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Alec Adams on November 3, 2021
Oakland’s Morty Orkin has been dedicated to honoring the work of the great pop artists by way of tribute bands for a long time, moving from Michael Jackson to Neil Diamond to the one and only Prince. The Purple Ones have been in the game since 2012 and their commitment to doing Prince’s work justice is singular. They don’t do costumes, they don’t do look-a-likes: they keep it all focused on the music, the expression and the “controlled chaos” that defined Prince’s culture of bandrunning. Friday welcomes all twelve of the Purple Ones to rock out like it’s 1999 in 1982 in 2021. Continue reading »
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Kyle Martin on November 3, 2021
A giant party for Quebradita lovers—a Mexican style of dance and music—is coming Friday to San Jose’s Civic Center. This music is high energy, fast and full of melodies that spin tales of partying, love, life and travesuras. Friday’s featured artists include Mazatlán Sinaloa’s Mi Banda El Mexicano, Jalisco’s Banda Machos and Banda Maguey, and Banda Arkangel R-15 from Las Varas Nayarit. This kind of music sells out arenas, with live trombones, trumpets, tubas, electronic synths and booming percussion to keep the show rolling, and get people spinning and jumping along to the beat of the drums. Continue reading »
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Elliott Sky Case on November 3, 2021
This Friday, a new sound will echo through downtown San Jose, connecting the city to the world at large in new ways, when Beta Space: Trevor Paglen opens at SJMA. The installation can be heard emitting from the museum’s clock tower for the next year. Paglen, a 2017 MacArthur Fellow, has spent the last decade and a half addressing issues of global surveillance, data collection and other government activities in a myriad of mediums. Beta Space continues this work through sound by vocalizing sets of data from entities such as Cal Fire and the UN. Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on November 3, 2021
Not many comedians get nearly a decade of screen time on Saturday Night Live and still remain consistent in the years thereafter—but Kevin Nealon isn’t most comedians. This weekend, the understated master known for his SNL tenure from 1986 to 1995—as well as starring roles on Weeds, Man with a Plan and many guest appearances across TV and film—will take the stage in San Jose for four shows. Nealon has been making audiences cackle with glee since he first took the stage at the LA Improv back in 1978; now, nearly 43 years later, he has the chance to continue that terrific trend in the South Bay. Continue reading »
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Jay Edgar on November 3, 2021
CineQuest, San Jose’s premier film festival, may have ended in May, but that doesn’t mean cinephiles have to wait a whole year for more filmic gems. CineQuest’s new all-virtual younger sibling, CineJoy, is bringing features and shorts from around the world straight to the home with an all-new streaming platform built just for film festivals. There are multiple ways to experience the festival: viewers can buy a pass to live Spotlight events featuring screenings, remarks and Q&As with creators, or can buy tickets to on-demand viewings of any of the generous 75 features or 85 shorts. Continue reading »
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Elliott Sky Case on November 3, 2021
Bestselling author and illustrator Brian Selznick has transported all kinds of audiences across space and time: his historical fiction book The Invention of Hugo Cabret was adapted into Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Hugo, and his illustrations have appeared in children’s and YA classics, from picture books to the 20th-anniversary editions of Harry Potter. His newest novel Kaleidoscope, told in a series of vignettes, uses the fantasy grounding Selznick has mastered to tell a story of love and grief. A virtual broadcast will be available, and the ticket for his presentation on Kaleidoscope comes with a signed copy of the book. Continue reading »
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Li Patron on October 27, 2021
Last week, podcasters Carmen Sánchez and Manuel Ávalos hit a major milestone.
“We made a podcast baby, and it survived to one year,” Sánchez says in the introduction to the anniversary episode of San Hauntse. “That’s better odds than any child in the early 1900s!”
The macabre sentiment is fitting for a weekly podcast all about local legends and lore, many as historical as Sánchez’s imaginary old-timey infant.
Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on October 27, 2021
For years now, Brian Knockin has been at the door.
Back when he lived in Hollywood, where he studied at the Musician’s Institute, people used to tell him he was the next 50 Cent. Before that, he was in San Francisco, studying the art of production at California Recording Institute. Before that, he hustled tapes out of the trunk of his car on the southside of San Jose, like Too Short once did not so long ago or far away in another city by the Bay. Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on October 27, 2021
There’s nothing quite like the beauty of live performance, and especially the kinetic power of dance. That’s something Doug Varone—critically acclaimed and award-winning director and choreographer—understood from the second productions halted at the top of the pandemic in March 2020. Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on October 27, 2021
It’s time to dance around, and Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G knows how to get listeners on their feet. This Monday, the versatile reggaeton and Latin trap singer will headline the San Jose Civic as part of the Bichota Tour, hitting 21 cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Karol G broke ground with her hit song “Tusa” with Nicki Minaj, before bringing in a world of fans with her acclaimed third album KG0516. This will be the first time the singer can perform the songs from her latest album, and it’s bound to be an incredibly exciting return to the stage—and the dancefloor. Continue reading »
