To say that opening a nightclub is risky business is an understatement—eight out of 10 new clubs fail within the first year, according to Nightclub and Bar magazine. What does it take to beat those seemingly insurmountable odds? Trends, concept, funding, business plan, luck—a hundred factors both practical and abstract. But like…
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When Blush Raw Bar owners Russ Fukushima and Taylor Kim decided to start a nightclub in San Jose, they toured the country from San Diego to Las Vegas to Miami and back. They discovered all kinds of niche trends that hadn’t yet made it to the South Bay yet, but the one…
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AARON CARNES on June 12, 2012
Ben Henderson, who’s been out of town since the beginning of May, will pay San Jose a visit by way of New Jersey when the band he’s been playing bass for, River City Extension, makes a stop at the Blank Club this Sunday. Henderson will also be opening the show with a…
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San Jose pop-punkers A Four Star Affair will be shooting a scene for their next video at their X Bar show Saturday. Considering that their first video—which came out earlier this year, for “The Group W Bench”—was a hoot, it’s probably worth getting in on. Don’t know if they’ll have mimes, Robin…
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With her debut album Vows a certified pop-culture phenomenon, New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra has announced her first headlining U.S. tour, to launch this fall. After supporting Foster the People around the U.S. and Canada through July, she’ll pick back up with her own tour on September 25, stopping at Shoreline Amphitheare in…
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Matt Pike, the South Bay metal legend who played guitar in San Jose’s pioneering stoner band Sleep before starting High on Fire, has checked into rehab for alcohol addiction, forcing his band to pull out of the Mayhem Festival at Shoreline Amphitheatre on July 1.
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When San Jose Jazz chose funk legends George Clinton, Maceo Parker and Tower of Power to headline their Summer Fest in 2010, they took a gamble. Never mind that these acts featured some of the best jazz players in the world; the bigger question for some was: are fans ready for dance…
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AARON CARNES on June 6, 2012
For hardcore soul music fans, hearing the same old Curtis Mayfield tunes or Al Green songs can get a little tiresome. Nothing against them, James Brown, Marvin Gaye or any of the other well-established geniuses from the soul era, but for a lot of DJs, that’s about the extent of their soul…
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Rock critics have been obsessed with Kurt Vile’s supposed “trad-rock” sound, constantly comparing him to classic rock icons like Springsteen. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to be spoken of in the same breath as the Boss, and certainly he’s one of the Philadelphia musician’s many musical heroes. But I think this is…
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DAVID MA on June 5, 2012
“I like candied yams, I never jeopardize who I am!” says Andre Nickatina, the renowned West Coast rap veteran who’s making a highly anticipated tour stop at Santa Clara’s Avalon Nightclub this week. Formally known as Dre Dog, Nickatina has achieved luminary status through slanging tapes and CDs hand-to-hand, most of which…
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