Friday night took us to The Independent, where the B52s gave the packed house a one-way ticket back to 1982 with "Planet Claire," "Rock Lobster," and "Private Idaho." We grabbed some video of that last song, snapped some photos of Fred Schneider III's Swarovski-studded ear piece and Kate Pierson's jellyfish moves and flickering ring - all for you, dear readers. Check that out over here.
Elsewhere, Music Editor Jennifer Maerz wrapped up her Friday with booze and art. What better way to kick-start the weekend? Read her dispatch and see her photos after the jump...
"Friday night happy hour was all about the art walk, where along with your bottles of Heineken or plastic cups of merlot, you could gaze at everything from naked hipsters to punchy voodoo dolls. I barely had time to finish one full drink, though, as three different galleries hosted hotly-tipped new work between 6 and 9 pm. I started at Ratio 3 gallery on Stevenson -- a space with not only great taste in art, but great taste in architecture (the gallery is a loft space in a funky little alley lined with plants). Inside Ratio 3, New Yorker Ryan McGinley's photographs took up two rooms. The huge prints are from his "Spring and By Summer Fall" series, where he took a bunch of skinny kids across the country, photographing them naked in beautiful outdoor spaces. My favorite piece is on Ratio 3's website: A shot of a woman falling --without the context of where she's falling from, or to."
"Next up, Fecal Face Dot Gallery hosted collaborative prints by Michael Sieben and Matt Swope. Cool that Fecal Face the site now has a physical space to show the artists it hypes online, and cool that you can do one quick swoop of the room if you're in a hurry to hit gallery three...which I was....Finally I stopped by the Luggage Store's "Kick Out the Jams" opening, a massive group show by artists who help produce the "Hot and Cold" zine. Honestly it was so crowded by the time I arrived at the Luggage Store the art blurred together by that point, but I remember there being some good stuff in that mix."
On Saturday we BARTed to Berkeley for this year's Pagan Festival and witnessed the odd sight of a man in a kilt doing the hip hop thing onstage. Oberon, who looked more like Merlin, won the costume contest, folks in medieval garb shopped for functional armor and Mother's Day prezzies while others did handstands on the grass. The highlight of the gathering was perhaps the Temple of Change, where attendees jotted down their hopes for the future on thin pieces of wood and hung them beneath the canopy. Good vibes galore. All that and more at our slideshow.
Saturday night sent our husband-wife photo team of Mike and Jenny Cash to the Bottom of the Hill for some out-of-this world performances from Unpoppable (who magically make real music with real balloons), The Dead Hensons (who cover Muppet Show tunes) and Borts Minorts (whose act is like Cirque du Soleil on acid). Read Mike's review and flip through their killer photos.
Also on Saturday night, ASD regular Gretchen Robinette watched some real live Jell-O Wrestling and was repeatedly hassled by management about her photos. We hate it when that happens...anyway, read her take on the ordeal and see the shots she snuck here.
We didn't do squat on Sunday outside taking Mum out to lunch (or writing last-ditch e-mails to her from across the miles), which was a fabulously laid-back end to the weekend. But for now. . . coffee.--Janine Kahn
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