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Grace Stetson on December 22, 2021
Heavy music lovers have a chance to thrash this coming Thursday. Beginning at 9pm, a cavalcade of San Jose hard rockers take the stage (ok, the floor) at the Caravan Lounge. The night includes three-piece group Dead Engine, jam duo Drunk Monk and the newer duo Boxweed. Aside from enjoying all that the bands have to offer, attendees can also indulge in all that Caravan Lounge offers with its storied San Jose history and atmosphere. It’s the kind of show where people will come early for drinks, play some pool between the sets and keep celebrating all through the night. Continue reading »
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Alec Adams on December 22, 2021
Christmas music is good! I normally try to avoid injecting such controversial takes into this paper, but it needs to be said. While the detractors of Christmas music are sometimes deafening in their criticism, I sleep well at night knowing that I’m on the same team as Dave Koz. The saxophone virtuoso doesn’t just “make Christmas albums.” This nine-time Grammy nominee has made Christmas music a pillar of his three-decade musical career. Fresh off the heels of his 2021 release The Golden Hour, Koz is in peak form as he brings his campaign of Christmas (and Chanukah!) cheer with him to San Jose Civic. Continue reading »
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Elliott Sky Case on December 22, 2021
Nollaig shona! (That’s ‘Merry Christmas’ in Irish.) This Wednesday, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas—now in its 25th season—comes to the South Bay a day after the winter solstice. Celebrating the light to come after the longest nights of the year, A Celtic Christmas shares Irish tradition through story, dance and song. The multi-talented company includes Grammy Award-winning guitarist and ethnomusicologist William Coulter, Brian Bigley on Irish flute and Uilleann pipes (and more!), plus the ethereal singing of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Eimar Arkins.
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Grace Stetson on December 22, 2021
Sometimes, when the going gets tough, the tough take the Kris Kringle route. This winter, the Christmas mindset finds new legs in A Merry Little Christmas Cabaret, a story focusing on how music executives turned to the man in the red suit for a boost to record sales. Set in 1964, the cabaret plays off of British Invasion and other melodies of the time to retune into what music-lovers really want—Christmas in July! Showgoers who missed the production’s run at the Tabard Theatre need not worry: it is now available to stream all the way through the new year. Continue reading »
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Mat Weir on December 15, 2021
When asked about the critical acclaim for Scowl’s new album How Flowers Grow, singer Kat Moss is honest.
“There’s a feeling of being overwhelmed,” she explains through the Zoom screen. “We’re just riding the wave because we have no idea what to expect.” Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on December 15, 2021
For his fourth PBS special, Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito will grace the San Jose stage to kick off the holiday season. The singer—an SJSU alum with 10 albums and multiple international tours under his belt—will perform a mix of both secular and religious Christmas songs, including “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Adeste Fideles” and “O Holy Night.” Esposito will be backed by the San Jose State Orchestra, as the group brings the audience through a European musical journey into the Christmas season. Add some mulled wine, and it’s a fully Italian Christmas. Continue reading »
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Alec Adams on December 15, 2021
On paper, cover bands are a win-win situation: the band gets to play their favorite artist’s material, and the audience gets to relive their favorite musical memories. But not just anyone can do it. Audiences can sniff out a poser from a mile away, and only the greatest can truly live up to the hype of the fanbase. This is the envious position that both Strangelove (the Depeche Mode Experience) and Electric Duke (David Bowie tribute) live in—from the look, to the sound, the dances and stagecraft, they’ve completely won over the hardcore audience by paying attention to every detail. Continue reading »
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Kyle Martin on December 15, 2021
The legendary Marc Anthony is headed for San Jose’s SAP Center, where he will perform for thousands after the Sharks take on the LA Kings earlier in the afternoon. People all over this Earth have danced to Anthony’s music. Quinceañeras, Christmas parties, family reunions and backyard barbecues have all been soundtracked to the Latin star’s music. Known equally for his acting career as for popular hits such as “Vivir Mi Vida,” “Tu Amor Me Hace Bien” and (the title of his newest tour) “Pa’lla Voy,” the party doesn’t stop when Anthony is in town. Continue reading »
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Jay Edgar on December 15, 2021
Over the course of the pandemic, San Jose emerged as the new capital of hardcore punk, with bands generating buzz for their cult live performances and dropping critically acclaimed records left and right. Sunami is perhaps the most-hyped of these acts, their second-ever live performance this last June in a San Jose parking lot attracting 2,000 punks from around the country. After a stint of sold-out shows all over, the pioneers of “ignorant hardcore” are bringing their proudly stupid, loud and ugly music to the place where it all began, and bringing Oxnard riffmasters Dead Heat along with them. Continue reading »
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Elliott Sky Case on December 15, 2021
Jazz flutist Rebecca Kleinmann’s effervescent solos have captured audiences from Argentina to Australia and beyond, as well as audiences at venues all throughout the Bay. Friday evening has Kleinmann and her Brazilian-influenced improvisations joining a five-piece outfit. Pianist Tammy Hall, bassist Aaron Germain and drummer Dillon Vado are all veterans of the Bay Area jazz circuit with a menagerie of global styles under their combined belts. Vocalist Tiffany Austin tops off this vibrant lineup, igniting Break Room with her powerful compositions that encompass the spectrum of bebop, blues and soul. Continue reading »
