8 Days a Week

April 28-May 5, 2004

THE SKILLS BEING shared at this year's Expo for the Artist and Musician are hardly the ABCs of DIY, with topics ranging from "A Low-Toxicity Approach to Painting" to "The Do's and Don'ts of Working with Galleries," as well as a costume-making class and a seminar on booking and promotion for Bay Area musicians. But while the skills may not be entry-level, the organizers of the expo, now in its fifth year, show a commitment to building and supporting an arts community from the ground up, forgoing the convention center-shmoozefest concept for a day of workshops and tabling at CELLspace. The grassroots approach doesn't preclude networking, though. The event aims to bring together people from arts-related organizations across the board (service groups, media outlets, schools, galleries, etc.), working artists and musicians, and just about anybody else who has an interest in local arts. Some 90 groups take part in the event, including the Burning Man-sprung Black Rock Arts Foundation, the Institute for Unpopular Culture, YLEM: Artists Using Science and Technology, the 924 Gilman Street Project, the Church of Craft, Bay Area Composers' Circle, Kearny Street Project, the Crucible, Bay Area Video Coalition, and many, many more. Musicians can bring their CDs for a free critique at the hands of former and current staffers of KUSF-FM, XLR8R magazine, West Coast Performer, and others, and workshops are also being offered throughout the week leading up to the expo. Go to the Web site for more details. Sun/2, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., CELLspace, 2050 Bryant, S.F. $2 (no one turned away for lack of funds). (415) 419-2406, www.artsandmedia.net/expo. (Lynn Rapoport)

April 28

Wednesday

Gotta Ketchum all! In 1991 New York native Hal Ketchum burst out of the new-country gate with "Small Town Saturday Night," an easygoing, immediately likable song that was also a sizable radio hit. In the years since, he's never crossed the line from minor- to major-star status, but he's maintained a respectable chart presence while firmly holding on to his reputation for reliable, thoughtful material. That Ketchum spent many of his formative years in Austin, Tex., shows in his frequently laid-back arrangements and dusty vocal style, which at times brings to mind Lyle Lovett. Whether dabbling in gentle ballads, guitar-driven honky-tonkers, or thick-blooded quasi-rockers, Ketchum's music – from "Saturday Night" to his latest album, The King of Love (Curb Records) – maintains a humble quality that keeps him close to the ground. Red Meat open. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $20. (415) 522-0333. (Kurt Wolff)

April 29

Thursday

Romancing the stoned When Scott Herren first met roommate Eva Puyuelo Muns in their shared Barcelona apartment, there were no signals the two would record the most genuinely sensual electronic album of recent memory. In fact, it took serious convincing from Herren – better known as experimental hip-hop wunderkind Prefuse 73 – before Puyuelo Muns agreed to put her voice on tape. The gorgeous result of their half-year flat share is Apropa't (Warp), recorded under the moniker Savath and Savalas. Psychedelic, lush, and tranquil, the album plays like a sunrise café-con-leche spliff session on a Guadì-gilded rooftop. While Puyuelo Muns croons in her beguiling Catalan, classical guitar, harmonium, and upright bass color the mood, and Herren keeps time with his trademark glitch 'n' swirl production. Savath and Savalas perform with an eight-piece band, with Juana Molina and Vinia Mojica helping out on vocals. Argentine chanteuse Molina, a soulful experimentalist in her own right, co-headlines; DJ Nobody opens. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $16. (415) 885-0750. (Jonathan Zwickel)

Rice, rice baby Leave the chopsticks at home but bring your appetite for entertainment to Theatre Rice's performing arts showcase, which storms UC Berkeley this weekend. Formed six years ago as Cal's first modern Asian American theater group, the Ricers serve up a steaming portion of sharp social commentary, slapstick humor, irreverent satire, and moving drama. This semester's completely student-produced and -run show includes a glimpse of life in a not-so-typical Asian American household and Theatre Rice's renowned comedy troupe, which never shy away from skewering issues affecting Cal students and the Asian American community at large. Previous sacrificial lambs at the altar of Rice include Better Luck Tomorrow, Yao Ming, and Berkeley's very own Triangle Man. Donations are accepted for UC Berkeley's Southeast Asian Student Coalition's Summer Institute for Southeast Asian American high school students. Be sure to arrive early – a full house is expected each night. Through Sat/1. 7:30 p.m., UC Berkeley, 155 Dwinelle Hall, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk. Free. www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~thrice. (Lisa Wong Macabasco)

