At most family reunions, booze is imperative to survival. One thing’s for sure: there will be plenty of liquor Johnny V’s Family Reunion. Although legendary downtown dive Johnny V’s closed its doors last December because of an improper alcohol license, its spirit of hard-partying fun and loud, live music lives on. The Ritz is hosting a family reunion night for the bar, featuring a number of heavy metal and punk bands as well as DJs to keep the dance floor jumping. The lineup includes heavy metal act KooK, two-piece punk band The Has Beens, veteran punk group HBA (Hidden By Authority), Sad Boy Sinister and many more.

Johnny V’s Family Reunion
Fri, 8pm, $5
The Ritz, San Jose

San Jose dive bar and music venue Johnny V’s is closed. The news came abruptly on Wednesday, Dec. 7, and all live shows scheduled at the watering hole were cancelled—with many moving to the BackBar SoFa. 

The shutdown came suddenly, and in the immediate wake of the closure many could only speculate as to the reasons for the closure. According to the bar’s owner, Johnny Van Wyk, the bar had been in a precarious position for around five years, as he was unable to secure the proper alcohol license for his particular establishment.

The way Wyk tells it, he was authorized to run a bar only as long as he also sold food under ABC License Type 47. This license allows the sale of beer, wine and distilled spirits so long as the venue remains a “bona fide eating place” with a “suitable kitchen.” However, about six years ago, the adjoining Chinese restaurant closed down after the kitchen caught fire.

Van Wyk says the city and ABC has allowed him to operate ever since, “with the idea that this kitchen was going to get replaced.” But, he explains, every landlord who has ever held the building has declined to fix the kitchen. “That’s what finally did me in. No kitchen; no food; you can’t serve liquor.”

While he might have been able to fix the kitchen himself, Van Wyk says the City of San Jose wouldn’t approve the project unless he also agreed to bring the entire building up to code—and the building, he says, is a mess. “They wouldn’t even let us start the kitchen until all of that stuff was addressed—and we’re talking seismic retrofit, sprinklers, new roof, they want the stairwell down from the third level…” Van Wyk didn’t want to take on those repairs, since he doesn’t own the building and doesn’t even use the upper two floors of the building.

Van Wyk says he was unable to get a hold of his most recent landlord, a group operating out of India, even though the group doubled his rent over the summer when they took over ownership of his building. He tried to sell the building at that point, but he says the City of San Jose and the ABC refused to transfer his liquor license “because of the code violations in the building.” And then there was the matter of the landlord. Van Wyk says he couldn’t even reach his landlord to set up a new lease for a prospective buyer.

On Dec. 7 a suspension notice posted on the bar’s door confirmed rumors that Johnny V’s would be shut down indefinitely. Here’s a picture of that notice, ordered by the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control:

Photo by Justin Tonel.

An official with the City of San Jose’s Code Enforcement Division said that she had no record of any open building code cases against the bar.

We attempted to get the scoop from the California ABC, but were soon redirected to a spokesman with the California State Board of Equalization, the state governmental body responsible for enforcing tax law. It was the BOE that ordered ABC to issue the suspension.

This was not the first time ABC has suspended Johnny V’s liquor license. Records show that the the bar’s In 2009 and in 2010—both times for unspecified tax issues.

Court records also show that the bar has faced its share of financial troubles in recent years Van Wyk filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2011. In that bankruptcy filing, the value of the business was listed as zero dollars, because the corporate liability exceeded the value of its assets.

Reached for comment, Paul Cambra from the Board of Equalization’s Office of Public Affairs said he could not comment on anything related to specific taxpayers but pointed to Section 751.020 for the possible reasons the BOE might revoke a permit or license. Those reasons are:

1. Failure to file and pay tax return(s).
2. Failure to pay a balance.
3. Failure to post required security, replace security, or post additional security.
4. Failure to keep or make available proper records.
5. Failure to surrender permit for cancellation when not actively engaged in business as a seller of tangible personal property.
6. Failure to comply with any provision of the Sales and Use Tax Law.
7. Failure to comply with Precollection of Sales Tax on Fuel (SG) program requirements.

An employee of Johnny V’s said they could not comment on the suspension but Johnny V’s might make a formal announcement concerning the shutdown next week.

It marks the end of an era. The bar had been in operation for around 13 years and according to Facebook posts, both members of the staff, Wyk and patrons were sad to see it go.

