FEBRUARY 22–28, 2006WORKS ON PAPERBy Johnny Ray Huston› johnny@sfbg.com You might not always be able to say this about people, but books often grow more attractive with age. A new gallery show by Todd Bura banks on this idea. The spine-torn pages in "laa lala la, ooh oohoh ... thank you for the music" might be described as sun-kissed rather than sun-damaged. However simple Bura's approach of executing watercolor and pinhole patterns on them, there's no denying this minimalism derives potent power from the effects of time and the elements. As a book lover who loves to turn pages into collages and witchy sketch material, I heartily approve. You can check out Bura's show at the Attic at Four Star Video, 1521 18th St., SF. What do you get when you cross a hip haircut, a synthesizer, and a reel of 8mm film? Independence that never looked or sounded this good. LOCAL ARTIST: Timothy Buckwalter TITLE OF PIECE: His life seemed dwarfed by memory CONTACT: timothybuckwalter.typepad.com WEDNESDAY FEB. 22 THEATER 4 AdverbsArguably. Particularly. Naturally. Wrongly. Adverbs. These are the blocks from which Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) constructs the interconnected stories of his new adult novel, titled — cryptically? obviously? — Adverbs. Under the direction of Sheila Balter, Word for Word theater company, a production of Z Space Studio, has translated four of these stories for the stage while preserving Handler's trademark prose. From the above quartet of adverbs Handler spins stories of love, loss, and the whirling dervish of fate. As magpies and taxicabs skitter through the San Francisco landscape, limning these dramas of ordinary people trapped by the extraordinary circumstances of their lives, a new adverb emerges. It means four things: unexpectedly, beautifully, whimsically, evanescently: Handlerly. (Caitlin Van Dusen) Through March 12 Wed.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. Project Artaud Theater 450 Florida, SF $25–$32 (415) 437-6775 www.zspace.org www.theintersection.org MUSIC Mice ParadeMice Parade — like the Books, Mouse on Mars, and sometime-collaborators Mùm — is a group that delves heavily into tricky live instrumentation as well as dicey electronica gizmo-ing. Guided by Adam Pierce, the current Mice Parade set incorporates, at times, two drum sets, accordion, classical guitar, effects processing, and keyboards into a mixture akin to an Icelandic-twinged Godspeed You Black Emperor! side project that goes epic and empty in even turns. (Sean Patrick Maylone) With Tom Brosseau, Life on Earth 9 p.m. Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., SF $10 (415) 621-4455 www.bottomofthehill.com THURSDAY FEB. 23 FILM BENEFIT PARTY Bad Date fundraiser–preview partySometimes nothing is scarier than a bad date — the awkwardness, the strained conversations, the sweaty palms. Especially if you mix in zombies and gore and set it in the small Bay Area town of Port Costa. Such is the thinking behind local filmmakers Sadie Shaw and Alison Childs's upcoming underground zombie thriller Bad Date. Shaw, whom you may know from bands the Husbands and the Vanishing, also made the San Francisco–based indie horror flick Charm. The new film boasts a cast that's like a who's who of the local musician scene — featuring everyone from Operation Ivy's Jesse Michaels to Tussle's Nathan Burazer. Catch a sneak preview of stills from the film along with musical performances by Tussle, Paradise Island, and Illegal Mindz. (Justine Sharrock) With DJs Allan, Black Fjord, and Big Baby Kitty 8 p.m. El Rio 3158 Mission, SF $8–$10 (415) 282 3325 www.elriosf.com www.baddatemovie.com THEATER PurvisI first met Denis Johnson one winter afternoon on a park bench in Brooklyn, when I opened his 1992 cult novel, Jesus' Son, and found twentysomething salvation in the intimate flickerings of his stark prose. In Johnson's sixth collaboration with Intersection for the Arts and its resident theater company, Campo Santo, this prophet of American dystopia explores the making — and unmaking — of American myths and heroes. As the play traces the reign and capture of notorious Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger by the titular FBI G-man, Purvis locates our national wrestlings with power, justice, and hypocrisy in our most private, winter-park-bench searches for redemption. (Van Dusen) Through March 20 Thurs.–Sun., 8 p.m. Intersection for the Arts 446 Valencia, SF $9–$20; Thurs. pay what you can www.theintersection.org FRIDAY FEB. 24 MUSIC Calibre and MC DRSDie-hard drum 'n' bass fans need no introduction to the names Calibre and MC DRS, but any fan of soulful, forward-thinking breakbeats should sit up and take notice when these boys hit town for the first time in more than five years. Belfast, Ireland's Calibre (Dominic Martin) is touring in support of his recent second album, Second Sun (Signature), and has recorded for labels like Hospital and SF's own Phuturo imprint. DRS is known for his years of work with LTJ Bukem's Good Lookin' camp and now holds forth on Soul:r and Calibre's own Signature pressings. Showing the travelers how DJs do it by the Bay is the Soul Stream team, Kuze, Femme Fatale, and Retox, with MC Duh on the mic. (Peter Nicholson) 