Sailing the seas of soft rock fondu

Next to peanut butter and chocolate, bigoted remarks and rehab, and baking soda and vinegar, almost nothing goes together quite as well as the wispy genres of lite jazz and lite rock. You can't fail with the wistful pairing of an easy-listening aural massage (via, say, a cover of Christopher Cross' "Sailing,") and the breezy notes of a jazz flautist. Come listen to Cool Nights, a soft-rock cover band; Sound Painters, a jazz outfit; and the genius comedic stylings of Carole & Mitzi, alter egos of Beth Lisick and Tara Jepsen, at "Soft Hits vs. Smooth Jazz: Hemlock Tavern's Valentine's Bash" this Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Hemlock Tavern at 9 p.m. Admission is $5; call 923-0923 or visit www.hemlocktavern.com for more info. — Brock Keeling

Think of all the energy that goes into getting a date to strip down to his or her skivvies. Club Neon is removing the barriers to intimate apparel when it hosts its third annual Valentine's Day Underwear Party at the Rickshaw Stop. With the requisite spit-swapping booth, bras 'n' panties catwalk strut, and sweaty jams on hand, there are lots of party tricks planned for this players' holiday. Slip into something less comfortable on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at the Rickshaw Stop at 9 p.m. Admission is $8-10; call 861-2011 or visit www.rickshawstop.com for more info. — Jennifer Maerz

As fun as attending a night at Mighty can be, the club always seems a couple drinks away from a lawsuit because of one treacherous step that sneaks up on you. So it's with equal parts amusement and trepidation that we ponder "Roller Disco," where the venue plans to add wheels to this dicey equation; the brave may bring skates or rent them for $2. DJs Citizen Ten and Monsieur M bring the funk, disco, and hip-hop sounds for this skate party on Thursday, Feb. 15, at Mighty at 10 p.m. Admission is $5; call 762-0151 or visit www.mighty119.com for more info. — Tamara Palmer

Creatively weaned on such bountiful breasts as Julliard, Rome's nightlife scene, SF MOMA, and the city's many intimate art house spaces, Mason Bates whisks together the sounds of down-tempo, hip hop, trip hop, French house, and funk beats in his club sets. He does all this with a fresh, experimental-y edge that lacks pretentiousness. As a symphonic composer/DJ, Bates' favored genres affect one another in unique and inspired ways. What's more, he'll help kick off the newly christened Mint Lounge (formerly BOCA), along with upright bassist David Arend, together pumping out jazzy electronica tunes. Bates takes to the decks this Thursday, Feb. 15, at Mint Lounge at 7 p.m. Admission is free; call 625-8880 or visit www.masonbates.com for more info. — B.K.