“Well folks, It’s official. Johnny V’s is closed as of today,” Benjamin Bremer, a Johnny V’s bartender posted to his personal Facebook page on Dec. 7. “Apologies to all the bands scheduled to play this month and beyond.” Attempts to reach the bar’s proprietor, Johnny Van Wyk, by phone were unsuccessful and he has yet to return an email request for comment, but multiple posts on to Van Wyk’s personal Facebook wall offer condolences, recall fond memories and pay tribute to the longtime drinking establishment and rock club.

Late Wednesday—the day the bar closed—Van Wyk posted this message to his personal Facebook page:

“I don’t know where to start, Johnny v’s bar evolved over the years into more than just a dive bar or a venue it really took on a life of its own. People would ask me to explain the magic we had there and I would have to say, the people. We had a night for everyone. Whether you are a punk, a rapper a rocker whatever we hosted it. Our motto was always if your cool then bring it. Our dress code was please wear pants ! Johnny V’s was not for the faint of heart, if you loved Johnny V’s you are definitely part bad ass ! The Johnny V family is a tight group of people, and we were a family there. I want to thank every band, rapper, performer and dj that ever performed. I also want to extend thanks to every customer that ever passed through our doors. And most importantly I want to thank the staff. The staff of this bar has always been the real reason this Shitty Dive bar thrived the way it did. Thirteen years 9 months is a great run for any bar, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Downtown San Jose bar and music scene.”

Re-live the good old times with these photos by Metro photographer Greg Ramar:

The Defenders at Johnny V’s. Photo by Greg Ramar.

Drinking tall boys at the U.K. Subs show. Photo by Greg Ramar.

Punk rock. Photo by Greg Ramar.

U.K. Subs at Johnny V’s. Photo by Greg Ramar.

Monday night is typically the deadest night of the week for night clubs, yet DJ Casp3R has managed to build a loyal following over the past three years with his Monday Night ReToXx dance parties, originally at the Cardiff Lounge in Campbell, now at Johnny V’s in downtown San Jose.

He also hosts TH3RMAL on Thursdays with ViLLAN at Fahrenheit. Here are his his favorite dance tracks of 2013:

The Bangerz – “Stars”
By far, one of my favorite high-energy rager tracks of the year. It’s catchy, melodic and just an explosion of energy after the buildup. Personally, I’m a big fan of songs that can change into a down-tempo beat and then bring the energy right back up seamlessly, and this one has that in spades. The whole album is fantastic, and I really can’t wait to see the live show in Vegas.

Johnny V’s celebrates 10 years of business with five straight nights of packed programming. Come Saturday, one of the most beloved parties at the club returns for a 10-year anniversary of its own. Clandestine, the still-revered former drum ‘n’ bass and hip-hop party, will bring back many of its regulars for a stacked reunion.

San Jose’s drum ‘n’ bass scene began in the late ’90s when Thad Jones and Noah Ruiz, more commonly known as DJs Hak and Siphon, created a Sunday-night party called Ghetto Junglism at the now-defunct 301 Stockton. A Wednesday-night party at Cactus Club by the Killa Subz crew followed in the early 2000s but fell when the venue closed its doors in 2002.

Around this time, Ben Daniels, known as DJ / emcee Ax!om, started the San Jose Drum ‘n’ Bass Collective, which later became Clandestine. The night began at Kleidon’s (now Myth Taverna) until its closing forced them to relocate. Luckily, someone in the collective linked Daniels with Johnny V’s owner Johnny Van Wyk, and in early 2003, Clandestine had a new home. The party soon brought international acts through the South Bay, among them New Zealand duo Concord Dawn, British producer dBridge and London-based Breakage.

Though the free night offered something unique downtown, Daniels believes Clandestine’s success really came down to its patrons. “Were weren’t the best DJs in the world,” Daniels says. “I just think it was fun. People wanted to come. … The hot bartenders didn’t hurt. … The fact that it was free didn’t hurt.”

The party hit its stride in the summer of 2004, when it started playing hip-hop upstairs. Local heroes the Bangerz were frequent collaborators. Bridging the gap, Daniels notes that Clandestine was the only local drum ‘n’ bass crew to embrace emcees, a trait that stemmed from their collective musical upbringing.

Though there are no plans to resurrect the night, Daniels does says, “This will be the litmus test to judge whether or not the people I’ve never seen will continue to support the music.” The lineup for the 10-year anniversary shows:

Feb. 20: DJ Troma, Chief Blesn, Saint Tellah and Jeff Turner; no cover before 10:30pm.
Feb. 21: Slap! featuring Jeno, Justin Hale and DJ Jaz; no cover before 10:30pm.
Feb. 22: South Bay Dub Massive featuring Rastatronics, Mercedes Jaya, Audio Dru and AZ Redsmoke; no cover before 9pm.
Feb. 23: Clandestine Reunion: Killa Subz, Method One and Treatment. Also, Yeshua and the Hightones, the Rivals and DJ Cutso at Paddy’s Pub Side; no cover, 9pm.
Feb. 24: Matinee Show with Whiskey Sunday, Talky Tina, Utter Failure and The Bucking Buckaroos, no cover, 5pm. More info.

