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 tireless flag bearers like Skatune Network, the oft-clowned-upon genre is having a bit of a moment, and this weekend rudies can celebrate the new Year of Ska by skanking to Monkey, a Bay Area band that has carried the torch for bright brass and upstrokes for 25 years.

Monkey+The Odd Numbers
Fri, 8pm, $20
The Ritz, San Jose

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 spent the better part of three decades melding all of ska’s various waves into a peppy, danceable groove—and harmonizing all the while. At the ever-lovely Caravan, they’re joined by punk cumbia group El Maldito Crudo, and the triumphant cracking of PBR tall boys all night.

Monkey
Fri, 8pm, Free
The Caravan, San Jose

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 supporting slots. Bands from the early ’90s Cactus Club era—including Cafe of Regret, Firme and 187 Calm—reunite this week to remember the glory days and support local musician Matt Kolb, who is fighting cancer. Kolb will speak at the event, which is hosted by Cactus Club successor, The Ritz.

Cactus Club Reunion
Thu, 7pm, $15
The Ritz, San Jose

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 about his battle.

“I’m fighting with everything I got,” Kolb said. “I can’t thank my friends enough. I’m so close to survival thanks to them, their prayers and their support.”

Since the organizers are billing the gig as an official Cactus Club reunion, allow me to rocksplain the history. Located at 417 S. First St., the Cactus Club (1988-2002) was San Jose’s equivalent of CBGB in New York. Every club-level touring band in the country knew of the place. In its time, Cactus did everything that a rock & roll club is supposed to do: It pissed off the neighbors, it pissed off the cops, it pissed off everyone’s parents, it embarrassed the politicians, it annoyed the city’s Department of Building, Planning and Code Enforcement, it irritated the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and it gave San Jose name recognition across the United States of America.

When Cactus opened in December 1988, San Jose was still a backwater hick-town suburb with a pathological attention-starved inferiority complex about San Francisco, forever desperate to be taken seriously as a real city and thus finally shake the “red-headed stepchild of the Bay Area” image it was given for decades. By then, much of downtown had long since deteriorated into a black hole of skid-row atmospherics with splotches of crumbling retail left over from the ’70s. The city was throwing millions at cockamamie schemes to lure the comfortable classes back downtown, while First Street south of San Carlos was the red light district, a dingy peepshow paradise where washed-up hookers went to die and trenchcoated pervs went to score bad speed. (About once a year, some clown on the street tells me San Jose needs to bring all this back, but that’s another column.)

During those initial years, three other alternative music clubs existed nearby—Marsugi’s, Ajax and F/X—but Cactus was San Jose’s only 18-and-over venue, which meant many people no longer drove to San Francisco or the East Bay to see shows. After Cactus opened, local bands popped up everywhere. Anyone with a guitar, bass or drum set started to rehearse. Since this was before the World Wide Web, cell phones or laptops, everyone promoted shows by hand. The local rock community was much stronger than it is today, and bands supported each other much more than they do now. As a result, a thriving rock scene exploded at the corner of First and San Salvador, then dubbed “Four Corners.” One didn’t even need to know who was playing at which club any given night. You just headed toward that corner, found a bar or an alley in which to drink, and then went to see bands like Nirvana, Korn or No Doubt when they were nobodies. If you didn’t make it inside, you’d slum it on the street and wait for whichever house party unfolded later. Everyone knew everyone else. The scene grew in organic fashion—a true, urban live-for-today spectacle of booze and rock & roll placemaking. We didn’t need the Knight Foundation for anything. This wasn’t a ping-pong table in Fountain Alley.

Plus, it was cheap to live downtown at that time. Band houses tended to emerge everywhere. A thrashed Victorian for five drunk roommates and their record collections went for about $1,400 a month. SJSU tuition was $700 a semester. It was Camelot.

Sadly, though, many friends from those years are no longer with us, which is why any reunion such as this becomes a poignant opportunity for reflection. One of Cactus’ honchos near the end, the legendary Stikmon, told me just a few weeks ago that we have “San Jose cockroach blood.” They’ll never get rid of us. On a larger level, Cactus was that way, too. The club you thought would never go away is never going away, especially when one of its own needs serious help. All I can add is: Fuck cancer.

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 forces with cover wizards So Uncivilized to bring jubilant tunes to The Caravan. And the cover charge? Zero dollars! Warner is a pillar of downtown culture, and The Caravan is objectively the best bar ever, so you can’t go wrong. Throw on your two-tone-iest creepers and skank your sobriety away.

Monkey
Sat, 10pm, Free
The Caravan Lounge, San Jose

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 have been rewarded for their conviction. These South Bay ska veterans are still skanking and drawing devoted fans. They celebrate the release of their sixth album, Intermittent Waves, along with F.T.B. and Fulminante at The Ritz.

Monkey
Fri, 8pm, $10+
The Ritz, San Jose

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.

We caught up with Curtis Meacham (vocals/guitar) to ask him about the side of San Jose he knows best.

What part of Silicon Valley are you from?

Originally, I grew up in Sunnyvale, but I’ve lived in Downtown San Jose a couple of times and it’s always been a blast. There is actually a lot of community feel that can be experienced in San Jose on different levels. In a way, it’s always entertaining.

What’s your favorite place outside of San Jose?

Well, I like Telluride, Colo., for the beauty, Victoria, BC, for the people, and Belgium for the amazing food! Right now, I live in Campbell and it’s pretty cool… only, not as cool as Belgium.

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

Easily, Prince at the Shark Tank a couple of years back. He came twice in the summer and I caught both shows—absolutely amazing. Aside from that, there’s the crazy Cactus Club shows, like the Twinkie fight during Big Sissy Brigade’s show, or the on-stage beer enema during the Diesel Queens.

Who’s your favorite local musician or band?

There’s a lot of really cool talent in San Jose. For fun factor, there’s always FTB. For good songwriting, there’s David Brookings. For ass-kickin’ guitars, there’s the Gillbillies.

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

The Cinebar is always the cheapest, but aside from that, I always visit Rachel and her band of merry men, down at the Caravan.

Where’s a cool spot to get clothes?

Working Man’s Emporium. You can get some cool Dickies, Carhartt and Ben Davis there.

What’s your favorite spot for a cheap meal?

Any Vietnamese restaurant—and I do mean amy! Seriously, how can you make such a rockin’ sandwich for $3? it boggles the mind.

What’s the best thing about living in Silicon Valley?

It’s close to everything: 30 minutes from the beach, 40 minutes from SF and three hours from serious mountains.

Where’s the best place in SJ to go relax?

The back room at Trials pub. It’s low key and there’s a fireplace. How much more relaxing can you get?

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

Believe it or not, it’s the X Bar at the Homestead Lanes in Cupertino! Hands down. But then you say: “Hey, that’s not in San Jose, proper” …and to that, I say “Suck it Trebek!”

What’s San Jose’s best kept secret?

That damn orange sauce.

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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