FEB. 15–21, 2006'BATTLE' ROYALEBy Johnny Ray Huston>johnny@sfbg.com Cine Mexico in bloom — consider Carlos Reygadas's Battle in Heaven a contender for best movie of 2006. Wedding Bruno Dumont's sweaty, porous close-ups to Gaspar Noé's baroque camera movements and vivid color schemes — and uncorking greater fun than either — Reygadas confirms he is a firmament-ready talent with this film. "The Agony of Ecstasy: Two Nights with Carlos Reygadas" gives movie-lovers a chance to see Reygadas's two features — a Thurs/16, 7:30 p.m., screening of Japon, notable for octogenarian sex and a whopper of a final shot, kicks things off — and to ask the man some questions. Thank Yerba Buena Center for the Arts' film curator Joel Shepard for bringing Reygadas, and Battle in Heaven (screening Sat/20, 7:30 p.m.), to town first. That is, after you call (415) 978-2787 or go to www.ybca.org for tickets. It's the age of hybridization, folks: We stir-fry broccoflower, stroll with our Labradoodles through the park, and curse the traffic on the 101 from our Priuses. LOCAL ARTIST: Alissa Anderson TITLE OF PIECE: Laurent and Mira — Bristol THE STORY: This photograph was taken in Bristol, England, while Anderson was on tour with Devendra Banhart, during the summer of 2005. It appeared in her recent solo show, "Highway Tigers." CONTACT: www.mittenmaker.com
FEB. 15 MUSIC The Juan MacleanI often feel the producers of the Walt Disney classic Tron missed the mark when it came to furnishing Jeff Bridges and his glowing friends with a fitting soundtrack to echo through their electronic universe. I can almost envision a vibrant Bridges pawing at a keytar while dancing on pulsating octagons, but my mind is cloaked in three-dimensional objects that faintly blip and bleep instead. Enter Juan Maclean, who has spent the past several years sculpting dream worlds out of hard-house funk and Detroit techno while cementing the structures with metallic synths, robotic grooves, and solar beats. On tour in support of his spine-tingling LP Less Than Human (Astralwerks/DFA), Maclean — under the name The Juan Maclean — has sponged up enough sweat from dance floors worldwide to glue copies of Kraftwerk's Computer World and Daft Punk's Homework next to each other on a bedroom wall. If JM's entrancing rhythms don't do you in, then his acidic melodies will leave you one shot shy of ecstasy. (Christopher Sabbath) With Paradise Boys and Tim Sweeney 9 p.m. Independent 628 Divisadero, SF $14 (415) 771-1421 www.theindependentsf.com
FEB. 16 BENEFIT PARTY 22 Acts in 2 DaysRemember your 22nd birthday? Older and wiser than the year before — which found you desperately downing tequila shots, hitting the slot machines, and visiting foot-fetish Web sites — you opened a nice bottle of pinot and called it a night. Well, here's your chance to do it right: at "22 Acts in 2 Days," the Lab's 22nd birthday benefit bash. Watch vigilante can-can girls the Diamond Daggers kick up a storm. Listen to performances by Youth Speaks poets and German electro pop stars Torsten Kretchzmar. Sit for a caricature sketch or carnival-style photo, try your hand at spin art, and take in a dance performance by Queer Ballroom while munching on homemade goodies. Now pin a tail on your donkey and trot over to the Lab; it's not too late to redeem your past. (Caitlin Van Dusen) Thurs/–Fri/17 Tonight: Sinhorn, Youth Speaks, Minnie Pearl Necklace, Diamond Daggers, Lady Gallagher, Joshua Churchill, Radius, Meric Long, Baysic Project, and Eats Tapes; Fri/17: Wigband, Kielbasia, Jessica Dellecave, Nomi Talisman, Sonny Smith, Queer Ballroom, Tommy Guerrero, Double Dutchess, Murder Murder, Brent Weinbach, and Torsten Kretchzmar The Lab 7–11 p.m. 2948 16th Street, SF $12–$22 sliding scale (415) 864-8855 www.thelab.org MUSIC Big BangIf you like your beats on the broken side, your jazz on the dance side, or your house on the Latin side, get on down to the Misturada at Club Six for a special visit from London's Big Bang, a.k.a. Simone Serritella. The head of quality label Arision (and half of Ubiquity Records act Cuica) is known for eclectic sets that range from rare jazz treats to the freshest CD-R business from his cohorts around the globe; with remixes for people like Rainer Trüby, Minus 8, and Grupo Batuque, Serritella has a direct line to the latest. And you can be sure he'll be dropping bits of his own production, like the tasty rework that 4 Hero just finished of Big Bang's "Sweet y Sour" and other teasers from his upcoming album, which features guest spots by Nathan Haines and Rasiyah (Bugz in the Attic.) All of this good good is due to Misturada resident DJ Vanka. (Peter Nicholson) 9 p.m. Club Six 60 Sixth St., SF $10 (415) 863-1221
