"Thanks for Understanding" by Tucker Nichols; courtesy of the de Young

What makes art really art is an age-old question. But what really makes a museum hasn’t ever been questioned. Leave it up to de Young Museum’s Artist-in-Residence Bay Area-based Tucker Nichols to grapple with that very question. Through a series of quirky pieces commissioned by the de Young entitled “Into the Museum,” Nichols uses mundane objects—from coffee containers and tape, to well-known sculptures and other pieces of art—to discuss the overall experience of a museum from the perspective of someone who has never been to one. With little focus on the actual art on the walls, Nichols examines the architecture, the areas surrounding the museum—even the individualistic character of the public restrooms housed in the de Young—to explore the essence of a museum is with or without the presence of the art.

As part of Friday Nights at the de Young,  you can check out Tucker Nichols’ art on display at an evening viewing on Friday, May 30. The event also includes an artist meet and greet from 6 – 8:30 p.m. and features a discussion between Nichols and Griff Williams, owner of Gallery 16. See the de Young Museum through new eyes, with Tucker Nichols as your guide.

May Artist-in-Residence: Tucker Nichols "Into the Museum"
On Friday, May 30 from 6 - 8:30 p.m.
de Young Museum 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, 415-750-3600


"Cones" by Tucker Nichols; courtesy of the de Young

courtesy of  Kate Nash

Here’s 7 not-to-miss A+E happenings this week.

1. Kate Nash at the Fillmore on Tuesday, May 13
This British songbird is tearing up the charts in her homeland and beyond with her critically acclaimed debut Made of Bricks. Check her out this week at the Fillmore and see what all the buzz is about.

2. Bike Away from Work Party
This Thursday, May 15 reward yourself for taking two-wheels to work by cruising to the Rickshaw Stop for their Annual Bike Away from Work Party. This environmentally-friendly afterparty for Bike to Work Day boasts free bike valet parking and an amazing raffle.

3. I’ll Be Your Mirror: Rare Films by Philippe Garrel
Catch films by French auteur Philippe Garrel at the YBCA starting Thursday, May 15. Things kick off with his classic flick J’Entends Plus La Guitare, based on his real-life love affair with musician and Warhol muse Nico.

4. Robyn at Bimbo’s 365 Club on Friday, May 16
Relive the’90s with Swedish pop sensation Robyn when she brings her eccentric brand of pop to SF.

5. San Francisco Oyster Fest on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 19
Honesty, what’s better than enjoying oysters on a warm Saturday in SF? Slurping down bivalves while checking out solid tunes by the sea. This weekend head over to the SF Oyster Fest at Fort Mason for bites, brews and bands like She & Him, Juliette and the Licks and Dropkick Murphys. Check the website for daily lineups.

6. Return to Paradise Party at Mezzanine on Saturday, May 18
Throw on your slinkiest polyester number and strap on those sky-high platforms for this authentic disco experience. This all-night party is packed full with dance groups and DJ from the past and present—most notably special guest stars and disco icons Sister Sledge.

7. Bay to Breakers on Sunday, March 18
Don’t miss this SF tradition where running nuns, astronauts and nudists race down the streets of SF from SoMa to the Beach. Run, walk or strut with thousands of others San Franciscans—animal costumes and clothes optional.

courtesy of Juliette and the Licks

Here’s our ultimate live music guide for May. Tune in each month to get the scoop of the Hot List’s picks of the hottest tickets in town.

Liam Finn at the Bottom of the Hill on Monday, May 5

Kelley Stoltz at Great American Music Hall on Tuesday, May 6

KT Tunstall at the Warfield on Wednesday, May 7

The B52’s at the Independent on Friday, May 8

White Denim and tapes n’ tapes at the Fillmore on Saturday, May 10

Mike Realm at the Independent on Saturday, May 10

Mariee Sioux at the Hemlock Tavern on Sunday, May 11

Kate Nash at the Fillmore on Tuesday, May 13

Radar Bros. at Bottom of the Hill on Wednesday, May 14

Ra Ra Riot at Café Du Nord on Wednesday, May 14

Port O’Brien at the Rickshaw Stop on Wednesday, May 14

Crowded House at the Fillmore on Wednesday, May 14

Radio 4 at Popscene on Thursday, May 15

The Proclaimers at Slim’s on Thursday, May 15

Robyn at Bimbo’s 365 Club on Friday, May 16

Wayne Shorter at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday, May 16

Juliette and the Licks at the Fort Mason Great Meadow on Saturday, May 17

The Kills and the Child Ballads at Slim’s on Saturday, May 17

She & Him, Chuck Prophet and the Mother Hips at the Oyster Festival on Sunday, May 18