9 p.m. Anú 43 Sixth St., SF $10 (415) 543-3505 www.anu-bar.com SATURDAY FEB. 25 MUSIC Ragga Muffins FestivalSerious Bay Area reggae heads look forward to two big shows every year: Reggae in the Park and Ragga Muffins Festival. The latter celebrates its 25th year and has expanded from its Long Beach origins into various cities, including San Diego, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco. While the northern lineups of this crafts-filled event never match the home-base showcase (no Bay Area faves Richie Spice, Anthony B, or Norris Man at our event), this year's SF installment is a roots reggae paradise. The headliners (Michael Franti, the Wailers) we've seen 'nuff times and are consistent draws, but the middle of this bill, including the "truth and rights" foundation sounds of Misty in Roots and Germany's roots dancehall singing act Gentleman, is novel and rock solid. The Cool Ruler, Gregory Isaacs, and Dezarie from Midnite further add deep roots flavors to the lineup. (Tomas Palermo) 3 p.m. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 99 Grove, SF $40 (415) 421-TIXS www.apeconcerts.com SUNDAY FEB. 26 LECTURE Endangered Species DayIt's a shame that so many of our friends in nature — whether furry, feathered, finned, or rooted into the ground — are in danger of extinction due to the redevelopment of their natural habitat. Since 1973 the Endangered Species Act has struggled to prevent threatened ecosystems and wildlife within our nation from being wiped out, but in recent months the government has proposed modifying and weakening the regulation. The Sequoia Audubon Society and Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve designed Endangered Species Day to raise awareness on how the ESA works and directly affects San Mateo County. Visitors can ask questions and gain insight from experts on how they can help stop the ESA from becoming extinct itself and then follow up the presentation with a field trip to the Edgewood Natural Preserve to view critical evidence of ESA concerns. (Chris Sabbath) 10 a.m. Woodside Town Hall 2955 Woodside Road, Woodside Free (650) 367-8820 www.friendsofedgewood.org MONDAY FEB. 27 MUSIC "Dark Ride"With bold works like Lick (1994) and my lips from speaking (1993), Bang on a Can cofounder Julia Wolfe established herself as one of the premier new music composers of our time. Her compositions have also inspired the next generation of composers to create works that are not only fun and interesting but also musically innovative and complex. Tonight at the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players' "Dark Ride" concert, her Dark Full Ride (2002), written for four percussionists who "play like rock drummers," is sure to astound the audience with its intensity and driving rhythms. Fellow composer Lisa Bielawa's Kafka Songs (2003), performed by the always entrancing violinist-vocalist Carla Kihlstedt (Tin Hat Trio, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Two Foot Yard), and Charles Wuorinen's Percussion Quartet (1994) round out the set. (Eliana Fiore) Talk 7:15 p.m., concert 8 p.m. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum 701 Mission, SF $12–$27 (415) 978-ARTS www.ybca.org MUSIC OrthrelmMick Barr and Josh Blair of the Washington, DC, noise outfit Orthrelm must have machines for arms. Either that, or their fingertips have to be extremely sore. The duo fabricates a grating roller coaster of turbulence that sounds like a tiger eating fire. Barr and Blair pierce through eardrums with adrenaline-laced shreds of guitar that resonate like the cry of a doubled-headed hawk and a drum kit that thunders like a freight train derailing off the side of a canyon. The band's rasping dissonance is monolithic yet moderate in its components: looping, brittle sheets of black metal and prog rock sludge over spirals of Steve Reich–inspired minimalism. Orthrelm recently received a Plug Awards nomination for Best Avant Album of the Year and are touring the country in support of their new LP, OV (Ipecac). (Sabbath) With Zombi, Subarachnoid Space 9 p.m. Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., SF $8 (415) 621-4455 www.bottomofthehill.com TUESDAY FEB. 28 FILM AND MUSIC Film Market: Independent Film and Music ExhibitionWhat do you get when you cross a hip haircut, a synthesizer, and a reel of 8mm film? Independence that never looked or sounded this good. Bottom of the Hill hosts an evening of short films, including the winner of the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at Sundance 2005, One Weekend a Month, directed by Eric Escobar and starring Renee O'Connor (best known as Gabrielle, Xena the warrior princess's sultry playmate). Also showing is I Need My Mocha, winner of the Best Short Film at the 2005 Latino Film Festival. Local psychedelic-experimental outfit D.W. Holiday kicks off the music portion of the night, followed by SF rock sweetheart Jen Chochinov and her band Schande. (Jenny Miyasaki) 8 p.m. Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., SF $7 (415) 621-4455 www.bottomofthehill.com The 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 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.
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