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Anne Gelhaus on September 19, 2018
While the playa dust is still settling on this year’s Burning Man, the South Bay Regional Burners group will formally congratulate this year’s “virgins,” who survived their first year among the sparkle ponies and shirt cockers of Black Rock City. The noobs are sure to have plenty of tales to tell. These “virgins no more” will receive “official diplomas” at the South Bay Burners’ Third Thursday Meet & Greet, where practicing and non-practicing Burners alike can swap stories over cocktails—kinda like being at a playa bar, but with less dust and more clothing. Continue reading »
I arrived at the wedding reception battling nausea from a bout of food poisoning. So I tried to find my footing by leaning against the wall on the patio, nursing a water while chatting with a couple of guests. That’s when you locked eyes with me and barreled through a sea of guests to say hi. You noticed that I was just sipping water and then blurted out, “Oh, you must be pregnant!” I shook my head, embarrassed that you would say something like that loud enough to make a bunch of people turn their heads to look at my belly. “No,” I reply, “I can’t even get pregnant, thank you very much.” But you insisted, bringing up the must-be-knocked-up thing quite loudly at least four more times until someone saw my discomfort and came to my rescue. Next time, show a little tact.
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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Wallace Baine on September 13, 2018
Mexican Independence Day is all about food at this first-ever Chile, Mole & Pozole event at the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Mexican, American and Chicano families will all come together Sunday to share family recipes as well as the stories behind them in a day of eating and storytelling. Twelve families will come equipped with samples of unique salsas and other treats, including the staples—mole and pozole. Be sure to show up hungry. You certainly won’t leave that way. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on September 13, 2018
Authentic Polish cuisine, music and dance can be difficult to come by in this area. But every year, around the middle of September, the South Bay Polish community throws a party at St. Brother Albert’s Polish Catholic Mission. Food, of course, is primary, so count on plenty of pierogi and kielbasa to go around. Bands will be playing Polish folk music throughout the day, and dancers will repeat steps that have been passed down through generations. Traditional Polish crafts, like amber jewelry, woodwork, textiles and crystal glass will be available for sale. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on September 12, 2018
Four years after their initial reunion, the karmic chameleons are hitting the road ahead of their next album, set for release on Oct. 26. Described by frontman Boy George as “a soul-funk-pop-reggae combo from the United Kingdom, where we have two queens,” Culture Club bent genres and genders in their ’80s heyday. “Let Somebody Love You,” the first single off their upcoming album, Life, recalls the band’s gift for mixing danceable beats with socially conscious lyrics. Fellow ’80s legends The B-52s co-headline, and Tom Bailey, one-third of the Thompson Twins opens. Second show Wednesday. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on September 12, 2018
Texas-born fiddler Phoebe Hunt grew up the child of disciples of Indian yoga master Swami Satchidananda, which means Hunt’s music carries a chime of Eastern incantation to go along with its distinctly Americana instrumentation. Hunt first emerged as part of the popular Austin band The Belleville Outfit. Now, she’s embarking on a tour with her new band The Gatherers in support of a haunting new album of sweet mountain ballads—Shanti’s Shadow, which grew out of an extended visit to India to study at the knee of the great Indian classical violinist Kala Ramnath. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on September 12, 2018
It’s last call for the summer of 2018 and Poor House Bistro will be hosting summer’s bitter-enders on the last Sunday before autumn with six top-drawer blues and funk bands on two stages. Headliners include Six String Explosion—featuring AC Myles, Tim Barnes, Angel Reyes, and Miles “My Dad’s in Journey” Schon—as well as the legendary Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste and his group The New Aahkesstra. Also on the bill: the Ben Rice Trio, Fillmore Slim Band, Marina Crouse Band and harmonica master John Nemeth and his band. So long, summer. See you next year. Continue reading »
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Estefany Gonzalez on September 12, 2018
Nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like coffee—unless we’re talking about the contagious energy of Los Angeles alt-R&B crooner Miguel. The “Coffee” singer fuses sweet R&B vocals with a funky live show that will even get the wallflowers dancing. Much like Cher, Prince and Beyoncé, Miguel is a pop icon who has earned his first-name-basis moniker by catching songs with staying power and emotional depth. His latest album, War & Leisure, is full of fun, upbeat numbers with sex-positive lyrics, thoughtful political undertones and top-notch collabs like his Spanish banger “Caramelo Duro” featuring Kali Uchis. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on September 12, 2018
Opera San Jose opens its 35th season with a work that marks many firsts. Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio is the first in the modern operatic repertoire and the first instance of an opera composed on a freelance basis—as Mozart was contracted to write the piece for Joseph II, the Holy Roman Emperor from 1764 to 1790. Audiences can see if they side with the emperor who commissioned the work (he complained that it contained “too many notes”), or with the composer who insisted: “There are just as many notes as there should be.” Runs through Sep. 30. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on September 12, 2018
How does a group of young rogues from the South Bay end up the No. 3 pick on a UK-based magazine’s listicle of the best new music of the year? Who cares? It’s fucking rock & roll! But for those keeping score, Classic Rock did name the fuzzed-out garage rockers Casual Vibes the third best thing in rockdom so far this year. Citing the band’s ode to good times, “Saturday Night,” the review enthuses, “This San Jose band are like a gold medallion laying on a pillow of chest hair in the dive bar of your mind.” Right on. Continue reading »
