Mission Mission

Authenticity is Regalito Rosticeria.

Thanks to Travis for the snap!

The Dave Hillyard Rocksteady 7 is playing tomorrow afternoon at Bender’s. Heard of it? It’s on 19th and South Van Ness and they don’t serve fried pickles anymore. They start at 3:30pm and will play until about 6:30pm.

You may recognize the group from that Give ‘em the Boot Vol.1 Hellcat compilation that everyone had in high school. Expect some old school instrumental ska and rocksteady sounds with a heaping of jazzy improvisation.

Dave is the sax player for the Slackers, a great NYC ska/rocksteady/reggae group that everyone tried to sound like (including me!). He will be joined by percussionist Larry McDonald, a Jamaican legend who played with pretty much everybody that mattered (no big deal, just the Skatalites, Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee Perry to name a few). The group will be filled out with members of Hepcat and the English Beat! It’s an all-star lineup all the way.

The 19-year-old rude boy in me is losing his shit right now. Caution: you can’t hang your Vespa up on the bike racks at Bender’s.

What would the Bizarro counterpart (see Superboy #68, 1957 -ed.) of our commander in chief look like? I think this artist rendering in the front door of La Rondalla answers that question.

Note how the artist managed to convey polished chrome features without the use of color. The hand-rendered lens flare effect is very refreshing a post-Photoshop world. Also, the intentional facial asymmetry of the subject allows us to reflect on our own imperfections and embrace them.

Perhaps most amazingly, the piece is dated 6-11-80. This artist was clearly far ahead of his time. I am glad this masterpiece has been carefully preserved in a quality binder sleeve for future generations to enjoy.

Kally Price is an amazing local jazz singer in the Billie Holiday and early blues tradition. She’s one of the most soulful and sincere singers in the bay area; you’ll get none of that mom-friendly Diana Krall business that Yoshi’s tries to shove down your throat. This stuff is more grandma-friendly. Face it, your grandparents were way cooler than your parents.

She starts at 9pm at goes till 12:30 at Revolution Cafe (or as I call it “little Amsterdam”) on 22nd and Bartlett. No cover charge so be sure to get your drink on and toss a fiver in the tip jar. We spotted Broke-Ass Stuart there last night so you know it’s affordable.

Check out this video I shot of her singing one of her originals at Amnesia a while ago:

Or if you’re looking for something more heavy:

The loosely-mission based post-punky new band La Corde are playing a show tonight in the mission opening for Crime Desire and OK?

Sub-Mission is on Mission and 18th. It shares space with Taqueria El Balazo. It’s one of those rare all-ages punk venues in a warehouse-y space. Don’t you miss having your mom drop you off at the Gilman and changing into your studded jean jacket while your best friend spiked your hair with Elmer’s glue in the parking lot? I do.

Nikolas Larson sent us this amazing technicolor lion he chalked up on 20th and Valencia. Pretty bitchin’, Nikolas. Looks like all those days in detention payed off.

The Knockout, a club known for a 90′s music night that you may have heard of (and for which I hold a completely neutral opinion), is having a swell show tonight.

Opening the night will be the Sarees, an all-girl psychedelic garage group driven by a goddamned electric sitar. That’s right, while you were just talking about how you “need to get a sitar because you’re down with eastern sounds and pretty good at guitar and they’ll like basically the same thing, right?” Michele actually did it and uses it in a real awesome band. On top of that, there is a Wong (drummer Jasmyn) in the group… and you can’t go Wong with a Wong.

Afterwards, stick around the spooky fever-dream folk of Marabelle Phoenix and country stylings of Tobyn Clark while sipping a tall-boy of Tecate.

Shows starts at 9:30 and costs 6 bucks.

P.S. If you’re a girl and you really have to go to the bathroom and find yourself in the men’s room, wait for a stall… trust me on this one.

Jscinsf submitted this shot from Bryant & 18th:

Over which the following email exchange quickly transpired:

Vic:

Thanks, but that doesn’t even make sense. How do you return a fuck after your done “renting” it? Rentals generally refer to goods, not services. Unless “fuck” refers to a douchey person whom one might call a “fuck” (it’s a stretch), but why would you want to rent one of those? You can just go to the Marina and hang out for a couple of hours and get it gratis. This street artist clearly did not think this through.

Kev:

Ever hear of prostitution?

Kat:

If you’re not gonna give a fuck, you’re not gonna get a fuck, so why not just rent a fuck?  That’s my stance.

For more on “fuck”, there was a documentary film that came out a few years ago that covers the subject quite well.

There, that should settle the question as to whether or not what we do is journalism.

While we’re on the subject of street art, it might interest you that we were contacted by a notable men’s magazine about publicizing their video profile on Dickchicken. We unanimously declined; I think we’ve done enough for Dickchicken. We watched it and he’s a dick. I won’t link it but you can probably find it by googling a magazine that rhymes with “Greyboy”.

Holey Moley!  This just in from Mission Mission reader Peter:

I was sitting in the window at Sugarlump just before noon, when the front wheel of a pretzel truck fell into a small sinkhole on 24th St. (between Bryant and Florida). Oh, the humanity!

Thanks Peter!

Hey guys: this is serious. If you find a bird that responds to the name “Grease Lightning” please let someone know. I’m not sure who, since this flyer doesn’t specify. Spotted at Boogaloos on 22nd and Valencia.

In case you haven’t been to every high school musical production in America at some point:

Edit: Better pic via local Olympian Shannon Rowbury‘s twitter. Wow she’s young, beautiful, can run faster than almost everyone in the world, AND she can take better pictures than me. What the hell am I good for? Don’t answer that question.

Flickr wizard GrimReynard brings us this eerie shot of the mission at 9am on January 1st 2010. I think the commenter Whole Wheat Toast puts it best with: “Dang, it’s hecka empty!”

Still waiting for KevMo’s aftermath pix.