The Limos will always have a spot in the hometown hall of fame, and not only because they’ve put out a number of truly great songs. The guys also throw awesome parties. And given that this is the 10th annual installment of the alt-electronic duo’s XXXMas, it’s sure to be extra lit. This time around Eric and Gio have filled out their naughty list with Oakland-based band The Lovemakers and LA duo Fighter Jets. A special gift awaits fans who get their tickets early: a brand new Limousines song.

The Limousines
Sat, 8pm, $15+
The Ritz, San Jose

The Limos will always have a spot in the hometown hall of fame, and not only because they’ve put out a number of truly great songs. The guys also throw awesome parties. The alt-electronic duo’s annual XXXMas Fckfest at The Ritz is not to be missed. This year the show is masquerading as a “Super Wholesome Family Christmas,” but frontman Eric Victorino says the show is absolutely on the naughty list. Come for the music—which includes sets from Cemetery Sun, Balancing the Lion and Savant Garde—and stay the costume contest, drink specials and prizes. And keep your ears out for new music from Victorino’s other band, Strata, in the new year.

The Limousines
Sat, 8pm, $15+
The Ritz, San Jose

Christmas comes early to San Jose this year with a string of aweseome concerts. The Mumlers reunite on Thursday, bringing together the original lineup for a one-off performance at The Ritz. Pick up a copy of this week’s Metro to read our interview with frontman Will Sprott. Then, on Friday, The Limousines return with their seventh annual XXX-Mas Fckfest at The Ritz. Also on Friday, Lil Debbie and Husalah rock both stages of the BackBar SoFa across the street. Saturday brings a Christmas Eve Dance Party to Charley’s in Los Gatos, and Christmas night surely won’t be silent at The Continental, which hosts the fifth annual James Brown Tribute Party.

The Veyebe
Wed, 9pm, Free
Aura, San Jose
Vibe out on art, music and live performance at The Veyebe. Presented by artist collective A Royal Masterpiece, this multidisciplinary showcase aims to be a multisensory experience. Featuring painters, singers, dancers, DJs, poets and other creators, this “Celebration of Life” edition of The Veyebe brings 11 up-and-coming artists into one space. Performers include Jeff Turner, DJ A Midas, Wooshay and Flammy Marciano, with live art from Moz_Art, Cayla Davis and Tyrice Hicks. Attendees are invited to take part in the artistic process by offering their bodies up as canvases. (JT)

Photo courtesy Avery Lounge Facebook.

Avery Nightclub Opens
Wed, 10pm, Free
Avery, San Jose
Avery opened last weekend in the building that long housed Agenda, the new bar and dance music spot had a big opening night and looks poised to make waves in downtown San Jose’s club scene. Folding the exposed brick walls of Agenda into its design aesthetic, the new owners have introduced some sleek new decor, giving the room a decidedly modern appeal. Last weekend, both the top floor (formerly Agenda) and the bottom floor (now Tac-Oh! during the day) were both open—giving patrons access to two bars, a large upstairs dance floor and a posh lounge on the ground floor. (NV)

Whiskey Avengers
Thu, 9pm, $10
BackBar SoFa, San Jose
One of the few bands to actually release an anti-Christmas album, Whiskey Avengers have always thrived on blending reggae, ska, punk and hip-hop with their hard-partying and self-deprecating sense of humor. The group first started making music in 2006 in San Jose. Today, they are based mostly out of San Diego, though they still enjoy making the occasional run up to their South Bay home. Back in 2014 they dropped an all-dub album and released their fourth full-length album—the reflective, feel-good 4th Round—earlier this year. (JT)

Dave Koz
Thu, 8pm, $55-$95
City National Civic, San Jose
For many devoted fans, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without the merry, magical music of Dave Koz. The nine-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist returns to the Bay Area with a few friends—Jonathan Butler, Kenny Lattimore and Valerie Simpson—for the 19th edition of the Koz Holiday tour. Known for his smooth, energetic style, Koz has landed nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart. He has also released five holiday-themed albums. Catch Koz doing what he does best when he comes to town this week. (JT)

