8 Days a Week

July 16-23, 2003

THE INSTITUTE FOR Unpopular Culture – whose acronym, IFUC, is indeed pronounced "I fuck" – is throwing a fabulous street fair. The first annual Unpopular Culture Street Fair, hosted by IFUC and the brand-new, ultracool Varnish Gallery, will be an extravaganza of art and performance. Charlotte the Baroness, Doc Fu, DJ Pause, Steady-P, and DJ Toph One will be spinning tunes, and the Punk Rock Orchestra will knock your creepers and little white socks off. You'll also have a chance to see the work of many artists who are setting up installations just for this unique event. Joe Mangrum will create site-specific works whose organic materials, glowing colors, and graceful shapes suggest oases of peace in the urban landscape, and Kristen Sard will display her magic realist photographs. See movies from independent filmmaker Kerry Laitala and the sculptures of Dan Das Mann and Steve Cuthpert. IFUC is a nonprofit devoted to helping artists who challenge the status quo, including people like gender-fucked variety-show ringleader Fairy Butch and artist Ashley Phelps, who creates haunting artwork made of bone. (It also sponsors other magazine, a publication devoted to people who defy categories, edited in part by yours truly; the new issue will be available at the fair.) Food will be provided by Zebulon Cafe and the Tempura House. Lagunitas Brewery will bring the beer. So come on out to spend your Saturday afternoon soaking up the fresh air and discovering new art. Sat/19, noon-7 p.m., Varnish Gallery, 77 Natoma, S.F. $5, free for 12 and under. (415) 986-4382. (Annalee Newitz)

July 16

Wednesday

Standout stand-ins While women in film do seem to keep getting tougher, the credit always goes to the ones who just stand defiant and pretty after appearing to double somersault over an exploding oil rig, instead of the ones who actually do the damn stunt. To even the score, filmmaker Amanda Micheli documents the unseen trials and multiple fractures of stuntwomen in Double Dare, presented by the Film Arts Foundation. The film follows Jeannie Epper, a double for Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman, and Zoë Bell, who, at the age of 18, cut her teeth (and probably other things) on Xena: Warrior Princess. Micheli presents contrasting phases in the lives of two remarkable women – one at the height of her career, the other fondly looking back on a lot of owies as she contemplates retirement. 7:30 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, S.F. $6-$7. (415) 978-2787. (Anup Pradhan)

Good times Consider the fancy-schmancy titles most galleries concoct for their exhibitions – names like "Abstract Images of Postmodernism by Indo-Cuban Former Communists" or "The Urban Landscape from the Perspective of Cave Dwellers." Start Soma bucks tradition with the no-nonsense 'Art Show: really good art by really good artists.' "There was no other name that fit," explains John Doffing, the iconoclastic founder and CEO of the four-month-old gallery. With about 50 artists and 500 works, the eclectic exhibit opens with a reception in Start Soma's new home, a 10,000-square-foot warehouse space. Unlike other galleries that straight-facedly insist a $15,000 painting was created by an "emerging" artist, Start Soma keeps most of its prices low and its atmosphere fun. 8 p.m.-midnight (exhibit through July 30; gallery hours by appointment), Start Soma, Capella S.F., 270 14th St., S.F. (415) 495-7844, www.startsoma.com. (Kerry Rodgers)

Wave on After a truly disappointing start, week two of this year's 'Summerfest/dance West Wave Dance Festival' kicks into high gear, offering an opportunity to see another two shows. If you like your dance intimate, check out this evening's program, featuring choreography for one or two dancers. The challenge here is to keep relationships going: how do you allow for the strengths and vulnerabilities of each individual? It's a tough call in dance, as well as at home, but Erica Rebollar, Nora Chipaumire, Carmen Carnes, Banafsheh Sayyad, and Abigail Hosein are willing to take on the challenge. World premieres dominate this weekend's performances by companies that have established themselves: Megan Nicely and Company, Dandelion Dancetheater, Huckabay McAllister Dance, and Rebecca Salzer Dance Theater. The highlight may well turn out to be two works by Michael Lowe, formerly of Oakland Ballet, whose choreography seems to be popping up more frequently. In addition to a world premiere, Moving Arts Dance presents an excerpt of Concubine, which Lowe set to Mongolian folk songs. Tonight and Fri/18-Sat/19, 8 p.m., ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., S.F. $18-$20. (415) 345-7575. (Rita Felciano)

