Clarion Alley Block Party @ Clarion Alley, 10-22-06

Clarion Alley is my favorite alley in America. It's an indispensable strip in the Mission District, connecting Valencia and Mission Streets, its length completely coated with eye-luring and ever-rotating graffiti and murals. The alley, which usually includes at least a few artists, admirers or druggies at any hour, is also the source of much of my Writing On The Wall series. So when I found out there'd be a block party there last Sunday, there was no doubt I'd be attending. Spanning from one to nine p.m., the party constantly picked in a healthy overrun of people. Its narrow confines held more hipsters per square inch than a Deerhoof concert at McCarren Pool. Some of the artists were on hand too, adding a fresh swath of red to their design or spraying on a whole new work onto a metal gate. Local bands were rotating every half hour between the two setups at either end of the alley. The famous Tamale Lady was circulating through the crowd with her iconic cart. Rooftop partyers watched the action from above with 40s in hand. And closer toward Mission, skateboarders tested out new techniques for an impromptu audience. The bands were a fun feature and added to the event's inclusiveness. In those eight hours, they tackled a whole mess of genres and approaches, swerving from pop to hardcore to klezmer and back. Not everything I caught was great, but it was consistently entertaining and inspiring. People were still thrashing away in garages. People were still milking three chords for all they were worth and making music to drive record executives insane. People were still creaing public art for the sake of creation. People still cared about ideas like community and creativity, especially when there's a kickass party centered around them. Tinkture offers up the day's much-needed dose of girl-punk Shotwell with "Body Count Politics." It gets pretty hilarious about thirty-five seconds in. Can we please just agree that Manhaterrr is both your and my new favorite band from now on? * MP3: "Inscription" - Tinkture * MP3: "Resentment" - Tinkture * MP3: "Behind Closed Doors" - Tinkture [Visit them] Tags: Clarion Alley, Valencia, block party, San Francisco, Mission District, skateboarding, graffiti