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Mike Huguenor on April 17, 2019
About three minutes into “Only Acting,” the lead single from Kero Kero Bonito’s 2018 album Time ‘n’ Place, the whole thing falls apart. Like a CD player trying to read a scratched disc, the track skips on a fragment. A moment later it shuts down, pulling everything into silence. Then comes the noise. Continue reading »
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Erika Rasmussen on April 17, 2019
Where is AI taking human agency and democracy? It’s not a question for Alexa. Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, will moderate a conversation between Fei-Fei Li, a Stanford professor of computer science, and Yuval Noah Harari, a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Li, a former vice president for Google Cloud, has been identified as a top mind in AI by Forbes; he co-created ImageNet, changing the face of deep learning. Harari, a historian and author from Israel, counts Barack Obama, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg as fans. Together the three will ruminate upon “The Coming AI Upheaval.” Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on April 17, 2019
The Dangerous—a brand new reggae project started by Edgar Fernandez and Kevin Azavedo, formerly of San Jose’s proggy alternative outfit Citabria—drop their debut, Made of Gold, on 4/20. It’s a seriously kind nugget of kinky upstrokes and eyeball rattling downbeats. As with any great reggae record, the 11-track album is packed with good vibes and heavy riddims. Lead single “Gangsta” is an ode to kicking back and getting into trouble with the homies. Check the music video shot, at the Plata Arroyo skatepark on the East Side, and catch them live at the SoFA Street Fair this Sunday. Continue reading »
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Erika Rasmussen on April 17, 2019
Stanford’s Taiwanese Cultural Society celebrates the Bay Area’s diverse Asian population by indulging visitors with a traditional Taiwanese open-air market. Student associations and vendors will share the cultural and culinary customs of Taiwan and the surrounding region. By virtue of its location—near mainland China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Korea—the island state has long served as a crossroads for various Asian countries and as a gateway to the wider world. Visitors can snack on báhn mì while taking in contagious K-pop performances and punchy martial arts demonstrations. Continue reading »
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Erika Rasmussen on April 17, 2019
The touring production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway hit is back in the Bay Area, playing at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre through September. For those Hamilton-heads who can’t make it to San Francisco—or simply want to double their dose of Alexander and Eliza—the San Jose Pop Up Choir will perform all the big numbers at Hamiltunes: An American Sing-A-Long this weekend in San Jose. But that’s not even the best part. Over the course of the night, audience members will be invited up on stage to join in the action, so be sure to warm up before heading to the show. Continue reading »
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Erika Rasmussen on April 17, 2019
Thirty years in a shoebox. After spending more than a quarter-century in solitary confinement, Jack L. Morris has a lot to say. This play animates Morris’ friendship with Sheila Pinkel, an artist troubled by the rise of incarceration in the United States. Jack’s letters to Sheila come to life in a dynamic show of monologue, movement and song, which all work together to paint a portrait of a man determined to be positive through decades of isolation and violence. This production re-evaluates concepts of crime and punishment. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on April 17, 2019
Pop music has changed a lot in the last 60 years, but there’s still something to be said for that little thing called melody. With an ear for the classics, South Bay power-pop group David Brookings and the Average Lookings have a knack for matching soaring melodies to jangly AM chord progressions. Hefty doses of sunshine and surf spray waft off Scorpio Monologue, their second album, which comes out the same day as their release show at Art Boutiki. A little bit Beatles, and a little bit Big Star, Scorpio Monologue is all about the enduring power of a great melody. Continue reading »
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Erika Rasmussen on April 17, 2019
Preacher Lawson is not at a loss for material. His family had already moved 20 times before he turned 10. He eventually landed in Orlando, where he channeled his active sense of humor and infectious energy into standup comedy. Lawson caught a big break on the 12th season of America’s Got Talent. Since then, he’s had no trouble with selling out—literally and figuratively. The show has given him a national following, which he has used to pay his mother back for the car he crashed and bring his two brothers out to L.A. to enjoy the good life. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on April 17, 2019
This week’s installment of The Changing Same features a DJ sets from Santos Guzman and Fela Kutchii. Guzman has made a name for himself by blending textures from his native Mexico with hip-hop, electronic and indie rock sensibilities that are distinctly American. Oakland selector Kutchii prides herself on keeping things both inclusive and decidedly weird on the dancefloor. Her 2017 Boiler Room set opens by weaving together hits from the Yay Area and Dirty South before descending into deeper spaces—splicing in IDM moodiness and rapid-fire jungle beats. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on April 17, 2019
It could be argued that actor and City Lights regular Max Tachis has gotten a leg up on his playwriting skills by appearing at this festival in staged readings of scripts by Jeffrey Lo. The actor and playwright team up again for the festival opener, Lo’s Zac and Siah or, Jesus in a Body Bag, and Tachis’ Tournament de Champions closes out “Three Days of New Plays” on Saturday. In between is a shorts program around the theme of power and Pat Pfeiffer’s drama fish, about Vietnamese refugees who get a less than warm Texas welcome. The festival also features a lineup of food trucks and visual artists, as well as some adoptable dogs. Continue reading »
