San Francisco Music Blog

San Francisco was overrun by clever costumes this past weekend. SF Weekly hit the city to capture the best Halloween outfits in three different neighborhoods.

In the Mission, photographer Hanna Quevedo shot people dressed as sexy cops, bottles of booze, and the undead.

​Check out the full Mission slideshow here.

Over at Cat Club, Zombie Morrissey Night encouraged people to either dress like flesh eaters, or dress like the world's loudest vegan. 

​Calibree Photography was there to capture the full spectrum of pale icons. Their Cat Club slideshow is posted here. 

And over at Pier 23, Masked Madness took over the Audiopharmacy record release party.

​Hannah Quevedo's slideshow of the guests' getups is here. 

  

It takes an iron will and a penchant for risk to submit to the risky calculus of the day-long music festival. In the weeks leading up to the Treasure Island Music Festival, there was no doubt that the lineup would yield something for just about any modern music fan from dreaded dubstep nodders to house bangers to junglists to those with a love of guitars and human voices and all points on the music appreciation spectrum in between.

With a Saturday lineup that featured MGMT, Crown City Rockers, Murs, Federico Aubele, Passion Pit, DJ Krush, Dan Deacon, The Streets, MSTRKRFT, LTJ Bukem, and Brazilian Girls, there was a little something for everyone. But still, prospective festival goers had to ask themselves if they were prepared to surrender control of their personal transportation, make the trek to Lot A at Pac Bell Park, board a shuttle bus, remain conscious through more than ten hours of live sound and Port-A-Potty use and have it be a worthwhile, pleasant experience.

Christopher Victorio

​If you summoned your inner Shackleton, made the leap, and set sail on a shuttle bus for Treasure Island Saturday, you were rewarded with a tableau that included a Ferris Wheel, sick skyline views, two stages filled with nonstop funk to keep your ass moving, food vendors galore offering fare more than a few notches above soft pretzels and churros, double dutch jump-roping hipsters, and the rare chance to sit down and have a face to face Qi Gong session with Te'Devan Kurzweil.

On Sunday, 10 blocks of Howard Street were blocked off for the 10th Annual How Weird Street Faire - and all the beautiful colorful people came out to play (the more thoughtful ones brought their mothers). See Hanna Quevedo's photo set.

Saturday evening brought SF Weekly's Photobooth duo of Jen and Mike Cash to the Cat Club for "Gossip," a night of Adam Ant vs. The Pirates. If you posed for the camera against a red velvet backdrop you may be in their gallery.

Calibree Photography

Hanna Quevedo

Sunday: For those who dream of hot Christ-on-Christ action, Easter Sunday's "Hunky Jesus" competition was a must-attend. The SF Holy Week tradition was in fine form this year, as evidenced by this photo set by All Shook Down's Hanna Quevedo.

Calibree Photography

Saturday: Cellspace was converted into a dysfunctional casino featuring cockroach racing, rat roulette, poke-her and the wheel of smut. Our husband-wife photo team of Mike and Jen Cash made sure to capture all the action.

Thomas Levinson

All Shook Down's weekend kicked off with a facebook-and-Twitter-orchestrated flash rave, which drove hundreds of kiddies to the section of Golden Gate Park next to the Conservatory of Flowers Friday night. The party started at around 8:30 p.m. and went on for an hour, at which point the boys in blue (pictured standing awkwardly behind the impromptu DJ booth above) broke it up. Our man on the street, Thomas Levinson, shares some photos.

Calibree Photography

On Saturday night, trusty ASD photographers Mike and Jen Cash rolled out the SF Weekly banner at Atmosphere for the first edition of our traveling photo booth. Said banner turned out to be a tad too reflective for the photogs' flashy lights, so we'll be hunting for a new one. Look for the Cash duo at a club near you in the weeks to come, and check out their Saturday shots in the meantime.

Our weekend involved cheese, ropes and Andy Warhol. In that order:

Saturday afternoon's Grilled Cheese Invitational at Dolores Park was well attended - all 500 tasting wristbands sold out in minutes, a good hour before the event began! Tamara Palmer  has the skinny at SFoodie.

Saturday evening was quite literally tied up in knots at Femina Potens, where some lovely submissive types helped demonstrate "The Art of Restraint." See Gretchen Robinette's somewhat NSFW photo set here.

