yeah, i live a half block from “here,” and have long enough to have seen Elvis when he was relevant. (Hint: a long time ago.)

This “new block” on Valencia is an embarrassment to what remains of the hood, and a monument to the SF Planning Depts master plan to “fix” it. Otherwise known as taking the Mission out of the Mission.

Not since they let McDonalds open on the end of Haight has there been such an epic fail to protect the character of a neighborhood.

Enjoy it if you must. The people who actually live here won’t.

A decent music venue would be a definite plus for the new Mission.

I hope it’s more than just a Cafe du Nerd with tablecloths, but we’ll see.

Either way it’s good for the city to have more live music venues.

With all the bars and food joints, the one thing that’s sorely lacking there these days is a high end music venue. Is this the first time there’s been a stage in the Mission that’s bigger than the backroom of a dive bar?

I wonder what the noise restrictions are. Will they be able to feel the bass thump over at the 17th St cop shop?

Hard to imagine.

Me, I stay the hell away from the big stages, and try to catch The Knitters and anything involving Jon Langford. Oh, and if you’re a “Hee-Haw” fan, the Dry Branch Fire Squad is totally worth it.

Robert Earl Keen, Glen Hansard, Justin Townes Earle, The Knitters, Dwight Yoakam, Rubblebucket, Heartless Bastards, O’Brien Party of 7, Little Green Cars, Walter Salas-Humara, Les Claypool Duo De Twang, Poor Man’s Whiskey (Friday morning middle school program), Jonny Two Bags & Salvation Town, ALO, The Go to Hell Man Clan with Special Guests the Wronglers featuring Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Flatlanders featuring Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, Reckless Kelly, Sara Watkins, Reignwölf, Dry Branch Fire Squad, World Famous Headliners (Big Al Anderson, Shawn Camp, Pat McLaughlin, Michael Rhodes & Greg Morrow), Tiny Television, The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Patti Smith and her band, The Time Jumpers (Vince Gill, Dennis Crouch, Paul Franklin, Larry Franklin, Andy Reiss, Dawn Sears, Kenneth Sears, Joe Spivey, Jeff Taylor & Billy Thomas), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Friday morning middle school program), Boz Scaggs: Tribute to Doug Sahm, Seasick Steve, Red Baraat, Giant Giant Sand, The Lumineers, Buddy Miller, Moonalice, Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin, Roger Knox and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts , Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys, Elvis Costello Solo, The Barr Brothers, Jesse Winchester, Dirty Three, Tribute to the Founding Fathers: Warren Hellman, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson, Alison Brown Quartet with Stuart Duncan, John Reilly and Friends (featuring Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau), Jim Lauderdale, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Rowan, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Ones, Lucero, The Milk Carton Kids, The White Buffalo, The Chieftains, Bill Kirchen and Texicalli, Jon Langford & His Sadies, Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson, The Civil Wars, Son Volt, Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth featuring Bernie Worell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess, Chuck Ragan, Patty Griffin, The Trishas, The Head & the Heart, Luther Dickinson & the Wandering, Allison Moorer, Pickwick, Patterson Hood & the Downtown Rumblers, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, The Soul Rebels, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Sierra Hull, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Cowboy Junkies, Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, Joe Pug, The Jerry Douglas Band, Lloyd Cole, The Del McCoury Band, Chris Carrabba, Conor Brings Friends for Friday featuring: Simone Felice, Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express, Beachwood Sparks, Ben Kweller, Jenny Lewis, Conor Oberst, Steve Earle & the Dukes (and Duchesses), Todd Snider, Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys, Nick Lowe

…for FREE, then go look at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2012.