8 Days a Week

Jan. 19-25, 2005

IT'S NICE TO know that as frolicking forest folk and dreamy singer-songwriters break out all around us, weird, raw, neglected, but oh-so-genius roughhousers like Michael Hurley are emerging from hiding, which in this case is Astoria, Ore., where the underground folk vet has been making music, painting the "Portland revelry crowd," as he puts it, and preparing a new album and a tribute recording. You know they're going to be good if you've heard his amazing 1976 album with the Holy Modal Rounders' Peter Stamfel, Have Moicy (Rounder). "You can call it snockgrass," Hurley says from his home. "I just call it plunking these days, plunking the guitar, banjo, and piano." He's stopping here briefly to perform at Cafe du Nord (and at BrightBlack's Bolinas music festival Jan. 21), at the behest of the Court and Spark's M.C. Taylor, who first experienced Hurley through renditions of "Werewolf" sung by Barry Dransfield and Cat Power. "The magical thing to me about his songwriting is the way that he mixes humor and sadness and everyday observation and manages to make it all work together and not sound like a joke," Taylor writes in an e-mail. Grasp the rough magic while you can. Vetiver, Currituck County, and Taylor also play. Thurs/20, 8 p.m., Swedish American Hall, 2174 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 861-5016. (Kimberly Chun)

Jan. 19: Wednesday

Wired Given Wilco's tremendous critical acclaim, bandleader Jeff Tweedy probably could've gotten anyone he wanted to play guitar on the band's last tour. It's telling that he went with Nels Cline, who's not a traditional sideman but a musician always capable of pushing a project into uncharted sonic territory. Tracing Cline's vast output, one hears an idiosyncratic, effects-heavy aesthetic channeled through innumerable musical styles, from jazz to punk-funk to noise and back again. Cline's impressive eclecticism makes him the heir apparent to fellow explorer John Zorn. His appearances with the Nels Cline Singers give music freaks of all stripes a chance to dig the Cline sound away from Wilco's limelight. Through Thurs/20. 9 p.m., Bruno's, 2389 Mission, S.F. $10. (415) 648-7701. (Also Sat/22, 9 p.m., Starry Plough, 3101 Shattuck, Berk. $7. 510-841-2082.) (Max Goldberg)

Jan. 20: Thursday

Sarah Jones photo by Ken Friedman

Progressive work In 2003 solo performer Sarah Jones made an indelible impression on audiences at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre with Surface Transit, her exuberant multiethnic breakdown of prejudice in the intertwining tales of eight New Yorkers. Few left the theater without feeling energized by the buoyant humor, intelligence, and fog-lifting outrage of so deft and generous a performer, the hip-hop generation's answer to Lily Tomlin and Anna Deavere Smith. Jones returns to Berkeley to workshop her latest piece, encouraging audiences to contribute feedback ahead of its Broadway opening. Directed by the Rep's Tony Taccone, Bridge and Tunnel explores the meaning of the American dream for 14 characters from distinct cultural backgrounds. Despite the bare stage, this "workshop" performance should prove anything but rough. 8 p.m. Runs Fri/21-Sat/22, Jan. 27-29, Feb. 3, 5, 12, and 17-19, 8 p.m. (also Feb. 5, 2 p.m.); Sun/23, Jan. 30, Feb. 13, and 20, 7 p.m. (also Jan. 30, Feb. 13, and 20, 2 p.m.). Through Feb. 20. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison, Berk. $20-$40. (510) 647-2949, www.berkeleyrep.org. (Robert Avila)

Moving men While the Moving Units sounds more like a space-age real estate venture than a band, the Los Angeles trio's moniker proves to be quite fitting, as their style is anything but stagnant. The Units play punk, garage rock, and '80s new wave, but they have a style and sound all their own. Thumping bass, synth pop melodies, and jolting guitars are accompanied by snarled vocals that sound almost paranoid at times – the Moving Units may just be the wave of the future. 11:25 p.m., Popscene, 330 Ritch, S.F. $5-$8. (415) 541-9574. (Also Sat/22, 2 p.m., Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, S.F. Free. 415-831-1200.) (Elisa Jacobs)

