8 Days a Week

June 18-25, 2003

WHO ELSE BUT Joe Goode would notice a connection between ancient Greece and the American West? To find in ordinary people the dignity, even heroism, that is usually reserved for the Olympians takes more than imagination. It requires an ability to dig deeper, extending the metaphor without pushing it over the edge. Storytelling – with dance, words, and, particularly in this show, song – is at the heart of Goode's art. The fact that he communicates with so many people on so many levels is truly the mark of a great artist. Goode doesn't do it alone; his dancers are extensions of him, yet they don't give up their individuality. In addition to moving well, his performers also know how to deliver text and lyrics – not an easy skill for practitioners of what used to be called "the silent art." Goode's latest program includes the world premiere of Folk, the second segment of his Greek mythology series. This time around the story focuses on that anonymous waitress in the small-town café whom we all have seen and never paid much attention to. The music is performed by the highly gifted Beth Custer. Also on the program, making its first appearance in a main season, is the 2002 work Transparent Body. Through June 29. Thurs.-Sun., 8 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard, S.F. $20-$25. (415) 978-ARTS. (Rita Felciano)

June 18

Wednesday

Lie, ladies, lie Olympia, Wash., fivesome Liarbird write the kind of shambling, homespun tunes that some call folk, others call country, a few call indie, and almost no one calls Marlboro Country. By Hecuba, this is American Spirit Country, where we like our poisons pesticide free and off the beaten path trod by corporate tobackee purveyors. Here, cutting the rug hootenanny-style, are Oly figures such as the inimitably energetic drummer Heather Dunn of groups Tiger Trap, the Raincoats, the Bangs, and the Halo Benders, and vocalist-guitarist Kanako Wynkoop of the store Dumpster Values, the band LLP, and the event Ladyfest, alongside violinist-vocalist Nora, bassist Themba of Intima, and guitarist Matthew Anderson. Unlike their Australian feathered namesake, which is said to be a crack mimic of mundane noises, this Liarbird won't throw listeners for a loop; rather, they capture the everyday music of their lives on their new album, Superba Menura (Chainsaw), singing songs about cats, local hangouts, and Johnny Cash. Crime in Choir open. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. (415) 923-0923. (Kimberly Chun)

June 19

Thursday

Sunshine day L.A.'s Rooney prove that you can have big hair and not sound like all those NYC retro rockers. But that's not to say that Rooney can't be retro too. In fact, the So-Cal quintet seem to reach farther back than most. Their self-titled debut album, complete with snappy hooks and layered harmonies, invokes the shimmering pop of the Beatles and the Kinks. They even shot their video in front of the surf, no doubt a conscious decision to draw the timeline back to the Beach Boys. Ambitious as their influences may be, Rooney manage to avoid the pretentiousness of New York bands. Their sunny pop is oddly refreshing in a musical landscape that is so often defined by throaty vocals and downtuned guitars. These days a band you can actually sing along to is becoming a rare find. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $11. (415) 255-0333. (Phil Herrick)

Riff on this Local theater performer Tim Barsky (mastermind behind last year's acclaimed solo piece As If in Sleep) finds the ideal outlet for his unique talents – including the ability to beatbox and play the flute at the same time – with Over Nine Waves, a new experimental work featuring an original live score by the Everyday Ensemble. Trained in the art of traditional Jewish storytelling, Barsky draws inspiration from a variety of unusual sources: Irish folklore, fairy tales, the WTO protests in Seattle a few years back, and his own recent brief jail stint (he was arrested after filming a neighbor's altercation with police in Oakland). Sounds a little offbeat, sure, but Barsky's skill for spinning tales and his infectious belief that theater can be a force for change – not to mention his aforementioned logic-boggling skillz on the mic – should make the self-produced, shoestring-budgeted Over Nine Waves a production worth seeking out. Through June 28. Opens tonight, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor, S.F. $10-$20. (415) 673-3847, www.sffringe.org. (Cheryl Eddy)

Road trip It's an unfortunate reality that San Francisco doesn't have a venue to host companies such as the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. (Years ago the company, then still New York-based, used to perform locally at the Opera House). So we have to travel to the 'burbs, i.e. Cupertino, to revisit the extraordinary choreography that pushed ballet into the modern age. It's also an unfortunate reality that some of the greatest ballet scores will only be heard on tape for this performance. Still, the highway should be jam-packed with dance lovers traveling south this coming weekend. Les noces (The Wedding), L'après-midi d'un faune (The Afternoon of a Faun), and the monumental Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) by the Nijinsky siblings, Bronislava and Vaslav, are not to be missed. Tonight and Fri/20-Sat/21, 8 p.m.; Sun/22, 2 p.m., Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek, Cupertino. $35-$75. (408) 998-8497, (415) 421-8497. (Rita Felciano)

June 20

Friday

Enter the weekend It's always nice to do your dancing someplace other than a dingy nightclub, and nightShift provides the perfect change of venue, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Besides classy DJ talent like Ben Watt (Lazy Dog, Everything but the Girl), Laird (Golden Gate Recordings), and Jeffrodeeziak (Paradise Boys), Transcinema will be showing shorts from Warp Films in the screening room. A sister company of the esteemed Warp Records, Warp Films has produced acclaimed flicks by directors including Chris Cunningham. Get there early for free nibbles from local chi-chi eateries – your audiovisual system will need the fuel. 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, S.F. $18. (415) 978-2700. (Peter Nicholson)

