Michael Jackson

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

What Happens When Children Start a Band

On wikiHow, there are instructions on how to properly start up a band. The entry splendidly reduces the whole tortuous process to a series of simply phrased steps -- "Don't have people in the band who refuse to practice!" "Watch out for egos!" "Try to wear the same colors!" -- while conveying an unc ... More >>

Das Racist Interview: "As Long as We're Getting Paid, I'm Not Really Mad at Whatever People Want to Call It"

Das Racist performs tonight at Ruby Skye.​ Das Racist wants to be taken on its own terms. Sort of. The Brooklyn-based trio consisting of Himanshu "Heems" Suri, Victor Vazquez, and hypeman/ "spiritual advisor" Ashok Kondabolu has spent more time discussing the group's motivations, identity, and ... More >>

Restaurateurs Beware: Michael Jackson Could Cost You $40,000

Das Racist performs tonight at Ruby Skye.​ Das Racist wants to be taken on its own terms. Sort of. The Brooklyn-based trio consisting of Himanshu "Heems" Suri, Victor Vazquez, and hypeman/ "spiritual advisor" Ashok Kondabolu has spent more time discussing the group's motivations, identity, and ... More >>

Rascal Flatts Is the Worst Hugely Popular Music Act in America

Executive Visions, Inc.Rascal Flatts or a heartland radio station's morning zoo?​Rascal Flatts will be performing tonight at the Shoreline Ampitheatre in San Jose. We won't be there. Rascal Flatts is produced by the guy who played guitar on "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. That's not reason en ... More >>

The Top 10 New Jack Swing Anthems of All Time

This Thursday, one-time New Edition member and new jack swing icon Johnny Gill will be performing a set at Yoshi's. Credited as the creation of Teddy Riley, new jack swing saw R&B vocals being fused with uptempo beats coated in the bumptious attitude of hip-hop. At the subgenre's height in the '90s, ... More >>

This Is Your City: Housing Authority Bans San Franciscans from Public Housing

This Thursday, one-time New Edition member and new jack swing icon Johnny Gill will be performing a set at Yoshi's. Credited as the creation of Teddy Riley, new jack swing saw R&B vocals being fused with uptempo beats coated in the bumptious attitude of hip-hop. At the subgenre's height in the '90s, ... More >>

Dine with Famous Dead Folks at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

WWBHE? (What Would Billie Holiday Eat?)​Where: Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission. When: Thursday, June 2, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Sunday, June 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m. Cost: $10 CJM Members, $20 General The rundown: We had to read the event description three times to begin to und ... More >>

Which Bar Has North Beach's Best Jukebox?

The juke at Tosca​The heyday of authentic jukeboxes is long over. With many bars installing those nasty touchscreen digital Internet boxes, the old school record-flipping kind of jukebox is a dying breed. And this is in the town that originated the concept of jukeboxes back in 1889. So what denote ... More >>

How To Manage Your iPod Without Looking Like an Idiot or a Crazy Person

Note: Nelly Furtado not required to maintain respectability​iPod gigs don't grow on trees, as much as we've tried to plant lesser MP3 devices in the ground (in hopes of a bountiful Apple product harvest). And until somebody makes an infinite-RAM MP3 player, or we're capable of streaming music from ... More >>

Drink 2011: Party Like It's 1999 -- Or Earlier

Note: Nelly Furtado not required to maintain respectability​iPod gigs don't grow on trees, as much as we've tried to plant lesser MP3 devices in the ground (in hopes of a bountiful Apple product harvest). And until somebody makes an infinite-RAM MP3 player, or we're capable of streaming music from ... More >>

Drink 2011: Party Like It's 1999 -- Or Earlier

Note: Nelly Furtado not required to maintain respectability​iPod gigs don't grow on trees, as much as we've tried to plant lesser MP3 devices in the ground (in hopes of a bountiful Apple product harvest). And until somebody makes an infinite-RAM MP3 player, or we're capable of streaming music from ... More >>

In Print: Michael Jackson's Zombiefied Pop, and the Wanderings of Tricky

Mike Bertino for SF Weekly​MJ's new album: Michael promises 10 tracks of zombiefied pop, Thriller come (back) to life. According to the official Jackson website, the album is a work of "newly completed recordings." This means Michael is a compilation of outtakes and rehashes primped for the 2 ... More >>

BT Magnum's Advice: 'Do Loads of Drugs and Have as Much Sex as Possible'

BT Magnum​The man behind the excellent events curated at our city's (arguably) best dance venue, Mezzanine, and the Internet's go-to blog for old-school dance jams is one Brian Tarney. Party goers and vintage-tune seekers may know him better as BT Magnum, Tarney's alter-ego, who runs about S.F. DJ ... More >>

Why The Critics Are Wrong: Rap Albums You Probably Don't Know But Should, Part II

​Since many recent Next Big Things in rap have proven disappointing -- see Wale, Asher Roth and B.o.B. -- it might be time to consider the possibility that hip-hop tastemakers don't know what to look for in the first place. Here's an alternative to the critical consensus on rap. Yesterday, we ... More >>

Michael Jackson's Dance Moves, Pandora's iPad Ads, Blog Love for Ty Segall and Safe

