GEAR
Allbirds: Turns out, the world’s most comfortable shoe is made of wool

Personally, I despise wearing socks, which is why Allbirds are always my go-to shoes. They’re made of a superfine merino wool (they’re basically a pair of nice wool socks) so you don’t need to wear anything underneath. . Will they eventually smell like rotten death? Absolutely- but what separates these from a pair of Toms or Sperrys is that you can toss them in your washing machine to freshen the back up again.

I was recently at a friend’s birthday party in the Mission. There were maybe two dozen guests but I counted 7 pairs of Allbirds. Even if you’re not ready to jump on the Allbirds hypetrain, you have to stop and ask yourself why these are suddenly such a thing.

FILM
Midnight Special: Aliens? God? This movie will trip you out

God? Aliens? Other dimensions? By the end of this move, you’ll start wondering if there’s even a difference.

Needless to say, Midnight Special is trippy as hell. Joel Edgerton and the criminally underrated Michael Shannon (you know, that guy from Boardwalk Empire...no, the other guy. General Zod.) put on an acting clinic in this “meditation on fatherhood”. It was directed by the guy who did Mud if you’re hip to the films that helped kickstart The McConaissance. Don’t watch the trailer or Google around about this movie—just trust me and give it a shot (it’s on HBO Go). If you liked Stranger Things this will be right up your alley, but If you’re not hooked after the first scene, then it’s probably not for you.

You don’t have to have to smoke weed to enjoy this movie, but all I’m saying is it’s pretty easy to get your card via Skype using Eaze or Meadow if you don’t have one yet.

EVENTS
You’re Welcome: At Monarch. Deep/Playa house

Step outside your comfort zone and head to a weird basement at 6th x Mission for what’s actually the best monthly party in SF. I’m not exaggerating when I say that, in a few decades, You’re Welcome could be viewed as responsible for cultivating more careers in electronic music than CBGBs ever did for punk.

Do you dig house music but prefer to avoid getting “turnt up” with sweaty bros shoving their elbows into your face? Every month at Monarch, disco house kingpin Benjamin K puts together one of his You’re Welcome parties- which features the underground and emerging DJs that your hippest friends have only just started to discover. You’ll see a diverse mix of local and international artists like Dirtybird’s J.Phlip and Ardalan, Manjumasi’s Atish and Mark Slee, the Reptile Society guys, most players from the Desert Hearts crew, All Day I Dream’s Oona Dahl...Alright. At this point, I do recognize that I sound like Bill Hader’s Stefon from SNL, but take 5 minutes to look up the Soundclouds associated with any of the above and you’ll understand the source of my enthusiasm.

The best part about it? It’s a fun, welcoming environment that never takes itself too seriously. Costumes and outrageous outfits are encouraged- good attitudes are a must. Everyone you meet there is more interested in grooving on the music than taking Fireball shots and browsing their Tinders. It’s dipping your pinky toe into the waters of Burning Man subculture without having to drop $500 on costumes to spend a week thirsty, dirty, and hot.

Oh, and while it easily showcases one of the best soundsystems in the city, Monarch is in a notoriously sketchy area- but if you’re on this distro list, chances are strong that you’re probably taking a Lyft/Uber to the club anyways.

Expect to stay late.

SUBSCRIPTION
Vinyl Me Please: Get a vinyl record, drink recipe, and lithograph monthly

This is literally the only subscription service I use that I don’t immediately think “shit, I really need to cancel this” whenever there’s a new delivery.

If you’ve been bit by the vinyl bug, I’m sure you’re stuck somewhere in between wanting to assemble a formidable collection but not having the time/knowledge/budget to make that a reality. Vinyl Me, Please is like a personal shopper but for vinyls. Each month they’ll send you a new “essential” record- it could be a classic, like The Fugees The Score or Weezer’s Pinkerton, or newer/future classic releases like BADBADNOTGOOD’s IV or the most recent Hot Chip album..This isn’t your parents record collection; they’re all over the map with their genres.They also send reissues, unique pressings in colored vinyl, limited edition releases, and other surprises. April’s Album of the Month is the *newly* reissued breakout album Demon Dayz by the Gorillaz, pressed on red vinyl- and it comes with stickers of the whole crew.

To make it even more worthwhile, each album is accompanied by a themed drink recipe and unique lithograph. Most of the drinks require liqueurs most people have never heard of before (after all, they are typically created by trendy LA “mixologists” who wear suspenders and put charcoal in their drinks) but it’s a fun way to expand your bar, experiment, and impress your friends with your cocktail skills.

Not a bad deal for ~$25/month.