SoMa Week: Arts Awards, Flamenco And BBQ On The Roof

SoMa Week: Arts Awards, Flamenco And BBQ On The RoofPhoto: Contemporary Jewish Museum
Nuala Sawyer
Published on September 03, 2015

It's been another busy week in SoMa. Here's a roundup of our coverage from the past week, and a look at the weekend ahead. 

G Food Truck Lounge has been serving SoMa's workers lunch under the highway since last January. But it's more than just a quick, comfy spot to grab a bite; it also employs members of the local homeless population. We stopped by the bustling park to chat with co-founder Manish Panijiar

The upscale "Taco Bell Cantina" that's slated for 710 Third St. has hung its sign and could open soon, though plans to sell booze may be on hold. 

Several blocks away, one food truck has found a permanent home. Dabba, which offers "Indian flavors wrapped in a California state of mind," moved into a brick-and-mortar location at 71 Stevenson St. 

In other small business news, Park & Pond, which shuttered its North Beach location in May, is returning as a pop-up shop at The Yard at Mission Rock. 

We also took a trip to the Museum of African Diaspora, where we learned about how community members are bringing new perspectives to the latest exhibit, Portraits and Other Likenesses From SFMOMA

The week's not over yet—keep an eye on Hoodline for more SoMa news in the next couple of days. And if you're in town for Labor Day weekend, check out some of the weekend happenings in the neighborhood:

Thursday, September 3rd

Murphy and Cadogan Annual Arts Awards Ceremony
6:30-9pm, SOMArts, 934 Brannan St. 

Host Description: A focused look at the future of the Bay Area visual and media arts landscape, showcasing 24 promising visual artists working across disciplines. Opening reception starts at 6:30; awards at 7pm. Cash bar and food truck. (Free)

Friday, September 4th

Amor Mati Group Exhibition 
5pm-Late, 111 Minna St. 

Host Description: Group art show featuring the work of collage artist David Ball, mixed media artist Jeremy Nichols and painter Alex Gardner. (Free)

'Some Thing' 
10pm-Late, The Stud, 339 Ninth St. 

Host Description: An art and drag dance party. Via SFWeekly: "The unGoogleable inheritor of the Trannyshack art-drag scepter is known as Some Thing; each Friday brings a new theme via semi-pun." ($5) 

Saturday, September 5th

Open Mic Night with Lady Zeitgeist
3-5:30pm, Wicked Grounds, 289 Eighth St. 

Host Description: We welcome artists of all styles and mediums, though we do ask that everyone does ORIGINAL MATERIAL ONLY. As we don't have a PA system, this event is acoustic/bring your own small amp (micro cube, pignose, etc). I will have my own pignose on standby, but please try to bring your own if you're doing an electrical performance. (Free)

Asian American Orchestra's 1945: A Year Of Infamy
1-2:30pm, Yerba Buena Gardens, 773 Mission St.

Host Description: Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the atomic devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1945: A Year of Infamy is an epic new work by percussionist/composer Dr. Anthony Brown and his Grammy-nominated Asian American Orchestra. Combining traditional Asian instruments and forms with the improvisational ethic and sonorities of a jazz combo, the AAO joins forces with the Voices Of A Dream vocal ensemble and award-winning poet/performance artist Genny Lim. Scored for jazz orchestra with Japanese flutes, koto, and taiko drums, 1945: A Year of Infamy is also influenced by gospel, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, and gagaku, the imperial court music of Japan dating back to the eighth century. (Free)

Maps to the Stars
7:30pm, YBCA Screening Room, 701 Mission St. 

Host Description: David Cronenberg’s latest film is one of his darkest works, a journey into the black heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts. The result is a modern Hollywood Gothic, a brutal comedy about the ravenous need for fame and validation—and the yearning, loss and fragility that lurk in the shadows underneath. Starring Robert Pattinson, John Cusack, and, in an amazingly risky and fearless performance, Julianne Moore. ($10; tickets here)

Bootie SF: Back to School Party
9pm-After Hours, DNA Lounge, 375 11th St. 

Host Description: Summer is over and Bootie knows it's time for school—but that doesn't mean you have to put your nose to the grindstone just yet! Unlike some schools (and nightclubs), Bootie encourages you to break dress codes. We know you'd want to wear your naughty school uniforms and letterman jackets anyway, even if it's not required, as well as all the clothes that schools have banned, like miniskirts and shorts, T-shirts with bad words, and tight or ripped jeans! ($15+) 

Sunday, September 6th

The Morning After: BBQ On The Roof!
11am, Oasis, 298 11th St. 

Host Description: Rooftop realness on Sunday mornings. Come on down and have some BBQ in the sunshine! (Free)

Convergence with Anthony Mordechai Tvi Russell and Veretski Pass
3-4:40pm, Jewish Contemporary Museum, 736 Mission St. 

Host Description: Combining diverse strains of traditional Jewish and African American music, vocalist Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell collaborates with acclaimed klezmer consort Veretski Pass. The repertoire of musical works explores exile, spirituality, hope, and redemption and is enhanced by visual artist Meredith Leichnew's animation. ($15)

The Flamenco Room
7:30 and 8:30pm, ThirstyBear, 661 Howard St. 

Host Description: Reserve a table to hear live and see live flamenco! Featuring Azriel 'El Moreno,' Roberto Aguilar, Kerensa DeMars and Hilit Maniv. (Free)

If we missed any hot SoMa events for the weekend, let us know in the comments.