8 Days a Week

Dec. 17-24, 2003

CLINT EASTWOOD GETS all the love, but spaghetti westerns would be nowhere without the cool, cold gaze of Lee Van Cleef. Though he'd acted in more than 50 Hollywood westerns – bit parts, mostly – since his debut in High Noon in 1952, the actor didn't get his big break until Sergio Leone cast him in 1965's For a Few Dollars More. Van Cleef and Eastwood play bounty hunters whose rivalry is enjoyably illustrated by the classic scene in which each man shows off his trigger skills by using the other's hat as a target. A tough guy till the end, Van Cleef died in 1989, leaving behind a cinematic legacy that also included a memorable turn in Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (per usual, he was "the Bad"). He also made his mark outside his signature genre in films like John Carpenter's Escape from New York and as an aging ninja in the '80s TV series The Master. Catch two of Van Cleef's finest performances at the Act I and II's Sergio Leone retrospective. All the films in the series are solid selections; in particular, the masterful Once upon a Time in the West (containing a harmonica-chomping Charles Bronson and an evil Henry Fonda) is the stuff movie dreams are made of. Duck, You Sucker pits Rod Steiger against James Coburn; A Fistful of Dollars, essentially a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, is the 1964 Eastwood-starring prequel to For a Few Dollars More. Like Van Cleef, "the man with the gun-sight eyes," you can't miss with any of these. Once upon a Time in the West: Fri/19, 6 and 9:30 p.m. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Sat/20 and Dec. 25, 2:30, 6, and 9:30 p.m. Duck, You Sucker: Sun/21, 2:30 and 6 p.m.; Dec. 24, 3:30 and 7 p.m. A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More: Mon/22-Tues/23, 7 and 9:10 p.m., Act I and II, 2128 Center, Berk. $6-$9.25. (510) 464-5980. (Cheryl Eddy)

Dec. 17

Wednesday

Mechanical animals Head to the Lower Haight to sip some sake cocktails and welcome the crazy cool folks from Giant Robot magazine to San Francisco. Los Angeles-based Giant Robot has been on the cultural cutting edge of Asian American youth culture since it came on the scene in the mid '90s. Now with a new store on the upper end of Haight Street (at 622 Shrader, to be exact) selling all manner of goodies, art, and ephemera, it's ready to say thanks to all its fans in the Bay Area with an opening party at Movida Lounge. DJs Cordani, Erik Karki, and Lymus are sure to keep everyone moving, and free gifts and prizes will be making their way through the crowd. 7 p.m., Movida Lounge, 200 Fillmore, S.F. Free. (415) 934-8637, www.gr-sf.com. (Cindy Emch)

Ford tough When stripped bare of big-band pizzazz and studio gloss, blues music can be a frightening revelation of our most primal urges and fears. T-Model Ford plays those naked, dirty blues with the pent-up malice and wearied acceptance that comes from a lifetime of hard labor and lawlessness. Somewhere over 80 years old (he lost count decades ago), Ford has seen some tough times – he lost a testicle after being beaten by his father, served time on a chain gang for murder, and watched five wives either walk out or die on him – and the pain and struggle of life in rural Mississippi comes through in his ragged voice. As a master of the "one-chord stomp," Ford wrenches some brutal boogie from his tattered axe and, backed by a lone gutbucket drummer, works up a feverish racket that will leave you shaken. 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Biscuits and Blues, 401 Mason, S.F. $20. (415) 292-2583. (Jonathan Zwickel)

Dec. 18

Thursday

Ark bites Imagine you meet someone named Noah who tells you the earth will be flooded in two days and you need to board his hand-built boat in order to save your life. Or that it's 1956 and a geophysicist named M. King Hubbert predicts U.S. oil production will peak in the early 1970s, never to grow again. Noah, of storied ark fame, and Hubbert, of Shell Oil fame, seem to have had the same initial audience reaction. But then came the catastrophic flood, and, in 1971 exactly, the drying up of our country's oil reserves. In his large-scale installation Souls Harbor, filmmaker, photographer, and astonishing-in-scope multimedia artist Bill Daniel fuses elements of these stories with those of a modern-day San Francisco preacher, a "punk-pirate" wooden boat builder, and the fast-changing landscape of the Mission Bay neighborhood. The artist uses an R.V., documentary footage, found objects, sound, and clips from '70s ecology films and a pseudodocumentary on the hunt for the biblical ark to create an original hybrid, one that shows the beauty of self-reliance, imagination, observation, and creating a record of our present. Hopefully, future generations will learn something. Through Jan. 4. Opening tonight, 6-8 p.m. (gallery hours Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, S.F. $3-$6. (415) 978-2787, www.yerbabuenaarts.org. (M.P. Klier)

