Noise Pop Festival 2009

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Move over Rice-A-Roni, it's Deerhunter and Les Savy Fav!

17 years deep, Noise Pop Festival brings the best in indie music, arts and film to San Francisco for a week of fiestas and soirees. The festivities kick off Tuesday February 24 at the Mezzanine with Deerhunter or Antony and the Johnsons at Nob Hill Masonic Center if you're more into pretty things.

The week includes indie performances by No Age, A.C. Newman, Ra Ra Riot, Stephen Malkmus, The Mountain Goats including a lecture with John Darnielle, and St. Vincent. Hip hop even gets a few shows with Kutmasta Kurt, Flosstradamus, Themselves (Dose One & Jel of Subtle), and a special performance from Kool Keith and Mike Relm. It is billed as a Dr. Dooom vs. Dr. Octagon performance, but I've got my fingers crossed that Black Elvis makes a guest appearance.

Besides killer performances, bitching keynote speakers and conferences discussing the merits of noise and pop, there will be hella rad films.

Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
Drawing from rock photographer Jim Marshall’s stark images of Johnny Cash’s 1968 concert, rare archival footage, as well as exclusive interviews with participants and observers, the film traces Cash’s rocky road that led to the concert and the torrent of stardom and political debate that came after it.

Loki: Arnaldo Baptista
Cine-biography of the notorious musician Arnaldo Baptista, former lead singer of the band Os Mutantes.

I Need That Record: The Death (Or Possible Survival) Of The Independent Record Store
I Need That Record explores the reasons why over 3,000 independently owned record shops have closed in the past decade through interviews with Ian MacKaye, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Mike Watt (Minutemen), Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) and plenty of indie record store workers from across the country.

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop: A Gypsy-Punk documentary
From the birth of a New York City downtown Ruso-disco phenomena, known as the Bulgarian Bar, to a non-stop touring marathon, with his band Gogol Bordello, Eugene Hütz takes us deep into his artistic foundation.

The week concludes Sunday night with a Les Savy Fav. My guess is the Fav won't care how long and exhausting the week felt, socks will get rocked off, put on phallic body parts and rocked off again.

Here's how to get in:
Advance tickets for Noise Pop 2009 shows and film screenings are available now from Noise Pop and festival venue partners. Noise Pop’s online ticket sales are powered by In Ticketing with a tree being planted for every ticket sold. Noise Pop 2009 Festival badges are also still available. Noise Pop Badges grant the owner entry to all general admission Noise Pop Festival events and are priced at $150 each.