As promised, here’s your social calendar reminder (for tonight and the rest of the week).

San Francisco Cocktail Week kicks off tonight with a heavenly event at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room at the Sir Francis Drake. Tony Abou-Ganim, noted mixologist and former Starlight Room barman, will return to his old stomping grounds for another round of Cable Cars and well-heeled company. If you’re going to tax your liver anyway, you might as well do it with masterfully mixed cocktails overlooking The City at sunset.

The event runs from 6 pm to 9 pm. More importantly, admission is not only free but includes a complimentary cocktail upon arrival.

I’ll be posting a reminder on the 13th, but since you can never have too much prior notice…

The second annual San Francisco Cocktail Week is coming. Running from May 13th - 19th, SFCW celebrates, as the name suggests, cocktails and “the dynamic beverage culture of our community.”

From the Opening Gala at Harry Denton’s Starlight Room to the Closing Party at Absinthe, attendees will be able to learn more about the history of cocktails, observe San Francisco’s bar illuminati in action and, more importantly, sample the essence of their labors. Select restaurants will offer tasting menus with specially paired cocktails. Neighborhood-favorite Elixir will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a tribute to the Sazerac. On the 14th, you’ll even be able to imbibe with the best — renowned guest bartenders from across the country will display their craft at bars around The City.

So put on your drinking shoes (closed-toe highly recommended) and come celebrate San Francisco’s hallowed place at the altar of fine drinkables. Just don’t forget to designate a driver or MUNI navigator.

Noc Noc

When my friend told me he wanted to meet up at Noc Noc, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t think anything of it until I started asking around to see if anyone I knew had been there before. I started to get really excited.

I wanted to know what this cave-like burningmanesque bar located in the Lower Haight that only served beer, wine, and sake was all about.

(more…)

Tonight! Check out Brainstormer’s Grand Pub Quiz at your local pub!

Click the link above for more info and to register your team!

Brainstormers have weekly quiz nights at bars all over SF. I’ve been to the one at Elephant & Castle over in the FiDi and it’s loads of fun!

This week-long tournament begins tonight! So head on over to Valley Tavern, Blackthorn Tavern, Fishbowl, or Monaghan’s, and while you’re at it, go ahead and order up a round of shots of Patrón or Cazadores for your team! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo and get your game on tonight!

111 Minna

Who says your after-work happy hour excursion needs to be at the closest pub from your office building, or at the cantina at your local Chevys Fresh Mex. (These are all valid choices, mind you.) But, every now and then when the big hand is at number 12 and the little hand is at number 5 (translation: 5 o’clock), I crave something a little bit different.

111 Minna Gallery offers just that: something a little bit different.

(more…)

Greetings dear readers! I’m happy to present to you a weekly addition to SF Metblogs! Every Wednesday, I’ll pick a bar to write about and present my take and experience in hopes of giving you options for your everyday after-work Happy Hour needs so that you can effectively “Party Like it’s Friday!”

Comments are always welcome and please feel free to throw some suggestions my way! I’m an equal-opportunity drinker and always looking for new spots to check out! As this is a San Francisco blog, let’s try to stay within city limits. Although, I’m no stranger to the East Bay and would love to venture out that way on occasion.

Beale Street Bar and Grill

I was first introduced to Beale Street Bar and Grill when my roommate invited me to a thing his co-workers were having one night. Working in the Financial District in San Francisco has taught me never to turn down an invitation to a bar I’ve never been.

We’re so limited to what bars there are to go to in the area that it seems we tend to flock to the same ones repeatedly after work. I do get it; certain people have certain tastes. That much is… well, certain. But, I’m the type of guy that likes variety. I tend to not have a favorite type of anything. The Financial District seems to provide a certain specific type of venue for your happy hour needs. Sure there’s variety, but like any district in SF, it’s pretty limited. In the Financial District, there are mainly pubs and bars catered to those hard working people we like to affectionately (and sometimes not so much affectionately) call Yuppies.

I tend to really like dive bars. It’s not a preference in the sense that I’ll be opposed to go anywhere else. It’s just that I feel like they have an environment that’s much more comfortable than any stuffed up fancy place can provide.

Beale Street provides the happy medium. It’s still the Financial District and even their slogan says it’s “The Financial District’s Neighborhood Bar” and that tells me they can provide that comfortable dive bar experience you may want.

(more…)

It was recently brought to my attention that tonight diminutive Jamaican based musician Half Pint is appearing @ tiny lil’ Pier 23 as part of Club Dread.

Unlike many of the popular dancehall scene faves currently, he’s one of the few successful artists I know of in the genre who eschews the worst cliches & prejudices espoused in rap lyrics these days. He’s out promoting a new release called “No Stress Express” in which he shares the spotlight with guests including Miki Howard, Sizzla. The new single “Unity” recorded with Jack Maness formerly of Sublime offshoots Long Beach Dub All Stars is a call for harmony within the family of man.

