Mission Mission

Ariel and I spotted a series of these on Saturday covering a wall on between 18th and 19th on Valencia, all with different messages. I don’t know where this guy got the visionary idea of making something as banal as a soup can into “art”, but I like it! It’s so… so… “popular”. Or, “pop”  if you will.

I’ve also never seen a formal apology on a wheatpaste piece before. Do you forgive them?

That’s right, Converse is letting you customize your All Stars now. Which means I can finally get some traditional maroon low-tops in a half size. Or you can celebrate the Giants or whatever. Or create an homage to your favorite pair of late-’80s Visions:

The latest on EDW Lynch’s latest romantic status was revealed at a press conference last week at Amnesia:

So glad to see the return of BBC reporter Darvid Tokishi. Anyway, they are accepting dating applications for all you interested parties, ladies or men. Legally, they can’t require you to specify.

The EDW Lynch corporate manglomerate is delighted to announce we are now accepting applications for our Fall romantic evaluation meeting (dating) season.

The manglomerate has been inundated by romantic inquiries ever since EDW Lynch announced our tri­umphant return to the San Francisco romantic market last week. Our easy to use dating application form will streamline the process of selecting qualified applicants for romantic evaluation meetings during Fall 2010.

Apply Now! EDW Lynch Application for Romantic Evaluation Meeting

As you can see, there are some very important questions in the evaluation:

I’ll have to run these documents by legal and touch base with the VP of Romantic Affairs. In the meantime, you can review the documentation at EDW Lynch.

Previously:

Breaking: Manglomerate EDW Lynch Leaving the SF Romantic Market

Iraqi-Japanese Fusion Restaurant Bonsai Tree Piercing

Our buddy Jennifer Maerz over at Spin closes her 12 Best Moments of Treasure Island Music Fest list with this astute appreciation of Surfer Blood:

The Pavement song “Box Elder” is a quintessential slacker kiss-off tune, especially when it comes to the peppy refrain, “I’ve got a lot of good things coming my way, and I’m afraid to say that you’re not one of them.” In the hands of Surfer Blood, though, the single went from wryly tough to dramatically sincere. Then again, the Florida boys’ entire set was nothing if not earnest. Frontman John Paul Pitts opened the group’s performance Sunday by asking if anyone was excited as he was to see headliner Belle & Sebastian later, and when fans sang along to Surfer Blood’s big hit “Swim,” Pitts responded by saying in all seriousness, “Hey, you guys know that song!” When the band closed out by paying homage to Pavement, Paul’s theatrical quiver added gravitas to a song that’s usually packed with wisecracks.

Yes it did. And before all that, J.P. also performed an epic stage dive, pictured above. Surfer Blood rules.

Previously:

Surfer Blood and Pavement at the Pitchfork Music Festival

Our recent post where Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch expresses regret for having missed the Fugazi show in Dolores Park back in 2000 elicited all sorts of nostalgia from readers who lived here at the time.  Knowing that my friend (and bandmate) Eric was around back then, I asked him about it at practice last night.

Turns out, not only was he (along with the rest of the Mission) at the park for the show, but Ian Mackaye also borrowed the Marshall Cab that now resides in our practice space in order to play.  While I was still grappling with this information, Eric moved aside the head and revealed a surviving piece of masking tape on which was written, “IAN Return to j,” so that all of the equipment Fugazi borrowed for the Dolores Park show would get back to their owners.

It’s obviously been a rough decade for the cab after its pinnacle in the park, as this hulking relic is now merely used as a PA for our singer when we practice.  Nonetheless, stop by Secret Studio to give it some Pope-style reverence if you feel like your music is in a rut and need some transitive inspiration from one of the greatest bands ever.

Oh, and buy our record if you get a chance!

Traditional jazz outfit Gaucho has been holding down the Wednesday 8-10pm slot at Amnesia for over 7 years. That has got to be one of the longest-running gigs in the Mission, right? Their new album “Pearl” was released today by the Mission’s own Porto Franco Records.

