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Arts & Entertainment

This weekend: Pride, Juneteenth, Castro Theatre’s 100th and more

Getty/Doni Conner

The weekend is, once again, nigh. Do you know what you’re doing? Given that June marks the beginning of summer—and considering this month is host to both Juneteenth and Pride—it’s becoming increasingly challenging to figure out how to spend our precious weekends here at The Standard.

Woods are playing The Chapel tonight. The Brooklyn-based freak folks draw on a wide array of inspirations—including psychedelia, world music, ambient and experimental; opening act, The Reds, Pinks and Purples are not to be missed. The Castro Theatre is in the midst of celebrating its 100th anniversary with a slate of classic films. A mural festival takes over the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. SoMa’s District Six celebrates Philippines Independence Day with food, drink and performances. And Chanticleer, San Francisco’s own Grammy award-winning all-male vocal ensemble, performs at the Mission Dolores Basilica.

It’s a lot to think about, and in instances like this, we find it can be helpful to drink about it. The sexy nightspot once known as the Armory Club has a new tenant and her name is Dahlia. From the minds of the restaurateurs that brought you Thriller Social Club, Westwood and the sister bars Copyright & Trademark, Dahlia Lounge features a short, but rotating list of cocktails. Mixtures range from tiki-style concoctions of orgeat, pineapple and lime to smokey, earthy blends of rye, Bonal and apricot and elderflower liqueurs. If that sounds a bit too bougie, they also serve a shot and beer for $12. You can head to 1799 Mission St. before making any more decisions.

Thursday, June 9

Woods | Bandcamp

Woods

The Chapel, 777 Valencia Street
Thursday, June 9, 8:30 p.m. | $22

With the Huichica Music & Wine Festival coming to Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu Winery on Friday and Saturday, New York indie folkies Woods are playing a festival-presented show underneath the dreamy vaulted ceiling of The Chapel on Thursday night. If their music feels like being on the bucolic mountainsides of the Bay Area’s northern extremities, it’s because some of it was created there. Their 2020 album, Strange To Explain, was recorded overlooking Stinson Beach at the Panoramic House Studio on Mt. Tamalpais and there’s an unmistakable beauty to songs like “Before They Pass By” and “Where Do You Go When You Dream,” that makes Woods a welcome soundtrack to your early summer daydreams. This is nothing short of a special appearance in the city, from one of the top-billed acts at this weekend’s wine country music festival. (AS)

Castro Theatre 100th Birthday Celebration  

429 Castro St. 
Through June 12 & June 22 | $6 - $18

Transformed into a movie house by the Nasser brothers in 1922, the Castro Theatre celebrates 100 years of cinematic family history with a marathon of films from across the decades. Thursday features flicks from the ’80s including the first in the beloved Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Friday features films of the ’90s, including Sam Mendes’ American Beauty and the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker buddy cop-comedy Rush Hour. Saturday is dedicated to the 2000s with films like the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men and Iron Man. And Sunday wraps things up with movies of the 2010s, including Black Panther, the Lady Gaga-led A Star is Born and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood. Save the date for the Castro Theatre’ official birthday party on June 22 which will showcase films made in San Francisco, including Mrs. Doubtfire, Dirty Harry, Sudden Fear and Bullitt. (CJC)

Friday, June 10

Long Live the Queens

Living Room Bar at the W San Francisco, 181 Third St.
7:30 p.m. | $15

Two years after closing her Saturday night run at The Oasis, SF’s “Mother” of drag, Heklina, retakes her city to kick off Pride 2022 at The W. Drag artists Landa Lakes, Carnie Asada and Madd-Dogg 20/20 will also perform at the Living Room Bar, where a portion of proceeds from a colorful menu of Pride-full dishes will support the SF LGBT Center. But the celebration of Pride doesn’t stop there. (MJT)

Queer Women of Color Film Festival

The Presidio Theatre, Main Post
June 10 - 12, Various Times | Free 

Returning to the big screen, the 18th QWOCFF focuses on the theme “Love, Embodied” with 35 films spread over five showings at the Presidio Theatre in the Main Post. This year’s films focus on “liberatory intimacy” and collective care that transcend time and place through explorations of kinship, community, desire and rhythmic rituals of dance and poetry. Native American, African American and lesbian activist Jewelle Gomez, the subject of the film Jewelle: A Just Vision, will be on hand for a Q&A before the Saturday evening screening to discuss the historic and future impact of Black, indigenous and feminist movements. Cinephiles can also head to Manny’s for a Friday night screening of the Focus Features film Pariah about the coming-out journey of 17-year-old Alike in Brooklyn, New York. (MJT)

