencamp "No Better Than This Tour" reaches Nokia Theatre Friday April 8.

By Ed Fuentes.

A Comprehensive List of All the New Year's Eve Parties, Concerts, and Fancy Dinners by Megan Seling

NYE AT THE MOORE

X are performing! With all original members, even. Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, 784-4849, 8 pm, $43, 21+.

PROMMUNISM

This Communist-themed party features multiple bars, music, "interactive spaces," games, and music from DJ Riz, All Bets on Death, Indecisive Rhythm, Surrealized, the Fascination Movement, Thrivealike, Stick Yo Hand in the Dirt, and many more. Note: Bars are cash only. Inscape, 815 Airport Way S, www.prommunism.com, 9 pm, $30 adv/$50 DOS.

THE SIXTH ANNUAL DECIBEL NYE PARTY

The folks behind the Decibel Festival present a NYE celebration with music from Luke Hess, Lusine, Jon McMillion, John Judge, visuals by KillingFrenzy, a digital photo booth, drink specials, and a champagne toast at midnight. VIP tables are available. Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 9 pm, $20.

NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH NEUROSIS

The heaviest show happening on New Year's Eve features Neurosis, Ludicra, YOB, and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 709-9442, 8 pm, $25.

COMEBACK'S XTRAVAGANZA

Comeback promises a night of "glamour, fierceness, realness, and shade." Featuring music from DJs Colby B, Porq, Freddy King of Pants, and specials guests. Trophies and prizes will be awarded for best outfits, walking, and voguing. Plus glitter, champagne, and surprises! Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8005, 9 pm, $10.

RESOLUTION NEW YEAR'S EVE 2010

With Morgan Page, Johnny Monsoon, Sean Majors, Westside Legacy, and Kryspin. VIP tickets are available, with a Morgan Page meet and greet, red carpet service, and complimentary party favors and midnight toast. Showbox Sodo, 1700 First Ave S, 652-0444, 8 pm, $46 adv/$60 DOS/$101 VIP.

NEW YEAR'S EVE EXTRAVAGANZA

With Reverend Horton Heat, the Dwarves, and Zeke! VIP tickets include a preshow meet and greet with the Reverend Horton Heat, as well as signed items, photo opportunities, and early entry into the showroom. El Corazón, 109 Eastlake Ave E, 381-3094, 9 pm, $26–$100.

CHERRY AT RE-BAR

Cherry's "queer New Year's Eve blowout" features party tunes from DJs Amateur Youth and Dewey Decimal. Re-bar, 114 Howell St, www .cherryseattle.com, 10 pm, $8 adv/$10 DOS.

THE CROCODILE'S NYE PARTY

With local superstars Fresh Espresso, Head Like a Kite, and Concours d'Elegance. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-7416, 8 pm, $15.

INDULGENCE 2010

The Experience Music Project will be decked out with more than 25 bars, three dance floors, music and comedy performances by Cool Ade and 80s Invasion, and more. Every guest will get party favors, and food will be available for purchase. VIP packages are available. EMP, 325 Fifth Ave N, 8 pm, $50–$350.

NEW YEAR'S EXTRAVAGANZA

With Purple Rhinestone Eagle, This Blinding Light, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Dead Kill, Badlands, guest DJs, and more! Comet Tavern, 922 E Pike St, 322-9272, 9 pm, $10.

NYE BLOWOUT WITH THE DUSTY 45s

The Dusty 45s play two shows—an early 7 pm dinner show and a 10:30 pm party show. The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7 and 10:30 pm, $70–$100.

LAST SUPPER CLUB NYE 2010

Ring in the New Year with Darude, Randy Boyer, Chris Paape, Eva, Lifeguard, Joey Roxville, David Holland, Pressa, and many more. Special afterhours party with Beat Freaks. VIP table reservations are available. The Last Supper Club, 124 S Washington St, 784-9975, 8 pm, $20–$60.

SOUL UNITED'S NEW YEAR'S EVE DANCE PARTY

Celebrate New Year's Eve with Handful of Luvin' and the Staxx Brothers. A four-course dinner menu will also be available. Hard Rock Cafe, 116 Pike St, 204-2233, 9 pm, $15 for the show/$45 for the dinner/$60 for dinner and show package.

EPIDEMIC MUSIC'S NYE PARTY

With performances by Fall from Grace, Urban Collapse, SuPeRFeKtA, No Ground, and Blue Helix. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave, 628-3151, 8 pm, $15 adv/$17 DOS.

LAZYBONES REUNION

Lazybones reunite for a special New Year's Eve performance with Airport Way and DJ Shapeshifter. ToST, 513 N 36th St, 547-0240, 9 pm.

NEW YEAR'S AT THE BLUE MOON

With music by Mystery Ship and Bingo Nostradamus. Blue Moon Tavern, 712 NE 45th St, 675-9116, 10 pm, free.

THE TIMELESS CONTINUUM NEW YEAR'S 2010

This party stretches across two neighboring venues, with music from Random Rab, Pha-droid, Phidelity, Rob Noble, Michael Manahan, Nordic Soul, Osiris, Amanita, and more. With champagne, a hookah lounge, and morning breakfast served at 4 am. Motor and Kolbeh, 1950 First Ave, www.star bornesound.com, 9 pm, $30 adv/$35 DOS, 18+.

COLUMBIA CITY THEATER NEW YEAR'S EVE

With Dyme Def, Hounds of the Wild Hunt, and NighTraiN. Yeow! Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave S, 722-3009, 9 pm, $10.

THE FOURTH ANNUAL HAVANA NEW YEAR'S EVE GALA

VIP packages are available for Havana's party, which features music by Sean Cee and Soul Uno. Also: streamers, champagne, party hats, and 500 balloons! Havana, 1010 E Pike St, 323-CUBA, 8 pm, $20.

NEW YEAR'S EVE BURLESQUE SPARKLY PARTY

Performers include Whisper De Corvo, Ava Raqs, Miss Elaine Yes, Fosse Jack, Scandal from Bohemia, and MC Mr. Bawdy. There will also be DJs and a free champagne toast at midnight. Skylark, 3803 Delridge Way SW, 935-2111, 8 pm, $7.

THE FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FANS BASH

With live music by Windowpane. Cover includes one beer ticket, complimentary appetizers, and a champagne toast at midnight. Fuel, 164 S Washington St, 405-FUEL, 9:30 pm, $20.

NYE AT THE SUNSET

With music from the Dudley Manlove Quartet and Rat City Brass! Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave N, 784-4880, 9 pm, $20.

NYE AT SEATTLE'S OLDEST SALOON

The Central Saloon's NYE party features live performances from the Lookout and Hot! Donna, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. Central Saloon, 207 First Ave S, 622-0209, 9 pm, $20.

SPARKLE PARTY

The Lookout's party comes with party favors, a champagne toast, a heated patio, and a view of the Space Needle. The Lookout, 757 Bellevue Ave E, 860-2752, 8 pm, $5.

THE FUNHOUSE'S NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

DJs Baby and Blackout will spin punk and new wave music and you can watch the Space Needle fireworks from the bar's beer garden. There will also be a champagne toast at midnight. The Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave N, 374-8400, 9 pm, $6.

NYE 2010 PRESENTED BY REIGNCITY AND MEMBERS ONLY

With DJs Swervewon, 100 Proof, and special surprise performances. Nectar, 412 N 36th, 260-2987, 8 pm, $10–$15.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PRE-FUNK DINNER AT VOLUNTEER PARK CAFE

A six-course meal with wine pairings begins at 7 pm and reservations are required. The menu includes seared sea scallops with uni and celery salad, ginger glazed duck leg and carrot puree, a salted caramel tart, and more. Volunteer Park Cafe, 1501 17th Ave E, 328-3155, 7 pm, $95.

HOT FLASH'S NEW YEAR'S EVE BALL 2010

The formal NYE party features a turkey and prime rib dinner, and "hors d'oeuvres galore," a performance by comedian Lisa Koch, music from DJ T, and more. Madison Ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel, 515 Madison St, www .hotflashdances.com, 8 pm, $65–$75.

XTREME THEATRESPORTS NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

Twenty improvisers will split into four teams and the audience will keep score. They'll perform from 10 pm to almost midnight, when the countdown begins. Stick around afterward for a party (with full bar available). Pike Place Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, www.unexpectedproduction.org, 10 pm, $28 adv, all ages (must be 21+ to enter the lounge).

THE LAST DINNER OF THE YEAR AT LE PICHET

Le Pichet will be extending its dinner hours from 5 pm to midnight and ringing in the New Year with a special selection of champagne and sparkling wines and festive desserts. There will also be live jazz by the Distract Band beginning at 9:30 pm and a champagne toast at midnight. Le Pichet, 1933 First Ave, 256-1499, 5 pm.

FUN, FIREWORKS, AND SHELLEY AND THE CURVES

Watch the fireworks at the Space Needle from the Best Western Executive Inn, where they'll have music from Shelley and the Curves, appetizers, prime rib and salmon dinner, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. Ticket price is all-inclusive. Best Western Executive Inn, 200 Taylor Ave N, 448-9444, cocktails and appetizers are served at 6:30, dinner starts at 7:30 pm, $95.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT THE LOCAL VINE

There will be specials on oysters, caviar blinis, house-made kale chips, and fried black-eyed peas, with wine and cocktail specials all night as well. Also, complimentary champagne toast at might! Reservations are recommended. The Local Vine, 1410 12th Ave, 257-5653, 8 pm, $15 adv/$25 DOS.

FOURTH ANNUAL NYE BLACK-AND-WHITE MASQUERADE BALL

With music by DJ Tamm of Kiss FM. Ticket price includes appetizers, champagne, a mask, and more. Black-and-white semiformal attire is encouraged. The Ballroom, 456 N 36th St, 634-2575, 8 pm, $25.

SENSIBLE NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

With DJs and live music, food, and drinks. Benefiting the Cannabis Defense Coalition and Sensible Washington for sensible cannabis law reform in Washington State. Cannabis Resource Center, 1714 First Ave S, 888-208-5332, 8 pm, $10 for CDC members/$20 for general public.

RING IN 2011 WITH FLOWMOTION

Flowmotion and Dept. of Energy will each play a set and then Matt Butler, founder of the Everyone Orchestra, will conduct the band members (and special guests) for a joint performance at the end of the night. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave NW, 789-3599, 9 pm, $20 adv/$25 DOS.

SHANGRI-LA 2010

Featuring DJ Kid Hops of KEXP 90.3 FM, Teeth of Turquoise, DJ Carlos Da Silva, the Island Vibe DJs, and guests. Prizes will be awarded for most creative and extravagant costumes, and there will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight. The Filipino Hall, 7566 NE High School Rd, Bainbridge Island, www.islandvibes .eventbrite.com, 7 pm, $15 adv/$20 DOS.

JET CITY IMPROV'S NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECTACULAR

The Jet City Improv's party includes a comedy performance, hors d'oeuvres, desserts, a champagne toast, and projection of the Space Needle's fireworks at midnight. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way NE, www.jetcityimprov .com, 8 pm, $90 for couples/$55 for individuals.

FOOTLOOSE DANCE YOUR ASS OFF NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

With a screening of Footloose (quote- and sing-along!) and a music-video dance party. Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, 328-3230, 9:30 pm, $10.

NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH BLAKE LEWIS

Contour's party features an exclusive live performance and DJ set by former American Idol contestant Blake Lewis, as well as appearances by Supreme, LST BYS, Tony Rocky Horror, Thrills, the Dowlz, and more. Ticket price includes appetizer buffet before 10 pm, champagne and dessert at midnight, party favors, and more. Table reservations are available. Contour, 807 First Ave S, 447-7704, 9 pm, $25 adv.

GOODYBAGG

Local band Goodybagg perform at BluWater's Leschi location. Bluwater Bistro, 102 Lakeside Ave S, 328-2233, 9:30 pm.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PRIX-FIXE DINNER AT CAFE FLORA

The three-course meal comes with a complimentary glass of champagne and all bottles of champagne will be half-off. Reservations recommended. Cafe Flora, 2901 E Madison St, 325-9100, 5 pm, $25.

NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH AT WATERFRONT SEAFOOD GRILL

Special dinner items will be offered along with the regular menu. There will also be live music by Benet Fleck and the Elliott Bay-O-Nettes and Melanie Winslow. Waterfront Seafood Grill, Pier 70, 2801 Alaskan Way, 956-9171, 5 pm.

CAJUN THROWDOWN DINNER & DANCE

Chef Jason will serve up red beans and rice, cornbread, greens, and andouille sausage at 6 pm, then the music and dancing start at 7:30 pm. Couth Buzzard Books and Espresso Buono Cafe, 8310 Greenwood Ave N, 436-2960, 6 pm, $8, all ages.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT THE HIGH DIVE

With music by Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme, Haiku Chi, and Bucket of Honey. High Dive, 513 N 36th, 632-0212, 8 pm, $15.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT KANGAROO & KIWI

With DJs, party favors, and a champagne toast! Kangaroo & Kiwi, 7305 Aurora Ave N, 297-0507, 9 pm.

DANTE'S NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

Dante's NYE party is totally free. Dante's, 5300 Roosevelt Way NE, 525-1300, 9 pm, free.

ISLAND STYLE '11

With a balloon drop, $1,000 in cash and prizes, a champagne toast at midnight, $4 Sailor Jerry drinks, and free swag. Music by DJ Pedro and TimmyBoy. Tiki Bob's Cantina, 166 S King St, 382-8454, 8 pm, $20.

ANNUAL EMERALD CITY SOUL CLUB NYE EXTRAVAGANZA

Emerald City Soul Club's fourth annual dance party! Rare soul and funk music from ECSC resident DJs. Get ready to dance your butt off. Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 429 Eastlake Ave E, 254-2824, 9 pm, $15.

NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER AT NETTLETOWN

Reservations are available for Nettletown's New Year's Eve "family-style feast featuring shellfish and wild mushrooms." Nettletown, 2238 Eastlake Ave E, 588-3607, 7:15–10 pm, $59 ($30 more for wine).

KBCS 91.3 FM NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY

With appearances by DJs at the station as well as visual artist Jesse Higman. Cover charge includes champagne toast and a live broadcast of the Space Needle's fireworks display. Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave, 709-9797, 9 pm, $5.

SPEND NYE AT THE SAINT

With "colored lights, party hats, noisemakers, and enough bubbly to make you feel like you're on your own private island." Reservations recommended. The Saint, 1416 E Olive Way, 323-9922, 9 pm.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT LAKESIDE BISTRO

Lakeside Bistro's second annual celebration features music by Tony Mamon and Patricia Johnston. Price includes live music, a four-course dinner with dessert, and a midnight toast. Reservations available. Lakeside Bistro, 11425 Rainier Ave S, 772-6891, 7 pm, $40.

NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH IAN McFERON

Ring in the New Year with the Ian McFeron Band at Conor Byrne. Conor Byrne, 5140 Ballard Ave NW, 784-3640, 8 pm.

PONCHO SANCHEZ LATIN JAZZ BAND: NYE 2010

The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band perform twice—the early dinner show starts at 6 pm, and the "Ring in the New Year" package starts at 10:30 pm. Reservations are encouraged. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 6:30 and 10:30 pm, $52.50–$155.50.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT ETHAN STOWELL RESTAURANTS

Ethan Stowell Restaurants, including Staple & Fancy Mercantile, Tavolata, Anchovies & Olives, and How to Cook a Wolf will be offering special NYE menus beginning at 5 pm. Reservations are encouraged. Visit www.ethanstowellrestaurants .com for menu information, reservations, and other details.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT LUC AND ROVER'S

Thierry Rautureau (aka the Chef in the Hat) is offering special dinners at both Rover's and the neighboring Luc. The menu at Luc includes a four-course menu with reservations available throughout the evening beginning at 4 pm. At Rover's, guests are invited to one of two seatings, the first from 5–6:30 pm and the second from 8–10 pm. Rover's, 2808 E Madison St, 325-7442; Luc, 2800 E Madison St, 328-6645.

DINNER AND THE AFTER SHOW AT RVIEW

A four-course dinner at Rview includes crab cakes with organic greens and lemon garlic vinaigrette and wasabi pea crust ahi tuna with white balsamic reduction. Later you can dance, watch the fireworks, and enjoy passed appetizers at Rview's New Year's Eve party. There will also be a DJ, cash bar, and champagne toast. Rview, 515 Madison St, 28th Floor, 583-0300 ext. 3503, dinner service begins at 5 pm, $79; party begins at 8 pm, $25 with dinner receipt/$35 without.

STEAMPUNK NEW YEAR'S EVE

Featuring fire breathers, aerialists, light hoopers, and a performance by Abney Park. With a champagne toast at midnight. Studio Seven, 110 S Horton St, 286-1312, 8 pm, $30 adv/$35 DOS.

Z-TRIP NEW YEAR'S EVE

With Z-Trip, Brett Michaels, and DJ Mack Long. VIP packages are available. Cirque Event Center, 131 Taylor Ave N, www.cirqueeventcenter .com, 8 pm, $40–$60.

PARLOR'S NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AND COMEDY SHOW

With two performances by Alonzo Bodden, winner of Last Comic Standing. Admission includes tickets to Parlor's NYE party featuring DJs, VIP booths, and more. Parlor, 700 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, 425-289-7000, $45/$50 for comedy show and party/$25 for party only.

THE SONICS IN OLYMPIA

Celebrate New Year's with the Sonics and special guests the Dirty Birds and November Witch! Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave NE, Olympia, www.brownpapertickets.com, 8 pm, $20/$25, all ages.

NYE AT SEE SOUND LOUNGE

Featuring Andy Caldwell, Wesley Holmes, Bryce McKamey, and Tigerbeat. With a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight. See Sound Lounge, 115 S Blanchard St, 9 pm, $30 adv/$40 DOS.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT CENTURY BALLROOM

Three dance floors with live salsa from Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, tango with Tangabrazo, and DJ Robb. A four-course dinner is available. Century Ballroom, 915 E Pine St, 324-7263, dinner begins at 7 pm, dancing begins at 9:30 pm, $20–$45.

DINNER AT MAXIMILIEN

Ring in the New Year at Maximilien with a four-course dinner and a performance from Rouge Cabaret. 6 pm and 9 pm seatings are available. Maximilien, 81 Pike St #A, 682-7270, $89.

NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH WITH THADDILLAC

The Scarlet Tree's New Year's party features a live performance by Thaddillac. The Scarlet Tree, 801 NE 65th St, 523-8888.

NEW YEAR'S EVE KARAOKE

"Sing yourself hoarse" with over 80,000 song choices at the Waterwheel Lounge! The Waterwheel Lounge, 7034 15th Ave NE, 784-5701.

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY AT LITTLE RED HEN

Featuring live music from Knut Bell & the Blue Collars, party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight. The Little Red Hen, 7115 Woodlawn Ave NE, 522-1168, 9 pm, $10.

BELLTOWN PUB

With a champagne toast at midnight! Belltown Pub, 2322 First Ave, 448-6210, 9 pm, free.

$2,011 NINE-COURSE DINNER AT JOHN HOWIE STEAK

When dining at John Howie Steak on New Year's Eve, guests can either order off the restaurant's regular menu or get the $2,011 nine-course dinner for two that features Osetra caviar, Alaskan king crab, black truffles, Maine lobster, foie gras, a trio of desserts, champagne, and more. John Howie Steak, 11111 NE Eighth St, Suite 125, Bellevue, 425-440-0880, 8 pm.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT SNOQUALMIE CASINO

Featuring Tyrone Wells, Lissie, Kristen Ward, and DJs Supa Sam and Ros'Coe. Party favors and champagne specials also available. Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 Southeast North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, 425-888-1234, 9 pm, $20.

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT DREAMGIRLS

Everybody in the club at midnight gets a free dance. DreamGirls, 1530 First Ave S, 257-1000.

NEW YEAR'S EVE DINNER AT THE TIN TABLE

A special four-course menu will be available. Reservations recommended. The Tin Table, 915 E Pine St, 320-8458, $65.

CONCERT, COUNTDOWN, AND CELEBRATION

Benaroya Hall's celebration features Beethoven's Ninth Symphony followed by a performance by HB Radke and the Jet City Swingers as well as a countdown to 2011 with Maestro Gerard Schwarz. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 9 pm, tickets $50–$150.

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Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News

It seems it was a case of 'Here Comes Your Man' for the 100 Club recently, as Pixies frontman Frank Black stumped up £100,000 ($160,000) to help keep the troubled London music venue open. Reportedly the rock legend, also known as Black Francis, dropped a cool hundred grand in support of the 'Save the 100 Club' fund and requested his generosity remain anonymous -- a plea apparently ignored by The Sun.

The Oxford Street concert space -- originally known as the Feldman Swing Club -- has been open since 1942. It developed a reputation as a pioneering home of jazz music -- early performers included Louis Armstrong -- before playing a pivotal role in the development of punk in the capital. In September 1976, the 100 Club hosted the first so-called 'International Punk Festival', with bands like the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Damned gracing the 350-capacity gig spot.

Music listings are compiled by Paula Connelly and Cheryl Eddy. Since club life is unpredictable, it's a good idea to call ahead to confirm bookings and hours. Prices are listed when provided to us. Submit items for the listings at listings@sfbg.com. 

WEDNESDAY 6

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Aces Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $15.

Caribou, Emeralds Regency Ballroom. 9:30pm, $22.

Child Abuse, Burmese, Death Sentence: Panda Elbo Room. 10pm, $7.

Continues, Felt Drawings, Bloody Snowman, Ssleeping DesiresS DNA Lounge. 9pm, $11.

Fences, Head and the Heart, Winter's Fall Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $10.

Fortune 500, Gem Tops, Barrel Riders Rock-It Room. 9pm, $8.

Lissie, Dylan LeBlanc Great American Music Hall. 8pm, $15.

Plastic Fantastic Lover, Jugtown Pirates, 21st Century Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $8.

Raw Power, Irritones, Neon Maniacs, Corruptors Knockout. 9:30pm, $8.

Angus and Julia Stone, Bhi Bhiman Independent. 8pm, $16.

Hawksley Workman, Connie Lim, Sonia Rao Hotel Utah. 8pm, $10.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

Moh Alileche Yoshi's San Francisco. 9pm, $7. With dance artist Rasa Vitalia.

DANCE CLUBS

Booty Call Q-Bar, 456 Castro, SF; www.bootycallwednesdays.com. 9pm. Juanita Moore hosts this dance party, featuring DJ Robot Hustle.

Hands Down! Bar on Church. 9pm, free. With DJs Claksaarb, Mykill, and guests spinning indie, electro, house, and bangers.

Jam Fresh Wednesdays Vessel, 85 Campton, SF; (415) 433-8585. 9:30pm, free. With DJs Slick D, Chris Clouse, Rich Era, Don Lynch, and more spinning top40, mashups, hip hop, and remixes.

Mary-Go-Round Lookout, 3600 16th St, SF; (415) 431-0306. 10pm, $5. A weekly drag show with hosts Cookie Dough, Pollo Del Mar, and Suppositori Spelling.

RedWine Social Dalva. 9pm-2am, free. DJ TophOne and guests spin outernational funk and get drunk.

Respect Wednesdays End Up. 10pm, $5. Rotating DJs Daddy Rolo, Young Fyah, Irie Dole, I-Vier, Sake One, Serg, and more spinning reggae, dancehall, roots, lovers rock, and mash ups.

Synchronize Il Pirata, 2007 16th St, SF; (415) 626-2626. 10pm, free. Psychedelic dance music with DJs Helios, Gatto Matto, Psy Lotus, Intergalactoid, and guests.

VG Plus Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, free. With DJ Skips N Pops and DJ Jessica B.

THURSDAY 7

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Devotionals, Honeycombs Amnesia. 9pm, $3.

Ferocious Few, Oona Café Du Nord. 10pm, $10.

Flood, Cuzo, Glitter Wizard Eagle Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

Glass Candy, Chromatics, DJ Mike Simonetti, Soft Metals, DJ Omar Rickshaw Stop. 9pm, $15.

Klaxons, Baby Monster Great American Music Hall. 9pm, $18.

Land of Talk, Besnard Lakes, Suuns Independent. 8pm, $15.

Aimee Mann Yoshi's San Francisco. 8pm, $35.

Night Horse, Hot Lunch, Lecherous Gaze Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $7.

Curtis Salgado Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $18.

Tera Melos, Skinwalker, Glaciers Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $10.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

Heather Combs, Ryan Auffenberg, Mike Gibbons, Walty Hotel Utah. 8pm, $8.

Dark Hollow Band Atlas Café. 8pm, free.

*Devotionals, David and Joanna Amnesia. 9pm, $8.

Grupo Fantasma Yoshi's San Francisco. 10:30pm, $20.

Leni Stern Coda. 10pm, $10.

DANCE CLUBS

Afrolicious Elbo Room. 9:30pm, $10. DJs Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz spin Afrobeat, tropicália, electro, samba, and funk.

Caribbean Connection Little Baobab, 3388 19th St, SF; (415) 643-3558. 10pm, $3. DJ Stevie B and guests spin reggae, soca, zouk, reggaetón, and more.

Club Jammies Edinburgh Castle. 10pm, free. DJs EBERrad and White Mice spinning reggae, punk, dub, and post punk.

Drop the Pressure Underground SF. 6-10pm, free. Electro, house, and datafunk highlight this weekly happy hour.

Electric Feel Lookout, 3600 16th St, SF; (415) 431-0306. 9pm, $2. With DJs subOctave and Blondie K spinning indie music videos.

