The weekend is almost here. Hooray!
Looking for things to do? Listen to KQED Arts’ Gabe Meline and Nastia Voynovskaya discuss their event picks at the audio link above, or read about each event below.
Les Blank Documentaries: We’re coming off of a mini heat wave here in the Bay Area, so our first pick is to get inside a cool movie theater for some brilliant documentaries. Specifically, Les Blank’s film Del Mero Corazón, which traces the history of Tex-Mex and norteño music along the Mexico-U.S. border. Les Blank, of course, was a master documentarian; most people know his film Burden of Dreams, about the making of Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, but his music documentaries are essential. Along with its sister film, Chulas Fronteras, the films are screening around the Bay Area with in-person intros from Blank’s son, Harrod, and Chris Strachwicz from Arhoolie Records. They’re at the three Rialto locations, the Roxie, and the Rafael Film Center, and they run from Sept. 25–28. Details here.
Rolling Loud: This is the biggest rap festival in the country, and it’s returning to Oakland this weekend. Oakland’s own G-Eazy is one of the headliners alongside Migos, Future and Lil Uzi Vert. What we love about Rolling Loud is how their lineup juxtaposes mainstream stars with local artists and underground stars from across the country. Saweetie is definitely on the list of people to see, as well as Vallejo’s Nef the Pharaoh and Berkeley’s Rexx Life Raj. That’s in the Oakland Coliseum parking lot, and runs Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-29. Details here.
‘Triptych: Eyes of One on Another’: Robert Mapplethorpe was not a photographer you come across everyday. Before his death from complications related to AIDS, Mapplethorpe was in the middle of the Reagan-era culture wars with his explicit photos of naked gay men. The musician Bryce Dessner grew up during the controversy, which obviously had a big effect on him; he’s created a multi-sensory show of music, words, and visuals called Triptych: Eyes of One on Another in homage to Mapplethorpe, with collaborations including Essex Hemphill and Mapplethorpe’s old partner Patti Smith. It runs at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley on Sept. 28, and also at Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium on Oct. 3. Details here and here.
Not Ur Baby 3: Not Ur Baby is an Oakland phenomenon. The art show and music showcase is now in its third year, and began as a way for women artists to get together and make a statement against sexism with performers, visual artists and local vendors. They’re all getting together on the sunny patio of 7th West for an all-day art party; proceeds from this year’s event go to Regina’s Door, a vintage boutique that’s also a hub for activists fighting sex trafficking, and VisibiliT, an organization raising money for trans women seeking asylum in the United States. Not Ur Baby is on Sept. 28 at 7th West in Oakland. Details here.
Two Jazz Picks: The vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson made many classic albums for the Blue Note label and lived here, down near Half Moon Bay, before his death in 2016. The drummer Brian Blade pays tribute to Hutcherson, with a great group, in a show at SFJAZZ on Sept. 28. Details here. And the Alonzo LINES Ballet has a fascinating collaboration with the tenor saxophonist Charles Llloyd and the pianist Jason Moran; that’s a premiere that runs Oct. 1–6 at YBCA. Details here.
San Francisco Latino Film Festival: This festival wraps up this weekend, and there are a few more days to catch its dramas, thrillers and comedies. One highlight is Dead End, a whodunit crime movie from Argentinian director Daniel De La Vega; it’s about a writer who ends up as the prime suspect in a murder that eerily resembles the plot of his unpublished novel, shot in a campy film noir style meant to resemble the 1930s and ’40s. The festival also features LGBTQ short films, a documentary about quinceañeras in Texas and more. It runs through Sunday, Sept. 29, at Opera Plaza Cinema and the Roxie Theater. Details here.