HOw WeiRd StrEet FaiRe
The flipped out San Francisco tradition continues this week with the How Weird Street Faire. A vibrant collection of art, music, nakedness, madness, and costumes, this lovely fest is the most entertaining and energetic electronic music-based gathering still going down. Local DJs turning convention on and inward out on 7 sound stages include Syd Gris, Hoj, Melyss, Vinkalmann, Kepi and Kato, Treavor, and Alixr. Playing everything from breaks and house to psytrance, downtempo, and world music, these artists come from all over San Francisco and belong to respected DJ collectives such as Opel, Thump Radio, Sister SF, Moontribe, Opulent Temple and rEvolution. The How Weird Festival is a San Francisco tradition the whole tribe can get down to. Date: Sun. 5/7, Time: 12pm-8pm, Place: 12th St & South Van Ness, Cover: requested donation of $5 in costume, $10 if not, More Info. (RW)

Night Gallery
This Saturday is the opening reception of a new nocturnal art show presented by The National Alliance of Art Scenarios which will stir Arspace from its usual slumber every Saturday night this month. SF Chronicle cartoon artist Paul Madonna will be there with his work, as will fine artist Nathan Stapley, The Love Bandits, an L.A. based silkscreen art duo, and more. They're all down to throw something a little different in the mix, have the public view their work in a different sort of setting which, lucky for us, includes tunes straight from the tables. DJs Rantz and Emdee will be providing the beats and they've got it all from rock and hip-hop to electro and mash ups. Don't miss out on a new kind of art party. Date: Sat. 5/6, Time: 9pm-1am, Place: Arspace (1286 Folsom), Cover: no cover, More Info. (DKD)

For Your Eyes Only
Be dazzled this Thursday as Alchemē Salon presents For Your Eyes Only, an evening of hair art, fashion, and entertainment to benefit Students Rising Above, KRON-TV's scholarship fund that helps low income youth get a higher education. The evening will get off to a sizzling start with fire performance art by LSD Fuego and will continue at a rolling boil when SF's hottest take to the catwalk decked out in the designs of Colleen Quen, Metier, Archive, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The live performances continue with hoop dancing and other acts not least of which will be providing the night's soundtrack. Top San Francisco DJs Helicopter, Seven, Ben Seagren, and Dean Samaras will ensure the dance floor is as hot as the runway. This will be a night to remember. Date: Thursday 5/4, Time: 8pm-2am, Place: Ruby Skye, 420 Mason St, Cover: $20 presale/ $25-$35 door donation, More Info. (CC)

Miami 06 - As it was... It took a couple weeks, but we've finally gotten our heads back on straight after another unbelievable visit to Miami. WMC/M3 continues to surprise us, changing with the times yet never failing to amaze with the non-stop onslaught of world-renowned talent. It's not like the raves of the '90s, but instead a more sophisticated gathering featuring the finest DJs, producers, and performing artists on the world's dance music scene. Time has done this event well. Not only has it grown immensely, but the diversity of the talent has broadened. There were DJs from almost every continent bringing their own flavor of dance music to the floor at venues ranging from coffee shops to the Versace mansion. We are proud to have been a major part of it this year, and we're even happier to bring back a bit of that vibe to SF. Check out our first-hand reports and photo galleries and video coverage to relive the memories. More Info On The Front Line My Second Year Back for a second visit, our own Andrew Casden gets the stars out of his eyes and gives his take on what WMC/M3 has come to mean. Read... M3 Sunset Sessions Andrew eases into the madness of Miami with a sunset soiree led by SF's own Om Records. Read... Ultra 8 Take the energy of WMC/M3 and distill it into one massive 12 hour event: that's what Ultra tries to do and Andrew lets us know how well it works. Read... Miami: The IM Version We've got yet another one-of-a kind perspective on Miami, as a WMC veteran (our own Jessica Perri) and a newbie (NYC vocalist Milena Mepris) chat about their experiences. Read...