by
Jay Edgar on September 8, 2021
Every several years, Saturn and Mars conjunct in just the right way to make music astrologers descend from the mountains with tears in their eyes and proclaim: “ska is back, baby.” 2021 has been one of those years. Whether through the formation of hot new bands like Catbite, or the recognition of…
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by
Mike Huguenor on July 14, 2021
Don’t call it the fourth wave. Though it truly never went away, in 2021 ska music is back thanks to a long-awaited critical reappraisal and a generation of new artists and listeners. Here in San Jose, Monkey are an absolute legacy of skankable rhythms and melodies, the Asian Man Records alum having…
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by
Metro Staff on October 23, 2019
In its time, the Cactus Club (1988-2002) did everything that a rock & roll club should: It pissed off the neighbors, the city and square authority figures all over San Jose. It also served as the glue holding together the city’s local music scene, drawing rising midsize headliners and giving regional groups…
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Gary Singh on October 16, 2019
On Oct. 24, San Jose’s rock scene comes together at The Ritz in support of musician Matt Kolb, 49, who is fighting cancer. Bands from the early ’90s Cactus Club era—including Cafe of Regret, Firme and 187 Calm—will reunite for the cause, with Kolb mustering up some Marshall amp-level strength to talk…
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Conor Agnew on September 25, 2019
San Jose ska representatives Monkey have been entertaining rude folks of all genders for nearly 25 years with their dapper dress and upbeat horn lines, but they rarely do it for free, so take note: This Saturday, in celebration of bartender, booker and comedian-extraordinaire Rachel Warner’s birthday, the local legends are joining…
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by
Nick Veronin on June 28, 2018
Formed in 1995, San Jose-bred Monkey earned a strong local following with an upbeat two-tone sound. Their prestige on the local scene led to them winning a Bay Area Music award—or Bammy—back in 1999. Despite ska’s waning popularity in the years following, the band kept true to its original vision, and they…
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Monkey may very well be San Jose’s longest running, consistently-active band. The band emerged in 1995, but unlike a lot of Monkey’s contemporaries, it never mixed punk rock and ska. Monkey always stuck strictly to the traditional more R&B-based sounds of ska’s first wave.
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Monkey and Drunken Starfighter drew an eclectic and energetic crowd to The Bank in Saratoga on Friday. Metro photographer Christine Kelly was there to catch the action.
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