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C.J. Prusi on March 27, 2019
Grab your conductor’s hat and get ready to sip suds 19th-century style—on a chugging locomotive winding its way through picturesque Niles Canyon. Beer on the Rails will serve up adult sodas by a number of Bay Area brewers along with Polish sausage sandwiches, coleslaw and potato salad. The trip lasts two hours and runs along some of the oldest tracks in the Transcontinental Railway system. First laid in the 1860s, the Niles Canyon Railway was some of the earliest rail in California and created the first train connection between the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest of the United States. Continue reading »
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C.J. Prusi on March 27, 2019
Space opera junkies rejoice! Symphony Silicon Valley’s ongoing Movies in Concert series presents Star Wars: A New Hope. Watch Han shoot first on the big screen and feel the force of a full orchestra perform John Williams’ legendary Oscar-winning score, led by Jeffrey Schindler. With a résumé long enough to make Bach blush, Schindler boasts more than 250 production credits and is a skilled conductor, orchestrator, arranger, maestro and an organist and harpsichordist to boot. The symphony will give four shows over the weekend, so grab a ticket or go hang with the rest of the nerf herders. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on March 27, 2019
Of all the punching bags available to snarky music critics, the suburban American reggae band is arguably the most battered. But to summarily slam Sublime and their ilk misses two critical points. First, these are all just passionate musicians inspired by the truly inspiring music of Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, Desmond Decker and so many others. Second, as is the case with San Jose-based Nessie the Great, it’s just fun. I mean, they’ve got a song dedicated to their 1992 Toyota Previa minivan, a vehicle that frontman and guitarist Carson Lewis praises for shuttling him and his crew to Santa Cruz. Continue reading »
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C.J. Prusi on March 27, 2019
Many will be familiar with New York-based stand-up comedian Joe List from his set on season two of the Netflix original series The Standups, as well as spots on Conan and Letterman. He’s also got a podcast called Tuesdays with Stories, which he co-hosts with fellow comedian Mark Normand. Diehard fans will know his albums So Far No Good and Are You Mad at Me? or perhaps for his YouTube series, “The Ultimate Worrier,” which has him donning dayglow facepaint and arm tassels like a ’90s pro wrestler and fretting over everything from the size of his hands to the health consequences of drinking too much coffee. List performs through Sunday. Continue reading »
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C.J. Prusi on March 27, 2019
Um Yeah Arts presents a screening of Thomas Campbell’s newest skateboarding movie. Self-funded and shot mostly on 16mm film, Ye Old Destruction focuses on the DIY ethos of skating and features a number of guerrilla skate parks, abandoned pools and two vintage cars—a Cadillac and Ford station wagon, which serve as transportation and obstacles to be shredded. Campbell is known for A Love Supreme, his artsy, John Coltrane-soundtracked film shot in 1995 for the now ultra-hip company Supreme. It’s about how much fun you can have getting together and making your own scene. Veteran skater and musician Tommy Guerrero performs live. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on March 27, 2019
Locals will recognize the work of artist Lacey Bryant in the sprawling mural covering the west-facing wall of Recycle Bookstore on The Alameda. Choose Your Own Adventure depicts a line of joyous children taking flight on their bicycles. Her new Slow Tarot project met its Kickstarter goal within hours of launching and has since exceeded its initial ask by a hundredfold. She’ll use the money to print a 78-card tarot deck featuring images culled from years of her signature and surreal portraiture. The set includes many familiar San Jose faces and aims to inspire reflection and contemplation. The Kickstarter runs through April 4. Continue reading »
It was like any other Sunday morning: biscuits and country gravy with an apple sausage link on a small plate to my upper left. On my main plate, two strips of bacon, a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup, and a spinach, cheese and mushroom omelette that my buddy from across the bar made especially for me. He and I have a bartender/regular kind of relationship, only it’s a salad bar and instead of whiskey, he’s slinging large grade A’s at the omelette station. A glass of cold, fresh squeezed orange juice (OK, probably from concentrate) to my upper right paired with a hot cup of coffee (instant, I’m guessing). And my Hometown Buffet homie of equal portly stature, across the table with his own breakfast feng shui in front of him. Everything was copacetic until this tall, slim yet voluptuous hot tamale walked across the restaurant. Did we really just see that? A perfect 10 in a place that barely had 1 stars on Yelp?! Seeing this Victoria Secret Angel in our favorite all-you-can-eat establishment threw us for a loop! Was she lost or lost a bet or forced to come here? My buffet bros and I just sat dumbfounded for a while, as the country gravy curdled. I was prepared for a meal, but I was not expecting to see a snack.
I Saw You is an anonymous “man on the street” column. Email your rants and raves about co-workers or any badly behaving citizens to [email protected], or send to 380 S. First St, San Jose, 95113. Submissions should stick to about 100 words.
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Anne Gelhaus on March 20, 2019
Known by his last name—the Hawaiian word for righteous—Kapono has been a musical representative for his home state since the ’60s. He has taken home 14 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards—Hawaii’s Grammy—including Album of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. In the ’70s he played with the duo Cecilio & Kapono, the first Hawaiian group to achieve a national recording contract (with Columbia Records). Kapano launched a solo career in 1981 and has released 17 albums to date. But he’s still known for collaborations like the Wild Hawaiian in 2006, which combined driving rock and slam poetry with Hawaiian chant, and Rough Riders in 2015, which celebrated Hawaii’s cowboys (paniolo). Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on March 20, 2019
There’s just something about putting a bunch of talented singers together with some top notch producers, dressing them up in sharp suits and letting the cameras roll. It worked with The Monkees, it worked with The Supremes, it worked with The Backstreet Boys and it’s surely working with Why Don’t We. Comprising five promising young singers from around the country, Why Don’t We first came together in 2016. After a requisite string of EPs and a Christmas album—natch—the boys dropped their full-length debut, 8 Letters, last summer. They come to SJSU this weekend. Continue reading »
It is derided as a lesser art form—not heady enough for the classical and jazz crowds; not gritty or pure enough for devotees of rock & roll, hip-hop and “real” country. It is manufactured, overly processed, formulaic.
It is simple.
Continue reading »
