8 Days a Week

May 11-18, 2005

FREQUENT CLUBGOERS DON'T have to be convinced that there's art happening outside the gallery and museum setting. Most club nights are packed, not only with the expected performances by DJs, but often also with mesmerizing projected visuals, and sometimes interactive art installations you may be surprised to never find in a gallery. But for those who still need convincing, Prof. Tony Labat's "Alternative Contexts" class in the San Francisco Art Institute's New Genres Department legitimizes these venues as viable art environments. And just to make a point, in collaboration with 1015 Folsom and S.F. club crew Subalicious, "Alternative Contexts" presents the Return of Futurism, five rooms of live music, DJs, art, and of course, hardcore partying. Headlining acts include U.K. DJ-producer-remixers extraordinaire Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood (of Two Lone Swordsmen fame) and Ninjatune's Dirty South-lovin' Diplo. Electro-noise peddlers Matmos provide live music for "Art Institute 2005 Alternative Context Scholar Show," featuring works by 22 artists in performance, video, and installation. A whole host of other DJs – including Dov, Tung, Toph One, Qzen, MC Duh, and Kraddy – support. Prepare to be awakened. Fri/13, 8 p.m.-6 a.m., 1015 Folsom, S.F. $20, free before 10 p.m. www.1015.com, www.subalicious.net. (Sarah Han)

May 11

Wednesday

Systems go El Guapo are kaput – and Supersystem have risen in their place. Rafael Cohen and Pete Cafarella are now getting assists from new drummer Josh Blair of Orthrelm and vocalist-bassist Justin Destroyer, and the new album, Always Never Again (Touch and Go), shows them on surer footing than ever, while they spread themselves thin and funky between New York City and Washington, D.C. These days the combo put down a beachhead somewhere between Afrobeat and Moroccan sonics, synth pop and Talking Heads-style funk. Kill Me Tomorrow and Oslo also play. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8. (415) 621-4455. (Also with DJ James Murphy, Popscene, Thurs/12, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., 330 Ritch, S.F. $5-$8. 415-541-9574.) (Kimberly Chun)

May 12

Thursday

Ivy league It's hard to believe Ivy have been together for more than 10 years. What's even harder to believe is why they aren't getting more props for their work. Long before Zach Braff decided to include Frou Frou on the Garden State soundtrack, which subsequently vaulted the band's wistful trip-hop into the limelight, Ivy were making music that was just as dreamy, just as sexy, and just as moody. Fronted by French chanteuse Dominique Durand, the New York trio have had their share of ups and downs (Durand and bandmate Andy Chase were married a few years back; arson wreaked havoc on the band's studio in 2000), but the music has always stayed solid. A blend of '80s-inspired electropop, melancholy melodies, and bittersweet French musique, Ivy's sound is lighter than air, but what makes them so alluring is the occasional hint of dark, brooding je ne sais quoi. Astaire also play. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $15. (415) 255-0333. (Elisa Jacobs)

May 13

Friday

Time to improvise Bay Area Theatresports, San Francisco's premiere improvisational theater, is in the unscripted midst of its third annual long-form festival, showcasing top-notch new and veteran players in various formats. This evening, BATS presents The (Improvised) Time of Your Life, a completely spontaneous three-act play based on the great comic dramas of the 1930s. Featuring an expert cast joined and directed by Tim Orr – member (with Rafe Chase and Stephen Kearin) of the killer trio 3 for All, who help close the festival May 28 – the format's a bit unusual, grounded in a single setting without the cinematic "cuts" of other long-form styles. The title's nod to William Saroyan, whose plays reside in the great grab bag of cultural memory accessed by the lightning wits onstage, reminds us that his wholehearted, impressionistic style has a certain improv ethic about it anyway. Saroyan's famous advice to aspiring writers could have come to him after seeing a BATS performance: "Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell." 8 p.m., Bayfront Theater, Fort Mason Center, Bldg. B, Marina at Laguna, S.F. $15. (415) 474-8935, www.improv.org. (Robert Avila)

May 14

Saturday

Soul survivor She's got soul – but Sharon Jones has got some funk, R&B, and Motown too. Accompanied by regal music-makers the Dap-Kings, Jones is an electrifying soul powerhouse, and she's not afraid to tell it like it is. Singing, "My man is a mean man" and "Your thing is a drag" against backdrops of funky bass, horns, and conga drums, this diva is a flashback to American Bandstand, evoking the sound and spirit of songstresses like Bettye Swann and Candi Staton. Jones and co. are definitely old-school retro funk of the hip-swaying kind; this sort of grooving will be sure to get you stuck in a funk (the good kind, that is). DJ Motion Potion spins. 10 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, S.F. $10. (415) 552-7788. (Jacobs)

Going to the dogs There's a primitive energy running through each etched line in Little Rock, Ark.-born San Francisco artist Jill Storthz's modern woodcut prints. Her color schemes, shapes, and style follows the 1950s abstract expressionist sensibility of Pollock and de Kooning, but sometimes with the sparseness of a Calder mobile – sophisticated and complex, yet playful and loose, as is the genial and whimsical 26-year-old herself. Storthz's works are included in Red Ink Studios' latest exhibit, 'Every Dog Has Its Day.' Pieces by 19 other Bay Area artists – including Chris Cobb, Sarah Kinsley, Eve Ekman (a Bay Guardian contributor and the show's cocurator), Adam Wier, Mark Ellinger, Sita Rupe, and Chris Fitzpatrick – are also featured. The Mall, the Go Ga Puppet Theater, ZenanBach, and DJs Rubella and Atty provide entertainment at the opening reception. Through June 4. Reception tonight, 8 p.m.-midnight; gallery hours Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 1035 Market, S.F. Free. www.redinkstudios.org. (Sarah Han)