The French Kicks at the Independent on Sunday, May 18

Clinic at the Independent on Monday, May 19

Dizzee Rascal and El-P at 1015 Folsom on Wednesday, May 21

M.I.A at the Concourse Exhibition Center Wednesday, May 21

M83 at Great American Music Hall on Wednesday, May 21

Foals at Popscene on Thursday, May 22

Adele at Bimbo’s 365 Club on Thursday, May 22

The Von Bondies at the Independent on Sunday, May 25

Beirut at the Grand Ballroom on Tuesday, May 27 and Wednesday, May 28

Datarock at the Fillmore on Tuesday, May 27

Stephen Marley at the Independent on Wednesay, May 29

The Fiery Furnaces at Great American Music Hall on Thursday, May 29

Swervedriver at the Fillmore Thursday, May 29

Four Tet at Mezzanine on Saturday, May 31

courtesy of Tapes n' Tapes

Here’s 7 not-to-miss A+E happenings this week.

1.  CCA Senior Fashion Show on Wednesday, May 7
Witness fashion history when CCA presents its Senior Fashion Show. The juried show, which takes place at the SF campus in Potrero Hill, signifies for students the end of the BFA program and their entrance into the world of fashion.

2.  Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson on Thursday, May 8 at the Castro Theatre
Celebrate the life of madman writer and cultural icon Hunter S. Thompson with the movie Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson playing as part of the SF International Film Fest.

3.  Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival at the Victoria Theatre
This sure ain’t your mama’s cartoon festival! Come check out Spike and Mike’s Twisted Animation Fest for some R-rated ‘toons and side splitting comedic fun. From Thursday, May 8 till Saturday, May 10.

4.  “American Symbols: From Lady Liberty to the Stars and Stripes”
Starting Friday, May 9 celebrate American iconography at this exhibit at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, which investigates the origins of classic Americana symbols such as the stars, stripes and Lady Liberty herself.

5.  The Glitch Mob at Mighty on Friday, May 9
A little bit crunk and a little bit rock n’ roll, the Glitch mob deliver monstrous beats full of throbbing base and a dark hip-hop vibe.

6.  Tapes n’ Tapes at the Fillmore on Saturday, May 10
Experimental art-rock outfit Tapes n' Tapes bring their thoughtful dancey-meets-psych sound to SF.

7.  Yerba Buena Gardens Festival
Starting Saturday, May 10 enjoy the daily cultural offerings at the Yerba Buena Gardens. Featuring everything from theater, music and dance, these afternoon events will help enrich your lunch break or your relaxing day at the park.

Kid Sister; photography by Misha Vladimirskiy

Most Likely To Employ a Buddy System When Leaving Indio: I’m From Barcelona
“Baby Shower chic” was the look du moment at the pink pastel ballooned Mojave tent stage, when I’m From Barcelona emerged to greet their afternoon audience bearing giant red balloons made for volleying into the audience. Accompanied by a spray of confetti, the superfluously stocked band opened with “Treehouse,” miming the house-building process to the audience like a preschool class whose teacher happened to be Wayne Coyne. The Swedish twee pop troupe ran down their choral setlist (“Surrounded,” “Collection of Stamps,” “Oversleeping,”) with post-naptime jubilation, interspersed with amusing asides from frontman Emanuel Lundgren (“[That song] was our gift for you tonight. It’s not night, but let’s say night. It’s cooler”). Despite the semi-contagious glee of the outfit’s delivery and the MVP additions of the ensemble’s sax player (seriously, they’ve got five people on “ba ba ba” duty and that dude and Lundgren could probably run this thing on their own), we outgrew the shtick about halfway through.




British Songstress Duffy

Most Dusty, Least Springfield: Duffy
British songstress Duffy has been hyped as Petula Clark 2.0 with a Motown side. So when she joined her band onstage with all the confidence of a jittery American Idol contestant we were immediately concerned. After battling early mic difficulties—which only added to the first date awkwardness factor—the petite blonde looked to have regained her footing, navigating the single “Rockferry” with carefully choreographed country star moves. But for all its well-rehearsed engagement with the audience, the singer’s self-proclaimed “first official festival performance” translated less as trendy throwback and more as next-stop-the-shoe-department adult contemporary.

