Over the course of seven full-length records, San Jose skate punks Jonny Manak and the Depressives have built a reputation for living fast, playing fast and skating fast. None of that’s really changed—except for the fact that frontman and bandleader Manak has put down the bottle and picked up his skateboard. You can catch him shredding bowls, riding walls and having a blast at the Lake Cunningham Skatepark in the latest video, “Anybody Wanna Skate,” the title track from his band’s latest album, released in April 2019.

Jonny Manak
Sat, 9pm, Free
Caravan Lounge, San Jose

Long before electric scooters filled the streets, Jonny Manak at the Depressives were one of the tried and true staples of downtown San Jose. A homegrown ’77-style punk powerhouse, Manak and Co. have both the energy of the Hives and the California street pedigree of Rancid. And with recent songs like “Cold Pizza and Warm Beer” they’ve definitely still got it. Joining them at the Caravan is the English Language, a stoney group of Bay Area expats, whose recent “High Beams” is a garagey creeper all about urban legends, midnight movies and amplifiers bumping in the night.

Jonny Manak
Thu, 9pm, Free
The Caravan Lounge, San Jose

The SoFA Street Fair is returning for its second straight year since awakening from its decade-long hibernation last September. The Fair’s original reign, which lasted from 1992 until 2001, bookended one of the most exciting eras in the history of downtown San Jose—at least for fans of alternative art, music and culture.

It was a time when the South First Street Area arts district—SoFA—was thriving. The street was home to a glut of music venues, including Marsugi’s, the Cactus Club, F/X and Ajax. Nirvana, Helmet, Sublime, Green Day and No Doubt all played shows in the SoFA district.

But then the dotcom bubble burst, the Twin Towers fell and the SoFA district went into a decline—along with the rest of the country and downtown San Jose. Fil Maresca, organizer of the SoFA Street Fair, turned his attention to different ventures, but he never gave up on the district; he’s always kept an office in downtown San Jose.

Last year, seeing the effects of Silicon Valley’s second big tech boom—the new restaurants, bars and young professionals filling up the newly built apartment towers—Maresca felt that the time was right to “reupholster” his beloved SoFA Street Fair.

His instincts were spot on. With veteran ska-punks Fishbone headlining, and more than 50 local and national acts supporting, the festival was a success—drawing large crowds and garnering favorable press from a number of local outlets.

This Sunday, the festival returns with more than 70 bands performing on three outdoor stages and scattered at 13 venues around town. That’s a lot of music—literally more than any one person could hope to listen to on a given day.

Don’t let #FOMO send you into a tailspin. We’re here to help. Here is our list of six can’t-miss acts at the SoFA Street Fair. Follow this to the letter, enjoy your beer and the total absence of needing to make any kind of decision.

Belle Noire, San Jose
This local quintet is recommended if you like Dredg and Saosin. With echoing guitars, punchy bass lines and heavy breakdowns, Belle Noire expertly navigates a Bermuda triangle of saccharine sweet melody, lush and ambient atmospherics, and powerful riffs.

Cemetery Sun, Sacramento
Hailing from our state’s capital, Cemetery Sun are aptly named, as they find the sweet spot between dark lyricism and sunny vibes—kinda like a bad trip on a beautiful beach. Their current single, “(Hard Drugs) Fake Love,” is reminiscent of The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” in the verse before breaking into a Receiving End of Sirens-esque wall-of-sound chorus.

Citabria, San Jose
After taking a few years off to let intra-band tensions cool down, Citabria have returned with a blazing-hot mashup of psych-soul and alt-rock. They recently brought down the house at The Ritz, where they performed most of their excellent new album, Exit Reality. Key track, “The Animal,” absolutely rips with its stuttering, Moog bass line, soaring vocal harmonies and jet-plane guitars.

David Brookings, San Jose
He’s been playing music for 25 years, recorded three full-length records at the world-famous Sun Studios in Memphis, and he has more than 130,000 views on YouTube. How have you not heard of this dude? Hey! Don’t stress. That’s what this guide is all about, remember? Brookings—and his band, the cleverly titled “Average Lookings”—play feel good, catchy rock songs. His 2010 album, The Maze, is a collection of 11 compact and jangly pop gems about everyday life.