There was more than enough to keep even the loneliest of hearts distracted and amused over the V-Day weekend. Topping the list easily was Saturday's Great San Francisco Pillow Fight of 2009, which brought thousands to Justin Herman Plaza to beat the crap out of each other with feathers and fluff. Relive the action via Gretchen Robinette's photos and  Joe Eskenazi's videos.    

Happy Monday, folks. Here's what you may or may not have missed over the weekend:

On Friday night, Mike and Jen Cash braved Zombie Prom at the DNA Lounge. Here's what our photo team had to say about the evening:

Mike: Well, at least the Prom Queen looked great in RED...
Jen: I don't remember having so much to EAT at my prom...

Also on Friday: ASD's newest photographer, Hanna Quevedo, indulged in the Seven Deadly Sins (as illustrated by seven fashion designers, seven culinary artists, and seven visual artists) at Space Gallery. See her photos here.

Saturday's much blogged-about American Apparel protest outside the storefront the chain plans to move into on Valencia Street had a sadly low turnout. Perhaps they were asking a bit much (10 a.m. on a Saturday morning?). Photographer Gretchen Robinette arrived at 10 on the dot and says that protesters started trickling in past 11. Click here for her photo set.

Meanwhile, at nearby Mission and 18th, Hanna Quevedo (the latest photog. to join our All Shook Down family) and her well-traveled lens documented January's installment of the Really Really Free Market. And it really was free. No admission fee, no price tags, no bartering, nada. Photos here.

Saturday was the highlight of the three-day Edwarian Ball weekend at the Regency Center, with well, the ball part of the programming. All Shook Down correspondent Sam Prestianni was in attendance, and our boy thought it fitting to write about the festivities in that alphabetical rhyming Edward Gorey-style. Behold:

"G is for gawkers who geek in real life.

H is for hunger that growled with a knife.

I is for Ice Girl frosted in crystal.

J is for jury with lye or small pistol."

Read the rest here. Also see photographer Gretchen Robinette's brilliant Edwarian Ball photo set.

On Friday, Willie Nelson and son Lukas graced the Fillmore with their presence (they'll be doing so till tomorrow, Jan. 20, if you missed out). All Shook Down correspondent Jonathan Kiefer waxed poetic in his review of the evening, painting Nelson in red and blue lights such that he resembled Shepard Fairey's poster of Barack Obama - if you're a literalist, there's a web site you can visit to re create just that.

The weekend was wonderfully whimsical for us here at All Shook Down. On Saturday, reporter Ashley Harrell met a crowd of 50 outside Dalva's in the Mission and followed them on their pants-less trek through the streets, BART and MUNI. Much gawking ensued. Read Ashley's dispatch and see her fun photos here.

Weekend recap by Janine Kahn

We had a somewhat mellow four-day weekend here at the Weekly following a rather wild new year's eve wherein too much bubbly was consumed, rendering much of new year's day a blur. (Raise your hand if you woke at 2 p.m.) In case you missed it, here are some of the parties we managed to peel ourselves off the floor long enough to write about: 

Passport to the World NYE and NYE Ball 2009

Weekend recap by Janine Kahn

We're shaking ourselves out of holiday lethargy here on All Shook Down, and we'll be alive-alert-awake-enthusiastic (OK, maybe "sober" is a more accurate term) through Wednesday afternoon. We've a lot planned for New Year's Eve, but before we get ahead of ourselves, here's a brief look back at some of the events we managed to break away from crazy relatives long enough to cover over the weekend:

On Friday, Sam Prestianni headed to the Fillmore to see darkish indie duo Two Gallants, an experience he says was probably better than "banging heroin while watching It's a Wonderful Life for the 7th time in a row." (We failed to ask him just how he knew this.) The venue was packed with old friends and longtime fans, and much singing-along ensued.

Read Sam's Two Gallants review here.

Weekend recap by Janine Kahn

We're running on a skeleton crew here at All Shook Down this week with most of the usual suspects home for the holidays. Fortunately, our friends at sister blogs The Snitch and SFoodie were out and about this weekend, so our wrap-up won't be too terribly bare bones.

