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[Starry] Night
An iconic Irish pub goes Balkan, books galore, and a workshop
Patrick Radden Keefe was my Irish history doula. His critically-acclaimed Say Nothing opened my eyes to The Troubles and how embarrassingly little I knew about this tempestuous moment in history. The book brought a new level of depth to U2 and cushioned Derry Girls into its historical context. Did I also totally fan-girl when Keefe came to San Francisco? 100% yes, and I have a signed copy of Rogues to prove it. But hey, at least Iām in good company.
This week includes a venue that proudly states its ādeep roots as an Irish Revolutionary watering hole,ā homegrown New Orleans Jazz, and oh so many books.
Starry Plough's Berkeley Balkan Bacchanal
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, July 20th @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Starry Plough Pub (East Bay)
Price Range: $20
Why I Care: The Starry Plough is a Berkeley institution with half a century of revolutionary fundraising, open mic nights, and local musician representation. Attending a Balkan night in 2019 transported me into a world of the unfamiliar and delivered on grassroots vibes that convince you revolution is just around the corner.
Interested in Balkan music but not the Bay Bridge? Check out Bay Area documentary Balkancisco at San Francisco Frozen Film Festival that same night. Also, just check out the film festival, which adamantly notes it predates Elsa.
Opening Preview: San Francisco Art Book Fair
Category: Literary & Art (Party)
Date: Thursday, July 18th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Minnesota Street Project (SF)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Bookworms have fun too. Opening night at SFABF is abuzz with bibliophiles that also value the beauty, process, and art of publication. While the vendors skew Californian, exhibitors come from as far as Australia to participate in this revelry of all things printed word.
Keep the party going at the San Francisco Center for the Book with their opening reception for Unfolding Duplications: Contemporary Risograph Publishing on the 19th as part of an amazing weekend of fair programming.
Big Night Book Tour
Category: Literary
Date: Wednesday, July 24th @ 6:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Omnivore Books on Food (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: I love a good dinner party, and I love people that love to instigate one. Big Night is a Brooklyn-based shop for all things hosting, and owner Katherine Lewin has written the shopās eponymous book to help turn your home into āyour favorite restaurant.ā Listen to Lewin while surrounded by the cozy bookshelves of Omnivore, and maybe even ruffle some feathers with hot takes on the tinned fish trend during the Q&A.
SF Seconds
Category: Vintage
Date: Saturday, July 20th @ 10am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Jack London Square (East Bay)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Vintage has been a newsletter repeat offender, so you may be questioning the need for another pop-up. I like to think about vintage pop-ups as no different from a gallery show. Curation leads to a variety of visual stories across galleries, and the same goes for vintage markets. SF Seconds is a new entrant in that curation, and its success has allowed its expansion into East Bay.
Ć la Freaky Friday, Oakland Vintage Market will be body swapping into SF for its first San Francisco Vintage Market, so watch out for any suspicious fortune cookies.
The Music of Amina Scott & Friends
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, July 20th @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (East Bay)
Price Range: $25
Why I Care: Amina Scott is a bassist, composer, and arranger based in New Orleans but originally from right here in Oakland. Her homecoming follows a performance at Jazz Fest and is in support of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. The institution was founded to āengender equity, belonging, and empathy through the music,ā meaning this performance will enrich not only your auditory soul but also those of the children the conservatory supports.
Linocut & Printmaking Basics
Category: Workshop
Date: Tuesday, July 16th @ 6:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Sequoia Fabrica Community Workshop (SF)
Price Range: $25
Why I Care: Letās put that āI-could-do-thatā artwork skepticism to the test. Sequoia Fabrica is a volunteer-run nonprofit that holds classes for aspiring makers, and their Tuesday workshop is just one of many affordable and accessible courses. Iāve been lucky enough to have a partner gift a linocut workshop and friends like Cynthia M that host casual linocut sessions, though my aggressive paint rolling technique revealed I should add a boxing class or two to my routine.
So break that fourth wall and hit me up with deets for the opening reception.
Opening Reception: Echoes of the New Frontier: Part II
Category: Art (Party)
Date: Friday, July 19th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: COL Gallery (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Theresa Brockett Collections was ahead of the curve in exhibiting Devynn Barnes last month. Barnes is one of several artists participating in COL galleryās show that reframes romanticism of and representation in the American West. Thinking beyond the Remington cowboy, these artists will craft visual stories that address the complexities of self-reliance, diversity, and freedom that weave the narrative of the American West.
Next Drop: Thursday, July 25th