April 30

Friday

Mish-mesh You've probably heard about the media conspiracy: musicians, artists, publicists, writers, editors, and politicians are all entangled in a secret, giant orgy. Well, tonight you're invited. The staff of Mesh magazine are having a benefit party – and they aren't frontin'. They've told you they write about the musicians who thank them in their liner notes, about the artists who draw their cover art, about the bands who are their friends, about the politicians with whom they like to drink. It's cool man; it's really cool. Harold Ray Live in Concert provide enough funky rock 'n' roll for you to dance away your paranoia. Von Iva, Sun of Mercury, and DJ Kitty also perform, and local artists Zenaida Sengo, John Stewart, Rachel Dawson, and Eric Bailey showcase their work. A speech by Matt Gonzalez tops off this conflict-of-interest waiting to happen. 9 p.m.-2 a.m., StudioZ.tv, 314 11th St., S.F. $7. (415) 252-7666. (Ethan Goldwater)

Jump for Joyce Yes, they're a guitar-and-drums duo named after a story from The Dubliners. Yes, they're both barely old enough to drink, and yes, they're born-and-bred San Franciscans. An interesting prelude, but the question remains: are they any good? The answer, dear people, is hell yeah. Two Gallants have risen on the passion of their delivery and the depth of their lyrics, inflicting emotional scars of lost love and shattered innocence on awestruck audiences across the country. While Tyson Vogel keeps a shifting, dynamic pulse on the kit, guitarist Adam Stephens's voice crackles like an exposed wire – sort of a reedy, California-drawled Shane MacGowan with less liver damage. Their visceral, stripped-down punk folk blues is wincingly potent, totally unique, and something this city should be very proud of. Mellow Drunk and Full Moon Partisans open. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $8. (415) 861-5016. (Zwickel)

Iron Willits The layers of guitar melody mapped through Christopher Willits's laptop echo in shifty compositions that are effectively lulling and yet precariously engaging. Live, Willits grips his guitar onstage in front of his laptop, subtly modulating his incessant hooks and warping seemingly cyclical patterns into whole new movements. Check out his mind-twisting "Seven Machines for Summer" on the E*A*D*G*B*E compilation (12k), which captures such "eclectronics" on record. The San Franciscan opens for Portland, Ore., instrumental soundscapers the Grail, whose debut LP, The Burden of Hope (Neurot), blends emotive violins and ambient trips in an encompassing journey, which should establish them among the Godspeeds and Explosions as premier purveyors of epic post-rockishness. Headlining are Tarentel, local noise experimentalists who've recently emerged from the studio with a new record – said to delve deeper into the ambient abyss – out on Temporary Residence this fall. 10 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8. (415) 621-4455. (Goldwater)

May 1

Saturday

Fight the power Sure, today is May Day – but over at CELLspace, the rallying cry is more like "Mayday!," in direct reference to the fact that our nation is spiraling out of control: meager money for schools, health care, and other (seemingly!) necessary services; free speech being squashed on every corner; a senseless war exploding overseas; a president who clearly doesn't give a rat's ass what you or I think about anything; and so on. Poets and prose writers raise their voices for justice at 'Manifesto: Coming Out Against Empire,' a speak-out anchored by three-minute assertions "against the logic of rule" by some 30 local authors. Since the event is organized by the venerable City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, the roster boasts some of the Bay Area's top talents: Tamim Ansary, Justin Chin, Diane di Prima, Beth Lisick, Dave Eggers, Sean San Jose, Ishmael Reed, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jewelle Gomez, Youth Speaks, and many others. 7:30 p.m., CELLspace, 2050 Bryant, S.F. $10 (no one turned away for lack of funds). (415) 362-8193, www.citylights.com. (Cheryl Eddy)

All choked up Of all the extreme metal bands whose names end in "-tion" – and there are many – New York's Suffocation are the most influential, the heaviest, and basically just the coolest in general. Their lineup looks like some rogue United Nations assembly; their dissonant, percussive onslaught sounds like something excreted straight out of Satan's anal tract but is actually quite musical and sophisticated. They left on a high note with their overlooked EP Despise the Sun (Relapse) in 1998 but have recently reformed and are making their first West Coast appearance in at least half a decade. Will their reunion tarnish their hallowed reputation? We'll see. Also on the bill are Florida's constantly touring Morbid Angel, who are possibly the only death metal band more widely imitated than Suffocation, and Norway's Satyricon, whose new album, Volcano (EatURMusic/Capitol), earns the odd title of "first black metal album to come out on a major label." 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $25. (415) 255-0333. (Will York)

