Eric B./Yelp

Brick and Mortar Music Hall

San Francisco's Entertainment Commission oversees noise and security issues at local music venues. It is the city body responsible for holding club owners accountable for excessive volume or unsafe conditions.

So it's odd, to say the least, that the commission's sole inspector, Vajra Granelli, has close ties to a local security firm. And club owners allege that Granelli has given them extra scrutiny -- including official citations -- if they don't hire his company.

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"I've had my moments where I've left my phone in a cab. But I could care less about that," says a distraught San Francisco record collector. A bag of rare old Jamaican 45s, though? Those he wants back -- and he's willing to pay dearly for them.

We learned of the man, whom we'll call "Desmond," through an ad he placed in this and other papers last week, offering a no-questions-asked $1,000 reward for the return of his record bag. It holds rare, late-'60s singles performed and/or produced by Derrick Harriott, Keith and Tex, The Gay Lads, or Coxsone Dodd -- singles Desmond had just come from spinning on Radio Valencia when he left the bag in a cab.

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Furthur's Phil Lesh (left) and Bob Weir (right) performing at Outside Lands in S.F.

Bay Area jam outfitFurthur just announced that it will cancel its set at next week's Bottle Rock Napa Valley music festival in the wake of frontman Bob Weir's onstage collapse. The band, which features Grateful Dead co-founders Weir and Phil Lesh, had been scheduled to headline the first night of Bottle Rock on Thursday, May 9. No replacement act has been announced.

Weir collapsed during a Futhur gig in Port Chester, N.Y. last Thursday night, but appeared to be fine during an Atlantic City show two days later. A statement released today, however, says Weir will not be able to perform for several weeks:

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San Francisco rock quartet The Mallard are disbanding, according to bandleader, singer, and guitarist Greer McGettrick. After returning from its recent South by Southwest tour, McGettrick announced that the band -- which had slowly but steadily earned national attention on the strength of its dark, restless garage-rock -- was taking a hiatus. But she now confirms that the group is breaking up for good after two shows later this month. "I was the one that made the decision," she says, "Though I felt it was ending whether I wanted it to or not."

See also:
* The Mallard Prepares for Takeoff
* Noise Pop: The Mallard Eschews Usual Songs, Covers Throbbing Gristle Instead, 2/28/13

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Reggae? Sure. Gays? Nope.

In a new interview with the UK Guardian, Snoop Dogg dishes on a huge range of subjects: his metamorphosis into Snoop Lion, how many joints he smokes per day, and whether he'd ever consider going into politics. (Also, how to be a pimp and a married man at the same time.)

He even explains his thoughts on homosexuality in rap -- and why he doesn't think it will ever be accepted. Despite this skepticism, though, Snoop seems to understand the struggle for gay rights as basically analogous to the struggle for civil rights. From the story:

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The series of major concerts at a new, temporary arena on the Embarcadero this summer won't be as big as organizers initially hoped.

After coming under fire from neighbors, the America's Cup Pavilion has scaled back its plans to hold up to 40 shows on the S.F. waterfront between May 31 and Oct. 15, according to the SF Examiner. Instead, there will be a maximum of 30 performances -- and fearful neighbors in North Beach are hoping to impose even more compromises.

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330 Ritch has closed after an early morning shooting inside and around the club.

330 Ritch, a SOMA nightclub that often hosted live hip-hop shows and DJs, closed indefinitely yesterday after three people were shot in and around the club early Sunday morning.

The shooting victims -- two men in their 20s and one man in his 30s -- are expected to live, according to the SF Examiner. But the Ritch Street club, which is tucked away in an alley between Brannan and Townsend streets, surrendered its entertainment permit to the city on Monday, meaning it will no longer operate.

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Michelle Shocked, now having venues cancel her current tour.

Alt-folk singer and self-proclaimed hillbilly Michelle Shocked went on a vicious, anti-gay rant during her concert at Yoshi's on Sunday, infuriating fans with comments like "God hates fags," and causing the venue to pull the plug on her show.

See also:
* Here Are the Best Michelle Shocked Anti-Gay Tweets
* Michelle Shocked's Wikipedia Page Was Briefly Updated to Call Her a "Bigot"

Now, a petition is circulating online urging the other venues hosting Shocked's current tour to cancel their dates -- and it's having some success. So far, nine venues in cities like Santa Cruz, Seattle, Portland, Boulder, and Novato have canceled Shocked's upcoming shows, after John Becker of Burlington, Vt., gained national attention with his petition. Here's an excerpt from the Change.org document, which currently has 1,854 supporters:

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Kahley Avalon Emerson

Potrero Hill nightclub Mighty has just announced that March will mark the last month it will feature the iconic towers of its famous and historic Richard Long Associates soundsystem. Starting March 30, the club will carry the distinction of being the first place in the world to have a permanently installed Avalon by EAW CLUB.two speaker array. It's the company's flagship product, and it'll clock in at a walloping 50,000 watts -- which should be enough to distinguish it from the other San Francisco clubs already sporting EAW gear (currently that includes the likes of the EndUp, Ruby Skye, and DNA Lounge, among others).

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It's a sad day for San Francisco nightlife: The owners of the Tenderloin's 222 Hyde announced this weekend that the club will be shutting its doors for good on March 9. The venue, opened and completely remodeled under its current ownership in 2009, is a vital part of the city's underground dance music community, offering unparalleled sound and spectacle in a basement setting the size of a small studio apartment.

In an email, owner Emilio Giraudbit says the decision to close came down to "problems with the ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) over a technicality concerning a condition on the license," and an impending building sale in which "the new owners would not be sympathetic to the club or its operations." This is tragic news for fans, who've lost a truly unique venue.

See also:
* Icee Hot Announces Free Farewell Party at 222 Hyde Tonight
* Lost in the Night: Mark E. Quark Works the Renovated 222 Hyde
* The Top 10 Best Club Sound Systems in San Francisco

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