[Pop] Goes the Weasel
Arab pop music, a local history of vice, and artist-led galleries take the stage
My time working in the Middle East frayed my parents’ nerves. From protests during the Arab Spring to solo busing across Sinai, I had their stomach in Eagle Scout-level knots. So since my parents read this newsletter, let’s continue down memory lane with hypotheticals. During my travels to Beirut, I may have gone out past the morning call to prayer. I may have even spent more than one evening partying in a former bomb shelter-turned-club. Hypotheticals aside, the Lebanese love of music and nightlife holds a special place in my heart, especially in these times.
Dance the early evening away with Disco Dabké, observe athletes on gallery walls, and learn about the local history of porno chic.
Disco Dabké: Unapologetic Arab Pop Night
Category: Music & Dance
Date: Wednesday, August 7th @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Shack15 (SF)
Price Range: $25
Why I Care: Disco Dabké is the stuff that millennial dreams are made of: a 90s and 2000s pop dance party that ends at 10:30pm. Started by Michèle Sammour and Youssef Mallat, the touring DJ set has taken the stage in Beirut, Paris, Dubai, and beyond to bring Arab pop music of a not-so-distant era back to the spotlight.
Plus it doesn’t hurt that Shack15 has some incredibly stunning Bay views. Shout-out to high school friend Patricia for flagging this.
Activation & Artist Talk: Zekarias Musele Thompson
Category: Art & Music
Date: Saturday, August 10th @ 2pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Museum of the African Diaspora (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Oakland artist Zekararias Musele Thompson wants you to pay attention. Not the rewatching-30-Rock-for-the-8th-time-while-instascrolling kind of attention; like actually pay attention. And Thompson will lead a live performance and conversation of his multidisciplinary exhibition The Meeting Place to facilitate it. The performance’s meditative nature and the artist’s history of performing in Iceland seems reminiscent of The Visitors at SFMoMA, so consider also popping by the museum to test this hypothesis.
Tirzah
Category: Music
Date: Monday, August 5th @ 8pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: August Hall (SF)
Price Range: $24
Why I Care: I purposefully don’t listen to new albums before hearing them in concert. The habit prevents me from a snap-decision track skip and gives space for an artist to introduce the work as they intended it. I haven’t listened to Tirzah’s most recent release trip9love…???, but “the tenderness of Tirzah’s Devotion” is what has me excited for what’s to come. “Holding On” effortlessly entered the ranks for my Spotify Wrapped, but that’s no surprise as she’s been deemed to have breathed new life into love songs (no shade to the Swifties).
And fun fact: her partner happens to be a musical director for Sampha, which may have been my favorite concert of 2023.
Opening Reception: Mercury 20 Gallery
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, August 10th @ 4pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Mercury 20 Gallery (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Mercury 20 is an artist-run gallery in the Bay Area. An oversimplified distinction between artist and gallerist is that galleries sell while artists create, but those incentives don’t always align. While the average gallery retains between 30 and 60% of the purchase price, Mercury 20 takes 10% for gallery maintenance, with the remaining 90% going directly to artists.
Looking to support the local community but not quite ready to purchase a work of art? Start with chatting up the artists and then grabbing a drink at Friends & Family next door.
Pure: The Sexual Revolutions of Marilyn Chambers (Book Talk)
Category: Literary
Date: Friday, August 9th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Mechanics’ Institute (SF)
Price Range: $10
Why I Care: I didn’t foresee the phrase “porno chic” debuting in this newsletter, but we’re not the vice police here. Pure tells the story of 1970’s adult film star Marylin Chambers, whose Golden Age of Porn stardom began with an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for a “major motion picture.” From filming in the (aptly-named) Tenderloin to being the target of the SF vice squad, Chambers’ story shows just how intertwined her history is with that of San Francisco and its institutions.
And based on that history, consider bringing extra sanitizer for your next Great American Music Hall concert.
Couture from Clutter: Cocktail Party
Category: Fashion
Date: Thursday, August 8th @ 5pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Hosfelt Gallery (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Peruse sustainable fashion while you sip on a complimentary cocktail (NA…or just A). Hosfelt is continuing their celebration of artists from the Recology Artist in Residence Program with an evening of Lillet-inspired aperitifs. The gallery described the event as “more of a cocktail party with fashion than a runway event,” but feel free to make the space your own personal runway.
Artists' Reception: Victorious
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, August 10th @ 1pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: GearBox Gallery (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Artist-run Oakland galleries are on a roll this week. GearBox Gallery has been supporting Bay Area creators for nearly a decade, and artist Jane Fisher is no exception to that rule. Fisher takes Olympic viewing to another level by capturing moments of ecstasy and exaltation in the world of sports.
TBD on whether or not viral moments from Paris will grace the gallery walls.
Next Drop: Thursday, August 15th