Your BAS Guide to Surviving THE HOLIDAZE: Part Two

07 Dec 2021

0 2

The Bay's best newsletter for underground events & news

Every Tuesday our subscribers get this awesome roundup in their inboxes. You should sign up right here to make sure you never miss a thing.

We’re about 25% of the way through THE HOLIDAZE, guys – we’ve made it past the first marker, Hannukkah! (And I hope all you who celebrated it had a GRAND one!) I’m feeling pretty full of cheer, howsabout you? Hopefully you’ve artfully dodged any holiday crises so far – and hopefully, with this guide, you’ll be able to do so through the coming week as well! So gird your loins, folks, and dive with me into the second installment of:

Your BAS Guide to THE HOLIDAZE;

Or, What We’re Most Excited About for the Week of 12/7/21…

Our Partners’ Events

Help from the Disco

Thursday, 12/9 | 9:00 pm | Monarch, 101 6th Street | $5-20

Join the Monarch team in spreading the true holiday spirit! This awesome DJ dance party, featuring the likes of Jay Bai Bae and Papa Lu, will benefit a dear friend of the club and tireless worker of the SF music scene whose father is in need of major surgery. Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards these medical bills, so party on in the spirit of giving and caring!

A Very Merry Misfit Cabaret

Friday 12/10, Saturday 12/11, Friday 12/17, and Saturday 12/18 | 8:00 pm | Alcazar Theatre, 650 Geary Street| $20-300

Jingle all the way to A Very Merry Misfit Cabaret! With Princess Leia Aerials, Russian crooning Queens, sparkly stripping Candy Cane Frankie Fictitious, and much more, all in an effort to cheer up our Musical Director Brendan Getzell. Don’t miss out on the magic – and the mayhem!

Brüt SF – XMAS Edition

Friday, 12/10 10:00 pm | The Great Northern, 119 Utah Street | $25-45

After a series of sold-out events over Dore Alley and Folsom Street Weekend, the men of Brüt are back to close out the year, holiday-style! Brüt and Brian Kent Productions present their final party of 2021, with the perfect hunting grounds of a dark, seedy dance floor, amazing NYC underground music, and some of the hottest man meat the holidays can bring!

This Week’s Giveaways

LAST DAY TO ENTER –

Get a Free MONTH of Yoga Classes at HAUM!

This Week’s Events

Tuesday, 12/7

Let’s Glow SF

Tonight through Sunday, 12/12 | 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm | Downtown San Francisco | Free

Let’s Glow SF uses video projection techniques with light and colors to project virtual images from local and international artists onto iconic buildings throughout San Francisco’s Financial District. As the largest holiday projection mapping event in the U.S., this stunning journey of light will feature the works of local and international artists while celebrating the festive winter season in the heart of San Francisco.

The Nog: Honestly though, who could ever tire of watching things light up in the darkness? These uber-cool 5-minute shows, projected onto buildings around Union Square, are a fun and festive way to kill time before catching your train home from work!

Wednesday, 12/8

Recess Cart

Weekdays at 10:00 am | Salesforce Park, 425 Mission Street | Free

Take a break from work…No, not a quick walk around the corner and a hit on your vape, then back to the grind. Take a REAL break. Imagine the school bell ringing – you’re free, and it’s time for RECESS! Stop by Salesforce Park’s Recess Cart for free access to picture books, art supplies, games, and more, and really enjoy that lunch break for once!

The Nog: You haven’t felt this good walking back into your cubicle since…. ever….?

Bay Curious Trivia Night

7:00 pm | The Commons, KQED Headquarters, 2601 Mariposa Street | $10

Test your Bay Area knowledge with Bay Curious, a podcast about your questions – and the adventures we find when we go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price in-person to explore all aspects of the Bay Area – from the debate over “Frisco”, to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understanding of this place we call home. Come as a team, or fly solo and be assigned a group. We’ll have drinks, prizes, and a whole lot of laughs.

The Nog: Come bask in the security of facts and the warmth of camaraderie as we all collectively experience ongoing existential uncertainty! Yay!

Murs

7:30 pm | Cornerstone, 2367 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley | $19

Considered one of the most charismatic MCs to come out of the LA underground, Murs’ bouncing rhythms and driving lyrics will have you moving and rapping along like nobody’s watching. See him live tonight with Brooklyn-based Oswin Benjamin!

The Nog: He’s good, y’all. Really fuckin good. Like, I can’t stop nodding my head to the beat while I write this newsletter, kind of good. Don’t sleep on this guy – he’s on the ups.

Thursday, 12/9

Castro Art Walk

5:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Jane Warner Plaza, Corner of Market and Castro Streets | Free

The Castro Art Walk is a self-guided tour of artists’ work displayed at local small businesses, many extending their hours to provide a gallery of sorts for each artist. Participants pick up their map at the Castro Art Capsule kiosk beside Jane Warner Plaza and follow the Walk at their own leisurely pace. Browse work by more than 100 artists, and shop the local boutiques and stores along the way.

The Nog: Moms, aunties, and grandmas (well, the ones who aren’t spooked by a stray dildo shop here or there) are guaranteed to enjoy this neighborhood art walk, suffused with local color and spirit. Take her to Blush for a glass of bubbly afterward and she’s guaranteed to enjoy herself!