Safe's Christopher F. Edley III​Michael Jackson's dance moves make for new video game. [Daily Swarm]Pandora's iPad app pairs music and videos with ads from Starbucks, Lexus and Budweiser. [Digital Music News]Pitchfork gives Ty Segall's Melted a 7.5, says "it seems in some ways like his first prop ... More >>

SXSW Roundup Thursday PM Pt. 2: Surf City NZ

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Devendra Banhart

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Smooth and Smokey

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Men in Tights

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

The Return of Swamp Thing

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Soul Slam IV: Prince vs. Michael Jackson

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Gesamtkunstwerk It, Girl

Levi's took over the east side of Austin for all of SXSW, creating a semi-private world of tight pants and tall beers, a denim labyrinth where the 45-minute line to grab a wristband was made slightly more entertaining by a DJ who loved Michael Jackson. Loved him so much he told the crowd repeatedly, ... More >>

Hipsters, Rejoice: PVMJ Wristbands Are Here

BombHipHop.comAvailable in Purple (and other colors, too)​ Despite your PBR tattoo, pimped-out track bike, and closet full of guayabera shirts and skinny pants, admit it: your life as a hipster was incomplete. You desperately searched for meaning at Kuduro parties, chic art openings, and mons ... More >>

Masters of Puppets

BombHipHop.comAvailable in Purple (and other colors, too)​ Despite your PBR tattoo, pimped-out track bike, and closet full of guayabera shirts and skinny pants, admit it: your life as a hipster was incomplete. You desperately searched for meaning at Kuduro parties, chic art openings, and mons ... More >>

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Sax

BombHipHop.comAvailable in Purple (and other colors, too)​ Despite your PBR tattoo, pimped-out track bike, and closet full of guayabera shirts and skinny pants, admit it: your life as a hipster was incomplete. You desperately searched for meaning at Kuduro parties, chic art openings, and mons ... More >>

10 Things To Do This Weekend For Under $10

Being a cheapskate is easy in this city -- there's plenty of culture to be had for less than the price of a fancy farmer's market cocktail. Below, our picks for a low-budget weekend.Dead Meadow at McLaren Park on SaturdayHex Dispensers @ Annie's (Friday) Loud, fast, and macabre: That seems to be the ... More >>

Michael Jackson vs. Prince This Saturday

Played in Full: Prince vs. MJ So you wanna be startin' something? Head over to the Madrone Lounge this Saturday, when the legendary Prince vs. Michael Jackson party makes its first official SF appearance since MJ's passing. Fresh off of victorious stops in Seattle and Portland, this edition of PVM ... More >>

Clueless in the Castro

Played in Full: Prince vs. MJ So you wanna be startin' something? Head over to the Madrone Lounge this Saturday, when the legendary Prince vs. Michael Jackson party makes its first official SF appearance since MJ's passing. Fresh off of victorious stops in Seattle and Portland, this edition of PVM ... More >>

5 Things I'd Rather Hear About Than More Michael Jackson Coverage

Amadou & Maryam Believe it or not folks, there are other things happening in the entertainment world besides the seemingly endless Michael Jackson media feeding frenzy - which should have concluded with his memorial service and BET tribute. Here are a few: 5. Amadou & Mariam opening for Co ... More >>

Never Can Say Goodbye

Michael Jackson in 1987 I'm not trying to be cynical or morbid here, but Michael Jackson's death was the best thing to happen to him in years. In death, Michael lives on forever. He has now joined the ancestors, among them musical icons like Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Jacki ... More >>

New Forest City Rockers Episode Up Now

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Scenes We’d Like to See

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Holiday Inn Bondage, Playboy's Rock the Rabbit, Stagecoach and the How Weird Street Faire: Your Monday Morning Hangover

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Picture Disks

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Break Guinness Record for 'Thriller' Dance in Dolores Park

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

RaidersSuckNinersSuck: Week 5

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

The 50 Cent Interview with SF Weekly

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Tap In

The Forest City Rockers - Episode 3 from Eighty Four Films on Vimeo. Jay Howell's animated comedy/musical variety show, Forest City Rockers, has a new episode on offer. His latest work (which includes a crew of actors and animators) has a heavy pizza focus--which means a lot of goofy vignettes, my ... More >>

Black Hole Son

Chris Cornell gets a little help from his friends

Get Way Down

Chris Cornell gets a little help from his friends

Moky's Life 101

Moky Huynh, self-help jackhammer, is inspiring, abrasive, and one of a kind

Department of What the Fuck?

What does the ghost of INXS's Michael Hutchence think of his band's reunion?

Go! With the Spirit

For the six members of the U.K. indie-pop provocateurs the Go! Team, having fun is serious business

Dioramarama

A delightful exhibit of artists' miniature scenes and structures

Going BATS

Inventing a bunch of stories

Mother Knows Best

A night on the town with Mom means talking about Jacko, Dabney Coleman, and pedophilia

2003: Year of the Wonka Record

For the year's 10 best records, go somewhere else. For the year's 10 best "Wonka Records," you've come to the right place.

Play Rotorecall

Have fun with democracy, before it has fun with you

Pop Philosophy

Indie Tunes Apt for Ads You'd Hate