The record was recorded in Amnesia early this year while the bar was closed during the day. I was fortunate enough to sit in on those sessions while munching on my first ever Rhea’s sandwiches and it was a real treat. “Pearl” is almost entirely original compositions by guitarist and band leader Dave Ricketts that feel right at home with classic trad jazz standards.

A few songs feature vocalist Tamar Korn who they met last year on tour in NYC. Her amazing falsetto voice makes me feel like I’ve travelled back to a time where “dudes” where “fellas” and “fixies” were “penny-farthings“. Here she is singing a song about Dave’s cat:

You buy the record (CD or download) and check out some free tracks at Gaucho’s web site.

[photo by Brenda Ernst]

And it happened right in front of reader Andy’s place:

It was on 20th near Dolores, across from the Park.  A woman was
walking on the sidewalk when somebody got out of a car and grabbed her
purse, then sped off. (It was an older Maroon Cadillac).

He wasn’t able to get any pics of the vehicle or assailant, but did manage to alert the Twitterverse:

WTF?! Just saw a girl get mugged in front of my apartment. Cops showed up in less than 60 seconds (before I could find my phone).

The girl is not hurt, just freaked out and without a purse. They were in a car, grabbed her purse from her and sped off.

Incidentally, if you see a Maroon Cadilac driving fast around the mission, call 911.

We’re in communication with some of the folks involved and will have more on this soon, so be sure to check back for updates.  In the meantime, be careful out there!

[Photo by Ian Main]

Yesterday morning at around 8:45 I was on my way to work, sitting on the back of the 22 Fillmore, when I noticed a kid sitting across the back bench from me acting really weird. I looked over and sized him up to be about a high school freshman, maybe 13, African American, with a backpack next to him, and a bagged tall boy in his hand.

He was moaning loudly and it looked like his head was too heavy to keep above his body. He kept awkwardly shifting himself around, knocking into the walls of the bus. I leaned over to him.

“Hey man, are you okay?” He looked at me, not really able to get his eyes to focus on mine.

“Huh?” “Are you all right?” “Yeah, yeah.” He smiled with his eyes closed. “I’m cool.” I reached over to him “Well, you’re gonna spill your drink, let me get that for you.” “Nah, I got it.” And his head smacked against the bench seat. He quickly jerked himself back up. “Okay, I know you’ve got it, but I’m just saying, me, I wouldn’t mess with that stuff.” “I know . . . it’s just soda.” “Uh huh.” “I’m cool . . . thanks for your concern.” He tried to drink it but was having trouble getting it to meet with his mouth.

From www.drinkfour.com/

I didn’t want to be giving him a lecture or anything, but he was pretty out of it. “Okay, well lemme just get that from you.” “Oh! I think I have to get off here! I gotta get to school. Okay, hold on.” He took a huge gulp and handed it to me. I looked at the can, watermelon flavored 4 Loko. Caffeine, taurine, guarana and the alcohol of 3 beers. “Thanks, man.” He said and stood up to get off the bus, taking one step that took him right down to the floor. “I gotta get off!” He yelled as he crawled to the back door and down the steps. The bus drove away and I looked out the back window. He waved at me and then stumbled off.

I don’t think it takes a lot to prove that colorful, fruity sweet alcopops are marketed to kids. And I know that high school kids do stupid things. I did. But this made me pretty sad. Brown bagging it on the back of the bus early in the morning. He reminded me of a lot of guys I see on the bus every day. I don’t mean young urban professionals trying to look edgy in Luna Park. I mean old homeless people.

What do you suppose might happen if, as has been suggested, popular Mint Plaza boutique ice water purveyor House of Ice Water were to move to open an ice-water cart in Dolores Park?

Previously:

Blue Bottle the Next American Apparel?

I always try to look cool by hanging my paw out the window like that, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work as good as this.

Photo by kinesisfilms.