It was on Halloween one year ago that Chip DeVille (A.K.A. DJ CaSp3R) held his last RetoXx show at the Cardiff Lounge in downtown Campbell. Since then, the party has set up shop at Johnny V’s, where a Halloween party tonight features a packed lineup.

For this year’s Halloween show, DeVille booked the most performers he’s ever had on one night—Three rap acts and four DJs. Portland rappers Landon Wordswell and Garin Reese will be biking down the coast to play this show on their West Coast bicycle tour). Other rappers include local YDMC and Santa Cruz-based Grim Bzns. DJ CaSp3R will be spinning some tunes, as well as RetoXx favorites, DJ MARCade, SMiZZle and B-Boy Drift.

RetoXx Monday begins at 9pm at Johnny V’s. It is a free event.

Johnny V’s hosts an evening of some of the club’s best regular DJs to help raise money for bartender Ben Bremer (from Language Arts Crew) and local DJ Spencer Balona (aka $penmoney) who were stabbed by a man outside of the club—who they had removed for causing problems with their patrons.

Both men are fine now, but they were taken to the hospital where they received immediate medical attention. All money raised from the fundraiser will offset their medical expenses.

“We’re all family at the bar,” says says DJ Marc Smith (aka Marcade), who is organizing the fundraiser for Bremer and Balona. “Ben and Spencer are two of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and all they did was defend the bar and the people inside of it. We’re suggesting $5 to $10 per person.”

The assailant entered Johnny V’s and first began harassing Bremer and the security guard. After they removed him, he re-entered and tried to start fights with other people in the bar. Bremer and Balona took him outside and attempted to calm him down. He suddenly lunged at them with a knife. The police were called and the man was arrested.

“He was some insane guy,” Smith says. “Everyone was having a good time. No one was starting anything with him. He just came in looking for trouble. This is the first time that has ever happened at that bar. It’s been there for 10 years. He wasn’t a regular or anything. He was just a random guy from who-knows-where just looking for a fight.”

Smith had no problem finding DJs willing to participate in the fundraiser tonight. The lineup includes Villan, Colburn, Smizzle, Marcade, Casper and Ra Noize. The event starts at 9pm.

For a city that struggles year in and year out to foster a vibrant local music scene, the SVSX festival—which featured over 20 bands in 9 venues—was a success. Mike Huguenor, who opened the Pagoda Lounge lineup, took a moment during his set to comment on what an incredible event SVSX was turning out to be.

“I’ve lived most of my life in San Jose, and until very recently it seemed absolutely impossible for art to get any kind of foothold in this sprawling, vastly economically imbalanced city,” he said. “A festival like this seemed unthinkable until very recently, and I’m extremely happy to be a part of it.”

His band, which included Bob Vielma (Shinobu) on bass and Hank Richardson (Yulia) on drums, gave his solo material a driving rock edge. Yet, unlike Huguenor’s work with Shinobu and Hard Girls, these songs were notably mellower, while still holding true to his trademark blend of thoughtful lyrics and offbeat chord arrangements.

PHOTOS: 10 Photo Highlights of SVSX

The largely college-aged crowd slowly trickled in as Huguenor played. By the time Fierce Creatures went on, the Pagoda boasted a nice amount of attendees, all ready as Fierce Creatures soared through several of their lush, indie-rock, soul-inspired tunes.

The hip hop lineup at the Blank Club showed a diverse cross-section of rap styles. Antwon and Memphis rapper Cities Aviv were major highlights. Cities Aviv is gaining some buzz music blogs all over the web right now with his fresh, unusual interpretation of rap. As innovative as his album Digital Low is, live, he was on a whole other level of strange. He mixed atonal music, bizarre electronics and outer-space beats with rapping that was heavily processed and mixed at a volume barely above the music, which made for a surreal experience that fell somewhere between neurotic, spastic hip hop and avant-garde performance art.

Antwon took the stage afterword. His music and performance, while not as out-there as Cities Aviv’s, is totally distinct from anything happening in hip hop right now. He’s falls somewhere between nerd rap, stoner rap and hipster rap, yet not fitting into any of these already conceived models. The audience couldn’t decide if they were with him or not. Despite being local, he rarely gigs in San Jose, yet he’s developed an impressive following in the East Bay, San Francisco and all over the Internet (he has +120,000 views for his “Helicopter” video on YouTube).

