Mission Mission

We stopped by for a pint last night and it was pretty cool. A rare twist on one of the most classic (and consistent) tastes in SF (and the world).

[Photo by Bender's on Instagram]

Now please enjoy all these past Drinks of the Weeks…

I was at the Cal Academy of Sciences the other night for their weekly NightLife party (where it’s 21+ and there’s booze everywhere) and came upon this portion of their earthquake exhibit wherein visitors are asked to share earthquake-related memories.

Here’s a good one from the Mission:

And this one is good too:

Those exact circumstances might be hard to duplicate — but you can definitely pick up Lo-Fi Aperitifs products at Royal Cuckoo Market on 19th Street, just a couple blocks from the park, which gets you about halfway there. Here’s what the bottle looks like:

And here’s a closeup of the label, which gives you a nice hint of what to expect:

And all those ingredients are local! Read all about it, and Lo-Fi Aperitifs’ other fine products, here.

Note also that this stuff goes really good in cocktails, like this one my pal Jess had:

(That photo is by Jess.)

Now please enjoy all these previous Drinks of the Weeks…

We try not to miss our chance to see a show at PianoFight, after all what’s better than food, drinks and theater all in one place? We are particularly glad we didn’t miss The Ice Cream Sandwich Incident, a new play by Barry Eitel (head writer of Boxcar Theater’s 2014 production of Speakeasy) that looks at what happens when you put together a crew of four oddballs on experimental space mission….to nowhere. If you haven’t experienced a Faultline Theater show at the PianoFight venue, this is the show to do it.

Brittany: That was fun.

Katie: It was really fun. I love that the play was a walking, talking social experiment. Super entertaining and well done. My only criticism is the scene transitions could have been a little tighter.

B: Yeah, they definitely had some trouble with transitions. I think a lot of the problem was the lighting design. There were a few times I noticed the lights, and you really aren’t supposed to notice the lights. People didn’t even know it was intermission, and people only knew it was the end of the play when people started bowing.

K: Exactly, the ending didn’t feel like an ending. The lighting really threw me off.

B: I thought it was a creative concept though. Exploring what happens when four people share a small “space station” is surprisingly relatable, at least if you have had roommates. Somebody eating all the ice-cream sandwiches can totally create a month long drama. It’s so ridiculous, but so feasible at the same time. I would be pissed if I was stuck on a “space station” and I was looking forward to dessert all week and someone ate my goddamn ice-cream sandwich.

K: Me too! I thought there were a lot of clever moments in this piece. Those blue rope lights tho… so college dorm room.

B: I agree, but if the worst thing is the lighting design that’s a pretty good show.

K: True, and if you are wanting more after this show you can hit up the 9:30 show and after that you can hit up the 11:59 improv show and just theater your face off. Or just sit in the bar, eat, drink and listen to the live music. Not a bad night.

The Verdict: Refreshing, fun and clever. If you like seeing shows that have ridiculous relationship drama, but also hilariously reflect real-life, this is the night out at the theater for you.

The Drama Talk: Faultline Theater reliably pulls together talented people to put on interesting plays; The Ice-cream Sandwich Incident is no exception. Good talent, good set, good costumes, all around well produced (except we didn’t like the lighting design). The playwright’s ideas about how-to mediate conflicts in space are funny and fantastic. With such activities as a “space ballet” dance-off, a mock talk-show, and a reality TV style “chamber of emotions”, the play explores realistic roommate drama in hilarious ways.

The Drinks: We love PianoFight, because it’s a one stop shop for food and drinks and entertainment. If you haven’t made it to this venue yet you really should! Great food (OMG their fries), cocktails (the Goldrush is delicious and dangerous), two  theaters and a cabaret stage with live music. Sometimes it’s nice to only have to go to one place, and this night we did just that.

The Ice Cream Sandwich Incident runs through August 27th, with shows at 7:30 Thursday – Saturday, and 6pm on Sundays. Tickets range from $25 for VIP front row tickets, to $15 for general admission, or $10 (The Double Date) for groups of 4+, and are available through the Faultline Theater website.

