8 Days a Week

July 27- August 3, 2005

EVERY SUMMER THERE'S one festival you tell yourself you just can't miss, and today it's all going down in your backyard. Mighty shuts down the entire block for Rock the Bells – Represent, Respect, Recognize: A World Class Hip Hop Platform. Locals Zion I, Crown City Rockers, and Q-bert represent, MC Supernatural (most recently featured on the tracks "Breakfast Cereal" and "For My People" on Z-Trips newest hit album, Shifting Gears) spits about respect, and hard-hitters like Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Redman, and Cuban Linx (Ghostface and Raekwon) recognize the Bay Area's incredibly talented hip-hop community by joining in the most massive hip-hop festival ever to be held in San Francisco. The full-day party is complete with multiple stages and booths representing the all the dimensions of hip-hop culture: DJing, MCing, B-boying, and graffiti arts. 1 p.m., Utah between 15th St. and Alameda, SF. $40. (415) 626-7001, www.mighty119.com. (Jana Rogers)

July 27, Wednesday

Brainwash If there were ever a good reason to question authority, the Iraq war would be one. Neither of the Bush Administration's pretexts for attacking Iraq – WMDs or links between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda – proved to be true; which leads to one of two conclusions about why it was able to get away with it anyway: Either most Americans are shamefully gullible or heartlessly Machiavellian. Which option is true of the mainstream media, who acted largely as a mouthpiece for the warmongers, is up for debate. But we cannot afford to ignore their role. It's with that in mind that renowned media critic Norman Solomon penned War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, his latest book, in which he dissects just how government and the media laid the ideological groundwork for US attacks on Vietnam and Iraq, and how they're doing the same with Iran now. Solomon recently returned from a visit to Iran, and discusses both his book and his trip at a benefit for Media Alliance and Global Exchange. 7 p.m., Women's Building, 3543 18th St., SF. $10 donation. (510) 832-9000 ext. 301. (Camille T. Taiara)

July 28, Thursday

Outsiders are in Local four-piece Pony Boy have been on something of a hiatus for the past year, leaving fans of the group's dreamy, melancholic songs waiting for a kind word about a show or a long-promised recording. Here it is. A very nice six-song self-released debut CD has arrived, and with it news of a release party to celebrate the fact. Stay Out of Trouble, named for a line from the last track, is full of soft, captivating harmonies, moments of poppy uplift, and gorgeous, depressively delivered observations on relationships in quiet crisis. Avoid the mistake of going out for a smoke break when they play the hushed, delicate, desolate "Life on Earth," which all by its lonesome would be worth the price of admission. Giant Value's singer-guitarist Dena Connolly opens with a solo set, and the Desoto Reds close out the night. 9 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., SF. $6. (415) 647-2888. (Lynn Rapoport)

Toil and trouble Chicago's Spires That in the Sunset Rise put out a self-titled LP in 2003 (Galactic Zoo/Eclipse Records) that's loaded with winding violins, clattering gong sounds, and the distraught vocal stylings of Kathleen Baird, Taralie Peterson, and Georgia Vallas. It's hard to liken the group to anything current, although it does seem to gel with the Renaissance Faire vibe that's seeped into segments of the indie-folk nation. It's easy to picture the three women (now a four-piece with the addition of Tracy Peterson) standing over a prop cauldron, dry ice and all, and their flair for the dramatic comes in handy on creeper ballads like "Tampico." Warbly wails abrade the softer tone of the acoustic instrumentation, creating a surface that's both affected and authentically weird. Their new record, Four Winds in the Walker, is out on Secret Eye. Michael Talbott and the Wolfkings and Willow Willow also play. 9:30 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. $7. (415) 923-0923. (George Chen)

Key fetish Han Solo and Princess Leia. Trinity and Neo. Bennett Hirschhorn and Wurlitzer electric pianos. Each is a Sci-fi Lovestory, but only the latter involves Superdrag drummer Don Coffey Jr., lush vocal harmonies, and power pop. When singer-songwriter Hirschhorn returned to San Francisco from a recording session with Coffey in Knoxville, Tenn., he continually pestered clerks in a North Beach record store about a Wurlitzer they refused to sell him. Persistence paid off when he brought it home. Tonight, Hirschhorn and Wurlitzer celebrate the release of their Sci-Fi Lovestory debut album, From the Planet's Surface (Lovestory Records) with a solo and full band performance including Coffey, bassist Susan Lee, and guitarists Tim Lee and Wil Wright. Senryu and a guest DJ also play. 8 p.m., Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. $20. (415) 625-8880, www.scifilovestory.com. (Alex K. Fong)

