8 Days a Week

Dec. 10-17, 2003

PRETTY THINGS ARE everywhere this time of year, in store windows and homes and on the fashionistas you pass on the sidewalk. But you'll get a chance to take home some of the most strange and beautiful art of all at New Langton Arts' 19th annual art auction, 'Night Moves.' This is a rare chance to score unique pieces by established artists such as Jenny Holzer, Anna Gaskell, Catherine Wagner, and Ross Bleckner at potentially fantastic prices. All proceeds from this benefit go toward keeping New Langton Arts solvent for another year in this not-so-art-friendly economy. The creative ambience of the night isn't confined to the auction, though: line up for a glam fashion show, a presentation by ReadyMade magazine on how to make a lamp from found objects, and a new wave audiovisual DJ performance by Jill Reiter in New Langton's main theater. Thurs/11, 7:30-11 p.m. (preview Wed/10-Thurs/11, noon-6 p.m.; reception Thurs/11, 6 p.m.) , New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom, S.F. $35-$45 (preview free, reception $100-$125). (415) 626-5416, www.newlangtonarts.org. (Cindy Emch)

Dec. 10

Wednesday

Foolin' around The thrill of illusions, the joys of childhood, and the cabaret-inspired aesthetic of Kurt Weill are mixed into a powerful brew tonight at the Oakland Noodle Factory. Packed with revelry, music, and carnival-style fun, 'A Little Puppet Show, with Music' features veteran Bay Area troupe Wise Fool and its exquisitely painted and carved masks and puppets of all sizes. Dynamic shadow puppet troupe Il Teatro Calamari (recent transplants from Portland, Ore.) and avant-garde accordionist Mark Growden are also on the bill, so grab the kids, enjoy the preshow mulled wine and hot cider, and settle in for some hump day entertainment. 8 p.m., Oakland Noodle Factory, 1255 26th St., Oakl. $5-$10 sliding scale, $3 children. (415) 905-5958. (Cindy Emch)

Dec. 11

Thursday

Out of the barn Longtime San Francisco crew Future Primitive Sound have gone brick and mortar, moving beyond their record label and ongoing series of audiovisual events to open a store. FPS call on Doze Green, Kenji, and David Ellis (a.k.a. Skwerm) of the Barnstormers for this in-store art opening featuring live painting. The graf artists create a mural for the shop, and Doze also displays studies for an upcoming show at 111 Minna Gallery in March. This is the Barnstormers' last show before they screen their film Letter to the President at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The works are on display through Feb. 11 in conjunction with an exhibit by the Barnstormers at Edo Salon (601 Haight, S.F., daily, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.). Opening 7-9:30 p.m. (exhibit runs through Feb. 11, Mon.-Thurs., noon-6 p.m.; Fri.-Sun., 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m.), Future Primitive Sound Headquarters, 597 Haight, S.F. For free tickets and more information, go to www.futureprimitivesound.com. (Peter Nicholson)

Dec. 12

Friday

Horn in While strolling through North Beach last month, my friends and I discovered Mike Pitre playing at Cafe Prague. The trumpeter's groans, yelps, and cranky fireworks left tattoos on our brains, so we asked about his around-town gigs. Glen Park on Fridays! Yes! None of us had imagined Red Rock, a compact pub in the residential community, presented such commanding beboppers, but we arrived there the following week and found his blistering tone causing a stadium-size stir. He plays with crackling energy, and he usually wears a feathered cap. You might recognize him from the funk 'n' roll band Boomshanka – he shines with them, too. Pitre plays Red Rock every Friday. 9 p.m., Red Rock, 699 Chenery, S.F. Free. (415) 333-3030. (Daniel King)