The Limousines
Fri, 8pm, $15-$20
The Ritz, San Jose
Anyone who knows anything about The Limousines knows that their XXX-Mas Fckfest is an absolute blast. For six years, the local electropop duo have been packing The Blank Club and The Ritz with their annual holiday dance party. This year marks the seventh installment of the boozy Yuletide bash. And with support from Panic is Perfect, Love District, David Knight, DJ K-Von and longtime Limos supporter DJ Aaron Axelsen of Live 105, it’s bound to be lit like a Christmas tree. Make sure those elf shoes are laced up real tight. It’s gonna get weird. (NV)

Lil Debbie
Fri, 9pm, $20
BackBar SoFa, San Jose
Make no mistake: Lil Debbie packs a whole lot of attitude into her tight little frame. The East Bay emcee first burst onto the scene as a part of the now-defunct White Girl Mob—along with Kreayshawn and V-Nasty—making a cameo in the video for Kreay’s big hit “Gucci Gucci.” She rose in prominence after turning in a number of off-the-wall collaborations with fellow white-rapper-weirdo RiFF RAFF (“BRAiN FREEZE” and “MiCHELLE OBAMA”). Though often dismissed as a gimmick, she’s showing no signs heeding the haters. She dropped her debut full-length, Debbie, earlier this year. (NV)

Husalah
Fri, 9pm, $20
BackBar SoFa, San Jose
Hard bars and no nonsense. That’s what makes Husalah a respected Bay Area hip-hop veteran. He’s been spitting rhymes for more than 15 years, and his biggest hit—“Murda On My Mind”—boasts a YouTube view count of 2.6 million. Many of his other top tracks have garnered clicks in the six figures. Over the course of his career, Husalah has collaborated with a number of hyphy legends, including Keak Da Sneak, The Jacka and Too Short. The video for Husalah’s latest feature collaboration with The Mechanix, “Cruisin & Mobbin,” premiered last month. (JT)

Christmas Eve Dance Party
Sat, 10pm, Free
Charley’s, Los Gatos
Forget about egg nog and singing songs about chestnuts roasting over open fires. Change the way you celebrate the holidays this year by hitting the dance floor and working up a sweat. Voted the best place to dance in Silicon Valley four years in a row, the Los Gatos club will have two DJs—Alireza and Nima—keeping the dance floor lit up on Christmas Eve—and not with tacky Christmas music. Guests arriving early will get a special holiday party favor, as the first 50 people through the door will receive free Santa hats. (JT)

James Brown Tribute
Sun, 9pm, Free
The Continental Bar, San Jose
While devout Christians are busy celebrating the birth of their God made flesh, a group of local DJs will be celebrating the Godfather of Soul at the fifth annual James Brown Tribute. Known for his amazing voice, explosive energy and raw talent, Brown helped pave the way for funk and hip-hop. A Bay Area legend, DJ Sake 1, will headline this holiday homage, while DJ Chale Brown & The CME put in supporting sets. DJ Sake 1 has toured the country on the merits of his turntable skills and is more than qualified to put a new spin on some of Brown’s most memorable hits. (JT)

After fronting two critically acclaimed and commercially successful musical projects, one might assume South Bay native Eric Victorino would be comfortable on stage and confident in his own skin. But that’s not always the case.

In fact, right up until moment he went on stage for the first solo performance of his career, Victorino says he was terrified.

“It was scary up until the second it started,” he says of his recent appearance at PopScene—the weekly indie dance music party hosted by Live 105’s program director and DJ, Aaron Axelsen.

Furthermore, he adds, he can only really point to one consistent lyrical theme on his forthcoming solo debut.

“It’s this feeling of doubt,” he says of the songs on the soon-to-be released Wake Up, I Miss You. “This is my first opportunity to really be blatant about the doubts that I have in myself and my place in the world, and maybe the doubts I have about certain people in my life.”

