8 Days a Week

Sept. 17-24, 2003

THAT 3. 9 magnitute dish-rattler a few weeks back is small potatoes compared to what'll be rocking the city this weekend: the Litquake literary festival. Bigger than the 2002 inaugural fest, this year's four-day celebration of poetry and prose boasts the participation of more than 70 authors reading at variously themed events. Litquake kicks off with "Creative Demons: Writers Behaving Badly," a discussion covering an array of topics – such as why San Francisco leads the nation in both book sales and alcohol consumption. Hit the bars to explore that fun fact firsthand at Friday night's "Loudmouths of Lit" reading, with Alan Black, Justin Chin, Daphne Gottlieb, Regina Louise, Beth Lisick, and Tim'm T. West; and Saturday night's "Tenderloin Temblor," which brings out JT LeRoy, Peter Plate, Kevin Smokler, Michelle Tea (a Bay Guardian contributor), and Irvine Welsh. Like your lit outdoors (and free)? Head to the grassy Yerba Buena Gardens for "Off the Richter Scale," two days packed with 10-minute readings by local wordsmiths. Through Sun/21. "Creative Demons" Thurs/18, 7:30 p.m. (reception 6:30 p.m.), Mechanics' Institute Library, 57 Post, S.F. $5. (415) 393-0100; "Loudmouths of Lit" Fri/19, 7 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. $5-$10. (415) 647-2888; "Tenderloin Temblor" Sat/20, 9 p.m., Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary, S.F. $5-$10. (415) 885-4074; "Off the Richter Scale" Sat/20-Sun/21, noon-6 p.m., Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission between Third and Fourth Sts., S.F. Free. (415) 543-1718. www.litquake.org. (Cheryl Eddy)

Sept. 17

Wednesday

Precious precious Don't go judging Ohio-Kentucky combo Pearlene by their name and their Masonic Temple origins – and don't expect mincing walks, big hair, and ladylike ways. The white gloves are off when the band start backing the big ole dirty-chrome blues riffs out of the garage – the show is bound to be a messy, oil-stained, kind of kick-ass affair, I'd say, listening to these Sympathy for the Record Industry vets' latest howling full-length, Murder Blues and Prayer (Dim Mak). According to accounts, the prayers and testimonials were really flying when the band teamed up with labelmates the Soledad Brothers during their recent U.K. tour. After leaving believers all over the place, they make a pit stop on their first U.S. tour ever at Thee Parkside tonight. Big Midnight open. 10 p.m., Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. $6. (415) 503-0393. (Kimberly Chun)

Yellow snow Spectators at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, could witness the urine of their Olympic heroes being used to grow ice-crystal sculptures. No, these were not adolescent snow cones but part of Alchymeia, one of several vibrant and dynamic installations artist and University of Washington professor Shawn Brixey has created to examine the intersection of technology and biology, pushing the dialogue out of the lab and into the art world. Brixey works in the field of "emulation art," which means his visual vocabulary is composed of interactive biotechnology elements and not their representations. In other words, pee pee is the subject of, and directs the ongoing formation of, Alchymeia. New Langton Arts kicks off its fall season with a lecture by the artist; you can also see Brixey's Chimera Obscura (created with Richard Rinehart) as part of the Berkeley Art Museum-Pacific Film Archive's current "Genesis: Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics." 8 p.m., New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom, S.F. $3-$5. (415) 626-5416. (Laurie Koh)

Sept. 18

Thursday

All aboard Author Jeff Greenwald (Shopping for Buddhas) first staged his Strange Travel Suggestions at the Marsh in July; now, by popular demand, the show – a series of monologues drawn from 25 years' worth of travel through Thailand, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Greece, the good ol' United States, and beyond – is back for a full run. And if you caught Greenwald's performance last time around, you already know the show varies from night to night: its course is guided by a "Wheel of Fortune" that Greenwald spins to determine which tale he'll weave next. The seasoned road warrior takes an "everything is grist for the mill" approach to his material; the stories might range from a humorous encounter with a garlic-obsessed sea captain to a poignant account of Greenwald's meeting with the Dalai Lama. Through Oct. 4. Previews tonight, 8 p.m. Opens Fri/19, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m. (no show Sept. 26); Sept. 28, 2 p.m., Marsh, 1062 Valencia, S.F. $12-$22. (415) 826-5750. (Cheryl Eddy)

