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Mike Huguenor on June 23, 2021
Perfume Genius’s show at the Henry Miller Memorial Library may be long since sold-out, but there’s another way to experience the historic Big Sur venue this weekend—all without leaving home. In a streaming concert film premiering Saturday, local promoter (((folkYEAH!))) presents Real Estate’s Alex Bleeker & dreamy indie singer/songwriter Kacey Johansing performing at the intimate forested venue. As bassist in Real Estate, Bleeker plays a subdued role, but the warm psychedelia of his solo material sparkles like a broken CD-R in the sun. Johnasing likewise evokes warm, sunny days. Both musicians’ performances will be available through July 4. Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on June 23, 2021
This weekend, art fans in need of Vitamin D will be able to support local artisans in the sun at Pruneyard’s Open Air Pop-Up Artisan Market. Campbell’s monthly market has been steadily growing both in attendance and vendors since kicking off in November 2020, and now the weather is just right. Socially-distanced booths offer a variety of handcrafted wares, from jewelry to artwork and everything in between. Visitors can move and groove to live music with sets from guitarist Simon Santiago and pop-punk singer Tess Stevens, and dig in to delicious shaved ice from Kona Ice or nearby Pruneyard eateries. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on June 23, 2021
Called an “underground power generator” by SF Chronicle, the San Francisco Neo-Futurists are a troupe of writer/actor/directors committed to moving stage production boldly forward. Each year for Pride, the troupe presents their World Pride Wrench, a dazzling array of short productions that explore the LGBTQI+ experience from numerous decidedly current perspectives. Available online this year, the 2021 World Pride Wrench features 30 shorts that promise to (briefly) examine sexuality, identity and community, all in the span of ninety minutes. Half of all proceeds go to the Trangender Law Center. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on June 23, 2021
Chey Bell’s jokes land with deadly precision. “If you see any Black people in Napa, they are in the witness protection program,” she cracks in a bit titled “All White Town.” With an energetic stage presence honed from sets at The Comedy Store and NY Comedy Club, the bisexual comedienne riffs on everything from taking a girlfriend home for the holidays, to raising mixed kids, to guided meditations on YouTube devolving into Rihanna quotes. Featuring Chelsea Bearce in support and a host of other quick-witted comics in tow (plus one actual host), maybe it’s “Only Laughs,” but it still sounds fun. Continue reading »
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Grace Stetson on June 23, 2021
Just one day after the San Jose Improv reopens its doors for its first indoor post-COVID show, the legendary D.L. Hughley stops in for a five-show stint, Friday to Sunday. One of the most instantly recognizable comedians in the world, Hughley has done it all, from iconic standup specials, to awards show hosting gigs, a late night show on CNN, even a little show called The Hughleys. But no matter what, fans will always remember him as one of the “Big Four” in The Original Kings of Comedy. All shows 21+, two-item minimum. Continue reading »
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Dan Mitchell on June 23, 2021
Since even before states started to legalize weed for adult use, people in the legal-cannabis business, and many of their customers, worried about the prospect of big companies dominating the industry.
It might be Coca-Cola or Anheuser-Busch or Altria—the tobacco giant. Or it might be a pot company—like, say, MedMen—that grows into market dominance. Which company, people wondered, will be the Amazon of weed?
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Mike Huguenor on June 23, 2021
The work of soul musician JoDavi is well summed up by his own term “cinema-soul.” It is evocative and performative, full of filmic nostalgia and classic motown arrangements. It swells and swings and knows how to swagger when the beat gets mean. As part of the release tour for new album One More Go, JoDavi’s livestream from Art Boutiki will be a celebratory event just right for a summer evening. But with his background in gospel and R&B, and pedigree as an instructor, wedding musician and arranger, “Mr. Maestro” surely has more than just “one more go” in him. Continue reading »
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Dan Mitchell on June 16, 2021
It seems like a safe bet that, in the next year or two, Delta-8 THC products will be available—when they’re available at all—only from licensed, regulated cannabis dispensaries. Until that time, however, people who buy them are putting themselves at risk.
A new report by the U.S. Cannabis Council, a trade group of regulated dispensaries, declares that the sale of Delta-8 vapes amounts to a rapidly expanding crisis that “presents a public health risk of potentially wider impact than the vape crisis.”
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Mike Huguenor on June 16, 2021
Let’s face it: we live in a golden age of vibes. Whether it’s Nathan Apodaca vibin’ to Fleetwood Mac, the Williams twins catching vibes on their “First Time Hearing” music channel, or the popular #vibes hashtag on Tik Tok, we love our vibes. And what instrument is more vibey than the vibraphone? This Saturday, local vibraphonist and 2014 Jazz Search West winner Dillon Vado positively vibes out with a free livestream from Art Boutiki with his Table Trio. The all-star group includes a member of the Oakland Symphony (drummer Jason Lewis). East Bay vocalist Danielle Wertz joins them for the night. Vibe on. Continue reading »
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Mike Huguenor on June 16, 2021
Ladies and gentlemen, the dancefloor is open. After more than a year of weekends inside and social interactions over Zoom, Continental Bar & Lounge in downtown San Jose pulls back the velvet rope this Saturday and once again invites you to lose yourself in the music. To help get you there, they’ve got a slew of DJs dropping deep grooves, rare beats, and whole moods all night, including local Chale Brown, neodisco producer Julius Papp, and NY house master Mr. V. The flyer announces “vibes commence at 8.” Here’s hoping they never stop again. Continue reading »
