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Spanjian out in D-8

03.11.10 - 12:54 pm | Tim Redmond |
(12)

Laura Spanjian, a member of the Democratic County Central Committee and candidate for supervisor in District 8, is leaving town for a new job in Houston. That means she's out of the hotly contested race to replace Sup. Bevan Dufty in the Castro.Read more »

Snap Sounds: Yeasayer

03.11.10 - 11:36 am | Amber Schadewald |
(0)

YEASAYER
Odd Blood
(Secretly Canadian)

A creepy terminator-type robot dude rolls up to the hottest party in a cage you’ve never even been privileged enough to attend. Damn, I wish I could stumble upon a get-down like Yeasayer throws — swimming ninjas, neon martinis, laser orgies, and magical board games would definitely be something I could get into on a regular weekend basis.

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How'd you get so fly, SambaDa?

03.11.10 - 7:56 am | Caitlin Donohue |
(0)

Pop quiz! 

Q. A woman with the mic croons the bloco afro riddims of her childhood growing up in Salvador. Around her, percussion reigns king and it's possible that a capoeira or samba dancer has snuck onstage to accentuate the party energy. Your body jumps to the beat. SambaDa has you in its grasp. But from whence does this musical group hail?

A. (Choose one)

-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

-Santa Cruz, California

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Mark Growden hits with a "Judas" kiss

03.10.10 - 9:33 pm | Nicole Gluckstern |
(0)

It’s been eight years since Mark Growden, local bad boy of the accordion (and the bicycle handlebars), last recorded a studio album, and the weathering of not a few storms layers his lyrics with a weight typically reserved for bellowers of dust-bowl ballads and feverish Appalachia-born hymns. But though Growden -- who'll be performing Wed/11-Sun/14 at the Porto Franco Art Parlor -- captures the sorrow and sincerity of a high lonesome crooner, his unique instrumental blend of Dixieland, Frontierland, and gypsy caravan band inhabits a genre all its own, especially on the new Saint Judas (Porto Franco).

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Mirkarimi's a Democrat, Newsom's a candidate

03.10.10 - 7:43 pm | Tim Redmond |
(47)

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has done what a lot of us have been expecting for months now: He left me a message tonight saying he's changed his registration from Green to Democrat. I think that's a recognition that the Green Party isn't the functional political entity in San Francisco that it once could have been -- and that the only way he's going to get elected to higher office is as a Dem. Read more »

Appetite: Fill your Irish self to the gills at the Liberties

03.10.10 - 3:43 pm | Virginia Miller |
(0)

St. Patty's Day draws near -- for more wild Irish events, check out our rundown in the current Guardian.

The Liberties Bar & Restaurant has always been a welcome respite from some Irish bars: a place where you can kick it up with friends but not so rowdy that you can't have conversation or a reflective pint. (I particularly like the room tucked to the side with quotes painted on the walls.) It celebrates St. Patty's all week long with a special Irish menu and long pours of Guinness, Kilkenny, Smithwick's and Harp. Oh, there's also plenty of Irish whiskey, like Midleton Rare 21 year, Red Breast 12 year and Black Bush. Irish brunch, beer and whiskey flights round out the week, along with live music on St. Patrick's Day.

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Newsom's plan means service cuts

03.10.10 - 2:31 pm | Tim Redmond |
(15)

The San Francisco Controller's Office says that Mayor Newsom's plan to lay off 15,000 city employees then hire most of them back at a reduced workweek will save $110 million. The Examiner quotes the mayor:Read more »

Snap Sounds: Etienne Jaumet

03.10.10 - 12:35 pm | Johnny Ray Huston |
(0)

ETIENNE JAUMET
Night Music
(Domino)

The idea of nocturnal sound is circulating at the moment, though maybe it always does where electronic music intersects with clubland. Overseen by none other than Carl Craig, Jaumet's trip into the dark has a smart structure. Read more »

SF Weekly owes us half its ad revenue

03.10.10 - 12:12 pm | Tim Redmond |
(6)

 

The San Francisco Superior Court ruled March 9th that SF Weekly must begin making payments on the Bay Guardian judgment by turning over half of the revenues it receives from advertising sales.Read more »