Sept. 19

Friday

Beast friends Sure, A.C. Slater – I mean, Mario Lopez – brings you some eccentric dog, cat, horse, snake, bird, ferret, etc., talent on his Animal Planet show Pet Star. But there's only so much you can do on a soundstage with a panel of "celebrity" judges (hellooo, Gena Lee Nolin) looking on. Get a firsthand look at some charismatic domesticated types at America's Family Pet Expo, which brings forth the latest pet-o-bilia (toys, teensy sweaters, bedding, and so forth); how-to training and care workshops; and a slew of competitions and demos featuring the likes of cinematic hero Air Bud, the Pigtasia Performing Pigs, Frisbee dogs, tightrope-walking rats, and other talents. Since "responsible pet ownership," not a Wild Kingdom-style burly brawl, is the objective of the expo, attendees are asked not to bring critters from home. Through Sun/21. Today, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat/20, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton, Pleasanton. $4-$9. 1-800-999-7295, www.petexpoalameda.com. (Eddy)

Silver and gold This week the dance component of the San Francisco International Arts Festival kicks into high gear with performances by Quasar Dance Company from Brazil, Akram Khan Company from London, our own Keith Hennessey's magical Circo Zero, and Compagnie Salia nï Seydou from Burkina Faso. Salia nï Seydou's one-night-only show has a special poignancy since these African artists are dancing for one of their own, even though they've probably never met him. Their performance of Figninto (The Blind Man) is a benefit for the family of Malonga Casquelourd, the Oakland-based Congolese dancer and musician who was killed by a drunk driver June 15. Salia nï Seydou is one of a growing number of African dance companies that are embracing (and invigorating) Western-style dance without abandoning indigenous traditions. Casquelourd, whose mind and spirit was so open to new developments in Congolese dance, would have embraced these younger colleagues wholeheartedly. 8 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theatre, 700 Howard, S.F. $18-$25. (415) 978-2787, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. (Rita Felciano)

Beat path If there is any soundtrack for the most recent phase of the al-Aksa intifada, it's got to be hip-hop. As strange as that may seem, with MCs ranging from Israel's Star of David-wearing right-wing cause célèbre Subliminal to the Arab Israeli nationalist rapper Tamer, beatboxer Yuri Lane's From Tel Aviv to Ramallah offers a necessary dose of peacenik interventionism. In the show, which is part musical theater, part travelogue, Lane creatively collages the voices of two Palestinian and Israeli hipsters, Khalid (an Internet café owner) and Amir (a Tel Aviv DJ), as they move toward an encounter at a military checkpoint in the West Bank. With video projections by collaborator Sharif Ezzat, From Tel Aviv to Ramallah is a must-see for those interested in finding utopian spaces for peaceful coexistence in contemporary hip-hop culture. Through Oct. 19. Opens tonight, 8 p.m. Runs Sat/20, Sept. 25-28, Oct. 3-5, 9-12, and 16-19, 8 p.m., Spanganga, 3376 19th St., S.F. $8-$15. (415) 821-1102, www.spanganga.com. (Joel Schalit)

Sept. 20

Saturday

Underground vibe Come welcome the subversive Brits as they invade from London's South Asian underground, quite an explosive scene overseas for the past several years. Stateside we've been a little slow to catch on, so thankfully Dhamaal, the Bay Area's own electric collective of South Asian sound masters, plays host to England's Visionary Underground in an airtight meeting of the minds at Club Six. V.U. members DJ Feelfree and renowned tabla player Aref Durvesh spin a pulsating collage of drum 'n' bass infused with traditional percussion, pounding breaks, and politically charged vocal assaults, while the Dhamaal wizards perform their driving, enchanting soundscapes. Go to www.visionaryunderground.com to sample and download free tracks from Visionary Underground's new album, Urban Underground, featuring a remix of the Sinéad O'Connor-graced "1000 Mirrors," by the Asian Dub Foundation. 9 p.m.-4 a.m., Club Six, 60 Sixth St., S.F. $10-$12. (415) 863-1221. (Koh)

