Mission Mission

I first saw breakdancing, I think, at the #BernalHeights Rec Center around 1984. Back then it was two guys in the sparkling sunshine, one with Stevie Wonder-style beaded braids and another with a shower cap on his hairdo, practicing the six step. A little later, at Rocky Mountain preschool, a dance troupe came with a boombox and a piece of cardboard, and as I spun around on the butt of my Oshkoshes, a preteen with a jheri curl and a Members Only jacket dubbed me "Lil' Turbo". The movement and possibilities and grace of the dance fascinated me, and I "practiced" in my living room for hours to the sounds of The Real Roxanne and Rappin' Duke on 107.7 KSOL. But it wasn't for another 20+ years that I had the confidence to pursue my interest in movement in a formal practice. I finally discovered my passion: #capoeira. Certainly very different from breakdancing, but in my mind arising from the same ancient font. I didn't begin learning until the age of 27, and at nearly 35 I will probably never be the guy on YouTube showing you how to do a handspring to back tuck. But as I practiced in the rec center under the moonlight tonight, I did feel wonder, nostalgia, and much gratitude for all my teachers–and to those long-gone Bernal dwellers who first inspired me to move.

A video posted by @eamonka on Jan 24, 2016 at 10:29pm PST

I mean I’ll watch David Duchovny in anything, but remember how the X-Files used to be really creepy and really fun? This new short film by local filmmakers David Enos and Mishell Stimson reminds me of that:

[via David Enos on Tumblr]

Now please enjoy some other classic David Enos stuff…

[via San Francisco Ten Years Ago]

[via Pamela]

I’m thinking stare at this picture and listen to this song:

[via Camille]

I had a couple hours to kill after a dentist appointment, so I hopped the Powell-Hyde cable car out to the end of the line and it was really fun. It’d been several years I guess since I’d done that, which I think is too long.

Anyway, just a reminder: take a cable car somewhere every now and then.

We haven’t had a Singin’ & Pingin’ since Halloween 2014 at Verdi Club, man. Time to make up for lost time! Here’s the invite:

Would you believe SINGIN’ & PINGIN’ has been on hiatus since 2014??? It’s true!!! Here’s what’s in store for *****the first can’t-miss party of 2016*****…

• Singin’ with DANCE KARAOKE
• Pingin’ with BERLIN-STYLE PING PONG
• Rockin’ out to DJ Purple’s SAXOPHONE SOLOS
• Dancin’ with YOUR FRIENDS
• Makin’ some NEW FRIENDS
• Drinkin’ BEER
• Drinkin’ WHISKEY GINGERS
• Drinkin’ CHAMPAGNE IN A CAN
• Drinkin’ WHATEVER YOU WANT
• Partyin’ ALL DAMN NIGHT

Check out DJ Purple’s songbook here.

Read about the history of Berlin-style ping pong in San Francisco here.

RSVP and invite your friends!

(And big thanks to Singin’ & Pingin’ for being our sponsor all month long!)

First there was the new song by Still Flyin’, and now there’s this:

The full Still Flyin’ album came out on Friday and it is tiiiight through and through fyi, and Ben Pearce (with drummer Nate Brown) has a record release show at Brick & Mortar Music Hall here in the Mission on Wednesday evening.

Just close your eyes and pretend it’s summer!

[via The Bay Bridged]

[via Christy]

Been waiting a long time for The Perennial! Here’s the blurb:

Developed by husband-and-wife restaurateurs Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz (Mission Street Food, Mission Chinese Food, Commonwealth, etc), The Perennial was designed to lead the restaurant industry toward greater sustainability and deeper engagement with the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. We wanted to build a restaurant that prioritized the environment without sacrificing our culinary values–and then we went ahead and added a sustainable bar!

And check out about the bar:

Bar Director Jennifer Colliau (Small Hand Foods, founder; The Interval) will be using the cocktail program as a way to showcase environmental innovations including rethinking ice use to conserve water and energy. Jennifer will also turn to careful sourcing and in-house production to minimize the bar’s carbon footprint and food waste. For example, she is using a water still to create hydrosols and essential oils from citrus peels, and finding innovative bar-related uses for kitchen scraps.

Sample menus and reservations on the website!