8 Days a Week

Feb. 11-18, 2004

YOU MIGHT NOT know it to look at it, but the modest Marsh has nurtured a roster of top-drawer talent from the Bay Area since its inception in 1989. Over the years Marsh audiences have witnessed the early development of the likes of Josh Kornbluth and Marga Gomez, before they reached national audiences and wider glory, and the workshopping of new material by established professionals like the Joe Goode Performance Group (currently artists in residence). For any who may have missed those shows or who would just like to relive the experience, history is graciously poised to repeat itself with the 'San Francisco Treasure Series,' a Wednesday-night program featuring brand-new work in one-night stands by some of the local artists who first grew their ideas on the Marsh stage. The series commences with Visiting Professor of Pessimism, the latest from deliciously topical solo performer and political satirist Charlie Varon (Rush Limbaugh in Night School), and continues into the summer with workshop previews and premieres from Gomez (Feb. 25), the Joe Goode Performance Group (April 7), travel chronicler-storyteller Jeff Greenwald (May 12), Kornbluth, sound artist Pamela Z, and master juggler-performer Sara Felder (dates to be announced). A reception with the artist follows each performance. Wed/11, 8 p.m., Marsh, 1062 Valencia, S.F. $25-$50 sliding scale. (415) 826-5750, www.themarsh.org. (Robert Avila)

Feb. 11

Wednesday

In appreciation Influential drummer Tony Williams supplied the beat and pushed rhythms on almost every Miles Davis recording in the 1960s, so it's fitting that one of today's most measured jazz drummers, Jack DeJohnette, salutes the musician, who died in 1997 at the age of 51. Joining DeJohnette in the Tony Williams Project are fleet-fingered organist Larry Goldings, whose chops bristle, and blues-funk guitarist John Scofield, whose playing permeates the skin. Depending on how audiences react to their almost weeklong stint at Yoshi's, and on the band members' touring schedules, they'll take the show to Europe this summer. Through Sun/15. 8 and 10 p.m. (Sun/15, 7 and 9 p.m.), Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $12-$26. (510) 238-9200. (Daniel King)

Feb. 12

Thursday

Local love These days the Bay Area is bursting with delicious musical talent on all fronts, blending disparate styles into sexy new sounds. Often overlooked on the fusion-focused landscape is the stalwart of local scenes everywhere: the singer-songwriter. Here in San Francisco we're brimming with them, and Garrin Benfield leads the pack. Benfield's impassioned balladry ambles down country roads and staggers through city streets, his songs both countrified and urbanized. Along with a stirring voice, he has a creative guitar technique that's been honed through relentless gigging, including a slot opening for Boz Skaggs on his last tour. Joining Benfield are razor-tongued diva Vanessa Morrison, a rising local star who twists audience requests into scathingly hilarious lyrical improvisations, in the manner of a fearless, freestyling Ani DiFranco. Topping the bill is guitar bogeyman Eric McFadden, whose haunted flamenco fun-house stomp is as mesmerizing as it is eerie. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $7. (415) 861-5016. (Jonathan Zwickel)

Deal with it Bay Area knockout ensemble Crater are experimental, improvisational, and eclectic, but they're not a jam band, fusion band, or ambient troupe trying to reinvent the acid jazz wheel. They combine order with chaos, friction with ambiguity, and dissonance with consonance, mining all manner of genres. Crater are an abyss worth falling into, and when I experienced a recent gig, I was awestruck by Scott Amendola's do-anything, go-anywhere resourcefulness on the drums, Todd Sickafoose's lean, mercurial bass lines, Nels Cline's expert guitar work, and jhno's mixed-media electronics. 8 p.m., Jazz House, 3192 Adeline, Berk. $7-$15 sliding scale. (510) 846-9432, www.thejazzhouse.org. (King)

Feb. 13

Friday

Double-decker Ever wonder how "live" those live mix CDs are? Here's your chance to keep 'em honest, as Om Records throws United Nations of Future Music, a party and recording session for an upcoming live double CD. Featuring Chicago house legend Derrick Carter (Classic) and Mark Farina (winner of San Francisco Nitevibe's annual popularity contest), February's installment looks set to deliver some solid, funky house courtesy of two longtime friends who are real DJs, not just producers moonlighting behind the decks. Don't miss opener DJ Rithma (Om, Tweekin), whose lyrical tech house is well worth showing up early for. 10 p.m.-7 a.m., Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, S.F. $20-$25. (415) 820-9669. (Peter Nicholson)

Freaky Friday What the world needs now is vibraphone, sweet vibraphone. Give him a dose of that funky, electrified version of the kooky old xylophone and maybe Bush Jr. will smile and see the error of his ways. A far-fetched idea, perhaps, but the noble primates of Hairy Apes BMX are doing their damnedest to bring the world to its groovy senses through liberal application of Latin-leaning punk-hop tweak-jazz. Their percussion-heavy cyclone of styles features Critters Buggin's Mike Houser on sax and samples and the relentless Mike Dillon on tablas, toys, and the aforementioned lead vibraphone. Rounded out by a veteran Austin, Texas, rhythm section and one very quirky keyboardist, this five-piece is ridiculously original and not afraid to let the madness mingle with the fun. Local odd rockers Griddle and baroque popsters Brad Brooks open. 9 p.m., Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk, S.F. $10. (415) 921-1695. (Zwickel)