CBLS Collective Presents: Lisa Rose

Every Thursday | 9:00 pm | The Boom Boom Room, 101 Fillmore Street | $8-10

CBLS Collective is coming at us with a 4-show banger for the month of December, every Thursday at the Boom Boom Room! Each night has an amazing curated lineup of emerging electro bands and DJs. The first show, happening tonight, will showcase one of the Bay Area’s most renowned underground DJs, Lisa Rose, who has been a fixture in SF’s underground electronic music scene for over 8 years.

The Nog: Seems like everybody starts flaking HARD on stuff around the holidays, but not CBLS Collective and The Boom Boom Room – they’ll always be there for you, every Thursday Night, when you need somewhere dope to escape to during THE HOLIDAZE.

East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Festival

Today through 12/12 | Virtual Event | Free

Ah, the Zine! The humble zine has been the birthing place of many a great folk-hero-writer, and represents a delightful, rare morsel of artwork from the deepest heart of any artist. Also, they’re awesome and cheap! This year’s Zine Festival will be all digital and hosted via Discord, so make sure to sign up to join the Fest right here!

The Nog: Check out some amazing new artists and stock up on inexpensive-but-totally-rad-and-extremely-meaningful gifts for all your homies without the stress of wandering through a maze of tables in a crowded room!

Help from the Disco

9:00 pm | Monarch, 101 6th Street | $5-20

Join the Monarch team in spreading the true holiday spirit! This awesome DJ dance party, featuring the likes of Jay Bai Bae and Papa Lu, will benefit a dear friend of the club and tireless worker of the SF music scene whose father is in need of major surgery. Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards Pop’s medical bills, so party on in the spirit of giving and caring!

The Nog: Whatever you celebrate (or even if you don’t celebrate at all) this season, This is one party that’s truly going to bring some honest-to-god holiday spirit to a family who could really freakin’ use it.

Friday, 12/10

Brüt SF – XMAS Edition

10:00 pm | The Great Northern, 119 Utah Street | $25-45

The Nog: A Sexy Santa or a Randy Rudoph might be waiting for you under the mistletoe at this Hard Po– I mean, North Pole bash, so don’t be late 😉

Zepparella

Doors at 8:00 pm, show at 9:00 pm | Starline Social Club, 2236 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Oakland | $32-36

Meet Zepparella, four women intent on bringing the passion, the beauty, the aggression, the musicality of Led Zeppelin alive. Zepparella explores their own improvised magic within the framework of Zeppelin’s mighty songs. Rock out with them tonight at the Starline Social Club!

The Nog: Get some sweet relief from the endless barrage of Christmas music your office has been blasting with these queens of rock, live and LOUD!

Saturday, 12/11

SF Uke Jam: Holiday Ukesplosion!

12:00 pm | Yerba Buena Gardens | Free

SF Uke Jam is bringing the band back home for the holidays! Join Cynthia Lin, Ukulenny, and Abe Lagrimas Jr. (also known as U3) as they return to Yerba Buena Gardens for a special concert and jam. This 2-hour program will include strum-alongs of popular holiday tunes and SF Uke Jam favorites, plus selections from U3’s latest album, In Waves.

The Nog: Bring your ukelele and strum out some holiday cheer with a park full of new pals! Perfect for the whole fam and all your friends, this refreshing spin on holiday music promises fun for all ages and skill levels.

A Very Merry Misfit Cabaret

Friday 12/10, Saturday 12/11, Friday 12/17, and Saturday 12/18 | 8:00 pm | Alcazar Theatre, 650 Geary Street | $20-300

The Nog: There are Gremlins on the poster and that’s literally all I need to see in order to konw that this WILL get you into the Xmas spirit – and maybe onto the naughty list…

Sunday, 12/12

Rocks in Your Head Holiday Fest

Doors at 5:00 pm, show at 6:00 pm | Balboa Theatre, 3630 Balboa Street | $12

The Balboa is coming through with another dope double-feature – sort of, anyway! This combo craft market / concert, featuring live music from Fake Fruit, Juice Bumps, Buzzed Lightyear, and Thank You Come Again and tons of local vendors, promises to check all the boxes for a super sweet Sunday evening.

The Nog: Check out a show AND grab a few late Hanukkah gifts for folks you forgot to check off your list? It’s a procrastinator’s dream event!

A Merry-Achi Christmas with Mariachi Sol de México and De José Hernández

8:00 pm | Davies Symphony Hall, corner of Grove Street ad Van Ness Avenue | $20-155

Led by the incomparable José Hernández, Mariachi Sol de Mexico returns to Davies Symphony Hall for a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions. Experience a multicultural celebration as the ensemble sings and plays holiday favorites from both Mexico and America in a vibrant performance you won’t want to miss.

The Nog: You guys, NOTHING is more joyful, festive, and passionate than Mariachi music! DO NOT miss out on this fantastic holiday event, held in SF’s most incredible music hall!

Monday, 12/13

Ocean: SOUND

7:30 pm | Envelop SF (located inside The Midway), 900 Marin Street | $30

Ocean is an immersive soundscape that connects us to the life-giving waters of our planet. Created by Christopher Willits and Ryan Kleeman, this sonic journey incorporates aquaphonic recordings, whale song, and music inspired by the sea. Music composed by Christopher Willits and Willits + Ryuichi Sakamoto weaves through the mysterious underwater world that is so often on the periphery of our environmental awareness. Sink into the waves of sound from 32 immersive speakers, and be enveloped by the power & beauty of our oceans.

The Nog: When hosting family or prepping for a party has you at your wits’ end, slip away to Envelop for a comforting sound bath in the relaxing ambient ocean. Drift away….