What a weird week for old school SF shit. We’ve reopened the conversation of city nicknames and Barry Bonds is once again becoming a topic of discussion / courtroom oddity. Oh and the Giants went 1-3 in their series against the Dodgers. It’s like the early 2000s all over again! I’m here to take you back to the good old days with some iconoclastic music picks for the weekend.
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Friday: Double bass badass Esperanza Spalding kicked off her SF Jazz residency this evening and will be rocking throughout the weekend at Miner Auditorium. Her Friday performance flips the chamber music script of Thursday night and goes funky care of her Radio Music Society LP. Expect a backing band replete with bombastic horns, harnessing the bursts of energy her acclaimed fourth record is known for. Get ready to dance.

What: Esperanza Spalding at the SFJAZZ Center
When: Friday, May 1st; doors: 7:30pm
Where: SFJAZZ Center: 201 Franklin St.
Cost: Sold out! But good news — she’s playing all this weekend at SFJAZZ Center

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Saturday: Who gives a shit if New Glow wasn’t everything you wanted and more? Matt and Kim are still stellar live. The loving duo (really, they’re married. Don’t ask) wax poetic on the kinky side and if Kim Schifino had a swear jar for every show, she’d easily be able to buy the Warfield and creepy Crazy Horse next door after just one leg of touring. Yes, you’ll hear “Daylight” and “Let’s Go.” No, you still won’t understand the relationship dynamic of Matt and Kim. Nobody does.

What: Matt and Kim at the Warfield
When: Saturday, May 2nd; doors: 7pm, show: 8pm
Where: Warfield: 982 Market St.
Cost: $25-$35; purchase tickets here.

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Sunday: Sleater-Kinney are mercifully back and they are still fantastic. No Cities to Love ushers in a new era of tighter, brighter Sleater-Kinney and may very well have acted as a jumping off point for other Riot Grrl bands to return to the stage, including the much loved Babes in Toyland. Sleater-Kinney live feels like a celebration. It’s only fitting they’re playing Sunday, the chillest and holiest of days.

What: Sleater-Kinney at the Masonic
When: Sunday, May 3rd; doors: 7pm, show: 8pm
Where: Masonic: 1111 California St.
Cost: $25-35; purchase tickets here.

the author

Always in motion. April Siese writes about music, takes photos at shows, and even helps put them on behind the scenes as a stagehand. She's written everything from hard news to beauty features, as well as fiction and poetry. She most definitely likes pie.

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