Best Breaker of Bad News: Gobi Tent Guy
Passing the Gobi Tent after departing the Duffy showcase, one couldn’t help but notice a compelling Q&A in progress. This wasn’t the first of the day (Sean Penn started his political rant itinerary here earlier as a buzz-builder for his main stage appearance—more on that later), but it did have the distinction of being the most geographically illuminating.

“So who here traveled the furthest?” a bespectacled hipster authority figure inquired to the crowd, pointing to eager contestants raising their hands to answer. “London you say? Wow, you had to get on a plane. Japan? That’s far!” Like an experienced doctor greeting a patient’s family in the waiting room, the guy on the mic drew us in with his kindness—he made us believe he genuinely cared. And then he ripped off the band-aid:  “Just a reminder: The Field cancelled. So if you came to see them, you’re bumming out. Any other questions?”


Montreal-based outfit Stars

Most Likely to Receive a Cease-and-Desist From Phil Collins: Stars
Keeping with the decorative theme of the day, Montreal’s Stars blanketed the main stage with red roses for their show, offering a visual cue for those who may not be familiar with the band’s laser beam lyrical focus on all things lovelorn. Amy Millan’s wispy, clear-as-a-bell vocals shined throughout, but co-vocalist Torquil Campbell set off a few alarms. Looking every bit the middle-age “cool Dad” figure, Campbell seemed to strain on “What I’m trying to Say,” and made us think of him as “Dad you’d rather not have drive you home after your babysitting job,” with a Phil Collins lead-in to the group’s hit “One More Night” (“Gimme one more night. ’Cause I can’t fuck you to death forever.”) The band’s late-in-the-set performance of “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” emerged as their frontrunner for the highlight reel.

Sexiest Parlaying of Equipment Failure Into A Metaphorical Witticism: Emily Haines
Poured into an eye-poppingly tight, short, silver shorts jumpsuit, Metric front-siren Emily Haines kicked off her band’s set with an immensely rockin’ performance of “Dead Disco.” On the back of one song, Haines had the audience eating out of her Amber Valleta-like palm, so it was no additional sweat of their backs when her Pro One vintage keyboard started acting up. “It’s just like a woman,” she announced like a practiced, super-foxy comic before supplying the bullet pointed punchline: impossible to understand, lots of knobs you don’t know what to do with, gets emotional when it’s important. With Pro One back on its best behavior, Haines trotted out the band’s new self-proclaimed “stoner rock” tune “Satellite Heart” with a coy Roger Waters wink: “I hear acid is coming back.”

Most Likely to Be the Next Tom Cruise: Sean Penn
We must have been playing one crazy game of telephone with the rest of Coachella, because we could have sworn Sean Penn was supposed to be introducing Eddie Vedder at some point during the day. First we heard it was gonna shake down in the Gobi Tent, where Penn was scheduled for a 40-minute time slot. I mean, what’s Sean Penn gonna talk about for 40 minutes? Answer: We’re not sure. Once we’d sussed out that Vedder wasn’t gonna show, we bounced. After all, we knew we had another chance to catch the Penn show before My Morning Jacket on the main stage, where we were certain he’d produce the cameo we’d been hearing so much about.

I mean, what else was he gonna do with 15 minutes? Use the time to pitch some sort of Jerry Maguire-gone humanitarian scheme to lure young, able-bodied Coachella denizens onto a biodiesel bus with the promise of a campfire with Ben Harper in New Orleans? Urge them to help him save the world and tell them their lives would be empty if they persisted with filling their days with MySpace and work? Rally the troops with the battlecry: “Revolution is a Young Man’s Job!” and issue a Back to the Future-esque invite to meet him the next day at the clock tower at 1pm? Then finish up by enthusing, “let’s party!”? Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

DeVotchKa; photography by Misha Vladimirskiy

Here's a report from the sonically scorching day two of Coachella:

Coachella Performer with the Coolest Buddy List: Mark Ronson
Perhaps the biggest mystery of the day (other than "Where am I gonna stash those pesky limbs of mine while I try to find a place to stand for the Prince set?") was the guest list for Mark Ronson's gig. Given the fact that two of his most prominent leading lady vocalists have a jam-packed transatlantic tabloid schedule to tend to, the question on everyone's mind was just who would show up to sing the U.K. super-producer's music. Thankfully, Ronson came with backup -- and we're not just talking about his coquettish string quartet that filled their downtime with synchronized shoulder shakes and '60s girl group head sways.

