Mission Mission

If you think New Orleans is where you’ll find the best brass bands, you might want to take a second look at Southeastern Europe.

Balkan music is high-energy, virtuosic brass/percussion at it’s best and it has been finding it’s way into more American acts. You may have heard the influence in the music coming from that moody New Mexico kid Beirut, who is apparently more popular now than the actual Lebanese city which bares the same name.

San Francisco has its own Balkan Brass band, Brass Menazeri, who have been tearing it up for years. In fact, they are probably one of the only groups of their caliber in the states. Their shows are dancey and fun. Here’s a clip of them on Chasing the Moon.

If you’re into this stuff, starting October they are performing first Thursdays at El Valenciano. You know, that place you always walk by and wonder, “what goes on in there, anyway?”. Turns out, it’s actually a beautiful room with a lot of charm and an excellent dance floor.

Thursday, October 6, 2011 Brass Menazeri – now every first thursday!!!!
1153 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA (United States) – Map
Set: 9:00 PM
21+
Tickets: $5-10

If you’ve lived in California for at least a minute, you know about bubble tea, or boba. In its most basic form, it is a mixture of tea, milk, and a bunch of chewy tapioca balls (boba) that you extract from your cup with a giant plastic straw. Bubble tea originated in Taiwan, where the word “boba” also happens to be slang for boobs.

Our buddy Bin (aka YMFY) is about to launch his new boba tea shop in the heart of the Mission. He and his business partner Andrew plan to offer the traditional black milk tea as well as a few specialty flavors, all made from natural and artisanal ingredients. Last week, Bin gave us a preview of what lies ahead, and things are looking pretty tasty. Starting this week, the Boba Guys will be profiled in GOOD Magazine twice a week, so follow along as they build their shop from the ground up.

In all caps, no less.

Bummer, if only this dude used the Revolution Cafe bathroom right around the corner first, he may have decided instead to “study graff. history & go tag a bank.” Guess we’re stuck with this for now.

Update:

Aaand it’s back already, according to Mission Community Market, nice going guys!

Reminds me of those “PB&J” fries in Portland, made with satay sauce and raspberry-jalapeno jam. And those are great, so I bet this popsicle is too. Anybody snag one?

[via We Built This City]

Even though the general consensus seems to be in favor of bringing meals into bars to enjoy, sometimes it’s too crowded inside to make that a viable option. Nonetheless, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for burrito breath before heading inside either (especially if you’re entering the Make Out Room)! Proper oral hygiene is essential anywhere.

[photo of H.P. Mendoza by Amber]

This Wednesday night Muni Diaries invites you to once again grab a drink and not only listen to other people’s stories of the wackiness that is life on Muni, but to jump up and tell your own!

The evening will be a mix of returning MDL storytellers and opportunities for audience members to take the mic. That story about that time that that stuff happened on Muni? Get up and tell it!

Wednesday, 9/28, at The Elbo Room (647 Valencia St.) – Open mic signup starts at 6:30, show is from 7-9pm. $5 at the door and free drink with admission.

More at Muni Diaries.

Previously:

Young love on Muni

Turning left on 16th with police pursuit slowly in tow.

If you think you have what it takes to win some of the raddest trophies ever concocted, stop by The Lab tonight at 8pm to test your skill against the rest of San Francisco’s premier stackers of blocks.  I know everyone in this city is very proficient at forming lines (whether it’s in front of Bi-rite or on a mirror), so expect the competition to be fierce.  Luckily, karaoke-style sign-ups, rad bands, and huge projected game screens guarantee a fun night even for those lacking in Tetris tenacity.

Check out all the details here and on the Facebook page!

As someone who occasionally works at home, I know this bizarre phenomenon far too well:

[Killing My Lobster via Boing Boing]

Think you have the chops to build your own parklet? This progress video for Fabric8′s parklet gives you an idea of what’s involved.

[via Curbed SF]