There are many parallels to be drawn between the return of the SoFA Street Fair this Sunday and the so-called “reunion” of Insolence, who along with Salmon and Maids of Honor will provide direct support to the festival’s headliner, Fishbone. But whatever you do, don’t call it a comeback.

Sure, it’s true that Insolence went on hiatus more than three years ago, but the band never technically broke up, according to Mark Herman, one of Insolence’s two vocalists.

“We just took a little break,” Herman says, explaining that some of the band started families, while others moved outside of the band’s home base of San Jose. “It just got to the point where life happened for some of us. We had never stopped—from 1996 to 2010, we were just grinding, grinding, grinding, and chasing that dream.”

By many measures Insolence have achieved that “dream.” The group has toured the world with its high energy mix of rap, metal, reggae and punk—sharing huge stages with some of the biggest bands of the aughts, including Rancid, Incubus, System of a Down, Jane’s Addiction and Papa Roach. They’ve been signed to independent and major labels, and many of the group’s members have gone on to form other successful acts.

Along with Insolence’s success came many trials and tribulations. During its heyday, the band kept up a grueling touring schedule and was under constant pressure from their record labels—Maverick and especially Warner Bros.—to write material that mainstream radio would play, which was a particular problem for a band like Insolence.

“We’ve always been all over the place,” Herman admits, explaining that the band never had any interest in playing one kind of music. “We were just in a band to have fun.”

According to Willis Rosenthal, the group’s other vocalist, at the time record labels started courting Insolence, their sound was very new. It was the mid-’90s, and rap-rock bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park were only just starting to get traction.

The way Rosenthal tells it, Insolence wasn’t even trying to ride the rap-rock wave. Their hybrid sound was more the result of everyone in the group trying to insert their own influences into each song.

Unfortunately for Insolence, while the aggressive sounds of nu-metal and rapcore initially took the U.S. by storm, by the turn of the millennium, critics and fans began turning on the music that had only a few years earlier been so popular. And they weren’t just listening to other stuff. Bands that combined guitars and emcees were suddenly punch lines.

It was tough time, Rosenthal says, recalling those years. “We thought we were on to something,” he says. “It turned into something that we weren’t really into.”

Insolence’s label started pushing them to sing more, encouraging them to pivot away from rapping, Herman remembers. “But you can’t fake the funk.” Insolence refused to fold itself into any of the prepackaged, marketable options that their labels presented to them. They just kept doing what they wanted to do.

The strong independent streak that runs through the band not only led to Insolence ignoring their record label’s wishes. It also resulted in the formation of side projects. Drunken Starfighter was formed by Rosenthal and Insolence’s DJ, Itchy, back in 2001. And The Whiskey Avengers were formed by Insolence’s bass player, Clint Westwood, and drummer, Kevin Higuchi, in 2006.

Those more intimately familiar with Insolence’s hiatus may know that the increasing attention and energy that Westwood and Higuchi were pouring into the Avengers took its toll—leading to some bruised egos and infighting.

“It’s time to let bygones be bygones,” Herman says, adding that he is just looking forward to getting back on stage, without any of the old pressures that used to weigh on his mind. “I’m super excited, man. There’s no greater feeling than playing music. I just want to get up on stage and have that camaraderie with my friends.”

Herman says he is also pumped that the group’s first show in over three years will be at the “reupholstered” SoFA Street Fair, which is returning after more than a 10-year absence, thanks in large part to longtime San Jose promoter Fil Maresca, as well as South Bay veteran booking agents Gary Avila and Jimmy Arceneaux. He sees it as a sign that San Jose’s local music scene is on its way back.

A new Insolence album is in the works, which Rosenthal describes as a mix between the early rapcore stuff that put Insolence on the map and newer electronic and synth-based sounds. “It’s going to be awesome,” Rosenthal says. After years dealing with record execs, grueling tours and internal drama, Insolence is ready to just chill out and play.

Insolence play the main stage at the “reupholstered” SoFA Street Fair in San Jose on Sept. 14 at 5:30pm. More info.

It’s hard to tell just how serious local punk rockers, Trashkannon, are being, especially on their new album Crappy Days. Their breed of loud, middle-finger-waving, three-chord skate punk is so perfectly composed and so flawlessly offensive, it makes one wonder, “Is it a joke?”

The answer, I wager, is yes and no. Trashkannon are a tongue-in-cheek characterization of purposely offensive, over-the-top punk rock—their crazy live shows and comically ridiculous videos attest to that. Yet, it really is gritty, raw punk rock.

