October 16, 2002

8 Days a Week

Jan. 15-22, 2003

YOU MIGHT AS well cancel all other plans and put down stakes inside Venue 9's cozy environs for the next three weeks, 'cause every Thursday through Sunday till Groundhog Day will be packed with a multitude of performances, thanks to the third annual Women on the Way Festival. The fest, which spotlights both emerging and established talents, kicks off with Without Walls, a play performed by, created by, and benefiting Reality Theater, a group comprised of San Francisco homeless women under the direction of activist Carmen McKay. Other plays on WOW III's roster include Oh My Goddess!, a solo comedy by Sherry Glaser; Sue Peters's drama about a Beverly Hills Hotel tryst between James Dean and Barbara Hutton, Piece of You; and the experimental work (and San Francisco Fringe Festival favorite) Woods for the Trees, by Sara Kraft and Ed Purver. Dance groups make an especially strong showing in this year's festival, with appearances by choreographer Nora Chipaumire, Kate Corby and Dancers, Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement, and Huckabay McAllister Dance. See Stage listings for this week's schedule. Jan. 16-Feb. 2., Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m., Venue 9, 252 Ninth St., S.F. $12-$15 (sliding scale). (415) 289-2000, www.venue9.org. (Cheryl Eddy)

Jan. 15

Wednesday

Bloodthirsty Seattle fivesome the Blood Brothers just might be the mainstream-breakout band of spazzcore, judging from all the praise music mags are heaping on them. Why not? They're young, numb, and full of, um, spunk – with cry-for-Ritalin blasts of noise, metal, and electronics courtesy of guitarist Cody Votolato, drummer Mark Gajadhar, and bassist Morgan Henderson and Blackie Lawless-style screeching from vocalists Johnny Whitney and Jordan Blilie. Fanning the flames is their upcoming third album, Burn Piano Island, Burn (ARTISTdirect), produced by Ross Robinson of Limp Bizkit infamy. And it doesn't hurt that the band have hitched their star to latest hot boys the Used, who are scheduled to headline the next Warped Tour and itching to add this year's Ozzfest to their itinerary. Helps to be dating the boss's daughter: Kelly Osbourne will probably be picking out silver patterns with her boyfriend, Used singer Bert McCracken. Taking Back Sunday and New Transit Direction also play. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $12-$14. (415) 522-0333. (Kimberly Chun)

The grass is greener According to early reports by those who've caught him live around his Sacramento/Mother Lode stomping grounds, Jackie Greene is hauling around an old soul inside his slight 22-year-old frame. The Placerville singer-songwriter, resoundingly endorsed by former Beau Brummels lead singer Sal Valentino, calls his guitar-and-harmonica-based music "a folk-rock-blues-country swing jam session." On his second album, Gone Wanderin' (DIG), Greene caps the rhythmic, rollicking roots sound (a little Hank, a little Dylan, a little J. Geils) with the surprisingly seasoned voice that galvanized the audience at the Fillmore last month when he opened for Susan Tedeschi. 9 p.m., Biscuits and Blues, 401 Mason, S.F. $5. (415) 292-2583. (Derk Richardson)

Jan. 16

Thursday

Sister act The latest band to follow the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Radio 4 out of Brooklyn and onto the critical-darling circuit are the Rogers Sisters. But to attribute this trio's party-rocking riffs just to '60s garage rock would be ignoring their funky, early B-52's-inspired bass lines and the post-punk wailing of singer Jennifer Rogers. Catch them igniting a dance party alongside local heroes Tussle, whose dense drums and hypnotic bass are reminiscent of the minimal funk of early-'80s no wave bands like ESG and Liquid Liquid. Lookout Records' Communiqué opens with more retro '80s rock-meets-pop punk moves and grooves. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $7. (415) 621-4455. (Vivian Host)

Jan. 17

Friday

Big in Japan The story goes that DJ Shitbird and the Ultimate Party Machine was just supposed to be a vehicle to allow the members to tour in Japan. The band started off when Eric Bauer (Crack: We Are Rock, Big Techno Werewolves) and Noel Harmonson (the Lowdown) began playing music with an eight-year-old neighbor. When they realized the prepubescent kid wouldn't be able to make the tour, they recruited Kristy Geschwandtner (Lil' Pocketknife, K.I.T.) to take her place. In November 2002 they embarked on their first attempt to take over Tokyo with only an electronic karaoke-like machine, which they planned on plugging into public power strips on the streets for impromptu performances. But upon their arrival their plans were foiled – no public power strips! Wasting no time on promoting their next attack (tentatively scheduled for sometime this year), they handed out free CDs, stickers, and paraphernalia. And in the meantime, they'll have to practice in the good ol' USA. Tonight they play their first show with everybody's favorite band (well, they should be), Deerhoof. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $5. (415) 923-0923. (Sarah Han)

Crime time Maybe it's the fog, or the seaside location, or the proliferation of narrow alleyways and dark staircases – at any rate, San Francisco has served as the backdrop for some of cinema's most memorable film noir classics. The city's many picturesque locations (whether real or studio-back-lot-created) lurk in each selection of the first 'Noir City: The San Francisco Film Noir Festival,' during which the Castro Theatre plays host to a population of downbeat detectives, wisecracking bookies, seedy private eyes, shifty mobsters, and countless jewel-draped femmes fatales. Oft-screened favorites (The Maltese Falcon, Dark Passage, The Lady from Shanghai) are mixed with rare gems (Woman on the Run, Shakedown, The Midnight Story) in this series, hand-selected by Castro programmer Anita Monga and author Eddie Muller (The Art of Noir), who'll be on hand throughout the fest to introduce his picks. Don't miss the Jan. 25 screening of 1952's The Sniper, which foreshadows Dirty Harry's ploy of turning S.F. rooftops into the stomping grounds of a trigger-happy maniac. Tonight: The Maltese Falcon, 7 p.m.; Dark Passage, 9:10 p.m. Series runs through Jan. 26; see Rep Clock, in Film listings, for this week's schedule. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F. $5-$8. (415) 621-6120, www.sffs.org. (Cheryl Eddy)