Good Foot Som., 2925 16th St, SF; (415) 558-8521. 10pm, free. With DJs spinning R&B, Hip hop, classics, and soul.

Holy Thursday Underground SF. 10pm, $5. Bay Area electronic hip hop producers showcase their cutting edge styles monthly.

Jivin' Dirty Disco Butter, 354 11th St., SF; (415) 863-5964. 8pm, free. With DJs spinning disco, funk, and classics.

Koko Puffs Koko Cocktails, 1060 Geary, SF; (415) 885-4788. 10pm, free. Dubby roots reggae and Jamaican funk from rotating DJs.

Lacquer Beauty Bar. 10pm-2am, free. DJs Mario Muse and Miss Margo bring the electro.

Mestiza Bollywood Café, 3376 19th St, SF; (415) 970-0362. 10pm, free. Showcasing progressive Latin and global beats with DJ Juan Data.

Peaches Skylark, 10pm, free. With an all female DJ line up featuring Deeandroid, Lady Fingaz, That Girl, and Umami spinning hip hop.

Popscene 330 Rich. 10pm, $10. Rotating DJs spinning indie, Britpop, electro, new wave, and post-punk.

Solid Thursdays Club Six. 9pm, free. With DJs Daddy Rolo and Tesfa spinning roots, reggae, dancehall, soca, and mashups.

Studio SF Triple Crown. 9pm, $5. Keeping the Disco vibe alive with authentic 70's, 80's, and current disco with DJs White Girl Lust, Ken Vulsion, and Sergio.

FRIDAY 8

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Abney Park, Vernian Process, Unextraordinary Gentlemen DNA Lounge. 9pm, $23.

Birdmonster, Nervous Wreckords, Kid Mud Café Du Nord. 9:30pm, $12.

Blank Tapes, Rad Cloud, Tall Tales and the Silver Lining, Ryan Parks Amnesia. 9pm, $5.

Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children McNuggits, Angel and Robot Show, Emily's Army, Secretions Thee Parkside. 9:30pm, $8.

Dainty, Le Verita, Jon Bennett Brainwash Café, 1122 Folsom, SF; www.brainwash.com. 8pm, free.

Greg Dale, Stefan Grant, These Are Not My Ancestors Hotel Utah. 9pm, $10.

East Bay Grease, Switchbacks Hemlock Tavern. 10pm, $5.

*Fool's Gold, Bitter Honeys, Soft White Sixties Rickshaw Stop. 8:30pm, $12.

Matt Hires, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Cloud Nothings Bottom of the Hill. 10pm, $10.

Aimee Mann Yoshi's San Francisco. 8pm, $35.

McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Bye Bye Blackbirds Make-Out Room. 7:30pm, $7.

Nighthawks Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $20.

Sea Wolf, Sera Cahoone, Patrick Park Independent. 9pm, $15.

Tom Tom Club, Paul Ryder, Motion Potion Great American Music Hall. 9pm, $26.

JAZZ/NEW MUSIC

Amick Byram CEBC, 801 Silver, SF; www.eventbee.com/view/amickbyramsf. 8pm, free.

Marcus Shelby Orchestra's MLK Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California, SF; www.sfjazz.org. 8pm, $20-30.

Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle, Earl and Mike Duo Coda. 10pm, $12.

Paula West with George Mesterhazy Quartet Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness; www.sfperformances.org. 8pm, $30-50.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

Heather Ambler and Jim Goodkind Mercury Café, 201 Octavia, SF; (415) 252-7855. 7:30pm, free.

"Americana Jukebox" Slim's. 8:30pm, $14. With Misisipi Rider, Whisky Richards, Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys, and Bluegrass Revolution.

Meredith Axelrod and Craig Ventresco Amnesia. 7pm, free.

Grupo Fantasma Yoshi's San Francisco. 10:30pm, $20.

World Percussion Arts Festival Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., SF; (415) 826-4441. 8pm, $25.

DANCE CLUBS

Club Dragon Club Eight, 1151 Folsom, SF; www.eightsf.com. 9pm, $8. A gay Asian paradise. Featuring two dance floors playing dance and hip hop, smoking patio, and 2 for 1 drinks before 10pm.

Exhale, Fridays Project One Gallery, 251 Rhode Island, SF; (415) 465-2129. 5pm, $5. Happy hour with art, fine food, and music with Vin Sol, King Most, DJ Centipede, and Shane King.

Fat Stack Fridays Koko Cocktails, 1060 Geary, SF; (415) 885-4788. 10pm, free. With rotating DJs B-Cause, Vinnie Esparza, Mr. Robinson, Toph One, and Slopoke.

Fo' Sho! Fridays Madrone Art Bar. 10pm, $5. DJs Kung Fu Chris and Makossa spin rare grooves, soul, funk, and hip-hop classics.

Fubar Fridays Butter, 354 11th St., SF; (415) 863-5964. 6pm, $5. With DJs spinning retro mashup remixes.

Garden Triple Crown. 9pm, $8. With DJs Inland Knights, M3, and Deron Delgado.

Good Life Fridays Apartment 24, 440 Broadway, SF; (415) 989-3434. 10pm, $10. With DJ Brian spinning hip hop, mashups, and top 40.

Heartical Roots Bollywood Café. 9pm, $5. Recession friendly reggae.

Hot Chocolate Milk. 9pm, $5. With DJs Big Fat Frog, Chardmo, DuseRock, and more spinning old and new school funk.

Rockabilly Fridays Jay N Bee Club, 2736 20th St, SF; (415) 824-4190. 9pm, free. With DJs Rockin' Raul, Oakie Oran, Sergio Iglesias, and Tanoa "Samoa Boy" spinning 50s and 60s Doo Wop, Rockabilly, Bop, Jive, and more.

Singapore 60's The Knockout. 5:30pm, free. DJ Sid Presley spinning rare pop, garage, and freakbeat from Singapore and SE Asia.

Some Thing The Stud. 10pm, $7. VivvyAnne Forevermore, Glamamore, and DJ Down-E give you fierce drag shows and afterhours dancing.

Strictly Video 111 Minna. 9pm, $10. With VDJs Shortkut, Swift Rock, GoldenChyld, and Satva spinning rap, 80s, R&B, and Dancehall.

Treat Em Right Elbo Room. 10pm, $5. Hip-hop, funk, reggae, and more with DJs B. Cause, Vinnie Esparza, and guest Goldmyne.

SATURDAY 9

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Awesome Party, Serpent Crown, Evil Survives, Spellcaster Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

Cowboy Junkies, Watson Twins Bimbo's 365 Club. 9pm, $35.

Ruth Gerson Hotel Utah. 8pm, $10.

Griffin House, Tyler James Swedish American Hall (upstairs from Café Du Nord). 8pm, $15.

Hard Girls, Ivy and Erick Amnesia. 7pm. Part of LitQuake, with readings by Blag Dahlia, Eric Lyle, and more.

Bruce Katz Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $15.

LoCura, Manicato, DJ Funk-C Slim's. 9pm, $16.

Moon Duo, Lilac Amnesia. 10pm, $8.

Particle Great American Music Hall. 9pm, $20.

Proj, Psychology of Genocide, Beet, MC Lynn Breedlove Thee Parkside. 9pm, $6.

Scene of Action, Felsen, Bird By Bird, Kindness and Lies Bottom of the Hill. 8:30pm, $12.

Bob Schneider, Bascom Hill, Smile Smile Independent. 9pm, $20.

Toro Ramire, Ideomeneo, Flash Bastards Thee Parkside. 3pm, free.

Wires in the Walls, Tenderloins Hotel Utah. 9:30pm, $8.

Zoo Station Blackthorn Tavern, 834 Irving, SF; www.blackthornsf.com. 9pm, $10.

JAZZ/NEW MUSIC

Amick Byram CEBC, 801 Silver, SF; www.eventbee.com/view/amickbyramsf. 8pm, free.

Anat Cohen and Avishai Cohen Congregation Sherith Israel, 2266 California, SF; www.sfjazz.org. 8pm, $25-50.

Dead Kenny Gs, Black Frames, Earl and Mike Duo Coda. 10pm, $12.

"On the Edge of Dark" Simm Series, Musicians Union Hall, 116 Ninth St, Sf; www.outsound.org. 8pm, $8-10. With Vinny Golia, Rent Romus, and the Lords of Outland.

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers Café Du Nord. 9pm, $15. Performing the music of Duke Ellington.

Nikki Yanofsky Florence Gould Theatre, Legion of Honor, 100 Legion of Honor Dr, SF; www.sfjazz.org. 2pm, $25.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

World Percussion Arts Festival Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., SF; (415) 826-4441. 8pm, $25.

DANCE CLUBS

Bar on Church 9pm. Rotating DJs Foxxee, Joseph Lee, Zhaldee, Mark Andrus, and Nuxx. Bootie vs. Booty Call DNA Lounge. 9pm, $6-12. Mash-ups with VJ Brewski, Smash-Up Derby, Adrian and Mysterious D, and Dada.

Cockblock Rickshaw Stop. 10pm, $5-7. Queer dance party with DJ Nuxx and friends.

Frolic Stud. 9pm, $3-7. DJs Dragn'Fly, NeonBunny, and Ikkuma spin at this celebration of anthropomorphic costume and dance. Animal outfits encouraged.

HYP Club Eight, 1151 Folsom, SF; www.eightsf.com. 10pm, free. Gay and lesbian hip hop party, featuring DJs spinning the newest in the top 40s hip hop and hyphy.

Industry Mighty. 10pm, $25. With DJ Dave Aude and Jamie J Sanchez celebrating Fleet Week.

Lacquer! Milk Bar. 10pm, $5. With DJ Mario Muse vs. DJs Blondie K and subOctave spinning indie dance, electro, new wave, and disco.

Rock City Butter, 354 11th St., SF; (415) 863-5964. 6pm, $5 after 10pm. With DJs spinning party rock.

Same Sex Salsa and Swing Magnet, 4122 18th St, SF; (415) 305-8242. 7pm, free.

Spirit Fingers Sessions 330 Ritch. 9pm, free. With DJ Morse Code and live guest performances.

Spotlight Siberia, 314 11th St, SF; (415) 552-2100. 10pm. With DJs Slowpoke, Double Impact, and Moe1.

Tormenta Tropical Elbo Room. 10pm, $15. Electro-cumbia with DJs El Guincho, El Hijo de la Cumbia, and DJs Disco Shawn and Oro 11.

SUNDAY 10

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Anberlin, Crash Kings, Civil Twilight Regency Ballroom. 8pm, $20.

Frightened Rabbit, Plants and Animals, Bad Veins Fillmore. 8pm, $22.50.

Terry Hanck Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $15.

Liz Phair Independent. 8pm, $25.

Rangers, Universal Studios Florida, Radiant Husk Hemlock Tavern. 8pm, $6.

"SF Bike Coalition Presents: Kestral Sound Review, Volume 2: Battle of the One-Man Bands" Café Du Nord. 8pm, $10. With A Magic Whistle, Mallard, Ricky Lee Robinson, Hanalei.

Slow Motion Cowboys, Virgil Shaw and the New Mid-City Band, Domestic Electrics Make-Out Room. 8pm, $7.

*Mark Sultan, Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $12.

Wannabe Texans, Mae McCoy and the Neon Stars Bottom of the Hill. 3pm, $10.

JAZZ/NEW MUSIC

Frank Jackson, Larry Vuckovich Bliss Bar, 4026 24th St, SF; (415) 826-6200. 4:30pm, $10.

"3rd Annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival" Yoshi's San Francisco. 6pm, $45.

"On the Edge of Dark" Simm Series, Musicians Union Hall, 116 Ninth St, Sf; www.outsound.org. 7:30pm, $8-10. With Vinny Golia, Rent Romus, and the Lords of Outland.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

Meredith Axelrod and Craig Ventresco Atlas Café. 4pm, free.

Garett Brennan Bazaar Café, 5927 California, SF; (415) 831-5620. 6pm.

Calliope Amnesia. 7pm, free.

Quinn Deveaux Amnesia. 9pm, $7-$10.

Silver Threads, Merle Jagger Thee Parkside. 4pm, free.

World Percussion Arts Festival Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., SF; (415) 826-4441. 6pm, $25.

DANCE CLUBS

Autobahn Koko Cocktails, 1060 Geary, SF; (415) 885-4788. 9pm, free. With DJs Shawn Ryan and Pat Les Stache and host Tristes Tropiques.

DiscoFunk Mashups Cat Club. 10pm, free. House and 70's music.

Dub Mission Elbo Room. 9pm, $6. International dub summit with Subatomic Sound System vs. Dubblestandart, featuring Emch and Paul Zasky, plus Devon D and DJ Sep.

Gloss Sundays Trigger, 2344 Market, SF; (415) 551-CLUB. 7pm. With DJ Hawthorne spinning house, funk, soul, retro, and disco.

Fresh Ruby Skye. 6pm, $25. A Columbus Day weekend T-dance with DJ Paul Goodyear.

Honey Soundsystem Paradise Lounge. 8pm-2am. "Dance floor for dancers – sound system for lovers." Got that?

Jock! Lookout, 3600 16th St, SF; (415) 431-0306. 3pm, $2. This high-energy party raises money for LGBT sports teams.

Kick It Bar on Church. 9pm. Hip-hop with DJ Zax.

Lowbrow Sunday Delirium. 1pm, free. DJ Roost Uno and guests spinning club hip hop, indie, and top 40s.

Mini Non Stop Bhangra Rickshaw Stop. Noon-3pm, $5-10. Kid-friendly world music dance party.

Out Loud Festival Wrap Party Thee Parkside. 12:30pm, $6. With DJs Brown Amy and Carnita.

Pachanga Coda. 5pm, $10. Salsa dance party with DJs Fab Fred and Antonio and Orquestra La Moderna Tradición.

Religion Bar on Church. 3pm. With DJ Nikita.

Remember the White Party Disco Glas Kat, 520 4th St., SF; (415) 495-6620. 6pm, $25. With DJ Jerry Bonham spinning Trocadero Transfer classics.

Stag AsiaSF. 6pm, $5. Gay bachelor parties are the target demo of this weekly erotic tea dance.

Swing Out Sundays Rock-It Room. 7pm, free (dance lessons $15). DJ BeBop Burnie spins 20s through 50s swing, jive, and more.

MONDAY 11

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

Capsula, Blammos Elbo Room. 9pm, $6.

Corin Tucker Band Great American Music Hall. 8pm, $17.

Eels Fillmore. 8pm, $27.50.

James, Ed Harcourt Regency Ballroom. 8pm, $28.

Remy Zero, Sanders Bohlke Café Du Nord. 8pm, $15.

*Valient Thorr, Red Fang, FlexXBronco Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $12.

Brad Wilson and Rhythm Drivers Biscuits and Blues. 8pm, $12.

FOLK/WORLD/COUNTRY

Toshio Hirano Amnesia. 8:30pm, free.

DANCE CLUBS

Black Gold Koko Cocktails, 1060 Geary, SF; (415) 885-4788. 10pm-2am, free. Senator Soul spins Detroit soul, Motown, New Orleans R&B, and more — all on 45!

Death Guild DNA Lounge. 9:30pm, $3-5. Gothic, industrial, and synthpop with DJs Decay, Joe Radio, and Melting Girl.

Krazy Mondays Beauty Bar. 10pm, free. With DJs Ant-1, $ir-Tipp, Ruby Red I, Lo, and Gelo spinning hip hop.

M.O.M. Madrone Art Bar. 6pm, free. With DJ Gordo Cabeza and guests playing all Motown every Monday.

Manic Mondays Bar on Church. 9pm. Drink 80-cent cosmos with Djs Mark Andrus and Dangerous Dan.

Musik for Your Teeth Revolution Café, 3248 22nd St., SF; (415) 642-0474. 5pm, free. Soul cookin' happy hour tunes with DJ Antonino Musco.

Network Mondays Azul Lounge, One Tillman Pl, SF; www.inhousetalent.com. 9pm, $5. Hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word open mic, plus featured performers.

Skylarking Skylark. 10pm, free. With resident DJs I & I Vibration, Beatnok, and Mr. Lucky and weekly guest DJs.

TUESDAY 12

ROCK/BLUES/HIP-HOP

All That Remains, Asking Alexandria, Unearth, And She Whispered Regency Ballroom. 7:30pm, $24.

Bettie Serveert, Foxtail Somersault Café Du Nord. 9:30pm, $15.

El Ten Eleven, Baths, Sister Crayon Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $12.

Fat Tuesday Band Biscuits and Blues. 8 and 10pm, $15.

Audrey Howard, Kate Kilbane, Meredith Axelrod Club Waziema, 543 Divisadero, SF; (415) 346-6641. 8pm.

Passenger and Pilot, Drew Victor, Pirate Radio Viracocha, 998 Valencia, SF; (415) 374-7048. 8pm.

Platinum Live SF Coda. 9pm, $10.

PS I Love You, Gold Medalists, Downer Party Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $7.

Teenage Fanclub, Radar Brothers Fillmore. 8pm, $26.50.

Devin Townsend, Project Tesseract Slim's. 8pm, $16.

DANCE CLUBS

Eclectic Company Skylark, 9pm, free. DJs Tones and Jaybee spin old school hip hop, bass, dub, glitch, and electro.

Rock Out Karaoke! Amnesia. 7:30pm. With Glenny Kravitz.

Share the Love Trigger, 2344 Market, SF; (415) 551-CLUB. 5pm, free. With DJ Pam Hubbuck spinning house.

Womanizer Bar on Church. 9pm. With DJ Nuxx.

 

FRIDAY

ART: Head to the National Portrait Gallery's Kogod Courtyard (8th and F Streets NW) for Portraits After 5. The night will include music from DJ Todd Threats, projections from artist Claire Scoville, a photo booth with photographer Rob Northway and access to the Americans Now exhibit. There will be also be a cash bar and food for purchase. 5-8 p.m. Free.

FOOD & DRINK: Celebrate fall flavors at Pizzeria Paradiso's Autumn Fest 2010. Both of the restaurants' locations in Georgetown (3282 M Street NW) and Dupont (2003 P Street NW), will be tapping 28 draft lines worth of Oktoberfest, Pumpkin and other assorted seasonal beers. For the next week they'll also be serving up a Pumpkin Pesto, Pancetta and Parmesan Pizza. No reservations required.

>> Okay, let's try this again. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar (801A 9th Street NW) opens tonight, and will be offering 50 percent off dinner (beverages excluded) through October 7th. Make reservations by calling (202) 408-1600. Dinner is served 4-11 p.m.

MOVIES: The National Geographic (1145 17th Street NW) All Roads Film Festival continues tonight with two films. While Boy has sold out, there are still tickets available for The Search, which tells the story of a director searching for leads in his film about a classic Tibetan opera, and where that search leads him. 9 p.m. $10.

>>Waiting for Superman, a documentary that focuses on America's failing public schools, opens at E Street Cinema (555 11th Street NW) tonight. The film, which we recently reviewed, was directed by Davis Guggenheim (director of An Inconvenient Truth) and features interviews with D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, Bill Gates and others. The 7 and 8 p.m. shows have sold out, but there are still tickets available for 9:45 and 10:45 p.m. $10.

>> Also at E Street tonight is a midnight screening of the John Waters film Pink Flamingos. $10.

MUSIC: The 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW) sets the stage for Midlake and Rouge Wave tonight. Peter Wolfe Crier also performs. 8 p.m. $20.

>> It's Liberation Dance Party and Casiokids rock out at DC9 (1940 9th Street NW) tonight. Need a little liquid courage before you start shakin' it? There will be an open bar (rail cocktails only) from 9 to 10 p.m. Show starts at 9. $8.

SATURDAY

ART: City Paper's Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair in Adams Morgan (Marie Reed Recreation Center, 2200 Champlain Street NW) features over 100 vendors -- including the first winner of Project Runway, Jay McCarroll -- selling handmade jewlery, punk rock baby clothes, leather messanger bags and oodles of other indie coolness. Not only will you be able to buy cool things, you can learn to make them too inside the Demo Square and the Hello Craft Make Something Awesome Area. There will also be breakdancers in the pit, a free bike valet from WABA, food and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

RALLY: The "One Nation" march and rally will take place on numerous streets around the National Mall and on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Traffic around the Mall will be impacted between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., so if you're driving around, expect detours and delays. The Memorial Bridge will also be closed to cars between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

FOOD & DRINK: Shirlington Oktoberfest (4001 Campbell Avenue, Arlington) is back this year with over 30 breweries giving out 4 ounce samples, local food, and a German band. Noon to 7 p.m. $25.

>> After you've built up a thirst from shopping at Crafty Bastards, head over to The Black Squirrel (2427 18th Street) for a Great Lakes Brewing tasting event. Chose from seven Great Lakes options, including two of their seasonal selections. They'll also be serving flights of 6 oz. brews, so try a few at a time. Noon till 3 a.m.

OUTDOORS: Saturday's weather looks lovely, perfect for Hike & Seek, a nature hike-scavenger hunt hybrid event at Seneca Creek State Park (11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD). $12 per adult and $7 per child online, or $15 per adult and $9 per child the day of. An anonymous donor is contributing $10 to the National Wildlife Federation for every hiker who comes out. 9 a.m.-noon.

SPORTS: The DC Rollergirls start off their fifth season this Saturday at the DC Armory (2001 East Capitol Street NE). The main event is the D.C. DemonCats vs. the Cherry Blossom Bombshells. But come also for a just-for-fun match between Scare Force One and the D.C. All-Stars, and a halftime show featuring the skills of Rollo of the Anacostia Rollers. Tickets are $12 for those 6 and older, or $10 with a military I.D. 4 p.m.

MOVIES: The Freer Gallery of Art's (Meyer Auditorium, 1050 Independence Avenue SW) "Hanoi on Film: Then and Now" series presents a screening of The Little Girl of Hanoi, followed by a panel discussion with William Belding, adjunct professor at American University, Frederick Z. Brown, visiting research scholar, Bill Marmon, Time magazine staff correspondent in Saigon, and Jonathan Rosenbaum, film critic. 2 p.m.

HAPPY HOUR: Rachel Bloom, creator of NSFW odes to Ray Bradbury, as well as D.C. comedians Ahmed Huidobro, Sarah E. Donnelly, Lisa Fine and Pete Bladel will perform at the Weekend Wonderland Comedy Happy Hour at Wonderland Ballroom (1101 Kenyon Street NW) this Saturday. 5-7 p.m.

MUSIC: They Might Be Giants performs a free show at The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (2700 F Street NW) this Saturday. In recent years, TMBG has branched out into the kids music realm with songs that teach ("the sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma"). But nerdy parents and TMBG fans are still likely to enjoy the show. 6 p.m. Free.

>> Two Scottish bands take the stage at the 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW): Teenage Fanclub and The Vaselines. Hailing from the U.S., the Radar Brothers also perform. 8 p.m. $25.

>> Drift Rock, from Subcontinental Drift, is an evening of South Asian music at the U Street Music Hall (1115A U Street NW), featuring the styings of "chillwave" band PO PO, Pakistani cowboy punk duo Sunny Ali & the Kid, and indie group Fair & Kind. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the show is on from 7-10 p.m. $10.

BOOKS: Busboys and Poets (1025 5th Street NW) hosts a Furious Dance Party for the release of "Hard Times Require Furious Dancing," a collection of poetry by Alice Walker. There will be dancing, drums, food, drinks and talks from Alice Walker and Ben Jealous, President of the NAACP. Tickets $25 to $70. 8 p.m.

>> D.C. Public Library is holding an "Edible Book" contest at both the Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library (5625 Connecticut Avenue NW) and the Mount Pleasant Neighborhood Library (3162 Mt. Pleasant Street NW). Part of it's first annual "Read-In," those who bring the best book-related edible treat could win gift certificates to Bread and Chocolate, Dos Gingos or Tonic Mount Pleasant. 1 p.m.

>> A book sale to benefit the Bell Multicultural High School will take place at the Columbia Heights Educational Campus at 16th and Irving Streets NW. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

AIDS WALK: Washington's annual AIDS Walk, which kicks off with a rally at Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW) will find walkers winding their way through a 5K course along downtown streets, beginning at 9 a.m.

SUNDAY

FITNESS: Past Tense yoga studio's (3253 Mt. Pleasant Street NW) four-week Yoga for Runners class is meant to "improve your balance, strength, flexibility and mental focus" in preparation for running a marathon. The four-week series begins this Sunday. $100.

SPORTS: If there's a championship, then it must be a sport, right? Come watch top pole dancers in the country compete in the U.S. Pole Dance Federation East Coast Regional championship at The State Theatre (220 N. Washington Street, Falls Church), each performing a compulsory program, followed by a freestyle set. D.C. will be represented by Kristen Novosad. 3 p.m. $65.

BLESSING: The Washington National Cathedral is holding a Blessing of the Animals this Sunday on the Cathedral's west steps. Bring your beloved pet and meet Carmina, the Cathedral's new cat, adopted from the Washington Humane Society. 2:30 p.m.

FOOD & DRINK: Women Chefs & Restaurateurs is holding World Fare: A Street Food Festival at Willow Restaurant (4301North Fairfax Dr., Arlington). There will be prizes, a silent auction and, of course, a wide selection of food and drink. Over 30 top female chefs will be in attendance, including Meshelle Armstrong of Restaurant Eve, Carla Hall of Alchemy Caterers (and Top Chef fame) and Melanie Parker of Founding Farmers. 5-8 p.m. $50 per person.

