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Metro Staff on January 30, 2020
Do you miss the old Kanye? Chop-up-the-soul Kanye? What about Carson Daly, Blink-182, the Backstreet Boys and Korn? C’mon. If “Freak on a Leash” comes on the radio, are you really gonna touch that dial? Point is, Popgang Presents and The Ritz are taking it all the way back to the golden era of dial-in, after-school, pop-music countdown shows—spinning up all the early 2000s classics. And the evening’s name is more than a nostalgic moniker. The DJs will be taking requests all night from a text-in hotline. The party is free before 10:30pm with RSVP. It’s $10 after. Continue reading »
With music and lyrics by Tom Jones and a book by Harvey Schmidt, The Fantasticks holds the distinction of being the longest-running Broadway musical. The musical fable puts a quirky twist on the narratives of Romeo & Juliet and West Side Story. Loosely based on the play The Romancers, it’s centered around two young hearts and their fathers—who, rather than seeking to keep them apart, conspire to bring them together by pretending to hate each other. Guggenheim Entertainment celebrates The Fantasticks’ 60th anniversary with this production, which runs through Feb. 23.
The Fantasticks
Thu, 7:30pm, $45+
3Below Theatres & Lounge, San Jose
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Bill Kopp on January 29, 2020
Five-time Grammy Award nominee Ottmar Liebert is German-born. His music is rooted in the traditions of Spain. And he lives in the American Southwest. Somehow, he combines these disparate elements into a guitar-based music with one foot in tradition and the other in a modern, highly accessible pop style.
Continue reading »
For more than a year now I’ve let you live rent-free in my home. You brought your crazy cat, a basement full of boxes and your alcoholic drama under my roof—and I was OK with that, up to a point. I really, really tried to tough things out because I hoped that by not having to worry about where to sleep at night, you’d have more energy to battle your demons. But it’s been 15 months, and your presence is taking a toll on my marriage, and your cat’s been taking a toll on my carpet. Now, I have to muster up the nerve to evict you before my wife kicks us both out. I wish it never came to this.
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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Metro Staff on January 22, 2020
One of the strangest pop stars of the 2010s, Riff Raff has cut a jagged neon line through rap, country and reality TV and has even dabbled in professional wrestling. Though the Houston performer began honing his outlandish persona in the late 2000s—appearing on MTV’s From G’s to Gents with the network’s logo tattooed on his neck—he attained mainstream success around 2014 after signing to Diplo’s Mad Decent label and releasing his debut LP, Neon Icon. Known for his over-the-top boasts and wacky wordplay, Riff is currently touring behind his third and fourth full-length albums, Pink Python and Cranberry Vampire, both released in 2019. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on January 22, 2020
After reuniting in 2014, South Bay alt-rock veterans Strata are poised to release their first proper full-length of new material since 2007’s commercially successful Strata Presents the End of the World. So far, the band has only released a pair of teaser trailers on YouTube, featuring a clip of a new song and shots of the band recording in the studio. Topping the bill: Los Stellarians—a band featuring Doug “SA” Martinez of 311 and Ryan Siegel from Exes of Evil, whose funk-infused SoCal vibes at times recall Chicano Batman. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on January 22, 2020
While its shiftless younger cousins, rock and hip-hop, rely on the impulsive tendencies of youth, blues is a genre that rewards mastery. From B.B. to John Lee, the best bluesmen only improve with age. Case in point: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Elvin Bishop. His 1976 single “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” recently found younger audiences on the first Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, and he proves he’s still got it on his 2018 LP, Something Smells Funky ‘Round Here. He comes to Club Fox with his Big Fun Trio, featuring Redwood City resident Bob Welsh and Willy Jordan. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on January 22, 2020
DJ and producer Erick Orrosquieta, better known by his stage name Deorro, has been spinning up progressive house and trap bangers for well over a decade. Currently signed to Ultra, the recording and production company behind Florida’s annual EDM party, the Ultra Music Festival, he is in good company: He counts Steve Aoki, Sofi Tukker, Calvin Harris and Deadmau5 as labelmates. He hasn’t dropped a proper full-length since his 2017 album, Good Evening, but his string of singles—30 since 2013—are proof of his work ethic. He comes to Sunnyvale on the heels of his latest loosie, “All This Time.” Continue reading »
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Bill Kopp on January 22, 2020
The name might be a trifle misleading: this Utah-based classical crossover group features a pianist (Jon Schmidt) but he’s just one-fourth of the lineup. The Piano Guys also include Steven Sharp Nelson on cello and two producers, Paul Anderson and Al van der Beek. Like Postmodern Jukebox (another act operating on the fringes of the pop world), the Piano Guys are a YouTube sensation, with cumulative viewership of their inventive music videos approaching the 2 billion mark. They’re a consistent hit on both the classical and New Age charts, and their pop mashups bridge the gap between pop and more serious forms. Continue reading »
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Anne Gelhaus on January 22, 2020
At the ripe old age of 25, Taylor Tomlinson has just started her second decade on the stand-up circuit. And like any good millennial, she’s embracing all the media available to help her along her career path. Besides being featured in shows on Netflix and making it to the Top 10 on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Tomlinson co-hosts the Self-Helpless podcast with fellow Type A comedians Delanie Fischer and Kelsey Cook. With a sense of humor that’s at once self-deprecating and self-possessed, Tomlinson comes across as wisely funny beyond her years. She’s doing three nights at The Improv. Continue reading »