A higher standard After their original record company went under, Portland, Ore., band the Standard was left high and dry. It's no wonder they were apprehensive about making a new deal when independent big-timer Touch and Go Records approached them to release their latest album, August. The Standard have been paying their dues, and they've come a long way since forming in 1999 and opening for Clinic, Wire, the Apples in Stereo, and Stephen Malkmus, to name a few. The lyrical and melodic aspects of the album vary, moving from bare, vulnerable instrumentation, to full-bodied vignettes of moody guitars and keyboards. Creeper Lagoon and Henry Miller Sextet also perform. 10 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8. (415) 621-4455. (Cynthia Dea)

Jan. 18

Saturday

Keep the peace In recent weeks the Bush administration has mobilized additional troops to the Middle East and continued to bomb Iraq's no-fly zones while searching for excuses to launch a full-fledged attack. But as the drumbeat to war gets louder, so does the call for peace. And while antiwar activism is taking place on a variety of fronts, there's nothing as immediately effective in showing the sheer strength of the peace movement as tens of thousands of protesters hitting the streets. Today let the Bush administration know we won't stand on the sidelines as it slaughters countless innocent Iraqi civilians, at 'Stop the War before It Starts,' a mass West Coast antiwar demonstration organized by the International Act Now to Stop the War and End Racism Coalition in conjunction with protests in Washington, D.C., and around the world. Hip-hop salseros Los Mocosos perform along with Dance Brigade, and Rev. Cecil Williams, state senate president pro tem John Burton, U.S. Congressmember Lynn Woolsey, Sup. Tom Ammiano, and representatives of the International Action Center, the National Lawyers Guild, the Free Palestine Alliance, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Indian Movement, the West County Toxics Coalition, the San Francisco Labor Council, and other organizations add their voices to the struggle. March noon, Justin Herman Plaza, Embarcadero and Market, S.F.; post-march rally 1 p.m., Civic Center Plaza, Carlton B. Goodlett Place between McAllister and Grove, S.F. Free. (415) 821-6545. (Camille T. Taiara)

Jan. 19

Sunday

Hart and soul Based solely on his album Oh Me Oh My... (Young God Records), the image I have of Devendra Banhart goes like this: a throaty-voiced woman singing hypnotic lyrics – sometimes in falsetto – who is possessed by the spirits of Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake and lives on a lonely, deserted isle where folk singers are condemned to dwell with their acoustic guitars. In essence, Banhart is a return to the poetic singer-songwriters of yore, back when MTV and dancing pop stars didn't exist. Banhart (in reality a 21-year-old Texan male) plays three Bay Area shows this week, starting with an in-store appearance this afternoon at Aquarius Records. 4 p.m., Aquarius Records, 1055 Valencia, S.F. Free. (415) 647-2272. (Also Sun/19, 9 p.m., Hush Hush Lounge, 496 14th St., S.F. $5. 415-241-9944. Tues/21, 10 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $5. 415-861-5016). (Dea)

Jan. 20

Monday

Smells like teen spirit Now in its seventh year, Youth Speaks offers teens an open forum and encourages them to express themselves by writing and speaking within a supportive literary arts community. Today's fitting tribute performance, the sixth annual 'Bringing the Noise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,' features young slam champions like MC Jason Mateo and DJ Funklor busting out on social problems, world conflict, and teen angst through poetry. Spoken word fans will also want to make a note of Youths Speaks' next event, the Oakland Schools Slam Championship, coming up Feb. 8 in downtown Oakland. 7 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, S.F. $2-$10. (415) 978-ARTS, www.youthspeaks.org. (Dea)

Jan. 21

Tuesday

Divas unite A gaggle of glamorous talent descends on Trannyshack tonight at a benefit for drag luminary Juanita More – a longtime local favorite who's battling Hodgkin's lymphoma. Famous for her charismatic stage presence and a wardrobe said to contain more than 100 outfits, More also has gained recognition for her numerous performances at community charity fundraisers. Hostess Heklina and a sparkling cast – including Veronica Klaus, Glamamore, Manley Lennox, Putanesca, Suppositori Spelling, Spencer Day, and others – plan the ultimate drag show to draw supportive crowds. 10 p.m.-3 a.m., Stud, 399 Ninth St., S.F. $6 (additional donations accepted). www.heklina.com. (Eddy)

Jan. 22

Wednesday

Back to basics If your grasp of cinema history is measured only by, say, a fine understanding of Tom Cruise's early period, UC Berkeley professor Marilyn Fabe's 'Film 50: Introduction to Film' class (open to the public, though advance tickets are recommended) might be a good one to take. This undergrad course is aimed at non-film majors and opens today with "Introduction to Film Terminology," a lecture for anyone who's ever scratched his or her head over the meaning of "mise-en-scène." The coming weeks include screenings of films by Griffith, Pudovkin, and Murnau, as well as an "Early Cinema" program with the Lumière brothers, Edison, and Méliès represented. 3 p.m., PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft, Berk. $4.50-$7. (510) 454-1222. (Eddy)