8 Days a Week

Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2004

PHOTO BY CATHERINE ASHMORE

ENGLISH CHOREOGRAPHER MATTHEW Bourne honed his sense of theater on American musicals, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the man, who put feathered pants on his male swans in Swan Lake and gave Cinderella a dashing Royal Air Force pilot as a prince, sees showbiz potential in The Nutcracker. One British critic called Bourne's take, Nutcracker!, a "cracker of a show" – whatever that means. What is certain is that it follows a bunch of "waifs and strays" who escape from a nasty Dickensian orphanage across a frozen lake into a deliciously pink and punk candyland. Remember the Waltz of the Snowflakes? These flakes skate – on ice, that is. Judging from the visuals, the second act's Marshmallow Girls, Gobstopper Boys, Liquorice Allsort trio, and the Knickerbocker Glory look like hilarious and much welcome deviants of the traditional divertissements. And what about Tchaikovsky? He's there, of course, grinning probably. After all, he was the first legit classical composer who deigned to write for such frivolous entertainments (as ballet was considered at the time). The old boy knew what he was doing. So does Bourne. Fri/26-Sat/27, Tues/30, and Dec. 1-4, 8 p.m. (also Sat/27 and Dec. 4, 2 p.m.); Sun/28 and Dec. 5, 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph, Berk. $36-$74. (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. (Rita Felciano)

Nov. 24 - Wednesday

Their day Never mind the drunken driving charges, the ring tones, or the threat or promise of, yikes, settling down into thirtysomething punk middle age. While their chart-focused punk-pop progeny stay on the party message and keep the danger limited to the buzz-saw guitars and flashing strobes, Green Day have come through, producing their best album in years. American Idiot (Reprise) finds Green Day reenergized, inspired, articulate, and completely on the mark when it comes to the stop-on-a-dime rock, thoughtful songwriting, and strong lyrics that let the red states know what makes the band see red – and gives voice to the disaffected youth in all of us. More power to 'em – and their bid for a Grammy. New Found Glory and Sugarcult also play. 7 p.m., Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove, S.F. $29.50. (415) 421-TIXS. (Kimberly Chun)

Nov. 25 - Thursday

Wing it You're already planning to stuff your gobbler with 10,000 calories worth of home-cooked goodness this afternoon, so why not subject your soon-to-be-fat-'n'-lazy body parts to some early-morning action? The Turkey Beach Trot, a fundraiser for Lowell High School's cross-country and track teams, follows six miles along Ocean Beach and awards winners with pumpkin pies and other seasonal goodies. More leisurely types can partake in a three-mile walk dubbed the Pilgrim Promenade; kids 10 and under can compete in the 100-meter Gobbler Chase, featuring the event's mascot, a cheerful six-foot turkey. Preregistration is required to race, but there's plenty of room on the beach for anyone who wants work up an appetite in the cheering section. 8 a.m., Ocean Beach, 700 Great Highway, S.F. $22. (415) 595-6934, www.turkeybeachtrot.com. (Cheryl Eddy)

Nov. 26 - Friday

Home improv-ment Pretty, pretty – and pretty cerebral. So go the haunting sounds of Texas trio Charalambides. Kranky sound sculptor Tom Carter and spouse Christina Carter swing between improvisation and careful compositions, avant-garde experimentation and folkish psychedelia, in a guitar- and vocals-oriented project that began life as an exclusively recording endeavor with guitarist Jason Bill of Migrante. Currently including pedal steel guitarist-psaltery player-vocalist Heather Murray, the trio venture out to the West Coast, hanging in the Bay Area for extended periods, with a spring Kranky release, Joy Shapes, at hand. Yellow Swans, Axolotl, and Horticultural Compass also perform. 9 p.m., Mile High Club, 3629 MLK Jr. Way, Oakl. $7. (510) 654-4549. (Tom and Christina Carter also play with 7 Year Rabbit Cycle Sat/27, 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $6. 415-923-0923; Charalambides also perform Dec. 3, 9 p.m., Hotel Utah Saloon, 500 Fourth St., S.F. $7. 415-546-6300.) (Chun)

