February 26 2003

8 Days a Week

Feb. 26-March 5, 2003

TWO CLASSICS OF art deco: the godlike beauty of Rudolph Valentino and the jazz-age elegance of the Richmond District's Balboa Theatre. Celebrate the glamour and gorgeousness of both at the Balboa Theatre's 77th Birthday Party, which will recreate a night at the pictures circa 1926. It starts off with a screening of comic shorts, including Charlie Chaplin's "A Jitney Elopement" (filmed in the Richmond), a Rube Goldberg cartoon, and previews for films released in 1926. Next, things heat up with a live vaudeville review, featuring the ragtime tunes of Suzanne "Kitten on the Keys" Ramsey, the quick undulations of belly dancer Nahar, and the quicker hands of conjurer James Hamilton. Then prepare to swoon as Valentino and Vilma Banky star in The Son of the Sheik, a tale of high adventure and scorching passions on the burning sands of Arabia. Come in '20s dress and rub shoulders with flappers and Chaplin and Valentino (sigh!) look-alikes. 7:30 p.m. (matinee screening of films only, 2 p.m., $5), Balboa Theatre, 3630 Balboa, S.F. $7.50. (415) 221-8184, www.balboamovies.com. (Amir Baghdachi)

Feb. 26, Wednesday

Roll of thunder One of the most indelible images of classic jazz-rock fusion performances in the early 1970s is that of powerhouse drummer Billy Cobham stirring the polyrhythmic thunder in the eye of the tornado known as the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Previously seasoned in straight-ahead jazz with Horace Silver, and a fusion pioneer in the early Miles Davis electric groups and the Dreams band (with the Brecker Brothers), Cobham went on to forge many more landmark moments, including his own 1973 Spectrum LP, with Tommy Bolin, Jan Hammer, and others (recently reissued by Rhino along with a two-CD anthology). Having crossed over into pop (with Peter Gabriel and Carly Simon) and Grateful Dead jam territory (early on with Bobby and the Midnites; more recently with Jazz Is Dead), the cyclonic drummer goes for the mainstream jugular, Art Blakey-style, on this tour with an all-star quintet featuring pianist Julian Joseph, bassist Bob Hurst, saxophonist Donald Harrison, and trumpeter Guy Barker, recording the sets for a live CD. Through Sun/2. 8 and 10 p.m.; Sun/2, 2 and 8 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $5-$24. (510) 238-9200. (Derk Richardson)

Feb. 27, Thursday

Renaissance man In an era defined by specialization and the division of labor, there seem to be few renaissance people who have made achievements in multiple disciplines. Novelist, chemistry professor, and inventor of the first birth control pill, Dr. Carl Djerassi is a rare breed. He is also a renowned art collector. Tonight he speaks with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curator Janet Bishop about his collection of Paul Klee drawings and paintings. The show, titled 'A Passion for Paul Klee: The Djerassi Collection at SFMOMA,' a comprehensive selection of the artist's whimsical works on paper, is available for viewing after the talk (the exhibit officially opens March 1). It should be interesting to hear Djerassi expatiate on Klee's evocative but somewhat elusive oeuvre. He will also address the why and wherefore of art collecting for the rest of us; no doubt it helps to have solved one of the world's great medical mysteries first. 7 p.m. (exhibit runs March 1-June 8, museum hours Fri.-Tues., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; admission $6-$10), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Phyllis Wattis Theater, 151 Third St., S.F. $5-$8. (415) 947-1292. (Kerry Rodgers)

Smoper berry crunch Paste www.smoper.co.kr into your browser and you'll be transported to the Web page of a Korean fried-chicken chain that boasts a green Smurf (in Korean, "Smoper") as its mascot. This discovery will tell you something about the band Smoper's sense of humor but nothing about the Seoul-based duo's music. New-media teachers Innes (InSoo) Park and Douglas James (DJ) Steadman build experimental "dumpster funk" and "electrotwang trip-out" songs from Korean vocal and ambient sound samples combined with various computer electronics (and electric guitar), jungle, drum 'n' bass, funk, and more. Sharing the bill is the widely traveled Bob Boster, a.k.a. Mr. Meridies, one of the Bay Area's many unpredictable bent geniuses of live electronics. 8 p.m., Luggage Store Gallery, 1007 Market, S.F. $6-$10. (415) 255-5971. (Also Fri/28, with Steve Polta, 9 p.m., 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St., Oakl. $5-$10. 510-444-7263). (Richardson)

Sound and light For the artists of Point Blank, a group of queer women photographers in San Francisco, you shoot what you know and you make it accessible – presenting work in nontraditional public spaces where the community you're documenting can see itself and be seen. Tonight, Point Blank celebrates its fifth anniversary by showcasing visual art in the setting of a rock club, complete with live soundtrack. Erase Errata's Sarah Jaffe starts the night off with a solo set, followed by video artist Tammy Rae Carland's "Cry for Everything Bad That's Ever Happened," featuring music by Le Tigre. Instrumental trio the Secrets of Family Happiness perform alongside a slide show of work by Point Blank members Dusty Lombardo, Rebecca McBride, and Cara Gurney. And the night ends with an open slide show (think open mic for visual artists – bring your slides to Galia by 8 p.m.) accompanied by La Machine DJ Cari Campbell's sound installation. 8 p.m., Club Galia, 2565 Mission, S.F. $4-$20 sliding scale (no one turned away for lack of funds). (415) 861-3156. (Lynn Rapoport)