July 17

Thursday

Blast times Space and time fistfight when Tatsuya Yoshida plays his drums, cramming lasts and thuds into precise little packages and chucking them at your head. Since starting Ruins in 1985, he and a tag team of bassists (currently Hisashi Sasaki) have sketched the ultimate blueprint for everything that is joyous and noisy, alongside other Japanese bands including Boredoms and Zeni Geva – in fact, the seed of most good things going on in music today just might have been sown in their tidy, fertile yard. Their meticulous take on prog noise erupts like a dozen Hawaiian volcanoes, with both members bellowing semi-operatic arias in an invented language over violent, symphonic arrangements. As stateside Ruins shows are rarities and the Hemlock Tavern is not exactly known for its spacious comfort, be sure to jump on tickets quick. Lana Dagales also plays. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $10. (415) 923-0923. (Pradhan)

Big bang Portland, Ore.'s Exploding Hearts certainly have the image thing down, sporting kitschy pink-and-yellow tops underneath leather jackets and posing like the Sex Pistols on the cover of their new LP, Guitar Romantic (Dirtnap). But then again, you don't get the impression that the Hearts are too concerned about being taken that seriously. In fact, it seems their shamelessness has paid off, liberating them to pursue their transparent, reference-heavy punk rock to its fiendishly infectious conclusion. The Heart's fusion of early punk punchiness and tuneful '60s melodies has yielded an irresistible, if not very innovative, sound, and their adrenaline-fueled hooks have drawn the attention of critics, winning Guitar Romantic a spot on quite a few top 10 lists. For all the resurrecting, these guys can actually play. Deadly Weapons and Secret Synthi open. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $7. (415) 621-4455. (Phil Herrick)

July 18

Friday

Particle accelerator If Trey Anastasio teamed up with Frequency 8, they might produce something like Particle. But until then, Particle stand boldly alone. Since their start performing at a boat party in the bay, the L.A.-based quartet has picked up a passionate following by pioneering their own version of the jam band. Affectionately called "space porn," Particle's sound is more Hitchhiker's Guide than Space Odyssey. A few scattered recordings and an EP showcase their skills (stylistic influences range from jazz to funk to electronica), but their live shows are where they really shine. That's only to be expected from their combination of Phish-like improvisation and beats that would be at home in trance. Perhaps Particle's uplifting grooves wouldn't make the cut for a 2001-inspired porn flick soundtrack, but they certainly hold their own on the dance floor. Pseudopod opens. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $16. (415) 885-0750. (Herrick)

The bee's knees The happy-hour party that brought you 25¢ pints of PBR, Knees Up is hooking it up yet again. It's recently swapped venues, relocating from Hush Hush Lounge to Milk on Haight Street (formerly the Galaxy Club), and to celebrate the move, the crew have organized an especially rockin' affair. In typical Knees Up fashion, there's another amazing beer special: this time it's $1 pints of Foster's. The two-buck cover also gets you free snacks and a friendly crowd. Big Mike, DJ Seven (Lo-Rise), and Marty (Wind-Up S.F.) supply eclectic grooves, ranging from hip-hop to house. First and third Fridays, 6-10 p.m., Milk, 1840 Haight, S.F. $2. (415) 387-6455, www.kneesup.com (Herrick)

July 19

Saturday

This year's projections "It's not about the songwriting, it's all about sex appeal. And that is not mentioned in any of these articles. It's like, 'He's a nerd,' and 'He writes slide songs.' Goddamn it, I am one of the sexiest men in America, all right?" Consummate geek Jason Trachtenburg may jest about his band's dazzling rise from quirky pop vaudeville act to darlings of the New York press, but he swears the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are no comedy revue. Along with wife Tina (slide projector and costumes) and nine-year-old daughter Rachel (drums), Trachtenburg (vocals, guitar, and keyboard) turns choice vintage slides of family vacations and business presentations into droll commentaries on pop culture, imperialism, and corporate greed with wit and goofy charm. 8 and 10 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 861-5016. (Hane C. Lee)