On Saturday, ASD contributor and SFoodie blog queen Tamara Palmer was in attendance for the grand opening of Candy Darling (798 Sutter), a sweet shop that shares the name of a certain transsexual who appeared in two of Warhol's art films. Tamara writes:

"It was genuinely hard to pick out a favorite amongst their candies; everything tastes so fresh and rich. Buttery almond brittle puts the beloved Almond Roca to shame, so maybe that was the best. But a real surprise was just how plump and juicy and sweet the dark chocolate dipped apricots are, living up to a potential I never knew existed because so many other people have ruined this simple treat. The [owners] also sell hard and gummy candies by the scoop, and have some festive lollipops."

Read the rest, and see more drool-worthy photos here.

Weekend wrap-up by Janine Kahn

Sunday was nasty and rainy, but that didn't keep photographer Jen Cash home in Walnut Creek. Click here for her photo set from 111 Minna, which had been converted into a retro winter wonderland with snow on the floor and attendees in 80's neon ski garb for "Ski Team: The Party."

On Saturday, San Francisco was invaded by lewd, drunk Santas (is there a better kind?). Reporter Ashley Harrell caught some climbing and vandalizing the Benjamin Franklin Memorial on her North Beach turf. And photographer Sheyna Gifford followed the merry bunch around town.

Weekend wrap-up by Janine Kahn

Happy Monday, ASD nation. As usual, our weekend was all kinds of awesome and we're going to tell you all about it.

Friday was opening night for Dark Room director Jim Fourniadis' "Star Wars: Live on Stage." We were skeptical that anything good could come out of a $100 special effects budget, but the small cast truly delivered. Sure, one guy plays both Chewy and Vader and you may notice "TRASH" embossed on R2D2's faceplate, but stripped of blockbuster pomp, we find that the values that have made the series timeless still shine. (Aww.) Anyway, photographer Gretchen Robinette made it out to the Saturday leg of the show and brought back some fabulous pictures, including some of the director with his pet dressed as Princess Leia. Click here for our Star Wars: Live on Stage slideshow.

Weekend wrap-up by Janine Kahn

Sorry to shake you out of tryptophan-induced slothfulness, but it's Cyber Monday, kids. And that means you're supposed to blow what's left of the shopping dough you didn't honestly have last week on marginally-cheaper memory cards and online escorts or something. It's your duty to god and government! At least that's what we took away after running into these clever signs on Powell and Market streets last Friday (see above).

See more photos from our Black Friday romp through Union Square at All Shook Down's sister blog, The Snitch.

Weekend recap by Janine Kahn

The bad news is, it's Monday. The good news? This is bound to be one short week! All Shook Down will likely be mostly crickets and echoes this Thursday and Friday as our crew heads out to spend time with their respective clans, so we overdid it this past weekend to make it up to you in advance. Here's what went down...

On Friday, our Ashley Harrell witnessed the second coming of Jesus watched as Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes leaped out of a silver box hauled onto the Regency Center's Grand Ballroom stage by minions dressed in strange golden costumes (see photo):

"He then changed costumes more times than an average person changes clothing in a week, eventually disrobing to reveal orange shorty-shorts and nothing else, just before a group of performers in black body suits and sparkly silver masks painted their leader's body blood red and dressed him in a centaur costume."

Rachel Hubbard lent us some fabulous photos that will either make you wish you were there or have you thanking gods you don't believe in that you were safe at home. Scroll through the spectacle here.

And, as always, more beneath the fold.

Weekend Wrap-up by Janine Kahn

All Hallows' Eve was blessed with a clear sky instead of the predicted downpour, so the scheduled Friday hooliganisms played out as planned. Our husband-wife photo team of Mike and Jen Cash holed up at the Cat Club for Heklina and Peaches Christ's Halloween party and had a grand 'ol time. (You can tell from their photos.) But Mike had a few bones to pick:

#1: There should only 1 to 2 Jokers per club. (With the exception of the guy who was dressed up as the Tranny Joker...that was good.)

#2: Just because she's dressed up as a sexy nurse/elf maiden doesn't mean she'll go home with you, nor is there any guarantee that she is a she.

#3: Ghostbusters come in packs of four, not one. Unless of course you just got fired from the team.

#4: Dressing up goth is just not unique. It just means you went to Hot Topic at the last minute.

#5: Did I mention the Joker thing? Really, how many fan boys can there be?!

We're surprised he didn't have a Palin costume quip.

Weekend Wrap-Up by Janine Kahn

Some weekends we're drooling all over ourselves with excitement here on All Shook Down. But this time around...eh, not so much. Don't get us wrong, there were some cool things that transpired over the break, but two of the events we'd planned on covering turned out to be something of a drag (and much as we love cross-dressing, even that didn't save the day).