Jan. 21: Friday

Good eats Back to serve another heaping helping of DIY punk rock goodness, local favorites All You Can Eat hit the stage – literally. Never content to simply sit and pound the skins, wild-man drummer Myron jumps to dizzying heights and comes crashing down to his kit right on the beat, providing the type of manic energy and showcasing the slightly off-kilter approach that have driven the band over the years. Famous for songs like "Food Is a Four Letter Word" and hilariously warped covers (Black Flag's "Rise Above" becomes "Fries R Up"), the band run the gamut from fast-and-furious hardcore to slightly funky and far out. Gift of Goats and Abi Yo Yo's also play. 8 p.m., 924 Gilman, Berk. $5. (510) 525-9926. (Sean McCourt)

Duck! In the spirit of efficiency, Other, the self-described pop culture magazine "for the new outcasts" edited by Bay Guardian contributor Annalee Newitz, hosts Ballerina Pie Fight – a combined fundraiser, anniversary party, and photo shoot for the cover of its next issue. An intermingling of high and low entertainment, this soirée is bound to be more amusing than your last attempt at Swan Lake. Audience members are encouraged to dress as ballerinas and take part in the sticky festivities. If tutus aren't your thing and you're content with leaving the pirouettes to Baryshnikov, you can get a groove on to DJs Mysterious D and Party Ben, who spin before and after the cream hits the tulle. 9 p.m., Jon Sims Center, 1519 Mission, S.F. $5-$10 sliding scale. (415) 336-8469, www.othermag.com. (Jacobs)

Anders Parker photo by Debora Francis

Dust up Who knew ex-Varnaline leader Anders Parker had it in him? The last time I saw Parker, opening for Jay Farrar at Slim's three years ago, the dude seemed like your standard reverent folkie, playing well-crafted but subdued numbers on acoustic guitar. His excellent longtime-coming official solo debut, Tell It to the Dust (Baryon), tells a different story. It's an über-listenable mix of minor-key Beatles-esque numbers ("Go Alone"), almost-crunchy rock that flirts with dissonance ("Into the Sun"), and yep, folk music that takes its time to unwind ("Keep Me Hanging On," with Tracey Thorn sound-alike Kendall Meade). So is it fair to peg Parker as one of the many hyphenates influenced by George Harrison, Elliott Smith, Crooked Fingers, and other singer-songwriters who've broken away from your standard-issue band lineup? Parker's doing fine, flying solo, far from the rest of the flock. Jay Farrar headlines. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $20. (415) 885-0750. (Kimberly Chun)

Jan. 22: Saturday

Touch the magic You're in a clearing, the trees looming ominously overhead, when suddenly you're surrounded by a band of orcs brandishing rusty swords – what do you do? If you said, "Roll my 20-sided die," you're only half right. At the Mission Creek Music Festival's second annual Winter Ball, you must also rock out. The event's a chance for those of us who skipped out on our high school winter formals because we were too busy playing Dungeons and Dragons, but this time guests are encouraged to dress up as their favorite D&D characters. Cable-access stars Dungeon Majesty premiere a new episode of their role-playing exploits. Erase Errata, the Mall, Amber Asylum, Extraordinary Forest, and TITS perform. 9 p.m., Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, S.F. $10, $8 in costume. (415) 861-2011, www.mcmf.org. (Keith Axline)

Blood and Gorey Five years after Edward Gorey's death, Paradox Media and the Cat Club present the fifth annual Edwardian Ball, an event that brings Gorey's macabre and sinister pen-and-ink drawings and writings of a doomed late-Victorian society to life through live music, theater, dancing, and costumery. This year's celebration features productions of The Evil Garden and The Disrespectful Summons. Theatrical performance and design group Puppets and Pie transforms the Cat Club with Gorey-inspired characters and art, black-and-white forests, giant bugs buzzing from the rafters, and an antique photo booth. Edwardian house band Rosin Coven provide the soundtrack. Jill Tracy, DJs Miz Margo, Decay, and Jay T Tempura, and Vau de Vire Society also perform. 9 p.m.-3 a.m., Cat Club, 1190 Folsom, S.F. $15, $12 in Edwardian or Gorey-esque attire. (510) 506-2210, www.edwardianball.com. (Yenie Ra)

Jan. 23: Sunday

Keep flipping This is driving music – and not just because Human Television sport song titles like "Cars Are Weird" on their self-titled debut mini-album (Gigantic). This music will drive you out of your head and send you twirling in your own little new wave city. The Philly foursome make swell Britpop that evokes the Wedding Present and New Order with a vibrant jingle-jangle, all while keeping a steady finger on the brisk rhythms of '80s alties like R.E.M. and Pylon. Human Television approximate the sheer, windy joy of the aforementioned bands while avoiding sounding like a creaky artifact, which is an accomplishment worth tuning in for. So when they throw a frenetic art rock fragment like "Sick with Redundancy Check" in at the very end of the recording, you have to wonder what redundancy will be checked and where they'll go next. Serene Lakes also play. 8 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $7. (415) 621-4455. (Chun)