Dec. 19

Friday

Bright lights In 1975, when San Francisco's two-story "Mama Menorah" was unveiled, the event constituted the first outdoor, public menorah lighting outside Israel. Nearly three decades later, the Bill Graham Menorah (the name was changed to honor longtime supporter Graham after his death) has inspired thousands of similar ceremonies across the globe. Tonight, on the first night of Hanukkah, the first candle is lit in Union Square; on Saturday – in accordance with former mayor Frank Jordan's 1993 declaration that the first Sunday of Hanukkah be Bill Graham Menorah Day – an afternoon of entertainment is planned. Come celebrate the season of togetherness, regardless of what holiday you observe this time of year, with performances by Mattis Yahu and Felonious's Dan Wolf, a Jewish music concert, and more. Candle lightings continue nightly through Dec. 26. Candle lightings: Fri/19, 3 p.m.; Sat/20, 7 p.m.; Dec. 21-25, 4:30 p.m.; Dec. 26, 3 p.m. Bill Graham Menorah Day: Sun/21, 2-6 p.m., Union Square, Geary at Powell, S.F. Free. (415) 753-0910. (Melissa McCartney)

Go nuts This season the last but not the least of the local Nutcrackers is the version staged by the Oakland Ballet. Former artistic director Ronn Guidi designed his little jewel for the newly refurbished Paramount Theatre in 1973. Guidi may be best known for his historically important reconstructions of the Diaghilev and early American ballet repertoire, but what you find in his own choreography, including this Nutcracker, is a deft touch with characterization and a genuine love of (and talent for) storytelling. This production, overseen by current artistic director Karen Brown, is full of charm and intimacy as performed by her new crop of promising Oakland dancers. The fact that the performance is set to taped music may be regrettable, but given the current financial climate, the decision was probably a wise one. Tonight's opening is "All-Star Night," featuring a number of cameos by local celebs – including Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito as the Rat King in a fierce battle between rodents and toy soldiers. Fri/19-Sun/21, 7 p.m. (also Sat/20-Sun/21, 2 p.m.); Mon/22-Tues/23, 2 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakl. $10-$55. (510) 625-8497 or (415) 421-8497, www.oaklandballet.org. (Rita Felciano)

Dec. 20

Saturday

Strip poker Ever wonder how artists turn ideas into art? At the Cartoon Art Museum, a new show by Derek Kirk Kim answers that question. A wildly popular online cartoonist, Kim has never pulled any punches with his insightful strips that humorously expose the awkwardness of the human condition. His exhibit puts a magnifying glass to how some of his comic strips came to be, from the doodle to the printed and posted final product. The show – part of the museum's ongoing "Small Press Spotlight" series – is a must-see for lovers of cartoon art and aspiring cartoonists. Through March 21. Tues.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission, S.F. $6, $4 students and seniors, $2 for 6 to 12, free for members and 5 and under. (415) CAR-TOON, www.cartoonart.org. (Emch)

Intoxicating brew It's fun to play Six Degrees of Tim Armstrong. On one side there's sassy pop vixen Pink; on the other, enraged punk-pop vixen Brody Dalle (his ex). Either way, plenty of MTV-friendly action lies betwixt. And mainstream punk doesn't get any more listenable – or girlie-oriented – than the Distillers. The more distinctive side of those qualities can be laid at the feet of Dalle, who has the most commanding snarl since Courtney Love. Her rep as a strong femme band leader, drama queen, and bitchin' guitarist also helps. Ferment a while in the Distillers' latest CD, Coral Fang (Sire), and see if her wail, the buzz-saw guitars, and the surprisingly long noise interludes grow on you. Meanwhile the band members have been feeding their heroine chic the trad way: doing contests and Jimmy Kimmel Live and giving away a guitar at Hot Topic. The Bronx and the Lot Six also play. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $13. (415) 522-0333. (Kimberly Chun)