Let-down #1: Sex and tech columnist Bonnie Ruberg, like many other Exotic Erotic Ball-goers, was promised a ride to Treasure Island in a giant limo tricked out in leather seating, marble tables and flat streen TVs. Attendees were also promised “no lines, no waiting." Alas, alack, this was far from the case. Bonnie writes:

"What greeted us who showed up in the AT&T parking lot expecting luxury? A grimy, “hop on, hop off” bus and a line hundreds of party-goers long. Forget flat screen TVs. This shuttle rider didn’t even get a seat."

The ball itself was pretty colorful, and our husband-wife photo team of Mike and Jen Cash had a blast shooting (see the Exotic Erotic Ball slideshow), but the transpo fiasco, coupled with bad food and overflowing porta potties, was enough to turn off some ASD readers, like Fred, who writes:

"This is the first and last time I attend the exotic erotic ripoff. I spent more time waiting on the lousy buses then I did at the event which was weak to say the least. It took over an hour waiting in the cold to get a "limo" back to the AT&T parking lot and an hour in line to get on the double decker bus to get to the event. What a WASTE."

Much more disgruntlement can be found in the comments section, which you can read here.

By Janine Kahn

All Shook Down's weekend kicked off with a time warp and one very sweet transvestite (yes, from Transexual, Transylvania) as we plopped ourselves down for the Ray of Light Theatre's rendition of the Rocky Horror Show. Friday was opening night and Jef Valentine rocked that Frank-N-Furter corset just as magnificently on stage as he did outdoors at the show's Castro Street Fair preview. We've always thought the full-blown musical was more fun than the chaos that is the Picture Show, and the tickets are on the cheap side, so do check it out at the Victoria Theatre while you can.

We joined the hoards of spectators at Dolores Park on Saturday for the Red Bull Soapbox Race. It was a madhouse, but ASD photographer Gretchen Robinette walked away with some fun photos of the some 30 teams skidding down the route, which you can flip through here.

Welcome to a work week that doesn't include Naval forces flying precariously close to your office building. OK, that was fun in its own way, and undoubtedly the weekend's star attraction, but there was more to do over the break than look up at the sky. Here's the weekend as All Shook Down remembers. --Janine Kahn

Friday: Chuck Norris was nowhere near the state of California Friday night, but he still managed to hear every joke cracked in his name at Milk Bar and has a bone to pick with organizers over his missing invite. ASD correspondent Jackie Lopez reports that this is the second Chuck Norris Party the Bay Area has seen over the summer, and the first one was better, but hey, the tourists had a blast.

Elsewhere on Friday: Our SoCal mole Christopher Victorio found himself at day one of the geekfest known as BlizzCon, which was held at the Anaheim Convention Center. Friday's highlight was the costume contest, hosted by comedian Jay Mohr. The winner? Amanda from Tempe (pictured) who wowed the crowd with her mechanical turtle, "Speedy." See more photos from BlizzCon here.

You partied hard this weekend, San Francisco. We raise our mug of espresso and similarly sleep-deprived eyes to you. And in case you've woken up somewhere with little or no recollection of what went down, here's All Shook Down's coverage checklist. --Janine Kahn

On Friday, music editor Jennifer Maerz enjoyed Yerba Buena's annual Artists Ball. This year's theme was political (surprise surprise):

"Men wandered the halls dressed as Abe Lincoln, cheerleaders shouted artsy, nonsensical protests from human pyramids, and red, white and blue balloons were batted around by women in shimmery prom-like dresses."

It was good fun, Jennifer tells us, but sadly under-attended. Read her musings, peppered with Chrissy Loader's photos here.

Friday through Sunday, feminists of all walks of life came together for the Radical Women Conference (its theme being "The Persistent Power of Social Feminism.") The ladies (and a few men) talked Marxist feminism, multi-ethnic organizing, the elections, reproductive rights, youth, queer leadership and labor rights. The conference wraps up at the Mission's Women's Building today -- Snitch blogger Masha Rumer was in attendance over the weekend and will report back this afternoon.

We're guessing we don't have to tell you what the weekend highlight was. Sunday's Folsom Street Fair was so packed that our Melissa Baron found it hard to adequately explore, and our husband-wife photo team of Mike and Jen Cash report that their bottoms met with a riding crop or two over the course of the shoot. Brilliant. Read Melissa's highlight rundown and check back later for the Cash shots...our wonderful slideshow tool is giving us attitude at the moment.