Wolf whistles At this point you have to ask, what hasn't Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, a.k.a. Will Oldham, done? Well, he hasn't donned a lupine guise – until now. Yes, more than a year after Bay Guardian contributor Mike McGuirk wore a bloody wolf head in honor of All Hallow's Eve, the wolf craze continues – now taking the form of Superwolf (not Steppenwolf), otherwise known as a new collaboration and Drag City recording by Oldham and guitarist Matt Sweeney. Who knows when these two will get it together again, so catch them rusticating amid the CD racks while you can – you'll find a good spot somewhere near Bill Monroe or Jean Ritchie. They'll be serenading record shoppers instead of blowing it out in Bolinas alongside Devendra Banhart and BrightBlack. 2 p.m., Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, S.F. Free. (415) 831-1200. (Chun)

Jan. 24: Monday

Neutron dance If the mere mention of that interstellar phenomenon known as a black hole ("a rip in the very fabric of space and time!") brings to mind a certain Disney-made, Ernest Borgnine-starring movie – well, you're not alone. I'm with you. But if you've ever longed to learn more about black holes and their effect on galaxies, tune into 'Exploding Stars, Blazing Galaxies and Monstrous Black Holes: The Extreme Universe of Gamma-Ray Astronomy,' a lecture by Sonoma State University professor Lynn Cominsky sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences. Using language novice scientists can easily follow, Cominsky discusses the new technology being used to observe powerful, mysterious gamma-ray bursts, which are suspected to signal the formation of new black holes. As Discovery Channel addicts can already attest, subjects like black holes prove physics can still be exciting – even without a cuckoo-for-Cocoa-Puffs Maximilian Schell pulling the strings. 7:30 p.m., Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California, S.F. $4. (415) 321-8000. (Cheryl Eddy)

Jan. 25: Tuesday

Southern in the city Forget all your preconceived notions of banjo players and Kentucky – your inbred thoughts are about as accurate as Owen Wilson's phony accent in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Local musician and Kentucky native Matt Bauer plays the banjo on his self-released album Nandina, with all the sweet, beautiful melancholy you'd expect from someone who writes about walking 10 miles on a country road to meet an ex-lover. But listen closely and you'll hear in Bauer's heartbreaking vocals tales of modern life, of condoms and Coke cans left by cemetery fences, and of wildfires burning in the west. Influenced by country and bluegrass, Bauer is reinterpreting those traditions to create a haunting, modern sound. Tonight's lineup also includes Nashville-based Amelia White (with Julie Wolf), who croons lonesome, twangy melodies. Alt-country rockers Buckets headline. 8:30 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. $6. (415) 647-2888. (Jean Chen)

Jan. 26: Wednesday

Furry post-punk Yes, Psychedelic Furs fans, you can finally let out that 15-year-long breath you've been holding and relax. Technically, the Furs have been back together since 2000, but they're finally writing enough material for a new album, slated for a fall release. Recent lukewarm comebacks by acts such as the Pixies and the Cure may have tempered fans' optimism, but the Furs are cool and confident. Unlike many of their contemporaries whose sounds became pigeonholed by a few successful singles, the Furs' strength was always their albums' consistent but varied songwriting pumped through textured instrumentation and Richard Butler's soul-combing rasp. Many bands wrongly come back to the touring circuit in hopes of cashing in on a name, and hyper-self-awareness has stayed – and strayed – many a creative hand, but the Furs' lack of fluff and grandstanding make this return seem both organic and promising. The Shore open. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $25. (415) 255-0333. (Axline)

The Bay Guardian listings deadline is two weeks prior to our Wednesday publication date. To submit an item for consideration, please include the title of the event, a brief description of the event, date and time, venue name, street address (listing cross streets only isn't sufficient), city, telephone number readers can call for more information, telephone number for media, and admission costs. Send information to Listings, the Bay Guardian Building, 135 Mississippi St., S.F., CA 94107; fax to (415) 487-2506; or e-mail (paste press release into e-mail body – no text attachments, please) to listings@sfbg.com. We cannot guarantee the return of photos, but enclosing an SASE helps. Digital photos may be submitted in jpeg format; the image must be at least 240 dpi and four inches by six inches in size. We regret we cannot accept listings over the phone.