West Portal Ave Dec 1947 Photo credit: Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp33.00163
I’ll guess you haven’t spent much time in West Portal. I chose an historical photo of the neighborhood because I’ve tipped 2 events in its vicinity this week. The commercial strip is a bit of a time machine to San Francisco past, just waiting for you to discover it. This Bold Italic feature about West Portal can jump-start your exploration.
Hi anglerfishers, anglerfriscans, anglerinos, anglercaviar, anglerangels, anglerplastiques… etc. Hmm it worked for Maron. Sigh.
I am Mikl Em, your host! So what’s up this week? More docs than a Looney Tunes marathon; guerilla karaoke in the Grove; castles made of sand; movies of the silent type; all kinds of art; and only 1 kind of bread. Whether DIY or Why’d I do that?, I hope you’ll have a chance to get somewhere new and have fun this week!
COMING UP THIS WEEK:
San Francisco International Arts Festival 2018 / The One Truthiness
As you’ll see it’s ‘festival season’ in San Francisco, and the SFIAF is already underway. Still a lot to see in the final week at Fort Mason Center. I recommend my friend Charlie Levin’s The One Truthiness, a unique interactive event featuring live painting and audience dialogue about social issues. The festival has theater, dance, music, workshops, hard to categorize multimedia and much more to choose from.
May 30 to JUN 3 – WED to SUN: various times at Fort Mason Center, SF
The San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Once again The Castro Theatre hosts this 5-day, jam-packed fest. Anything but quiet, these films from around the world are accompanied by live music. From early avant garde shorts to newly discovered and recently restored gems. Giants like Eisenstein, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford, and Ernst Lubitsch are included. A 20+ year tradition.
MAY 30 to JUN 3 – WED to SUN: various times at the Castro Theatre, SF
DocFest 2018 / Agave: The Spirit of a Nation
The 17th DocFest opens this week with 90 documentaries (and several parties) over 2 weeks. All at awesome indie venues you should know about: Brava Theater, New People Cinema, and the venerable Roxie Theater. A tasty highlight is this doc on traditional agave distilling (June 10 & 14). Other films feature Bill Murray; the New York City burlesque scene; pivotal punk bands Agnostic Front and Crime; “stripmine crooner” Fred Lane; the future of the sky at night; and more. Full calendar.
Opens MAY 31 – THU: various dates, times and venues around SF
no one is listening – Low-Tech Renegade Karaoke
From organizer Mark K: “FREE Low-Tech Renegade Karaoke! Portable screen and projector, YouTube lyric videos, no microphone, on the stage at Stern Grove. Come feel like a star! Best of all, NO ONE IS LISTENING, because no one else is there!” This is the kind of thing you can do in San Francisco all the time if you have the right friends. And this is a great place to make those friends. If no one else is there when you sing Depeche Mode, are you still out of key?
MAY 31 – THU: 8 PM Sigmund Stern Grove (near West Portal), SF; Free
Bluegrass Pride with The High Water Line and Rusty Stringfield
The Lost Church is a magical venue you have to check out. This double-bill of local bluegrass artists would be a swell intro. But they have a busy calendar of spoken word, performance, and all kinds of music. So many more chances await.
MAY 31 – THU: 8 PM in the Mission, SF; (tix cheaper in advance)
Alameda’s 52nd Annual Sand Castle and Sculpture Contest
Saturday’s forecast is SUNNY, so this free sandcastle-making competition may be the perfect morning activity. But don’t sleep in: arrive early to construct your sandy dream house or watch others build theirs. The judging starts at noon and it’s over after the 1pm awards ceremony.
JUN 2 – SAT: 9AM to 1PM Robert Crown Memorial Park, Alameda; Free
Burning Man Desert Arts Preview 2018
Watch presentations about some of the best art headed to that Thing in the Desert. Whether you are a #Burner4Life or just playa-curious, this is a great access point to Burning Man culture from the relative comfort of the Nourse Theater’s mid-century grade school auditorium seats. “Desert Arts Preview is a beloved, exciting evening where artists share the projects they plan to bring to the Burning Man event in 2018.” This year will include a special tribute to Larry Harvey, the festival’s founder who died recently.
JUN 3 – SUN: 7 to 9:30PM at the Nourse Theater, Civic Center, SF; $25
Sourdough Starter Workshops 2018
Sourdough is San Francisco. And it’s Science (it’s ALIVE, man!). So get your hands in it by signing up for this ongoing workshop from Sour Flour: “…everything you ever wanted to know about using and maintaining a wild-yeast, naturally fermented sourdough starter.” Lots of class dates, but they do sell out. Dough! You’ll leave with your own starter, ready to DIY loaves at home.
JUN 5 – TUE: 4-6 PM (plus many other dates/times) La Victoria Bakery in the Mission, SF; $80
Sci-Fi authors Kim Stanley Robinson & Michael Blumlein reading
A science fiction living legend KSR is famous for his Mars Trilogy books, but his most recent novel New York 2140 explores “climate fiction.” Imagining epic sea level rise in NYC, it was nominated for a Hugo award. San Francisco author Michael Blumlein’s new short story collection All I Ever Dreamed spans fantasy, science fiction and horror. I’ll be catching this one for sure.
JUN 6 – WED 7PM at BookShop West Portal in West Portal, SF; Free
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Caveat Eventor: just because we mention an event here, does not mean it won’t be terrible. Anglerfish curators are looking for events that sound like fun to them – your mileage may vary.