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.

Hip Hop has always entwined itself with other art forms, be it dance or visual art, both considered key elements of hip-hop culture. Local promoter Jonathan Reniery hopes to give people a taste of at his monthly free party Natural Selections, which arrives at South First Billiards this Saturday. The show features rappers, DJs spinning between sets, performance artists and painters.

“When Hip Hop started in the late 70s/early 80s, graffiti went hand in hand with hip hop,” Espinal says. “We’re not really specifically encouraging graffiti art, but art is art. It’s just another added bonus to what we’re trying to present for free for the community. It’s basically a buffet of audible and visual goodness.”

Headlining this month’s edition of Natural Selections will be local rappers Hennessy, YDMC and dancer Pop Kulture. The video below features all three:

The song, “Good Vibes” by Hennessy, harkens back to the laid-back, jazzy, underground-hip hop of the 90s. The horns, orchestral swells and mellow drum beat set the perfect backdrop for Hennessy’s relaxed, but thoughtful rhymes. The video was shot at “On the Corner Music” in Campbell. Keep your eyes open for a cameo by owner, Jeff Michael Evans.

Also performing at the show will be Rico Laws and Six of Seven. DJ SavSci will be spinning between sets. Showing off their paintings will be artists Alex Gammon, Erals R. DeLao, OscarLars and Life.

The next Natural Selections show is Saturday May 19th at South First Billiards. It show starts at 10pm and is free for 21+.

For a year and a half after he started his one-man electronic band Seabright, San Jose’s Justin Morales was writing and recording in his bedroom, turning down every live gig offered to him. Finally, in 2007, he took the leap and played his first show at On the Corner Music in Campbell.

“It wasn’t a great show, but it was a start. I figured out what was possible,” Morales says. More specifically, he figured out what wasn’t possible. He’d overwhelmed himself during that first show trying to do live looping and re-creating his songs just as they were recorded. He decided he needed to scale back when playing live.

But still, it wasn’t until last year that he started to feel like his live shows were any good. The turning point was when he sat down and watched footage from his shows.

“I saw that my guitar playing was tame and a bit boring. I realized I could be more exciting. I was just trying to get through the shows and not make mistakes,” Morales says. “It’s such a weird thing to do a show with a laptop and a guitar and that’s it.”

He began to look for more creative ways to show off his skills. Since Morales is a proficient guitar player, unlike most laptop artists, he incorporated a lot more guitar solos in his songs. He also started utilizing more live filters and started live-mixing his music with different knobs and pedals. The audience began to respond to how he was transforming the music in real time, performing distinctly different renditions of his songs at each show, sort of like a rock band, and not simply pressing a button on the computer.
“That’s what you have to do as one person, put on a show and show something spectacular, show something that people have never seen before,” Morales says.

He’s still recording in his bedroom, though, at a remarkable pace. His goal has been to put out two albums every year, a feat he’s succeeded at since he released his first record in 2010.