Feb. 28, Friday

Well versed The voices of San Francisco's Balkan music-singing women's choir, Kitka, have often been portrayed as moving and stirring. Indeed, it was their music that roused blue-faced Mel Gibson to battle in Braveheart and echoed mental derangement in Jacob's Ladder. Kitka formed in 1979 when the rich droning harmonies of Bulgarian folk tunes first gained widespread appeal. Then and now, their performances have reflected the music's mixture of regional and Turkish influences, often through arrangements made in accordance with members' own field research. This year's show seems particularly resonant, as the group has often sung in the name of peace and social justice. Previously they've performed benefits raising funds for aid to Kosovo, and in 1999 they provided musical accompaniment for Thas Mazur Dance Company's Women in Black, which was inspired by the international antiwar women's group. 7:30 p.m., Grace Cathedral, 1100 California, S.F. $15-$25. (415) 749-6355. (Deborah Giattina)

Jazz surgeon generals Although no relation of Dr. C. Everett, Swedish jazz luminaries Koop are certain to keep your heart healthy with their summery blend of jazz laced with electronics. Last year's Waltz for Koop (Quango/Palm) was a short but sweet slice of swing brought back to where it all started – the dance floor. For their live incarnation, the studio duo of Magnus Zigmark and Oscar Simonsson work keyboards, samplers, and effects. They are joined by some of Scandinavia's finest on vibes, bass, and drums, while vocals are handled by ethereal singer Yukimi Nagano. DJ Tomas also performs. 8 p.m., Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. $15. (415) 474-0365. (Peter Nicholson)

March 1, Saturday

Play for peace If you're going to raise your fist in the air for justice, do it while holding a microphone. That's the premise of 'Rock Out S.F.' A group of local musicians organized the first "Rock Out" in the fall of 2000 as an immediate reaction to the closing of Downtown Rehearsal Studios, which put a big squeeze on practice pads. To get their message across, team "Rock Out" incited bands to play for one hour on a designated Saturday afternoon all over the city – on rooftops, street corners, and flatbed trucks. This is the fourth time "Rock Out" duty has called, in this case to stop the impending war with Iraq. Check out their Web site (www.rockoutsf.org) to register, apprise yourself of the (il)legalities, and/or see who'll be rocking out and where. One act, an accordion-theremin duo called Queen Macha, plan to spread the musical message in Dolores Park. They promise to create chaos and distribute doggie treats along with their antiwar literature. What will you be doing? 1-2 p.m., various locations, S.F. 1-800-875-8884, rockout@rockoutsf.org. (Giattina)

March 2, Sunday

Providing backup By the time the Roots land in the Bay Area, they'll have fully recovered from any Triumph the Insult Comic Dog-style experiences they might have had performing "Lose Yourself" with Eminem at the Grammy Awards. Then again, the Philly blunt boys will probably be able to retain their identities – and dignity – because Em himself requested the band's onstage help. He probably realized: better with him than against him. The prolific crew blew Marshall Mathers's archnemesis, Moby, off the stage during his Area One tour a few years back. In the meantime, the Roots' latest album, Phrenology (MCA), is edging into gold-record territory the hard, eclectic, compulsively listenable way. 8 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary, S.F. $35. (415) 346-6000. (Kimberly Chun)

March 3, Monday

Sex strike Thinking about sex in connection with George W. Bush is not pleasant, but the Lysistrata Project makes it difficult to avoid. The project is coordinating worldwide readings of playwright Aristophanes' 2,400-year-old raunchfest Lysistrata, in which the women of two warring states organize a peace action: no bedroom action until the men agree to lay down their swords. What would happen if (a lobotomized) Laura Bush held out on George until he agreed to back off from a war in Iraq? Probably nothing. A man unfazed by millions of people protesting his foreign policy isn't going to flinch over a little thing like a sex strike. Still, the project – which at press time had 739 performances, readings, and discussions scheduled in theaters, schools, hospitals, private homes, and public spaces in 42 countries – should get people thinking about how to throw a wrench in the works of war. Local venues include Oakland's Black Box (with proceeds benefiting Not in Our Name), the Oakland City Hall steps, the Claremont Resort and Spa, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and six others in San Francisco. For more information go to www.lysistrataproject.com. (Rapoport)

March 4, Tuesday

Power lunch There are times when opposition to the dominant paradigm should be voiced with patience, delicacy, and restraint. We are not in those times, which is why the rude and raucous opinions of Lydia Lunch are particularly welcome right now. The legendary Lunch, who's been clawing the cheeks of middle-class complacency since the 1970s, brings her brand of lust and loathing to headline "Politically Inspired," a gathering of writers reading their recent political poetry and fiction. Also reading are San Francisco's Michelle Tea (whose Valencia garnered a Lambda for Best Lesbian Fiction), Stephen Elliott, of McSweeney's fame, and Kirk Read (author of How I Learned to Snap). Be sure to bring your friends, your fears, and your frustrations. 7 p.m., Adobe Books, 3166 16th St., S.F. Free. (415) 864-3936, inspired@stephenelliott.com. (Amir Baghdachi)

March 5, Wednesday

Truth serum Devotees of the Disinformation Company's Web site, disinfo.com – once described as "a Drudge Report for the fringe" – are well aware that there's much more going on in the world than the corporate media is letting on. As does anyone who's read You Are Being Lied To and Everything You Know Is Wrong, two Disinformation anthologies, which along with the Web site cover underreported aspects of current events, human rights, history, and weird science, not to mention topics like alien activity, mind control, paranormal phenomena, and the Manson family. Tonight, Disinformation cofounder Richard Metzger stops by City Lights in honor of his new book, Disinformation: The Interviews, a spin-off of the group's too-hot-for-the-Sci-Fi-Channel television series (it aired in the U.K. and, after a scuttled attempt to broadcast it stateside, is now available on DVD) that features chats with Robert Anton Wilson, Grant Morrison, Howard Bloom, and others. 7 p.m., City Lights, 261 Columbus, S.F. Free. (415) 362-8193. (Cheryl Eddy)