Nov. 27 - Saturday

PHOTO BY BRAD MILLER

Pin down From where I'm sitting and listening, summer sounds like droning guitars, quiet and dark beats, and a sprinkling of piano notes. Composed of ex-3 Mile Pilot member Armistead "Zach" Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow, Pinback only sound like an easygoing indie rock band in the mode of a less buoyant Shins or a more laid-back Death Cab for Cutie. Yet subtly bubbling underneath it all on the band's latest album, Summer in Abaddon (Touch and Go), is a disquieting tug of tension that saves the music from sounding like Air Supply. Check the layers of guitar and keyboards and lyrics about message boards, missed connections, and cracks in the sidewalk that threaten to overwhelm the gentle singer. Call it the dream life of 21st-century angels, though these spirits also remember to write insinuating songs like Summer in Abaddon's "Fortress." Headliners Album Leaf continue the theme of San Diego-based meditative-core, whereas openers the Advantage make Nintendo music into the stuff of indie. Through Sun/28. 9 p.m. (Sun/28 show 8 p.m.), Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. $16. (415) 474-0365. (Chun)

¡Olé! The mention of flamenco calls to mind tapping heels, strumming guitars, and – inevitably – a dancer with flowers in her hair, impossibly graceful even though she's wearing a floor-length skirt layered with complicated ruffles. Now in its 38th year, landmark local company Theatre Flamenco aims for a twist on the familiar with Abanicos, an evening of dance highlighting "the male spirit of flamenco," with a pair of French-born Spaniards on the rise, Manuel Gutiérrez and José Cortés, as featured guest artists. The show is far from single-themed, however, with an array of diverse works on the program: the premiere of the title piece, choreographed by artistic director Miguel Santos; a modern duet for female dancers; a solo featuring company standout Julia Moreno; a guest appearance by San Francisco dancer Phoebe "La Fibi" Vernier; and, for at least one number, live sitar accompaniment by Spanish musician Paco Albiac. 8 p.m. (also Sun/28, 2 p.m.), Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F. $26-$37.50. (415) 345-7575, www.ticketweb.com. (Eddy)

Nov. 28 - Sunday

Far out There are many reasons to tear through Golden Gate Park as part of the 5K run-walk and 10K race known as Run to the Far Side. One might be if you ignored my suggestion for Thursday (above) and are still feeling sluggish from an extended weekend of sloth and gluttony. Another is that this event, now in its 20th year, pays tribute to the weirdness of Gary Larson's Far Side comic strip, with creative costumes aplenty (ants! cows! smoking dinosaurs! cave people! nerds!) and prizes for the most glorious among them. Yet another is that the registration fees support environmental education and research programs at the California Academy of Sciences (currently bunking in the South of Market while construction continues on its site in the park). Postrace live music only sweetens the deal. 8:30 a.m., Golden Gate Park, East Middle Drive, S.F. $25-$30. (415) 759-2690, www.calacademy.org. (Eddy)

Nov. 29 - Monday

Monday-night fever Thanksgiving weekend may be over, but that's no excuse to spend the evening moping in front of the TV. A new Monday weekly, Club Neon, brings some weekday cheer to the Hush Hush Lounge with $2 drinks all night and DJs from Rock Box and Club Dare spinning everything from Britpop to punk to electroclash – so really, there's no reason not to dance the night away. The roster of upcoming events includes record-release and after-show parties, secret shows, and guest DJs from touring bands, prompting DJ Jamie Jams to call Club Neon "more like a knitting club or a Parcheesi club" than like a "normal dance club in the traditional sense of the word." 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Hush Hush Lounge, 496 14th St., S.F. $2. (415) 241-9944. (Leah Freeman)

Nov. 30 - Tuesday

Caught in the Lerche Three years ago dreamy Sondre Lerche was barely out of high school when he appeared on the pop scene with his precocious debut album, Faces Down (Astralwerks), a feat that has led music critics to dub him "the Norwegian Conor Oberst." Melding influences like Burt Bacharach and Beck, Lerche plays indie pop with a retro sensibility, a calmer little brother to Austin Powers in lounge-act form, if you will. Touring the United States and Norway nonstop since February in support of his follow-up, Two Way Monologue (Astralwerks), the inexhaustible singer-songwriter plays three shows in California before jetting off to sing at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo. The Golden Republic also play. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $17. (415) 255-0333. (Freeman)

Dec. 1 - Wednesday

Hot in our name Activism may have been all the rage leading up to the election, but we still need it more than ever. And at least multitalented Saul Williams serves it up with verve. After first finding fame on the screen in 1998's Slam and a somewhat forgettable debut album, Williams has kept busy with acting and writing gigs, including the Not in Our Name manifesto signed by stars like Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. Supporting his new, eponymous album of rock-styled hip-hop on Fader Records, Williams performs tonight with a full band backing up his passionate and insightful spoken word. Thavius Beck and Adlib also perform. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Peter Nicholson)

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