June 23-30, 2004

IF YOU TOOK your gargantuan toy air gun, donned your bubble gum-pink pith helmet, and went a-hunting for game in the aisles of Toys 'R' Us, your lust for animal-stuffing would likely land you a cuddly cheetah, gazelle, flamingo, or any number of wild species. Naturally you'd want to boast about your larger-than-life trophy, so you'd sever the stuffed beast's big plush head and proudly mount it on your wall. Friends and family would gather round, amazed at your skill and talent, yet be equally perplexed by the giant stuffed-animal head towering in the center of your den. Such is the feeling one has when approaching the fine art and craft of Merikay MacKenna, the mastermind behind a series of giant stuffed-animal trophy heads that are at once pensive, sad, and adorable. The Lola Gallery hosts her solo show, 'San Francisco Safari,' which opens with a costume party of jungle exotica and African beats and culminates with a workshop on stuffed-animal taxidermy as taught by the master artist herself. Through July 17. Costume party Fri/25, 8 p.m.; workshop July 17, 1-4 p.m. (gallery hours Fri.-Sat., noon-7 p.m., and by appointment), Lola Gallery, 2517 Mission, S.F. Free (costume party $8, workshop $20). (415) 401-6800, info@lolabrown.com (RSVP recommended for costume party and required by June 30 for workshop). (Karen Solomon)

June 23

Wednesday

Curtain call It makes sense that one of the most deliciously sharp (and eminently quotable) films about theater, All about Eve, should actually become theater, in the form of world-premiere adaptation Awe about Eve. Of course, when you watch the 1950 Joseph L. Mankiewicz film, it's more like awe about Bette Davis, whose performance as Margo Channing ("Everybody has a heart – except some people") is the stuff of legend. No doubt Theatre Rhinoceros' production pays homage to Ms. Channing, not to mention the film's many other memorable characters, with an all-star lineup that includes Matthew Martin (Christmas with the Crawfords), Jeffrey Hartgraves (Worse Than Chocolate), and Flaming Iguanas' Shira Burstein and Libby O'Connell. Backstage treachery – center stage! Fasten your seat belts, indeed. Previews Wed/23-Fri/25, 8 p.m. Opens Sat/26, 8 p.m. Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m., Theatre Rhinoceros, 2926 16th St., S.F. $15-$20 (Wed/23, pay what you can). (415) 861-5079, www.therhino.org. (Cheryl Eddy)

June 24

Thursday

Rattlin' cages Sluggo and Rob of the Grannies had a vision: Wondertaker Records, which was started by the duo to show off the best death metal, rock, and sonic misanthropy the Bay Area could muster. To help christen their venture is a two day-long lineup with enough amp power and guts to make sparks fly. The Amputees, the Fleshies, Motorhome, and Black Furies play tonight; the Grannies, Dirty Power, Everything Must Go, and Midnight Bombers give it a go on Friday. Through Fri/25. 9 p.m., Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. $5. (415) 503-0393. (Stephanie Laemoa)

Jazz not jazz Ya gotta have some brass balls to suggest that it takes more emotion to program a keyboard solo via computer than to actually play it live. Jazzanova have got those balls and then some. After the success of their first album, In Between (Compost/JCR), the Berlin-based collective return to their roots as DJs on Mixing (Sonar Kollektiv). A smooth and vibrantly eclectic mix CD that veers from Bahamadia Philly hip-hop to Domu's West London busted beats, Mixing works well as an accurate reduction of what Jazzanova do in a DJ set: treat the audience to a journey through soulful dance music no matter what the genre. MikeBee (Safe) does San Francisco proud in support. 9 p.m.-2 a.m., 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna, S.F. $12. (415) 974-1719. (Peter Nicholson)

June 25

Friday

The howling After weeks of hard-core promoting of their second album, You Are under Surveillance (Substandard), Oakland punk trio Replicator are ready to scream. Though, they're a bit more mature than that. With a deep contempt for authority, a bottomless well of sarcastic wit, and control over heavy-hitting drums and guitar, Replicator are a group Allen Ginsberg might have liked. Plus they've got the smarts not to take themselves too seriously. Expect mayhem onstage, possible destruction, and a guarantee that anarchy is where their mouths are. Big Business – featuring ex-members of Karp, Tight Bros. from Way Back When, and Murder City Devils – headline; Seattle's Akimbo open. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $7. (415) 923-0923. (Laemoa)

June 26

Saturday

Youth truth Don't be surprised when, a few years down the line, a major new filmmaker breaks onto the scene and thanks his or her hometown of Oakland from an awards show podium. The seeds for such success are being planted by groups like Youth Sounds, whose advanced video production team, the Factory, is staffed by talented teens aiming for careers in cinema. Check out its exhibit, "Elements" (recently on view at San Francisco's Southern Exposure gallery), as part of an East Bay-centric Youth Video Festival at the Oakland Box gallery and theater. "Elements" consists of eight TVs, all looping a piece – part documentary, part narrative, and largely experimental – shot in classrooms at six local high schools. Put on the headphones and you'll hear the kind of raw, honest dialogue that's normally only shared between high school peers. The fest also features recent video work by the East Bay Asian Youth Center, Project Yes!, Streetside Productions, Below Radar, and other youth media organizations. Postshow, stick around for DJs and dancing. 7 p.m., Oakland Box, 1928 Telegraph, S.F. $3-$5. (510) 834-9455, www.youthsounds.org. (Eddy)