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At Pops Bar, local DJs rule the decks. This Wednesday, Spin the Night promises you a bloodbath of amazing, organic, spaced-out trax on wax. Spin the night is a fun boozy filled evening showcasing the local heroes working hard to keep the music scene alive and well in San Francisco. No particular genre, just music that inspires us to party on. Sepehr and special SF guests are taking over this week for some craziness! Don’t miss out!

This week at Pops Bar:

8/15/16 MONDAY

American Tripps: The “Berlin-Style” Ping Pong Night!

Born in the back rooms of dive bars in Berlin and perfected in the secret semi-legal art spaces of the Mission, this is a brand of ping pong built for happy hours and late nights.

With DJs Beauregard & Nutzeffekt (and special guests) spinning dancefloor gems and barroom bangers they picked up in Berlin and elsewhere.

Now every Monday at Pop’s, 6pm-2am, no cover

8/16/16 TUESDAY

Trivia Tuesdays

Pops Quiz

$2 to play

8:30-10:30PM

Join us every Tuesday of the month and test your wits at Pops trivia night “POP’s Quiz” where your brain may get stump on categories such as Pop’s culture, Sports, Movies, Music and more, with little snippets of audio and visual effects too! So come on in for some good ole fashion competition and a night of drinking with the crew! It is a 2 dollar cover and winner gets the pot!! so tell friends and family because the more peeps the steeper the cash prize is!!

MUSIC THERAPY

Electro-Cumbia Breaks, Hip Hop, Nu Latin Beats

9PM-1:30am

No Cover

21 UP

8/17/16 WEDNESDAY

Spin the Night

Spin the night is a fun boozy filled evening showcasing the local heros working hard to keep the music scene alive and well in San Francisco. No particular genre, just music that inspires us to party on.

Sepehr and special SF guests are taking over this week for some craziness!

FEATURING SOUNDS BY:

BOB FIVE (DTE / STAR KOMMAND / OUTERFK*N SPACE)

PETKO NIKOLOV (SHUFFLE CO-OP)

RODNEY K (SIICK BAGELS / DEBUT SET)

AND MAYBE EVEN SEPEHR (BLACK CATALOGUE)

Expect a bloodbath of amazing, organic, spaced-out trax on wax.

9pm-2am

No Cover

8/18/16 THURSDAY

DJ Sektor

Happy Hour Entertainment 6-9pm with DJ Sektor spinning Retro Thursday.

BFF.FM Night

9PM-1:30AM

Rotating DJs from local BFF.fm radio!

This Week: DJ Melly G

• Más Lowrider Jams

• • Miami BASS

• • • Nigerian Club

• • • • That new Rihanna song

• • • 90′s R&B

• • BackPack Rap

• BOUNCE

9PM-1:30AM

No Cover

21UP

Come support local community radio.

8/19/16 FRIDAY

Happy Hour Entertainment 6-9pm

Haight Street All Stars

If you are looking for a good time, Todd’s rock and roll band, “The Haight Street All-Stars” will exceed your highest expectations. Featured at the Haight Street Fair this year, the blues/rock sensation, “The Haight Street All-Stars” will keep you dancing throughout the night. Playing songs to the likes of James Brown, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Albert King and many more. “The Haight Street All-Stars” are fun from beginning to end. Come on out to enjoy some soul in San Francisco !

Roger Niner Karaoke

9PM-1:30am

“Roger Niner is back in The Mission… at Pops! And he’s bringing his big ole’ book of rare and unheard karaoke tunes! Find and sing a new favorite or a long forgotten oddity! Karaoke like you never left the basement of your parents house! We go until they tell us to shut the hell up! Check out the songbook at book.rogerniner.com, and PREPARE!”