Rapper's delight Ahh, democracy. Harbinger of free elections, free speech, and free hip-hop. OK, maybe we're being naive about the first two, but there's plenty of gratis rap music today at People's Park in Berkeley. This year's Hip-Hop in the Park features 2Mex, DJ Rhettmatic, and their So-Cal crew, the Visionaries, while Oakland's cherished Crown City Rockers provide the all-organic local flavor. Themed "Empowering Our Youth" by UC Berkeley sponsor Students for Hip Hop, the event boasts a full day of live graffiti, turntablism, break dancing, and music by local artists. Hip-hop scholar Davey D hosts. Noon-5 p.m., People's Park, Haste between Telegraph and Bowditch, Berk. Free. www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~sfhh. (Dave Kim)

May 2

Sunday

Dr. StrangeDub It's an East Coast versus West Coast soundclash tonight when Dr. Israel comes up against the Bay's own Mark Pistel. Both artists had standout tracks on last year's essential compilation USA in Dub: Babylon Is Ours (Select Cuts). Dr. Israel was one of the first artists to fuse dub, jungle, and hip-hop in his Brooklyn Jungle Soundsystem and has lent his considerable vocal flavors to projects with Jah Wobble and Bill Laswell. With the sizable performance skills of Pistel, who tours with Meat Beat Manifesto and was a founding member of industrial heavyweights Consolidated, things should be both lively and irie. 9 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, S.F. $6. (415) 552-7788. (Peter Nicholson)

Heart of darkness Southern California: land of sun and fun, right? Not so for the San Diego-based Black Heart Procession. Their dark, ethereal, melancholy songs may seem downright depressing, but they're also strangely introspective and truly cathartic. The band's haunting and sometimes sparse arrangements feature the usual guitar, drums, and bass, with the addition of piano, organ, and occasionally a ghostly saw to the mix – creating a sound that will give goosebumps to not only your skin but also your soul. Kill Me Tomorrow and Drunk Horse also play. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Sean McCourt)

May 3

Monday

Don't fence her in Though she's prized by horror-lit devotees for her graphic, ghastly, Gothic works about serial killers, vampires, and similarly creepy characters (see: bio Courtney Love: The Real Story), there's more to Poppy Z. Brite than corpses and cannibals. Witness her latest book, Liquor, the tale of two lifelong pals and lovers who, disgusted with their experiences working for inept managers and tacky chain restaurants, open their own New Orleans eatery. This witty look at "kitchen culture" – and the local foodie scene in Brite's Southern hometown, where she lives with her husband, a chef – is earning top notices from mainstream critics for the author once dubbed "the reigning queen of Generation-X splatterpunks." 7 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight, S.F. Free. (415) 863-8688, www.booksmith.com. (Eddy)

May 4

Tuesday

Pedal pusher As the great Dolly Parton once pointed out, it ain't easy workin' nine to five. Another legendary diva, Trannyshack's Heklina, agrees – and she's endorsing a two-wheeled remedy for making the typical day on the job a little more enjoyable. The 'Work Is a Drag' benefit for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition aims to get cyclists fired up about Bike to Work Day (May 20), as well as raise funds for new bike lanes. Plus, Heklina – along with Miss Trannyshack 2003, Fauxnique, among others – is pulling out all the stops for a "take this job and shove it" themed Trannyshack, so even those who never got past training wheels will find the entertainment top-notch. 10 p.m., Stud, 1301 Harrison, S.F. $5-$7. www.sfbike.org. (Eddy)

May 5

Wednesday

Changing the channel When Federal Communications Commission chair Michael Powell grandfathered in the greatest media deregulation since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 last year, he opened the gates to further consolidation among TV, radio, and newspapers – and unwittingly helped launch the largest movement for media democracy this country has seen in decades. Two of the nation's foremost critics of, and activists against, the brave new world of today's media industry make rare appearances in the Bay Area, at 'Media Regime Change: Obstacles and Opportunities,' a benefit for local freedom fighters Media Alliance. Robert McChesney, professor of communications at the University of Illinois and author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy, presents his newly released The Problem of Media: U.S. Communications Politics in the 21st Century. John Nichols, The Nation's D.C. media correspondent who launched the Free Press media policy advocacy group with McChesney, joins him to address not only what it means when five corporations control more than 80 percent of the information we see and hear, but also – significantly – what activists are doing about it. Also featured is Jerry Mander, International Forum on Globalization president and author of Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television. Reception 5 p.m., program 7 p.m. , Wheeler Hall Auditorium, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk. Reception $25, program $7 (free to the first 100 students). (415) 546-6334, ext. 300, www.media-alliance.org. (Camille T. Taiara)