Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Sizzle

R.I.P. Dave Devereaux.

Soundgarden rocked Bill Graham.

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• Dave Devereaux
• Bill Graham
• Soundgarden
• Punk Rock
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

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• We got major '90s flashbacks when the Soundgarden reunion tour rolled through Bill Graham Civic. Flashes of gray hair aside — and despite Chris Cornell obviously taking it easy on his voice — the band rolled through grunge staples like "Outshined," "My Wave," and even "Black Hole Sun," sounding just as loud and thick as we'd hoped.

• Speaking of the '90s, Oakland outfit Mister Loveless headlined Bottom of the Hill for the release of its "Nineties Children" single Saturday and finally shed those cheap Joy Division comparisons. The four dapper dudes showed they know how to temper teenage angst with artful distance — and how to keep the crowd smiling.

• Get out the black nail polish, because S.F.'s Darkwave scene is still very much alive. Parties like Dancing Ghosts, now at Cat Club, and Shutter at Elbo Room are holding court for those who wanna dance to bands like Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Cure. Don't get scared by all the dim-hued outfits, though — Darkwave fans assure us they're friendly.

Fizzle

• "Braindead" Dave Devereaux, owner of the Mission's Force of Habit Records, died earlier this month of unknown causes. An acquaintance of Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra and an obsessive record geek, Devereaux will be deeply missed. We're heartened that his family is trying to keep Force of Habit in the business of selling rare punk records.

• The lineup for this year's Treasure Island Music Festival is out — and it's just okay. After a spectacular 2010, the festival is bringing headliners Death Cab for Cutie and Empire of the Sun out to party on that pile of fill in the middle of the bay. The middle of the lineup is really where it's at, with the likes of Flying Lotus, Shabazz Palaces, Friendly Fires, St. Vincent, and Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks all set to play Oct. 15 and 16.

• After a fight with her boyfriend and an ensuing 36-hour drug and alcohol binge, troubled singer Amy Winehouse died in her London home on Saturday. She was 27. Maybe now that she's gone, we can stop gawking at her self-destruction and fully appreciate the incredible music she left behind.