In other visually-stimulating news, Sunday was closing day for two massively popular exhibits: Chihuly at the de Young and Frida Kahlo at SFMOMA. ASD correspondent Catherine McCulloch was there for the glass artist's exhibit opening back in June, so if you missed out, you're free to browse her photos. Incidentally, Catherine also hit up the Frida show, but this time a prudent two weeks after the exhibit opened its doors.

And just like that, another festival weekend's come and gone. Like Outside Lands, it was all hands on deck for the good ship ASD , but let's backtrack a bit. Friday was festival-free but overloaded all the same...

What happens when Park(ing) Day and Talk Like A Pirate Day collide? You get environmentally conscious pirates filling a meter on Valencia and 21st Street, parking their ship between vehicles, presumably preying on unsuspecting motorists and making them walk the plank. Way to make a statement, San Francisco. Clicky to see more of Sam Heller's Park(ing) Day photos.

Also on Friday: Stern sidekick Artie Lange is out of rehab and telling non-PC jokes in SF. Staff writer John Geluardi (who scored Lange's first post-rehab interview sometime back) was in attendance at the sold out Nob Hill Masonic Center show and says that nothing was safe: everything from girlfriends, race, retards and Tom Cruise's questionable sexuality were shot down like ducks in a row. Read John's review here.

Our weekend was pretty wild, but we've got nothing on our friends at the Houston Press who spent their time documenting the destruction of Hurricane Ike, powerless, soggy office and all. Kudos to friend and web editor Keith Plocek for keeping his head above the water and keeping us posted over the break. We don't pray very often, but our thoughts are with you.

OK, back to your regular sunny San Francisco programming...

Many a SF Weekly staffer spent Sunday afternoon on board the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien for Brews by the Bay. Editorial Assistant extraordinaire Andy Wright summed up the awesomeness of the occasion best when she said "Beer! On a f**king battleship!" Well, it was technically a "Liberty Ship" but no one was being nitpicky as they climbed into the gunner's seat and drunkenly pretended to shoot passing helicopters. We salute the beer flag, which flew high above the ship, with this slideshow.

On Sunday evening, Gretchen Robinette witnessed the 5th Annual Jello Wrestling event at Bender's Bar. We're not sure who won (anyone who leaves with red gunk in their hair doesn't seem like much of a winner from where we're sitting), but it looked like a messy good time. Full photo set here.

Here it is, another post-nonstop-weekend Monday. This time we ignored the beckoning of the cool old junk that must be bought at Sunday's ever-addicting Alameda Flea Market. But there were other things that lured us out of our cozy den. Like chocolate. Lots of it. And doilies with nasty words crocheted into them - which go hand in hand with a certain comedian chick who doesn't care if you think she's racist (as long as you think she's thin). And, oddly enough, the stench of a thousand peacemakers lured some of us outdoors too.

G'morning, San Francisco. This is All Shook Down's Monday Morning Hangover.

On Friday, Nine Inch Nails found new ways to torture and enthrall their fanbase at the same time. Clubs Editor John Graham reports that the band hid behind a sparkly screen for multiple songs and that the audience wasn't treated to many old faves over the course of the Oracle show. In other news, Trent Reznor appears to have evolved into a beefier creature:

"The skinny little angst-muppet who used to whip his fishnet-clad body across the stage has been replaced by a brawny, all-business dude who looks more like Henry Rollins (sans tattoos) than the guy who used to drag guitarist Robin Finck around by the hair."

Be sure to read the rest of John's NIN review.

If you fled to Napa or Tahoe or elsewhere for that nice little three-day interlude, here's how the weekend went back at the homestead:

Friday: Tyler Callister hit the Ant Show anniversary for the second year in a row at the Red Devil Lounge and raised an eyebrow as the crowd gleefully chanted "Chicks with dicks!" as the B-Cups took the stage. Read Ty's "Sexx, Lipstick, and Rock n' Roll" notes here.

Also on Friday: We envy Tamara Palmer, who headed to Fort Mason for Slow Food Nation's Taste Pavilions Friday for a press preview. See her interview with the authors of Build Your Own Earth Oven at the mouth-watering "Hall of Bread" and flip through her Taste slideshow.