While the majority of his generation is expected to jump frequently between jobs and even careers—as they seek out higher wages and a sense of fulfillment—Kris Bowers is content to stay right where he is.
“I’ve never had another job, fortunately,” he says. Continue reading »
According to Valensorow’s lead vocalist, Joseph Scanlan, his band’s last full-length album—the sprawling and ambitious Neptus—took longer to complete than anticipated.
Surely the album was held back by the complex arrangements, and the difficulty that comes along with nailing highly technical drum fills and lightning-fast guitar runs. But there was another reason the record was held up: role-playing video games, such as Zelda and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Continue reading »
Encouraged by the success she had booking two local bands at last year’s South By South West, San Jose-based promoter Barbara Wahli—better known as Barb Rocks—is upping the ante this year, throwing her very own showcase at the yearly music, technology and film festival. Continue reading »
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Jody Amable on February 19, 2015
“I wouldn’t say I’ve been a hardcore punk my whole life,” says Keith Brown, guitarist for Oakland’s border-crossing, blog-darling band, Trails and Ways. Before forming Trails and Ways with three other UC Berkeley alums, he had an appreciation for punk—an admission some might not expect from a member of a band now renowned for its expansively chill, sun-and-surf-and-distant-squawk-of-seagulls vibe. Nonetheless, Brown sees a clear connection between the “direct structure” of early punk and his group’s “visceral hooks.” Continue reading »
The cover of Rabbit Quinn’s debut album, Lost Children, may look wholesomely vintage—with Quinn dolled up like a Sailor Jerry’s girl in big curls and a flute dress, cradling an adorable baby goat. But the frayed edges of the photo, the dilapidated house in the background, the tight-lipped gaze on the young girl’s face reveal the truth of the matter: We are not in for a swingin’ time.
Lost Children is a haunting record, replete with bleeding-heart vocals set to intense and lush piano. It’s an altogether eerie, dark and beautiful bedtime story—that sounds like a long-lost Tori Amos album. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2015
Silicon Valley Pride is gearing up for the 40th anniversary of the event, which takes place late summer in downtown San Jose. To garner support for the annual festival, organizers are holding a series of fundraisers leading up to the main event. The Sweetheart Ball, one such function, took place over Valentine’s Day weekend. Continue reading »
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Kevin N. Hume on February 11, 2015
Matt Tracy, drummer for San Jose post-hardcore band Roman Lions, admits his iTunes library looks like it belongs to an “insane person.”
“I kind of go all over the map,” Tracy says. “I still listen to tech and death metal stuff. I love the post-rock and shoegaze stuff pretty much equally. But I’ve been going through a lot of throwback stuff recently. I’ve been going back and listening to like Texas Is The Reason, like old-school emo stuff.” Continue reading »
Every February for for the past three years, longtime local music promoter Eric Fanali has devoted all his energy to wrangling nerds—herding a large and disparate group of indie rockers, chiptune artists and video game fanatics into the same place for a weekend-long video game and music festival known as Rockage. His job description does not entail micromanaging what they do once they get there, however. Half the fun of Rockage comes from the chaotic and unexpected interactions that inevitably take place. Continue reading »