Victorino says that there are days when he has doubts about making music, and at times he can’t decide whether he wants to play with live instruments or use a computer to program beats. “Music is such a weird thing for me,” he says. “But it’s something that I feel I need to keep doing.”

Yet Victorino is much more than a pensive and brooding artist wracked by doubt. He is also an explosive performer with the ability to control a room with his voice and his magnetic stage presence—and when he’s not second-guessing himself, he can be brimming with confidence.

“Right off the bat I felt really comfortable and felt like this is what I should be doing for this particular project,” he says of taking the stage at PopScene on Sept. 2. “It was just me. It was the first time I’ve ever done that—been on stage by myself. And it was cool.”

For the very first time, Victorino explains, he had no one else to let down—no band member or musical collaborator—and that feeling, he says, has been freeing.

“For the first time in my life, I don’t give a fuck if anybody likes this album,” the singer says of Wake Up, I Miss You. “I’ve never had that feeling before.”

Listening to Victorino’s new material, one gets the sense he is telling the truth. It’s clear that the songs on Wake Up are coming from a very personal place.

“Well at least I’ve had a woman,” he sings in a low, trembling, almost-whisper on “Prophecy.” “Well at least I’ve had someone. Well at least I’ve had a moment in the sun.”

If there is a theme that unifies the music itself on Wake Up it is simplicity. “Prophecy” plods along over a minimalist keyboard arpeggio and a spare kick and snare drum machine beat.

As he tells it, some of the songs on this record were laid down using his smartphone. At first, Victorino says, he intended that the clips would merely serve as demos, but now he says he likes the bare-bones feel of some of these takes so much he is sure some of them will end up making the final cut—even if it isn’t anywhere near as polished as much of what he did with Strata and The Limousines.

“I don’t care if this is looked at as a collection of demos,” he says, explaining that his choice to go with rawer takes is related to his decision to perform under his given name.

“I’ve never really realized what naming a project does, aside from the obvious—it’s kind of a marketing tool,” he says, cracking wise about a certain well-known New York death metal act: “As a listener, you have a good idea that ‘Cannibal Corpse’ is going to sound a certain kind of way.”

Ultimately, he says, performing and recording as Eric Victorino means he can be as true to himself as possible.

“It’s the one thing I won’t change,” he says of the words printed on his birth certificate. “I’m not going to get tired of my own name, I don’t think. I hope not.”

Victorino opens for Shonen Knife at The Ritz during October’s C2SV music and technology festival.

Eric Victorino
Oct 7, 8pm, $15-$18
The Ritz, San Jose

It’s that time of year again. The South Bay’s favorite electro-pop duo, The Limousines, are hosting their annual holiday party—and this year promises to be the biggest one yet. Literally.

“We’re excited to be able to utilize that space,” says Limos singer Eric Victorino, referencing the fact that the sixth annual XXX-Mas Fuckfest is to be held at The Ritz—instead of The Blank Club, home to the group’s five previous Christmastime parties. “I love the fact that for the first time I’ll be able to make an appearance on stage, instead of wading through the crowd like I had to do at the Blank.”

He’s also pumped about the artists with whom he and Limousines producer Gio Giusti will be sharing the stage, including Max Thompson—an erotic and fashion photographer who has made a name for himself since moving from the South Bay to Los Angeles—a new musical project from Ryan Hernandez and Andy Bailey of Strata, and regular Ritz DJ, K-Von.

In the run-up to The Limousines’ set, Hernandez and Bailey’s new band, Rae, will play their first show; Thompson will be hosting a burlesque show of sorts—“taking really good pictures of pretty girls,” according to Victorino—and DJ K-Von will be spinning ’90s jams on vinyl.

Max Thompson’s photography…

“He’ll probably play some Mariah Carey Christmas tunes,” Victorino says with a chuckle.

As always, fans are encouraged to dress up in their sexiest holiday attire and get their drink on. The Limousines will be playing crowd favorites and deep cuts from their two LPs—Get Sharp and Hush. Though both Victorino and Giusti each released solo material this year, and while rumors abound about new Limos music, the singer says he doesn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up for as-yet-unheard tunes.