Nuke this Nuclear warfare, brainchild of the World War II era, may have been a brilliant idea we'd all like to forget was ever popular (kinda like men getting perms), but it unfortunately won't just go away. The far-reaching consequences of powerful weapons of destruction cannot be ignored, especially as the current political climate is wrought with anxiety over whose packing nuclear heat and not telling. What better way to commemorate the mistakes of the past and raise present consciousness than an art exhibit memorializing the atomic age? The Simnuke Art Exhibit features 20 artists from the US and Japan, showing work ranging from photography to kinetic sculpture. The mood of each piece is as diverse as the medium; the artists infuse bouts of unexpected humor, great sadness, fear, and anger into their work. Through Aug 10. Reception tonight, 7 p.m-midnight, gallery hours Thurs.-Fri., 2 p.m.-midnight; Sat., 9 p.m.-2 a.m., and by appt., Rx Gallery, 132 Eddy, SF. (415)756-8890. (Morae Kim)

July 29, Friday

Ice cold The new album by Daiquiri, Babies Making Babies, sounds like the work of two folks who've religiously listened to Rick James, Missy Elliot, Sparks, Japanese noise, and Slayer, to pick a few reference points. Imagine if the Locust got really into contemporary R&B and then tried their hands at making a pop album, only to get bored and wreck it with a bunch of computer-driven sound effects and movie samples. Well, Babies sounds better than that, but it gives you an idea. The lovable duo are traveling all the way from Ottawa, Ontario, to perform this one-off show, their first in the Bay Area, alongside legendary underground heroes the Zip Code Rapists. Horse-Cow also play. 9:30 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. $8. (415) 923-0923. (Will York)

Funk for life Amnesty International estimates 70,000 men, women, and children have lost their lives due to the violence that erupted in Darfur, Sudan, in 2003, between the Sudanese government and groups fighting for their independence. The conflict has resulted in disease, malnutrition, and loss of shelter, contributing factors to hundreds of thousands of other deaths. Perhaps the most devastating issue is the thousands of children left homeless, hopeless, and without means to take care of themselves. Take a night to make a difference. Join Sila and the Afrofunk Experience, Henri Pierre Koubaka, Afro Beat Down, and others for the First Annual AfroFunk Festival – a benefit for the Save the Children Fund featuring "two electrifying nights of gritty, ripping, hard-hitting Afrobeat and AfroFunk music straight outta Africa." Through Sat/30, 9 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. $12. www.afrofunk.org. (Jana Rogers)

July 30, Saturday

Teen steam Spawned from the same fertile Orange County scene of the late '70s and early '80s that gave rise to classic punk bands like Social Distortion and Agent Orange, the Adolescents (whose lineup features former members of both previously mentioned groups) exemplified the young, loud, and snotty attitude of the day with their self-titled debut record (now commonly referred to as "the blue album") in 1981. Various lineup changes and breakups ensued over the years, but now nearly all of the original group is back together and have released OC Confidential (Finger), their first new record in almost two decades. Tunes like "Monsanto Hayride" and "Pointless Teenage Anthem" showcase the band's talent for playing their old-school brand of powerful and melodic punk, which helped start the SoCal movement with "Amoeba" and "Kids of the Black Hole" 25 years ago. The Briggs, Angel City Outcasts, and DEK also play. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. $13. (415) 255-0333. (Sean McCourt)

