If you've exhausted yourself on the dance floor, your liver has absorbed too much Maker's Mark, and the crystal sheen on your face has started to glimmer too brightly, you might want to consider pulling out of the tailspin that is now your life. But that doesn't mean you have to stay home and, God forbid, read a book. Instead, relax, sober up a bit, and get in touch with your inner senior citizen by playing a few rounds of bingo while listening to some lite easy-listening at "BingoTopia." Every Thursday at the Knockout (formerly hipster-nerd enclave the Odeon) attendees get the chance to win booze, prizes, and victory with festive and wholesome rounds of the family fun game. But the real reason to go is to hear DJ Rick E. Cheese play some of your favorite smooth hits and KOIT-ish "Love Songs After Dark." Until now, you could only catch those overproduced gems on the radio or in your dentist's office. Bingo is your name-o from 7:30 to 10 p.m.; call 550-6994 or visit www.theknockoutsf.com for more info. -- Brock Keeling
Mos Def ,Jean Grae , and Pharoahe Monch are not only highly respected hip hop artists from New York, they're also old friends with lots of experience performing together, and that's certain to show on this tour. From high-profile acting gigs such as starring as Ford Prefect in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to hosting HBO's Def Poetry program, Mos Def has been demonstrating his star power beyond music for a while. But his greatest talent is still hip hop, and here's where to catch some of his new songs and ideas. Grae, meanwhile, is, some would say, the Big Apple's best female rapper, bypassing the ghetto-fabulous posture of many lady MCs for an educated, street-wise sexiness. Her latest, Hurricane Jean: The Jeanius Strikes Again!, is embarrassingly good. Monch has been the most behind-the-scenes in recent years, ghostwriting for ultrabig hip hop stars, a testament to his talents. As if these three weren't enough, Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface joins the action on Saturday, Oct. 29, while Talib Kweli , Mos Def's Black Star partner (and longtime compatriot of Monch and Grae), appears on Sunday, Oct. 30. Both dates are at Mezzanine; call 625-8880 or visit www.mezzaninesf.com for more info.-- Tamara Palmer