8 Black Hunters Point Shipyard Artists

Bayview Opera House, 4705 3rd St. 
6 - 8 p.m. | $25

San Francisco’s historic Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is home to a massive community of working artists. It also stands at the center of the Big Migration of African Americans to San Francisco in the 1940s. Curated by eight San Francisco-based artists in residence at the Shipyard, this exhibit celebrates the city’s African American heritage and diaspora. Stop by and hang out with the artists, enjoy refreshments and live music from the Calvin Keys Trio. (MM)

Blvck Hippie | Bandcamp

Blvck Hippie

Amados, 998 Valencia St.
7:30 p.m. | $15+

With Valencia Street institution Amnesia closing its doors in March of 2020 (shortly before the pandemic changed our live music lives) the places in San Francisco where you can discover workhorse touring indie bands on the bills alongside standout local talent have become fewer and farther between. Luckily, Valencia still has Amado’s with its intimate basement stage and relentless commitment to booking DIY-minded bands. Enter Memphis’ Blvck Hippie, who describe themselves as a “Black Fronted Sad Boy Indie Rock Band.” Led by Josh Shaw, the trio’s 2021 debut, If You Feel Alone At Parties, is filled with delightfully steady riffs and endearing emo-tinged lyrics. San Francisco indie pop singer Maggie Gently is also on the bill, whose debut, Peppermint, is one of this year’s Bay Area album standouts. Also appearing in the lineup is SF-bred rhythmic rap crew Afterthought. The entire evening might as well be a love letter to how San Francisco independent music ethos is alive and well. (AS)

Saturday, June 11

No Mean Reward: Chanticleer and the Golden Fleece

Mission Dolores Basilica, 3321 16th St. 
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. | $20+

Go back in time with Chanticleer, San Francisco’s own Grammy award-winning all-male vocal ensemble. The mix of 12 male voices ranging from soprano to bass brings the sumptuous polyphony of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy’s chivalric fraternity, the Order of the Golden Fleece, to life. This evening of Renaissance music from the late 15th century features masterful musical works by Guillaume Du Fay, Johannes Ockeghem, Antoine Busnois, and Cristobal Morales. (CJC)

The Box Shop Mural Festival 

951 Hudson St.
4 p.m. | Free

The artists of Bayview Hunters-Point’s Box Shop throw open the doors of their shipping container art studios for this colorful two-day event featuring more than 80 murals. Both days feature mural tours, live music and chances to bust a move with live samba and break dancing sessions. Saturday features live mural painting and a bring-your-own-drinks and- snacks afterparty from 8 to 11 p.m. Sunday features a metal flower art making workshop for kids of all ages starting at noon. Hunters Point barbecue favorite BigH will be on hand making delicious smoked ribs and chicken all weekend. (CJC)

Juneteenth on the Waterfront

Ferry Plaza, 1 Ferry Plaza
9 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Free

The San Francisco waterfront will transform into an outdoor food hall to salute local Black-owned restaurants in honor of Juneteenth. This event will feature 13 restaurants from the San Francisco Bay Area that will prepare and sell their signature menu items on-site. Bring your appetite and the family. Coloring, mancala games, live cooking demonstrations and live music will also be part of the fun. (MM)

Stars, Nicholas Krgovich

August Hall, 420 Mason St.
8 p.m. | $31

There's a good chance that a Stars track or two has appeared on an indie rock mix CD that your secret crush curated for you or via a "Melodicism" playlist on your favorite streaming service. Over more than two decades, the sextet has released nine albums worth of eclectic pop, ranging in style from chamber grandeur and acoustic earnestness to electric guitar-driven fervor and synth-based glee. The Quebec-based band is touring in support of From Capelton Hill, which was released in late May after a five year gap between albums. Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan's alternating co-ed lead singing continues to shine on it, as do the many exquisite arrangements and lush vocal harmonies. (YK)

Sunday, June 12

Philippines Independence Day Festival

District Six, 428 11th St. 
12 - 5 p.m. | $40+

SoMa’s District Six celebrates Philippines Independence Day with live performances by some of the biggest names in Filipino entertainment and food and drink from 20 Filipino small business owners. A portion of proceeds will benefit Project Pearls, which provides food to communities in need in the Philippines. (CJC)

Bill Kopp, Yoshi Kato, Christina Campodonico, Meaghan Mitchell, Maryann Jones Thompson, Nick Veronin and Adrian Spinelli contributed additional reporting for this story.