It’s just that the core members have so many other highly varied bands—Language Arts Crew (hip hop), Whiskey Avengers (ska), Insolence (nu-metal)—that they need to create whole new identities for every possible musical genre they play.

A major part of the Trashkannon identity is that off-the-wall madness, which is meant to be funny more than actually offensive. Crappy Days soars through nine songs in 21 minutes, cramming in references to zombies, cops, sex and finger-pulling. The title track—one of the funniest on the record—starts out sounding like a depressive “woe is me” pop-punk song, which quickly degrades into a series of sing-along “fuck you’s” and then ultimately shifts into an upbeat parody of the Happy Days theme song—only instead of “happy days” it’s “crappy days.”

What distinguishes Trashkannon from the standard, run-of-the-mill outrageous punk band, is how good the musicianship is, which shines through in subtle complexities, even if they intended to sound simple and unsophisticated. Songs “Rampage” and “Zombies” have breakdowns and accents that are perfectly syncopated and flawlessly executed.

Truly no die-in-the-wool punk rockers would be capable of such perfection. It would take the work of the truly diverse, well-studied musicians—even if they like to pretend they’re just a bunch of goons.

Trashkannon play Johnny V’s on Friday October 5th at 9pm. Tickets are $5.

The DMC Championships, which has has helped launch the careers some of the most famous DJs in world over the past 20 years, is offering DJs around the world a chance to attend the DMC World Finals in London through an online voting process. San Jose’s own DJ Ichy the Killer is currently in the top five of the second round and has one more round to go before making the finals.

Anyone with a two-minute video showcasing their skills can enter, and then it’s up to the public to to vote on who should move up in each round. Here’s Ichy’s submission:

Ichy the Killer, also known as Chris Larsen, got his start almost a decade ago with the hip hop crew Counter Productive. He continues to spin for Dirtbag Dan, also from Counter Productive, and Insolence, Language Arts Crew and various other San Jose groups. But as his online video submission demonstrates, Ichy can hold his own without anybody rapping over his beats. He’s got a strong sense of structure and a slick artistic style.

Voting for round 2 is open until May 14th. Vote for DJ Ichy the Killer HERE.

Anyone who has spent time navigating San Jose’s music scene has likely crossed paths with Clint Westwood, if for no other reason than he’s in so many bands.

He’s a member of hip-hop foursome Language Arts Crew and also the popular local ska band Whiskey Avengers. When he’s not busy with those two groups, he’s gigging with Trashkannon and Insolence or he can be found at Terrible Tuesdays, his weekly club night at Johnny V’s.

Clint recently shared his thoughts on the San Jose scene and some of his favorite local haunts with us.

What part of San Jose are you from?

I grew up in Cupertino during the early 90s. It had a small town vibe tucked in the Foothills where we were free to roam the wilderness and still pursue the mischief of city life. There was a lot of great bands and musicians that came out of the west side, and a good amount of off-the-wall places to play. I have a lot of friends and colleagues from way back when who are still in touch today. Those were the good old days, it’s been downhill ever since. Haha.

What’s the best show you’ve seen in San Jose?

The Most memorable one might have been when Flogging Molly played music in the park a few years back. It was great to see such a rad band play for so many people downtown. There were also many memorable (or forgotten, depending on drunkenness) national acts that played the late Voodoo Lounge in its heyday. Local music hasn’t been the same since.

What’s your favorite local band?

Right now, I’m really into the local roots blues band Tip of the Top. They have a really authentic sound and keep it dirty. I’m a sucker for old-timey music, like a grumpy old man griping about those damn dumb kids and their lousy techno pop.

What’s your favorite place to get a drink in San Jose?

I’d have to say The Place (Kevin’s Place) on 1st St. Great dive bar, lots of shady characters and great shwag decor. Drunks need a lot of stimuli so they don’t get too many bad ideas. Other than that, I go wherever my friends are pourin’, cuz it be hard times for us musical drifters.

Where’s a cool spot to get clothes?

Savers on Bascom. Where else are you supposed to get a “These Colors don’t Run” T-shirt and the Florescent Gecko hammer pants to match? Spend less time at the mall and go buy merchandise from a touring band.

What’s your favorite spot for a cheap bite in San Jose?

Two Super Tacos from the back of the liquor store on the corner of 10th and Reed, or the roommate’s leftovers in the fridge at 2am.