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C.J. Prusi on October 9, 2019
One day, disc rot will render your CD collection useless and those MP3s will be corrupted. And we all know streaming services will never pay artists what they deserve. The solution? Magnetic tape—in addition to vinyl, of course. So dust off that boombox! International Cassette Store Day is upon us. Fueled in large part by millennial nostalgia, the audiocassette has enjoyed a renaissance of late, as many bands choose to release albums on the medium. Streetlight Records marks this UK-spawned holiday—now its seventh year—by offering 20 percent off all used cassettes. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on October 9, 2019
Hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the Carpenters released their first album on A&M, and harder still to believe that Karen Carpenter was initially reluctant to come out from behind the drum kit to focus on her vocal talents. Her innate sense of rhythm combined with her honey-smoked alto lent gravitas to the string of pop rock hits she had with her brother Richard in the ’70s, lowering the sugar content of songs like “Close to You” and lifting songs like “Rainy Days and Mondays” from pop pablum to classic ballad. Campbell’s Heritage Theatre launches its 2019-20 season with a golden anniversary tribute to the superstar duo. Continue reading »
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Metro Staff on October 9, 2019
Recognized as one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles, the Shanghai Quartet has collaborated with the likes of cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Peter Serkin. In honor of its 35 years of touring, the group will be performing on four exceptional and rare instruments built by Gofriller Guarneri and Stradivari. They are known for performing traditional Chinese folk music alongside Western masterpieces and contemporary works. This Saturday’s program will feature a string quartets by Haydn, Tan Du and Semtana. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on October 9, 2019
Nobody does enormous on-stage multimedia cube structures quite like deadmau5. The acclaimed Canadian DJ and glowing mouse helmet collector has been performing with his giant cube for close to a decade, but this year he’s unveiling “Cube V3”—the latest iteration of his mind-blowing stage show. According to tour scuttlebutt, the cube requires a crew of roughly 40 people working an entire shift to build at each venue. Love him or not, there’s no arguing deadmau5 is a committed showman who wants to make sure his fans get their money’s worth. San Jose fans get two nights back-to-back. Continue reading »
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Wallace Baine on October 9, 2019
For those who prefer their circuses old-school, Zoppé Italian Family Circus has a number for you: 1842. That’s when this traveling one-ring circus was established in Venice. Led by the multi-talented Nino the Clown—who happens to be part of the Zoppé family dynasty, which dates back six generations—Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus features refreshingly low-tech feats of acrobatics, juggling, equestrian arts and more, complete with old-fashioned outfits and old-country folk music. Runs Wednesday-Sunday through Nov. 3. Continue reading »
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Conor Agnew on October 9, 2019
Solo producer Nghtmre and DJ duo Slander need no introduction to the EDC crowd. They are each arena-rocking acts in their own right. On the Insomniac-produced Alchemy Tour, these LA-based artists join forces to present their bass-heavy, eyeball-exploding one-two punch of a show, “Gud Vibrations,” which they first road-tested back in 2016, in the wake of their collaborative Mad Decent release, Nuclear Bonds. These dubstep heavyweights are joined by Santa Barbara psytrance spinner Seven Lions and LA IDM trio The Glitch Mob, who are still riding the neon sine waves of their 2018 full-length, See Without Eyes. Continue reading »
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C.J. Prusi on October 9, 2019
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with Teatro Visión’s evening of song, dance and story. Based on B. Traven’s novel, Macario tells the story of a poor woodcutter who dreams of a day without hunger. It has been adapted for the stage by Evelina Fernández, with original music by Russell Rodríguez, choreography by Samuel Cortez and Rodrigo García directing. Presented in Spanish with English supertitles, the show will be staged by the School of Arts and Culture. It runs Thursday-Sunday through Oct. 20. Continue reading »
I brought my sister out to the city so she could meet the charming, somewhat older Australian man I’d been dating for the past several months. It was supposed to be a fun night out, pub-crawling our way through downtown on a recent balmy summer evening as you got to know one of my favorite siblings. My excitement at the prospect of you two meeting made your behavior all the more crushing. A few drinks into the night, you began making advances on my sister and me, trying to wrangle us into a threesome. Thankfully, my sister’s reaction mirrored me own: revulsion over you apparently leading me on just to fulfill your little fantasy. It’s not even that I’m opposed to the idea of a three-way—but that’s something you earn, negotiate and—I hope—keep completely separate from anyone I’m related to.
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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Conor Agnew on October 2, 2019
If you have an unquenchable thirst for ’90s alternative, The Ritz has got you covered this Sunday. Massachusetts rockers Potty Mouth are bringing their Liz Phair-inspired sounds to town in support of their latest album SNAFU. They’ll be joined by San Diegans The Bombpops, who sound like Dance Hall Crashers covering Pennywise, and Masked Avenger, a group of ski mask-clad Midwesterners who play pop-punk with a level of confidence that only anonymity could inspire. Potty Mouth played Lollapalooza a view years ago, and Bombpops and Masked Avenger are both Fat Wreck Chords alumni, so expect A-level between-song-banter along with quality pop songcraft. Continue reading »
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Conor Agnew on October 2, 2019
Conceived as a gift to the city of San Francisco by late music fan and billionaire financier Warren Hellman, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been bringing top-tier musical acts to Golden Gate Park every October since 2001. The admission-free festival draws nearly a million people to the city over its three-day run, and with a lineup this impressive, it’s no wonder. Scheduled performers include Tanya Tucker, Fantastic Negrito, Steve Earle, Calexico, Iron & Wine, Margo Price, Hot Tuna, Emmylou Harris and the golden god himself, Robert Plant. Continue reading »