Chicago rapper Rhymefest popped up on Ronson's version of Britney's "Toxic," while nice-soul-for-a-white-guy phenom Sam Sparro performed his slick electro-funk tune "Black and Gold." But our confidence was fully engaged when Ronson brought out the Rumble Strips' Charlie Waller, with whom the tailored-suit-favoring producer changed his own game. Instead of covering someone else's music, as he did on last year's Version, Ronson invited Waller to lead the ensemble in the Rumble Strips' own version of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" -- "His cover is better than ours," Ronson shrugged.

 We were skeptical, but damn that horns-loving genius if he's not right: Waller's Tom Jones-y rendition just about knocked us over. It wasn't all so spine-tingling: Neptunes-endorsed electro-dance artist Kenna went the extra mile by scaling the side of the stage on "Just," but not even death-defying attempts at grandeur could rescue the tune from its Thom Yorke inferiority complex.

We could go on, but instead, here's where we get all "no big deal, so-and-so was there too": the Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson classed up the joint with another set highlight, singing lead on Ronson's reworking of the Chiefs' "Oh My God." Later, the Charlatans' Tim Burgess dropped in for a sedated performance of his own tune, "The Only One I Know," and Klaxon Jamie Reynolds manned the vocals for "Stop Me." We know what you're thinking: Sure those are big names, but what's a British star-fest without an Osbourne in the mix? Not to worry: Kelly came out to help close out the tune.

Most Likely to Disagree With Us About Ordering Red or White With Lunch: DeVotchKa
Considering DeVotchKa's amalgamated influences, one can never be sure if the live effect of the Denver quartet will result in a desire to start a plate-shattering celebration, meet for a showdown at Sad Hill Cemetery, or pioneer a road trip pilgrimage to Redondo Beach with Steve Carell. Sadly, the band's mid-afternoon performance at the sweltering Outdoor Stage elicited none of these urges. Okay, the Carell carpool is sorta tempting -- we are flying back home out of LAX after all. Cue up "How It Ends," throw in an outlet stop on the way to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, and you can count us in.

The gypsy-leaning band took to the stage dressed in their least breathable of formal wear -- with vocalist Nick Urata decked in a black suit with ruffled tux shirt and swilling from a bottle of what appeared to be red wine. (Really? Red wine? That's your beverage of choice? We're dreaming of taking a bath in Gatorade ice cubes and you've got a hankering for a full-bodied Cab?) DeVotchKa geared their set-list to their more Argentinean tango tunes (with the straighter-ahead indie rock of "Transliterator," off their acclaimed new set A Mad and Faithful Telling, a notable exception), and even brought tankini-clad aerial performers to up the entertainment ante. But despite the acrobatic oohs and ahhs, the tuba and upright bass sonic flourishes, and Urata's deft Theremin-produced UFO sound effects, the overall experience still came closer to "best Balkan wedding band of all time" than "best full stop."

Most Likely to Be Upstaged By His Own Banter: Stephen Malkmus
Before the face of '90s lo-fi even appeared, witty commentary was already in circulation at the Outdoor Theater. "Is that his brother?" one fan wondered aloud to his fellow concertgoer, referring to a roadie adjusting a mic. "I think he's just super-nerdy," she clarified. Playing to a crowd who must have simultaneously struggled with the glee of a Jicks inclusion on the bill and the dashed hopes of a Pavement reunion that came with it, Stephen Malkmus turned up to play some jammy tunes (among them "Dragonfly Pie," "Elmo Delmo," and "Hopscotch Willie") off his latest album, Real Emotional Trash. Concocting a set to please those who prefer the noodling, hippie side of Malkmus to his quirky, poppier alter-ego, the Jicks frontman definitely remembered to pack conversational currency. "Indio in May equals Stockton in July," he announced. "We're doing California heat math!"

Most Likely to Start a French Equivalent of the Macarena Dance Craze: Yelle
Decked in a sequined mini-dress emblazoned with an Alice Cooper-approved skeleton, French dance vixen Yelle introduced herself to the crowd at the Mojave tent with a native greeting: "Are you ready to shake your ass, Coachella?" Like a French electro version of the young Olivia Newton John who stole Kylie Minogue's dance moves, Yelle loco-motioned the room into a frenzy with such cooing sonic bon mots as "Tristesse / Joie."
 "Do you want to dance with me? Copy me!" she insisted, before launching into the big move: The "Y" from "YMCA" followed by a sexy little shimmy. Like the African Ant-eater scene in Can't Buy Me Love, the audience took up the move with widespread fervor. A shiny dress, a catchy tune and an accent -- gets 'em every time.