Yeah, it's late. I'm scared to sleep, been having nightmares involving
this. You have been warned (it is SFW, but you'll still need brain bleach for it).
One of the harder things about coming into a city such as this one, or even just living in it, is that there is never really a good site or publication that strictly offers information on concerts and other events. With most sites, the events calendar is designed in such a way that you only see stuff day of, and that's assuming the calendar is updated with what every venue is doing. With publications such as SF Weekly and the Bay Guardian, they do offer info, but it's often buried in ads, and they don't offer any info beyond what is happening the week of publication.
Only recently have I found some sites that provide good show lists, all on one page. This way, before you come into town, you know what's happening in the City. Here are the sites:
Their Older Shit Was Better: Named after a phrase that hipsters and music critics seem to utter quite frequently, this site is very simple in its layout: Covers important shows, both major and indie, all on one page. It is focused primarily on the City, though if the act is worth noting, they will mention shows in the East Bay or as far south as San Jose (like this week's Jay-Z concert at the Shark Tank). For most people, this is enough to cover you. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer links to acts if you are interested in them, but sometimes knowing the basic details is enough to go by.
TheList: Dedicated to funk, punk, thrash, and ska, you can find bands of all that nature on this list (with some weird offshoots, like the Indigo Girls). Also, given its preference to punk, shows are often given additional details in that regard, such as whether people under 21 have to pay more, if there's going to be a mosh pit, if the show is likely to sell out, etc. A nice touch is the use of search, if things get a bit hairy. A fair warning though: TheList not only covers shows in Bay Area, but much further out, to as far north as Sacramento and east as Reno.
The Transbay Creative Music Calendar: Free-Jazz. Musique Concréte. Design Composition. Pure noise. Avant-garde classical.
Jandek. If any of these terms (or people) mean anything to you, then this calendar will be useful to you. This calendar covers shows of the artsy-fartsy experimental kind (and we
do mean experimental). Covers the entire Bay Area.
Dar Dar Dar: This site is for the little guys. By little guys, I mean bands who are playing in small venues, truly up-and-coming artists of any kind, possibly house shows, and bands who have such a niche audience that they're unlikely to break through anytime soon. You name it, if it's small and weird, it's likely to be in this list. A nice touch to the site is the ability to discuss these shows, look for related shows, and even share them with your friends (or yourself, for personal records).
Finally, there's
FecalFace's calendar for those who just want to see art. Performances, openings, panels, films, signings, auctions, the whole shebang. Some galleries (
Femina Potens springs to mind) do not post here, however.
So, feel free to look at these sites, see if your favorite band (or artist) is coming to town when you are. Eventually, we'll have someone add these to the side for you look at without having to resort to this point (hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink...?)
That's all for now. Until next time, beware the singing ponies....
