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Mike Huguenor on July 14, 2021
Pianist Dahveed Behroozi brings an expansive set of influences to the keys. Trained in both jazz and classical, he picks up from the work of masters like Charles Mingus and Keith Jarrett in finding the genres’ overlapping lines. Mixed in, there are elements of fusion, latin-jazz and minimalism, resulting in a style he likes to call “wide-screen pianism.” This year’s Echos was dark and atmospheric, “an exceptional piano record,” according to All About Jazz, “tinted with a probing uncertainty and a hypnotic sound sculpture vibe.” Ticketed indoor event; free to view online. Continue reading »
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Dan Mitchell on July 7, 2021
At the beginning of 2020, California’s legal-pot industry, struggling to stabilize itself amid a sea of confusion and often-onerous regulations, high taxes, a burgeoning black market and numerous business failures, had high hopes that the state government would step in to ease some of its burdens.
Then Covid struck, and everything was put on hold as the state focused most of its attention on managing the pandemic and dealing with wildfires. Luckily, state and local governments declared cannabis to be an essential business, or the year could have turned out to be catastrophic. The problems still existed, but were eased somewhat thanks to increased sales. With the industry still struggling and the economy opening back up, all the hopes of early 2020 have been renewed for this year.
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Elliott Sky Case on July 7, 2021
Key to long-term survival is constant renewal. At Reed Magazine, California’s oldest literary journal, mutability has kept the publication running for 150 years, with a rotating editorial staff of diverse backgrounds, educational experiences, literary tastes—even sentiment for the magazine.
“I don’t spend any time thinking of Reed’s legacy,” admits Anne Cheilek, the magazine’s Poetry Editor, seconds before Managing Editor Ryan H. Smith says: “I can’t help but look at the history––I get really invested in it.” Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on July 7, 2021
Poetry Center San Jose’s monthly Well-RED event happens on the most poetic day of the month: the second Tuesday. At a recent reading, San Francisco poet and Writing Salon teacher Thea Matthews read from dazzling upcoming works that, among other things, likened urbanites in the “cold underbelly of the city” to sunlight through spider-silk and the unity of the soul. The event returns to Zoom with AE Hines, winner of the 2020 Red Wheelbarrow poetry prize, and Kelly Crissio-Moeller, whose work pays “somber respect to the extraordinary depth of our quotidian heartaches,” according to Zyzzyva editor Laura Cogan. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on July 7, 2021
In a unique online singing competition from San Jose Musical Theatre, “Uptown at the Apollo” presents ten exceptional Bay Area vocalists performing songs made famous at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. But there’s a twist. At the end, one of these talented singers will be declared the winner and walk away with a cool grand. Which future Bay star will it be? Antioch gospel singer Lady Kathi? Oakland stage performer Leslie Ivy-Louthaman? Or will it be the South Bay’s own Kelsey Findlay? Viewers decide, as each ticket comes with a vote for the winner. Think of it as Bay-merican Idol. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on July 7, 2021
Looks can be deceiving, as Jon “Polar Bear” Gonzalez knows all too well. Despite his pale complexion and rosy cheeks, the Polar Bear is half white and half Mexican-American, a fact about himself he regularly mines for comedy. After gigging in the local Texas scene, Gonzalez exploded to fame via Facebook and TikTok videos that explored the difficulties of growing up racially mixed, like thinking that “culero” was a nice nickname his father had thought up for him, or how the white side of his family always seems to wrap up the night at 9:30pm. Continue reading »
The word “turbo” is in Turbo Entertainment for good reason. These guys go hard. The local DJ collective take chunky slabs of trap, house, dubstep and dancehall and blend them all into a neon slurry of bass drops and sizzling hi-hats. At Hacienda, they’ll be lighting up the floor all night along with LA DJ duo TWSTD ZOO. The SoCal pair describe themselves by saying: “You got two really chill guys who like to make sure people are having a good time when they are around us.” Sounds pretty chill—but also pretty turbo. Continue reading »
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Jay Edgar on July 7, 2021
Green Day’s 2004 album hit American pop culture like a train, putting much of the country’s marginalized sense of angst under post-9/11 politics front and center. And who better to act out that righteous furor in the brilliant stage adaptation than the teens of today, who’ve only added to their list of grievances with the status quo? The legendary CMT San Jose’s all-teen cast tackles the Tony-award winning punk rock opera from July 17-25. Featuring songs from the titular album, the follow-up, 21st Century Breakdown, and beyond, American Idiot straddles the line to appeal to Broadway stans and haters alike. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on July 7, 2021
Ever since 2016, when JVNA burst onto the EDM scene with a stirring and emotional cover of “Dearly Beloved” from PS2 classic Kingdom Hearts, the LA producer has been blurring the lines between dance music, video game culture and pure emotional outpouring. You don’t have to be a gamer to get caught up in these swelling pianos and sudden bass drops, but with covers of tracks from Maple Story and NieR:Automata (and Kingdom Hearts), it probably doesn’t hurt. The young producer and singer recently completed her highly anticipated first album, but first stops in Sunnyvale for a night of pure dance release. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on July 7, 2021
Every heavy music fan should know Zulu. On their incredible 2020 EP, My People… Hold On, the LA act mix hardcore with spirituals and performance art, and center the experience of African American women. “As a Black woman, I stand at the intersection of racism and sexism,” Aleisia Miller testifies over hypnotic piano on album opener “Blackcurrant.” A minute later, Zulu explode into an exhileratingly brief hardcore suite spanning blastbeats, beatdowns and breaks that culminates in the album’s title plea. At X-Bar, they’re joined by tourmates Scalp and San Jose’s own Spy, whose 2020 EP Service Weapon is pure dystopia soundtrack. Continue reading »