Royal Canadian Montag Wander off the beaten path and play for a while with the dreamy dalliances of Montreal's Montag. On his recent album, Alone Not Alone (Carpark), Montag, otherwise known as Antoine Bédard, meanders around the periphery of electronic indulgence while fooling around with friends like James Cardiff of Broadcast and Amy Millan of Broken Social Scene. Tonight he's paired with Daedelus (Plug Research, Adventure Time), whose Exquisite Corpse (Mush) has a similar fondness for cloying melodies but also features abstract hip-hop stylings courtesy of Prefuse 73 and MF Doom. Run_Return headlines. 9:30 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $7. (415) 923-0923. (Peter Nicholson)

May 15

Sunday

Their best shot If all-female Vancouver band the Organ could be any body part, what would they be? I'd venture the heart, because the five-piece combo have a way of grabbing hold with their wonderful, bracing debut, Grab That Gun (Mint), and pulling you along, pulsing with the girlish fervor of Electrelane and Throwing Muses. Does it all come down to that Hammond X123 in their midst? This successor to vocalist Katie Sketch's last band, Full Sketch, was assembled via audition, a move that would make Frankenstein proud. The Wedding Present and Caseworker also play. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Chun)

Black lung Like veins of ore running through mountain rock, wispy American narratives hide in the songwriting traditions of folk and country music for determined miners to excavate. The Last of the Blacksmiths melt down and shape this precious history with a skill worthy of their name, fashioning songs that are sharp enough to cut to the bone but beautiful enough that listeners welcome the pain. With meandering guitar strums and reflective pedal steel stopping just short of twang, the Blacksmiths tap the familiar American archetype of the misunderstood drifter. However, vocalist Nathan Wanta's reedy legato adroitly strains lyrics that update this aging trope by portraying a psychic, rather than physical, wanderer, as emotions and philosophy become the new lonely frontiers. Celebrate the release of their debut self-released, self-titled album at this evening BBQ show with openers El Capitan and Dame Satan. 5 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $5 (includes food). (415) 621-4455. (Keith Axline)

May 16

Monday

Underneath the sea Fans of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim are still reeling from the shocking news that Sealab 2021 has been canceled. All is not lost, as the show's creators and cast members will surely go onto bigger and better things (except for our beloved Captain Murphy, rest his soul). And tonight Bay Area fans have a big treat awaiting them, as Sealab's Hesh, a.k.a. Aqua Teen Hunger Force's MC Pee Pants, a.k.a. mc chris, makes an appearance at the Elbo Room. While I'm not sure if he will be performing any of the great short songs from Sealab, like "Doctor Quinn's Birthday Song," he's sure to do his classic geek rap tribute to Boba Fett, "Fett's Vette." Get on your stormtrooper armor, and I'll see you at the show. Colt 75 opens. 9 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, S.F. $6. (415) 552-7788. (Seth Wolf)

May 17

Tuesday

Book club It's time to hit the Books. Well, not metaphorically, and not literally either – the Books' members, Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto, probably wouldn't appreciate that. But perhaps a hearty pat on the back or a well-timed high five is in order; these experimental rockers deserve some recognition for their progressive sound. Combining samples and acoustic string and percussion instrumentation, the bookish duo push boundaries and make sounds like you've never heard before. Like a lo-fi version of U.K. electronica outfit Lemon Jelly, the Books sample random and unusual sound bites (one favorite includes a reading of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky") and set them against avant-garde room sounds and hypnotic, ethereal acoustics – something strange and beautiful indeed. Mia Doi Todd and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone open. Also Wed/18. 8:30 p.m. (Wed/18, 9 p.m.), Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 861-5016. (Jacobs)

The same Rivers twice Jazz musician Sam Rivers wants it both ways. He is a multi-instrumentalist who, in the '60s, worked with blues great B.B. King and avant-garde maverick Cecil Taylor; a champion of the New York loft scene and its unscripted free jazz who has more than 70 symphonies in progress; a musician who divides his time between his trio, with its explorations of "spontaneous creativity," and his Rivbea Orchestra, a big band based in Orlando, Fla., that Rivers writes a new composition for each week. On this rare trip through the Bay Area, he brings his trio of more than two decades, featuring Doug Matthews on bass and Anthony Cole on drums. 8 and 10 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakl. $10-$16. (510) 238-9200, www.yoshis.com. (Bruce Wallace)

May 18

Wednesday

Y'all right now To all those people who declare they like every kind of music except country, I say, chomp into a slice of Dierks Bentley. No rhinestone cowboy, Bentley is a bluegrass-trained Music Row rebel, determined to make the kind of music that stirs his pickup truck-driving, honky-tonking soul. Lately, neo-twang has booted soft-focus pop from the country charts, and you can thank Bentley for being among the boot-wearers leading that charge. His self-titled Capitol Records debut spawned the date-from-hell hit "What Was I Thinkin'?"; his latest, Modern Day Drifter (Capitol), features the anticommitment anthem "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do." Catch Bentley in the down-home Slim's environs now, before his considerable talents elevate him to stadium territory for good. Jedd Hughes opens. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $18. (415) 255-0333, www.tickets.com. (Cheryl Eddy)