Jonny Manak and the Depressives, San Jose
You might say that the Manaks are a musical family. Jonny’s brother, Chris, is also known as Peanut Butter Wolf, the founder of Stones Throw Records. But where PBW is an expert on the ones and twos, Jonny is a punk rock pro—penning lightning-bolt blasts about drinking beer, eating pizza and skateboarding. You’ve likely heard his work on MTV, even if you don’t realize it, as he writes many of the gritty punk-rock tunes used in various Dickhouse productions. Yep, those are the Jackass guys.

Talkie, San Francisco
Their Facebook page says they are from San Francisco, but we know they’re really a bunch of South Bay—or Southeast Bay—boys. Founded in Fremont, Talkie play a jangling and bouncy brand of indie pop.

The SoFA Street Fair is this Sunday, Sept. 13, from 2pm to 10pm. More info.

Jonny Manak of Jonny Manak and the Depressives (full disclosure: Metro’s former in-house rock star) loves garage and punk rock with equal passion, at least that’s what his music suggests. He strings together bits of garage and surf from the 50s and 60s, early pissed-off punk rock from the late 70s and bits of well-crafted, catchy pop-punk from the 80s and 90s, blending it all together in a sort of punk-through-the-ages mixture.

Aside from the Depressive, Manak has played in the Forgotten, the Cliftons, Clay Wheels and the Odds Numbers. We asked him to give us a tour around San Jose from his distinctly punk rock perspective. There were his answers:

What part of San Jose are you from?

I grew up on the east side. There were a lot of spots to skate, the bike jumps at perk ponds to get rad on your BMX, cheap tacos and Mexican candy, the Berryessa flea market to get pocket knives, swords, ninja stars and other illegal items eight year old kids shouldn’t be able to purchase.

What’s your favorite place outside of San Jose?

The Pacific northwest! The best skateboarding in the world is up there. People are chill and the music that comes out of there is great. Whenever I’ve toured through Portland or Seattle, I’ve always wanted to stay. You could buy a huge house for what you’d get a townhouse for here. My wife and I joke that if we ever moved out of San Jose, we’d go to Seattle. But you’d have to say it with an English accent, “Sea-at-ow!”

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

That’s a tough one. So many come to mind. The Buzzcocks at The Blank Club definitely is a standout. I was playing drums in one of the opening bands that night and I got to setup and sound check their guitars because the band was eating. I shit my pants dude! I was playing Orgasm Addict through their guitars and amps at sound check! They were on fire that night and it sounded like they sounded on their records from the 70s.

What’s your favorite local band/musician?

Damn, that’s really hard! Favorite local bands would be The Odd Numbers and Los Olvidados. Both bands rarely play these days, but when they do, look out. The dude dressed as a clown that plays trumpet in San Pedro Square has some chops. He’s got a creepy van and a cool bunny rabbit, too.

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

PT Liquors near my house. They have their own language. If you’ve been to my house, you know what I’m talking about, “my fren.” But the answer you’re looking for is a bar, so I’ll say The Caravan. Rachel is very talented.

Where’s a cool spot to shop?

Stevens Creek Surplus for Levi’s, Circle A for shoes, 23 Skidoo, Savers, Goodwill and Target for $10 button ups. Fun fact: you can trash dive behind Goodwill for some free fancy duds.

What’s your favorite spot for a cheap meal in SJ?

Crashing conferences at the Hilton. So good! Or go to a time-share seminar. Sometimes they feed you at those things. Also, wine mixers. Basically anywhere I’m not invited that serves food and drinks and any of the many east side $1 taco trucks are rad, too.

What’s the best thing about living in SJ?

The proximity to everything—beach, snow, SF, skate parks, it’s all so close. Herpes is running rampant in San Jose. That’s pretty cool!

Where’s the best place in San Jose to go relax for a bit?

On The Corner Music. There’s something very relaxing about digging through the $1 vinyl record bins.

Where’s the best place to see a show in SJ?

The Blank Club. My studio Cup O’ Pizza. That’s where the “Story Tellers” performances go down. Stoops.

What’s San Jose’s best kept secret?

I’m not telling, it wouldn’t be a secret… I guess I got one for you. Some of the hookers on First Street may be “packing heat” down below, if you know what I mean. It’s THEIR little secret. It’s like playing Russian roulette; you may be staring down the barrel of a “gun.” Extra equipment.