Half Pint is a relatively humble artist active since the 80’s who’s been covered/copied by some pretty big white acts including the Rolling Stones (his song Winsome under their 1986 title “Too Rude”), and the aforementioned Sublime hit the big time in 1996 with Half Pint’s “Loving”, that you know better as the multi-platinum “(Love is) What I Got”. Half Pint is one of the few dancehall artists that consistently refrains from profanity, misogyny and negativity. The lyric book of his new CD even has section on stress relief that includes soaking one’s feet in epsom salts…

His other radical viewpoints include the horribly unhip and seemingly forgotten concepts like interpersonal respect , individuality, and (gasp!) family stability. Half Pint has even complained about the lyrics of other contemporary acts.

“There’s just raging and rebelling and they’re not realizing it’s not getting them anywhere. It’s better to be cool, calm and collective and do your homework and deal with one situation at a time. A lot of rap is still disrespectful to women, also. They’re saying things like, ‘Alright, Mama, do your thing. Keep selling your body.’ And I’m like, ‘Whoaaaah. No, mama don’t sell your body. Stick to me and let’s try to work things out without resorting to that.”

Whoa, crazy!!!

if you want to give Big Ups to the Half Pint, he’ll been making Pier 23 sweat after 10 pm til late tonight…

There’s some mp3 samples below for y’all

(more…)

While I can hear the bagpipes & marching bands from the St. Patty’s Parade in the background, I know that fans of down n’ dirty white trash rock n roll should be heading over to the Alcoholocaust showcase at Thee Parkside tonight to catch a bad batch of musical acts yer momma woulda warned ya about if she’d ever heard of ‘em.

Appearing at this sordid soiree at Thee Parkside is Mark Curry’s group based outta the Sacto area called Hell’s House Band. Curry, a tall grizzled tatooed biker/model lookin’ dude, spent a few years on Virgin being pimped alongside labelmates like Janet Jackson & Lenny Kravitz, yet was found less on radio playlists, and more likely hanging out in bars at dawn with his pals in punk bands like NOFX.

I’ve thrown in an mp3 below for you to familiarize yourself with his latest musical direction…

Appearing after Curry’s band is a headlining set from Bay Area locals Sorrow Town Choir who are out supporting their second CD “Espinas de la Vida”. Their heathen blend of raw rootsy mid tempo tunes takes it’s cues from the garage rock greats & stadium seasoned sinners alike. If you don’t mind hearing a lil’ whiskey burned Skynyrd riff & a Nick Cave influence or two blended into your indie dirges, this could be a fine show to sit in the shadows & enjoy tonight.

Also on the bill Kemosabe & an acoustic set from Scott Quay of October Allied

(more…)

Guerrero is Espanol for Warrior, while Bing Ji Ling is Chinese for Ice Cream…

What they have in common is going to go down at 12 Galaxies, a club celebrating it’s 4 year anniversary tonight…

Time truly flies when we’re all having fun, and here’s a chance to prove that scientifically…

Local skateboarding legend turned “loco lite rocker” Tommy Guerrero has a CD release party for his new album on the Galaxia label called Return of the Bastard tonight Friday, March 7 @ the 12 Galaxies nightclub at 2565 Mission St near 22nd. Joining him in celebration will be his pop infusing pal, and former local resident Bing Ji Ling who also has a new disc to flog…

Both gentleman have a sly funky sensibility which will only be compounded by the presence of retro soul-tastic opener and Ubiquity recording artist Nino Moschella…

It should be quite the to do tonight and I would be there myself if I wasn’t on biz in LA …

So since I cannot attend, here’s all the extraneous detailz & some mp3′z ya might need to prep for this par-tay are below …

Guerrero, whose been making increasingly popular instrumental solo CDs for a decade now has remained loyal to da Bay, running his Real skateboard & 40’s clothing businesses while raising a family here. His occasional musical collaborator Bing Ji Ling, has ventured from SF to NYC where he completed his latest album June Degrees In December. Both boyz return to the city tonight to lay down some seriously funky grooves for their many fans, and you may just find yourself converted if yer in the hizzo…

Bing Ji Ling
“Be Here With You” (mp3)
from “June Degrees in December”
(To The Curb Productions)

Download More at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Download More at Amazon
More On This Album

Here’s an interview with Tommy from a recent Download.com appearance, plus two MP3s from Tommy’s last album that came out on the always impressive Quannum imprint, the 2006 release from The Soil To The Soul.

Tommy Guerrero - Just Ain’t Me

Tommy Guerrero
“War No More” (mp3)
both tracks from “From the Soil To the Soul”
(Quannum Projects)

Download More at iTunes Music Store
Download More at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Download More at Amazon
More On This Album

Lucky 13 is one of my favorite bars in the city and not just for their most awesome signage. They have the best punk rock juke box I’ve come across and a generally awesome crowd and staff. One of the few bars where I’ve never had a bad night. Five thumbs up or something along those lines.