MUSIC: Kristian Matsson, The Tallest Man on Earth, performs at 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW) this Sunday with S. Carey of Bon Iver. 7 p.m. $15

CLASSICAL: Esperanza Spalding, who we recently profiled, preforms at at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U Street NW), presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society. Tickets are $35-$85 (plus additional fees). 7 p.m.

Filed under: News

As a member of legendary punk band the Clash, guitarist Mick Jones has fonder memories of central London venue the 100 Club than most. Back in 1976, the Clash joined the Sex Pistols, the Damned, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Vic Godard and the Subway Sect at the first punk festival at the venue -- an event which set in motion a musical revolution the effects of which are still being felt today.

However, as previously reported in Spinner, the 100 Club is facing closure at the end of the year thanks to spiralling rents.

Speaking exclusively to Spinner, Jones expressed his dismay the threat facing the iconic venue.

"I'm sorry to hear it might be closing," the guitarist said. "It will be greatly missed if it closes. Someone should start a campaign to save it."

culture@sfbg.com

SEX ISSUE Forget those uptight pricks: sluts are awesome. There's no shame in harboring a voracious appetite for sexiness in all its myriad expressions. Combined with a well-developed ethical stance and safe practices, it's one of the joys of being human. In honor of the enormous, charitable Folsom Street leather and fetish fair (Sun/26, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., donations requested. www.folsomstreetfair.org), we wanted to honor some of our favorite local sluts with the pervy attention they deserve. For more slutty goodness, visit our SEX SF blog at SFBG.com.

 

SLUTTIEST CELLULOID

You've always wanted to watch your neighbors bang, right? Well moan enthusiastically in honor of the Good Vibrations Indie Erotic Film Festival, which every year puts the call out for the cream of the amateur blue filmmaker crop, then assembles the spunkiest for your viewing pleasure at the Castro Theatre. You too can be in the audience, which will ooh and aah its approval to choose the sexiest, steamiest home-screw, the lucky winner receiving a $1,500 money shot. So how does SF get it on? This year's 12 finalists include preggo smut (Jeannie Roshar's "Bun in the Oven"), good old-fashioned wordplay like Benjamin Williams' "The Filth Element," and sci-fi sexin' ("Orgasm Raygun" by Martin Gooch). The fest precedes a range of specialty nights around town coordinated by Good Vibes, including Lebso Retro: A Dyke Porn Retrospective (Wed/22 at the Women's Building). It's gonna be a hot ticket, so grab a seat, relax your rear, and revel in the sight of sexy San Francisco.

Thurs/23 pre party: 7 p.m., $10; screening: 8 p.m., $10. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, SF. (415) 621-6120, www.gv-ixff.org

 

SLUTTIEST QUEEN

"I'm so honored to be named Sluttiest Queen," inimitable alternative drag goddess Suppositori Spelling tells us. "It's nice to see that my work hasn't gone unnoticed. I have so many performances that require nudity that when I drop my skirt lately it's often met with a wave of yawns from my audience. I think they're more shocked by the presence of panties nowadays." (Her audience, found at her raucous weekly drag show Cocktailgate — Sundays, 9 p.m., $5. Truck, 1900 Folsom St., SF. www.trucksf.com — sheds a few panties themselves when she's on stage.) "I could tell you stories so dirty hot that this paper would burn like a Koran in Florida" she continues, "but I'm so shy and reserved. I will say this, though: as far as the queer sex scene in San Francisco goes, we seem to be in the flush of a renaissance. I keep stumbling upon things that even make me blush — like the gentleman who preferred a visible handjob on public transportation during rush hour as foreplay. But I encourage whatever floats your boat or creams your Twinkie. I just want to clarify, however, that "ouch" is not a safe word!"

Suppositori emcees the Seventh Street stage at Folsom Street Fair from 11 a.m.–2 p.m., followed by a special performance at 2:30 p.m., and then a "hanky code" themed Cocktailgate at its regular time.

 

SLUTTIEST BOYS

Dan and JD, a.k.a. Two Knotty Boys, are no strangers to the twists and loops of BDSM performance. Native San Franciscans both, they not only create mesmerizing stage shows in which they bind nubile flesh to their will, but also produce end results so visionary that you'd be excused for leaving off the "fetish" and dubbing it merely "fashion." A ever-so-tightly cinched halter top of gleaming white cord, a barely there cobweb bikini that requires an expert hand to remove, overlays of skirts and dresses that hobble the wearer seductively and at the same time, show off the contours of the female body. It's neat, it's adjustable, it's sexily professional work. It's easy to see why the duo has filmed more than 100 video tutorials and taught countless workshops in the Bay and beyond for their eager fans: the Boys have tied up hundreds of women but, unlike some humiliation artists, they have never tied down their subjects' beauty and comfort.

www.twoknottyboys.com

 

SLUTTIEST PARTIERS

Was it written on the rock hard abs of some San Franciscan sex god that all coital gatherings in this city have to be stark and stoic? Thankfully, the colorful gang over at Kinky Salon never got that memo. Creators Polly and Scott have created a swinger's playland party in the pink and purple rooms of Mission Control whose focus is flair: playful costume themes have focused on everything from kitty cats (the upcoming Pussyfest) to undersea adventure and fairy tale characters. You've never lived, it would seem, until your Snow White costume has been peeled off on the couch in the Harem Room by Tinkerbell and Captain Hook. More recently, the team has created a new magazine to celebrate the vast array of sexualities that their partygoers lay claim to: San Fran Sexy. The rag includes erotic history lessons from sexologist Dr. Carol Queen, memoir pieces from Bawdy Storytelling's Dixie De La Tour, photos from recent Kinky Salon soirees, and news of sensual events to come.

www.kinkysalon.com

 

SLUTTIEST ROCKERS

"If the Meat Sluts were a Pink Lady, we'd be Rizzo! We ain't no prudes like Sandy!" says BB Rumproast of rockin' band the Meat Sluts (www.myspace.com/themeatsluts). In a world of vegan dogs, her XXX-chromosomed trash rock-punk explosion is an all-beef foot long. The four women are cookin' on stage — literally. In addition to the occasional back up steak dancing alongside their guitar licks and growls, the Meat Sluts have shared space at shows with a live hot dog-maker and a meat grinder flinging sausage and baloney onto hungry fans. It's messy, carnivorous fun — the perfect expression of the group's embrace of hedonistic appetite that could care less about what's considered "ladylike" at the table of the musical establishment. "We are loose and crazy and not ashamed of it! We love man meat! We love weenies! Beef baloney, Slim Jims, T-bones, bring it ON!" says Rumproast. To quote the Sluts' rager rally cry "Johnny Con Carne," that's what we call makin' bacon.

The Meat Sluts play Dodgyfest 3, Oct 2, 7 p.m., $10. Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St., SF. www.theeparkside.com

 

SLUTTIEST BLOGGER

Fleur De Lis SF has a bone to pick with the way hot and horny females are portrayed. "Women are just as sexual as men and they should own it," the blogger tells us. Need proof? Check out the blog she started this summer — just make sure your hands are free and you've got a little privacy while you do so. Her posts are missives from a professional woman's enthusiastic exploration of sensual subcultures in "one of the sexiest cities in the world." Though her identity is clad in secrecy, Fleur De Lis SF's escapades with Craig's List Casual Encounters, BDSM clubs, and randy run-ins at the grocery store will leave you slicker than a Slip 'N Slide in 90 percent humidity. Erotic inspiration notwithstanding, what we love about this new It slut is her candor and assertiveness. "Mainly, I want to educate people to embrace sex and sexuality," she says. "I want people to accept who they are, and who are we are sexually is a huge part of who we are as people."

fleurdelissf.wordpress.com

 

SLUTTIEST MAN ACTION

For the past few years, hunky leatherman cruisers have been blessed with the return of a SoMa bar crawl, which, while hardly rivaling the infamous Miracle Mile of the 1970s and '80s, at least offers hide-lusting bar-hoppers an array of options. Truck, Hole in the Wall, Powerhouse, the Eagle, Lone Star — all make for a daisy chain of fellow cock-seekers. But the piece de resistance is surely Chaps II, which gives itself wholly over to man-action bliss. The original Chaps, owned by Chuck Slaton and Ron Morrison, was notorious for its Crisco-minded shenanigans, and Chaps II, opened in 2008 by David Morgan, continues the proudly perverse tradition, with parties devoted to rope play, piss play, fisting, and sports gear aficionados, as well as regular nights simply dedicated to the Holy Grail of slutty manhood: cheap ass. (For those unfamiliar — cheap ass tastes like chicken parmesan.) Kudos to you, Chaps II, for keeping the BDSM spirit alive — and serving a healthy round of Jäger shots to boot.

1225 Folsom, SF. (415) 255-2427, www.chapsbarsanfrancisco.com

 

SLUTTIEST ROBOTS

Drilldo, Intruder MK II, the Satisfyher, Scorpion, the Little Guy, Annihilator, the Octapussy — these are some of the friendly, dripping sex robots you'll meet at FuckingMachines.com, part of the Kink.com kingdom. The machines put a bevy of heaving beauties through the motions with their dildo-studded fingers and pulsating hacksaw thrusts. Designed by lucky site users, who submit their moving-parts fantasies, and the fiendishly clever sex-elves at the Fucking Machines workshop (with many of the machines fabricated on site at Kink's HQ in the Mission Armory), these fascinating thingamabobs range from devilishly dirty to actually kind of cute. There's even one modeled on Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, albeit renamed Fuckzilla and outfitted with a huge silicone phallus. The whole shebang is overseen by the enthusiastic Tomcat, who drives the point home that, yes, a chainsaw outfitted with 20 fake tongues "challenges the whole idea that women need someone to buy them dinner to get pleasure." Fucking machines themselves have been around since the 1960s, he notes, "but when we started in 2001, we wanted to capitalize on the tech wave, while approaching the machine construction like sculpture." Good thing the Fucking Machine bubble didn't burst.

 

SLUTTIEST SLÜT

Burlesque heroine Baroness Eva Von Slüt knows what she's got, and she's happy to show it to you. The inked, buxom platinum blonde dove into burlesque in 2002, but she's never been afraid of flaunting her dangerous curves onstage. "Whatever the thing is that women have that they hate their bodies, I just don't have it. I don't compare myself to other people because I know I look good." Von Slüt produces her own burlesque shows, plays party-jumping jams with partner DJ Mod Days, and heads up the vocals for no less than two sexy bands — Thee Merry Widows, an all-girl psychobilly explosion of fishnets, red lipstick, and leather dresses, at whose shows Von Slüt will bust out in pasties and sequined panties, and the White Barons, a stripped down, hard-edged punk outfit in which Von Slüt lets her rebel growl loose. So what gets this freight train whistling? Purrs the lady, "Self-confidence and kindness. Also, I am a bit of a cougar, so gentlemen 10 years younger. I'm not opposed to men my age or older, but gosh they're just so sweet when they're young!"

Catch Von Slüt's DJ session on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Butter, 354 11th St., SF. www.myspace.com/missevavonslut

 

SLUTTIEST FREE-FOR-ALL

There are a lot of gay musclemen at the Folsom Street Fair, and there are a lot of steamy, shirtless gay man-parties surrounding the event (causing quite a few Monday morning tragedies). But what about everyone else? "I was talking to my friends at Kink," says Folsom organizer Demetri Moshoyannis, "and they said that once the fair ended, all the leathermen had a place to go, but everyone at the Kink booth just had to go home. So this year we teamed up with them to change that." The result? A glorious-sounding omnisexual dance party called Deviants that's open to everyone. The acknowledgment that gay muscle men aren't the only ones who can get down and dirty into the wee hours is refreshing. But so is the musical lineup — the Juan Maclean, Zach Moore from Space Cowboys, Australia's Stereogamous — which offers something beyond the carnival circuit-music at many of the other parties. Musclemen are welcome, too, of course, as long as they're willing to shake their chains on the dance floor.

Sun/26, 6 p.m.–2 a.m., $30 advance. 525 Harrison, SF. www.folsomstreetfair.org/deviants

 

SLUTTIEST PIE

It's not too many harems that offer you 40 different ways to satisfy your cravings. But hot, lip-smacking loving can be yours — in three different locations or for delivery, no less! — whenever that urge to do something naughty hits, whether you like it on your lunch hour or for a post-bar dirty stopover. Oh, Pizza Orgasmica, you sure do know what gets us going. The local chain has umpteen big, salacious pies with nookie-themed names for your perusing. And although the Ménage à Trois, with it's cuddle puddle of five salty cheeses, will leave you panting, and the Latin Lover's barbeque sauce, chicken, zucchini, onions, and cilantro make for a meaty, spicy affair, the sluttiest pie award has got to go to the Farmer's Daughter. She looks like a demure little milkmaid (after all, you can find her on the vegetarian menu) — but once her drizzles of creamy bianca cheese hit your tongue, and her fresh corn and broccoli fill your mouth ... it's a tumble in the hay you won't soon forget. Old MacDonald would be scandalized.

Various locations, www.pizzaorgasmica.com

 

SLUTTIEST CLOWN

When it comes gender-bending sexual escapades, we landlubbing bipeds tend to give short shrift to our finned, feathered, and multi-legged Earthmates. That's why we're giving a hearty bottoms up to the California Academy of Science's Amphiprion ocellaris. The showy orange and white striped fish, whose common name is clownfish, is best known as the aquatic brat in Finding Nemo. But we don't care about Nemo's celebrity — or his billions. We salute him for his ability to shift from male to female when needed, giving her access to the entire spectrum of fishy sexuality. One of the planet's rare sequential hermaphrodites, all clownfish are born male (protandrous hermaphrodites) but become female when the female in a breeding pair dies. You may never look at a clownfish the same way again — and you should certainly go and look at them at the Cal Academy aquarium (www.calacademy.org), where the San Franciscan clownfish ride tiny fixies, design websites, and sip Blue Bottle. Kidding! But maybe we should rethink always calling them "Nemo." How about Nema for a change? Or Nemo-ma. Or, oh goddess of LGBT fish love, Nemaphrodite.

 

SLUTTIEST BUFFET

It's lunchtime Friday and you need a juicy thigh in your mouth: Gold Club is there. And no, we're not talking about the lovely ladies popping, dropping, and locking it all over the SoMa strip club's pleasure poles. Carnal urges take on new meaning when it comes to the joint's $5 all you can eat Friday buffet, an omnivorous affair stuffed with roast beef, lasagna, fresh veggies, hummus, brownies, and their signature breasts (or as one Yelper so memorably dubbed them, "fried chicken tit-tays!") The spread attracts a diverse crowd of office workers and lap-dance connoisseurs of all genders, endowed with an appetite for crispy skin and jiggling glutei maximi alike. So pair your plate with a $4 happy hour cocktail — available until 7 p.m. — and don't forget to share your savings with the working women up front.

Gold Club's all you can eat buffet Fridays 11 a.m.– 2 p.m., $5. 650 Howard, SF. (415) 536-0300, www.goldclubsf.com

Slutty profiles written by Marke B., Caitlin Donohue, Johnny Ray Huston, and Diane Sussman.

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CLICK HERE TO HELP PROMOTE ONLINE

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30TH 2010

***TICKETS NOW ON SALE - LINK BELOW***

***Click on above flyer to purchase your Tickets Now***

featuring...
HYBRIDIGITAL
SHINY TOY GUNS
www.shinytoyguns.com


If you are not sure what HYBRIDIGITAL is exactly :

Shiny HD is a digital remix performance of dance interpretations of Shiny Toy Guns songs by members Jeremy Dawson and Chad Petree, playing live synthesizers, guitars, samplers and vocals alongside an amazing display of technology and lighting effects. Together they are joined by WILDCHILD WORLD, a conglomerate of fire-breathers, contortionists, aerialists and performance artists from across the world to bring a completely different take on projecting dance music live from a stage.



INFECTED MUSHROOM
www.infected-mushroom.com

Psy-Trance innovators Infected Mushroom have become one of the biggest electronic bands on the planet. Twice ranked among the world’s 10 best DJs by the bible of the scene, the U.K.’s DJ Magazine, the Israel-bred, L.A. based duo bring a frenetic rock energy to the form. Their explosive show, featuring guitars, live drums, intensely passionate vocals and an ambitious multimedia backdrop, ranks among the genre’s most unpredictably joyous events. And their recordings continually venture where other electronic acts fear to tread.

Amit “Duvdev” Duvedevani and Erez Eisen have been working for nearly two years on an aggressive new album – their first since 2007’s critically acclaimed Vicious Delicious – for dance-music visionary Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto label. Duvdev describes the as-yet untitled record, recorded at Infected Mushroom Laboratory in L.A. and slated for a June 2009 release, as a return to the pair’s metal roots. Guests include singer Jonathan Davis of Korn, who lends his estimable pipes to the track “Smashing the Opponent.”

Oakenfold has worked closely with the band in an A&R; capacity. “Paul’s known as a House DJ, so we weren’t sure how he’d feel about our heaviest material,” Duvdev reveals, “but he loved it. He’s really brought a lot of great energy and advice to the table.”

From the Ultra Fest in Miami to the Virgin Festival in Baltimore, from Mexico’s OMIX to Cali’s Coachella, from Brazil’s Ipanema Beach to Melbourne’s Metro Club, Infected Mushroom has averaged about 120 live performances per year. The band will honor that tradition in 2009, starting with a 17-date U.S. tour slated to kick off in Texas in March. 

 

GARETH EMERY
World's No.9 DJ of 2009
www.garethemery.com

Gareth Emery  is a trance-genre producer and DJ.

Born in Southampton, but now based in Manchester, England, Gareth Emery is a producer and DJ of trance music. He comes from a diverse musical background that includes classical piano training, jazz, and a little punk rock. Emery has emerged in the last few years as one of the world's major trance DJs. Since entering the DJ Mag Top 100 poll at no.#34 in 2006, he has climbed every year since being ranked #31 in the 2007 poll, #23 in the 2008 poll, and entering the top 10 in 2009 at #9[1]. He is widely tipped to become one of the next global stars of trance music, with both Paul van Dyk and Ferry Corsten naming him as a future star in their DJ Mag Top 100 interviews in 2006/2007.

 

STEVE AOKI
www.steveaoki.com

Steve Aoki, also known by his stage name DJ Steve Aoki Kid Millionaire, (born November 30, 1977) is an American electro house musician, record producer and the founder of Dim Mak Records.

Steve Aoki was born in Miami and grew up in Newport Beach, California. He is the third child of Rocky Aoki and Chizuru Kobayashi. His father was a former Japanese Olympic wrestler who also founded the restaurant chain Benihana. He has two older siblings, sister Kana  and brother Kevin . He also has three half-siblings, all of whom are younger: half-brother Kyle and half-sisters Echo, and Devon, the model. As a child, Steve lived with his grandfather, his mother, and his two older siblings.

Aoki attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with two B.A.s; one in Women's Studies and the other in Sociology. In college, he produced do-it-yourself records and ran underground concerts out of his Biko room in the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative , which was located in Isla Vista, a section of residential land adjacent to UCSB. As a concert venue, the apartment became known as The Pickle Patch. By his early 20s, Aoki had built his own record label, which he named Dim Mak after his childhood hero, Bruce Lee. He has also been in numerous bands, including This Machine Kills, which released an album on Ebullition Records, Esperanza, and The Fire Next Time.

His father, Rocky, once said that he had 'three kids from three different women at exactly the same time'. He found out about the third child with the third woman when he was sued for paternity. In 2005, Rocky sued four of his children (Grace, Kevin, Kyle, and Echo) for an alleged attempt to take control of the companies he founded, which, at the time, had an estimated value between US $60 million and $100 million. Steve and his younger half-sister, Devon, were not named in the suit.
Musical career

Aoki founded his own label, Dim Mak Records, in 1996. The label has released music by other electro house artists such as MSTRKRFT, The Bloody Beetroots, Klaxons, Scanners, Whitey, Mystery Jets and Mustard Pimp. Aoki is also a club promoter and DJ. He has also teamed up with Blake Miller of the LA -based band Moving Units to produce remixes. The duo of Miller and Aoki work under the moniker Weird Science.

Aoki's debut album, Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles was released in January 2008 . He also had an Essential Mix that aired on BBC Radio 1 on August 2, 2008.10

He has remixed many artists and bands, including Drake, Lenny Kravitz, Bloc Party, Snoop Dogg, Robin Thicke, S.P.A., Kid Cudi, Chester French and Peaches.

He remixed the track "When The Wind Blows" that features on the UK edition of the The All-American Rejects 2008 album When The World Comes Down.

On November 10, 2009 he released a remix for Drake's song "Forever". The song features Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wanye, and Eminem. The track made it to the top of Hype Machine's chart in December 2009.

In March 2010 Aoki released "I'm In The House", a collaboration with Zuper Blahq—alter-ego of Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am. The song charted at #29 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release.

Producer-songwriter Lucas Secon confirmed in a May 2010 interview with HitQuarters that he and Rivers Cuomo had recently worked with Aoki on a single.

 

---

GENERAL INFO

WAMU THEATER
800 OCCIDENTAL AVE S
SEATTLE, WA

AGES: 16+ / 21+ FULL BARS (ID REQUIRED)

HOURS: 8PM-4AM

THIS YEARS CAPACITY HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO 10000.
TO ENSURE ENTRY, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PURCHACE TICKETS IN ADVANCE.

For Additional show info stay tuned to:
www.USCevents.com

 

TICKETS
http://www.clubzone.com/events/Seattle/208381/FreakNight-2010

 

Interested in:

STREET TEAM
streetteam@uscevents.com

SPONSORSHIPS
sponsorships@uscevents.com

VENDING
vending@uscevents.com

***PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO TO BE ANNOUNCED***

</div>

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Time: Nightly 8pm

Venue: Concerts are performed at an outdoor stage.

Seating:

Festival style seating is available on a first come, first served basis on a grassy area directly in front of the stage; on bleachers facing the stage; and in the Central Park Bar-B-Q & Beer Garden (must be 19+ to enter).

Pricing:

The Summer Night Concerts are included free with purchase of a Fair Gate Admission Pass. A regular Fair Gate Pass costs $20 at the gate or $16.80 at www.pne.ca or at a Lower Mainland 7-Eleven, Safeway, Save on Foods or Shoppers Drug Mart location.

Born from a shared love of music and comprised of a tight-knit group of longtime friends, Kevin Costner and Modern West draw their influences from a broad tapestry of American music and beyond. The history of the band goes back over 20 years when Kevin Costner met John Coinman began to play and write music together along with another friend, Blair Forward. That collaboration turned into the band Roving Boy – a rock band with an edgy Western style and a small record deal in Japan where they had a #1 single called “Simple Truth”. In 2005 when the three former Roving Boys decided to build a new band together, they brought in Teddy Morgan and Larry Cobb and named it Modern West. Fairgoers are sure to love Kevin Costner & Modern West as they take the stage at the PNE.

www.myspace.com/kevincostnerandmodernwest

Sunday, August 22
Terri Clark

Monday, August 23
Michael Bolton One World One Love Tour

Tuesday, August 24
Loverboy – 30th Anniversary

Wednesday, August 25
Huey Lewis and The News

Thursday, August 26
The Wayne Newton Show

Friday, August 27
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Saturday, August 28
Marianas Trench

Sunday, August 29
Spirit of the West

Monday, August 30
John Hiatt and the Combo & Los Lobos

Tuesday, August 31
Annual Evening with Elvis, with Red Robinson

Wednesday, September 1
Jesse Cook

Thursday, September 2
Little River Band – 35th Anniversary

Friday, September 3
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues Tour

Saturday, September 4
Steven Page

Sunday, September 5
The Road Hammers

Monday, September 6
Trooper – 35th Anniversary

 

Here we are with BetaTraXx (formerly Redlight) hailing from Santa Barbara and a producing machine from the future. He has been living on the east coast spreading the funk but has recently made his glorious return out west. He is the first artist to be signed under the GDD™ management label, and has been kind enough to take some time out of his schedule to sit down with us for this interview.

GDD: Kinda a tradition over here at GDD for a while, but what do you drink? The first round is on us.
BTxx: Do you guys take shots? Tequila and a lime sounds pretty good right about now.

GDD: So the first questions kind of a bugger, but I know everyone's wondering, what's up with the name change? You had in the upwards of 20 releases under the Redlight name some official, not to mention original productions; tons of which dominated the hype machine charts and all the blogs!
BTxx: I've had three names over the last three years searching for a name that fits my music and the direction that I think music is heading, but about four months ago after I had just released my first 8 track album and things had been going great under the name Redlight, I got an email from the manager of ‘Redlight'. That sure was a confusing first few sentences. As it turned out I wasn't the only Redlight, and on top of that he said if I didn't change my name in 14 days he would sick his lawyers on me and sue me for ‘losses'. I found that slightly ironic since my bootleg Kid Sister remix hit #1 on Hype Machine 5 months before his official Kid Sister remix was released. Hmmmmm. But instead of fighting that I figured I could find a name that fits in my genre and is more original than Redlight, plus I thought I could use it as a fresh start where from there on out all my tracks would be professional and dance floor ready.