Learn to share In these depressed times, an event promising free anything is cause for rejoicing. Even better is 'Free Art!', which, aside from the door fee – which benefits Artists' Television Access and a doc about political artists, Art as Revolution – is a no-cash-required opportunity to score an original work of art (Lori Byer's necklace crafted from toy soldiers, perhaps, or one of the more traditional oil-on-canvas paintings). The artists, who hail from across North America, believe that creative ideas should be shared in the public domain, not sold for profit or locked down in bazillion-year copyrights. The entire exhibit will be raffled off (for free!) at a closing party featuring Burlesque-Esque, performer Jordan Putnam, the hip-hop and Afro-Cuban stylings of DJ Reuben, film screenings, surprise musical guests, and more. 8 p.m., Artists' Television Access, 992 Valencia, S.F. $5-$6 sliding scale. www.artistactionnetwork.org. (Eddy)

June 21

Saturday

In the mix If you're not furiously reading your new copy of the fifth Harry Potter book, come on out to 21 Grand for an evening of short films, animation, comics, zines, and indie bands. The mostly Asian American lineup features the best of the local scene, such as Dino Ignacio's animation "Maritess and the Superfriends," in which a Pinay maid (voiced by comedian Rex Navarette) is hired to clean up the Hall of Justice and discovers dirt – and not just the kind that's on the floors. There's also footage by Ogie Gonzales of punk bands in the Philippines and a documentary on San Francisco pop punkers Clarendon Hills. Indie bands Dealership, Parting Glance, and the Basement League perform, along with the Skyflakes, who you can find on the soundtrack for Better Luck Tomorrow. And as a take-home souvenir, don't forget to purchase comics by Attaboy and Hellen Jo. 8 p.m., 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St., Oakl. $7-$8. (510) 44-GRAND. (Jean Chen)

June 22

Sunday

Sisterly love What could be better than a night of hot women and hot music? Uh, not a lot, which is why you should come on out and shake your booty at 'Mr. Sister,' a queer musical showcase presented by Mr. Lady Records and Sister Spit. Tonight's lineup features the usual veterans, including Tammy Hart and Tribe 8, but the real reason to go is for newcomers like Veronica Lip Gloss and the Evil Eyes. If you've got a hankering for some good old-fashioned girl punk, lead singer Rhani can satisfy all of your rock and roll desires. If you prefer two turntables and a microphone, hip-hop collective Sisterz of the Underground will be representing the four elements, and Robo Sapien are sure to get the party started with their hip-hop-funk anthem "Heat." 4 p.m.-midnight, SomArts (rear gallery), 934 Brannan, S.F. $10-$25. (415) 334-0722. (Chen)

June 23

Monday

Beat stew The current project of filmmaker and underground hip-hop supporter Kevin Epps, the Hip Hop Film Festival, presents a series of films that go beyond the MTV gloss, delving into the intricacies of the scene. Epps's selections for the festival constitute a nearly definitive guide to hip-hop culture, setting the record straight on everything from turntablism to graffiti and offering perspectives on the issues of violence and economic stress that so often loom in the background. Tonight's opening at the Roxie will showcase T. Feiling's Resistencia, a film that tackles the hardcore hip-hop of impoverished Colombia, and John Carluccio's Battlesounds, a history of DJing along the lines of Doug Pray's Scratch. Also on deck is Epps's own acclaimed documentary, Straight outta Hunters Point. The film festival will raise money for the Hunters Point Community Youth Park Foundation, a local organization that aims to keep Hunters Point youth off the street and engaged in community activities. Through June 25. 6 p.m., Roxie Cinema, 3117 16th St., S.F. $4-$8 (festival pass $50). (415) 863-1087. See Rep Clock, in Film listings, for a full schedule. (Herrick)

June 24

Tuesday

Shipshape Something about the Decemberists' singer-songwriter Colin Meloy rings familiar – could it be the nasal voice? The literate, arch craftsmanship? The penchant for storytelling or the ease with countrypolitan arrangements that makes the music so reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian or the Go-Betweens? Things could be much worse, judging from the confident, comely sound of the quintet's 2002 Hush Records full-length, Castaways and Cutouts, which was recently given a wide rerelease nationally and sent overseas by Kill Rock Stars. Certainly another hearing is needed for tracks like "Odalisque," which swings between Appalachian dirge and Yes sun chant (with a healthy dash of trash theremin), and "The Legionnaires Lament," which freshens up its "la-la-la-la's" with seaworthy accordion and finds a way to rhyme laudanum with fecund. Despite Meloy's romantic predisposition toward laments, cautionary songs, and California wine/whine, the Decemberists are far from icy fatalists – the music, and particularly Jenny Conlee's rollicking organ, is awash with hope and a kind of homey glory. Ninja Tune singer-songwriter Fog (Andrew Broder) headlines with off-kilter acoustic numbers. Norfolk and Western and Dosh also perform. 9:30 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $7. (415) 861-5016. (Chun)

June 25

Wednesday

Midnight's children Chris Cohen and John Dieterich are apparently unfulfilled by their collective role as half of that adorable calamity known as Deerhoof. Now it looks like they need more than respective stints in Curtains and Gorge Trio to occupy their time. Adding to the ever swelling roster of well-pedigreed offshoot bands, guitarists Cohen and Dieterich and drummer Jay Pellici of Dilute keep things fractured and twinkling as Natural Dreamers. On a self-titled CD out on Frenetic Records, minus the chirps and bashes of their absent Hoofian counterparts, Cohen and Dieterich graft elegance with dissonance in messy instrumentals while Pellici crashes accordingly. Sticking with the side-project theme of the evening, expect a dual dosage of the Touchton brothers of Alabama (the state, not the band) and XBXRX fame, Steve with a drum machine as Snowsuit, and Chris in hot pants with Da Hawnay Troof. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. (415) 923-0923. (Anup Pradhan)