“I don’t want anyone to be expecting new music, because we’re not at that place yet,” he says, adding that he just wants fans to come through and have a good time with friends and family.

“I’m just stoked to keep it going,” he says. “Six years in a row—it’s pretty cool.”

The Limousines play on Dec 18, 8pm, $15-$20 at The Ritz, San Jose.

Eric Victorino, frontman of electropop duo The Limousines and the recently reunited Strata, has released the first single from his new solo project, Gestalt.

The gloomy, downtempo IDM track is titled “Captured,” and was uploaded to YouTube yesterday. Directed by David Dutton, the clip features two San Francisco Ballet dancers silhouetted against a white background. Dutton applies a visual echo effect, causing the dancer’s limbs to multiply—flowering outward like the arms of the Hindu goddess Durga and swirling like an organic windmill.

“I think part of what this project is going to be about is not really sitting down and focusing so much on meaning,” Victorino says. “That’s implied in Gestalt itself. “I’m not really sitting down and saying I’m writing a song about this particular situation. It’s more like about a couple lines about a feeling.”

As such, Victorino says, he wanted the video for “Captured” to be as abstract as possible. He didn’t want the video to tell a story. He just wanted “something mesmerizing,” which would allow the viewer to get lost in the sounds and his lyrics, which he delivers in a hushed, breathy tone, unlike anything he’s done in Strata or The Limos.

“It’s something that I always admired when I hear someone else singing that way,” Victorino says of his vocal delivery on the new song. He says he plans to continue singing that way on all of his Gestalt material. “Not to take anything away from really yelping it out, but I think there’s something to be said for practicing subtlety.”

Aaron Axelsen, program director of Live 105, debuted the video this morning on his blog on the radio station’s website. Watch the video below and be sure to check back for our full interview with Victorino to find out why he spent an entire day listening to “Captured” on repeat.

YEAR-END LISTS typically hew to the comfy round number 10. And although Top 10 has a ring to it, Silicon Valley’s melting pot of musical talent fused genres, collaborated, innovated and turned out so many great LPs and EPs this year that it became a nearly impossible task to narrow it down to even the Top 15 releases, so we squeezed one more pick for a favorite 16. Here, in no particular order, are some of 2013’s best local releases.

The Bangerz: PRiSM
PriSM, the Bangerz’ second soundtrack LP for the Jabbawockeez Las Vegas stage show, showcases the crew going deeper into some amazing futuristic soundscapes. The crew has always straddled a line between throwback hip-hop and cutting edge electro-jams, but it’s all forward thinking with this release. In a sign of the times—as the line between EDM and hip-hop continues to blur—there’s a healthy dose of dubstep influence on this record, as well.

Rebelskamp: The Kill
Going into a recording studio without any written material doesn’t sound like a winning formula for an album, yet Rebelskamp produced a remarkable LP this year. They’ve gotten so good at improvisation that they don’t sound like they’re inventing the music on the spot. Yet, the spontaneity of such a freeform formula remains intact. These songs go any and everywhere, drifting through funk riffs, psychedelic space jams and crazy free-jazz. A highlight is “The Rebel,” with local rapper Dirtbag Dan freestyling a couple verses.

Philthy Dronez: Wepa Life
Up until recently, Matt Gonzales was known mostly as the go-to guitarist for local bands. (Anya and the Getdown, Raul y Mexia, Chris Reed—to name a few). Now the world gets a taste of his solo project: producing Latin-infused electro-beats under his alter-ego, Philthy Dronez. His debut EP, Wepa Life, was released on Global Bass Experience a few months back. It’s a short EP, about 15 minutes, but it’s bumpin’. It centers on the emerging new-cumbia sound, but also veers into electronic and hip-hop territory, and even some old-school cumbia.