GDD: A fresh name put in place of someone your caliber can't hurt too much...look at fake blood or classixx for example! Besides we think BetaTraXx fits your style much more...very dynamic, layered, and progressive music.
GDD: You were recently out in Boston for college. What's the electronic music scene like over there? What kind of things have you done to help it flourish, and what type of things in that environment hindered you? What helped you stay focused on the music no matter what the scene was like?
BTxx: To be honest the electronic music scene out there is slim pickings. There is generally about one good act every other week that comes around the city worth seeing. Having said that I've seen some of my favorite acts there. Justice, Laidback Luke, Wolfgang Gartner, Steve Aoki, and Designer Drugs have all played in Boston somewhat recently and the shows were all small and awesome. I mean how many people have seen Justice play at a 250 person venue?
BTxx: As for what have I done to help it out? I decided sophomore year in college to just play electro when I wasn't DJing in NYC (I'll get into that later) purely because I wanted to shoot myself every time I heard the same Top 40 music selection at a party. And when I say electro I mean serious electro (Van She Tech, Toxic Avenger, Boys Noize, Bloody Beetroots, etc.) The first year was rough but after a while I got a reputation for throwing some heavy parties and my crowd started to grow. By senior year of college on nights I was bored I would set up my speakers in the biggest room I could find, plug in the smoke machine and a few techno strobes and just wait for the room to fill up. That's really what made me decided to do this full time and kept me focused on this kind of music.

GGD: So what's this I hear about you playing in NYC, I was just out there and saw one too many Djs not knowing how to beat-match let alone play good music for matter...
BTxx: Well before I was producing any good dance music I was fortunate to be able to DJ in a lot of the biggest clubs in NYC just off of my DJing. I actually had to use my fake ID to get into the clubs I was DJing in. While that was great and all to be a 19 year old DJing at the hottest NYC clubs, I hated 95% of the songs I had to play, and even when I got to play house people only wanted to hear "put your hands up for Detroit" and anything made by David Guetta. So after two years of doing that and not having the time to enjoy and create the music I wanted, it was time to call it quits and start making the music I wanted to be making

GDD: Looking forward to being back on the west coast and being an artist on the GDD™ management team? I know we're stoked to have you on board, just means more good music and more rad shows.
BTxx: You honestly have no idea. The West coast is unmatched. Love it out here. And you guys are the center of good music. What more could I want?

GDD: Glad you're stoked bro, we are too! This is only the start even bigger things bro! GDD™ and BetaTraXx is a match made in heaven...
GDD: How do you feel about how fast music travels today online through blogs and such? Are you thankful for the Internets ability to really get your name and your music out there or do you think its turning into a plague? How do you think the blogs and aggregator sites like Hype Machine are changing the face of electronic music and all the people and events connected to it?
BTxx: I think blogs and the ability they have to share music is the best thing that ever happened to the music industry. Every person with a computer can sit down and undermined the crap that we hear on the radio. It is a network that promotes only good music and not music that has the most financial backing. That's why I am so excited every time someone posts my song. It isn't because I paid them or own a percentage of their blog, it is because they like the music they heard and are excited to share it with other people. That's the way the industry should be and I think it isn't going away any time soon.

GDD: Touche, we feel the exact same way. We're about the good music, financial backing NEEDS to take a back seat, we can't be brainwashing the generation and robbing them of the illest and stickiest beats around! Glad you feel that way...a lot of artists are bummed about loosing money through record sales, and record labels are becoming a thing of the past.

BTxx: Couldn't agree more. I think artists need to accept that music is going to be traded, remixed, and mashed up and embrace it instead of fighting it.

GDD: Were you a producer or DJ first? What programs and instruments are found on stage and in your studio.
BTxx: I was a producer wayyy before I even thought about DJing, even though nothing good came out until about a year ago. I really started way back with the first Pro Tools home rig, a Digi 001. Still today I use Pro Tools for almost everything. My production set up consist of a ton of Native Instrument soft synths, about 5 different guitar petals, a Roland Fantom X8, two random no named 90's synths, a trigger finger and that's about it. I don't even own a mouse. I really find that more gear is fun to mess around with but more often then not less is more.
As for my live show, that has really turned into a hybrid of old and new. I use M-Audio Torq DJ software with an Xponent midi controller and two Vinyl turn tables. It is a pain in the ass to set up when performing with other people, but it is worth it. I made it so I can loop, sample, cue, add FX, etc. Just like all the ableton Djs out there, but then I can seamlessly cut to the tables and scratch out a song like you've heard A-Trak do. It is a fun and versatile setup to play with.

GDD: Do you believe you've had your break yet? How do you envision your "break" if not yet.
BTxx: Since I can't think of one thing that would be considered a break I would have to say no. I have had some great things happen between shows and Internet promotion, but every step I've taken has been one step at a time building off a previous move I made. With the fluidity of the music industry now I think a ‘break' can only come from putting out a track so irresistible that everyone has to spread it around. But besides that I don't really believe in breaks because everything is progress. If you make good music it is only a matter of time, not luck.

GDD: What productions of yours up to this point are your favorite? What was it like slaving away in the studio on those tracks and then finally getting to hear them played at the club?
BTxx: I like this question. My studio work is very rarely ‘slaving away' because I get to experiment with techniques and plug ins in my own way. Who doesn't like to spin knobs and make cool sounds? Then hearing them on stage and knowning how I made them is something else.

BTxx: My favorite tracks I've made are ‘Foxtrot', my ‘Tell Me Why' remix and believe it or not my Kesha remix. Let me explain why. In Foxtrot I used a vocal technique I've been experimenting where the vocal repeats and then bends up and down using the digital distortion to create some real wild sounds. I've never heard anyone else do that before and I'm really happy how it turned out. Plus I like all the lyrics a lot. The ‘Tell Me Why' track I just like because the build up and fake drop make me laugh every time I hear it. And then there is the Kesha Remix. My Kesha remix actually samples 5 Bloody Beetroot songs with my own synth leading the way. It was definitely another experiment to see if I could combine Bloody Beetroots and Kesha. I think it worked.

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/foxtrot-ft-kendahl-gold

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/supermode-tell-me-why-redlight-remix

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/blah-blah-blah-redlight-remix

GDD: Why yes, it most certainly did! Your 4-song self-titled EP "BetaTraXx" just dropped. Describe this experience and what a listener should expect from the record. What are your thoughts about the first official release under your new name?
BTxx: I couldn't be happier with my first release. For starters I got LightsoverLA and Kids At The Bar to remix my track which I'm still stoked about (although I wanted John Roman to be the third remix). I took a lot of time on ‘Foxtrot' ever little blip and synth was constructed just for that track (obviously I guess), but I really took a lot of time making everything work together so that 4 different synth sounds can be playing at once but you only hear the song as a whole. Also I couldn't be happier with the lyrics and the way Kendahl sung them. Every line just reminds me of a different aspect of the music I listen to and culture I enjoy.

GDD: Kendahl has a rad voice! Where did you find her?? What can we as listeners look out for in the future? Any awesome collaborations or original material poppin' out any time soon...we're ansy.
BTxx: Yeah Kendahl rocks. She was just a good friend of mine in Boston. As for new tracks, make music all day every day. I have easily 100 tracks that I will never let anyone hear. I am working on two tracks at the moment though that are definitely going to be released. The first is a remix of Kelis' '4th of July', but more importantly I am working on an original that is just about done that is going to blow everyone away. It is not like any of my past stuff, but is very single worthy. Here, I have a demo on my computer, take a listen

GDD: Jeesus that track is dope! (check back on GDD for the official exclusive release along with stems for all you producers out there!) Would you rather wear a permanent life jacket or a helmet for the rest of your life?
BTxx: Does the helmet have a facemask? Because if so that would be much more helpful then a lifejacket. I've been head banging way to many times and smacked my jaw right into the back of another guys head.

GDD: Who would you say had the biggest influence on bringing the electronic scene to where it is today? Who have you personally been most influenced by? Who did you grow up listening to, and who are your favorite artists now?
BTxx: Daft Punk is undoubtedly the king of electro. They were making funky cut nu-disco electro while I was sitting on my ass watching Rugrats. Second to them is of course Justice. My influences are very different though. I grew up always liking techno in one way or another, but I listened to mainly punk rock and ska when I was younger. I still love listening to old NOFX/Offspring tracks, or if it is a nice day I'll definitely put on some Pepper.
My introduction to electro though came in the form of my freshman year roommate who got me listening to Van She Tech, Kill The Noise, Designer Dugs, Le Castle Vania, LA Riots, and all those electro names that were making really original stuff a few years back (not to say they are not now making amazing music). What I liked about those artists are that each of their tracks are so detailed and thought through. So much music is repetitive and boring and I love the tracks that clearly took them forever to make and use sounds that are way beyond present number 4 on their micro korg.

GDD: If you could collaborate and work with anyone who would it be and why?
BTxx: Right now I definitely would pick Deadmau5. Even if the track never got released I would die to spend a week with him in his studio. Love him or hate him (I don't know why you would hate him) his production sounds are unmatched. If you are a DJ you know that when you play any Deadmau5 track on a loud PA system, no track sounds deeper or bassier yet clear and crisp at the same time. Wolfgang Gartner would definitely be a close second though.

GDD: Would you prefer a huge festival playing for 10's of thousands of people, or a small intimate setting?
BTxx: One of my favorite things to do is play small electro shows where people are coming on up the stage trying to get my attention for pictures and what not, but who can turn down a the sound and light show of a 10 + thousand person show?

GDD: Any advice you'd like to give to the youngins out there hoping to rip our eardrums out in musical harmony, tear holes in our all-stars, and make us dance till dawn?
BTxx: I really believe that success is only a matter of the time put in. Every track I make is better produced then the last, and they're only going to get better. If you spend the time making your own music how you want to do it having the patients to spin knobs, press buttons, and yes even read the manuals, something good will comes out and it wont be someone else's sound.

GDD: And of course, do you Dance Dirty?
BTxx: I'm the worst. I can't tell if I'm a good dancer or a shit dancer but I live and breathe techno music morning and night so hell yes I do.

GDD: Thanks again for taking the time to sit down with us bruv. We really appreciate it and can't wait for all the glory to be attached to your name in the future!

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/la-bass

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/david-guetta-love-dont-let-me-go-betatraxx-remix-formerly-redlight

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/federico-franchi-cream-redlight-remix

Live Radio Mix:

http://soundcloud.com/theredlightremixes/6-min-radio-add-mix

BetaTraxx - Foxtrot Promo from anthony mai on Vimeo.

And of coarse, the new hotness to go with the video:
• BetaTraXx (formerly Redlight) - Foxtrot ft. Kendahl Gold

Find the stems below:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ngztdzzkzmj

For Northern America booking contact: deez@gottadancedirty.com

Arctic Monkeys @ Explanda del Estadio Azteca. Photo: monophonic.grrrl / Mariel A. M., flickr

“Ask the indie professor” is the name of a new series in the Guardian. The indie professor in question is Wendy Fonarow. At a music festival she was recently introduced as “the world’s only professor of indie music”.

“I’m not sure if I’m the only indie professor, but I’ve spent the last 18 years recording, examining and writing about the culture of indie and the international music industry”, Wendy Fonorow writes in her opening post. Her book “Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Music” tackles questions such as “Why are drummers the most ridiculed band members?”, she adds.

The readers of this new series are invited to ask questions. “So if you are curious about why cassettes are the new vinyl, or whatever else takes your fancy, here is your chance to ask”, she writes. “And please someone ask me about why Americans think they invented indie.”

After one day, there are already more than 250 comments.

The Guardian presented her book two years ago.

Here is what she according to the Guardian writes about indie culture and religion:

“Religious narratives show up in all expressive forms, from politics to music. I see a lot of the religious narrative of Puritanism in the indie music scene; the idea that, to have the pure divine experience, it has to be direct and unmediated. So the smaller and more intimate a show is, the ‘truer’ fans believe their experience was, compared to someone who saw them later on in a bigger venue. That’s why so many people claim to have seen the Sex Pistols at the 100 Club. You can also find the aesthetic of Puritanism in the way indie people present themselves, such as childlike clothing, this idea of returning to the golden age of childhood or the musical past.”

Or here about music as ethnicity:

One of my ex-students once said ‘music is my ethnicity’. People want to find other people who are like-minded so instead of finding their ethnic identity through birth they find it through aesthetic preferences and that becomes their identity. For each one of those music movements, there are modes of display. Desmond Morris talked about how different earrings can signify where you are in the age grade of certain tribes in central Africa. To outsiders these displays are subtle or hard to notice at all.”

Interesting! But it seems the anthropologist is extremely fond of theory and might tend to over-analyse her informants. Here is how the Guardian begins the presentation:

Remember that time you were crowd surfing at an Arctic Monkeys gig and thought you were just having a drunken laugh? Rubbish! You were, in fact, being “collaborative in a unique social space, expressing super-intimacy with strangers and rejecting the self-aggrandising that comes with stage-diving”. Oh yes you were. And that time you were standing at the bar and thought you were just, well, thirsty? Not at all: you were probably just “proving your credentials as an industry professional” or “communicating to others a disinterest in the act”.

These are the theories of professor Wendy Fonarow, anthropologist at UCLA in California and the author of Empire Of Dirt: The Aesthetics And Rituals Of British Indie Music.

Her book has received a lot of positive reviews, while Pichfork reviewer William Bower is less convined by the book and its language. Check also Wendy Fonarow’s website at http://www.indiegoddess.com/

SEE ALSO:

”Eurovision produces a new form of unity”

Hindi Film Songs and the Barriers between Ethnomusicology and Anthropology

Reggae, Punk and Death Metal: An Ethnography from the unknown Bali

Multimedia Music Ethnography of Yodelling and Alphorn Blowing

“Pop culture is a powerful tool to promote national integration”

Today's Midweek Music Preview brings you quite the selection: Shanghai-bred punk rock, Canada-bred laid-back rock, old-time banjo infused with traditional Chinese folk, old-time banjo in authentic American country, electronic revivals from Germany and Canada, and a marathon DJ session. You can't really go wrong with this week's roundup, so have a good time and thank us later.

THURSDAY: Impact @ Yuyintang, Abigail Washburn @ Glamour Bar

Start your weekend a little early with some punk rock at Yuyintang, courtesy of Impact and their last Shanghai show. Founded by students from Shanghai's German school, Impact has made the rounds of Shanghai bars and clubs since 2008, steadily building a following. Get there at 9pm for a chance to also enjoy their supporting acts Orange, Viva Engine and DJ French Kiss. Entrance is 40 rmb.
1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, 延安西路1731号

With her special blend of old-time banjo-driven folk and traditional Chinese folk songs, which she sings in both English and Mandarin, Abigail Washburn and her banjo head to Glamour Bar accompanied by some of her friends: Bryn Davies on bass, Kai Welch on guitar/keyboards/trumpet, Jamie Dick on drums/percussion and Rob Hecht playing the fiddle. It's an unlikely fusion of genres that might introduce you to your new favorite music. Starts at 10pm, no cover charge.
6/F, Five on the Bund, 20 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu 广东路20号，外滩五号6楼，近中山东一路

FRIDAY: Two Girls One Club @ LOgO, Caribou @ Zhijiang Dream Factory

S.T.D. presents Two Girls One Club at LOgO, featuring Jasmina Maschina and Heidi Mortenson. The two Berlin-based female solo artists bring their own individual sound that defies the conventional boundaries of music. Heidi Mortenson (originally from Denmark) is described as creating colorful and textured soulful electronics, while Jasmina Maschina is known for her classic yet unidentifiable folk music. A Berlin review explained that there's always "another hypnotic layer" to her sound. The two artists will also be supported by DJs R3, Adept and Lin Feng. Starts at 10pm, cover 30 rmb. 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu 幸福路13号，近法华镇路

Catch Dan Snaith and Caribou at the Dream Factory for the group's "disco-fueled electronic revival." Their new album "Swim" is packed with expertly constructed, rave-tinged sounds that sting the soul, and they were handpicked by the Flaming Lips to perform at New York's All Tomorrow's Parties festival last year. Expect surprise opening acts and video elements incorporated into the show. RMB 80 (student) / RMB 130 (presale) / RMB 150 (door) / Presale (cash only) @ SplitWorks office Suite 2A, 100 Fuxing Xi Lu (near Yongfu Lu). B4/F, 28 Yuyao Lu, 余姚路28号B4楼

SATURDAY: Jets Overhead @ Yuyintang, The Redbucks @ Mao Livehouse, Acid Pony Club @ Tara 57

Canadian indie rock group Jets Overhead is back after their successful tour with TransmitChina in 2009. Re-introducing Shanghai to their self-described "laid-back atmospheric rock [and] road trip music," Jets Overheard are being joined by rockers Pairs at Yuyintang this Saturday, thanks to Splitworks. Starts at 9pm, cover is 40 rmb. 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, 延安西路1731号

For those aching for some live bluegrass, old-time, and country music, it simply doesn't get any more authentic than The Redbucks. Performing their down-home repertoire of American roots music for over a year now, this ensemble of fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, standup bass and sweet, soul-wilting harmonies has made them one of Beijing's most in-demand bands. To celebrate the recent release of their first album, All That Glitters, consisting of 13 original songs, the band will be embarking on their first China tour from June 30th through July 10th. See them at Mao Livehouse at 9pm. Pre-sale 60 rmb, 80 rmb at the door. 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu 淮海西路570号, 近红桥路

Acid Pony Club is back with another marathon session at Tara 57, "Real Ponies Don't Sleep #3". From 7am to 7pm, Laura and Clement will be on the decks, spinning 12 hours of musical anything. No cover. 2/F, 57 Fuxing Xi Lu, near Yongfu Lu 复兴西路57号2楼, 近永福路

The Subway Sect’s Vic Godard takes the Dazed Digital questionnaire about the late Malcolm McLaren



Formed in 1976, Subway Sect managed to enter the Olympus of punk rock thanks to that long gone Monday evening in September of the same year, when they played the first night of that two days stint passed to the history of music as the Punk Festival at The 100 Club in London. Their line up included Vic Godard on vocals, Paul Myers on bass and Rob Symmons on guitar. That night, right after Subway Sect, there were two other bands, The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Mark Perry’s fanzine Sniffin' Glue hailed Subway Sect as “real punks,” writing in a review of their first gig, “The Subway Sect hit the stage first and had all the intellectual wimpeys cringing in horror and yapping about how the band co... article continues »

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Shanghaiist lists all the live music performances you might want to check out from now to Sunday this week. For fun things that aren't live music, take a peek at our Pencil This In (out every Monday!)

Things are slowly picking up after the end of the JUE Festival, but it still feels like a pretty slow live music scene this week. The highlight, for us, is Thursday's fundraiser at Kaiba - head on over to that Belgian beer garden for a night with Break for Borneo, amongst other acts. And the best thing - it's in support of The Library Project's efforts to build at least one new library in Anhui. Let's see whether we can make it more.

Elsewhere, the music scene is taking a delightfully African-influenced turn this week, with performances by Senegalese percussionist Latyr Sy, and Shanghai's Afro-Beat Orchestra playing sounds from that great continent. Other cultural melodies in store are from Chinese folk musician Zhang Quan.

WEDNESDAY

South Carolina pop punk band Eleventyseven swing by China before heading to Japan's Punk Spring festival. They'll be playing at Yuyintang tonight; if, like us, you hadn't heard of them before this, swing by their MySpace page and give them a try.
7:30 PM, Yuyintang, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, Changning, entrance at Kaixuan Lu, 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.

THURSDAY

We've mentioned it in Pencil This In, but this is worth repeating: Kaiba is hosting 'Inspired Living, Inspiring Lives', a live music charity event to raise money and collect books for at least one new library in Anhui, run by The Library Project, a great NGO that donates books and libraries to under-financed schools and orphanages in China and the developing world. Tonight features live music from Break for Borneo, Kate Lewis & Friends, Dantès Dailiang, and Ulys. Entry is either with the donation of three Chinese-language children's books (from kindergarten level to age six), or RMB 40 if you come without books. Either way, you get a free beers, and all proceeds from ticket sales goes towards The Library Project.
7 PM, Kaiba (The Belgian Beer Garden), 739 Dingxi Lu, south of Yan'an Xi Lu, 定西路739号, 近延安西路.

Chinese folk musician and painter Zhang Quan (张佺) performs at Yuyintang tonight. Zhang spent his childhood in rural Gansu and Qinghai listening to the popular folk music of Northwest China, and has released two recordings of his live shows around the country. He'll be entertaining us with a Chinese instrument called dongbu la, and the harmonica.
9 PM, Yuyintang, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, Changning, entrance at Kaixuan Lu, 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.

FRIDAY

Ever wanted to hear Senegalese music? Then it's a good thing Latyr Sy is performing at Mural. This accomplished singer and djembe player from Goree, Senegal (and now based in Tokyo) has performed with international artists Mamady Keita, Rico Rodrigeuz and Leyona, covering folk, Latin, jazz, rock and other music genres. Tonight, he gives an exclusive performance alongside local DJs V-Nutz, Shige and Cavia and live band Jammala. Cover is RMB 100, with open bar.
10 PM, Mural Bar, 697 Yongjia Lu near Hengshan Lu, 永嘉路697号 近衡山路.

Tonight at Glamour Bar sees Shanghai's only ten-piece Afro-beat orchestra performing music influenced by the sounds of Africa. Leading the field will be the city's favorite trumpeter Theo Croker, joined by vocalist Gilbert Kuppusami. No cover.
9 PM, The Glamour Bar: 6/F, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu. 中山东一路5号6楼, 近广东路.

It's 'Press 1 for English' night, where Stegosaurus?, Jehosaphat Blow & the Blah Blah Blahs, and Fingers Dancing tear up Live Bar with garage rock and indie. Cover is RMB 30.
9 PM, Live Bar, 721 Kunming Lu, Yangpu District, near Tongbei Lu, 杨浦区昆明路721号, 近通北路.

SATURDAY

It's another Good Jive! session at Yuyintang, with a full line-up of hot local talent: Duck Fight Goose, Rainbow Danger Club, The Fever Machine, The Beat Bandits, and Pairs. Expect an eclectic night of rock music, ranging from experimental to progressive, stoner, garage and pop. Cover is RMB 40.
9 PM, Yuyintang, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, Changning, entrance at Kaixuan Lu, 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.

LOgO hosts 'Evil Voodoo' night with a 'voodooesque' dress code. Wrap yourself in black and come out for a night of heavy bass beats, a live music set from Shanghai-based duo MnO Show, and possibly some free Jaeger shots. Cover is RMB 20.
10 PM, LOgO, 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu, 幸福路13号, 近法华镇路.

Date: Apr 1st 2010 7:08p.m.
Contributed by: stonebanks

Every Thursday, the Beijing Weekender distills City Weekend's database of nightlife events down to the weekend parties, concerts and live shows that you simply can't miss.

FRIDAY

• Shackleton at Yugong Yishan: Shackleton commands colossal basslines and whiplashes of intricate percussion as he carves through dub, dubstep, drum 'n' bass and grime-y rhythms.
• Ruiner at MAO Live House: This veteran Baltimore-based hardcore outfit performs its punk anthems, which are as catchy as they are angry.
• Teng Boon at Punk: The classic Hong Kong DJ brings his infectious techno and electro sounds back to Punk alongside the indomitable DJ Saul.
• Psychedelic Circus at Kokomo: GoaProductions is back with another evening of psychedelic black-light visuals and mind-liberating psytrance beats.

SATURDAY

• Reverse Polarity at 2 Kolegas: Tag Team Records celebrates the ultimate indie media: the cassette with three tape-only releases and live performances from Arrows Made of Desire, Kodiak Island and Richard Todd.
• New Pants + DH and the Chinese Hellcats at Yugong Yishan: The Hellcats, Beijing's hottest indie swing band, rocks the stage and dance floor with New Pants, Retros and Bigger Bang.
• Inigo Kennedy at Lantern: With nearly 100 releases under his belt, DJ-producer Inigo Kennedy celebrates the release of his latest EP, China Rising.
• Chun Qiu Unplugged at Jianghu Jiuba: Fronted by Yang Meng on vocals and Kaiser Kuo on guitar, this esteemed local rock outfit brings it down just a little for an acoustic session.
• JUE | Music + Art Festival : Ólafur Arnalds at Star Live: This 24-year-old Icelandic composer weaves slow meandering piano with lush synths and drum beats, fusing classical, pop and electronic music.

SUNDAY

• Ma Mu Er at Jianghu Jiuba: Hailing from Xinjiang, this consummate folk performer crafts folk music gems on guitar, mandolin and vocals.
• Reggaeton Night at Tang Micheng: Tang Club mixes is up at ...

Loyd Grossman, the sober-suited TV foodie, is reinventing himself as a punk. Dave Simpson reports

Loyd Grossman had just finished a gig when a girl came up to him and asked: "Are you really Loyd Grossman?" When he said he was, she asked him to talk to her for a few minutes, so that she could check. He sighs and says: "After a while, she turned to her boyfriend and said, 'It's not him.' And she just walked off."

He sounds crestfallen, but it's an understandable mistake. Grossman is best known as the ex-host of such TV staples as Masterchef and Through the Keyhole, and for his own range of cooking sauces. His name is synonymous with sober suits, sensible hair, charity work and museums. But it seems we're going to have to start thinking of him as a guitar-wielding axe hero, part of a band called the New Forbidden, who spout in-yer-face punk. Blasterchef, you could call him – since he's cropped his barnet, donned a leather jacket and has been hitting the stages of proper music venues, like London's 100 Club.

"We keep getting asked back," says Grossman. "So I'm assuming people actually like it." OK, his famously elongated transatlantic vowels haven't yet metamorphosed into a Johnny Rotten sneer, but is playing guitar in a punk band any way for a 59-year-old with an OBE to behave? "Of course!" he says. "It's wonderful."

