Mission Mission

You don’t want to miss this: Slavic Soul Party is a Balkan brass band from Brooklyn that doesn’t make it out here too often, and when they do it’s in much bigger venues. They just announced that they’ll be playing at the Mission tonight.

In addition to the Serbian brass band tradition, they mix in some American funk, soul, New Orleans, and whatever-the-fuck-they-want traditions. They even did a Nirvana tune on one of their records (and not some trite version of “Lithium” or something… try often overlooked In Utero gem “Very Ape”)!

Tonight (Sat, Nov 13) they will be performing at Amnesia with the Bay Area’s own premiere Balkan brass band Brass Menazeri. Who knows, if you’re lucky you might catch them all teaming up like Voltron and marching up Valencia St. later tonight.

As a 3-year veteran of Berkeley Co-ops, Homestead has always satisfied my urge to drink beer and throw stuff on the floor without picking up after myself.

They are turning 5 years old and closing off part of 19th st for all-day celebration Saturday. The festivities run from 11am to closing, featuring bands and food (presumably not just peanuts). Go show them some love.

[via Broke-Ass Stuart, photo by Jared Zimmerman]

Not one week after I noticed a gaggle of these three-wheelers in front of Chicken John’s, The Wall Street Journal took an interest in the city’s Cushman culture. Yes, it looks like this is indeed “a thing”.

Check out the article and video on WSJ, where the owners rave about getting mad children love, parking wherever they want, and scaring the shit out of drivers whose meters are about to expire. Apparently, these babies are also major graffiti magnets. But at least some thoughtful taggers tend to ask first:

They say, ‘Hey, do you mind if I write my graffiti on your car?’

Uh, yes.

[WSJ via Schlomo, another proud Cushman owner who uses it to deliver Banh Mi]

Okay, so the dudes that pop half-mile wheelies through city traffic are probably the type of cyclists that make people who aren’t cyclists hate cyclists (say that 10 times fast). But I’m not gonna lie, it’s a blast watching these reckless assholes fly through the insane intersections of Manhattan in the trailer for Empire, screening at Mission Workshop on Friday.

Sure, we’ve got the morning Market St. scrum, but does that really compare the the car/pedestrian clusterfuck that is Times Square? As the New Yorkers say, “forget about it!” Wait, do they still say that? New York readers please confirm/deny. Also chime in on these babies: “Why are you breaking my balls?” “Let’s get some fucking pizza” and “Fuck you, asshole!”

Back to the trailer. Check out those amazing skitchin’ shots. In case you aren’t familiar with the 1994 Sega Genesis game of the same name, “Skitchin’” is when you grab on to a car and hitch a ride. It’s like swimming with the whales except the whale is your enemy.

Check out the youtube trailer and the details below:

Mission Workshop is hosting Bicycle Film Festival San Francisco with the screening of Empire.  The Bicycle Film Festival is a platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and of course film.  As part of it’s 10th anniversary line-up the festival will be showing Empire at Mission Workshop Friday, November 12 at 6:00pm, tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the BFF website: http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/san-francisco

Let’s be fair,  though. SF probably started this sort of bike video nonsense with Mash.

Welp, the Mission’s best-kept foodie secret is out.

I loved Popeye’s when it was more underground, but I won’t be able to deal with the crowds now. At least the McDonalds on 24th St. is still untainted. Although, who knows how long that will last.

Get the full scoop and video at Mission Loc@l.

Tough crowd for one 24th st. busker.

[photo and title by Marty Your Friend]

You know how once you get a Red Hot Chili Peppers song stuck in your head you start hearing them everywhere you go? Then you inevitably start thinking about the crotch-cam in their “Give it Away” video and gross yourself out. Christ, why wont that band go away?

Michael Gillette had a similar experience with noticing sun designs on San Francisco buildings and started documenting them on SF Sun Houses. There are suns all up in this bitch. Perhaps this is a hint at a secret pagan conspiracy that runs this town? Or maybe we just really like the sun because, you know, it makes the Earth habitable and that’s where we keep all of our stuff. Go see for yourself, and be sure to tip him off if you see some worth noting.

On a related note, Michael’s art is really beautiful.

California is a Place posted a lovely mini-documentary on a Los Angeles Mariachi trumpeter who goes by the name “El Rey” that you should check out. These guys live music.

Next time you’re sitting next to one of these smartly-dressed fellas on MUNI, be sure to wish him a good gig.

Here’s the link. Embedded below if you’re not google reader’ing.

Who can afford to fight crime in this economy?

[snapped on 20th and Valencia]

P.S. Gwen Stacy or Mary-Jane Watson? I say Mary-Jane. Readheads all the way.

Meanwhile, in Northern Beach:

Be sure to express your approval (or less-likely disapproval) for this sign by voting today.