8 Days a Week


August 3 - 10, 2005

HOT SPOT

photo courtesy of Charo Entertainment Ooh la la: Charo performs a two-part show at the Herbst Theatre.
APOLOGIES TO THE great Flavor Flav (and Vince Neil – love ya, Vince), but the flamboyant dynamo known as Charo is probably the single most talented person ever to appear on The Surreal Life. Even if all you know her from is The Love Boat (or Fantasy Island, or appearances on The Jeffersons, The Facts of Life, Hollywood Squares, etc.) – you have to admit, maintaining such ubiquitousness over three decades is a rare skill indeed. Her musical abilities, which put all her Surreal Life castmates to shame (sorry, Jordan Knight – I'll be loving you forever, Jordan), have bedazzled the masses with good reason – she's trained in both classical and flamenco guitar, and she can sing and dance to boot. Get your cuchi cuchi to the Herbst Theatre for this rare San Francisco appearance, featuring a two-part show: First, a solo Charo makes your flamenco fantasies come true, then she segues into a high-wattage, Las Vegas-style revue featuring backup musicians and dancers. ¡Olé! Sat/6, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness, SF. $35-$75. (415) 392-4400, www.cityboxoffice.com. (Cheryl Eddy)


August 3, Wednesday

Prodigal sound Though her solo career has rocked more often than not, Mary Timony has mostly focused on a more complex form of pop music since leaving her band Helium. The obsession culminated in 2002's The Golden Dove (Matador), a kaleidoscopic collision of orchestrated punk, prog, and Medieval modes. Tonight Timony comes to town in support of her new Lookout Records release, Ex Hex, which marks a return to the angular rock of her former band, but filtered through her matured musical sensibility. The album includes drum performances by the Medication's Devin Ocampo, who will join her for the show, and the production work of Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty. Scissors for Lefty and Chi Chi Palace also play. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. $10. (415) 621-4455. (Alex K. Fong)

August 4, Thursday

Interesting instruments Since 1975 musician and author Tom Nunn has produced experimental instruments of his own design and ingenuity. These include electro-acoustic percussion boards (high-grade plywood sheets with various objects attached to them). A contact microphone on the back of the instrument captures its sound and amplifies it, creating, as Nunn puts it, electronic music that is all acoustic. Tonight musical polymath David Slusser and Len Paterson join Nunn for a set of completely improvised music. Slusser and Paterson also play unique instruments – synthesizers called the Sluss-o-matic and the Lenotone, respectively, in honor of their owners. Larnie Fox, a kinetic sound sculpture builder and one of the founders of the sound art collective 23five, also performs, with an ensemble of hand-cranked instruments. 8 p.m., Luggage Store Gallery, 1007 Market, SF. $6-$10. (415) 255-5971, www.bayimproviser.com. (Fong)

photo by Jose Luis Martinez Scorching! All-female dance group the Devil-Ettes put on a devilishly good show at the Bay Guardian’s “Best of the Bay Party 2005.”
Simply the best If for some reason you didn't pick up the Bay Guardian last week (our back-breakingly huge, tattoo-themed Best of the Bay issue), you might not realize we've got an equally gigantic shindig going on in celebration of our portable guide to the city's crème de la crème and – most important – of its award winners. Tonight, at the glorious Bambuddha Lounge and the poolside of the Phoenix Hotel (where it's very possible to spot a touring or vacationing rock star or two), we present our 'Best of the Bay Party 2005,' featuring performances by Gold Chains and Sue Cie, the Devil-Ettes, Xeno, and DJs Omar and Chris Orr. Other highlights include a live tattooing parlor, a hot rod show and tours with classic car dudes and dudettes Rumblers and Hells Belles, a psychedelic dub lounge, and much more. Madame S hosts; proceeds benefit the Bay Guardian Community Fund. 7:30 p.m., Bambuddha Lounge and Phoenix Hotel, 601 Eddy, SF. $10. www.sfbg.com/promo, www.bestofthebay.com/2005. (Sarah Han)

August 5, Friday

SF story: Invisible Cities, featuring performances by, clockwise from left, Mina Liccione, Tim Barsky, and Mike “Each” Tinoco, proves feeling is believing.
Telling tales Refashioning the dominant narratives we live by can be like retracing the boundaries of an artistic medium, especially when the two come together in one show. Invisible Cities – a new play incorporating beatboxing, body percussion, "aural mime," and spoken word into underbelly narratives of San Francisco and Oakland – was spun from Intersection for the Arts' culturally inquisitive, cross-disciplinary performance series, the Hybrid Project. The unique collaboration forms a power trio of Mina Liccione (the outstanding Stomp! and Pickle Family Circus veteran), Tim Barsky (Jewish storyteller, musician, and underworld chronicler of 2004's The Bright River), and Mike "Each" Tinoco (beatbox prodigy and coproducer of StudioZ's monthly beatbox showcase and open mic, Vowel Movement). Premiering recently at Intersection's 40th-anniversary celebration, Cities generated enough buzz to launch a limited, two-weekend run that spans the bay like a musical bridge, weaving tales of the cities into a kinetic-folkloric, indoor-street corner hip-hop happening where – trust your senses – feeling is believing. Through Aug. 13. Fri/5-Sat/6, 10 p.m., CounterPULSE, 1310 Mission, SF; Aug. 11-13, 8 p.m., Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, Oakl. $14-$25 (Aug. 11, pay what you can). www.epicarts.org/invisiblecities. (Robert Avila)

