THIS SOUNDS LIKE FUN:

The San Francisco Film Society is pleased to present a special screening of Mauritz Stiller’s 1919 silent film classic Sir Arne’s Treasure with live musical accompaniment by indie rock icon John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats. […]

Darnielle will be presenting the world premiere of his original score for Sir Arne’s Treasure, commissioned by the Film Society as part of its ongoing project to present classic silent films with original compositions performed by extraordinary contemporary musicians. In recent years, these programs have included 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with Stephin Merritt, The Lost World with Dengue Fever, The Golem with Black Francis, The Phantom Carriage with Jonathan Richman, Street Angel with American Music Club, Sunrise with Lambchop, A Page of Madness with Superchunk and Jean Painlevé: The Sounds of Science with Yo La Tengo. [more info]

When I was in college, a gang on low-fi musicians and punk kids managed to scrap together enough money to get The Mountain Goats to come to campus.  Anticipating that no one else on the campus of 3,200 had ever heard of the guy (John Darnielle is often the band's lone member), they booked him in a small cafe that couldn't even comfortably fit 75 people.  Of course, fans from all over the Boston area packed the place, but the concert killed despite the uncomfort.  In fact, after the opening band “Manishevitz” (which is a particular eye-roll since I went to a Jewish college) left the stage, John jumped on stage and told everyone to sit down, noting it was “a Catholic thing.”

Anyway, the reason I share this story is that the dude is not only a great lyricist, but he can put on one helluva show even when everyone is sitting down.  I cannot imagine the show at the Castro Theatre will be any different.

Tickets are 'mad expensive' at $22.50, but they just went on sale today for the Dec. 14th show.

For the unfamiliar: