3. Tony Conrad at SFAI (Friday/Sat)
Experimental
music fans who geek out over tones and drones are knocking off work
early today to gather words of wisdom from avant-garde minimalist
composer/filmmaker Tony Conrad. Tonight Conrad gives a free lecture on his work at San Francisco Art Institute at 5 p.m. (Tomorrow he's performing and showing films, but that's gonna cost ya.)
4. Jerry Stahl at Amnesia (Friday)
Remember Permanent Midnight,
perhaps the last Ben Stiller movie made where the actor wasn't totally
annoying? The film was based on the droll memoir of writer Jerry Stahl,
who got his start doing dope and writing for Alf, working his way into creating a collection of fact and fiction based drug-addled novels. Tonight Stahl reads from his latest book, Pain Killers, alongside one of our favorite writers/comedians Bucky Sinister . The evening's entertainment also includes a reading by Sarah Fran Wisby, music by the Yellow Dress, and a performance from Permanent Midnight by an improv troupe. (7 p.m., free)
5. Saviours at Elbo Room (Friday)
When
was the last time you had your ears accosted by some serious,
Hell-blazing local metal? Oakland's Saviours aren't part of anything
nu-, or rap-, or any of that other hybrid bullshit. They're just flat
out heavy metal, the old fashioned bad add kind that makes you want to
punch the wind in triumph. Tonight they blast the top off the Elbo Room
for a mere $8. (9:30 p.m.)
6. Getting Dirt-y at Madrone (Friday)
Remember when we told you all about Shane King's DJ night
with his buddies, a little party called Dirt? Well it's time once again
to let your rap and electro get filthy with beats and rhymes as raunchy
as they gotta be. ($5, 10 p.m.)
7. Future Classics vs. Raw Fusion at Poleng Lounge (Friday)
Sweden's Mad Mat runs
a hotly-tipped club night in Stockholm called Raw Fusion that gets all
the blondies in the house funky with a mess of hip-hop, techno, future
soul, and more. He's in San Francisco on the tail end of a stint at the
Winter Music Conference, and tonight he's one of five DJs on deck at
Future Classics. Pay $5 to get in if you're lazy, or take a minute to RSVP and get the free admission treatment. (10 p.m.)
8. Art Olympics at Bay Area 51 (Saturday)
Used
to be that athletes and artists congregated at opposite ends of the
schoolyard. Not in this city. Today's Art Olympics put local creative
types to the test in various challenges ranging from a sculpt-off to a
painting toss to brush jousting. This being San Francisco, participants
will be performing said tasks while imbibing copious amounts of beer.
(Noon, $7)
9. Get Yer '90s on at the Knockout and the Paradise (Saturday)
Feeling nostalgic for the decade when Cobain was king and Courtney was more punk brat than botched Botox experiment? Debaser
is the city's premiere club night for the early sounds of the
alternative nation reaching the radio. Expect everything from Riot
Grrrl bands to the Cranberries and the Pixies. (10 p.m. $5, or free
before $11 if you're sporting a flannel). Or perhaps your '90s
affinities stretch to the other side of the pond, when pop music was a
very British endeavor? Popscene's older sister, Leisure, offers a mix of "classic Britpop, Madchester and Hacienda gems, dancey shoegaze and 60's soul." ($7, 10 p.m.)
10. Heavy music parade at El Rio (Saturday) and Thee Parkside (Sunday)
We close out this week's list with two new music-release parties with some of San Francisco's heaviest riffage. Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound goes on a trip for Tee Pee records with When Sweet Sleep Returned,
a mix of enchanted forest folk, psychedelic metal, and lots of
"interstellar sonics." Trip out with these Heads at El Rio when they
play with Hot Lunch and Pins of Light on Saturday (10 p.m., $7). And if you're not all worn out by Sunday, skate punks Hightower have an excellent new batch of speedy metal with Tower to the People that you can grab digitally here
(buy enough copies and they'll produce some vinyl with that cash too).
They join Sunday's "DC Jam Skate Rock Tour" at Thee Parkside ($7, 8
p.m.)
And finally, we can't allow you to start your weekend without previewing the upcoming Sasha Baron Cohen movie, Bruno. It's hard to believe the fools caught on film fell for Cohen's "undercover" briefs on American stupidity, but his faux gay fashion reporter dealy is pretty funny.
