Although he and his collaborator had spent plenty of time working on the songs that were to comprise their set on their first tour, Jess Sylvester says that he and Carlos Pesina—who together make up the experimental, electro duo Francisco y Madero—weren’t as prepared for their first show as they might have…
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by
Sean McCourt on July 1, 2014
Ice-T’s thrash metal band Body Count, touching off a powder keg of controversy in 1992 with the incendiary song “Cop Killer,” found themselves at the center of a cultural maelstrom, eliciting protests from politicians and conservative groups. Fans and free speech advocates rallied around them, lauding the band’s uncensored social commentary.
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Erykah Badu is at the top of the list of some recent additions to this year’s San Jose Summer Jazz Fest. The neo-soul legend won’t be singing however; she’s spinning records under her the moniker DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown. Her DJ side project began in 2011, and she spins frequently at…
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When a band calling itself Day Maker played at last month’s So Long San Jose Skate event, band members didn’t announce who they were, or that it was their first show together in seven years—or that their real name was Strata. In fact, they’d told just a small handful of friends that…
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In the early ’90s, L.A.’s underground hip-hop scene revolved around a little health food café in South Central called the Good Life where a weekly Thursday night open mic exploded. Groups like Jurassic 5, the Pharcyde and Freestyle Fellowship scored major label deals from executives coming down to check out the talent.
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The post-apocalypse is hot, at least to judge from comics, movies and TV shows—music, not so much. Even so, Mike Shirley-Donnelly, singer for local indie-rock band Curious Quail, wasn’t sure at first that he wanted to record the band’s new concept album, the end-of-the-world-themed After The Lights Failed, because of the topic’s…
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Skate-punk wasn’t just another hyphenate subgenre of good, old early ’80s punk rock; it was made by skaters, for skaters. In fact, San Jose’s the Faction, who formed in 1983 as part of the first wave of skate-punk, boasted one of the most famous professional skaters in the world as their bass…
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With slow, chugging riffs, growling vocals and a penchant for large concept albums, Louisiana sludge metal band Thou have, by their very nature, always discouraged mainstream attention. However, lead singer Bryan Funck thinks Thou’s latest album, Heathen, is their most accessible to date. Granted, the songs are longer, slower and centered on…
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Fifteen years is a milestone for any band, especially for one that formed while its members were still in high school. Local pop-punkers 5606, now in their late 20s, have accomplished a lot in the past decade and a half, including releasing four albums and going on dozens of tours. They celebrate…
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For more than two decades, rap duo Blackalicious has been synonymous with Northern California underground hip-hop. Alongside DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker, the duo is part of the Quannum Projects collective and label (one of the most successful indie hip-hop labels to ever come out of the Bay Area).
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