MARCH 15–21, 2006FOWL PLAY By Johnny Ray Huston› johnny@sfbg.com Fernando Eimbcke's award-magnet, Duck Season, has a plot not dissimilar to that of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead. Actually, the babysitter's nonexistent, and the folks are about to split for good, leaving 14-year-olds Moko and Flama alone in a Tlatelolco high-rise to guzzle giant Cokes, play Xbox, taunt the pizza man, and fail to ward off the hash brownie flirtations of a neighbor. The shiny black-and-white cinematography and couch-potato comedy call early Jim Jarmusch to mind. Apt, since the film's four strangers find a loopy paradise without leaving their front door. DUCK SEASON Opens Fri/17 Lumiere Theatre 1572 California, SF (415) 267-4893 www.wip.warnerbros.com/duckseason www.temporadadepatos.com WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 MUSIC Rykarda ParasolEver since Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, I've been grieving over the loss of the old PJ Harvey, the one who screamed and slithered her way through song after song of raw, angsty passion, heart wound open and bleeding. My ears ache for the original deal, and while that erstwhile Harvey may never return, thankfully San Francisco dark chanteuse Rykarda Parasol has filled this niche for me. A genuine musical force in her own right with a Harvey-laced smokiness to her voice, Parasol weaves gothic, bluesy tales of desire and strength, compassion and solitude. She's just what I need. (Eliana Fiore) With French Disco and Last Exit 8 p.m. Red Devil Lounge 1695 Polk, SF $8 (415) 921-1695 www.reddevilounge.com THURSDAY MARCH 16 MUSIC CitayI admit I have never been a fan of classic rock, which I attribute to being raised primarily on Motown and Duran Duran. At any rate, I don't own a single Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath album, so when reviews of Citay's latest, self-titled effort (Important Records) name-dropped both bands along with other strangers to my collection, I bristled with skepticism. As it turns out, Citay — the duo of Ezra Feinberg (Piano Magic) and Tim Green (the Fucking Champs, Nation of Ulysses) — is an exquisite bridge between ye songs of olde rock and ye songs that just sound like they're olde: that is, the lo-fi, jangly psych-folk of today. While Citay's classic rock influences are palpable, it's what they do with those influences that proves to be far more original and intriguing. (Jenny Miyasaki) With Sic Alps 9:30 p.m. Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk, SF $6 (415) 923-0923 www.hemlocktavern.com FILM State of FearA murderous president who uses a "war on terror" to exploit his country and trash democracy — sound familiar? Pamela Yates's doc State of Fear never once mentions George W. Bush, because it doesn't have to; in tracing the rise and fall of Alberto Fujimori in Peru, it finds one corollary after another. Just as crucial, Yates's movie is a valuable recent-history lesson for Americans ignorant about Peru (not to mention this country's economic impact on it). Applying truth as relentlessly to the neo-Maoist Shining Path as she does to Fujimori, Yates emerges with a complex portrait of a nation — the type of portrait that money-driven, mainstream US news outlets fail to approach, let alone achieve. Weird trivia bonus: The narration is by ex-VJ Karen Duffy. (Johnny Ray Huston) 8:30 p.m. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room 701 Mission, SF $5–$8 (415) 978-ARTS ww.ybca.org FRIDAY MARCH 17 HISTORICAL EXHIBIT "Black Panther Rank and File"The Black Panther Party was a black nationalist organization spawned in Oakland during the counterculture revolution of the late 1960s. The group was established upon the standards of its 10-point program and platform, which called for greater sovereignty among black Americans and rectification of the injustices of racial discrimination. The BPP went into a decline in the early 1970s, but its legacy lives on as one of the most inspirational and radical coalitions of the 20th century. Corresponding with the 40th anniversary of the party's inception, "Black Panther Rank and File" presents a closer look at the BPP in an exhibition that clusters rare film clips, archival photos, artifacts, and unpublished documents with contemporary art motivated by the party's historic eminence and urban struggles. Sok the Virgo, Mr. Rath and Descry, and DJs Pink Panzer, Paul Paul, and Phengren Oswald provide live entertainment at tonight's opening reception. (Chris Sabbath) Through July 2 Reception tonight, 8–11 p.m. Tues.–Wed. and Fri.–Sun., noon–5 p.m.; Thurs., noon–8 p.m. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission, SF $3–$6, reception $12–$15 (415) 978-2787 www.ybca.org SATURDAY MARCH 18 QUEER FILM SHOWCASE "Down and Dirty: The Intimate World of Queer Filmmaking"Femina Potens Gallery presents "A Night with Shawna Virago," the first event in its innovative new quarterly film series, "Down and Dirty: The Intimate World of Queer Filmmaking." The event features the black-and-white short films of Bay Area filmmaker Virago, who is also the cofounder of TrannyFest, a writer, an activist, and a "trans-fox rock star" whose band, the Deadly Nightshades, is shaking things up in the local music scene. Copresented by activist Shani Heckman of Shanestar Productions, the ongoing film series celebrates Bay Area queer, trans, and female video artists by showcasing their work and engaging them in intimate conversations, including analyses of the filmmaking process, discussions about San Francisco's filmmaking community, and a Q&A session with the audience. (Miyasaki) 8 p.m. Femina Potens Gallery 465 S. Van Ness, SF $5 (415) 217-9340 www.feminapotens.com SUNDAY MARCH 19 MUSIC Anti-FlagCarrying the banner of politically charged and socially conscious punk rock for the better part of the past decade, Anti-Flag has championed a variety of causes ranging from electoral participation and support of independent media to the direct call for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and his administration — all backed by its no-frills, no-nonsense approach to melodic punk rock. In advance of its upcoming album, For Blood and Empire (RCA Records), the group recently put out the new track "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime" exclusively on activist Web site www.afterdowningstreet.org. The song is a perfect example of the foursome's power — impassioned ethos and intelligent research mixed with anthem-quality rock 'n' roll. (Sean McCourt) With Casualties, Unseen, Smoke or Fire, AKAs 7 p.m. Slim's 333 11th St., SF $15 (415) 255-0333 AUTHOR EVENT Lawrence WeschlerIn an effort to describe his stomach to me, a friend once produced a drawing of a suspected nuclear test site in Antarctica. I could picture it immediately. The world is full of unlikely resonances, and for years art historian Lawrence Weschler collected them in a folder. Now that folder has transmogrified into a lavish book, Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences, published by McSweeney's. Tonight the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist chats with Academy Award–winning sound designer Walter Murch about the alignments that underlie the most disparate occurrences: a Rothko painting and a lunar landscape; a Homeric hymn and singing on death row; an n-sided polygon and a leap of faith. As Weschler's convergences converge in a synaesthetic ziggurat, questions of truth, time, and perception unfold; tonight's conversation promises some answers. (Caitlin Van Dusen) 6 p.m. Cody's Books 2 Stockton, SF Free (415) 773-0444 www.codysbooks.com MONDAY MARCH 20 GROUP READING "What I Heard about Iraq"I've started turning down the volume whenever talking heads appear on television, spewing forth this falsity and that stretch of truth about our invasion and colonization of Iraq. I have to do it because none of what they say is credible, and everyone knows it. The liberal voice is so frustratingly disorganized and powerless against the current administration that I feel forced to create a biosphere of complacency around my brain in order for my eyes to remain dry and my faith in humanity to remain somewhat intact. I'm not proud of this fact by a long shot. Thankfully, Bird and Beckett Books and Records, in observance of the third anniversary of the beginning of the war, is hosting a reading of poet Eliot Weinberger's "What I Heard about Iraq," a collection of statements by Cheney, Powell, Rice, and the rest of the gang over the years that highlight the blatant contradictions that led us into this mess in the first place. This work exists so we will not forget and to open our ears once again. Tonight's event is part of an international effort, coordinated by Fountain Theatre, in Los Angeles, to read the article simultaneously; more than 30 readings will take place worldwide. (Fiore) 7:30 p.m. Bird and Beckett Books and Records 2788 Diamond, SF Free (415) 586-3733 www.bird-beckett.com TUESDAY MARCH 21 MUSIC Serena ManeeshThe hype surrounding Serena Maneesh's self-titled album, on Honeymilk, is eclipsed only by the mystique surrounding the notoriously enigmatic band and its mustachioed and sweatbanded front man, Emil Nikolaisen. Before the album actually became accessible to anyone other than those pesky downloaders, indie rock aficionados were already quivering from the buzz created by the band's unique psychedelic synthesis of swirling guitar riffs, frantic drumming, and distorted yet delicate and lilting male-female vocal harmonies. Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Maneesh adds credence to the theory that Nordic subzero temperatures and long nights and short days make for dazzling sonic exports. Although the question of whether Maneesh's brand of rock is distinctly Norwegian might be debatable, there is no doubt whatsoever that its rock is distinctly kick-ass. (Miyasaki) With 14 Mission and Tiny Power 9 p.m. Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., SF $10 (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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