Clearly futuristic When author-editor Matthew Stadler (Allan Stein, Landscape: Memory) realized all the best work he was reading was unpublished, he decided to do something to fix that. The resulting small press-literary project is the Pacific Northwest's Clear Cut Press, and the books it produces are small, artful, and thick with stories. The works are distributed magazine-style (a subscription delivers a series of eight of these wordy treasures straight to your door), but you can poke and fondle them more immediately by coming to the book-launch party for the press's debut anthology, The Clear Cut Future. The event features readings by local poetry hero Robert Glück, whose prose contribution is a dreamy, anxious tale of gardening and thievery, and ex-Enron vice president Pravin Jain, whose essay "Capitalism Inside an Organization" lays bare corporate chaos and con men; plus music by laptop rockers the Elders of Zion (featuring Bay Guardian contributor Joel Schalit) and projected images by photographer Ari Marcopoulos, whose collection Pass the Mic documented the Beastie Boys in the '90s. 7:30 p.m., 21 Grand, 449B 23rd St., Oakl. $3. (510) 444-7263. (Also Sat/13, 7 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. $3. 415-647-2888.) (Michelle Tea)

Fables of reconstruction You gotta wonder what goes on in Ian Bavitz's head. Better known as Aesop Rock, the enigmatic New York native has been throwing down wickedly twisted, provocative sounds from trailblazing label Definitive Jux's underground lair for years. Being packaged as an indie rapper oversimplifies the transcendent vision Aesop brings to the cliché-ridden hip-hop battlefield. His lyrics are so dense and memorable they demand multiple listens before they're absorbed, and even then the metaphors settle mysteriously, like funk-obsessed e.e. cummings verses. But Aesop never disregards the ass for the intellect – his sticky-sweet verbal confections are wrapped in a mutant blend of chunky bass, moody acoustic samples, and humming electronic atmosphere. It adds up to uncompromising, challenging hip-hop, and unlike many more-famous contemporaries, Aesop knows how to throw it down live. Labelmates Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, and Fakts One – performing as the Perceptionists – open the show. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $20. (415) 255-0333. (Jonathan Zwickel)

Dec. 13

Saturday

Extra cheese The dark days of winter are upon us, and for film fans, that means your choices at the cineplex come in two flavors: Christmas and Oscar bait. And while Bad Santa is destined to someday be included in the Four Star Theatre's "Midnite for Maniacs" series, the masterworks in the 'Slumber Party 2' all-nighter beat everything else on the big screen right now. Scare yourself silly starting at midnight with Prom Night, a 1980 slasher flick with all the key ingredients (Jamie Lee Curtis, a revenge-minded masked killer), plus some excellent added bonuses (Leslie Nielsen! disco!). Facts about the next film on the program, 1979's four-wheel epic Skatetown U.S.A.: it was written by Nick Castle (who played "the Shape" in Halloween); its cast includes Scott Baio (top-billed), Dorothy Stratten, Patrick Swayze, Maureen McCormick, Mark Hamill, Billy Barty, Flip Wilson, Ruth Buzzi, and Murray "the Unknown Comic" Langston (playing "the Drunk"); and it's not available on video or DVD. You do the math. Finally, 1982's Zapped! (more Baio, this time with perpetual sidekick Willie Aames) illustrates why telekenetic powers are better suited to horny teenage boys than to Carrie types (see: prom scene). Make it through the triple feature, and the breakfast cereal's on the house. Midnight, Four Star Theatre, 2200 Clement, S.F. $12. (415) 666-3488, www.hkinsf.com. (Cheryl Eddy)

Dec. 14

Sunday

Big-screen cuisine The words "Disney animation" inevitably conjure up thoughts of magic castles, handsome princes, singing mermaids, enchanted animals, and Happy Meal toys (not necessarily in that order). A different kind of food tie-in is the subject of 'Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration,' a new cookbook by chef Ira Meyer. While some entries are obvious (Lady and the Tramp-style spaghetti and meatballs), others offer more creative interpretations ("Princess Aurora's Berried Honey Butter" – er, was that in the Sleeping Beauty deleted scenes?). Anyway, you have to admire the clever concept; what's more, the tome features full-color Disney art and film stills as well as directions for pint-size kitchen helpers. Meet the author and pick up an autographed copy of the book for the Mouseketeer on your Christmas list. 2 p.m., A Different Light Bookstore, 489 Castro, S.F. Free. (415) 431-0891. (Eddy)

