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Wallace Baine on May 23, 2018
Gumbo goes down best with live blues music (you can look it up), and San Jose’s Poor House Bistro is bringing out some big guns from the Bay Area blues scene. Among the headliners playing the Gumbo Party are Moby Grape frontman Jerry Miller (pictured), boogie-woogie pianist Mitch Woods, veteran vocalist Andy Santana, the red-hot band Motordude Zydeco, Nightcats icons Rick Estrin and Kid Andersen, bluesman-turned-reggae man Rusty Zinn and a ton more. All together, that’s 20 acts performing all day into the night for two days. Plus, plenty of Cajun food for everyone. A benefit for the Fountain Blues Foundation. Runs through Sunday. (WB) Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 23, 2018
Music production duo Aivi Tran and Steven “Surasshu” Velema bill themselves as an “organic girl” and a “machine boy.” Together they compose tunes that meld blippy electronic beats, glistening synths and live piano. The result is reminiscent of the music that soundtracked some of the best RPGs of the last 30 years—from Zelda to Final Fantasy. In fact, the pair are known for a soundtrack of their own, as Aivi & Surasshu are responsible for scoring the Emmy-nominated Cartoon Network show Steven Universe. This performance is certainly aimed at drawing a FanimeCon crowd. It also features Slime Girls, Young Lovers and Post Boy. (NV) Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on May 23, 2018
Two of the most celebrated performing artists of Eastern Europe combine forces Sunday at the Trianon. Croatian actor, director and musician Serbedzija and groundbreaking Serbian guitarist Tadic have recorded and performed together on and off for years, but are better known for their individual accomplishments. Serbedzija ranks among the most popular Yugoslav actors in the world and counts many high-profile Hollywood projects in his credits. Tadic is one of the Western world’s most inventive guitarists and is famous for his adventurous collaborations with everyone from Cream’s Jack Bruce to Placido Domingo. (WB) Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 23, 2018
Grab your board and head to the Brew Tour: Cerveza Stallone. Frequenters of some of downtown San Jose’s finer drinking establishments may have seen this unofficial skateboarding bar crawl advertised on an absolutely radical flyer—featuring a hand-drawn Rambo (ahem… “Slambo”) clutching a tallboy and a skate deck. It’s set to kick at the Willow Den in the early afternoon, but a dude in the know says people are welcome to show up anywhere along the route, which will also stop into Mexico Lindo, The Caravan and end at The Cinebar. Wheels aren’t required, but the best trick of the day wins a board. (NV) Continue reading »
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Yousif Kassab on May 23, 2018
Dust off that Saitama costume. Northern California’s biggest anime convention is back. For the uninitiated, FanimeCon is that time of year when thousands of cosplaying eccentrics descend on the McEnery Convention Center. But the annual celebration of all things anime is much more than that. Fans can expect plenty of screenings, vendors, video games and tabletop games, discussion panels and big names from the world of anime. There will even be dancing—with swing, waltz and rumba lessons for those who get inspired competing in the Dance Dance Revolution tournament. The convention runs through Monday, May 28. (YK) Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 23, 2018
Rising British songwriter and performer Bruno Major melds alternative sensibilities with contemporary blue-eyed soul. Major recently finished a U.K. arena tour with Sam Smith and is now striking out on his own for a string of dates in smaller rooms around the U.S. His latest release—the full-length A Song for Every Moon—features 12 tracks and an interesting back story. Imposing a monthly deadline on himself, Major wrote and recorded each of the album’s songs over the course of a year, penning one tune each month and releasing new music with each full moon. (NV) Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on May 23, 2018
This classic of Chicano street theater by El Teatro Campesino visionary Luis Valdez was first staged in 1974. It tells the epic story of Latino farmworkers in America, largely through the story of one idealistic Mexican who comes to the U.S. for a better life, only to be tricked and exploited at every turn. The play (translated: The Tent of the Underdogs) tells its tale with the use of the plaintive folk ballad known as the corrido—a narrative tradition that Mexicans have used to cope with life’s misfortunes for generations. The show has two performances: Friday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. (WB) Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on May 23, 2018
If you were a long-haired adolescent in the 1970s who bore some resemblance to either of the two guys in Wayne’s World, then “Carry On Wayward Son” is probably more intimately familiar to you than your mother’s voice. No self-respecting soundtrack of the Jimmy Carter years would be complete without it. Continue reading »
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Yousif Kassab on May 23, 2018
I was sprawled out on the floor of my childhood home when I first saw Princess Mononoke. The heady conflict between humankind’s constant consumption and nature’s inherent need for preservation flew right over my 6-year-old head. However, I do vividly recall the one-two punch of the film’s ornate animation and moving score. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 23, 2018
Psychedelic bars and spacey beats are having a moment in mainstream hip-hop, as emcees embrace the weird. But lysergic lyrical constructions and out-there instrumentals are nothing new in rap music. Just ask Del the Funkee Homosapien and Amp Live. Both Bay Area-based artists have been experimenting with alternative approaches to their respective crafts for years. As one-third of Deltron 3030—along with Dan the Automator and Kid Koala—Del was part of one of the greatest underground rap releases ever; for his part, Amp Live had a viral moment when he remixed Radiohead’s In Rainbows. The pair have a new album together: Gate 13. (NV) Continue reading »