Grossman's shift from chilli sauce to spicy punk isn't as unlikely as it may seem. Before he became a celebrity, Grossman was the guitarist and leader of Jet Bronx and the Forbidden. In fact, he was Jet Bronx. "I wanted something jokily American," he says of the name. The band even had a hit single in 1977, punk's "year zero". Ain't Doin' Nothin', a homage to laziness that he admits is ironic considering his subsequent successes, may have only limped to No 49, but this didn't stop a promoter ringing him up two years ago with a request: bring back Jet Bronx. Gigs followed, and now an album, also called Ain't Doin' Nothin', is out this month.

It all seemed like a non-starter two years ago, though. The band had scattered, but Grossman was playing guitar again. And, as he says, "If you're playing electric guitar, you can't play in your bedroom. You need to form a band." So a new lineup emerged featuring a few pals, including a singer called Valentine Guinness. The next thing they knew, they were playing the world's biggest punk festival, the notorious Rebellion in Blackpool, alongside bands and singers with names such as Stinky Turner and Conflict and the Dickies.

"It was pretty hardcore," says Grossman, of sharing a dressing room with people whose names suggest anarchy or, worse, flatulence. "But all those punks have got children now and they're actually quite cuddly." Grossman knows as much about rock as he does about cuisine. He started playing guitar as a 12-year-old growing up in Boston, which was at the hub of the US rock scene in the 1960s and 70s.

While an undergraduate (in history), Grossman became a rock journalist for underground magazines. By the time his work was appearing in Rolling Stone, he was constantly at gigs. "You could see the original Fleetwood Mac three nights in a row," he says. "Or Led Zeppelin. It was wonderful."

After spending most of his teens and early 20s as an "unsuccessful guitarist or slightly more successful writer", Grossman decamped to the London School of Economics, but found himself spending as much time in the city's legendary Marquee Club, getting into Deep Purple, the Nice, King Crimson, and the band he affectionately calls "the Tull" (as in Jethro). The Tull's singer Ian Anderson, he recalls, played flute standing on one leg wearing a codpiece. "They were bombastic even then," says Grossman, explaining why he soon switched to seeing emerging bands like the Clash and the Damned.

He says his band is "more indie/garage", but he struggles to explain their sound. Perhaps cooking terminology can help. So, if the New Forbidden were a sauce, what would they be? "Puttanesca," he says, quick as a flash. Puttanesca, which means whorish in Italian, is a gutsy sauce that includes tomatoes, anchovies, chilli and olives. There is certainly a punky naughtiness to the album. One song, Let's Play Lovers, contains the lyric: "If you provide the skin, I'll bring the Ambre Solaire."

But Grossman insists his rock rebelliousness has limits. "I'm not going to dye my hair or squeeze into a sequin jumpsuit," he says. "Although there was one gig where I forgot to wear socks."

The album Ain't Doin' Nothin' is out on Gas Records on 19 April. The New Forbidden play the Halfmoon, London SW15, on 14 April. Details: 020-8780 9383.

Oh boy, what a weekend. Besides seeing off SILF and getting crazy with JUE, there's also a couple of Zuloo performances (both in Panto and improv forms) and an 8km run!

Want more to do? Maybe there's a music act you'll like from our Midweek Music Preview.

FRIDAY

Zuloo Productions is coming at us with another Panto performance: This time, watch the magical tale of Aladdin and his genie get the Zuloo Panto treatment. Ticket prices are 150RMB Adult, 100 RMB Student (age 12 - 18), 50RMB Child (under 12) and you can reserve them at tickets (@) zuloo.co.uk. If you miss them tonight, there's the chance to catch them on Saturday (at both 2pm and 6pm) and Sunday (at 2pm)

7PM to 9PM, Shanghai Community International School (Pudong Lower School Campus) 800 Xiuyan Road on the corner of Hunan Lu and Xiuyan Lu

New York Times bestselling author, Scott Turow, discusses the legal who-dunnit, the craft of writing, and what it means to be an author in the 21st century. A practicing lawyer besides author, Turow "will look at issues that include a brave new publishing world (with Kindle), the Authors Guild suit against Google, intellectual property and IPR, and his steadfast belief that the novel will never die." ¥65, includes one drink

6PM, Glamour Bar, 6/F 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu near Guangdong Lu (中山东一路5号6楼 近广东路)

Love Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Madonna? Why not warble to them with a like-minded crowd at ShanghaiLGBT's So You Think You Can Sing event? It's KTV Nite at The Box and they've got over 5000 songs in Chinese and English. Load up on some liquid courage with 15RMB Tsingtaos.

9PM onwards. The Box, Basement Level, 10 Hengshan Lu near Yongjia Lu (衡山路10号进永嘉路)

Trippple Nippples the Japanese electro group with way too many Ps in their name will be bringing their "quirky" synth melodies and performance art vocals to YYT for the JUE Festival. 50RMB cover.

9PM, Yuyintang, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu), 延安西路1731号 (入口在凯旋路)

Then at 1am, head over to the Shelter for a dose of Optimo. DJ Twitch and DJ Wilkes will be spinning the decks with everything from punk to electro to 50s swing music. 70RMB cover.

1AM, The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Lu (永福路5号 近复兴路)

SATURDAY

Author Shamini Flint writes books for kids in Asia, which includes an environmental series on endangered Asian animals. She will read from Panda Packs Her Bags, a story about a cute panda who needs to pack her bags and leave her bamboo forest home. Free.

10AM to 11AM, Glamour Bar, 6/F 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu near Guangdong Lu (中山东一路5号6楼 近广东路)

Landscape architect Christoph Valentien talks about the creation of the Chenshan Botanical Garden, 35 theme parks across 200 hectares of land, which will be featured at the Expo. ¥65, includes one drink.

11AM to 12AM, Glamour Bar, 6/F 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu near Guangdong Lu (中山东一路5号6楼 近广东路)

Japanese artist Miyuki Akiyama's debut solo show in China, "Daytime Eats Night" starts tonight with an opening reception from 6pm to 9pm! Miyuki’s oil paintings are "beautiful dreamlike landscapes inhabited by lots of forest creatures and wild animals, the paintings border on the abstract and the surreal and leave plenty to the imagination to conjure up the meanings behind them." The show itself will run til April 25th.

6PM to 9PM, Andrew James Art, 39 Maoming Bei Lu 茂名北路39号

Zuloo SMACK is doing a charity event for American Women's Club Shanghai (AWCS) at Sound Blue on March 20, 8:30pm. Taking their lead from the legendary ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’, Zuloo Smack bring their amazing talent to bear on a huge variety of improvised comic situations. Witness a scene of foreigners and local Chinese performing the scene YOU command! All of the 100RMB entry fee will go to the Grameen Foundation.

8:30PM to 10PM, Sound Blue, No. 107 Sinan Lu near Taikang Lu 思南路107号进泰康路

In one of the silliest sounding JUE shows (and we mean that in a good way), Dead Elvis & His One Man Grave will be doing a tribute to the King of Rock at LOgO. Opening acts: The Broken Picks, Jehosaphat Blow & The blah blah blahs, DJ Sacco, and Photon Fuckin' Torpedoes

9PM, LOgO, 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. 幸福路13号, 近法华镇路

SUNDAY

Feel like exercising? The annual Jinqiao 8K run is this Sunday. Runners will start at the Pinghe School in Jinqiao, making a loop and finishing back where they began. Watch over 5,000 runners get all breathless and sweaty! For a good cause!

8AM, Shanghai Pinghe School, No.261 Huangyang Road in Jinqiao, Pudong

After the race, go to the After Party at Big Bamboo. 75RMB will include one free draft beer/soft drink and either a pizza, a burger, a chicken caesar wrap or a tuna melt.

10am to 4pm, Big Bamboo, 381 Hongfeng Lu in Jinqiao, Pudong

Oh yeah, and don't forget about the 10 kuai pet clothes sale! A host of goodies for your dog will be on sale by the SCAA. Find out more info here.

11AM to 2PM, LuShan Framing & Interiors, 1509 Zhongshanxi Lu near Wuzhong Lu

March 3

Bob Mould
Except for Hüsker Dü and his DJ/club alter-ego Blowoff, I’ve seen singer-guitarist Bob Mould live in virtually all of his musical incarnations—solo electric (at JC Dobbs circa 1990’s Black Sheets of Rain), solo acoustic with his ’90s
alt-rock trio Sugar, and, lately, with his Bob Mould Band, a blistering combo that includes Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. Without fail they’ve all been incredible shows, even if his recorded output over the past couple decades has been hit-or-miss. Fortunately, Mould’s recent Life and Times is one of his better solo offerings. Whether or not he brings a backing band tonight, he’ll most certainly play a career-spanning set that includes plenty of Hüsker classics. -Michael Alan Goldberg

8pm. $25-$35. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles is the godfather of black cinema, and is still pushing his creative limits even as he pushes 78-years-old. The director of 1971’s swaggeringly awesome Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song returns to Philly this week to promote his first graphic novel. It’s an illustrated retelling of his last film, Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha, the tale of an over-sexed ghetto Odysseus in search of love in all the wrong places. And with it, Peebles adds “illustrator” to his insane litany of roles—director, actor, Broadway producer, musician and novelist (in two languages). If there was a white artist as important, unclassifiable and uncompromising as this still making great stuff in his eighth decade, he’d be blown nightly
on Charlie Rose. But no fear: You get to hear
the man speak uncensored at the closing ceremony for Temple’s Oscar Micheaux Film Festival, chatting about whatever he damn pleases. -Tom Cowell

6pm. Free. Ritter Hall, Temple University, N. 13th St. and W. Montgomery Ave. omfilmfestival.com

Taryn Simon
Taryn Simon has seen shit you wouldn’t even believe. For her 2007 project, “An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar,” The New York Times Magazine photog and Guggenheim fellow talked her way into a variety of top-secret, peeping previously unseen items, including the cryopreservation unit holding the bodies of the mother and first wife of cryonics pioneer, Robert Ettinger, as well as a Braille issue of Playboy created by the National Archives (it seems some folks really do read it just for the articles). Her quietly courageous works, which range from quirky and fun to deadly serious and sad, confront the divide between those with and without the privilege of access. Simon speaks tonight at the College of Physicians where she’ll show slides from her project. Hang out afterward for a reception and hope some of her creativity rubs off on you. -Erica Palan

6:30pm. Free. College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 S. 22nd St. 215.563.3737. collegeofphysicians.org

March 4

Sondre Lerche
Armed with instantly catchy acoustic and electric guitar melodies and thoughtful lyrics, 27-year-old Norwegian sensation Sondre Lerche is certainly easy on the ears. “Wait till you hear the refrain on my Heartbeat Radio,” he emanates on the ultra-fun title track on his most recent album. There’s no denying Lerche’s flair for the infectious chorus hook, but there’s a certain freshness in his evolved, varied vocal phrasing and instrumentation that often includes an assortment of strings, horns and keys behind his exuberant guitars. Some of Lerche’s finest songwriting came back in 2007 on the acoustic-heavy Dan In Real Life soundtrack, most notably on the yearning masterpiece “My Hands Are Shaking.” -Kevin Brosky

9pm. $20. With JBM. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Stories Behind the Species: Animals at Risk
Mass extinctions have happened from time to time (ever hear of dinosaurs?), but the elevated rates of extinction (100 to 1,000 times higher than the anticipated natural rate) we’re seeing these days, are, for the first time in history, our fault. We’re really screwing the pooch right now, and soon we’re going to kill it and all the pooches like it. Saint Joseph’s University biology professor Dr. Scott McRobert’s lecture, then, may serve two purposes. His discussion of the current causes of extinction and threats to animals and ecosystems should be a warning for Homo sapiens to treat the rest of the animal kingdom (and don’t forget plants!) a little better. McRobert is bringing along some endangered animals from his lab, which might be the last chance to see them in the flesh if we don’t shape up. -M.S.

5:30pm. Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W. Montgomery Ave. 215.763.6529. wagnerfreeinstitute.org

March 5

RJD2
Under the banner of his own just-established label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, Philly DJ/producer supreme RJD2—the man behind the Mad Men theme—is back with his fourth proper LP, The Colossus. It’s a “career overview” of sorts—filled with killer breakbeats, horn-heavy heist-flick grooves, darkly textured hip-hop, psychedelic pop and more. With a full band in tow and a few gadgets at the ready (including a rotating belt sampler/sequencer thingy he recently showed us), RJ’s well able to inject spirit and spontaneity into tunes old and new in the live setting, certainly better than most beatmakers and turntablists out there. -M.A.G.

8pm. $15. With Break Science + Happy Chichester. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Indie Comic Release Party
Local cartoonist Box Brown stops by Brave New Worlds to celebrate the release of his new book, Everything Dies, a six-part comic anthology about the ongoing struggle between man and his maker. Brown chronicles the lives of battered disciples throughout history, from the Alpha to the Omega and Job’s countless trials between. Both here and in his regularly syndicated web comic Bellen!, Brown plucks simple truths from everyday chaos and anxiety. Charles Schulz famously equated happiness to a warm puppy. For Brown, a cat sprawled on his desk might inspire existentialist insight or profound ennui. But like agonizing over a Buddhist koan for the better part of an afternoon, it’s all good grief in the end. These are pure comics, simple gestures with a lot to say. Brown’s original artwork will remain on display in the Brave New Worlds lobby through March.  -Paul F. Montgomery

6-9pm. Free. Brave New Worlds, 45 N. Second St. 215.925.6525. bravenewworldscomics.com

March 6

Justin Townes Earle + Joe Pug
Nashville country-folk crooner Justin Townes Earle sings of deep heartache (“Ain’t been the same since I lost my pretty Angeline”) in his distinctivly deep drawl. Earle’s intimate acoustic ballads float sweetly through the air, making for a good late-night soundtrack that would please both his dad (Steve Earle) and namesake (Townes Van Zandt). Folkster Joe Pug’s “Hymn 101” is a masterful acoustic ode even Dylan could appreciate. "And I've come to be untroubled in my seaking/And I've come to see that nothing is for naught/I've come to reach out blind/To reach forward and behind/For the more I seek, the more I'm sought," he sings. Both songwriters make the occasional use of the swelling country slide guitar and stick true to their roots. -Kevin Brosky

9pm. $12. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Red Bowl 2010
You’re a victimized biker, succumbed to the irrational road rage of bike-lane-parking, no-turn-signaling, ignorant-door-opening drivers. What to do? Smash their windshield with a bowling ball, of course. Sure, the officials behind this Bicycle Coalition fundraiser might not be able to officially sanction what you do with the 10-pounders once you get outside. But we’ll certainly look the other way if the balls go flying. Should you choose to remain inside and display your bike pride more peacefully, admission gets you free bowling all afternoon, music, raffle tickets and more. Drivers may be cocky when they’re surrounded by two tons of steel, but let’s see how they feel when we take them out of their vehicles, array them in rows and send bikers toward them at top speed. Strike! -Jeffrey Barg

2-6pm. $10-$15. North Bowl, 909 N. Second St. 215.238.2695. bicyclecoalition.org/redbowlmusic

March 7

Chuck Prophet
A perennial entry on the “best overlooked” lists, Chuck Prophet—singer, guitar slinger and former Green on Red frontman—has now released 11 solo albums and collaborated with Americana greats Lucinda Williams, Jim Dickinson and Alejandro Escovedo. His latest effort, Let Freedom Ring!, was recorded in Mexico City at the height of the H1N1 frenzy
in an Eisenhower-era studio with longtime
collaborators Tom Ayres, Rusty Miller and Boom Carter. Christgau gave the disc an honorable mention and observed, “Things
are so bad out there that the Amerindie old-timer ups and writes ‘political songs for nonpolitical people.’” About time someone did. -Jennifer Kelly

7:30pm. $19.50. With John Francis. Sellersville Theater. Main and Temple sts., Sellersville. 215.257.5808. st94.com

March 8

WOMEN: An International Women’s Day Exhibition
Leave it to America to try to overshadow a worldwide attempt to do something good. March 8—that’s International Women’s Day to you, buddy—was first observed in 1909. Seventy-two years later, Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women’s History Week and six years after that, white dudes in suits extended the celebration for the entire month of March. We’ll leave the anti-American preaching at the door, though, and give you the deets on a great way to honor women and support local arts. International House hosts a weeklong exhibit—which kicks off with a reception tonight—featuring work from members of the Women’s Caucus for Art’s Philly chapter. Peep pieces by local artists, including Bonnie MacAllister, Marcelle Pachnowski, Sonia Sherrod and Michelle Wilson. The exhibit is presented in conjunction with One Book, One Philadelphia, so if you haven’t done your required city reading, now’s the time to dust off your copy of Persepolis. -E.P.

7pm. Free. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org

March 9

Washed Out + Small Black
New kid on the blog Washed Out (Ernest Greene from Georgia) has been riding the new wave of acts to watch with his drowsy bedroom pop since the September release of his EP Life of Leisure. Backing him live is his veritable Siamese twin, Brooklyn’s Small Black, whose danceable lo-fi sound takes little from their namesake. The two recently overlapped one another on a remix album, and this should make for an interestingly collaborative performance—Greene’s layering of warm synths and woozy vocals (his first cassette-only EP was appropriately titled High Times) over '80s-throwback beats, they’ll bring a hazy summer sound to Philly when we need it most. -Ellen Freeman

7pm. $10. With Pictureplane. Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave. 215.634.7400. r5productions.com

Pierced Arrows
Back in 2006, then-58-year-old singer-guitarist Fred Cole and his wife of more than 40 years, bassist Toody Cole, decided to end Dead Moon—the long-running, cult Pacific Northwest garage-punk outfit with country-rock overtones that had influenced (and been revered by) many a rocker over the past couple decades. But after a few months retired from the rock ’n’ roll life, the Coles (like Brett Favre) got the itch to play again, and formed Pierced Arrows along with drummer dude Kelly Halliburton. The result? A raw, gritty, punkish, sometimes bluesy, and soulful attack not far removed from the Dead Moon sound. A wonderful thing, indeed—long may the Coles roam. -M.A.G.

8pm. $10. With Lullaby Arkestra + Love City. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com

Le Rue des Faux
The Azuka Theatre continues their 10th-anniversary celebration with a staged reading of the company’s inaugural show Le Rue des Faux. Adapted by Azuka’s founder Raelle Myrick-Hodges from James Baldwin’s celebrated novel Giovanni’s Room, the play debuted in 1999 under Myrick-Hodges perceptive direction.  Now the artistic director of the much-talked-about BRAVA Theater in San Francisco, Myrick-Hodges returns to Philly to direct the reading. In the play, David, engaged to a woman, grapples with his homosexuality and in particular his attraction to the handsome Giovanni. A fluid, poetic work that immediately established Azuka as one of the area’s most enterprising companies, the reading boasts an impressive cast of Azuka vets including Tyler Melchior and current Azuka producing director Kevin Glaccum, who are reprising their fine performances as the boy-loving Jacques (Melchior) and the deliciously wicked Guillaume (Glaccum). -J. Cooper Robb

7pm. Free. Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St. 215.733.0255. azukatheatre.org


Anti-Bestiality Educational Awareness Outreach Charity Mixer and Heavy Metal Dance Party
Every so often a press release arrives that is just too bizarro to keep to ourselves. Some gems from this one: “While millions of Americans take pleasure from there [sic] pets, an alarming and growing number take pleasure—from their pets ... The Video Circus is getting out the word through joyous fun, happy laughter and psychotic mayhem ... Head to Bob & Barbara’s for a wholesome evening of burlesque girls, drag queens, demented DJs and more ... Free admission to anyone wearing clown makeup or animal costumes.” Not convinced? Try this tidbit from the organizers’ website: “Free cold hotdogs on a stick to the first 25 stamped people at the door.” After briefly considering that this could be a hoax, we searched for their email address, which was accompanied by the line, “NO! IT’S NOT A JOKE.” We’re still not convinced, but even if we fell for this elaborate scam, a night at Bob & Barbara’s ain’t the worst way to spend a Tuesday evening. -E.P.

10pm. $3. Bob & Barbara’s, 1509 South St. 215.545.4511. myspace.com/bobandbarbaras

Jenny OwensYoungs
Waifish, long-haired, her delicate face fringed with bangs, Jenny Owen Youngs looks like a folk-rock ingénue. Graceful at a whisper, she can insinuate vulnerability, as in the scratchy, touchy lead-in to last year’s “Clean Break.” Give the girl a guitar, though, and stand back. She’s a rocker apt to let loose with a primal, country wail, or coax a withering blues run out of her guitar. Late in the show, she’ll head for the covers—an oddball mash-up of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Nelly’s “Hot in Here” for one, and possibly, nods to pop divas Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé. -J.K.

9pm. $10. With Bess Rogers + Allison Weiss. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

BOB MOULD
Except for Hüsker Dü and his DJ/club alter-ego Blowoff, I’ve seen singer-guitarist Bob Mould live in virtually all of his musical incarnations—solo electric (at JC Dobbs circa 1990’s Black Sheets of Rain), solo acoustic with his ’90s
alt-rock trio Sugar, and, lately, with his Bob Mould Band, a blistering combo that includes Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. Without fail they’ve all been incredible shows, even if his recorded output over the past couple decades has been hit-or-miss. Fortunately, Mould’s recent Life and Times is one of his better solo offerings. Whether or not he brings a backing band tonight, he’ll most certainly play a career-spanning set that includes plenty of Hüsker classics. -Michael Alan Goldberg

8pm. $25-$35. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Melvin Van peebles
Melvin Van Peebles is the godfather of black cinema, and is still pushing his creative limits even as he pushes 78-years-old. The director of 1971’s swaggeringly awesome Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song returns to Philly this week to promote his first graphic novel. It’s an illustrated retelling of his last film, Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha, the tale of an over-sexed ghetto Odysseus in search of love in all the wrong places. And with it, Peebles adds “illustrator” to his insane litany of roles—director, actor, Broadway producer, musician and novelist (in two languages). If there was a white artist as important, unclassifiable and uncompromising as this still making great stuff in his eighth decade, he’d be blown nightly
on Charlie Rose. But no fear: You get to hear
the man speak uncensored at the closing ceremony for Temple’s Oscar Micheaux Film Festival, chatting about whatever he damn pleases. -Tom Cowell

6pm. Free. Ritter Hall, Temple University, N. 13th St. and W. Montgomery Ave. omfilmfestival.com

taryn simon
Taryn Simon has seen shit you wouldn’t even believe. For her 2007 project, “An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar,” The New York Times Magazine photog and Guggenheim fellow talked her way into a variety of top-secret, peeping previously unseen items, including the cryopreservation unit holding the bodies of the mother and first wife of cryonics pioneer, Robert Ettinger, as well as a Braille issue of Playboy created by the National Archives (it seems some folks really do read it just for the articles). Her quietly courageous works, which range from quirky and fun to deadly serious and sad, confront the divide between those with and without the privilege of access. Simon speaks tonight at the College of Physicians where she’ll show slides from her project. Hang out afterward for a reception and hope some of her creativity rubs off on you. -Erica Palan

6:30pm. Free. College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 19 S. 22nd St. 215.563.3737. collegeofphysicians.org

Sondre Lerche
Armed with instantly catchy acoustic and electric guitar melodies and thoughtful lyrics, 27-year-old Norwegian sensation Sondre Lerche is certainly easy on the ears. “Wait till you hear the refrain on my Heartbeat Radio,” he emanates on the ultra-fun title track on his most recent album. There’s no denying Lerche’s flair for the infectious chorus hook, but there’s a certain freshness in his evolved, varied vocal phrasing and instrumentation that often includes an assortment of strings, horns and keys behind his exuberant guitars. Some of Lerche’s finest songwriting came back in 2007 on the acoustic-heavy Dan In Real Life soundtrack, most notably on the yearning masterpiece “My Hands Are Shaking.” -Kevin Brosky

9pm. $20. With JBM. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Stories Behind the Species: Animals at Risk
Mass extinctions have happened from time to time (ever hear of dinosaurs?), but the elevated rates of extinction (100 to 1,000 times higher than the anticipated natural rate) we’re seeing these days, are, for the first time in history, our fault. We’re really screwing the pooch right now, and soon we’re going to kill it and all the pooches like it. Saint Joseph’s University biology professor Dr. Scott McRobert’s lecture, then, may serve two purposes. His discussion of the current causes of extinction and threats to animals and ecosystems should be a warning for Homo sapiens to treat the rest of the animal kingdom (and don’t forget plants!) a little better. McRobert is bringing along some endangered animals from his lab, which might be the last chance to see them in the flesh if we don’t shape up. -M.S.

5:30pm. Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W. Montgomery Ave. 215.763.6529. wagnerfreeinstitute.org

RJD2
Under the banner of his own just-established label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, Philly DJ/producer supreme RJD2—the man behind the Mad Men theme—is back with his fourth proper LP, The Colossus. It’s a “career overview” of sorts—filled with killer breakbeats, horn-heavy heist-flick grooves, darkly textured hip-hop, psychedelic pop and more. With a full band in tow and a few gadgets at the ready (including a rotating belt sampler/sequencer thingy he recently showed us), RJ’s well able to inject spirit and spontaneity into tunes old and new in the live setting, certainly better than most beatmakers and turntablists out there. -M.A.G.