Revv it up! If you're irresistibly pulled into a tidal wave of furious electro-breaks, grandiose symphonic composition, and hip-hop all in one song, you're probably listening to U.K. native Tipper. A classically trained musician, an ex-raver, and a flashy owner of what might be the world's loudest car – a modified 1970 Dodge Challenger – Tipper's been putting out groundbreaking albums since age 16. He's remixed Africa Bambaata, and his scratching style has gotten him high marks in DJ rags. In this rare stopover, Tipper unleashes his dance-floor rockers and funkiest trip-hop beats. His appearance is all thanks to Dov, the founder of San Francisco-based Muti Music, who performs tonight alongside the city's best breaks wizards, Tung, Fred Funk, DK, Loosebeats, DJ Push, and Benchun. Also on the bill is Kraddy, who launches his self-released album, Truth Has No Path. 10 p.m., DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., S.F. $5. (415) 626-1409. (Kristina Rizga)

June 27

Sunday

Folk tales Celebrating the return of Rob Fisk (ex-Deerhoof, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle) to the Bay Area from his log cabin in Alaska is a showcase that includes a few of the most prominent artists exploring the folk-psych-blues-weird territories out there. Headliner Badgerlore, a textured, spectrally atmospheric project, features Fisk on electric guitar and Ben Chasny providing eerie chimes; tonight they're joined by Tom Carter – who's best known for his ethereal guitar work in Austin, Texas's Charlambides. Jack Rose (Pelt, VHF Records) lets loose his six-string virtuosity, tangling Delta blues styles with intricately fingerpicked melodies. Rose's Red Horse, White Mule (Eclipse, 2002) is essential for anyone interested in intense, personal acoustic music with a dissonant yet epic feel. Santa Cruz guitar-drum freak-out Zdrastvootie open. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. (415) 923-0923. (Ethan Goldwater)

Snow days John Roderick, who fronts the shifting lineup of Seattle's Long Winters, is the sharpest recent songwriter to emerge from an indie world that gets less interested in songwriting every day. An inexhaustible source of good jokes, half-sincere apologies, and character Polaroids, with a husky everyman voice and a knack for distilling the last dregs of his lovelorn characters' self-respect into a diamond chorus, Roderick sets his tunes in arrangements that combine endearingly ragged indie with touches of country rock and small-group soul. On the Long Winters' two albums, Roderick is helped by fellow Seattlites from the Posies and Death Cab for Cutie, but his style's his own. Bonus: Roderick is one of the few rockers whose between-song shtick is actually funny. The Places open; the Decembrists headline. Through Mon/28. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O' Farrell, S.F. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Gabriel Roth)

June 28

Monday

Too much candy Take a (quick) breather between local film festivals and settle in with 12 days of Orson Welles classics at the Castro Theatre. Here's your chance to revisit Welles-directed and/or -starring favorites like Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil, The Third Man, and The Lady from Shanghai on the glorious big screen; better yet, grab the nearest film-geek teen in your midst and introduce him or her to the world of movies beyond the Metreon. The series kicks off with a new print of sly 1974 pseudo-doc F for Fake as well as the essential Kane. Others in the series include The Stranger, The Trial, Compulsion, and Mr. Arkadian (a.k.a. Confidential Report). Through July 9. F for Fake: today and Tues/29, 1:15, 5:15, and 9:20 p.m.; Citizen Kane today and Tues/29, 3 and 7 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro, S.F. $5.50-$8.50. (415) 621-6120, www.castrotheatre.com. (Eddy)

June 29

Tuesday

Off the page Many books are "works of art," but seldom do we mean that visually. It's refreshing when writer-artists such as Marcia Weisbrot both celebrate and remind us that literary treasures are indeed objects in which form and content intersect. For example, Weisbrot's miniature paper lingerie Pink Slip contains words about being laid off in its pocket. Curator Summi Kaipa explores these departures as well as more traditional letterpress works in 'What's in a Book? A Look at the Book Arts Scene.' A fundraiser for New Langton Society's literature programs, the exhibition also features architectural works by Nikki Thompson and paper silhouettes of people's instinctual thoughts in Pond Gallery director Marisa Jahn's Animal Hoarders. The evening includes readings by Amanda Davidson, David Larson, and Mary Burger; Erase Errata's Sara Jaffe plays solo, and Daniel Bolig presents his band project Sort of Invisible. 8-11 p.m., New Langton Arts, 1246 Folsom, S.F. $5-$10 sliding scale. (415) 626-5416, www.newlangtonarts.org. (Laurie Koh)

June 30

Wednesday

Stayin' alive Detroit's hellacious red rockers from back in the day, the MC5 are lighter by two members: Fred "Sonic" Smith passed through a while back on his way to the promised land, and Rob Tyner was already there waiting. But three other members – Michael Davis (bass), Wayne Kramer (guitar), and Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson (drums) – are alive and touring with a revolving cast of special guest musicians (Mark Arm, Evan Dando, and Marshall Crenshaw). No, it won't be the same as when they played the Grande in Detroit, but in case you haven't noticed, this ain't the summer of love, either. So "kick out the jams motherfucker and stay alive with the MC5." They used to say that, and I listened so long and it was so loud that I can't hear anymore. But you can – and this band still delivers its proto-punk shit storm. Eat it up; then go take out a bank. Mondo Generator and Suffrajett open. 8 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. $25. (415) 771-1421. (J.H. Tompkins)

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