Phrancly It's always fun to thrash around at a punk rock show, but what happens if the show is ... acoustic? At Cafe du Nord, you get a chance to find out. All primed for the holidays and ready to try something a little different, local vocal legend Jackie Strano of the Hail Marys is treating San Francisco to a rare solo show. Guests for her set include local musicians Katie Colpitts, Veronica Savage, and Hillary Reed. The show also features the gritty pop punk politicos Stay at Home Bomb and is headlined by legendary lesbian folk rocker Phranc, who's known as much for her 20 years in the punk scene as for her second job as a butcher-than-thou Tupperware lady. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 861-5016, www.cafedunord.com. (Emch)

Dec. 21

Sunday

Young and restless Eighteen-year-old Palo Alto pianist Taylor Eigsti's warm tone could fill a temple, and unlike prodigies who produce yawns over yeahs, this one's a keeper. Plus, he's "hot" – at least in that spiked-hair, hoop-earring, leather-jacket way. His sprawling blues and enchanting silences stand out on his CD Resonance (Bop City), and it appears he's growing more mature with each outing. There's little stopping him, though he's got to remember that Peter Cincotti, another mover in the clean-cut category, has beaten him to the punch with a Concord CD that's all the rave (though zero of the purported substance), so the heat is on for this youngster, who has performed in front of Dave Brubeck, Hank Jones, Bill Clinton, and other famous jazz crusaders. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Club Jazz Nouveau, 2801 Leavenworth, S.F. $10. (415) 921-2100. (Daniel King)

Medicine music Tama-Do is the practice of sound therapy and vibrational healing developed by French composer and acupuncturist Fabien Maman. Incorporating elements of Indian music theory, the chakra system, tai chi, reflexology, biology, and harmonic theory, the basic belief of Tama-Do is that sound affects the body on a cellular, physiological level and can be performed for collective healing and attunement. Offering the Tama-Do experience to an American audience for the first time, the Winter 'Soulstice' Healing and Harmonizing Concert brings together more than 30 musicians from several progressive Bay Area bands, including Sector 9, Hamsa Lila, Foxgluv, and TranceZenDance, in a tonal, three-movement acoustic symphony. This unique project is designed to align the participants and audience inwardly and outwardly, both individually and to the rhythms of nature. It's very enlightening, liberating stuff and will certainly leave you feeling a little closer to the answer of the universal mystery. 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness, S.F. $25-$30. (415) 392-4400. (Zwickel)

Dec. 22

Monday

In Xanadu The best movie ever made? Look at lists ranking such things and you'll likely see boy wonder Orson Welles's 1941 tour de force, Citizen Kane, lurking (in copious, beautifully filmed shadows, thanks to cinematographer Gregg Toland) at the top. Even if you learned what "Rosebud" means from The Simpsons and your taste in cinema leans toward the Bruckheimer, the Castro Theatre offers up an all-too-rare opportunity to see the highly influential Kane on the big screen. And, not surprisingly, the rumors are true: the dramatic tale of a wealthy newspaperman's rise and spectacular fall is still gripping, more than 60 years later. 2, 4:30, 7, and 9:30 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F. $5-$8. (415) 621-6120. (Eddy)

Dec. 23

Tuesday

Rugged Alto saxophonist Andrew Speight is the Bay Area's most wrenching-toned horn player. If not the best, he comes damn close, balancing speed, humor, melody, and precision. Since relocating here from Australia a decade ago, Speight has become a standout faculty member at the Stanford Jazz Workshop and San Francisco State University. When he decides to gut his instrument onstage and rip torrents of chunky, grinding, caustic sound from it, often at breakneck speeds during difficult tunes like "Four in One," his playing sounds like a motorcycle crashing through debris. Keep your guard up and watch as his stubborn enthusiasm pokes someone in the eye. 8 p.m., Shanghai 1930, 133 Steuart, S.F. $5. (415) 896-5600. (King)

Dec. 24

Wednesday

In the spirit When Clairdee sings "This Child Is Born," a child is born, right there in front of you. Honestly. That one's a metaphor (you already knew that, huh?), but it's helpful for describing how convincingly this sultry Bay Area-based vocalist coaxes listeners into her blanketing, probing warmth. She's fresh off an inspired Stanford Jazz performance at which audiences awarded her large sums of r-e-s-p-e-c-t for her blazing new offering, This Christmas (Declare), a spirited, gorgeous yuletide album featuring horns, guitars, harmonicas, keyboards, and more. It's a dash of rum-flavored chirping for your holiday season. 8 and 10 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $15. (510) 238-9200. (King)