Mission Mission

Here’s Craig Ventresco and Meredith Axelrod killing at Porto Franco Record’s Mission HQ. She’s just playing guitar in this one, but Meredith is also a remarkable singer. Check out this clip of her singing about the lost San Francisco dance sensation, the Grizzly Bear.

In case you missed it, they play every Saturday at Atlas Cafe from 4-6pm.

Boy do I love this guy. You can catch him operating out of a truck on 22nd and Bartlett by Revolution Cafe. The only distinguishing markings on his truck are “Lucero Produce, Daly City”. I don’t know if this is Mr. Lucero himself, but let’s just call him Señor Coco:

Order a coconut for 3 bucks, and he expertly opens it for you with 2 carefully placed chops of the cleaver. He doesn’t seem to mind high-velocity coconut debris flying out in every direction, so I suppose you shouldn’t either. He sticks a straw in and there you go, the freshest and best-tasting coconut juice around. This is quite a contrast to the pleasant young folks at Bi-Rite who will do the same, but based on the time it takes they are probably scratching their heads in the back room for a while looking up “how to open a coconut” Youtube videos on their smartphones.

Here’s the real edge: when you’re done drinking the juice, bring it back. He’ll crack it open, scrape out the pulp, and serve it mixed with chili powder, lemon juice, and salt in a ziplock bag. If you’re in a hurry and want to take everything to go, he’ll dump the juice in another ziplock bag and chop it up for you in one session. His regulars seem hip to this, since the wait can get long.

The first time I visited Señor Coco, he spoke to me completely in Spanish, but not in a “I’m not gonna speak English for you, yuppie scum” kind of way. It was more like a “you seem like a pretty smart guy who might know some Spanish” kind of way. It’s sorta true. I studied Spanish for 4 years in high-school.  This means I just suck at Spanish as opposed to not knowing Spanish at all. I cobbled together some phrase that demonstrated I knew the subjunctive tense and he laughed. This dude is always in an awesome mood.

I asked if he’s here every Saturday and Sunday and he says “yes, señor, I’ll be here waiting for you!” Couldn’t tell if he’s just bullshitting with me about his availability, but I’ll definitely be checking again next weekend.

The Apartment, a store near 18th and Valencia, has an entire drawer full of old “Asian/Orientals” photos!

Yeah I have a stockpile of these too: my grandma’s house. Whatever they are charging, I’ll give ‘em to you for half.

[via Yelp]

By now you’ve probably heard of the tragic and senseless shooting of the Hog & Rocks cook who was mistaken for a gang member this week.

If you want to donate to the family to help with their funeral costs, you can stop by Hog & Rocks at 3431 19th Street, or go to a Wells Fargo branch (there’s one on Mission and 22nd, and Mission and 16th). Ask to make a donation to account number 3114477635 under the name of “Francisco Puch-Tzek”.

[via MissionLoc@l]

Check out Porto Franco’s new video of local hit-makers Quinn DeVeaux and Meklit Hadero covering the Arcade Fire! Didn’t know what to expect with this pairing of a classic rhythm and blues man and a folky world music songstress. The result sure is purdy:

Any requests? I’ll put in Huey Lewis and the News – The Power of Love, especially after the Hold Steady recently butchered it.

Woah, deja vu.

Just like last year, an iPhone prototype was “misplaced” by an Apple employee. This time, in a Mission bar! Cava22, to be exact, a place surely devoid of tech-savvy hipsters hoping to sneak a peak.

The phone was lost in late July, but using the built-in tracking features it was traced to a home in Bernal Heights. When investigators arrived and questioned the guy, he recalled being at Cava22 but denied anything about having the phone.

Suuure, dude. So someone happened to throw it in your bag and you somehow managed to keep it charged for a month?

Can’t wait to see how this develops.

[via CNet, photo by potentialpast]

This just in from blues/ragtime guitar genius and national treasure Craig Ventresco:

Bring your own laptop to join in the fun. Or, if you wanna watch the music, you will not be disappointed. Craig plays every Saturday from 4-6pm at Atlas Cafe and you might recognize his music in the movie Crumb, by Terry Zwigoff.

I don’t know about you, but my last supper will definitely be pizza with homies:

If you want to see this diorama in person (and who wouldn’t?), stop by Escape From NY Pizza on 22nd and Bartlett.

P.S. Can someone do one with M.U.S.C.L.E. figures next?

Somehow I didn’t know that Troy Holden has a tumblr. It’s full of gems like this breathtaking shot of local pigeon whisperer Swan, and I don’t know why he isn’t racking up thousands of “likes” per post. Go follow him, if you’re into this internet stuff.

Be sure to check out the documentary on Swan, while you’re at it.

Forget your lock and your buddy’s U-lock wont fit around both of your frames? Try this method, which was observed at Make-Out Room last night:

Be sure you have secure bolts on those wheels, though. Otherwise someone might quick release your rear wheel and Mission Mission may pose for a team photo in front of your bike while you look on dejectedly.