FEB. 17 MUSIC Moe! StaianoIn a recent issue of Tape Op magazine, new music pioneer and composer Pauline Oliveros said that "listening is selecting and interpreting and acting and making decisions," and that's exactly how you should listen to Moe! Staiano's dynamic percussion performance. A former member of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (the one in the torn shorts and suspenders) and founder and leader of the noise orchestra Moe!kestra, Staiano is a self-described "Dada percussionist" who uses found objects such as pipes, steel pans, and sheet metal, as well as a prepared drum, set to create semi-improvised works of sheer ferocity. Don't miss it! The Cake-on-crack stylings of Le Flange du Mal also grace the stage. (Eliana Fiore) With Le Flange du Mal 9:30 p.m. Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk, SF $6 (415) 923-0923 MUSIC Instant Message Improv Festival 2006It's the age of hybridization, folks: We stir-fry broccoflower, stroll with our Labradoodles through the park, and curse the traffic on the 101 from our Priuses. What, then, could be more natural than an experimental composer inventing an instrument that combines the principles of acoustic and electronic sounds? Internationally renowned composer-instrumentalist Paul Dresher created the Quadrachord, an impressive stringed instrument that stands more than 13 feet tall and is equipped with four strings that can be configured either acoustically or electronically. On the first night of the Instant Message Improv Festival, Dresher performs on this instrument with famed guitarist-composer Fred Frith (Henry Cow, Massacre, Keep the Dog) and New York City–based composer-instrumentalist Ned Rothenberg (New Winds, Double Band) to present a performance that blurs the border between improvisation and composition. The second performance includes the composer's collective sfSound Group and the Jack Perla Ensemble. (Fiore) Fri/17–Sat/18 8 p.m. ODC Theater 3153 17th St., SF $18 per event; $26 festival pass (415) 863-9834 www.odctheate.org
FEB. 18 MUSIC FlössinThe audiovisual collaborative Overlap celebrates its inaugural event with a party-show featuring the performance of superband Flössin. The group features drummer Zach Hill (Hella), Miguel Depedro (a.k.a. Kid 606), and guitarist Christopher Willits; anyone who follows those names knows Flössin are several of the most accomplished musicians in vastly different genres playing an improv mixture of their respective forms. Organized by Willits, the trio released some selected recordings from a late-night jam session that took place in SF last year (Lead Singer, Ache Records). Although its members have other projects, Willits, the project's organizer, says that he is currently producing Flössin's second album and that the band will persist for some time with a rotating staff of players, including Carson McWhirter, Nate Boyce, and Matmos. (Sean Patrick Maylone) With Christopher Willits (solo set), Blevin Blectum, Safety Scissors (DJ set) 9 p.m. Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk, SF $10 (415) 923-0923 www.hemlocktavern.com
FEB. 19 READING Island Literary SeriesThe Island Literary Series at Anna's Jazz Island was created by East Bay resident Kim McMillon as an alternative to dank bars and lounges, where poets and writers can perform their work. The third installment will feature University of Hawaii professor Kathryn Takara and Ramon Pinero, who will perform in both Spanish and English. In addition to nationally recognized writers, the reading will include local poets and authors Ukali Johnson, Chandra Garsson, Karla Brundage, and Wanda Sabir. An open mic follows the reading, so aspiring bards should bring their own work to share. (Jenny Miyasaki) 3–5 p.m. Anna's Jazz Island 2120 Allston Way, Berk. $3 (510) 228-6775 www.annasjazzisland.com
FEB. 20 MUSIC Roots of OrchisSome of my friends back in Cleveland could never grasp the concept of an instrumental band, and I am beginning to sympathize with them. While some musicians strive to simply shut their mouths and let their instruments do the talking, smart bands like Roots of Orchis do so while expanding the boundaries of an age-old indie rock cliché. The San Francisco quartet carefully weaves together intricate patterns of post-rock bliss and shuddering ambiance with leaflets of jazz, IDM, and trip-hop. Over the past couple of years, RoO has embarked on national tours with the Album Leaf, Decibully, and Karate, while solidifying a strong fan base in the Bay Area. Leap Year Device, an East Bay record label, is currently pressing RoO's 2004 CD, Crooked Ceilings (Slowdance), on vinyl, and the band hopes to have it in your hands by the end of this month. (Sabbath) With Everlasting Arms and Horse of Course 9 p.m. Elbo Room 647 Valencia, SF $5 (415) 552-7788 www.elbo.com TUESDAY FEB. 21 DRAG AND BURLESQUE BENEFIT Parlor Trick RevueWhen the newly formed Citizen Kings strutted off with second-place at the last San Francisco Drag King competition, their triumph was less for out-suaving the other lads on the block than for the stirring political message they delivered during their performance. Don't get me wrong: The Citizen Kings are some sexy mofos who will no doubt inspire plenty of panty-flinging during their careers, but what the audience and judges really responded to was their potent criticism of the PATRIOT Act and restrictions on freedom of speech in a performance that involved the Statue of Liberty and bondage. As their name suggests, these gentlemen are concerned with social justice, so tonight they throw the Parlor Trick Revue, a benefit to help the Blue Star Builders (a group of skilled, queer tradespeople who practice green building techniques) reconstruct homes in New Orleans. Also taking the stage are drag king troop the Transformers, members of the burlesque group the Diamond Daggers, and newly relocated New Orleans drag king troop Carnival Kings. Comedian Julia Jackson MCs. (Laurie Koh) 9 p.m. El Rio 3158 Mission, SF $7–$12; no one turned away for lack of funds (415) 282-3325 www.elriosf.com
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