San Francisco Events - San Francisco Entertainment Guide

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Recommended Events
Audium 9 Audium-Theatre of Sound-Sculptured Space : 8:30 p.m. every Fri., Sat.
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 >>
Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf	New Age, Experimental, Ambient

Go Deep!: Let's Wrestle El Rio : 8:00 p.m. first Thu. of every month
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 >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Cabaret, Burlesque

The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Faceless, Royal Thunder, DJ Rob Metal DNA Lounge : 8:30 p.m. May 19
The video for the Dillinger Escape Plan's "When I Lost My Bet" doubles as a nifty intro to the Morris Plains, N.J.-based outfit. The most disconcerting thing about Mitch Massie's gory fever dream of a clip, which promotes a track off the band's new record One of Us Is the Killer, is not its oil... More >>
South of Market	Rock, Metalcore, Metal, Hardcore, All Ages

Fabolous, Pusha T Mezzanine : 9:00 p.m. May 19
Pusha T, half of the Virginia coke-rap duo Clipse and the last big-deal signee to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, works in mysterious ways. This helps explain how he came by his prodigious messiah complex (his first solo full-length, slated for release in July, is called My Name Is My Name):... More >>
South of Market	Hip-Hop

Boris: From the Past, The Present, and Through to the Future (performing Flood) Rickshaw Stop : 8:00 p.m. May 22
Formed in the early '90s, when guitarist Wata, bassist/guitarist Takeshi, and drummer Atsuo met while attending a Tokyo art school, the Japanese experimentalists in Boris have traveled a bewildering path from their early roots as drone/doom merchants. Early efforts Absolute Ego and Amplifier... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Rock, Post-Punk, Metal, Experimental, All Ages

Boris: From the Past, The Present, and Through to the Future (All Time Classics) Rickshaw Stop : 8:00 p.m. May 21
Formed in the early '90s, when guitarist Wata, bassist/guitarist Takeshi, and drummer Atsuo met while attending a Tokyo art school, the Japanese experimentalists in Boris have traveled a bewildering path from their early roots as drone/doom merchants. Early efforts Absolute Ego and Amplifier... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Rock, Metal, Experimental, All Ages

More Events
"Oldies Night" The Knockout : 10:00 p.m. first Fri. of every month
Few things can match the sheer exuberance of a packed house at Oldies Night. The long-standing Mission staple is one of the best places in the city to lose yourself and sweat it out dancing to soul 45s. DJs Primo and Daniel serve up a broad selection of cuts (both common and rare) to a crowd of... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Soul, Oldies, DJ

Classical Revolution Revolution Cafe : 8:00 p.m. every Mon.
Armed with stringed instruments and intense training from the likes of Juilliard and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Classical Revolution is on a mission to change the way classical music is perceived and performed in this city. Conceived in late 2006, the collective's intent has been... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Free, Classical

"Lost & Found" Make-Out Room : 9:30 p.m. every Tue.
While most '60s soul parties are dedicated to uptempo bangers, Lost & Found takes a different tack. Thrown Tuesday nights at the Make-Out Room, it's an evening dedicated to the slower side of soul with a playlist that sounds tailor-made for some hip '60s prom. Veteran DJs Lucky and Primo... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Soul, R&B, DJ

Smack Dab Magnet : 7:30 p.m. third Wed. of every month
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 >>
Castro/ Noe Valley	Open Mic

"Death Guild" DNA Lounge : 9:30 p.m. every Mon.
Dying to dance, brood, or peel the yellow wallpaper off the wall? Well, so are these fun freaks. Join them at Death Guild, won't you? Every Monday night at DNA Lounge, gaggles of 18-and-over moody bastards come to show off their blackest attire and eyeliner while pouting to goth, industrial,... More >>
South of Market	Industrial, Gothic, Electronica, EDM, DJ, Dance

"Hard French" El Rio : 2:00 p.m. first Sat. of every month
At this point in time, Hard French might as well be a local institution. Now into its third season, the Motown-heavy queer day party presents itself as a viable alternative to the usual Saturday hangover damage control. Head down to the El Rio and you'll be able to catch six hours of "hard... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Soul, Oldies, LGBT, DJ, Dance

"The Teenage Dance Craze" The Knockout : 10:00 p.m. last Fri. of every month
We're just dreaming, but here is our dream: to see dive-bar dancers whose attention to detail matches the obsession of Bay Area vintage-music DJs. For example, at Lonely Teardrops' doo-wop night about a year ago, we lost our composure and requested a Claudine Clark song. "I have one," the DJ... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Rock, Oldies, Garage, DJ

