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Anne Gelhaus on February 12, 2020
While next month is the fifth anniversary of Drink & Draw at Art Boutiki, this week marks two years since Carlos Velazquez and Alca Ulsan began co-hosting the monthly, all-ages event. To celebrate that milestone—and their engagement—the couple invited Sonido Clash–cofounder Fernando Julian Perez (a.k.a. DJ Tlacoyo), Chulita Vinyl Club–founder Claudia Saenz (a.k.a. Teardrop) and special-guest Monica Robles (a.k.a. Moniloca), cofounder of Lowrider Sundays. As for visual art, Ulsan’s original designs for Drink & Draw fliers will be on display. Continue reading »
I sat in my favorite coffee shop, avoiding the project on my laptop screen. That’s when I noticed the usually cheerful demeanor of the baristas evaporate, only to be replaced with fear and dread. “Oh God, he’s here,” I heard one of them mutter. I followed their collective gaze to the door and saw a thin, gangly man carrying a laptop bag. You could feel the arrogance radiating off of him. He skulked around the shop hunting for a table like a shark that detected a hint of blood. He finally found a seat and brusquely asked someone if they needed all the room at their table. He placed his bag down and sauntered up to the register. He was like a vulture hungry for just one thing—joy. The characteristically carefree barista now looked defeated by his mere existence. Before she could say anything, he blurted out, “Changing the coffee soon? I don’t want any of those,” while pointing his finger at a canister behind the counter. “No, we just made all of them,” she replied. He paused, looked her in the eyes. “OK,” he said. And with that, he went back to his table, collected his things and left. Astounded, I asked the cashier, “What’s his problem?” The barista looked at me, the life returning to her eyes. “He’s just an emotional vampire,” she told me. “‘Cause he sucks.”
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.
I get it. Restocking the lower shelves on your knees is not your dream job. So I waited quietly and patiently three feet away while you arranged products, until you could move the aisle-blocking, diagonally-parked cart at the upscale grocery store. But you went passive-aggressive, grabbing another armload of goods and ignoring the obvious. I moved your cart so I could pass. That’s when you launched the confrontation you were itching to instigate, instructing that I should have said “excuse me.” You lectured that I should “use my words.” I’ve been shopping at your store since it was Bread of Life, long before Whole Bezos. I don’t expect happy hippies to cosmically reappear, but I’m not going to kiss your ring or be talked to like a child either. I’ve done grunt work, too. Showing common decency is a better way to earn respect than to demand it. I hope your boss had a personal growth-inspiring counseling session with you at shift’s end.
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.
by
Bill Kopp on February 4, 2020
When mainland music fans think of the Hawaiian islands, they may hear Don Ho’s “Tiny Bubbles,” Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s famed ukulele arrangement of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or Bing Crosby’s holiday classic, “Mele Kalikimaka.” Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 4, 2020
Nearly 25 years into the game and it’s clear that Atmosphere will go down as one of the best hip-hop groups ever. The Minnesota duo’s early albums feature a quick-witted Slug using his silver tongue to couple glib remarks with intricate and braggadocious rhymes, all while producer Ant drops some seriously dope beats. But as Sean Daley and Anthony Davis have grown up, so has their music. Slug has turned his lens inward, admitting his faults and drawing on his experiences as a father. All the while, Ant’s production has grown more sophisticated. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 4, 2020
Falcon Punch! Get ready to find out if you and your roommates are really as good at Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as you’d like to believe. The competition takes all comers with $5 on it to test their hand-eye coordination and fast-twitch muscle stamina in a three-round Swiss-style tournament. The first bouts begin at 6pm and run to 7:30pm and a second tourney runs from 7:30pm to 9pm. The victor will be invited to the championship. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on February 4, 2020
Bon Jovi fans may always be “livin’ on a prayer” that they’ll somehow find their way back to the 1980s—when party-rock ruled the airwaves and mullets were worn unironically. That may never happen, but at least they have this: A triple bill at the Club Fox, featuring Bon Jovi completists Steel Horse, Haulin’ Oats (which goes deep into the fab career of Hall & Oates) and Canadian Red, a tribute to the unjustly forgotten Canadian quintet Loverboy, who gave the world “Workin’ for the Weekend.” Sleeveless T-shirts and head bandanas are not required, but strongly suggested. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on February 4, 2020
For four seasons, he played the lovable (but more often unlovable) blowhard parasite Erlich Bachman on HBO’s Silicon Valley. So, there is no more natural environment to get the full-on T.J. treatment than in The Capital of Silicon Valley. Of course, Miller’s public image took a steep dive after he was accused of sexual assault in 2017, making him a problematic cultural figure as he attempts to resurrect his stand-up career. You can bet the elephant in the room will be there at every one of his five sets. Miller’s never been accused of timidity, however, so we’re betting he’ll tackle that elephant head-on. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on February 4, 2020
Like any play worthy of the descriptor “farce,” The 39 Steps relies on quick takes and physical humor for laughs. With a cast of four playing dozens of roles in the show, many of the laughs simply come from the quick costume changes the actors must make. While Patrick Barlow’s script is based on Alfred Hitchcock’s far more serious film, the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction might be the most suspenseful aspect of this production, which runs through March 1. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on February 4, 2020
The San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild/Tabia African-American Theatre Ensemble present award-winning Broadway actor Chester Gregory as he channels the iconic Jackie Wilson, a.k.a. “Mr. Excitement,” taking the audience back to Sept. 29, 1975. Featuring hits like “Lonely Teardrops,” “To Be Loved” and “Higher and Higher,” the show promises to be a page right out of rock & roll history. Gregory has earned accolades for his performances in such Broadway hits as Hairspray, Tarzan, Cry-Baby and Sister Act. Continue reading »