8pm. $15. With Break Science + Happy Chichester. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Indie Comic Release Party
Local cartoonist Box Brown stops by Brave New Worlds to celebrate the release of his new book, Everything Dies, a six-part comic anthology about the ongoing struggle between man and his maker. Brown chronicles the lives of battered disciples throughout history, from the Alpha to the Omega and Job’s countless trials between. Both here and in his regularly syndicated web comic Bellen!, Brown plucks simple truths from everyday chaos and anxiety. Charles Schulz famously equated happiness to a warm puppy. For Brown, a cat sprawled on his desk might inspire existentialist insight or profound ennui. But like agonizing over a Buddhist koan for the better part of an afternoon, it’s all good grief in the end. These are pure comics, simple gestures with a lot to say. Brown’s original artwork will remain on display in the Brave New Worlds lobby through March.  -Paul F. Montgomery

6-9pm. Free. Brave New Worlds, 45 N. Second St. 215.925.6525. bravenewworldscomics.com

Justin Townes Earle + Joe Pug
Nashville country-folk crooner Justin Townes Earle sings of deep heartache (“Ain’t been the same since I lost my pretty Angeline”) in his distinctivly deep drawl. Earle’s intimate acoustic ballads float sweetly through the air, making for a good late-night soundtrack that would please both his dad (Steve Earle) and namesake (Townes Van Zandt). Folkster Joe Pug’s “Hymn 101” is a masterful acoustic ode even Dylan could appreciate. "And I've come to be untroubled in my seaking/And I've come to see that nothing is for naught/I've come to reach out blind/To reach forward and behind/For the more I seek, the more I'm sought," he sings. Both songwriters make the occasional use of the swelling country slide guitar and stick true to their roots. -Kevin Brosky

9pm. $12. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Red Bowl 2010
You’re a victimized biker, succumbed to the irrational road rage of bike-lane-parking, no-turn-signaling, ignorant-door-opening drivers. What to do? Smash their windshield with a bowling ball, of course. Sure, the officials behind this Bicycle Coalition fundraiser might not be able to officially sanction what you do with the 10-pounders once you get outside. But we’ll certainly look the other way if the balls go flying. Should you choose to remain inside and display your bike pride more peacefully, admission gets you free bowling all afternoon, music, raffle tickets and more. Drivers may be cocky when they’re surrounded by two tons of steel, but let’s see how they feel when we take them out of their vehicles, array them in rows and send bikers toward them at top speed. Strike! -Jeffrey Barg

2-6pm. $10-$15. North Bowl, 909 N. Second St. 215.238.2695. bicyclecoalition.org/redbowlmusic

Chuck Prophet
A perennial entry on the “best overlooked” lists, Chuck Prophet—singer, guitar slinger and former Green on Red frontman—has now released 11 solo albums and collaborated with Americana greats Lucinda Williams, Jim Dickinson and Alejandro Escovedo. His latest effort, Let Freedom Ring!, was recorded in Mexico City at the height of the H1N1 frenzy
in an Eisenhower-era studio with longtime
collaborators Tom Ayres, Rusty Miller and Boom Carter. Christgau gave the disc an honorable mention and observed, “Things
are so bad out there that the Amerindie old-timer ups and writes ‘political songs for nonpolitical people.’” About time someone did. -Jennifer Kelly

7:30pm. $19.50. With John Francis. Sellersville Theater. Main and Temple sts., Sellersville. 215.257.5808. st94.com

WOMEN: An International Women’s Day Exhibition
Leave it to America to try to overshadow a worldwide attempt to do something good. March 8—that’s International Women’s Day to you, buddy—was first observed in 1909. Seventy-two years later, Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women’s History Week and six years after that, white dudes in suits extended the celebration for the entire month of March. We’ll leave the anti-American preaching at the door, though, and give you the deets on a great way to honor women and support local arts. International House hosts a weeklong exhibit—which kicks off with a reception tonight—featuring work from members of the Women’s Caucus for Art’s Philly chapter. Peep pieces by local artists, including Bonnie MacAllister, Marcelle Pachnowski, Sonia Sherrod and Michelle Wilson. The exhibit is presented in conjunction with One Book, One Philadelphia, so if you haven’t done your required city reading, now’s the time to dust off your copy of Persepolis. -E.P.

7pm. Free. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org


Washed Out + Small Black
New kid on the blog Washed Out (Ernest Greene from Georgia) has been riding the new wave of acts to watch with his drowsy bedroom pop since the September release of his EP Life of Leisure. Backing him live is his veritable Siamese twin, Brooklyn’s Small Black, whose danceable lo-fi sound takes little from their namesake. The two recently overlapped one another on a remix album, and this should make for an interestingly collaborative performance—Greene’s layering of warm synths and woozy vocals (his first cassette-only EP was appropriately titled High Times) over '80s-throwback beats, they’ll bring a hazy summer sound to Philly when we need it most. -Ellen Freeman

7pm. $10. With Pictureplane. Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave. 215.634.7400. r5productions.com

PIERCED ARROWS
Back in 2006, then-58-year-old singer-guitarist Fred Cole and his wife of more than 40 years, bassist Toody Cole, decided to end Dead Moon—the long-running, cult Pacific Northwest garage-punk outfit with country-rock overtones that had influenced (and been revered by) many a rocker over the past couple decades. But after a few months retired from the rock ’n’ roll life, the Coles (like Brett Favre) got the itch to play again, and formed Pierced Arrows along with drummer dude Kelly Halliburton. The result? A raw, gritty, punkish, sometimes bluesy, and soulful attack not far removed from the Dead Moon sound. A wonderful thing, indeed—long may the Coles roam. -M.A.G.

8pm. $10. With Lullaby Arkestra + Love City. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com

Le Rue des Faux
The Azuka Theatre continues their 10th-anniversary celebration with a staged reading of the company’s inaugural show Le Rue des Faux. Adapted by Azuka’s founder Raelle Myrick-Hodges from James Baldwin’s celebrated novel Giovanni’s Room, the play debuted in 1999 under Myrick-Hodges perceptive direction.  Now the artistic director of the much-talked-about BRAVA Theater in San Francisco, Myrick-Hodges returns to Philly to direct the reading. In the play, David, engaged to a woman, grapples with his homosexuality and in particular his attraction to the handsome Giovanni. A fluid, poetic work that immediately established Azuka as one of the area’s most enterprising companies, the reading boasts an impressive cast of Azuka vets including Tyler Melchior and current Azuka producing director Kevin Glaccum, who are reprising their fine performances as the boy-loving Jacques (Melchior) and the deliciously wicked Guillaume (Glaccum). -J. Cooper Robb

7pm. Free. Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St. 215.733.0255. azukatheatre.org


Anti-Bestiality Educational Awareness Outreach Charity Mixer and Heavy Metal Dance Party
Every so often a press release arrives that is just too bizarro to keep to ourselves. Some gems from this one: “While millions of Americans take pleasure from there [sic] pets, an alarming and growing number take pleasure—from their pets ... The Video Circus is getting out the word through joyous fun, happy laughter and psychotic mayhem ... Head to Bob & Barbara’s for a wholesome evening of burlesque girls, drag queens, demented DJs and more ... Free admission to anyone wearing clown makeup or animal costumes.” Not convinced? Try this tidbit from the organizers’ website: “Free cold hotdogs on a stick to the first 25 stamped people at the door.” After briefly considering that this could be a hoax, we searched for their email address, which was accompanied by the line, “NO! IT’S NOT A JOKE.” We’re still not convinced, but even if we fell for this elaborate scam, a night at Bob & Barbara’s ain’t the worst way to spend a Tuesday evening. -E.P.

10pm. $3. Bob & Barbara’s, 1509 South St. 215.545.4511. myspace.com/bobandbarbaras

Jenny Owen YoungS
Waifish, long-haired, her delicate face fringed with bangs, Jenny Owen Youngs looks like a folk-rock ingénue. Graceful at a whisper, she can insinuate vulnerability, as in the scratchy, touchy lead-in to last year’s “Clean Break.” Give the girl a guitar, though, and stand back. She’s a rocker apt to let loose with a primal, country wail, or coax a withering blues run out of her guitar. Late in the show, she’ll head for the covers—an oddball mash-up of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and Nelly’s “Hot in Here” for one, and possibly, nods to pop divas Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé. -J.K.

9pm. $10. With Bess Rogers + Allison Weiss. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

In New Music We Trust Live, Newcastle upon Tyne

What Radio 1 does best, apart from alienating everyone above the age of 25, is promote new music. Courting direct contact with their audience via live gigs, club sets and festivals is beneficial for obvious reasons, an opportunity squandered over recent years by the NME through the mismanagement and apathy displayed towards its Club NME nights (which, at one point, grew steadily as a monster club brand). Next weekend's visit to Newcastle does a decent job of showcasing Radio 1's raison d'être, beginning on Thursday with Plan B, the Futureheads, the Courteeners, Chapel Club and Frankie & The Heartstrings playing live at the O2 Academy. Clubbing sessions kick off on Friday with Delphic, Japanese Popstars and Crookers featuring Róisín Murphy performing at Digital, followed by DJs Giuseppe Ottaviani, Kutski and Alex Kidd. Trevor Nelson and Tim Westwood complete the weekend next Saturday at Newcastle Student Union with live sets by Donaeo, Skepta, Sway, Tinie Tempah, Ms Dynamite and Boy Better Know.

Various venues, Thu to 6 Mar, bbc.co.uk/radio1/events

Marc Rowlands

Bedlam, Bournemouth

Promoters of fine repute across the south-west for the last eight years, Bedlam go for the big one tonight when they take over the sizeable O2 Academy with a lineup mixing drum'n'bass, breaks, dubstep and grime. Drum'n'bass superstar Andy C tops the bill, while two other DJs worth a look are Leeds-based rising star of dubstep Rusko, whose light-touch take on the genre has included the track Cockney Thug, and Friction, a three-deck d'n'b specialist from Brighton. Over in the Gallery, MCs Skydro and Felon introduce talent including Stenchman, Marlow, Marvel, Klip, Whitey, Judda and Timmy G.

02 Academy, Christchurch Road, Sat

John Mitchell

The New Orleans Mardi Gras Fancy Dress Party, London

Heralding day six of the Blues Kitchen's very own Festival Of Rhythm & Blues, tonight's Mardi Gras-themed event will be doing its best to bring a slice of New Orleans-style merrymaking to Camden High Street. Though the real Fat Tuesday has already passed, this evening can consider itself something of a Chubby Saturday, with attendees encouraged to don flamboyant attire; those in feathers, beads and general fancy dress are allowed in free all night. If you can't quite bring yourself to don spangly pants and headdress for a chilly February night out in NW1, then a bunch of carnival dancers will be doing the hard work for you. Soul food, cocktails and DJs playing jazz, Dixieland and blues should keep the party swinging, as will the music of local hero Daniel Jeanrenaud and Franck Ash.

The Blues Kitchen, NW1 Sat

Leonie Cooper

Propaganda, Dublin

Remember when "indie" described those weird bands on a flexi-disc, free with music mags, sounding like they were recorded in somebody's bathroom (which they were)? These days, the catch-all term is applied to more or less any type of music without a repetitive beat, or untouched by the cold and calculating hand of Simon Cowell. But niche it ain't, with Propaganda, the UK's biggest indie promoters, attracting 10,000 people a week to their audio-visual extravaganzas across the UK. A new club in Dublin is the latest addition to Propaganda's floppy-fringed fold, launching tonight with DJs Mike Fielding (The Mighty Boosh's enigmatic shaman, Naboo), Babyshambles' Adam Ficek, The Postman and Propaganda creator, DJ Dan. Over the next few weeks, Delphic play live and there will be DJ sets from Passion Pit and the Cribs' Ryan Jarman.

The Academy, Middle Abbey Street, Sat

Patric Baird

Ed Banger 7th Birthday Party, London

Promoting the excellent cause of awesome French electronic sounds across the globe since its inception seven years ago, the folk behind the Ed Banger label have decided not to celebrate their birthday in some seamy Parisian nitespot, but rather in London, a city that has received their Gallic good times with open arms and restless, dancing feet. Founded by former Daft Punk manager Pedro Winter (who'll be DJing at the bash under his Busy P moniker), and home to the likes of Justice, Uffie and DJ Mehdi, the boys and girls of the Banger are more than deserving of the lashings of aural jelly and ice cream that make up this eight-hour long event. There'll be celebratory turns from SebastiAn – who should be releasing his debut Ed Banger album later this year – plus sets from So-Me, Breakbot and guests Fake Blood and Riton.

The Coronet, SE1, Fri

Leonie Cooper

Norway's music scene has come a long way since the days of a-ha. Oslo is heaving with quirky venues, independent record shops and festivals

Norway's ruling party celebrated its election victory in a rock venue; more than 20% of the population attends a music festival every year; and it's not unusual to find gigs taking place in a mausoleum. Oslo is the music-mad capital of this music-mad nation, and the city's modest population of 550,000 sustains numerous venues, outstanding record shops and countless festivals.

Annual events cater for a wide range of tastes including metal, jazz, folk, world and electronica, while the Øya rock festival puts most larger UK equivalents to shame when it comes to bands, organisation and environmental credentials. And while showcase industry events Folkelarm and by:Larm attract music business figures from around the world to check out the talent, Norway's social democratic principles ensure that the gigs are also open to the public.

Before the late 90s there were few places catering for the left-field sounds in which Norway now specialises, although trailblazing venues Palace Grill, Last Train, Blitz and So What (now called Garage) continue to be pillars of the Oslo music establishment.

"There are more than 20 music venues in Oslo now – nine years ago there were four," says Runar Eggesvik. "By:Larm alone uses 40 stages in the centre of the city." Eggesvik has been a lynchpin in the local scene for the past decade. A former partner in the Café Mono venue (see below), he continues to serve on the board of the Oslo Jazz Festival and co-founded Øya in 1999 to provide a platform for Norwegian talent.

These days local musicians are everywhere, be it at venues, performing in art museums or even taking advantage of the acoustics of the mausoleum of artist Emanuel Vigeland. And the walk between many of the key music destinations is shorter than between the main stages at T In The Park. Here's our pick of the best places to listen to, and buy, music in the city:

Bare Jazz

Even avowed haters of the genre get an insight into its appeal at this charming shop tucked away in an alley. Boasting an extensive selection of music, its friendly owner is on hand to dispense advice, and the shop hosts occasional live performances. A cosy, licensed cafe upstairs stays open until midnight from Wednesday to Saturday.
Grensen 8 (00 47 22 33 20 80, barejazz.no)

Blå

Located in a 19th-century industrial zone now full of practice rooms and small music businesses, Blå started life 10 years ago as a jazz venue and swiftly expanded into a home for gigs and clubs of all types. The building once served as a diamond vault and the toilets are in a former safe.
Brenneriveien 9C (+47 98 25 63 86, blaaoslo.no)

Funhouse

This unpretentious basement rock bar opened last year and swiftly established itself as an excellent late-night watering hole, where one barman manages to simultaneously serve beers and DJ a superb range of punk, rock and indie. Its small proportions lend an intimacy to the regular gigs which focus on touring guitar bands.
St Olavs Gate 32, enter via Pilestredet (+47 98 01 94 47, funhouseoslo.no)

Café Mono

This 160-capacity venue is massively popular with local bands, thanks to its practice of hiring musicians to work behind the bar, giving regulars discounted beer and inviting artists to DJ. It is famed for its egalitarian door policy (Franz Ferdinand were asked to queue with everyone else) and has a great diner around the back.
Pløens Gate 4 (+47 22 41 41 66, cafemono.no)

Kampen Bistro

Kampen boasts a shrine to Elvis, a giant painting of Norwegian rock legends Turbonegro and a menu which regularly includes shark and horse. It is co-owned by rock'n'roll chef and occasional band-booker Roar Møst who has catered for everyone from Morrissey to the Pet Shop Boys.
Bøgata 21 (+47 22 19 77 08, kampenbistro.no)

Oslo Opera House

Designed by local architects Snøhetta, Oslo's Opera House is worth checking out for non-classical concerts, too: in August it staged an Antony & the Johnsons show, with the band performing on a barge and the audience watching from the roof. Tickets start from NOK 100 (£10).
Kirsten Flagstads Plass 1 (+47 21 42 21 00, oslooperahouse.com)

Parkteatret

One of the oldest cinemas in Europe (dating back to 1907), Parkteatret is now a 400-capacity music venue with an excellent reputation for Norwegian and international acts. The former projection room is now a tiny recording studio but much of the original decor remains. On Sundays it downsizes to a small stage and showcases local talent.
Olav Ryes plass 11 (+47 22 35 63 00, parkteatret.no)

Råkk & Rålls

A time capsule containing all forms of popular music made since the 50s, this three-storey shop is like a museum where you can buy all the exhibits – and every type of device to play them. When the aural feast gets overwhelming, there are numerous sofas for a lie down.
Akersgaten 39 (+47 22 36 04 88)

The Villa

Sample Oslo's best pizza at Hell's Kitchen before heading downstairs to The Villa, a regular fixture in DJ Magazine's top 100 clubs in the world. Scottish expat Jen McConachie and local knob‑twiddler extraordinaire Tore have a policy of booking cutting-edge DJs and electronica bands.
Møllergata 23 (thevilla.no)

Intersection of Youngsgate/Torggata

This junction is a must for record collectors. Big Dipper (Torggata 16, +47 22 20 14 41) boasts a wide range of CDs and vinyl, from 60s garage to indie releases. Across the road is punk and hardcore oasis Tiger (Youngstorget, +47 22 20 73 50) while a few paces further, Sound Of Noise (+47 22 20 42 00, Youngstorget 11) caters for all shades of rock and metal.

• For information on visiting, go to visitoslo.com or visitnorway.com. For more on Norway's music scene, go to mic.no. SAS, BA, Ryanair and Norwegian Air Shuttle all fly to Oslo from various UK airports. Where to stay: Anker Hostel (+47 22 99 72 00) is a chilled-out hostel less than 10 minutes' walk from most venues; bed from NOK 205; individual room, NOK 540. Ms Innvik (+47 22 41 95 00) boasts its own stage; twin from NOK 750; singles, NOK 425. Offering tiny rooms with great views, Thon Hotel Opera (+47 24 10 30 00) houses many stars during Øya; doubles from NOK 1,225; single, NOK 1,025.

Wed., Jan. 27

Ozzy Osbourne
The Ozzman finally cometh. Fans will finally get to meet Papa Osbourne in the (wan, wrinkly) flesh when he signs copies of his so-far-halfway-through-amazing autobiography I Am Ozzy. Aside from recounting teenage John “the burglar” Osbourne’s unlikely ascent out of the working-class factory grind, there’re lots of tasty behind-the-scenes Black Sabbath shenanigans involving rock and roll’s holy trinity of alcohol, drugs and groupies, plus offbeat observations on the music industry like: “If you don’t have a sense of humour when you’re in a band, you wind up like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, making eight-disc LPs so you can all have you own three-hour fucking solos. And who wants to listen to that bullocks?” Though decadence has disintegrated his aging bones, he’s still got the balls to call it as he sees it and boy—poisoning a vicar with hash, tearing off his epiglottis, vacuuming six grams of coke with his face to avoid arrest for possession—has he seen plenty. Metal fans, time to meet your maker. Tara Murtha
6:00pm. Free. Borders, 1 S. Broad St. 215.568.7400. borders.com

Prana Trio
Led by drummer-percussionist Brian Adler (no relation), the Prana Trio arrives in Philly on the heels of its third release, Singing Image of Fire, featuring music inspired by the poetry of Hafiz, Kabir, Rumi and others. “Trio” is meant loosely—the album involves a total of seven musicians, although the principals are Adler, vocalist Sunny Kim and alternating pianists Carmen Staaf and Frank Carlberg. Combining elements of art song, world music and jazz improv, the band can seem a bit self-serious, and the ethereal vibe is numbing after a point. But skillful playing, sparse and offbeat instrumentation and a smattering of Holdsworthian guitar from Robert Lanzetti provide some fuel. David R. Adler
8pm. $10. Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 chrisjazzcafe.com

Thurs., Jan. 28

Building Safer Communities Through Sustainable Land Use
The intersection of safety and land use might seem at first to be a bit of a dry topic, but consider this: In the two years that wundermayor Enrique Peñalosa led the city of Bogotá, Colombia, he set out to rehabilitate more than 1,300 parks, including turning a slum near the presidential palace into a grand park almost five times the size of Rittenhouse Square. In those same two years, crime in the city dropped a staggering 35 percent. So when it comes to building better, safer neighborhoods, land use isn’t just fascinating—it’s essential. This stellar edition of the Urban Sustainability Forum includes Penn’s Charles Branas, Temple’s Caterina Roman, Nilada Ruiz of the Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, and Blaine Bonham of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Jeffrey Barg
6pm. Free. Academy of Natural Sciences, 19th St. and the Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. 215.299.1000. safetyandlanduse.eventbrite.com

Asobi Seksu
The knock on most of the so-called “shoegazer” bands of the early ’90s was that they had far more guitar effects pedals than they did tunes; that it’s a lot easier to hide behind sheets of reverb, delay and distortion than it is to write proper verses and catchy choruses. Whether or not you agree—and we don’t, necessarily, because in music there’s as much to be said for atmosphere as there is for structure—New York nü-gazers/dream-popsters Asobi Seksu have shown command of both over the past decade, merging Lush/My Bloody Valentine-style sonic textures with memorable songs. Tonight, the core duo of Yuki Chikudate and James Hanna will prove the latter by playing an all-acoustic set. Michael Alan Goldberg
9pm. $12. With [[[Taco]]]. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Lights
Brooklyn’s Lights started out as witchy, freak-folky enchantresses, casting spells with high, eerie harmonies and exploring the alchemies of a variety of guitar pedals. Their debut, recorded for the local folk arbiters at Language of Stone, sounded like a will o’ the wisps’ take on Spires—spectral, beckoning and disembodied. Then, in between albums, something happened, and last summer’s Rites took on a decidedly more earthly and hedonistic vibe. There was a Fleetwood Mac cover, a foray into disco and an indefinable aura of good-time physicality. So go on, trip out to the light show, nod off to the ghostly harmonies, but don’t forget to dance. Jennifer Kelly
9pm. $10. With the Entrance Band + the Sunshine Recorder. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Whales and Cops + D. Rider
Whales and Cops’ big baroque sound barrels you over with its energy. Like a noisier Ra Ra Riot or Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos bristling with caffeine, their hooks spread like syrup over an array of instrumentation trying to squeeze down a narrow hallway. Certainly the presence of a couple former Man Man members explains the quirky experimentalism, but unlike that act, melodious warmth seems at least as important as eccentricity. Former U.S. Maple guitarist Todd Rittman’s smoky, minimalist, skronky deconstructionist new band D. Rider open. Chris Parker
7:30 pm. $7. With Sexy Thoughts. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4945. kungfunecktie.com

Fri., Jan. 29

Hams Across America
If you think the Barrymore Awards gala is the most elegant event in Philadelphia theater, think again. For a truly glam bash nothing beats the annual Pig Iron Theatre Company benefit. Part auction, part cabaret, this year’s event is titled Hams Across America. Hosted by company co-founder Quinn Bauriedel, the 2010 benefit features a myriad of talented guest performers including the twirling acrobats from the Philadelphia Circus School, Brooklyn striptease champ Typhoon Sugarpants, the soulful sounds of the sultry Johnny Showcase and Penn’s athletic all-male South Asian dance troupe Dhamaka. Of course, no Pig Iron benefit would be complete without an appearance by the lovely and multi-talented chanteuse Miss Martha Graham Cracker (aka Dito van Reigersberg). As usual, the specifics of Miss Martha’s performance is a secret known only to her closest advisors, but we’re betting it will be memorable. J. Cooper Robb
7pm. $25-$30. Trocadero Theatre, 1003 Arch St. 215.627.1883. pigiron.org

JMML Benefit Show
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) is a rare and especially insidious disease that usually afflicts children under the age of five, with the only treatment being a bone marrow transplant. Even then, there’s only about a 50/50 survival rate. The JMML Foundation exists to not only help find a cure for the disease, but offer tangible financial and emotional support to children and their families suffering through illness. To that end, three of Philly’s finest bands—the dream-poppy East Hundred, nü-wavey the Swimmers, and tender indie-pop sextet Audible—are teaming team up tonight for a JMML Foundation benefit show. Simply put: Great tunes for a great cause. M.A.G.
9pm. $10. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Philly NORML 2010 Kickoff Fundraiser
While your average stoner might wake up around noon, grab Billy Bong Thornton for a hit or two, pop open a bag of Sun Chips and park themselves on the couch in front of the Cartoon Network for the remainder of the day, the folks at non-profit lobbying group NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) have been pretty productive over the years. For example, they’ve played a major role in making medical marijuana legal in 14 states, including New Jersey as of a couple weeks ago. The Philly NORML crew hopes to do the same in Pennsylvania—in addition to their long, uphill fight to decriminalize pot. On hand to provide musical entertainment are local acts Agent Moosehead, Psychedelphia, Flux Capacitor, DJ Ginkgo and the Big Dirty. Guest speakers include NORML founder Keith Stroup and Steve Bloom of CelebStoner.com (and former High Times editor). If you’ve never been to the Rotunda, don’t worry about getting directions—you’ll probably be able to smell the gala a mile away. Michael Alan Goldberg
7pm. $5. The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. phillynorml.org

