Friday, July 27, 2012
Weekender: This Weekend's Top Five Events
Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 7:42 AM
Fun fact: Saturday is both National Milk Chocolate Day and Soulja Boy's birthday. (Also: World Hepatitis Day. Pick your poison.) Here's how to celebrate:
Down at Lulu's Dollar Sale
National retail sales dropped for the third consecutive month in June, raising economists’ concerns as retailers figure out how to get people to let go of their cash. Here’s one way: Slash prices. That’s what vintage and used clothing store Down at Lulu’s will do on Sunday, July 29, during its annual dollar sale. Pick up high-waisted denim shorts from the Eighties, colorful cropped tank tops, or a snazzy satiny Seventies disco dress at the pink-walled boutique, which just celebrated its sixth year of existence — no small feat these days. Not everything will cost a dollar; there will be a $10 rack and a $5 rack in addition to the dollar bin — but those prices are still dirt-cheap compared to the average vintage store. Also: free doughnuts! Noon-7 p.m. 510-601-0964 or Facebook.com/downatlulus — Kathleen Richards
Viva la independencia! Celebrate Peruvian Independence Day on Friday, July 27, at Brasa. Lima-born and -bred co-chef and co-owner Veronica Laramie brings her favorite flavors to a party including all-you-care-to-eat pollo a la Brasa (featuring Mary's Free Range Chicken) with several sides and Peruvian sauces such as aji amarillo, rocoto, and huacatay. Live music from a Peruvian Criollo trio amps up the alegrÃa. 6 p.m., $20 ($10 for children ages ten and under). 510-868-0735 or BrasaJoint.com — Anneli Rufus
All White Everything
Evidently, “All White Everything” isn’t just a song by Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy, or a euphemism for the cast of Mad Men. It’s also a favorite motif of party promoters. No kidding — Google the phrase “all white everything party” and you’ll pull up images from Labor Day 2011 at Chen Chow club in Detroit; an April event at Connecticut’s Cocokey Convention Center; an event in Stone Mountain, Georgia, hosted by famed African-American fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi — and that’s just the first page. There’s something about the color white that bespeaks “grown and sexy” — maybe it’s the visual association with elegance, or affluence, or the fact that white bestows a certain sleekness onto the wearer — and, as a result, it’s become an endlessly transferable theme. Downtown Oakland is currently on its third iteration of “All White Everything,” brought to you by Trevel A. Events (the same promoter behind this year’s successful “All Black Everything” event) and 1800 Tequila, which will distribute samples of its new coconut flavor. Big Von, Mike B the Blenda, and DJ Drama will spin. Fashionable white attire is compulsory. At Oakland Marriott Event Center on Friday, July 27. 9 p.m., $27-$70. 3rdAnnualWhite-eorg.eventbrite.com — Rachel Swan
Justin Hall
There’s a variety of counterculture LGBTQ cartoons out there — if you know where to look. This week marks the debut of the definitive collection of lesbian, gay, bi, and trans strips with No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics. Join compiler, editor, and award-winning cartoonist Justin Hall as he showcases the anthology, which includes work by Dan Savage, Alison Bechdel, and many cartoonists who never reached crossover popularity, but now get to share their work with you. At Pegasus Books Downtown on Saturday, July 28. 7:30 p.m., free. 510-649-1320 or PegasusBookstore.com — Alison Peters
Husky-voiced contralto singer Fiona Apple may be known for eviscerating herself in every song, a tactic she employs with uncomfortable gusto on new album The Idler Wheel… but she’s a tactful, quiet, almost ascetic musician. Her new album thrives on minimalist production — backing tracks that consist of simple snare and lean piano chords, or vocals draped over a light peal of bells — creating a near-empty canvas to bring out the broader brushstrokes of her voice. She sings vibrantly and tremulously about heartbreak and self-ostracism, sometimes borrowing the language of an adolescent having a tantrum: I don’t wanna talk about anything, Apple snaps on the petulant track “Jonathan,” which uses dark, abstract harmonies to create an atmosphere of creeping despair. Apple is oft credited as a rock artist who flirtingly veers into jazz, but she’s actually more adventurous than that. Her music is replete with rhythms and chord patterns that defy conventional pop. In its own strange, tousled, wounded way, it’s both beautiful and more sophisticated than anything else in the rock ecosystem. Apple will perform at Fox Theater on Saturday, July 28. 8 p.m., sold out but check Craigslist. — Rachel Swan
Plus...
Get your cheapskate on:
This is how much we love you guys: Here are our searchable listings of every single free event happening in the East Bay this weekend.
Feed Us: Got any East Bay news, events, video, or miscellany we should know about? Holler at us at Ellen.Cushing@EastBayExpress.com.
