Tuesday, February 4, 2020

The Bleeding Edge: 2/4/2020

This week’s column was delayed by a day due to a last-minute announcement of the inaugural concert of the San Francisco Philharmonic, which took place last night. That amounted to an omen of just how busy this week has shaped up to be. This is one of those “half and half” weeks where the number of new events basically pairs up with the ones that have already been reported. In the latter category, each concert involves a different venue:
  1. T.D. Skatchit and friends will give a concert at the opening of the gallery show celebrating the tenth anniversary of Skatch on Saturday, February 8.
  2. The Lab will host a two-set evening of performances by Teresa Wong and DunkelpeK, also on Saturday, February 8.
  3. The Center for New Music will present a program a new music for flutes, also on Saturday, February 8.
  4. The Wooden Fish Ensemble will make its next visit to Old First Concerts on Sunday, February 9.
  5. The new Earplay season will begin on Monday, February 10.
That leaves a comparable number of new events to report, which may well be even more diverse than those enumerated above. Specifics are as follows:

Thursday, February 6, 8 p.m., Luggage Store Gallery (LSG): This week the entire program in the LSG Creative Music Series will be devoted to an extended set by Faults. This group is a collective of three improvisers mixing audio and video to present a soundscape that brings the urban world together with the organic one. Jorge Bachmann works with electronics. Jaroba incorporates electronics into his improvisations on both woodwinds and invented instruments. Kevin Corcoran provides percussion for the trio. LSG is located at 1007 Market Street, across from the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Taylor Street; and admission is on a sliding scale between $8 and $15.

Saturday, February 8, noon, Noisebridge: According to my records, it has been almost half a year since I posted information about a G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E|N|O|I|S|E|P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S event run by the Noisebridge hackerspace. Programming has not changed: Gourmet vegan pancakes are served in a context of experimental acts, electronic sounds, and noise. The event runs for two hours, over the course of which there will be performances by Vulcanus 68, Morning Candy, Tender Buttons, Gayphex Twin, and Foot SOS.

Noisebridge is located at 2169 Mission Street, two blocks south of the BART station at 16th Street. There is no charge for this event, but Noisebridge operates entirely through monetary donations. Operating expenses are over $5000 per month. The Noisebridge home page has information about both membership and ways to donate.

Saturday, February 8, 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Incarnation: When the February schedule for Sunset Music and Arts was posted at the end of this past November, the program for the organ recital to be given by Angela Kraft Cross had not yet been announced. It is now known that Cross will perform two of her own compositions, her “Grand Lothbury Voluntary” and her recently completed  “Petite Messe d’Orgue.” She will also commemorate the 150th birthday of Louis Vierne with a performance of his Opus 20 (second) symphony in E minor. Johann Sebastian Bach will be included on the program with a performance of his BWV 538 (“Dorian”) toccata and fugue in D minor. The remaining work on the program will be by Vierne’s predecessor, the Opus 42 (first) sonata in D minor by Alexandre Guilmant.

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation is located at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street. Ticket prices are $20 for general admission with a $15 rate for students and seniors. Because the demand tends to be high, advance purchase is highly advised. Tickets may be purchased online through an Eventbrite event page. Further information may be obtained by calling 415-564-2324.

Sunday, February 9, 7 p.m., Swedish American Hall: Events at this venue tend to depart from the usual “bleeding edge” offerings, particularly when they are hosted by organizations such as Noise Pop and (((FOLKYEAH!))). However, the guitarist Nels Cline has been sufficiently adventurous that I try to take note of when he is performing in San Francisco. On this occasion he will be joined by his wife, the multi-instrumentalists Yuka C Honda; and the two of them perform at the CUP duo. They will perform with three highly adventurous local performers, clarinetist Ben Goldberg, percussionist Hamir Atwal, and multi-instrumentalist Nate Brenner.

The Swedish American Hall is located at 2174 Market Street, south of the Duboce Triangle and a short walk from the Church Street Muni station. General admission on the day of the show will be $22.50, but tickets are being sold in advance for $20. Tickets may be purchased online through an Eventbrite event page.

Sunday, February 9, 7 p.m., The Secret Alley: This is a collaborative creative space which hosts a variety of artists, builders, filmmakers, music enthusiasts, dreamers and believers. It is unclear whether this organization still exists, but Google associates it with this particular event. The event is organized around computer music but will also include explanatory talk. Highpoint Lowlife and BFF.fm are jointly present this two-set evening. One set will be taken by RM Francis, who incorporates computer-generated sound into recording, installation, and performance projects. Jules Litman-Clipper performs as Shatter Pattern, providing a mix of sound, dance, costumed computation, and visualization. The Secret Alley is located in the Mission at 180 Capp Street, between 16th Street and 17th Street. Admission will be $10, payable at the door.

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