No one enjoys scrubbing out the casserole dish, and on Mother’s Day, so don’t even suggest that Mom pick up a sponge. Why not take her out for a nice meal? The Mountain Winery boasts beautiful vistas of Silicon Valley and a menu of ceviche, raw oysters, swordfish, steak and much more on their Mother’s Day brunch menu. Palermo Italian Restaurant will also have a special Italian brunch. A day at the ballpark is also a good option, as the San Jose Giants play the Nevada Wolf Pack. And maybe the Sharks will advance to the conference finals. Check sanjose.com for more Mother’s Day Events. Continue reading »
Singles weren’t always released on Spotify or Soundcloud. They used to be pressed on vinyl. Often these 45 RPM recordings came with a serious treat. Led Zeppelin’s “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do” appeared on the flipside of the “Immigrant Song” single and never appeared on an official studio LP. U2’s “The Sweetest Thing” got second billing to “Where the Streets Have No Name” before resurfacing on a best-of compilation. Needle to the Groove invites all local crate diggers to see what they might unearth at this massive sale of 10,000 recently acquired 45s. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
Too many unfairly associate the big band era with nonagenarians and all those risque, old timey dances. You know—the jitterbug, the Lindy Hop, the foxtrot. Horsefeathers! Big band music is alive and well, and anyone looking to really swing need look no further than Gus and Gabby’s Big Band Bash, which is sure to be the bee’s knees. Gus and Gabby are veterans of the South Bay jazz scene, and for this swanky soirée they’ve invited two of the best big bands in Silicon Valley: the 7th Street Big Band and Nineteen Jazz Orchestra. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
On their last record, The World We Built, the Wild Reeds blended plainspoken folk lyricism, lo-fi surf guitars and tasty spoonfuls of alt-country twang. Currently on tour behind their latest LP, Cheers, this women-led band is showing off some new tricks. While their ramshackle indie sensibilities remain, they’ve put some bounce in their step and some glitter in their doo-wop-flecked vocal harmonies. It would seem they’ve descended from Laurel Canyon to cruise the Sunset Strip—trading in their banjo, acoustic guitar and pump organ for high gain tube amps, sparkling Rhodes keys and quivering Hammond tones. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
Stand-up comedy may be an American invention, but just as Bollywood has put its own spin on the multiplex blockbuster, the subcontinent has also learned to coax laughs out of a captive audience. Funnyman Vir Das launched his career in India and is now working at crossing over in America. He’s already appeared on Conan numerous times, demonstrating an easy rapport with the late night host. Das now has two hour-long Netflix specials: Abroad Understanding and Losing It. His next goal? Joining The Avengers. He figures if Black Panther can do it, there must be room for Brown Cow. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
With the Vietnam War at its height and serious civil unrest sweeping the country, one of the 20th century’s most respected composers sought to produce a work that would both challenge and unify a deeply divided America. After his decade-spanning tenure leading the New York Philharmonic concluded in 1969, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis asked Leonard Bernstein to compose a work to commemorate the inauguration of the Kennedy Center in 1971. The son of Russian-Jewish parents took inspiration from the Roman Catholic Mass, pulling elements from a centuries-old tradition and fusing them with decidedly modern music and lyrics. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
This summer, History San Jose has a lineup of outdoor nighttime movies aimed directly at the bleeding millennial heart. Starting in May—with one film a month through October—Flicks and Grooves presents a series of Wes Anderson films. This celebration of the sad, sentimental, sardonic and symmetrical kicks off with Moonrise Kingdom this Friday. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is Jun. 14; followed by Rushmore on Jul. 12; then comes The Grand Budapest Hotel on Aug. 9; The Royal Tenenbaums on Sep. 13 and Fantastic Mr. Fox on Oct. 11. There will also be a live concert each month. Kids under 12 are free. Continue reading »
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Nick Veronin on May 8, 2019
Since forming in 2006, drummer Logan Kroeber and guitarist-singer Meric Long have released seven full-length albums. Along the way they’ve swelled and retracted in size, and experimented in a variety of styles, including indie folk, psych rock and baroque pop. They come to San Jose on tour behind their latest LP, 2018’s Certainty Waves, which finds Kroeber and Long striking a middle ground between analog and electronic—mixing their earlier acoustic guitar and live drum jams with glitchy loops, warbling synths and rhythms that sound as if they were written on a computer, learned and performed. Continue reading »
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Bill Kopp on May 8, 2019
Up in the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, a mere two miles from Hollywood Boulevard, there lies a relatively secluded enclave known as Laurel Canyon. Beginning in the mid-’60s and continuing for about a decade, the Canyon became an incubator for a particular kind of music.
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It’s a free show. The performers come from all over the area, and it ain’t cheap to live in the Bay Area, especially for struggling artists. At some point, singing will pay for my bills a hundred fold. But right now, my financial well is a little dry. Despite all the recent rain, my wallet is still experiencing the drought. So when the tip basket makes its way around, please show a little love. It was a pretty damned good show, I’d say, and nothing shows appreciation more than a fistful of cash. The amount can be whatever, but please tip in US currency. I cannot fill up my 2009 Honda Civic with a Pokemon trading card. Unless Pikachu evolves into Benjamin Franklin, I’m going to have to crash at a friend’s house tonight.
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.