Peas in a pod You can call it "the battle of the Southeast Asian cover bands," although technically that's not 100 percent correct. Los Angeles' Dengue Fever started off as a Cambodian '60s pop cover band several years ago, but their upcoming sophomore album promises to focus more on originals (in Khmer and English). Meanwhile, their latest cover is a version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," for the soundtrack to a Matt Dillon movie. In other words, they're branching out. Oakland's Neung Phak specialize in faithful-to-the-last-synth-tone versions of songs from Cambodia, as well as Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam – though the title track of their upcoming 7-inch EP, Fucking U.S.A. (Abduction) is a North Korean punk song (the title says it all, doesn't it?). Expect new songs, cameo appearances, and other surprises for tonight's show featuring two separated-at-birth bands who were destined to share the stage at some point. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $13. (415) 885-0750. (Will York)

August 6, Saturday

Hot sheet Wander through a forest of colors, textures, and shapes. Enter a room housing a maze of handmade paper-and-masking-tape books. Read along with the audio guide as you go. Find yourself surrounded by an intricate quilt lining the walls around you, each patch the unique work of one particular artist. No, you're not having some sort of trippy acid flashback. The experience can only be called one thing: 'Paper! Awesome!' More than 150 artists from around the country have contributed letter-size pieces of paper (identical in size, though anything but identical in content) to create an amazing tapestry. Each artist was invited to submit a unique two-dimensional piece using any and all types of paper. A reincarnation of last year's exhibit at the Mimi Barr gallery, "Paper! Awesome!" includes a reconstructed project room by Kottie Paloma and Andrew Vogt, as well as a gardenlike installation in the back gallery. This magnificent visual spectacle would make any tree proud to have sacrificed itself in the name of art. Through Aug. 31. Reception today, noon-6 p.m.; gallery hours Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat., noon-4 p.m., Pigman Gallery, 72 Tehama, SF. (415) 546-7441. (Morae Kim)

photo courtesy of Wrasse Records All tired out: Senegalese hip-hop sensation Daara J bring their brand of African beats and breaks to 12 Galaxies.
Senegal to SF American hip-hop has always had an international audience, but more recently the States have opened up to the world hip-hop scene. Nowhere is that more evident than in California, and especially the Bay Area: M.I.A recently performed to sold-out audiences, Roots Manuva played Coachella this year, and now Senegal has come to SF. International hip-hop sensation Daara J bring their brand of African beats and breaks to the Bay Area in support of their debut album, Boomerang (Wrasse). Daara J harvest everything hip-hop is and was ever meant to be, returning to the drums and percussion of the music's roots and spitting melodic fire in English, Spanish, French, and Wolof (Senegal's native language). This is some next-level hip-hop. Lateef the Truth Speaker and DJ Mike Relm also perform. 9 p.m., 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission, SF. $15. (415) 256-8499. (Jana Rogers)

August 7, Sunday

Ray of life Once a music major in Brittany, France, Helene Renaut now leads the Bay Area-based baroque pop band Beam. Their sound often recalls the broodingly ornate songs of Love's Arthur Lee spiced with just a little dash of Revolver-era John Lennon. Beam are currently in the studio recording a follow-up to their 2003 self-titled debut album, on Antenna Farm Records, and their self-released acoustic disc, Perfection's Somewhere Near Your Bones. The new record will be more varied than the first one – it will feature some tunes with full band arrangements, and others with orchestration. Catch Renaut, drummer Russ Blackmar, bassist Matt Montgomery, and backup vocalists Jessica Vohs and Miranda Zeiger for an evening of sophisticated pop. Finest Dearest and Pattern Is Movement also play. 9 p.m., Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 Fourth St., SF. $6. (415) 546-6300. (Fong)

August 8, Monday

Men's varsity foosball The members of local band the Herms met about two years ago at UC Berkeley while playing foosball, a game singer-guitarist Matt Lutz claims to have mastered. The group – which includes bassist Alex Tuzin, drummer Ryan Mulroney, and keyboardist Matt Garrety – plays eclectic pop music with touches of new wave, British Invasion, garage-style blues, and waltzes. Tonight Lutz steps out under his own name, joined by Tuzin, to play a matinee set featuring Herms songs and more folk-based material deemed unsuitable for the group. They will play a variety of instruments, including acoustic guitar, harmonica, and harmonium. LA's Biirdie also performs. 8 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., SF. $6. (415) 647-2888. (Fong)

August 9, Tuesday

Crossing the border From John Steinbeck's homage to the historical farming communities of the Central Valley to Cesar Chavez's evolutionary struggle for the rights of migrant farmworkers, the burdens and legacies of an agricultural economy absolutely dependent on a cheap immigrant labor pool define the landscape of California. Much has been written on this highly controversial, extremely relevant subject. Yet the distinctly female perspective has been far less audible than it should be, given the crucial role of migrant women as both workers and mothers. Rose Castillo Guilbault's new memoir, Farmworker's Daughter, provides a unique voice from this perspective. Only five years old when she crossed the border from Mexico with her mother, she recounts her experiences growing up in a migrant farming community in California. Guilbault reads tonight, providing a compelling account of her journey through girlhood as she came of age during the turbulent 1960s. 7 p.m., A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness, SF. Free. (415) 441-6670. (Kim)

August 10, Wednesday

Joined forces The incestuous jazz and funk scene lends itself to artists continually sitting in with colleagues and rotating bands. The beauty of this is that the cream of the crop collaborate to produce legendary music. Garage a Trois are such a band – the dream team of funk music. Currently promoting their soundtrack for French film Outre Mer, members Stanton Moore (drums), Charlie Hunter (bass, guitar), Skerik (sax), and Mike Dillon (vibes) make music that grooves, captivates, and showcases each member's unmatched talent. Their rock-influenced brand of jazz funk sets the stage and the crowd on fire; their energy is outrageous and contagious. Also Aug. 11. 8:30 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. $23. (415) 771-1421. (Rogers)

To submit a listing:

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., SF, 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.