Dammit! His parents may have been named Gumbo and Gumba, but squishable superstar Gumby actually owes his creation to Art Clokey, the fearless clay manipulator who dreamed up the character in the mid 1950s. The animated series, which ran in different incarnations in the '50s, '60s, and '80s, followed the adventures of the asymmetrical-headed hero and his pals (notably Pokey), which carried them into outer space and through history, and tended to involve the kind of surreal circumstances being made out of malleable material can afford. The spiritually minded Clokey made sure his cartoons reflected wholesome, high-quality entertainment, which made him a natural choice to create the Lutheran Church-commissioned Davey and Goliath programs (enjoying renewed popularity thanks to a recent Mountain Dew ad featuring the duo). And Clokey is good-natured enough to have been a fan of Eddie Murphy's Saturday Night Live human-size take on the green guy. The artist hits the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center for "An Evening with Art Clokey and Gumby," where he'll answer questions and share vintage Gumby episodes, short films (including "Gumbasia," the clay-jazz union that started it all), and more. 7 p.m., Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. $7-$10. (415) 454-1222. (Cheryl Eddy)

July 20

Sunday

Terroir twilight Those Uncle Tupelo days of an all-ramen diet and dirt floors seem far away – just listen to "California" off former U.T. and Son Volt singer-songwriter Jay Farrar's latest album, Terroir Blues (Act/Resist). The ground has been shifting beneath Farrar, now California dreaming in his characteristically spare way and singing about soaking up the sun on Mission Street, dark Encinitas mornings, and spending the night in a town called Weed. Strewn with short experiments with synths and snippets of backward sounds, Terroir finds Farrar meditating on the title concept, which translates as "soil" but represents, less literally, the effects of environment on a harvest. For him, the term has less to do with wine making than with familial roots and the geography of memory and creation. That fertile ground has led to one of this extremely influential, ever intense, and always serious soul's strongest, and longest, solo albums to date, which was spurred by the death of his father, once a wandering musician and a merchant marine, who died last summer. Tim Easton also plays. Through Mon/21. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $22-$38.95. (415) 885-0750. (Kimberly Chun)

Real low vibe San Francisco luminary Nick Tangborn's Jackpine Social Club presents a showcase featuring special guests Steve Turner, Marc Olsen, and Eric Shea. Turner, who used to play guitar in the seminal Seattle band Mudhoney, now produces dark, somber, and bluesy portraits set to a spare acoustic guitar. He's currently supporting a new release on Roslyn Records called Searching for Melody. What's in a name? You be the judge. Another Pac Northwest figure, Marc Olsen (of Sky Cries Mary fame), takes the middle slot. Local renaissance dude Eric Shea opens, and if you're lucky, he'll wear sandals and play the Firefall classic "Just Remember I Love You." 9 p.m., Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. Call for price. (415) 503-0393. (Mike McGuirk)

July 21

Monday

Light up One-of-a-kind storytelling series Porch Light celebrates its first anniversary with an appropriate theme: "Survivor: Looks like We Made It." Especially suited for short-attention span types, the event kicks off with a party followed by folks reading six-minute yarns. Marc Capelle hosts a lineup of familiar Porch Light faces: singer Noe Venable; authors Tamin Ansary, Jan Richman, Laura Fraser, and Kate Moses; cab driver Lee Vilensky; tow truck driver Kelly Kegger; security guard Hai Ning Luan; and "beat writer groupie" Mark Ewert. For more on the Porch Light series, see "Anecdotal," page tk. Party 6:30 p.m., storytelling 8:30 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $10. aklatte@sbcglobal.net. (Eddy)

July 22

Tuesday

Game gamines Pop rarely gets sweeter or more squeaky clean than Scrabbel. Aislers Set's Dan Lee and Poundsign's Becky Barron borrow the breezy whispers of bossa nova and the lazy, Strataloungey air of "Somethin' Stupid" without the accompanying brash swing or underlying digs. Sprucing up a style of '60s-enthralled pop lite for kids who like to play nice, the S.F. duo make good use of toy pianos, crap bongos, oddball pieces of percussion, and even the random underwater submarine sound on candy-coated slivers of cuteness like "Pillowmint" from the Scrabbel self-titled 2002 Kittridge debut. Photobooth also play. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. (415) 923-0923. (Chun)

July 23

Wednesday

Elementary Think you know everything about the great Sherlock Holmes? Haul out that double-billed cap and settle in for a panel of authors who contributed to My Sherlock Holmes: Untold Stories of the Great Detective, an anthology of tales woven by lesser-known characters (including the first and second Mrs. Watsons, Holmes's archenemy James Moriarty, Sherlock's older brother Mycroft, etc.). Anthology editor Michael Kurland and writers Richard Lupoff, Linda Robertson, and Cara Black gather to discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth and read from their literary homages. 12:30 p.m., Stacey's Bookstore, 581 Market, S.F. Free. (415) 421-4687, www.staceys.com. (Eddy)