Cheap Date: David Bowie Celebrations, Dead Prez, SF Sketchfest and More

So you’ve spent a good 36 hours listening to David Bowie, reading tributes to the man, maybe silently weeping a bit. What to do now?

Get out of your house. No, really. Starman would want us to dress up, to pour on the body glitter, to dance, to get weird. Luckily, there are plenty of places to do that in the coming week — and, just like Bowie would have wanted, they’re all $20 and under. Throw in some comedy, a legendary hip-hop crew, and local psych-rock, and you’ve got yourself a solid Cheap Date. 

Wednesday, Jan. 13: A Celebration of the Life and Music of David Bowie ft. the First Church of the Sacred Silversexual at Slim’s, SF. If you’ve gotta be anywhere in the U.S. when a beloved queer icon like Bowie dies, San Francisco is a damn good place to be. Case in point: We have a fully-fledged Bowie-based cabaret/tribute band/glitter party at the ready. For the uninitiated, I’m talking about the First Church of the Sacred Silversexual, who’ll be holding court at this sure-to-be-emotional (and sparkly) bash. $10; details here.

Thursday, Jan. 14: The David Bowie Music Video Celebration at the New Mission (Alamo Drafthouse), SF. This event is exactly what it sounds like. Check out this swanky new movie theater (which includes a full bar and a menu full of upscale comfort food) while grooving to the icon’s finest contributions to the audio-visual genre. Because no matter how many times I watch this bizarre, coked-out rendition of “Dancing In the Street,” seeing it on the big screen would be something else entirely. Details here.

Thursday, Jan. 14: Sketchfest Nightlife at the Cal Academy of Sciences, SF. What’s better than hundreds of comics pouring into San Francisco for a two-week-long festival of stand up, podcasts, performance, and general riffage? Sequestering a bunch of ’em in a science museum, then adding cocktails. Check out “Fake Ted Talks” with Adam Savage from Mythbusters; movie riffing with original members of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast; “Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction” with Kevin Allison of The State and the RISK! podcast; and more. $15; details here. 

Friday, Jan. 14: Dead Prez at the Catalyst, Santa Cruz. Social and political activism have been intrinsically connected to hip-hop since the genre’s earliest moments — but few and far between are acts committed to their ideals as Dead Prez. Anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and surely anti-major label, the East Coast’s answer to the Coup is still going strong some 20 years after their start. $20; details here.

Friday, Jan. 14 – Saturday, Jan. 15: ‘The Labyrinth’ at The New Parkway, Oakland. Admit it: For many of us, before Bowie was a rock god, he was the Goblin King — just a regular dude who wore really tight leather pants and hung out with Muppets, kidnapping a human baby now and then for fun. If it sounds terrifying that’s because it is; it’s also one of the coolest “kids’ movies” ever made. $8; details here. 

Saturday, Jan. 15: Kelley Stoltz at The Chapel, SF. You might not know Kelley Stoltz’s name, but if you follow the Bay Area indie-psych/garage scene at all, he’s likely been involved in one of your favorite records. (To wit: his most recent recorded output was under the pseudonym Willie Weird.) No matter what you call him, you won’t regret taking the chance to see him play to a hometown crowd. $15; details here.