michael showalter for j. the jewish news weekly

Michael Showalter is the kind of guy you know all about — or you’ve never heard of him.

The Jewish actor-writer-comedian has written and starred in a slew of sleeper cult hits since the 1990s: the MTV sketch comedy show “The State,” the 2001 parody film “Wet Hot American Summer” and the Comedy Central series “Stella” and “Michael and Michael Have Issues,” to name a few [...]

tofu dearest: hangover scramble for poor taste magazine

There’s nothing greater after a night of heavy drinking than a steaming plate of scrambled tofu. This may be the first meal — the hangover breakfast — that worries new vegans. Fear not, tofu scramble is delicious and probably the easiest dish you’ll ever make. The main part to get right is the breaking up of the tofu itself, after that you can add any number of fun and exotic ingredients to the oil-sizzling mix [...]

mission juke hunt for sf weekly

The divide among Mission dwellers is strong. There are the older families that have lived in the area for generations, then the hip twenty- and thirty-somethings who moved in more recently.

The latter half are the ones who can often be found crawling from bar to bar, dance party to live show. And in the haunts of this colorful crowd comes a variety of music choices -- though not one quite as diverse as one might assume. There are definitely standards on all the old music boxes of Mission bars, but each has its own musical twist. Let's explore this large and mythic San Francisco neighborhood [...]

tofu dearest: valentine's for poor taste magazine

A few years back the live-in boyfriend surprised me on Valentine’s Day with a small, white take-out box full of cocoa-dusted vegan truffles [...]

bay area girls rock camp for sf weekly

Thao and Mirah Perform at Bay Area Girls Rock Camp Benefit This Friday
You may not know Chixx Mixx or Poison Apple Pie by name, but they're bands formed by Bay Area tween and teen girls, and they don't sound like what you might be picturing. As much as we all would like to think gender divides do not exist, it's the sad and simple truth that most bands are still made up of dudes [...]

peter himmelman for j. the jewish news weekly

Jewish Americana: L.A. musician will hum a folksy new tune in S.F.
Peter Himmelman recorded his last record on a dare he made with himself: to make an album in two weeks. The result is true-blue roots Americana: "The Mystery and the Hum" [...]

haight juke hunt for sf weekly

On the Hunt for the Best Jukebox in the Haight
The heyday of authentic jukeboxes is long over. With many bars installing those nasty touchscreen digital Internet boxes, the old school record-flipping kind of jukebox is a dying breed. And this is in the town that originated the concept of jukeboxes back in 1889. So what denotes a quality juke these days? It's subjective, but there are some key signifiers: diversity of the records and mood-setting capabilities. In this column we seek out and celebrate the remaining machines. We also measure their success with a one to five drinks scale, based on how long you'll want to linger and listen [...]

tofu dearest for poor taste magazine

Hello, Meat and Cheese: Veganize This!
I’m not a person who typically enjoys mock duck. I don’t often try to imitate meaty taste and texture when home cooking like many vegans do, and when faced with faux meat versus gold standard-but-simple tofu dishes at restaurants; I’ll always choose the latter [...]

monotonix for sf weekly

Monotonix Explains Why They Dump Trash on You at Shows
At any given Monotonix show, you will see three hairy men crowd surfing with their instruments, throwing trash on the crowd, spitting beer on the crowd, leading group sing-alongs and, possibly, pissing [...]

kusf for sf weekly

KUSF Supporters Deliver Message of Frustration, Outrage to USF President
On Tuesday, the nearly 34-year-old freeform San Francisco radio station KUSF went dark after the station's FM license was sold -- without any warning for listeners and without discussion amongst station volunteers and DJs. Last night, those who felt they didn't get to have any say in the situation got a chance to air their grievances [...]

tofu dearest for poor taste magazine

Vegan Pizza Day Is Coming: Time for Doughy Boot Camp
The vegan pizza slice is elusive. It’s a rare, yet progressively more visible gem, in a world traditionally made up of shredded cheeses and rounds of meat. Walk in to any standard pizza joint in the country and ask for a piping hot slice of dairy-free, meat-free pie. Chances are, the confused chef will either laugh or offer to simply pull the cheese off a slice (um, no thanks)[...]

little wings for sf weekly

Little Wings Warms a Bitterly Cold Night at Amnesia
It was aberrantly chilly last night. Too cold to go out really, to leave the safety and warmth of home, but for Kyle Field, also known as Little Wings, the people of San Francisco made the trek to Amnesia [...]

b.r. cohn winery for j. the jewish news weekly

Sonoma rock impresario’s newest act is kosher cabernet
Bruce Cohn was just a child when he learned how to milk goats on the family farm in Sonoma County.

He would eventually find his way back to farming — sort of — by starting the B.R. Cohn Winery, but not before making a big mark on the music world as the manager of the rock group the Doobie Brothers [...]

yoni bloch for j. the jewish news weekly

Homegrown Israeli folk star is rising on high-tech scene
When Yoni Bloch performed his first Tel Aviv show nearly 10 years ago, a crowd of some 300 swarmed the club.

Then 20 years old, the Israeli singer-songwriter had expected a small audience and was shocked by the turnout. He later found out people had learned of the show thanks to his presence on the Internet. Bloch had been recording his own music since he was a teenager and uploading it to an Israeli social networking site, Bama Hadasha (“New Stage”), which predated Myspace as an online place for musicians and listeners to interact [...]

tofu dearest for poor taste magazine

New Year’s Eve: Cheap, Vegan, and Out of Control
It’s time to get decadent — on a budget. New Year’s Eve is upon us and whether you’re throwing a massive NYE soiree or just hosting a few select guests, planning a vegan appetizer, dessert, and cocktail menu can be a headache. Especially if your crowd is weary of all meat-free, dairy-free treats [...]