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Wallace Baine on November 14, 2018
Everyone in the greater South Bay can remember where they were on the evening of April 5, 2012. That was, of course, the day when San Jose R&B singer and former Oak Grove High homecoming king DeAndre Brackensick was eliminated from competition on season 11 of American Idol. He soon after toured as part of Idol’s road show and showcased his tender falsetto for Postmodern Jukebox. Now fans nostalgic for “Deandre Fever” can pack into the Art Boutiki to hear selections from Brackensick’s new album, Black Denim, and to luxuriate in that epic hair again, too. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on November 14, 2018
When it comes to sad clowns, Weary Willie—Emmett Kelly’s iconic caricature of a down-and-out, Depression-era hobo—may be the first image that crops up in the contemporary imagination. But the O.G. of all sad clowns is undoubtedly Pagliacci. In Ruggero Leoncavallo’s beloved Pagliacci, a theater troupe stages a production that hits too close to home for its main characters when the leading man, Canio, learns of his wife Nedda’s real-life affair with her on-stage beau. While staging a play with a similar plot, Canio (in the titular role) struggles through a performance before slaying his unfaithful wife and her lover. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on November 14, 2018
Though it may not feel like it, winter is coming. And in San Jose, that means ice skating under the Circle of Palms, next to the San Jose Museum of Art. The beloved holiday tradition continues into its 23rd year, under the benevolent leadership of Kristi Yamaguchi, one of the Bay Area’s greatest Olympians. Hours vary, but many nights over the next two months, the rink—which attracts about 50,000 skaters a year—will be open until midnight, including opening night on Nov. 16. Spangly outfits and jazz hands are not required, but certainly encouraged. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on November 14, 2018
Broadway San Jose hosts six performances (over four days) of the celebrated crime-and-dames musical Chicago, which first burst out of Broadway back in 1975. (Let’s not forget the 2002 movie version won the Oscar for Best Picture.) The play is the story of two women, Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, both of whom are murderers of the men who did them wrong. The musical has played around the world pretty much continuously since its debut, and it’s given the world such songs as All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango, among many others. Dress in your best 1920s chic and go see it. Continue reading »
So, this is kind of … different. A collective of artists known as RadioEE, in association with the Montalvo Arts Center, will be broadcasting a live transmission from a semi-autonomous vehicle (self-driving car) as it cruises around the Bay Area over the course of two days. Narration in English, Spanish and Vietnamese will explore how autopilot technology might change how we interact with our world and how we will build and traverse our urban environment. To take a ride-along, just go to radioee.net on Thursday and Friday. It’s not every day you get to experience the future. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on November 14, 2018
Checking in with a single family over the course of three decades’ worth of holidays, this play explores how siblings grow up, grow apart and simultaneously manage to engender both pride and disappointment in their parents. Making God Laugh tells the story of Ruthie, Bill and their three fully grown kids—a priest, an aspiring actress and a smooth-talking entrepreneur. Over the course of the production, everyone in the family comes to realize that in life, one doesn’t always end up at the intended destination. The play runs through Dec. 23. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on November 14, 2018
Pity every kid who grew up an obsessive fan of dinosaurs and is not part of the generation that gets to experience Jurassic Quest. This traveling exhibit and event features about 80 true-to-life models of dinosaurs that roar, move and lumber around. Along with slides, bungee jumps, science demos and all sorts of other goodies, this fantasy camp for dino lovers actually allows people to ride on the back of a T-Rex. For the 9-year-old boy buried in the heart of every adult, nothing short of gaming with Steph Curry could be more awesome. Opens Friday at 3pm. Continue reading »
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Bill Kopp on November 14, 2018
RISING OUT OF Sweden’s vibrant metal scene in 2006, Ghost has carved out a unique place in the rock landscape. Fronted by songwriter and vocalist Tobias Forge, the band is populated by musicians known only as Nameless Ghouls (Forge’s identity was only revealed in 2017). Wedding showmanship in the tradition of Alice Cooper to a finely honed and highly polished musicality, Ghost brings together the best qualities of hard rock and theater. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on November 14, 2018
A “sour beer walk” sounds like an unpleasant fraternity hazing ritual, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s a chance to sample a variety of tart, acidic beers from several breweries. Here’s how it works: You buy a $5 souvenir glass and go on a tasting tour through a number of watering holes in downtown Campbell. Every location will have 10 ounces of sour goodness waiting for you. Participating establishments include the Boiler Maker, Spread Deli & Bottles, Khartoum and Brown Chicken Brown Cow. Continue reading »
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Avi Salem on November 14, 2018
Robert Toher is something of a musical voyager. For nearly two decades he’s navigated the perimeters of the musical landscape, from playing in punk bands as a teen in the late ’90s to his central role in the genre-bending bands Apse and ERAAS in the 2000s and 2010s. Similarly, Toher’s musical stylings have run the gamut, spanning from shoegaze and industrial rock to trip-hop and reverb-heavy dark wave. The constant through it all is Toher, whose latest project, Public Memory, is pushing the envelope of aural possibility with its uniquely arranged soundscapes and synth-heavy electronic vibes. Continue reading »
