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More Italian Comes to the Mission
Farina's transformation of the 50s style "Anna's Danish Cookies" bakery into an industrial/Italian apothecary-chic space is nothing short of amazing. The large, airy floorplan is divided into various distinct areas. Facing the street, where an old-timey red and white awning used to mark this residential block of 18th Street, are curved floor to ceiling windows with intimate tables for two; there are booth seats along the side...
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Not Fascists, Artists
After two albums slid below the public radar, Brooklyn quintet The National sprung Alligator (2005) and Boxer (2007) on startled rock fans nationwide. Pieced together in 1999 by five friends from Cincinnati, The National's ascent via Alligator offered the band members the opportunity to make music full time -- and it was an opportunity they seized.
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The Best Shows for October
To some it's all about three chords and the truth, to others music is universal. Crossing international borders and boundaries it becomes clear you don't need to understand the lyrics in order to know when something makes you move. This October, SF hosts a slew of acts from across the bay and around the world that are united in getting bodies in motion by mining that universal groove.
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SF Station Blows It Up
Trying to get into the crowd to get a good spot to shoot The Sounds should have been a sign of things to come with fans squished to the front of the stage and air so hot that from the first set I was sweating. Being at the front when Maja and the boys hit the stage was pretty amazing because it felt like I was standing inside a wave that moved from side to side.
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Released on Rough Trade Records, 6/18/07
Whistling and bongos -- two things I never imagined would pair well. But not only do they pair well, they have actually made it too "cool". Tell me you haven't gotten the Peter Björn and John track "Young Folks" stuck in your head, that you haven't found yourself whistling along to the intro, and I will have to challenge you to a duel. It's darn catchy!
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Released on Putumayo Records, 8/25/07
Israel may be at the center of the Middle Eastern conflict, but despite the stereotypes, the country is incredibly culturally diverse. Jews, Arabs, and Christians live and work together with more harmony than the media would have you believe. This is especially true in the musical community where sounds from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America and the Arab continuum blend to create a vital, international sound. This collection presents 12 Israeli bands and artists that are making groundbreaking music.
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The Fox and the Hound
The release of Richard Shepard's The Hunting Party couldn't be timelier. The film revolves around a down and out war journalist (Richard Gere) who coerces his former cameraman (Terence Howard) to help track down the most infamous war criminal in Eastern Europe ("The Fox"). Allegedly, The Fox is being pursued by the CIA, FBI, and just about everyone in between. Additionally, it seems that most people know where this criminal resides, yet he still remains free. Hmmm...does this sound vaguely familiar?
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Watch out for the WASPs, they Sting
The thing about films that open up in the fall is that any performance that demonstrates even the slightest bit of acting ability evokes an Oscar buzz. This is not to say that Diane Lane is sub par in her role as a junkie mother in director Griffin Dunne's Fierce People but that the entire movie is so bad that it overshadows all traces of talent.
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Chick Lit
Let me sum up this movie in two words: chick flick. Think Steel Magnolias and Beaches but with nothing remotely redeeming. If you're looking for a good date movie or something to see with your mother or friends, this is not the movie to pick. Go eat dinner or have some ice cream or talk about your feelings instead, and expect to see The Jane Austen Book Club, directed by Robin Swicord, running on the "Lifetime" channel shortly.
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An Exotic Oil Showcased
Certainly, proper pampering has its price but if you're tired of all the superfluous amenities and exorbitant fees that are part and parcel of the typical day spa experience, don't fret -- classic indulgence can still be yours. Tucked away on a quiet, tree-lined corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Berkeley is Argania Salon de Beauté, the perfect one-stop place to address all your beauty needs...at the fraction of the cost and fuss.
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A New Place for Artists -- in the Mail
At the Southern Exposure release party last month, visitors and friends sipped Heinekens and plastic cups of wine to celebrate the first issue of Thing Quarterly. But they had come not just for the festivities -- most were lending a hand, assembly-line-style, with the periodical itself.
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