Sept. 21

Sunday

Spy game Budding detectives and Nancy Drews in the making take note: private investigator and local history buff Jayson Wechter, mastermind behind the popular annual Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt, now aims to unravel the Secrets of Golden Gate Park. This hunt – which includes on-foot and bicycle divisions, plus a category for kids 12 and under – scatters sleuths throughout the park, finding clues and discovering unusual and forgotten landmarks along the way. Grab your pals (teams can have up to nine players) and get to gumshoein' for a good cause; proceeds benefit the Infant Development Center of San Francisco. Noon-4 p.m., Pioneer Log Cabin Picnic Area, John F. Kennedy Dr., Golden Gate Park, S.F. $10-$25. (415) 564-9400, www.sftreasurehunts.com. (Eddy)

Snap to it Contrary to popular perception, black turtlenecks and berets are not required attire for the Upper Grant Avenue Fall Art Fair. However, all things beat do take center stage at this festive North Beach party, which builds on the success of last year's event by cramming as many visual, literary, and performing artists as humanly possible into a three-block span. Don't miss the "Poetry Train of Beatitute," an ongoing, circulating poetry reading, and "An Afternoon at the Coffee Gallery," a concert of folk, rock, and blues held at the site of a former beat hot spot (now the Lost and Found Saloon). 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Grant between Vallejo and Filbert, S.F. Free. (415) 986-6210, www.uppergrantartfair.com. (Eddy)

Sept. 22

Monday

Desert deception What if your partner informed you his sperm was "magic," and therefore you wouldn't get pregnant by sleeping with him? Some folks might run screaming to the hills, but Amy Wallace – a former lover and follower of late New Age guru Carlos Castaneda – stuck around for even more weirdness, detailed in her new tell-all, The Sorcerer's Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda. During his life, Castaneda, a self-proclaimed sorcerer and shaman supposedly styled after ancient Latin American traditions, drew criticism for his anthropologically iffy works; tonight, Wallace discusses the rarely glimpsed personal side of the secretive cult figure. 7 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight, S.F. Free. (415) 863-2540. (Eddy)

Sept. 23

Tuesday

Alive and kicking After leaving Texas for the East Bay, Greg Ashley, the tousle-headed auteur behind early garage revivalists the Mirrors, has turned toward noisier, more sumptuous pursuits. With Oscar Michel of the much loved Rock and Roll Adventure Kids in tow, he formed Medicine Fuck Dream, a humming, whining guitar-and-bass noise combo. Now, with drummer Joe Haynor, they have renamed the band the often mispronounced Gris Gris and augmented their strumming and screeching with plodding, lonely drum beats. In one swift motion, they simplify psychedelia to its basic ingredients and tear it open, revealing the mess of frayed stitching and stuffing inside. Luther Wright and the Wrongs also play. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8. (415) 621-4455. (Anup Pradhan)

Sept. 24

Wednesday

Watership down The members of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle know their animals. Husband and wife Rob Fisk and Kelly Goodefisk (both former members of Deerhoof) moved from the Bay Area to Alaska and built a log cabin (around the release of 'Hoof's Holdypaws in '99, which the couple contributed to), all for the love of nature. They've left Alaska for Tennessee, but their fascination with the animal kingdom still lives on in their music. Guitarist Fisk and vocalist Goodefisk, joined by drummer Steve Gigante and bassist Miya Osaki (Tiny Bird Mouths, THETEETHE), replicate the wonders of the natural world not only with their moniker and album title, Animal People (Free Porcupine Society), but also with their improvisational-style music: subtle yet direct; simple and unrefined yet complex; moody and noisy but somehow peaceful. 7 Year Rabbit Cycle perform with Xiu Xiu and Good for Cows. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. (415) 923-0923. (Sarah Han)