Dirtbag Dan at The Blank Club // Photo by Alex Stover

Local favorite Dirtbag Dan, who was accompanied by Skylar G and DJ Ichy the Killer, put on one of his best, hard-hitting shows to date to an enthusiastic audience. It wasn’t long ago that Dan toiled in obscurity locally—even while being one of the biggest names in battle rap all over the world. Headlining the SVSX festival to a packed house was a monumental moment for Dan.

Before his actual set, Dan had DJ Ichy the Killer perform a solo DJ routine—the same routine that got him into the DMC online DJ competition finals. He flawlessly mixed different genres, popular songs and obscure beats, using crazy spinning tricks and strange rhythms into six mind-blowing minutes.

With nine venues total it was hard to see everything that was happening, yet there was more than enough people to go around. Johnny V’s was packed, so was San Pedro Square Market and Mezcal restaurant. The other venues did well, too, and the pub crawl element of the SVSX festival was a nice touch. Walking from venue to venue and seeing so many people enjoying good local music—rap, punk, reggae, indie rock, folk—was a nice feeling.

Last May, local DJ Ichy the Killer competed in the semi-finals of the DMC online DJ battle, scoring 7th place, which was just high enough to advance him to the final round of the online portion of the competition.

The winner of the finals will advance to the DMC Word finals, where they will compete against 16 other DJs who have won the in-person DJ competition in their particular region. Voting for the online finals ends on August 27th. The 10 DJs with the most votes will go before the DMC panel of judges, who will decide who has the skills to advance to the world finals.

We sat down with Ichy the Killer and asked his about his history as a DJ, his thoughts on the art of spinning records and the new routine he’s worked out for the finals. To Vote for Ichy the Killer. go HERE.

Tell me about your history with the turntables. What was it that interested you enough to go out and buy a set of your own?

In high school I had some classes with this kid named Greg, I started hearing rumors that he was a DJ, so I started asking him stuff about it and eventually annoyed him enough that he let me come by his house and check out his gear. From the moment I saw his setup, it was on. The wall of records, the futuristic looking mixer and turntables drew me in instantly.

I’ve never had the desire to learn an instrument or be particularly good at any sport, but this was something I needed. I was obsessed.

How long have you been spinning records? How have you seen the art form change since you first started?

I’ve been DJing for 16 years, s0 I’ve seen the scene change a lot. The obvious change has been the analog to digital shift, which has changed the business model for damn near everything. It’s one of those things that won’t make a bad DJ good but can make a good DJ better. When I first started, I remember getting the question “What genre do you spin?” And there would be a plethora of obscure sub genres you would go through to try and make yourself sound original. “I spin tribal progressive deep house transient dolphin fusion music.”

I think that nowadays you have to be able to spin everything, and be able to do everything. When I think of the best DJs in our scene—like Goldenchyld, Cutso, Traps—these guys are balanced. They battle and scratch and they can kill a club full of drunken people who know nothing about the art. You cannot be a one trick pony anymore.

Who is your favorite DJ and biggest influence? How do you feel he approaches the turntables differently than anyone else?

The list really is too long for this one, partially because a lot of people that influence me aren’t DJs. Even more aren’t even musicians. Martial artist Bruce Lee taught me how to be passive when I play, baseball player Suzuki Ichiro taught me how to get in the zone when I work by creating repetition. Leonardo da Vinci teaches me how to think outside the box. My influences give me the potential to be myself when I create. I’m inspired by life, as cliché as it sounds it’s the only way I can describe it.

You DJ in bands that play lots of different musical styles: rap, metal, etc. How does the approach to spinning records differ when played in different musical genres? How has playing in different kinds of bands shaped your solo work?

Playing in bands was the best decision I’ve made to this date. Scratching is very percussive, but when I’m playing with a band I had to be a lot more melodic and it had to fit with what the other five members of the band were playing. Producing and recording songs in general really helped me in how I write my routines. I’ve kind of developed a rep as being more melodic when I scratch, which is great since I have no real musical training.

What do you think makes for a truly good solo DJ track? What is required of the DJ when playing solo that isn’t needed when playing with other musicians?

A good solo routine should sound like song. Traditional battle routines consist of scratching and beat juggling. I’ve tried to add a third element which is a melodic element, something that draws people emotionally to the routine so you can end strong and leave the people wanting more. Build up build up, and then right when you’re at the peak just stop. That’s how you get’ um.