Not jaded anymore Got a hankerin' for the sounds of queer Asian diaspora? Then follow the API queer and trans folks (and their friends) to PersuAsian. The traveling club (it's been held at 111 Minna, the Cat Club, and the Rickshaw Stop) celebrates its one-year anniversary tonight with its trademark deluge of bhangra, Arabic hip-hop, Asian underground, house, and more. The brainchild of Pam Louie and DJ Black, and co-organized by Prithika Balakrishnan, CJ Jiang, and Gary Chen, PersuAsian has stepped up to fill the deep hole left by queer Asian club Jaded (1997-2001), which Louie helped found. PersuAsian represents both an evolution of Jaded's original mission – to celebrate the diversity of music, traditions, and styles within all the cultures that fall under the Asian umbrella – and is a new event entirely, geared toward bridging the gaps among broader LGBT Asian communities. A slew of queer Asian organizations are sponsoring the party, including APIQWTC, API Wellness Center, GAPA, Rainbow Koi, Trikone, and UCSF TEPOT. Tonight DJs Black, K-Bug, Emancipation, Suresh, and others spin. 9 p.m.-3 a.m., StudioZ, 314 11th St., SF. $7-10. (415) 252-7666. (Laurie Koh)

July 31, Sunday

Fake out Before you try to book World Leader Pretend to play your early-'90's-themed bar mitzvah or Quinceañera, consider yourself forewarned. Despite appearances (and the use of an REM song title as a band name), WLP does not do renditions of "Shiny Happy People," nor do they cover "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" Actually, these pretenders sound nothing like REM, and while comparisons have been drawn to Radiohead and Coldplay, the New Orleans natives are an unique blend of garage, '80s-inspired rock, and indie pop, and they seem to defy any kind of music pigeonholing. If their debut, Punches, (Warner Bros.) bodes anything for the future, some band may be naming themselves after a WLPsong in the not-too-distant future. Eisley and WLP open for Hot Hot Heat. 8 p.m., Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. $22. (415) 346-6000. (Jacobs)

August 1, Monday

No paper dolls The AfroSolo Arts Festival XII kicks off its Visual Arts Exhibition with "... And They Were Fruitful" A Dedication to the African Diaspora. The exhibit showcases artist Nena St. Louis's dynamic wood sculptures. Inspired by the Dogon sculpture of Mali, West Africa, St. Louis carves each piece by hand in intricate detail. The evocative beauty of the work can be further appreciated in St. Louis's emotional rendition of the universal struggle to survive amid great adversity – her tribute to the inner strength of African women. Through an ancient art form from a distant land, the exhibit manages to tell the story of the African Diaspora from the often silenced perspective of the women who suffered, sustained, and triumphed for generations to arrive here in America. Each sculpture is a celebration of survival and femininity – as strong and enduring as the wood they are carved from. Through Sept 17. Opens today; reception Aug 11, 5-7 p.m.; gallery hours, Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sargent Johnson Gallery, African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton, SF. (415) 922-2049. (Exhibition occurs concurrently Aug 6-Oct 6, San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin, SF. (415) 786-2500, ext. 228.) (Kim)

August 2, Tuesday

Success story Most child musicians often fail to navigate the perilous course of puberty and adulthood. Case in point: Kris Kross, who could make you jump for only so long. True, Nikka Costa began a successful career at the age of eight, singing torch songs with her arranger and producer father Don Costa, but over the years her music has deepened into a powerful amalgam of rock, funk, and soul as she sings with a fervor that invokes Chaka Khan and Janis Joplin. Tonight she comes to town with a backing band in tow to support her new Prince- and Lenny Kravitz-inspired Virgin Records release can'tneverdidnothin', her second full-length album recorded as a grownup. Driveblind also play. 8 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. $15. (415) 771-1421. (Fong)

August 3, Wednesday

Seeing double The undead seem to be popping up in a lot of movies lately. But regardless of the title of their recent hit single, Tegan and Sara are miles away from the corny, suspense-building music on most horror soundtracks. The duo, twin sisters from Calgary, Canada, have recently made the jump from small-time neo-folksters to international pop-punk princesses. Their latest album, So Jealous (Vapor/Sanctuary), has received much critical acclaim, making many critics' "Best Albums of 2004" lists. Meanwhile, their single "Walking With a Ghost" has been getting rampant airplay on alternative and college stations around the country. With such a flourishing career, Tegan and Sara will soon have nothing to be jealous about – they're poised to become everyone's favorite twin set. The Olsen twins better watch out. Communique and Minipop also play. Also Aug 4. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $16. (415) 885-0750. (Jacobs)

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