Boboso: Grown Ass Man
There are three things Boboso raps about: food, cats and his love for the female derriere—often within the same song. Yet, he’s not exactly a comedy rapper. He can really rhyme. Plus, his production skills are top-notch: classic West Coast beats with surreal twists. The Beach Boys sample on “That Breathe In, Breathe Out Shit” is a particular highlight. Jeff Rosenstock from Brooklyn punk band Bomb the Music Industry also lays down an impressive verse on “Sartorial Panache.”

Careless Hearts: Alum Rock
Alum Rock isn’t just the latest album by Careless Hearts; it’s the culmination of five years of life-changing events. They started out a laidback Americana group, but since 2008’s Heart’s Delight, they’ve gone through some major lineup changes and played a life-changing show with punk legend, Stooges guitarist James Williamson. It shows in the roots-rock, power-pop songwriting on Alum Rock. The release rocks harder, louder and with more passion than their first two albums.

Antwon: In Dark Denim
In Dark Denim isn’t as accessible as Antwon’s prior work and takes the San Jose rapper in a new direction. His beats are grimier, the samples are darker and the lyrics are dirtier than ever. “Work 4 Me,” with its down-and-dirty hip-shaking beat and raunchy lyrics, sounds like he’s seducing the listener. All the while, Antwon’s fanbase continues to grow, with a successful run at SXSW, an appearance at Treasure Island Music Festival and two national tours during the last year.

The Albert Square: How’s Everybody’s Doings?
Last year, Sim Castro reformed his punk rock outfit the Albert Square. The songwriting is much in the same vein, subtly nuanced ’80s and ’90s post-punk-inspired, but the band’s performances are far more unhinged—a good thing. Their newfound spastic energy complements Castro’s reflective songwriting quite well. However, the strongest song, “(Proud) Parents,” is oddly the most reserved track on the EP.

The Limousines: Hush
It’s been a couple years since synth-pop duo the Limousines released their brilliant debut, Get Sharp. Despite all the views they were getting on YouTube and radio play they received, they had major problems to sort out with their label, but Hush was worth the wait: Its synth beats are dancier, the production is more refined and in place of their signature clever nihilism, Hush offers lyrics that are raw and honest. Hush was made with funds from a Kickstarter campaign that sought $30,000 but ended up raising $75,000.

Dinners: Black Rabbits
If such a thing as a San Jose “supergroup” exists, Dinners might be that band, featuring members from Worker Bee and Doctor Nurse. Dinners go into a different direction than either Worker Bee (moody indie rock) or Doctor Nurse (psychedelic folk) with lo-fi noise-pop and a heavy dose of Guided By Voices influence. At first listen, Black Rabbits sounds like the kind of four-track recording popular with ’90s indie bands, but it’s actually a quite meticulously, thoughtfully crafted album. The cover art is amazing, too.

Rey Resurreccion, M-10, Locsta Villan: First Street Sessions
Some of rapper Rey Resurreccion’s finest works are collaborations. Last year, he worked with the Bangerz to make some killer old school hip-hop tunes. This year, he got together with emcees M-10 and Locsta Villan and created the 1st Street Sessions. Together the trio has produced eight laid-back, dreamy hip-hop songs that should be on urban stations all across the country.

Raul y Mexia: Arriba y Lejos
Brothers Raul y Mexia released a fun, passionate Spanish-language album this year on Nacional Records, the current leaders of cutting-edge Latin music. Arriba y Lejos combines elements of cumbia and other traditional Latin sounds with hip-hop and electronica. The duo, who are sons of Hernán Hernández, bassist of famous Norteño band Los Tigres del Norte, has created something that both pays tribute to classic Latin music, like their father created, and all the newer American music they grew up with here in San Jose.

Sean Blak: #Basslife
Sean Blak books live hip-hop shows, puts on battle-rap events and holds a weekly Tuesday night residency, “the Trap Shop” at Johnny V’s. He’s also a prolific rapper, with a ton of lo-fi, surreal homemade hip-hop records online. His best this year is the LP #Basslife. On it, he takes some of the strangest, most intimate beats and makes them sound like outrageous club bangers.