Feb. 14

Saturday

I do Singles and solipsists can count themselves lucky to be living in the Bay Area on Valentine's Day, where lovers of all stripes never do things by halves. Maybe you've been going steady with yourself for a while, or you just feel an irresistible impulse to tell the whole world about the angel you've discovered in the bathroom – if you're ready for the next step, all you need is love and some sort of wedding dress. Would-be brides of either gender are invited to participate in a Bay Area tradition of self-affirmation, the ninth annual Valentine's Day Celebration of Self-Love. Created and led by Aya de León – a Bay Area native and award-winning hip-hop artist, writer, activist, and teacher who married herself in 1996 – it caters to "everyone's personal inner bride." Following a midday tutorial and ceremony, "The Beloved Self: A Self-Love Workshop and Mass Marriage," de León hosts a full-blown wedding party in two performances of "Love Fest 2004: A Literary and Musical Celebration of Love," featuring hip-hop poetry and music by guests Meliza Beñales, Elaine Chao, Kim Cook, James Kass, Noñameko, Carlos Mena, Corina Peila, and Shawn Taylor. (The honeymoon is your business.) 'The Beloved Self': noon-6 p.m., e-mail marryyourself@yahoo.com to register and for price information; 'Love Fest 2004': 7 and 9:30 p.m., $10-$12. Both events at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck, Berk. (510) 849-2568, www.lapena.org, www.ayadeleon.com. (Avila)

Feb. 15

Sunday

He's so unusual You've been to the big comedy clubs and watched your share of Comedy Central, and while you enjoy the typical stand-up act (observational, conversational, punch line-driven, current events-based), you've often wondered, is that all there is? Local performer Brent Weinbach offers a twist on the familiar with the 'Night Shift Comedy Program,' which he both produces and headlines alongside Sheng Weng, Blair Butler, and host Forest Freeman. Weinbach dubs his performance art "the new wave of stand-up," describing it as character-driven, at times absurd and neurotic, occasionally scatological, and more often than not informed by his experiences working as a substitute teacher in Oakland. His delivery is deadpan, his references sometimes obscure, and he's been known to do impressions that are actually impressions of his own impressions. Confused? Intrigued? Head to Cafe du Nord to check out Weinbach's unique routine for yourself. 8 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $6. (415) 861-5016. (Cheryl Eddy)

Feb. 16

Monday

Gung hay fat choy! Got a passel of kids in your charge this Presidents' Day? Even wee ones crashing hard from all that Valentine's candy will perk up for the Bay Area Discovery Museum's Chinese New Year Celebration. Ring in the Year of the Monkey by creating a paper lantern or lucky red envelope, attempting calligraphy, learning more about the Chinese zodiac, and marveling at the Marin Chinese Cultural Association's lion dancers. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Bay Area Discovery Museum, Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds, Sausalito. Free with museum admission ($7). (415) 339-3900, www.baykidsmuseum.org. (Eddy)

Feb. 17

Tuesday

Mystery machine In a move to further diversify one of the most eclectic and consistently puzzling music outlets in the city, the wily folks at the Hemlock Tavern welcome the return of Spawn of Intervention, the steamy T-Loin spin-off of the venerable and vacated North Beach bastard disco party. Intervention is a night of free-form turntable radio brought to you by a trio of experimental and eccentric local DJs: DJ Sidewinder, DJ Megaweapon (Bay Guardian contributor George Chen), and Miso Sweet, who meld found-sound samples, noise rock, and punktronica into an auditory collage that constantly mutates and meanders with a healthy disregard for genre and convention. All three are not only spin doctors but musicians as well, so their bags of tricks are full of musical and improvisational technique. The old admonition has never been more apt: expect the unexpected. 9 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. Free. (415) 923-0923. (Zwickel)

Feb. 18

Wednesday

Duke of Pearl's The enormous impact Duke Ellington has on American culture can be felt anytime one plays "In a Sentimental Mood" or hears "The Single Petal of a Rose" on the radio (there's a blazing Greg Osby version that NPR plays all the time). Jazz at Pearl's Black History Month Concert celebrates Ellington's legacy with a full night of entertainment. The event features golden-age film clips of performances by Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and other jazz giants, as well as live sets by Bay Area pianists Frank Jackson and Tammy Hall, bassist Marcus Shelby, singers Kim Nalley and Denise Perrier, and outstanding drummer Daryl Green. Celebrity readings of poems by Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Countee Cullen round out the evening. 9 p.m.-1 a.m., Jazz at Pearl's, 256 Columbus, S.F. $10. (415) 291-8255. (King)