Dec. 15

Monday

Beyond the fringe Meet Arthur Blythe. He's the alto-sax equivalent of the Incredible Hulk, known for trembling outbursts, nasal grunts, and unpredictable patterns. Blythe created a stir in the '70s as a key mover in the jazz fringe's push toward mainstream popularity. During the late '80s and early '90s he recorded less frequently and his tone thinned out, but last year's Focus (Savant) signaled his rebirth as a venom-shooting improviser. Whether honking or wheezing, he sounds assured and economical. Al Jolson, David Murray, and Julius Hemphill come to mind, but "Black Arthur," as he's called, sounds quirkier. Here's hoping he plays a warm rendition of "Children's Song," which demands an inclusion on everyone's mix tapes. Tuba, marimba, and drums form the rhythm section. 8 and 10 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $18-$20. (510) 238-9200. (King)

The right stuff Anyone who was a junior high school girl in the late '80s (myself included) is well equipped to wax nostalgic about New Kids on the Block. Purveyors of bubblegum pop, faux-"street" break-dance moves, and boatloads of merchandise, the members of NKOTB inspired the kind of creepy fan adoration (myself included) not seen since Beatlemania. Yet these many years later, one of few former Kids still on the showbiz radar is the group's youngest member, Joey McIntyre, who's had some solo hits, popped up on MTV and costarred on Boston Public. McIntyre heads up the list of celebs donating their talents for 'Help Is on the Way for the Holidays,' a benefit concert aiding the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. Maureen McGovern, Sally Struthers, Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, Lisa Vroman, Wesla Whitfield, Leslie Jordan, Kim Nalley, Connie Champagne, and other stars of stage and screen also lend voice to the cause. Silent auction 5:30 p.m., show 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness, S.F. $35-$100. (415) 273-1620, www.helpisontheway.org. (Eddy)

Dec. 16

Tuesday

Psych out Story goes that Ben Chasny's first live show as Six Organs of Admittance was opening for John Fahey, No Neck Blues Band, and Sunburned Hand of the Man. He could have quit right there, and a lesser artist might have. Chasny's distinctive take on the acoustic psych raga jam is definitely its own beast and an increasingly popular one, lumped in with bandmates Comets on Fire. Fingers fly over frets and storm out celestial twangs, but Chasny's mumbly chants are more earthbound, especially when he's inhaling the microphone. I actually dropped money for his new record, Comapthia (Holy Mountain), which, if you know how cheap I am, means quite a bit. Openers Caesura rock the party with their angular, decidedly not-anything-wave power trio spurts. Their recent LP, Wallpaper the Witness (Birds Go South), tosses chunks of This Heat and Unwound into a bro-blender, splattering walls with more melody than the average math band can muster. The shoegazey garage deconstruction of Gris Gris is the creamy white center of tonight's Oreo cookie. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $6. (415) 621-4455. (George Chen)

Dec. 17

Wednesday

Lush life Our man in the Music Lovers, Matthew Edwards, is obviously a movie – and music – lover after my own heart. Who can't adore someone who'll hold the presses just to get permission to slap a photo of "Little" Edie Bouvier Beale from the Maysles brothers' Grey Gardens on the cover of his latest release? Edwards did just that for the Music Lovers' first release: the six-song EP, Cheap Songs Tell the Truth (Darla). Here these Bay Area-based English- and Irishmen wave a flag for the pastoral jingle-jangle of ye olde "San Francisco sound," the suave melodicism of '60s-era borderline boho Burt Bacharach, and the over-the-top-and-into-the-rice-pudding lusciousness of the Left Banke. Is it true Edwards once slaved as a professional bingo caller? Only his label knows for sure; all I know is he's in England visiting family and returns for this show, the Music Lovers' last till at least March. So show them the love – they'll bring the music. Low Water also play. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $5. (415) 923-0923. (Chun)