When DJs are playing in a band it’s less about technique and more about filling the gaps. I think battle DJs have a tendency to want to constantly solo, but no one’s trying to listen to a DJ in a band solo for 45 minutes.

What new ideas have you got planned for the second DMC round to really up the ante and make it to the London competition?

I feel like my first round was strong but didn’t represent my style as well as would have liked. I use a Skrillex track for my routine. There are a lot of DJs that use all dubstep in their routines and I think I might have came off to the judges as a guy that jumps on trends. The routine had good beat juggling and melodic elements, but I didn’t scratch as much as I should of.

My second round has a lot more scratching in it because I think that’s my strongest element and it’s a side of me the judges haven’t seen yet. My big ender is a cover I do of Masta Ace’s track “Born to Roll.” I’m really proud of that piece and think it’s a pretty original concept, hopefully the judges feel the same.

What do you think sets you apart from your competition?

I think I’m a better producer than most battle DJs. I have more experience writing tracks, and that carries over into my routines. Also I’m the first person to criticize myself, I am always looking for ways to improve my style. I’ve come a long way but I know that there is tons of room for improvement and that’s comforting to me. I’m glad that I can be doing something for 16 years and still not be able to call myself a master. I can’t say I know where I’m going, but I can say I’m going to try new things, some will be good, others will suck, but It’ll be my journey and I am proud of that.

Ichy the Killer performs at Johnny V’s on Tuesday, August 21st.

As a member of the iconic South Bay hip-hop group Subcontents, Tape Mastah Steph was an integral part of the emerging underground hip-hop scene in San Jose back in the ’90s. Today, he still is, even though he moved out of California almost a decade ago.

He recently produced The Treatment, the latest solo record from his friend and former Subcontents collaborator Dave Dub. Dub, of course, now heads the Isolated Wax crew, maintaining the most important hip-hop label in the South Bay.

But the connections don’t end there. Dub’s new joint was released in May on Stones Throw Records, run by San Jose expat Peanut Butter Wolf. Steph has released a companion beat mix called Courtesy Flush, also out on Stones Throw.

Wolf was the first person to show Steph how to use an Ensoniq EPS sequencer, back when they were both pause-mixing in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Crazy how things come full circle—for Dub’s record, Steph convinced him to use nothing but the tools they had back in the day: an SP-1200 and…an Ensoniq EPS.

Steph, who now splits his time between Houston and Vegas, will return to San Jose tonight for a DJ show at Johnny V’s spotlighting Stones Throw artists that will also feature Baron Zen and Danny Hackintosh.

“You can expect to hear some original work in the mix with classic grooves and all that jazz,” Steph tells me.

TAPE MASTAH STEPH performs Friday, Aug. 10, at 9pm at Johnny V’s in San Jose; free.

The Learning Curve crew has been making some of the sharpest and strangest hip-hop to come out of the L.A. underground in the last couple of years. In particular, Turtle (Ken Katagiri) and Bakus (Brandon Backhaus) are trippers on the mic, sporting influences that range from Dan the Automator and Del tha Funkee Homosapien to the Pixies and Radiohead.

For the ATF Tour, which may or may not stand for “Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,” and which comes to The Cypher at Johnny V’s on Aug. 1, they’ve joined up with some of their favorite collaborators from their other loose and often overlapping affiliations—DJ Troma, Concept from the Human Being crew, BET1 from the S.A.D. Collective, Johanna Phraze from the United Front. The tour is a showcase of some of SoCal’s biggest hip-hop talent, the type that is way off the radar of the mainstream media. Gajah was a founding member of Acid Reign and a favorite at the legendary Project Blowed open mic. Robert Diaz, aka EQ, is a formidable L.A. beatmaker.

But Turtle and Bakus are the standouts among the standouts here. Listening to them together on a track like “Life’s A Trip” makes one realize how Learning Curve has seized a moment of opportunity in the wide-open L.A. hip-hop scene. Thanks to the open-mic explosion of the ’90s, there’s been an “anything goes” vibe ever since that’s allowed SoCal MCs like Turtle and Bakus to do smart, out-there stuff in the underground without feeling the pressure from whatever’s trendy in the moment. It can’t last forever, maybe, but right now the L.A. underground is a hotbed of undiscovered talent.

THE ATF Tour featuring Turtle, Bakus, DJ Troma, BET1, Concept, Johanna Phraze and more performs live at The Cypher at Johnny V’s on Wed, Aug. 1, 9pm; $3 after 10:30pm.