Slime Girls: Vacation Wasteland
By the time Slime Girls came together, the chiptune scene was already well-established. Yet they’ve still been able to find their own sound within it, taking all the old Nintendo chip Gameboy sounds and mixing them with surf, punk and ska. Their latest EP, Vacation Wasteland, is a seriously fun collection of instrumental chip-rock tunes. It was originally pressed on cassette because they’re that into old technology.

David Brookings: The Maze
The Maze is David Brookings’ sixth full-length album since 2000, yet he’s still working on building his fanbase in the Bay Area. He moved to Northern California from the Memphis by way of Richmond, Virginia, in 2009, and produced his five albums before heading West. The Maze, like its five predecessors, brings together ’60s psychedelic-rock and ’80s New Wave.

Derek See: She Came This Way
The title track to Derek See’s She Came This Way is an amazing psychedelic-pop gem. At first, See, who normally plays guitar in soul group the Bang, recorded it, along with a couple other tunes, just for fun. It was good enough for an indie label to offer to release it, and they even ran out of the first pressing. It’s the kind of song that, had it been written in 1967, would have been a Summer of Love FM hit, no doubt.

Noothgrush: Split LP with Coffins
Back in the ’90s, sludge metal group Noothgrush were a pretty big deal. Along with Sleep and a few other bands, San Jose boasted a strong doom metal scene. Noothgrush just recently reformed, and they also just released a split record with Japanese metal band Coffins. The third track, “Thoth” is particularly special, as it contains spoken clips from the late, great, much beloved KFJC DJ, Cy Thoth, who died earlier this year.

C2SV Music Festival is bringing big names, such as Iggy and the Stooges, the Lemonheads, Thee Oh Sees, Bosnian Rainbows and Deafheaven, to downtown San Jose, paired with some of the best bands in Silicon Valley.

The roster of South Bay bands at C2SV runs the gamut in terms of style, including electronic, Latin, indie rock, folk, metal and punk. The festival offers a chance to really get a handle on just how diverse San Jose’s music scene has become over the past 5-10 years.

Here’s a guide to this year’s local lineup:

Thu 26: Dinners
Café Stritch, 9pm
For a group of lo-fi rock & roll slackers, Dinners have created a nuanced and interesting indie rock album, Black Rabbits, that pays homage to the ’90s lo-fi indie heyday. It is best enjoyed on vinyl, where all the subtle details can be heard at peak audio quality—at least, that’s what the vinyl-worshiping members of the band would say.

Fri 27: The Limousines
Agenda Lounge, 9pm
The Limousines are San Jose’s biggest active band for a reason. Their take on ’80s-inspired synth-pop so perfectly straddles the line between clever, heartfelt and generation-defining, plus the songs are just so damn catchy. Together Giovanni Giusti and Eric Victorino make amazing dance-pop loved all over the world.

Fri 27: Talky Tina
Café Stritch, 8pm
Talky Tina’s brand of pop punk shows influences of rockabilly, punk rock and everything in between.

Fri 27: Containher
Hedley Club, 8pm
As a singer-songwriter, Containher brings a theatrical and haunting vision to her music, both in the chords she chooses and in the imagery in her lyrics. Stylistically, she is versatile (folk, electronic, indie-rock) and she frequently collaborates with other artists.

Fri 27: Amonie
San Jose Rock Shop, 8:30pm
Amonie already has so much going on with the four members they do have (two guitars, bass and drums), a singer would just get in the way. Every song is like an incredible musical journey, with a heavy emphasis on dynamics and texture. Plus, they play really, really loud.

Fri 27: The Flames
Blank Club, 10pm
Fun fact: The Flames’ drummer is none other than No Name, a local on-air DJ who at one time hosted LIVE 105’s morning show, but now is on Alice. Hopefully his boss at Alice is OK with just how punk rock No Name is, or at least his band, Flames. They play the kind of raw, drunken punk that touring bands in the ’90s used to play in backyards all across the country.