Haiti Relief Information Session
For local filmmaker Dede Maitre and her husband Roosevelt—who she met while filming a documentary about non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Haiti—the earthquake wasn’t a world tragedy as much as a personal one. “My husband hears he lost someone everyday … friends, friends of friends. One friend just called to say his girlfriend was killed. We continue to get difficult news,” says Maitre, adding that Roosevelt’s mother, sister and baby nephew—lost the last time we spoke—were finally found alive. Despite mourning, Maitre’s fighting for relief’s sake. Joined by survivors of the quake and local organization leaders, the evening begins with Jean Marc Phanor, brother of Gilg Phanor, one of the first five Americans to be rescued out of Hotel Montana in Petionville. After he tells his family’s story, Maitre screens film segments of Fishing for the Future and Is God Sleeping? and highlight five critical NGOs working toward a sustainable future for Haiti. There’ll be a mixer after, where interested parties can network and learn more about how to help. T.M.
7pm. Free. Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen St. irishcenter.com

Sat., Jan. 30

Glass Blown Heart
Hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Maybe you delight in the opportunity to shower your significant other with a little extra love. Or maybe you hate Valentine’s Day and think it’s just forced romance that separates you from your hard-earned cash. If you’re in the latter camp, let’s face it—taking a stand and not doing squat for your sweetie doesn’t make you look principled, it makes you look like a cheap, hard-hearted jerk. That said, the best gifts aren’t necessarily the extravagant ones; they’re the ones that showed you put some time and thought in. A hand-made card. A special dinner at home. Or maybe even a glass heart you helped make yourself. That’s where Bernard Katz Glass comes in. The Manayunk glass shop is hosting a just-in-time-for-Valentine’s Day workshop where you’ll be shown the tools of the trade and get to experience glassblowing as you’re assisted by the pros in making your own heart with the colors of your choosing. Be sure to register, as there are limited slots. M.A.G.
10am-5pm. $40. Bernard Katz Glass, 3739 Sharp St. 215.483.4628. katzglassdesign.com

Pretty Things Peep Show
Any idiot can just stand there and take her clothes off for your entertainment (see: dangerous anti-science lunatic Jenny McCarthy). So what makes the Pretty Things Peepshow different? Why should you spend your hard-earned money to see them strip down when you can just coax the clothes off a teenager with booze and ’ludes, move to Europe and win some Oscars? For one thing, the Pretty Things girls have some serious street cred. They’ve gone on tour with Ozzfest and been in a Probot music video, and if it’s good enough for Lemmy, it’s good enough for us. If it isn’t good enough for you, they also do good ol’ fashioned freak show stunts like sword swallowing, fire juggling and the human blockhead. Let’s see you convince some girl to do that in your bedroom. Matt Soniak
11pm. $12. Trocadero, 1003 Arch St. 215.922.5483. thetroc.com

Beretta 76
Kirsten Stewart may have nabbed the Joan Jett part in the upcoming Runaways biopic, but she could take pointers from Camille Escobedo of Beretta 76. Escobedo’s husky smoulder is all rock star tough girl, long black hair slipping devil-may-care over one eye as she slashes out the power chords. Her band, led by guitarist Pete Rydberg, has the hard-ass chutzpah to cover AC/DC, and the hooks to evoke Cheap Trick. They’ve been holed up for months recording the follow-up to 2006’s Black Beauty, so look for some new songs ... though most likely with old-time rock and roll attitude. J.K.
9pm. $10. With the Donuts + the Broken Prayers. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Circulasione Totale Orchestra
Circulasione Totale Orchestra’s new three-disc Bandwith, consists of just two pieces (“Yellow Bass & Silver Cornet” in eight sections, “Dancing in St. Johan” in four). “Totale” is right—this 12-piece unit, led by Norwegian free-jazz saxophonist Frode Gjerstad, has held to a maximalist approach since 1984, and Bandwidth is quite the opus, a hellacious blur of electro-tweaking, percussive intrigue and primal wail. A Euro-American supergroup in a sense, the band boasts such names as cornetist Bobby Bradford, drummers Louis Moholo-Moholo and Paal Nilssen-Love, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and vibraphonist Kevin Norton. Any of these individuals landing in Philly would be news in itself. D.R.A.
8pm. $20. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.895.6546 arsnovaworkshop.org

Sun., Jan. 31

Nicole Bindler
A fixture in Philadelphia’s experimental dance scene, dancer/choreographer/massage therapist Nicole Bindler is known for riveting performances during which she draws not only from modern dance traditions but yoga, butoh, healing arts and martial arts movements. Though Bindler has 15 original works to her name, it’s her improvisational dance that seems to get the most attention and acclaim; tonight she teams up with local composer and bass clarinetist Gene Coleman for a fully improvised presentation at Andrea Clearfield’s Salon—aka the performance space in the Center City home of local composer Andrea Clearfield—which should make for a unique event. As Bindler says, “My work is always site-specific in that I seek to activate and enliven all spaces that I dance in, whether they are theaters, studios, homes, places of business or the outdoors. I also seek to connect audience members to their own embodied, corporeal experience with the immediacy and spontaneity of performance.” M.A.G.
8pm. Andrea Clearfield’s Salon. For more information about this event, email aclearfield@gmail.com.

Shdwply Records Showcase
Tonight, the way up ’n coming Norfolk, Virginia, label Shdwply Records shows what it’s got in the form of five bands. Philly’s the G makes gritty, noisy indie-rock reminiscent of the Pavement/Dinosaur Jr./Nirvana super-nineties, while Fishtown’s the Spooks go the slinky, speedy surf-rock route like the Ventures on meth. Virginia’s Super Vacations play reverbed, Nuggets-inspired ‘60s garage-rock somewhere between the Zombies and the Kinks; Brooklyn ensemble Columboid kick out some creepy, rudimentary synth-and-drums jams; and Massachusetts’ Sore Eros delve into shimmering psych-rock and indie-folk that imagines a duo of Syd Barrett and Neil Young.
8pm, $7. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St. kungfunecktie.com

Mon., Feb. 1

Keeping The Peace
In 2004, the world watched in horror as 26-year-old Philadelphia native Nicholas Berg—who’d gone to Iraq as a telecommunications contractor—was beheaded by Islamic militants in a chilling video. (The CIA said the infamous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi himself committed the deed). In the aftermath his father, Michael Berg­—a pacifist and longtime anti-war activist—ramped up his efforts against the Iraq war and stirred up controversy by blaming his son’s murder on President George W. Bush more so than Iraqi insurgents, and saying he was “saddened” by al-Zarqawi’s eventual death in a U.S. military airstrike, insisting it would “perpetuate this endless cycle of revenge.” In 2006, Berg moved to Delaware and made an unsuccessful bid for Congress as a Green Party candidate, running mainly on an anti-war platform. It’s all documented in a new 89-minute film, Keeping the Peace, which will be screened tonight with co-directors JJ Garvine and Tai Parquet on hand for a Q&A. M.A.G.
8:30pm. $5.75-$9.50. Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave. 610.527.9898. brynmawrfilm.org

Tues., Feb. 2

Constellations + Drink Up Buttercup
Self-conscious quirk is the new black, as shifty indie acts skirt classification and court offbeat aesthetics like a lothario that sniffs low self-esteem. Atlanta’s Constellations possess a funky, cowbell-bashing ‘70s swagger queued behind singer Elijah Jones’ gruff, dispassionate late-night croon. Locals Drink Up Buttercup are less urbane, affecting a capering sideshow energy that’s equally psychedelic, but significantly more twee. The arrangements are fringed with ramshackle shamble as though they only came together in the last five minutes, bubbling with the infectious joy of giggling stoners at a cartoon festival. C.P.
8pm. $8-$10. The Note, 142 E. Market St., West Chester. thenotewc.com

Delta Spirit
Bringing together elements of new-Americana roots-rock, rough-edged ’60s soul-rock, drone and old-time blues and folk music, San Diego quintet Delta Spirit makes a lively, heartfelt racket that fans of such Philly institutions as Dr. Dog, Man Man and Alec Ounsworth (of CYHSY/Flashy Python) will certainly recognize and probably appreciate. There’s a bit of the Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano in frontman Matt Vasquez’s magnetic warble, and his yearning lyrics occasionally reveal his (and some of his bandmates’) emo-punk roots. These days, they’re punctuating their concerns with bouncing piano, warm tube-amp fuzz, and the occasional clanging trash can lid, ultimately creating more uplift than angst and ensuring everything remains, well, mighty spirited. M.A.G.
8pm, $12. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St. kungfunecktie.com

 

 

Wednesday January 13

Camper van Beethoven/Cracker
It's hard enough to put together one terrific, successful and influential band. David Lowery's done it twice. First with Camper Van Beethoven, the singer-guitarist's quirky '80s outfit that combined punk, country and folk and helped define the underground "college-rock" era. Then when alt-rock exploded into the mainstream, he formed Cracker, inserting a bit of power-pop into his jangly, rootsy rock and scoring radio smashes and hit albums. Lowery has kept Cracker truckin' along nicely for the past two decades--their recent Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey is one of their best--and he's revived CVB in recent years, too. He brings both to town tonight for a hell of a career overview. Michael Alan Goldberg
Wed., Jan. 13, 7:30pm. Sold out. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

All That Jazz
Nine may be an ill-advised musical version of Federico Fellini's iconic movie-about-making-a-movie 8 1/2. But only one filmmaker has had the cojones--and the all-encompassing ego--to make a true descendant of 8 1/2. Riding high on the success of Cabaret, choreographer-turned-film director Bob Fosse unleashed 1979's All That Jazz, starring Roy Scheider as a choreographer-turned-film director who, much like his maker, was popping too many pills and likely overextending himself into a early grave. (Fosse died of a heart attack in 1987.) But instead of Fellini's lyrical long takes (and despite the hiring of Giuseppe Rotunno, il maestro's cinematographer), Fosse goes with speed-freak hypercutting, stirring up a phantasmagoria equal parts juvenile and brilliant. Jazz will be complimented with a host of dance shorts, including Maya Deren's Ritual in Transfigured Time and Bruce Conner's Breakaway, featuring one Antonia Christina Basilotta, aka Toni Basil of "Oh, Mickey you're so fine" fame. Matt Prigge
7pm. $5-$8. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org

Marc-André Hamelin
Montreal-born, Boston-based Marc-André Hamelin may be a classical-piano giant sitting astride the globe with more than 35 CDs and endless awards to his credit, but he studied at Temple, so Philadelphia can claim a piece of him. And the Kimmel is an ideal setting in which to behold his jaw-dropping virtuosity. There, he'll tackle Liszt's hair-raising Sonata in B Minor and Berg's Sonata Op. 1 (also in B minor, but far weirder), along with excerpts from Debussy's majestic Préludes Book II and Hamelin's own Twelve Etudes, which highlight the maestro's evolving compositional gift. From Romantic and Impressionist masterpieces to 20th-century puzzles and beyond, Hamelin knows no bounds. David R. Adler
8pm. $27. Kimmel Center, Perelman Theater, 260 S. Broad St. 215.893.1999. kimmelcenter.org

Thursday January 14

ICA Winter Opening Reception
After a few decades of whimsical, smile-inducing illustrations and design work via her Max Stravinsky-the-dog-poet children's books, New Yorker covers and inventive collaborations with musicians David Byrne and Nico Muhly, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and choreographer Mark Morris, Tel Aviv-born artist and writer Maira Kalman unveils her first major museum exhibit, "Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World)," at the Institute of Contemporary Art's winter opening reception. In addition to original illustrations, photography and textiles, the installation features tables filled with ephemera ("bobby pins, balls of string, things that have fallen out of books, lists, moss") displayed to provide insight into Kalman's worldview and artistic process. Also opening is the second part of ICA's yearlong Video Art: Replay series, "Everyday Imaginary," featuring 10 video animations exploring the confluence of the real and the imagined from such artists as Martha Colburn, Rob Carter, Aurélien Froment and Shahzia Sikander. Michael Alan Goldberg
6pm. Free. Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St. 215.898.7108. icaphila.org

Movits!
If you've heard of Movits!, you're a) Swedish, b) a devotee of Nordic hip-hop/swing-jazz fusion, or c) a dedicated Stephen Colbert fan. That last is the ringer, due to the band's surprise appearance on Colbert's show last summer. There, nattily dressed in tuxes and high-tops, they were called on to defend the whole concept of Swedish hip- hop. (Colbert: "What do you have to rap about in Sweden? What do you have to gripe about--that you no longer control Norway?") Clearly, no one's going to throw over Doom or Dam-Funk for Movits!' brand of jazzy, light-hearted, vaguely klezmer-tinged rap. Still, as weirdo hybrids go, this is a fun one. Jennifer Kelly
8pm. $10. With River City Extension. North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. 215.787.0488. northstarbar.com

River North Dance Chicago
Coming straight out of the Windy City is the River North Chicago Dance Company, who kick off their 20th anniversary in Philadelphia with a three-day engagement. Among the highlights will be the sexually charged and culturally rich "Habaneras, the Music of Cuba," a tribute to Cuba's dance heritage set to the music of some of the island's most popular composers, including Ernesto Lecuona and Silvio Rodríguez. The piece, choreographed by artistic director Frank Chaves, a Cuban native, is a large-scale, 23-minute performance featuring the entire dance company costumed in flowing, tropical-colored outfits. Raymond Tyler
7:30pm. $28-$48. Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St. 215.898.3900. annenbergcenter.org

Friday January 15

American Pastime
You can learn a lot about a town by looking at its yarn. With "American Pastime," Katherine Kesselring offers a textile tour of the Americas, from our own fruited plains to the lush tropics of her recent travels. In this new installation, her first with InLiquid and the Painted Bride, the artist presents the ongoing narrative of the western hemisphere through provincial arts and crafts. Grandmothers may knit to pass the time, but what they weave is a reflection of their personal stories, the folklore of their heritage, the concerns of their day-to-day lives. It's biographical theater in thread, dramatized through local materials and technique. Kesselring uses color and texture to simulate this American landscape as a kind of geographic tapestry. It's vibrant and complex. It's rough-and-tumble. Sometimes gaudy, sometimes plain. You might call it the fabric of our lives. Paul F. Montgomery
Fri., Jan. 15, noon-6pm. Free. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.235.3405. inliquid.com

Earl Greyhound
We're just gonna make the unfounded assumption that the Brooklyn-based Earl Greyhound is one of a long line of bands you've been meaning to listen to, but just haven't gotten around to. And even though we here at PW aren't one to judge our readers based on unfounded assumptions, we just have to say ... For shame! This three-piece combo of guitarist/vocalist Matt Whyte, bassist/vocalist Kamara Thomas and drummer Ricc Sheridan indulge in the kind of hard-driving, down-and-dirty blues-rock that people whose iPods are littered with White Stripes and Black Keys albums could easily enjoy. However, since this is an interracial troika, with Thomas and Sheridan both being African-American, one can't help but find some historical context in their music. When they perform live, it's like a microcosm of rock 'n' roll's conception, with black musicians supplying the beat and a white guy picking up the pace. Craig D. Lindsey
8pm. $13-$20. With the Heavy + the Cobbs. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

D.R.I.
The punk-rock old folks' home sure has cleared out in recent years, what with Negative Approach, Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Suicidal Tendencies, the Exploited and other old-timers hitting the road again to show new generations how it's done. Add D.R.I. (aka Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) to that list. Formed nearly 30 years ago, D.R.I. was one of the first to fuse traditional hardcore with thrash; in today's extreme music climate, albums like 1985's Dealing With It sound more quaint than scary, but they still pack a nice punch. We're glad to hear that after a lengthy battle with colon cancer, founding guitarist Spike Cassidy has fully recovered and plans to help lead D.R.I. into a new era of touring and recording. M.A.G.
7:30pm. $16.50-$18. With Common Enemy, Sutter Cane + Decadence. Trocadero,1003 Arch St. 215.922.6888. thetroc.com

Elevator Parade
Rocco Renzetti's Elevator Parade has grown over the '00s, from the warm hiss of home taping to fuzz-boosted, power-chorded psychedelia. The Parade's third album, Headphone Revolution, contains its share of snaky raga hooks and bubbly Mersey melodies, but also a bit of the Love decade's abandon. "Grey Sky Scene," already getting some local play, layers squalls of distortion over its jangle and chaotic drums onto its folk-rock symmetries. It's like a Zombies song disintegrating in a sandstorm. Live, Renzetti heads a five-person, double-drumming band who are sure to accentuate any aggressive tendencies and beat the twee out of his songs. (Check out Renzetti's Gearheads video with PW.) J.K.
8pm. $8. With Imaginary Friends, Music For Headphones + the Choice Tasters DJs. M Room, 15 W. Girard. 215.739.5577. themanhattanroom.com

International Association of Blacks in Dance Showcase Members Performance
Everybody knows Philly is the birthplace of the Constitution, the cheesesteak and ?uestlove, but few outside of dance aficionados realize the first national organization devoted to dance by people of Africandescent also originates in this storied city. Philadanco founder Joan Myers Brown launched the International Association of Blacks in Dance in 1988 to serve the black dance community with workshops, lectures and showcases, but the organization's keynote conference hasn't been held in Philadelphia in 15 years. This year, it returns to a city brimming with dance that is top-notch and socially conscious. The conference has ballooned from a humble attendance of 80 in 1988 to an average of 600 international attendees today. With such black-dance ambassadors as Philadanco, Rennie Harris/Pure Movement, Kulu Mele and Smoke, Lilies and Jade, this city of both literal and figurative movers and shakers is the perfect stage. Gerald Johnson
8pm. $35-$55. Merriam Theatre, 250 S. Broad St. 215.387.8200. howard.edu/iabdassociation

Saturday January 16

The Gaymazing Race
Ravenchase Adventures brings its brand of interactive mayhem to Center City with a treasure hunt designed to thrill your inner queen. Questers are given game bags containing instructions, maps and gadgets to help solve a series of encrypted clues a la The Da Vinci Code and race toward their destinies--or just the next riddle. The whole shebang lasts about two hours, and ends with a free round of drinks for all at Š well, wherever it all ends up. Better still, the top three teams receive gloriously tacky prizes for their troubles--golden gnomes and such that will look fabboo next to your Franklin Mint collectables. Assemble your favorite gym bunnies, leather guys and bears (oh, my!) and register online or call the day of the event to find out the secret starting location. Appropriate footwear (ruby slippers, Wescos, whatev) suggested. LD Beghtol
3pm. $25. For more information, visit ravenchase.com.

Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys
Truthfully, you don't really need a preview when you see the band is called Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys. The name pretty much tells you what you're gonna get: Hairy dudes playing big, stomping, revved-up psychobilly. Like early Reverend Horton Heat and the Supersuckers, the Providence, R.I., trio adds a punk-metal edge to their hollowbody guitar/upright bass/drums-constructed rockabilly--punctuated by lots of growls, grunts, and hollered "Yeah!"s--all in the service of songs about whiskey, babes, hot rods and being evil and/or possibly going to hell. But even if you know exactly what you're getting into before you even set foot in the club, Sasquatch and company will still probably kick your ass in ways you never imagined. M.A.G.
7pm. $10. With Gas Money. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com

Edgar Allen Poe: Secrets of the Purloined Letter
Master of suspense and foreboding Edgar Allen Poe was always a bit of a crank at surprise parties thrown in his honor. This year we celebrate his 201st, and though it won't be the multimedia blowout of last year's bicentennial, there are still scholarly festivities to enjoy. Penn State DuBois professor Richard Kopley offers a lecture on "The Purloined Letter," Poe's third C. Auguste Dupin mystery, published just a month before "The Raven." Poe's Dupin stories are often credited as the first examples of detective fiction, predating Columbo by well over a century. Not a bad legacy for a writer who may have died from rabies while wearing someone else's clothes. After the lecture, stop by 532 N. Seventh Street, Poe's last remaining Philadelphia residence, where you can listen to recordings of Vincent Price and Christopher Walken waxing Poe-etic. P.F.M.
2pm. Free. German Society Library, Seventh and Spring Garden sts. 215.597.8780. nps.gov/edal

Sunday January 17

An Old Cemetery in A New Year
There are cemeteries that creep the crap out of you when you explore them, giving you the vibe that a horde of evil undead is suddenly gonna burst through the ground and drag you down into the underworld. Then there's Laurel Hill Cemetery in East Falls, which, in the words of Glenn Frey, gives you that "peaceful, easy feeling." Sprawling and serene, the 78-acre cemetery is more than just the final resting place of thousands of Philadelphians, including many of the city's most historically significant figures. It's also full of gorgeous artwork, architecture and flowers, and--as generations of locals have discovered--it's one of the city's prime picnicking spots, where you can contemplate the meanings of life and death as you munch on a Wawa shorti. If you've never been, the annual "An Old Cemetery in A New Year: An Introduction to Laurel Hill" tour is a great, fascinating way to learn about the lovely grounds and some of its more famous inhabitants. Say hi to General George Meade, David Rittenhouse and Harry Kalas for us! M.A.G.
2pm. $15. Laurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Ave. 215.228.8200. thelaurelhillcemetery.org

David Wilcox
Being an acoustic-guitar-sporting singer/songwriter is a lot like having a blog--there's enough of them out there to blur the line between dilettante and true talent. Two-plus decades in, Wilcox has established his bona fides enough to stand out even in this cluttered landscape. His light, jazzy folk strum certainly covers territory familiar to fans of the many John Alagia-produced clones (Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Josh Kelley, Jason Mraz), but there's a finesse and subtlety to the arrangements that escapes those coattail-riders. His hearth-like baritone caresses with wit and understatement, guiding where others push, working a soft-sell aesthetic more appropriate to the folk circuit than the pop charts. Chris Parker
7pm. $25. Tin Angel. 20 S. Second St. 215.928.0770. tinangel.com

Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT)
Dave Douglas co-curates this annual New York festival, which imposes no aesthetic limits even if it sees cutting-edge jazz as a natural starting point. FONT is now trickling down to Philly, where three widely varying acts will appear. The Open Circuit International Trumpet Ensemble is six horns plus bass and drums, boasting the talents of Joe McPhee, Taylor Ho Bynum, William Parker and more. The Meridian Arts Ensemble will join trumpet notable Dave Ballou for the world premiere of David Sanford's "Seven Kings." And don't forget the experimental wizardry of the Chicago Underground Duo (Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor), topping off the bill with music from the new Boca Negra. D.R.A.
7pm. $12. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.895.6546 arsnovaworkshop.org

Monday January 18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
It was John F. Kennedy who famously stated, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." But it was another slain American leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who uttered a similar sentiment with less fanfare but more emphasis and gravity when he said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?" Since becoming a U.S. holiday in 1986, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has evolved into a national day of service that honors MLK's call to action on behalf of your community. The Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service, now in its 15th year, has become one of the largest King Day events in the country, with thousands of volunteers lending their time to hundreds of projects and events around the Philly area--from constructing houses and playgrounds to helping train mentors who work with children throughout the year. To find out more about this year's projects and how to volunteer, go to mlkdayofservice.org. But if you just help out a neighbor in need, you'll help keep Dr. King's spirit. M.A.G.
For more information, visit mlkdayofservice.org.

Tuesday January 19

Laura Izibor
Dublin-born, New York-based singer Laura Izibor is making a serious case to become the next huge soul-pop diva with her creamy, ardent voice and songs teeming with inspired R&B, gospel and hip-hop textures and grooves. On her arresting 2009 debut, Let the Truth Be Told, the 22-year-old Izibor gives Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill a run for their money on the buoyant "From My Heart to Yours," reaches Mary J. Blige passion planes on the strings-laden "If Tonight Is My Last," and reveals her vulnerable side on the hushed, near-perfect piano ballad "MMM." Based on her talent and the buzz swirling around her, we highly recommend catching Izibor tonight before she trades the intimate confines of World Cafe Live for much bigger venues. M.A.G.
7:30pm. $25-$35. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Say My Name
Lately the landscape of female rap has looked as barren as the Wachovia Center during a 76ers home game, with most of the '90s heavyweights who took the mantle from MC Lyte and company having fallen by the wayside. Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, Lauryn Hill, Eve: all AWOL. But from the rubble rises a star with lipstick and a Louis Vuitton clutch. The rapid ascent of Niki "The Answer" Minaj shows that there is an underserved market for female MCs, as evidenced by her ever-growing, female-heavy fan base. Say My Name, directed by Netherlands-based artist Nirit Peled, explores this hunger for an alternative to misogynistic, male-centric hip-hop. The documentary travels the streets of Philly, New York, London and other cities, profiling lyricists of varying levels of success--Rah Digga, Remy Ma, Estelle and Jean Grae, to name a few--who aspire to get equal playing time in a world that traditionally relegates women to the bench. G.J.
Tues., Jan. 19, 7pm. $5-$8. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. blacklily.com

It was another roller-coaster year in musical venues as Gravity Lounge went kaput amid talk of $200,000 of unpaid rent. And then in late September, the IS Venue shut its doors just a day before the Gravity was reborn as The Southern.

Out in the countryside, the first annual Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival was held Saturday August 22 at Devil's Backbone Brewery in Nelson County. And the Crozet Music Festival roared back for a third straight year in early October.

A new recording studio called The Sound opened in August, and something much bigger happened in late November, when the Jefferson Theater reopened after a three-year, $5 million renovation.

And now for glimpse at who played in our town in 2009:

* Alejandro Escovedo: acclaimed Mexican folk singer-songwriter who narrowly avoided a brush with death in the early '00s. 1/26 at Gravity Lounge.

* Ravi Shankar: Indian sitar legend overwhelmingly responsible for the penetration of ragas in the West. 5/1 at the Paramount Theater.

