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Wallace Baine on February 26, 2020
Mariachi may be a male-dominated genre, but that won’t be the case for long if Flor de Toloache has anything to say about it. Hailing from New York City, Flor bills itself as the world’s “first and only” all-female mariachi (“maria-she?”) band, performing in every configuration from a trio to a 10-piece. They first emerged back in 2014, breaking down doors and rethinking what the mariachi sound could achieve. Their new album, Indestructible, shades into R&B and reggae, and features a guest stint from John Legend singing en español. Legend probably won’t make the gig at The Ritz, but this bold and bad-ass group of women won’t be diminished. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
Decades before anyone had ever heard of a podcast, the public radio program Selected Shorts brought listeners funny, absurd, sad and thought-provoking stories to their home and car radios. Performed before a live audience by notable stage and screen actors, Selected Shorts has been a fixture on NPR affiliates for more than 30 years. At this weekend’s live taping, David Strathairn, Jane Kaczmarek and others will take on the theme of “Unexpected Encounters,” reading tales of unlikely connection at the Carriage House Theatre at the Montalvo Arts Center. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
Bridging the space between French Canada and the Caribbean, Jane Bunnett & Maqueque are a virtuosic powerhouse. While Bunnett’s smouldering soprano saxophone and flute take center stage, the group derives its gravitational heft from the roiling rhythms of Maqueque drummer Yissy Garcia and her supporting cast of all-female all-stars. Bunnett, a Juno Award–winning jazz musician from Toronto, has long been fascinated with Afro-Cuban sounds. She has two albums with Maqueque, a group she founded in part to showcase the power and range of women musicians from Cuba. On Thursday, Bunnett chats with Danae Olano and Ned Sublette before her ensemble performs on Friday and Saturday. Continue reading »
While some comics lean on volume or a deadpan delivery, MADtv alumnus Bobby Lee is a certified goofball, unafraid to laugh at his own jokes. Lee’s standup is often punctuated by his inadvertent chortles, which only amplify the hilarity of his absurd and wild stories. Raised in San Diego, Lee’s laid-back sensibility has made him a regular in stoner comedies—such as Pauly Shore is Dead, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Pineapple Express. He performs two shows each night during his weekend stint at The Improv. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on February 26, 2020
Miranda Lambert became a country-music superstar with her hit 2007 album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend—which showcased her great songs and her irresistibly combustible Texas bad-girl image. By 2019, Lambert was ready for a career pivot; it came in the form of her latest album, Wildcard, a collection of exuberant and upbeat songs that break from the moody tunes she penned in the wake of her divorce from fellow country star Blake Shelton. Newly married and feeling confident, Lambert is ready to wow her fans with tasty and defiantly funny new songs, like “White Trash” and “Too Pretty for Prison.” Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
Meet George Jetson—or at least his modern-day avatars—at the GoFly Prize contest held this weekend at Moffett Field. Some of the brightest minds to ever work on the development of personal flyers (think The Rocketeer or Iron Man) show off their designs of hoverboards, flying motorcycles and other futuristic contraptions as they compete for a grand prize of $2 million. In addition to the competition, attendees can get their geek on with hands-on STEM activities, a visit to the Moffett Field Historical Society Museum and a Para-Rescue demonstration from the California Air National Guard. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
Though he sounds like your average white American, there are clues to Gareth Reynolds’ heritage. Well… at least one: his name is Gareth. Being raised by English parents in Wisconsin has given Reynolds plenty of material to draw upon while onstage. Some of his funniest lines come at his father’s expense. “My father split his life between a small town in England and a small town in Wisconsin,” he cracks. “It’s created the weirdest accent of all time … he sounds like a South African blood diamond trader.” Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
Some think of ballet as a stuffy art form. At this year’s Dance Series 1, the Smuin Contemporary Ballet shatters that assumption, with a performance of “The Man in Black,” a ballet danced in cowboy boots and featuring the music of Johnny Cash. Also on the bill, the former Smuin artist Rex Wheeler’s “Take Five” is set to the jazzy beat of Dave Brubeck. The program will also feature a piece by the late Michael Smuin—“Carmina Burana”—set to Carl Orff’s sensuous cantata of the same name. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 26, 2020
When Charles Dickens died in 1870, he left more than a literary legacy in his wake. He also left an unfinished novel. The Mystery of Edwin Drood tells the story of a suspicious death and the ensuing investigation. Dickens died before he had a chance to write the ending, and several writers have since wrapped up Drood’s mystery. This weekend, Foothill Music Theatre stages one of the most interesting continuations; The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rupert Holmes is a musical comedy in which the audience gets to choose Drood’s killer. It was the first Broadway musical to have multiple endings. Runs through March 15. Continue reading »
I saw (and heard you) talking cheerfully and loudly over the jazz band last night. You were having a great time with your friends, loudly talking, laughing, clapping at inappropriate times, like in the middle of a solo, and not paying attention to anything else around you, including an announcement from the front of the house at the beginning of the second set to not do exactly what you were doing. When we made eye contact and I pointed at the drum solo in progress, there was a failure to communicate, so I gave up.
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.