"Housepitality" F8 : 9:00 p.m. every Wed.
Like hunger, the urge to dance can strike at rather inopportune moments. When you get that midweek itch, Housepitality is something you can turn to for relief. Put on by Miguel Solari and PillowTalk's Michael Tello, it's a weekly affair dedicated to the deeper strains of dance music. Swing by... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	House, EDM, DJ, Dance

Gaucho, Eric Garland's Jazz Session, Dink Dink Dink Amnesia : 7:00 p.m. every Wed.
The term "gaucho" commonly refers to nomadic South American cowboys, which is pretty indicative of how the San Francisco band Gaucho plays its version of Gypsy jazz: in Gaucho's hands, le jazz manouche is left playfully unchained to the genre's European historical foundations, allowing the... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Jazz, Gypsy, Free, Acoustic

"1964" Edinburgh Castle : 10:00 p.m. second Wed. of every month; 10:00 p.m. fourth Wed. of every month
This dance party gets the records spinning every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. While the red Christmas lights could come across as gauche, they prove to be casually intimate as you and other stylish fauxhemians are transported to 1964. That's right: The Shirelles, the Sapphires, the... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	Soul, Rock, Oldies, DJ

Toshio Hirano Amnesia : 9:00 p.m. second Mon. of every month
Toshio Hirano is a time- and continent-jumping troubadour. He grew up in Tokyo, coming of age when the American folk revival was also hitting Japan, but a chance listen to a Sunday afternoon radio program introduced him to the sound of southern Appalachia. Fast-forward through moves to... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Free, Country, Bluegrass, Americana, Acoustic

Hot Pocket Pier 23 Cafe : 4:00 p.m. third Sun. of every month
San Francisco quintet Hot Pocket, an offshoot of the 10-piece hip-hop and Latin funk outfit Bayonics, has built a solid following by filling bars across the city several times a week with its enormous repertoire of soul, funk, and hip-hop covers. We spoke briefly to lead vocalist and San... More >>
Embarcadero	Soul, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Funk, Covers

"Punk Rock Sideshow" Hemlock Tavern : 10:00 p.m. every Mon.
You can blame Al Gore for the dearth of quality punk rock in the jukeboxes of America. Not because of his li'l censor-happy P.M.R.C. wife (who's done plenty of damage, no doubt), but because Al had to go and invent the internet. What a bum! Even dives with great jukes are phasing out their... More >>
Nob Hill/ Russian Hill/ Fisherman's Wharf	Rock, Punk, Hardcore, Free, DJ

"Loose Joints" Make-Out Room : 10:00 p.m. every Fri.
Since 2007, the DJ trio of Tom Thump, Damon Bell, and DJ Centipede has offered up Loose Joints, the most ass-shakingest weekly survey of African-rooted pop in the city. Step into the Make-Out Room, order a couple of drinks, admire the sparkly ceiling decor, and listen before you dance. Along... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Soul, International, House, Hip-Hop, Funk, DJ, Dance

"I ♥ the '90s" Madrone Art Bar : 9:00 p.m. fourth Fri. of every month
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 >>
Haight/ Fillmore	Hip-Hop, DJ, Dance

"Radical Vinyl: Gay/Not Gay" El Rio : 9:00 p.m. every Mon.
No other sexually ambiguous club night wears its Kierkegaardian handle quite as well as Gay/Not Gay. Guests walking into El Rio on a Monday evening immediately succumb to a meltdown of libidinal uncertainty and psychological ambiguity. Fortunately, DJs Mrs. Robinson and Jenny Hoyston spin a... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Rock, LGBT, Hip-Hop, Free, DJ, Dance

"Peaches" Skylark Bar : 10:00 p.m. every Thu.
Ever since she was a child, Bay Area DJ ThatGirl has been interested in street art and its connection to the hip-hop movement. However, it wasn't until she attended a rave in 1997 that she discovered her desire to channel this creativity into music, most notably turntablism. She soon purchased... More >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	Soul, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Funk, Free, DJ

Baxtalo Drom Amnesia : 9:00 p.m. fourth Fri. of every month
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 >>
Mission/ Bernal Heights	International, Cabaret, Acoustic

"High Fantasy" Aunt Charlie's Lounge : 10:00 p.m. every Tue.
Weekends are for amateurs — the really good stuff happens during the week. Well, that might be a little hyperbolic, but it's certainly true in the case of High Fantasy. Going on for over two years now, the weekly Tuesday night party at Aunt Charlie's is your midweek destination for a dose... More >>
Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin	LGBT, DJ, Dance