* Steve Earle: moving and occasionally politically aggressive Texas Pete folk-rock. 6/6 at the Paramount Theater.

* Dexter Romweber: archetypal rockabilly swagger which influenced a generation of garage-rockers. 9/3 at IS Venue.

* The Taqwacores: multi-band Muslim punk-rock showcase which aims to tie together established religious ideals and youthful rebellious tendencies. 8/12 at the Bridge.

* Immortal Technique: Brainy and political hip hop from what just might be one of the most successful label-free independent rappers of all time. 9/20 at IS Venue.

* U2: One of Charlottesville's biggest stadium megaconcerts ever from one of the biggest bands in the world. 10/1 at Scott Stadium.

* Vivian Girls: Fuzzed-out all-girl indie-punk trio with an improbable death-grip on the the blogosphere's attention. 10/28 at the Outback Lodge.

* Thievery Corporation: Sprawling-ensemble reinventions of DC's finest electronica tunes. 10/29 at the Charlottesville Pavilion.

* Sons Of Bill and Jason Isbell: Hometown and outta-town country rockers baptize the long-awaited reopening of the downtown Mall's most promising new venue. 11/27 at the Jefferson Theater.

Other crowd-pleasing biggies during 2009 included the reunited Phish, now managed by Charlottesville-based Red Light Management. Plus: Ani DiFranco, George Jones, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen (for the second year in a row), Heart, Jackson Browne, Darius Rucker, David Byrne, Daughtry, the Neville Brothers, Ingrid Michaelson, Jimmy Buffett, and although the concert will be remembered for the tragic disappearance of Morgan Harrington, Metallica.

--VIJITH ASSAR

**The year in kid stuff

Speak out

The Virginia Discovery Museum hooked up with The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression to help wee ones and others explore the first amendment. This rotating exhibit, on display through January 9, 2010, offers the Museum's always outstanding hands-on exhibits that teach young Americans the history of free expression and let them play with the principles and challenges of our right to speak freely.

Naturally

Ivy Creek Natural Area gets kids into the woods with monthly Toddler Time and bird walks, seasonal weed walks and tracking classes, guided school group hikes, photo contests and drawing from nature workshops, 4-H Junior Naturalist Clubs, even occasional star gazing parties with the Charlottesville Astronomical Society. This year, they've added even more programs for young children and families, and a series of day camps that get kids into the great outdoors when they're off from school. And it's all free!

--LINDA KOBERT

**The year in art

After the earthquake of 2008, when art movers and shakers were shaken and numerous galleries crumbled, 2009 was a relatively calm, even upbeat year for art in the ‘ville. 

A new face and a facelift: In March, Bruce Boucher took over the helm of the UVA Art Museum. Some feared the new director, an expert on 16^th century Italian architecture, might prefer all things dusty, but Boucher quickly demonstrated an open mind, a wicked wit, and a heartfelt desire to create a more simpatico relationship between the Museum and the community. The first major accomplishment under the Boucher regime? A $2.5 million summer renovation, which resulted in improved gallery lighting and climate-control technology, along with a new print room that's an educator's delight. 

Boxed in: Perhaps the most engaging exhibition of 2009 was Second Street Gallery's "Impera et Divide." Curated by Charlottesville fave and art renegade Warren Craghead III, along with Portuguese artist Pedro Moura, the March-April show highlighted six international artists who adopt the sequential approach of comic-book art and carry it in unexpected and thrilling directions. 

Click clique: In June, National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols, and company served up a delicious third year of "three days of peace, love, and photography" to photo-philes who flocked to town for the Charlottesville Festival of the Photograph. This year's "big three" legacy artists included Sylvia Plachy, Gilles Peress, and the completely delightful Martin Parr, whose self-effacing British humor had his Paramount "InSight" audience gasping for breath between laughs.

Zounds found sound: Two separate exhibitions wowed lovers of the avant-garde with work that combined visual and auditory experiences incorporating cast-off objects. In May, Greensboro, N.C.-based Invisible, a collaborative trio consisting of Mark Dixon, Bart Trotman, and Jonathan Henderson, installed and played "Rhythm 1001" at Second Street Gallery. And in September, New York artist David Ellis and composer Robert Lange created a delightfully animated trash pile called "Bing" at The Bridge.

Re-opened eyes: Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Les Yeux du Monde, which closed its West Main location at the end of December 2008, re-opened in October in a new state-of-the-art building designed by award-wining architect W.G. Clarke. Not only is the gallery ironclad— literally— but so is LYdM's owner Lyn Warren's right to it since it's located on her Albemarle County estate. Here's to no more lost leases!

Experimental art space: Try & Make opened next to Reid's Market in May but called it a day by August. Despite the dismal economic climate, no other galleries closed in 2009, and both the Charlottesville Community Design Center and The Bridge Public Arts Initiative celebrated fifth-year anniversaries. Sage Moon Gallery reestablished itself at Siips Fine Wine and Champagne Bar on the Downtown Mall, and Skylight Studios opened on Second Street.

--LAURA PARSONS

•• The year on stage

Little Is Good, Too

The biggies continued to wow in '09: the UVA Drama Department hosted The Foreigner, The Language of Angels, and Moliere's Le Medecin Malgre Lui; the Shakespeareans in Staunton pulled out all the stops with The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, and everyone's favorite Midsummer Night's Dream; and Live Arts was as reliable as ever with Gypsy, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Flyin' West. But two tiny "Black Boxes" deserve mention: Four County Players introduced its 50-seat "Cellar," offering works by local playwrights as well as kids' programs all year long. The Black Box Players community theater entertained audiences with Godspell in October and took us all to Narnia with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. So let's hear a cheer for the little guys, doing their part to keep us smiling, weeping, or clapping along.

Playing On!

When a few inspired (and intrepid) dramaphiles hatched the Play On! Theater at Ix back in 2006 with a kickin' toga party to introduce A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, their maiden show in their almost-finished space, people wondered if the fledgling could take flight. Now, almost four years later, the talented crew and actors have made believers of us all. From Guys and Dolls in the '07-'08 season to Arsenic and Old Lace and Rent this year, the players have proved they're a force to reckon with-- and a group that's here to stay. Hooray for perseverance and talent!

--ROSALIND WARFIELD-BROWN

••Walking about

Space for (More Than) One

Describing itself as a "newly renovated art space/concert venue/amateur film theater/impromptu studio/potluck dining hall," The Garage has enlivened life downtown with wide-ranging entertainment and fun on Friday (and a few other) nights. Dreamed up and supported by Kate Daughdrill, the tiny single-car garage (it's not just a name!) across from Lee Park on First Street this year hosted art shows (the fabulous "Suitcase Drawings,") folk bands (Dust from 1000 Years), and improv dance performances. 

Socials and Adventures

One consistent entry on every "cultural calendar" this year has been something to do with members of the Outdoor Adventure Social Club, a gregarious and inventive group of folks who do everything from playing mysterious games like "Broomball" to indoor rock climbing, hiking up mountains to stargaze and watch moon rises, skiing, spelunking, hiking, and even taking trips as far afield as New Zealand! (happening in February). Social activities leaven the strenuous stuff, and helpful classes like CPR instruction and "Backpacking 101" keep members' minds sharp and skills honed. There hasn't been a dull moment all year with this crowd.

--ROSALIND WARFIELD-BROWN

#

Wed., Dec. 23

Supergirl!
What inspired this experimental video exhibition celebrating “superheroes, uber-women, meca-warriors and transforming characters”? According to Nick Cassway, Executive Director of Nexus/foundation for today’s art, a major muse was Hillary Clinton. During Bill’s 1992 presidential campaign, Hillary drew the ire of social conservatives with her unapologetic ambitions. “I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas,” the attorney said. “But what I decided to do is fulfill my profession.” Years later, Hillary has transformed from First Lady into a formidable political figure in her own right. Accordingly, Cassway contends that “in the new reality in which a leader of the free world could be a woman, the notion of the traditional superhero has changed.” Be sure to check out Miranda July’s piece Atlanta. The director of Me and You and Everyone We Know depicts split personalities—which should resonate well with women who regularly find themselves summoning their superpowers to battle society’s bipolar gender proscriptions. Gerald Johnson
Noon-6pm. Free. Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St. 215.684.1946. www.nexusphiladelphia.org

Anthony Green
Anthony Green toyed with power pop in his early stint with Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, but he’s better known for fronting more aggressive outfits like Saosin, Circa Survive and the Sound of Animals Fighting. His solo debut, Avalon, returns to more melodic territory. Recorded Jersey shore-side with members of Good Old War, the album ditches eyelinered drama for sincerity, and pyrotechnics for jangly harmonies. Not that all is sunny in Green’s world. Strummy, buoyant “Devil’s Song” may sound like Dr. Dog on a warm afternoon, but it’s most memorable line is “This feels like a nightmare.” The show, however, will likely be rife with warm holiday cheer, as long-time friends and collaborators Good Old War open and join Green on stage. Jennifer Kelly
7pm. $18-$23. With Good Old War + Cheap Seats. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Super Galactic Expansive
Forget the backpacks, this is more like slide rule rap. In this home-grown duo, Jamie “Kilowatt” Watts lays down glossy futuristic beats and tomorrow-land synthetic hooks, while partner Anand “Amagine” Petigara splutters surreally complex imagery. Part of Philly’s trance-y, psychotropic Gaian Mind Collective, the two link sci-fi mysticism with sharp social commentary. On the debut album, Supersensible Science, strings of verbiage knot into conundrums. Sardonic jibes upend prophecies (the word “huh?” is a repeated element in the song “Broken Clocks”). Rational thought coexists with the trippiest kinds of spiritualist mumbo-jumbo. It’s the kind of thing that would only really work in an alternative universe. Fortunately, SGE has created one. J.K.
$10. With RinseRepeat, DJ Kilowatt + Vanek. M Room, 15 W. Girard. 215.739.5577. themanhattanroom.com

Decorative Arts Holiday Show
People can almost always spot a last-minute Christmas gift. They aren’t, however, so great at detecting bullshit. This is your last chance to save some cash and impress your loved-ones with quality hand-crafted gifts made by more than a dozen local artists. Since no one has to know how much it cost or where it came from, feel free to use your imagination when friends and family excitedly ask you where you procured such an amazing find. Perhaps it’s a one-of-a-kind 18th-century piece that you found in a charming little antique store and thought it was a bit pricey, but you just had to get it for them. Or maybe it’s your own custom creation that they personally inspired. Passing off someone else’s craftsmanship as your own is a lot better then whipping out your old Bedazzler and making some tacky piece of crap. Nicole Finkbiner
Free. Allens Lane Art Center, 601 W. Allens Lane. 215.248.0546. allenslane.org

Thurs., Dec. 24

Moo Shu Jew Show
It’s Christmas Eve and the gentiles are nestled all snug in their beds, visions of Target gift certificates dancing in their heads. Big bank-closing birthday coming up tomorrow. It’s all very exciting. But even if you don’t have your socks nailed to the mantle, there’s still fun to be had and noodles to be slurped. The Jews and the Chinese are teaming up for a night of comedy and MSG. Sit down for a banquet of vaguely authentic Chinese cuisine including Kung Pao chicken and Vegetable Lo-Mein. Then, just as you’re pulling that soggy fortune from your mouth, emcee Cory Kahaney takes the mic to make with the funny. Greg Rogell, Brad Zimmerman and Michelle Balan follow with embarrassing stories about their own parents. If you’ve already got plans tonight, Joy Tsin Lau is offering the same deal for lunch on Christmas day. Paul F. Montgomery
6pm. $62-$70. Joy Tsin Lau, 1026 Race St. 215.592.7228. mooshujewshow.com

Laser Mo
For decades, lasers have been the stuff of mad scientist plots, all-night bowling parties and lecture hall pranks. But more and more, contemporary artists like Morgan Martinson have been harnessing lasers for the pursuit of fine art. Using scripting and post-processing software, Martinson constructs atmospheric paintings, gradually burning and building up layers of acrylic with a heat laser. The resulting images are richly textured engravings, ranging from complex metallic constellations of cross-hatches to feathery pink cloud bursts. And while those final designs are dazzling, the real sinew is in their production and mode of fabrication. Her process is digital, but Martinson’s experimentation is anything but inorganic. If the tools are new, the drive for the proper balance remains the same. This is the last week to view her work at Amberella Gallery, where several triptychs and single canvasses are on sale through tonight. Grab a fluffy wad of cotton candy while you browse. P.F.M.
Through Dec. 29. Free. Amberella Gallery, 1050 N. Hancock St., 610.283.5669. amberellagallery.wordpress.com

Fri., Dec. 25

World of Jewtopia
The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future are recovering from their late night and everyone in Philly is opening presents by the tree. Well, not everyone of course. If you’re looking for something to do on December 25, check out World of Jewtopia, making its Philly debut December 24 through December 27 at the Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater. An off-Broadway hit and a touring sensation, World (which is slated to open on Broadway) is a multimedia show that explores all things Jewish. Performed and created by comics Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, the 90-minute one-act combines scenes from the original play Jewtopia (based on a book of the same name) with stand-up comedy and audience interaction. Harmless Hebrew-oriented fun, World is a novel Yuletide option not only for Jews but also Christians looking for any excuse to avoid their family. J. Cooper Robb
3pm and 8pm. $44.50-$52.50. Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Perelman Theater, Broad and Spruce sts. 215.893.1999. kimmelcenter.org

Sat., Dec. 26

Kwanzaa Celebration
On December 26, African Americans across the county will light the first in a series of red, black and green candles, pour libations and feast in celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa. The tradition, created by activist and author Ron Karenga, was born out of the Black Nationalist movement and represents a celebration of African-American culture. Each day recognizes a principle that participants are asked to focus on in the New Year. On day one, which represents Umonja or unity, the Unity Fellowship Church of Christ of Philadelphia, Beta Phi Omega Sorority, Inc., Colours and Philly Black Pride will kick off the week-long Kwanzaa holiday with a party at the William Way Community Center. This cultural experience is open to the public and will include dinner, vendors and live entertainment. Jazmyn Burton
6-9pm. Free. William Way Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. 215.732.2220. betaphiomega.net

Raccoon Fighter
Though a seven-piece during their formative Philly years, Racoon Fighter culled back to a duo upon moving to Brooklyn in ’08, and found a happy medium as a quartet this summer. Happy’s the right word because their music makes you wanna shake, rattle and roll. The guitars sparkle like shiny baubles caught in the moonlight, slinking past muscular rhythms and ahh-ing backing vocals. The ring and crash of six-strings suggest breakers on Jersey Shore whispering a bawdy come-on to a big-haired girl. The supple sonic waves hark back cross the pond to Brit Invasion trailblazers the Troggs and Hollies, before their antecedents locked themselves in the garage and turned that soulful R&B rock sound raw. Chris Parker
9pm. $8. With Autolyze, Young-Ice + the Fleeting Ends. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. thekhyber.com

Mewithoutyou
This local entrant in the proggy, hyper-caffeinated, spiritualist freak folk movement shares its musical aesthetic with bands like Akron/Family and Make A Rising, its philosophical underpinnings with Sufi mystics, St. Francis and Kurt Vonnegut. Two brothers—Aaron and Michael Weiss—make up the core of the band, along with rhythm section Greg Jehanian and Richard Mazzotta, and an occasional orchestra of brass, woodwinds and other old-time instruments. Mewithoutyou’s late spring release It’s Crazy! It’s All False! It’s a Dream It’s Alright sports a rollicking single called “The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie,” inspired by the teachings of Bawa Muhaiyadeen, a Sri Lankan Sufi teacher who settled in Philadelphia. J.K.
9pm. $14. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Boxing Day Beer Festival
Sure, you know the real meaning of Christmas (getting shitfaced on eggnog and swapping dirty jokes with Grandma), but what about Boxing Day? In the mid 19th century, wealthy Brits would live it up and exchange presents with each other on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and established the 26th as a day to give gifts their servants, the lower classes and the homeless. The Memphis Taproom will continue to celebrate the spirit of the day this year when they open their doors early (8 a.m.!), roll out the winter beers—Sly Fox Christmas, St. Bernardus Christmas, Port Older Viscosity, Lost Abbey Angel’s Share, Victory Old Horizontal and a few English cask ales, among others—and give you a dollar off each brew for bringing in a gently used winter coat, blanket or three cans (Nourishing stuff, by the way. No lard or chipotles.) of food for distribution to families in need. Matt Soniak
8am. Pay as you go. Memphis Taproom, 2331 E. Cumberland St. 215.425.4460. memphistaproom.com

Ari Hoenig’s Oscillations Quartet
From the physical mayhem of Ari Hoenig’s drumming ‹ limbs flailing, face contorted in agonized delight ‹ comes music of unsurpassed depth and control. Little wonder the Philly native has become world-renowned, with two unaccompanied drumset albums and two more with full band under his belt, not to mention sideman work with post-bebop pianists Kenny Werner and Jean-Michel Pilc, thermonuclear jazz-rock guitarist Wayne Krantz, Philly legend Pat Martino and many more. In recent hometown visits Hoenig has featured his band Punk Bop. The Oscillations Quartet is more of a local product, with guitarist Tim Motzer, saxophonist Chris Cuzme and bassist Ben Bocardo bringing the metric intrigue and elasticity, making it look simple. David R. Adler
8pm. $20. Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131. chrisjazzcafe.com

Sun., Dec. 27

Swift Technique
Led by the showstopping bass grooves of Jake Leschinsky and the highly-improvisational lyrical firestorm of Sean McCann, Philly’s own Swift Technique is set on one goal: bringin’ the funk. And damn, they bring it hard. The seven-piece band, which includes a three-man horn section, showcases their first-class musicianship, chemistry and never-ending supply of energy at every opportunity. The guys are currently finishing up work on several new tracks, which they hope to make available for release in early 2010. Until then, they’ll continue performing up and down the east coast, rolling with more rhyme and reason than anyone else in town. Kevin Brosky
8pm. $9. With heylady + the Great Divide. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Cro-Mags
I’ll always associate veteran New York hardcore band Cro-Mags with a car crash I was in back in college. There we were, me in the passenger seat, my buddy driving, both of us rocking out to the righteous thrash of 1986’s The Age of Quarrel. Fiddling with the tape deck, my pal neglected to see the red light ahead, and we rear-ended a stopped car. As the metal (or plastic, or whatever old Hyundai Excels were made of) twisted and cracked and our heads snapped toward the windshield in that slow-motion, oh-we-are-so-fucked auto wreck kinda way, either “Show You No Mercy” or “Malfunction” roared from the shitty speakers. It was perfect. M.A.G.
7pm. $15. With All Out War, Cold World, Wisdom in Chains + Foundation. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Mon., Dec. 28

AM/FM rock party
As the newest addition to the Gayborhood’s club scene, Q Lounge expects to bring a little edge to the area known for cheesy pop music and bass-heavy dance beats. Monday night’s am:fm party celebrates the cause by hosting a rock ’n’ roll themed shindig worthy of your best leather jacket and shredded denim. DJ RNG will spin tunes from across the decades, with music from the White Stripes and the New Pornographers merged with classics like the Rolling Stones. Drink specials include the Q Lounge’s version of a city wide special—a pint of Philly Brewing Co. with a shot of house whiskey—and gift cards for $50 off a tattoowill be given away throughout the night. A tramp stamp of the club logo? The possibilities are endless. Emily Freisher
8pm. Free. Q Lounge, 1234 Locust St., 215.732.1800. qphilly.com

Tues., Dec. 29

The Conversation
Once upon a time Francis Ford Coppola so owned cinema even his larks were loved by all. This year the winemaker continued his comeback—well, at least he’s actually making movies again—with Tetro, a quasi-autobiographical bitchslap to his tyrannical father that’s cherished by a small but dedicated coterie and ignored, or worse, by the rest of mankind. With that in mind, hop back to the last time he wrote a wholly original full-length script. In between two Godfathers he made The Conversation, first-rate Nixon-era paranoia in which Gene Hackman’s “electronic surveillance technician” stumbles upon a potential murder. Consider the obstacles: an intentionally confusing plot; a singularly unpleasant protagonist; and, most famously, a dense, looping sound design (courtesy Walter Murch) bound to exacerbate even the mildest migraine. And yet the movie scored a Best Picture nom (alongside the first Godfather sequel, which won) and made some bucks to boot. Once upon a time Coppola made having both critical and commerical success look so easy. Matt Prigge
7:30pm. $5-$9. Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W Lancaster Ave. 610.527.9898. brynmawrfilm.com

Coliseum
When we last caught Coliseum live two years ago at the TLA to open a multi-band bill topped by the mighty High on Fire, and the impressive Louisville, Kentucky, trio more than held its own that night with its brutal, uncompromising blend of classic hardcore punk and doomy, walloping alt-metal. Led by burly, bearded singer-guitarist Ryan Patterson, Coliseum established an aggressive and intimidating (but not mookish or stupid, a la Hatebreed) presence, crashing wicked riffs against battery acid-scarred vocals and kidney-punching rhythms. If they bring the same intensity and volume to the comparatively smaller confines of Kung Fu Necktie, it’s going to be out of control. M.A.G.
8pm, $8. With 1994!, We Thieves + Tidal Arms. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St. kungfunecktie.com

Blastoids
These Tennessee noise practitioners are as DIY as they get. Their blog is their website. They post their own pictures from tours, they tour nothing but weird venues, they load and unload, they crash in people’s warehouses. They also put on a whacked-out high energy set complete with the possible presence of paint, confetti and kitties. Openers the Owl Collective are big on percussion, vocal harmonies, throbbing synths and a dash of chaos, and their latest 2009’s Kids Hands Smell Like Glitter is drawing comparisons to Animal Collective and Wavves. Not bad. Bill Chenevert
8pm. $TK. With In Every Room + Dangerous Ponies. Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave, myspace.com/dangerdangergallery

Adalie
Love or detest it, there’s a pretty happenin’ emo/screamo/pop-punk scene in Philly that only continues to grow, and local four-piece Adalie has vaulted near the top of that heap of bands just two years after forming. Taking its cues from Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World and Glassjaw, among others, Adalie brings high-pitched vocals, the occasional raw-throated yowl, buzzsaw guitars, a healthy dose of sweet melodies and catchy choruses, and of course the requisite floppy hair ’n hoodie look together for a sound and vision that seems to charm the kids (and editors of Alternative Press magazine). It has already gotten them on tours like Warped and Taste of Chaos, and could make them one of Philly’s breakout acts of 2010. M.A.G.
7:30pm. $10. With Honah Lee, the Glory Days, St. James Hotel + Crows Crossing. Trocadero, 1003 Arch St. 215.922.6888. thetroc.com

The new wave icon, who died last month, founded the Parisian punk scene and pioneered French electropop

"Denis Denis, oh with your eyes so blue/Denis Denis, I've got a crush on you." So sang Debbie Harry on Blondie's first European hit in 1978. At the time, there were persistent rumours that the Denis in question was none other than Denis Quilliard – better known as Jacno – who died from cancer at the age of 52 last month. After embodying the post-punk years in France, Jacno (his soubriquet, which he acquired as a chain-smoking teenager, was a tribute to the graphic designer who created the iconic Gauloises cigarettes logo) had himself achieved cult status.

Despite being at the heart of the original Parisian punk scene, Jacno hated the herd mentality associated with such movements. One of his more recent songs is called Je viens d'ailleurs – I Come from Elsewhere – and in his book of interviews, he repeatedly refers to himself as a "martian" (which is quite fitting given his resemblance to Bowie circa The Man Who Fell to Earth).

Jacno met the beautiful Uruguayan Elli Medeiros (now Mme Brian de Palma) during a student demonstration in 1973. They became an item and formed the Stinky Toys (a reference to both Dinky Toys and New York Dolls). Following their first chaotic gig in 1976, the band acquired a reputation for debauched drunkenness that eventually alienated EMI who were about to sign them.

At Malcolm McLaren's behest, they played the 100 Club punk festival following which Elli appeared on the cover of Melody Maker. Their eponymous first album sold – as Jacno used to point out – as many copies as the Velvet Underground's debut. And like the Velvets, their small fanbase included such luminaries as Andy Warhol. When he got off the plane at Orly airport in the summer of 1977 — having been invited to attend the inauguration of the Pompidou Centre – the Pope of Pop was sporting a conspicuous Jacno badge. Over the following days, Warhol would court the young musician assiduously (albeit unsuccessfully), famously painting his portrait on a restaurant tablecloth using a borrowed make-up kit.

On their second album, the Toys abandoned their original riff-heavy template and explored colder, quirkier climes. The band disbanded after an Altamont-style gig during which a fan was killed by rampaging Hells Angels. It was time to move on.

In 1980 Jacno became the poster boy for the Jeunes Gens Modernes ("Modern Young Things"), a label coined by a local magazine to describe the resolutely elitist post-punk scene based around Le Rose Bonbon nightclub. He provided the soundtrack to Olivier Assayas's first short movie, which included an instrumental entitled "Rectangle" no record company would release at first, although it ended up being a massive hit throughout Europe. The film also included a bittersweet track sung by Elli which marked the birth of the Elli & Jacno duo who would go on to sell millions of records until the couple split up in 1984. Jacno also produced albums by some of France's greatest stars like Jacques Higelin or Etienne Daho, but he will go down in history as a pioneer of electropop who anticipated the late 90s French Touch. By playing schmaltzy 60s "yéyé" tunes on Kraftwerk-style synthesisers, Jacno provided a perfect retro-futurist soundtrack to the melancholy innocence of adolescence. Paris will never be quite the same without him.