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 >>

For a metal band, Gojira sports a name so fantastic that it's shocking no one snapped it up earlier. The Bayonne, France-based outfit nods to Godzilla's original Japanese moniker (before legal complications, the group called itself Godzilla), even though the four-piece's sonic traits don't... More >>

It's been over a decade since The Walkmen's debut full-length, and after last year's unusually joyous album Heaven, it's fair to say the band is a different animal these days. There's still no one on Earth who can go from a croon to a wail quite like Hamilton Leithauser, but the dapper indie... More >>

Ordinarily, a London-based soul chanteuse has zero reason to beef with a hulking 1990s rapper from the Bronx — but that's not the case for Jessie Ware and the late Big Pun. The ultra-chic up-and-comer and producer Julio Bashmore sampled a line from Pun's "Dream Shatterer" ("I'm carvin' my... More >>

It's been over a decade since The Walkmen's debut full-length, and after last year's unusually joyous album Heaven, it's fair to say the band is a different animal these days. There's still no one on Earth who can go from a croon to a wail quite like Hamilton Leithauser, but the dapper indie... More >>

There's a moon-goddess mysticism in the electro-pop of Niki and The Dove, something that brings a primal warmth to the icy pop sensibilities they share with similar Nordic acts (The Knife, Robyn). Their underrated 2012 release, Instinct, harnesses these humanizing influences: Prince, Kate Bush,... More >>

Sure, standing around in the stairwell of 49 Geary drinking champagne during its First Thursday gallery openings can be fun. But it's not a great way to see the best artwork this city can offer (unless you view getting trampled as a form of crowd-sourced, contemporary performance art). Switch... More >>

Icee Hot has come a long way since it first began as a monthly workout in the cramped basement at 222 Hyde. Yet even though it now regularly hosts huge parties in the city's larger venues, one thing has remained the same: its consistently cutting-edge bookings. This month marks the party's... More >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

When a band reaches the impressive achievement of record No. 10, it's okay to wonder if monotony and apathy are perhaps playing key roles in keeping the act afloat. But on new album Parastrophics, German experimental electronic duo Mouse on Mars stomps all over that assumption. Jan St. Werner... More >>

In a period of time seemingly dominated by guests from out of town, it's comforting to know that there are still local alternatives. 2 Men Will Move You is a party put together by long-time fixtures on the San Francisco nightlife scene Primo Pitino (of Oldies Night fame) and Jordan Heyser.... More >>

Ever wish you were on the set of your favorite indie music video, dancing in a meadow with flowers and half-naked hipsters surrounding you? Well, good, we don't either. It's much more preferable to live out this indie dancing fantasy in a small club, where shots are pouring and pollen allergies... More >>

The current surge of early-reggae and R&B club nights in town shows that the '60s are finally back in an authentic, non-Boomer-centric way. For the last few years, the twice-monthly Saturday Night Soul Party has maintained a spot on the top of the heap. DJs Phengren, Paul Paul, and Pink Panzer... More >>

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 >>

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 >>

"It's no secret anymore! I've always been a little black girl trapped in the body of a big white bear — and now I'm letting her out!" says local disco DJ Bus Station John. Perhaps best known for his seamy, disco-driven Tubesteak Connection bathhouse revival parties, the past year has seen... More >>

According to San Francisco-based hip-hop DJ Ryan Nolan, aka Ry Toast, her two professions of DJing and yoga instructor really aren't that different. Both involve a sweaty crowd whose mood and enjoyment are dependent upon the skillful decision-making of the professional at the front of the room.... More >>

In this shitty economy sometimes you have to choose between beer, rock 'n' roll, and dinner. Not tonight. At the monthly Hot Dogs & Asteroids event, the Casanova makes you pay for the booze, but the rock — and the hot dogs — are free. The "powerpop, bubbleglam, and punk 'n' roll" DJs... More >>