Happy holiday weekend to y'all. A bunch of cheap stuff on tap over the next three days, including comedian Mary Van Note, the brain behind the video series above, "Gavin Really Wants Me." Details on her show, and everything else we'd recommend for under $10, below.
Home Is Something I Carry with Me @ the Mission (Friday & Saturday)
"'Home Is Something I Carry with Me' explores the concept of 'home' through a novel curatorial conceit. For a couple of days, two houses in the Mission will be taken over by art, with individual rooms acting as galleries organized around specific themes like shelter, migration, and neighborhood identities. The show features work by more than 40 artists, including a set of shadow-box dioramas called Homes for the Homies created by Cindy De Losa (populated, naturally, with Homies dolls and photographs of 24th Street) and Klea McKenna's haunting water-damaged slide projections of her grandparents' Mexican honeymoon. Curator Adrienne Skye Roberts has been working on the show for about a year, and drew inspiration from the current rash of foreclosures, rapid development, and the threat of rent control repeals. A showing of seven short films (Sept. 4 at 9 p.m.) accompanies the exhibit, taking place in the backyard of a third home. 'Home Is Something I Carry with Me' runs 4-8 p.m. (also noon-5p.m. Sept. 5) at 951 Shotwell (at 24th St.) and 3352 24th St. (at Bartlett). Admission is free." (Evan James)
Cocky White Guys @ the Castro (Friday)
We're cheating on this entry because this event costs $10 on the nose. But we're also not sure where else you'd find three movies for a ten-spot. Tonight the Castro hosts a triple threat of "Cocky White Guys" flicks with Risky Business at 7:30, Fast Times at Ridgemont High at 9:30, and The Last American Virgin at 11:30. Three gems from America's horniest cinematic decade.
Gemini Disco @ Underground SF (Saturday)
This is one of those birthdays that requires your presence, instead of presents. Gemini Disco has held down the dancefloor for three solid years now, so it's throwing a big ol' celebration Saturday night at Underground SF. Not only that, but the DJs are giving you free admission if you show up before 11 p.m.
Mary Van Note @ Dark Room (Saturday)
"Mary Van Note comes from the awkward-silence school of humor, meaning she's the kind of comedian who gets labeled "Andy Kaufman-esque." She also makes wince-inducing sexual references, dresses like a perverted schoolmarm, and doesn't wear makeup -- she's kind of like a cross between pinup girl Bettie Page and Charlyne Yi from indie hit film Paper Hearts. See Van Note's Independent Film Channel Web series "Gavin Really Wants Me" for proof; it boings quickly back and forth between dorky and dirty. For "The Mary Van Note Show," she's joined onstage by local comedy scenesters Caitlin Gill, Emily Heller, and Ray Molina at the Dark Room Theater, 10 p.m., $8-$10." (Hiya Swanhuyser)
Hightower @ Annie's (Saturday)
"The members of Hightower are just as likely to be found on skateboards as they are to be found onstage. The S.F. trio's Thrasher-sanctioned, hardcore-infused, and frequently instrumental brand of metal picks up right where predecessor skate punks left off. The band takes the JFA prototype and inhales just a bit deeper, summoning the chugga-chugga of '80s thrash, gobs of '70s sludge, and song structures worthy of titles like 'Wizardhawk.' There's plenty of wisecracking, too -- Hightower's MySpace schedule features an upcoming show on the Moon: "Get in free if you bring an alien." How high, indeed." Hightower plays Annie's on Saturday. $7, 9 p.m. (J. Pace)
If you didn't get enough time hanging out on the Golden Gate green last weekend, come back Sunday for a huge, free hip-hop show, Doin It in the Park. The DJs on this bill are some of the best in the city, with a lineup that includes Apollo, Shortkut, Mr. E, Sake One, and more (full lineup here). The combo BBQ and dance party will be nestled into Elk Glen Cove from noon until sunset, with an afterparty at 111 Minna starting at 10 p.m.
Sweaterfunk @ Li Po (Sunday)
Speaking of swearing off school nights for an evening, Sweaterfunk continues its Sunday night Chinatown takeover at Li Po. This round, the focus will be on 45s -- meaning lots of soul of the old, modern, and "luxury" varieties. The jams start at 10 p.m. and there's no cover, "just love." Awww.
Sixxteen @ Cat Club (Sunday)
If music really does work best in 10-year cycles, Club Sixxteen is hitting it right on the mark, returning this weekend after a decade-long absence from the scene. Not that its main DJs -- Jenny and Omar -- have disappeared from the clubs by any means. But on Sunday they dig back into their Sixxteen-year-old crates to spin favorites hits from the Runaways, Bowie, and Richard Hell. Peaches Christ hosts the event, which gets down to rock 'n' roll business starting at 10 p.m. at Cat Club. ($8)
Free Bike Rentals @ Sunday Streets (Sunday)
Getting a complimentary set of wheels for an afternoon is just one of the benefits of stopping by the Great Highway portion of the Sunday Streets series. Wander in a car-free section of San Francisco oceanfront property between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for a whole bunch of block party activities. (free)
Cold Cave @ the Knockout (Monday)
"Nailing hardcore with Give Up the Ghost and then post-hardcore with Some Girls, the itinerant Wesley Eisold wound up in Philadelphia, where he has built his scrappy project, Cold Cave, into a proper band. Musically, he's now onto a claustrophobic yet oddly romantic racket of smeared guitars, ethereal synths, and dour vocals. It's a bit '80s, yes, but cult '80s, like Joy Division steeped in early 4AD. Following several low-key vinyl outings, Cold Cave's album Love Comes Close will see wide release in November on Matador, sitting snugly next to Times New Viking and Kurt Vile. Cold Cave performs with Crocodiles on Monday at the Knockout. 9 p.m., $5." (Doug Wallen)
What did we miss? Add your suggestions to 10 Things below.