Fri 27: The JurassiC
Mezcal, 10pm
If jazz and soul were on a single continuum, JurassiC would land exactly in the middle. Their grooves tend to pull from classic soul and funk, while the chords and melodies lean more into the jazz realm. But even there, the influences for everything they do are all over the map. It’s a big jumbled mess of beautiful music.

Fri 27: Soulful Obsession
Mezcal, 11pm
More than just a live rap band, the quartet at times plays jazz, uptempo R&B, soul and straight-forward hip-hop. The group’s songs weave in and out of these different styles.

Fri 27: BVMO Crew
Fahrenheit Lounge, 11pm
Taking their name from a popular beverage store chain, these DJs spin funk, soul and hip-hop. It’s great dance music with lots of obscure song selections and deep cuts.

Sat 28: Curious Quail
Café Stritch, 2pm
If there’s any band in San Jose right that so totally has the support of their fans it’s indie-folk group Curious Quail. Their fans voted for them to play BFD this year and helped the band reach its $6,000 Kickstarter goal to fund an upcoming album in a matter of days. Big things are on the horizon for Curious Quail.

Sat 28: B.Lewis
Pagoda, 11pm (San Jose)
B.Lewis has gotten a lot of international attention for his original electronic arrangements, which often lean into instrumental hip-hop territory. Pitchfork recently gave him major props for his production on the new Bad Rabbits album. At C2SV he’ll be performing a DJ set.

Sat 28: The Bang
St. James Park, 4:15pm (San Jose)
The Bang revives lesser-known ’60s soul gems, particularly from girl-fronted bands, and contributes to the genre with exceptional originals that sound like they could have just as easily been lost soul classics themselves.

Sat 28: Haptic Synapses
Works/San Jose, 8:30pm (San Jose)
Haptic Synapses are a full-fledged electronic improvised trio. Each member makes beats and programs on the spot without coordinating in advance, playing off each other in real time to create an exciting and spontaneous musical experience.

Sat 28: Brother Grand
Agenda Lounge, 9pm
Ben Henderson has played passionate folk songs for years, sometimes solo, other times with a full backing band. Brother Grand is an offshoot of this, but with upright bass player Endika. Performed as a duo, the songs sound surprisingly thick. It’s just what Henderson’s brilliant songs have always needed.

Sat 28: Dirty Pillows
Blank Club, 10pm
Is a bass guitar really all that necessary for an indie-punk band? The Dirty Pillows don’t think so. With Millhows on guitar/vocals and Jeff Jagged (owner of On The Corner Music) backing him on drums, the duo mixes elements of jangle-pop, garage, ’90s indie-rock and punk rock into a fun, tight, energetic package.

Sat 28: Bibles and Hand Grenades
Blank Club, 11pm
Bibles and hand grenades may not be two items that go together so well, but the band Bibles and Hand Grenades do bring seemingly dissimilar genres together quite naturally (country, metal, old school rock & roll).

Sat 28: Shinobu
Café Stritch, 11pm
It wasn’t too long ago that Shinobu broke up, with each member moving away from the Bay Area. Slowly the members have returned and they’re seemingly playing more shows now than ever before. Their brainy, self-deprecating throwback jangle-pop with a punk-rock edge is as good as ever, only tighter.

Sat 28: Picture Atlantic
Hedley Club, 11pm
Picture Atlantic opened for Coldplay at the HP Pavilion and they’ve toured up and down the West Coast on their own many times, drawing packed houses wherever they go. As far as guitar-driven indie-rock goes, San Jose has no bigger band than quartet Picture Atlantic. Fans love their mixture of passionate heart-on-the-sleeve songwriting and driving indie-rock beats, textured with keyboards and nuanced guitar work.

Sat 28: Sonido Clash
Mezcal, 11pm
Sonido Clash is a collective of like-minded, cutting-edge DJs and musicians pushing the boundaries of modern Latin dance music. They mix traditional Latin genres like cumbia and merengue with electronica and hip-hop. The collective includes Philthy Drones, Turbo Sonidero Futuristico, