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No deal yet for Badlands space, liquor license in process of being surrendered

No deal yet for Badlands space, liquor license in process of being surrendered

  • BARS
  • by John Ferrannini
  • Feb 21, 2023

The location of the former Badlands in the Castro is in the process of losing its liquor license just as its landlord and prospective new operator have stopped providing updates on the space's future.

Jake Blount's genre-queer Afrofuturist folk music

Jake Blount's genre-queer Afrofuturist folk music

If you ever listened to Jake Blount's music, it defies description, making it unforgettable. He describes his style as "playing fiddle and banjo from Black and Native American musicians, mostly in the Southeastern United States."

Catherine Russell: singing the test of time

Catherine Russell: singing the test of time

"Before I record something," explained Catherine Russell, who plays the Fairmont Hotel's Venetian Room February 26 as part of the Bay Area Cabaret Series, "I always test them out with live audiences, just to see if they work. Luckily, they usually do."

Q-Music: more solos and sides

Q-Music: more solos and sides

Lesser-known reissues from a folk rock great, plus new albums from bands you know, or don't, make up our eclectic listening playlist.

Spotlight shines once again on the late drag artist Doris Fish

Spotlight shines once again on the late drag artist Doris Fish

  • DRAG
  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Feb 16, 2023

A new book released this month and an upcoming museum exhibit in San Francisco are once again shining a spotlight on the late drag artist Doris Fish, who dazzled the Bay Area and was the grand dame of Sydney's Mardi Gras Parade during the 1980s.

One Night Only REAF concert with 'Mean Girls'

One Night Only REAF concert with 'Mean Girls'

  • NIGHTLIFE
  • by photos by Steven Underhill
  • Feb 14, 2023

Cast members from the touring production of "Mean Girls" gave rousing performances at the One Night Only REAF benefit concert, held at the Marines' Memorial Theatre February 13, with guest performers D'Arcy Drollinger and Shawn Ryan.

Claybourne Elder: gay Broadway star plays two Bay Area shows

Claybourne Elder: gay Broadway star plays two Bay Area shows

  • CABARET
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 14, 2023

In advance of his concerts in Napa and San Francisco, Claybourne Elder, star of 'Company,' 'The Gilded Age' and more, shared a few remarkable stories of his Mormon upbringing and theatrical good fortune.

Badlands owner Natali says Castro space could become a new club soon

Badlands owner Natali says Castro space could become a new club soon

  • BARS
  • by John Ferrannini
  • Feb 9, 2023

The old Badlands space on 18th Street in the Castro neighborhood may be occupied by another nightclub in as little as eight weeks, property owner Les Natali told the Bay Area Reporter Thursday.

Castro's Q Bar to reopen this spring, co-owner says

Castro's Q Bar to reopen this spring, co-owner says

  • BARS
  • by John Ferrannini
  • Feb 8, 2023

The co-owner of Q Bar in San Francisco's Castro district anticipates a spring reopening after the business was damaged by a fire in 2019.

Bobby Conte: the Broadway star comes home

Bobby Conte: the Broadway star comes home

  • CABARET
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Feb 7, 2023

Before starring in 'A Bronx Tale' and other Broadway shows, Bobby Conte, who brings his solo concert "Along the Way" to A.C.T.'s Strand Theater Feb. 11, got his start in theater here in the Bay Area.

Betty Fresas: repping Latin culture in the Castro

Betty Fresas: repping Latin culture in the Castro

  • NIGHTLIFE
  • by Christopher J. Beale
  • Feb 7, 2023

"Betty's look is very regular girl, very approachable, very easy," said San Francisco-based drag performer Betty Fresas, host of Media Noche at the Midnight Sun. "But she's super colorful!"

Who's Your Mami Comedy: stand-up with a feminist twist returns to Brava Cabaret

Who's Your Mami Comedy: stand-up with a feminist twist returns to Brava Cabaret

Lesbian comic Marga Gomez, with Carla Clay and Chelsea Bearce, returns to Brava Cabaret with "Who's Your Mami Comedy."

LGBTQ Agenda: Artists and others speak out as bills advance in 3 states that would criminalize drag

LGBTQ Agenda: Artists and others speak out as bills advance in 3 states that would criminalize drag

  • DRAG
  • by John Ferrannini
  • Feb 7, 2023

LGBTQ civil rights groups and drag artists are sounding the alarm about bills in three states that if they became law would restrict drag performances.

Streaking through history: New Yorker article tells of Robert Opel

Streaking through history: New Yorker article tells of Robert Opel

Robert Opel, the famed "Oscar streaker," was also a gay gallery owner, nudism activist, and freelance photographer whose life and death are the subject of an expansive essay by Michael Schulman in the February 6 issue of The New Yorker magazine.