San Francisco Bay Guardian

Ash Reiter - Looking for a sound to kick off that summer breeze? Ash Reiter's band is ideal listening on a sunny day at the beach, or even while braving the San Francisco fog. Lead singer and songwriter Ash Reiter is a crooner with a voice that critics compare to Cat Power, and a sound that is influenced by Grizzly Bear, the Kinks, and the Strokes. She lives in the Berkeley hills with her band's drummer (boyfriend Will Halsey). Their latest EP Heatwave is a perfect warm up for this springtime performance, to keep us tied over until their upcoming summer full-length release, Hola. Idea the Artist and Jeremy Rourke support, with their inventive opera and stop-motion art takes on performance, respectively.
9pm, $10. Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016, www.cafedunord.com

I Break Horses - Listen to "Winter Beats" and the title song from 2011's Hearts, and you'll probably have Stockholm, Sweden's I Break Horses figured as a purely dreamy, slightly cold shoegazing act. Just listen to those mesmerizing synth arpeggios and slow, distantly winsome vocals. But as soon as the snares start cracking on "Wired" and build into a beat that a person could actually bounce around a bit too, some of the ice starts melting away, as the sun comes out a little bit. Or maybe your body is heating up, revealing an exciting range to the duo of Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck, who opened for M83 on the most recent tour.
9:30pm, $14. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011, www.rickshawstop.com

UK with Terry Bozzio - Bay Area-born and raised drummer extraordinaire Terry Bozzio has performed with Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, Jeff Beck, Fantomas, and a host of other musicians over the years. Recognized as one of the best drummers in modern times, he has recorded a variety of instructional videos, been honored by Guitar Center's RockWalk in Hollywood, and has created some of the most insane custom drum sets ever seen on stage. Be sure to see Bozzio's amazing talents on display live tonight as he performs with the reunited prog rock supergroup UK, which also features John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia) and Eddie Jobson (Frank Zappa, Roxy Music).
8pm, $65. Regency Ballroom, 1290 Sutter, SF. 415) 673-5716 www.theregencyballroom.com

Sleepy Sun - Sleepy Sun emerged in 2009 after creating an LP laden with distorted guitar lines, fuzzy vocals, and compositional head nods to Led Zeppelin best taken with psychedelics and '70s nostalgia. While Spine Hits (2012) features some serious reverb, the album the group released three years later calls to mind '90s alt rock and the open road; with tracks that feel like epic love ballads after odes to outdoorsy adventure. Lead vocalist Bret Constantino has called his band's changing sound its "natural evolution." And judging by the genuine, passionate voice and catchy, seamlessly constructed melodies Spine Hits purveys, we don't doubt him. With Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, Some Ember, DJ Britt Govea
9pm, $15. The Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. www.theindependentsf.com

Satruday Night Soul Party - Always wanted to check out one of San Francisco's longest running soul events but stayed away because of potential throngs in the Mission on the weekend? Well here's your chance for an easy introduction to the Saturday Night Soul Party. Crowds are likely to be sparse in the neighborhood thanks to the lemmings planning to get up early the next morning to make their annual pilgrimage to the breakers, so dance the night away carefree to Disc Jockeys Lucky, Paul Paul, and Phengren Oswald, spinning '60s soul all night, exclusively on good old vinyl '45s. Show up wearing a suit and tie or skirt or dress and get half off the cover charge.
10pm, $5-$10. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. (415) 552-7788, www.elbo.com

Pansy Division - One of San Francisco's favorite early '90s queercore pop punk acts is back, and on tonight of all nights. The steaming pile of hot mess that will rise up post-B2B is enough to make any local puke, but keep it in (or clean it off) and go out anyways. It'll make you feel much better and brighter catching melodic pop punk, than hiding from the masses on the couch with a cheap wine hangover and a blanket pulled up tight. And perhaps it'll refresh your memories of the crustier old days in the city before so many bubbles burst and barely clothed, underage dubsteppers swarmed the post-race streets seeking Four Loko and warm blood. Don't be a Bad Boyfriend, show the gent a good time. With Swann Danger.
8:30pm, $12. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016, www.cafedunord.com

Harvey Milk Birthday Dance Party - "Out of the bars and into the streets!" But first onto the dance floor with a who's who of the queer scene to raise some funds for and awareness of the awesome Harvey Milk Democratic Club. Honey Soundsystem, Hard French, Stay Gold, Some Thing, Dial Up, Anna Conda, and Bear Z. Bub spill your Milk, in a good way.
10pm, $5. Beatbox, 314 11th St., SF. www.tinyurl.com/milkbday

"Eternal Plastic: A Toxic Love Story" told by Susan Freinkel - How many of the things you see from where you are right now are made of plastic? Susan Freinkel, author of Plastic: A Toxic Love Story and American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree speaks to this question: "How do we get the benefits of plastic's amazing durability while reducing the harm from its convenient disposability?"
7:30pm, $10. Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Pier 2, SF. www.longnow.org