Web: www.rogerniner.com,

Facebook: Roger Niner Karaoke

Twitter: @rogerniner

Instagram: @rogerniner

8/20/16 SATURDAY

DJ SEKTOR

Resident DJ Sektor

9PM-1:30AM

No Cover

21 UP

8/21/16 SUNDAY

MUSIC THERAPY

Electro-Cumbia Breaks, Hip Hop, Nu Latin Beats

5PM-10PM

No Cover

21 UP

POPS BAR

2800 24th Street @ York

San Francisco, CA 94110

www.popssf.com

Film Night in the Park 2016 presents Goonies in Dolores Park this Saturday night right after the sun goes down! Here’s a blurb about Film Night:

Film Night in the Park is San Francisco’s premiere outdoor film series. Over 125,000 people have attended Film Night in San Francisco since 2003. Films are presented free of charge on a giant outdoor screen in beautiful park settings. Attendees are encouraged to picnic before screenings and are discouraged from bringing chairs.

Check the rest of the schedule here.

[Fan art by █▬█◉⋒ㅌ⑂ ᶨ℮✝⑀]

FIVE YEARS! THAT IS NUTS!!!

Here’s what I wrote in my blog post about the first one ever, way back in August 2011:

Well, this has been a dream of mine for a couple years now. The first time I played ping pong in Berlin, my mind was blown and I chanted for weeks and months, “WHY DO WE NOT HAVE THIS IN SAN FRANCISCO???”

Now we do. It’s a party called American Tripps and it debuts the first two Fridays in August.

[...]

It starts mellow, everybody strolling around the table, drinks in hand, possibly movin’ to the music, getting to know the people next to you in the circle. And as people mess up and the ranks dwindle, the action gets serious. But not too serious. It’s all in good fun. It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to hang out. It’s fun. It’s the best!

And it still is! I’m still hungover from last night at Pop’s (where we do American Tripps each and every Monday now) thanks to lots of ping pong and lots of beers and shots and lots of bangers by DJ Beauregard.

Friday is gonna be wild.

Here’s the official invite:

It’s been FIVE YEARS! Let’s party!!!

AMERICAN TRIPPS: The “Berlin-Style” Ping Pong Party
**********5th Anniversary Party*************

• Berlin-style ping pong action ALL NIGHT
• Resident DJs Beauregard & Nutzeffekt (aka Malcolm + Allan) spinning vinyl fresh from Berlin (and elsewhere)
• Birthday cake!
• Party favors!
• Dancefloor up on stage!
• Drink specials!
• Birthday surprises!
• Special appearances by Kramer and Newman (possibly)

Also, we’re sort of filling in for Popscene, so this is an 18+ party! Tell your kids!

Only $5 (because 5 years) at the door (plus an extra $2 if you’re under 21).

As always, please RSVP and invite your friends!!!

It might not completely save the day, but every little bit helps… Capp Street Crap reports:

Last week, the city’s Historical Preservation Committee voted to approve the bar for the city’s legacy business program, which offers financial incentives to protect the city’s older vulnerable businesses. Doc’s Clock will cement its new status if the Small Business Commission votes in its favor at a meeting later this month.

Doc’s Clock has about a year and two months remaining on its lease at 2575 Mission St., which changed hands in July of last year. The new owner has decided not to renew the bar’s lease.

Read on for the details of the program and some thoughts from Doc’s owner Carey Suckow.

And then also, if you want, read my emo poem about Doc’s from a couple months ago.

[Photo of Doc's Clock's bathroom ceilings in 2010 by Fred M.]

[via █▬█◉⋒ㅌ⑂ ᶨ℮✝⑀]

This Thursday, It’s the Highpoint Lowlife Radio Show’s turn to host the weekly BFF.fm night at Pops Bar. Highpoint Lowlife originally started out as a weekly DJ night at POW! on 6th and Mission, circa 1999, so it’s gonna be a fun one playing the same blend of weirdo electronics, hip hop, and noise! With DJ’s Thor, Bill Shitski and Mel taking you on a musical adventure all night.

Check out this week’s full entertainment line up at Pops Bar:

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