(Lou Reed and John Cale -- "Waiting for the Man" 1972)

If local rock historian Richie Unterberger didn't host his free monthly movie nights at the Page St. library, we'd still have YouTube. But combing through hours upon hours of crap to find five minutes of rock 'n' roll bliss is a big task, and you're better off letting this music obsessive do the dirty work for you. At his regular rare footage screenings, Unterberger shows cool interviews and live performances by his selected subjects (this month it's Patti Smith, Nico, Lou Reed, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Dusty Springfield, George Harrison, Aretha Frankin, the Supremes, and Dionne Warwick, among others) and hosts a fun Q&A session with the audience at the end, allowing for much trivia to be gleaned in the course of the evening. Check out Rare Rock Film Clips at the Park Branch of the San Francisco Public Library (1833 Page St.) on Wednesday, December 12 from 7pm-9pm. It's one of the few cool events where you can increase your knowledge of music history while laughing at the moments of outdated slang, attitude, and attire. -- Jennifer Maerz

Remember that dream you had where some members of The Warlocks and Hole got together with indie film star Vince Gallo and Lukas Haas's little brother to start a rockin' band? Whoa, you seriously must have special mutant powers 'cus that band is called RRIICCEE and they're playing at the Red Devil Lounge this month. Check them out. And try not to use your telepathy powers for the forces of evil.

--Oscar Pascual

Puscifer

V Is for Vagina

(Puscifer Entertainment/RED)

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan may have embraced new-agey spirituality and wine-collecting in his middle age, but one thing's for damned certain: The guy's still got a warped sense of humor. And he's bound to hit Tool fans where it hurts on this, his first solo release. Keenan has been imitated so much in the realm of heavy rock that he is forced by default to skirt the bounds of self-parody simply when he sings like himself. On Vagina, however, he thoroughly embraces self-parody, and fans will be holding their gut either from disgust or from uncontrollable laughter. From the get-go, as Keenan sings "grab them saddle bags 'n... toss 'em over me... my baby's got a thickness... can I get a witness?" it is painful yet delightfully obvious that something is amiss. This isn't to say that Keenan simply masturbated in a cup and handed it over to his audience. A more electronically driven affair with a rotating cast of guests (including Danny Lohner and Rage Against the Machine's Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk), Vagina will expand your mind at least as much as Tool does, only in a refreshingly less dour way. Leave your expectations at the door, and fly the Maynard skies (you'll understand when you see the outrageously funny artwork). It's a bumpy ride but well worth it, and the absurdist touches only accentuate Keenan's biting social commentary. -- Saby Reyes-Kulkarni

(Ed's note: Due to overwork and anomie, we totally slept on this excellent piece by Ronnie Reese of Wax Poetics, talking to Berkeley, CA's Wil Blades, who's new album just came out, and who had a show at the Boom Boom Room last weekend. Sorry bout that, Wil. Hope it turned out ok.)

Boom Boom Room Breaks In the Blades on B-3

By Ronnie Reese

Wil Blades is almost completely self-taught on the Hammond B-3 organ, an instrument that hasn’t seen its heyday in nearly 30 years. Much of his learning has come by way of listening to music from that era – jazz giants such as the Jimmy Smith, as well as the rock stylings of the Doors and Carlos Santana – but a great deal of his talent is the result of sheer fear.

Blades, a native Chicagoan who moved to San Francisco at 18, had been playing drums and guitar for a number of years when he was asked to sit in on the Hammond for a Saturday afternoon happy hour at John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room.