Back in 2001, California was in the middle of an energy crisis and was suffering several large-scale blackouts unlike the state had ever seen. As unfortunate as they were, they did inspire what would become an annual tradition in the south bay—the Brownout show.

The first show was at the Fishbowl in Sunnyvale in April 2001 and featured Xiu Xiu (who were a five-piece band at the time) and the Velvet Teen. Both bands played all-acoustic sets—a sort of tip of the hat to energy problem. Even now, after the dust has settled on the energy woes, the Brownout shows continue on, with the 11th installment on January 12 featuring Record Winter, Mike Huguenor, Colorscout and more.

As the shows evolved, they became more of a mixture of acoustic and electric indie rock bands. This year features headliners (the very not-acoustic) Record Winter, who have a heavy folk influence layered with lot of processed guitars and keyboards, creating a lush wall of sound that is fluid with dynamics and creative tones.

Also sharing the bill is Mike Huguenor from punk bands Shinobu and Hard Girls, who’s solo EP Bardamu is a self-conscious alt rock gem. Colorscout, a rock band that mixes folk, pop and soul and Cartoon Bar Fight will also perform with Mathew Joseph Payne (from chiptune band the Glowing Stars), Casey Jones (A whimsical, heartfelt folk singer) and James Scott (who comes from Olympia, Wash., and is promoting his new offbeat folk-rock album “Kind”) rounding out the bill.

The only question is: who is going to strip down and play an all-acoustic set, and who’ll just play a standard plugged-in full band set? Considering the threat of a rolling blackout is next to none, we’re betting on the latter.

Record Winter, Mike Huguenor, Colorscout and others
Homestead Lanes, Cupertino
Sat, 8pm, $8

The Silicon Valley Sound eXperience (SVSX) arrives in San Jose on Saturday with more than 20 local bands at nine venues throughout the city. Leading up to the event, we’re showcasing the bands involved, starting with Curious Quail and ColorScout at Old Wagon Saloon.

Curious Quail
11pm, Old Wagon Saloon
Curious Quail started off as a guitar/electro project by Mike Shirley-Donnelly but quickly grew to feature members with their own eclectic tastes and backgrounds in music. Curious Quail released its first EP, The Glow, in 2009, before all the current members were officially in the sextet. The band’s latest album, Instant Gratification, features guest vocalist Erin Whitworth of the San Francisco band Please Do Not Fight and other guest appearances by CQ’s extended family: Nicole Garber, Jessica Shirley-Donnelly and Magdalena Trenkner.

Mike Shirley-Donnelly deserves thanks for taking back clever titles from the emo and math bands. The San Jose singer/songwriter started Curious Quail as a channel for solo acoustic songs, but what it’s become is infinitely more bizarre—and fascinating. Now songs like “Secret Lives of Retail Monkeys” and “Yesterday, I Watched the World End” are wrapped in electro beats that may spin off into unexpected, soaring directions at any time.

Color Scout. Photo by Jessica Shirley-Donnelly.

ColorScout
10pm, Old Wagon Saloon
Relatively new ColorScout have already carved out an unmistakable sound. They combine the very personal, intimate quality of a folk musician singing on a mountaintop, with the collaborative joy of an old-timey country ensemble—not that they play country.

They fall more into the introspective category of brainy indie-folk. Despite how quirky they seem, they have the sincerity of an open-mic coffee shop singer/songwriter with a sound that reminds you of They Might Be Giants, the Weakerthans, Feist and the Decembrists. Despite only technically forming last year, they aren’t really new to the local scene. Tim Smudski and Rosa Leonardo emerged from the San Jose group Emerald Hill, who at the time were one of only a handful of bands locally mixing folk, Americana and indie rock. ColorScout expands Emerald Hill’s sound by jumping from three members to five. They have guitars, drums, keys and a violin. Additionally, they rely on a mixture of male and female vocals, sometimes taking turns on leads, but often blending them together to create a wall of harmonies.

The Silicon Valley Sound eXperience highlights more than 20 local bands at nine venues in downtown San Jose starting at 3pm on September 22. Purchase tickets HERE.

Daydream Nation, a series of free shows at San Pedro Square Market was back for its third installment Saturday. The show featured local bands Cartoon Bar Fight, Curious Quail, Shuteye Unison and ColorScout.

The show was also served as the CD Release Party for Curious Quail’s debut album, .:Instant Gratification:.

Photos by Jessica Shirley-Donnelly, JRSD Photography for MetroActive.

Dirk Milotz of Cartoon Bar Fight

Joel Zelaya's expanding pedalboard of Cartoon Bar Fight

Joel Zelaya of Cartoon Bar Fight

Michael Shumway, drummer for Cartoon Bar Fight

Shuteye Unison, alumni of the legendary indie group The Rum Diary, take the stage at San Pedro Square Market for the third installment of Daydream Nation this Saturday. The Rum Diary’s balance between heart-on-the-sleeve emo and tongue-in-cheek prog-rock set them apart in the crowded landscape of indie rock in the early 2000s. Shuteye Unison continue the Rum Diary’s penchant for redefining genres, but give it an even stranger spin.

Their debut record, Our Future Selves, is a hand-crafted collection of oddball, technically impressive and stylistically diverse tunes. They mix punk and dance grooves with indie-pop piano ballads, ’70s space-rock jams and of course atmospheric guitar rock. Every song seems to be referencing a different style of music, several in most cases. Their one commonality: They walk a weird line of sounding both intimate and larger than life, like an amphitheater rock band listened to on headphones.

Headlining the show, are the relatively new local band Colorscout, who play fun jangle-pop. They have keyboards, an acoustic guitar, an electric bass and drums and a female singer. There are elements of folk and ’80s new wave, and Colorscout are already turning heads in the local scene.

Also on the bill are Cartoon Bar Fight and Curious Quail, two more folk/80s-pop influenced local bands.

COLORSCOUT and SHUTEYE UNISON headline Daydream Nation #3 at San Pedro Square Market in San Jose on Saturday, June 30 at 7pm; free.