Newsom's hypocritical embrace of sunshine

03.10.10 - 11:51 am | Steven T. Jones |
(1)

We at the Guardian are big advocates for more transparency in government, as this week’s annual Freedom of Information issue attests, but I had to chuckle at Mayor Gavin Newsom’s cynical ploy to ban text messaging at public meetings – and particularly at his complaint to the Chronicle, "There's no transparency."Read more »

Zambaleta dances from day into night

03.10.10 - 11:37 am |
(0)
Tamales and taquitos in the house.
An impromptu cajon drum circle.
Musicians from the Tradicion Peruana Cultural Center.
Zambaleta's main dance hall.
Tamores de Colombia perform.
Columbian Parranda.
The beat of the drums and beaded gourds.
Nine plus seven equals dance.
Blocura shows the crowd how to samba.
Blocura perform a final samba.

Story and photos by Elise-Marie Brown

From the depths of the Mission District rose a 12-hour Carnaval event on Saturday. Hosted by Zambaleta, a new world music and dance school, it brought infectious dancing, live samba music, drinks and traditional Latin American cuisine. Read more »

Flirty gay Saudi fake cop goes viral, may be killed

03.10.10 - 10:05 am | Marke B. |
(3)
See video

It may be a death wish, but you can't stop the queen. Via Towleroad, this video of a 27-year-old guy having a bit of fun blew up in Saudi Arabia, and the participants have been arrested and charged with "homosexuality," "general security," and impersonating a cop. Homosexuality is still considered a capital offense in Saudi Arabia. But, you know, we really need the oil. Great hair flip at 1:45.

Live Shots: Literary Death Match, Elbo Room, 02/12/2010

03.10.10 - 9:40 am | Charles Russo |
(0)
Literary Death Match founder Todd Zuniga (right) co-hosts the February installment of the reading series with Elissa Bassist
Literary Death Match judges for the evening (from left) Janine Brito, Peter Finch and Douglas McGray share a laugh
Novelist and criminal defense lawyer Dylan Schaffer (right) is accompanied during his rowdy reading by his wife and daughter
Author Michelle Tea provides the evenings second reading with a hilarious story involving rectums falling out
With the task of judging "intangibles," Janine Brito comically assesses Tea's reading
The three judges - (from left) Brito, McGray and Finch - confer to decide the winner of the first round, choosing Tea
Samantha Schoech starts the second half of the evening, recounting a trip to wine country with her twin toddlers in tow
Author Joshua Mohr goes next, with a recollections of watching the World Series victory celebrations
Mohr embellishes his recollections of the World Series celebrations by popping a bottle of champagne and dousing himself
Co-host Elissa Bassist assists "Literary Merit" judge Douglas McGray in displaying a pie chart
A view of the audience as the judges playfully review the evening's second set of readings
Mohr (center) Bassist and Zuniga listen as Brito (far left) judges on intangibles
Zuniga and Bassist entertain the crowd as the three judges extensively deliberate the second set of readings, choosing Schoech
To decide the event's final champion, Schaffer and Schoech must throw chocolates into the mouths of pictured romantic writers
Schaffer is declared the night's champion after successfully defeating Schoech in the chocolates toss

In honor of the upcoming installment of the Bay's wondrous Literary Death Match -- Fri/12, 6:30, $10 at Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. -- here are some pics from last month's raucous Valentine's Day edition. It was a fight for love ... to the death! 

Urethra, frankly

03.10.10 - 8:20 am | Andrea Nemerson |
(0)

Dear Andrea:

I have always had an interest in inserting thin objects into my urethra, and now manage a large-diameter pencil. It really feels thrilling, and depending on the mood, I tend to orgasm. My question is: how much can the urethra in a woman stretch? I have also inserted the same into my cervix; are there dangers in either?

Love,

Intrepid Explorer

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Hump Day headliner: Six reasons to revisit Thee Oh Sees

03.10.10 - 8:12 am | Amber Schadewald |
(0)

So maybe you’ve seen them before and maybe you haven’t. Thee Oh Sees -- performing at El Rio tonight (Wed/10) with Ty Segall, The Fresh & Onlys, and The Baths -- are no doubt a San Francisco garage-rock, lo-fi staple that demand you re-sample, swish, and spit for a full taste.

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