San Francisco Carnaval is a cultural arts celebration born of the determination of a strong-willed neighborhood collective. Now in its 34th year, this lively and colorful event has grown into one of California’s largest multi-ethnic events. This year, Carnaval invites locals to... More >>

As far as we can tell, San Francisco’s first drag bar was a happy accident -- unofficial history holds that Joe Finocchio established his eventually world-famous “female impersonator” spot in 1936 after hearing a customer in his father’s bar imitate Sophie Tucker, known... More >>

The Audium was started in 1965 by composer Stan Shaff and equipment designer Doug McEachern. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays, and you have to be there on time — they lock the door. The room fits 50 people or so. There are chairs arranged in a semicircle. There are something like 180... More >>

San Francisco's largest electronic dance music festival will now take place in Mountain View. Seeking to capitalize on dance music's massive appeal, Live Nation planned to hold the first-ever I Love This City fest in the lots around San Francisco's AT&T Park this Friday and Saturday. But... More >>

Even in a vinyl-friendly city such as San Francisco, most club nights are propelled by DJs spinning CDs or playing songs through laptops. Not so with 45 Sessions, a party that challenges DJs to make the party jump with only seven inches of funk. This week, 45 Sessions and Mighty present Large... More >>

Back in 2008, heads turned when a band called Laughing Light of Plenty released “The Rose.” Dropped on the enigmatic Whatever We Want imprint, it sounded like an inspired mix between the neo-Balearic murmurings of that year and the cockshure swagger of The Stone Roses. Though the... More >>

The new year has brought with it some fresh blood in the form of new parties and promoters. An example of this is Neon Vinyl, a roving affair that’s dedicated to bridging the gap between classic and contemporary aspects of dance music. Prance is a one-off venture associated with said... More >>

Jamie Stewart doesn't make things easy — not for fans of Xiu Xiu, not for his group's assorted guest personnel, and certainly not for himself. The San Jose-based musician has long frolicked in the depths of human misery, creating an alluringly fucked-up package out of restrained guitar... More >>

Ghetto Funk, the British record label and collective, is bringing Regrooved, its international DJ tour, to San Francisco for the first time. The party is loosely built on the idea of remixing, remaking, and recontextualizing old groove records for a breakbeat-wise crowd. This installment will... More >>

If it’s June and after dark, and you see women tottering around Civic Center in gowns with color palettes from silent films and their dates’ tuxedo jackets on their shoulders, you’ve probably wandered upon the San Francisco Symphony’s biannual Black and White Ball.... More >>

James Ford and Jas Shaw come from a live band background, though you wouldn't know it from Unpatterns, the UK production duo's third full-length dance record as Simian Mobile Disco. There are no upfront vocal bangers or indulgent in-the-red moments; honestly, there aren't even that many overtly... More >>

G.B.H.'s world is best visualized as a dilapidated back alley covered in sewage, trash, soot, and other forms of grime you'd rather not get to know better. The Birmingham, England, outfit unleashes street-punk like it's meant to be unleashed, using uppercut-on-the-jaw tempos, gang chants, a... More >>

The young generation fetishizes realness in entertainment, and that's partly Van Halen's fault. The '80s were about mystery and wonder: How do people like Dee Snider or Madonna or the Beastie Boys spring up from nowhere in cone bras and clown makeup to pour beer out on people's heads?... More >>

If the city’s dance arts community were to form a rock ’n’ roll-style supergroup, it might look something like the choreographers and performers who have assembled for the charitable night dubbed the Get in Front Performance. San Francisco Ballet soloists Garen Scribner and... More >>

Mud wrestling is so over. It's like Dynasty or that mechanical-bull thing that John Travolta made famous about 50 years ago in Oklahoma or Kansas or wherever that movie was. Here in sexy San Francisco -- in the enlightened 21st century -- we have lube wrestling, namely Go Deep: Let's Wrestle.... More >>

A hand-picked assortment of bright young DJs, musicians, and designers sharing a love of timeless disco, Honey Soundsystem began as a roving revelry and gradually worked its way up to a weekly gig. A grab-bag of surprises, each session pulls liberally from the history of queer San Francisco... More >>

Listen closely to the music of LCD Soundsystem, and you’ll notice the complex network of samples and interpolations that supports the group’s sound. For instance, “Get Innocuous” references Kraftwerk’s “The Robots,” “Dance Yourself Clean” is... More >>

In a city dominated by out-of-town guests and multi-billed parties, it's comforting to know that there are still some locals holding it down on the weekend. Warm Leatherette is one place where that happens. Held at Mission punk venue Sub/Mission, resident DJs Justin, Riegler, Nihar, and Jason P... More >>

I read it for the articles. That was a common defense of men who were caught with Playboy magazines in past decades. Although sometimes it wasn't true and probably never taken seriously, it was a valid defense: Playboy had a great selection of advice columns, fiction, and serious journalism... More >>

P unk rock can be an immensely powerful weapon of change, with fiery guitars and drums creating intense, perspective-shaking expressions of the human condition. Alternately, punk can be used to par-tay, which Mean Jeans cares about way more than any sociopolitical rigmarole. On its Facebook... More >>

Buried deep down in the very core of our hearts is the passion to perform. We secretly want to dress in 1960s get-up, strap on a ukulele, and do Tiny Tim covers. No? Maybe that's just us. However, we can all agree on the burning desire to perform and create art. The hard part (besides mustering... More >>

The young generation fetishizes realness in entertainment, and that's partly Van Halen's fault. The '80s were about mystery and wonder: How do people like Dee Snider or Madonna or the Beastie Boys spring up from nowhere in cone bras and clown makeup to pour beer out on people's heads?... More >>

If it's dancing girls you want, or if it's a dancing girl you are, Baxtalo Drom is your jam. Deep, deep in the steampunk jungle, this belly-dance-flavored club is rife with old-timey aesthetics, exposed tattooage, and feathers in hairdos. The evening is organized by the very pretty women of... More >>

As long as humans feel nostalgia, there shall be nights looking back at decades the kids may or may not have been alive to go through the first time. DJ parties focused on the '90s are popping up all over town: the Western Addition version — I ♥ the '90s — is at Madrone, where... More >>