I saw you, pedaling through the neighborhood—my neighborhood—in your light blue denim jacket, the basket of your bicycle filled with various colors of Rust-Oleum. You circled back to spray the side of a light pole, which I found strange, but as I continued my walk to the office it all came into focus as the smell of fresh paint filled the air. A one-man graffiti clean-up squad. I know your heart is in the right place, and the scribbled tags you were covering up certainly don’t add much curb appeal to the block, but considering the overwhelming amount of garbage blowing around these parts, maybe next time you can be a one-man litter-abatement brigade instead?
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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Aaron Carnes on February 19, 2020
Back in the late ’90s, a trio of San Jose indie rockers released two full-length records and a handful of EPs, to little attention. Duster played dingy basement shows and never drove their tour van beyond the West Coast. Instead of recruiting a bass player, they dragged an old organ to shows with multi-instrumentalist Clay Parton tapping the pedals for some low end. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
When he’s not with his brother Lukas backing up Neil Young as part of The Promise of the Real, Micah Nelson—son of the inimitable Willie Nelson—spends much of his time composing dusty, lo-fi rock & roll in his own band, Particle Kid. It would seem his father passed on the songwriting bug and the Godfather of Grunge has helped him shape his aesthetic. Plenty of his songs, such as “Radio Flyer”—from Particle Kid’s 2019 LP, Window Rock—feature stomping drums, fuzzy guitar and stream-of-consciousness music videos composed of jittery, stitched-together Super 8 fragments. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
Enjoy a Big Easy brunch and music from The Sons of The Soul Revivers—all while helping support the upcoming Fountain Blues & Brews Festival, scheduled for June 20 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The Morgan brothers—the three-part vocal center of this traditional gospel quintet—have been singing together their entire lives. The group recently released a live album on the South Bay-based Little Village Foundation nonprofit record label. The performance is a part of the San Jose Jazz Winter Fest concert series. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on February 18, 2020
The Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers take their cues from the immortal Texas power trio ZZ Top. And, in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes—they are rockin’ those famous ZZ beards. The Drinkers (named for an unforgettable song on ZZ Top’s 1973 album, Tres Hombres) headline this big Bay Area tribute-band bonanza. Also on the bill: Modern Cowboy, who play the hits of the 1990s hair-metal outfit Tesla, and Bay Company who recreate the sound of ’70s hitmakers Bad Company. Beards (real or fake) and cheap sunglasses are welcome. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
Brass, beads and beignets are all on the menu as downtown Redwood City is transformed into a fairweather French Quarter. Featuring a marching band procession, a grand marshall and a second line, along with authentic New Orleans drinks and cuisine, the event runs from the early evening until 10pm. Also on the bill: a number of local bands performing on the main stage, including Fog Swamp, Al Lizard & The World Street Players, MJ’s Brass Boppers and Andre Thierry Accordion Soul Music. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
For the past 24 years, The Choral Project has wowed audiences with its mix of classical repertoire and boundary-bending modern choral works. This weekend, TCP returns to Santa Clara for a performance of Art of Sound :: Oceans of Song—a program spanning styles, cultures and featuring the Northern California premiere of “The Oceans Between Us,” a work for choir, piano, strings and tuned wine glasses by rising composer Matthew Lyon Hazzard. Rounding out the program: a piece by Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso, “Domine Labia Mea Aperies.” Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
In the annals of San Jose skate-punk history, one band looms larger than all the rest. Featuring South Bay skateboarding legend Steve Caballero on guitar and Gavin O’Brien—brother to Corey O’Brien, another San Jose pro and owner of The Ritz—fronting the group, The Faction helped launch a subgenre of fast, aggressive punk-rock music focused on the subculture of skating. Word on the street (and on the flyers) is that this will be The Faction’s last show ever. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 18, 2020
Born in a small seaport town in Connecticut, 28-year-old electronic music producer and DJ Audien has been making music since 2008. He got his first big break 2012 when he was featured on Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance compilation and Above & Beyond’s 2012 EDC set. He topped the Billboard dance charts in 2015 with the hit single “Insomnia,” and has been selling out major venues and headlining EDM festivals since. He brings his unique, progressive trance sound to Pure Nightclub as he tours behind his debut full-length studio album, Escapism. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on February 18, 2020
At the same time that other, fussier British rock bands were playing around with classical allusions and 12-minute song suites in the early 1970s, Foghat was keeping it simple with brawny, unpretentious, boogie-based guitar-rock that scored hits with the beer-swilling masses. From “Drivin’ Wheel” to “Fool For the City” and onto the immortal jam “Slow Ride,” Foghat kicked tail throughout the ’70s. The tide went out on the band in the ’80s. Then came Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, which cemented Foghat’s status as one of the simple pleasures of a weird and complicated decade. Continue reading »
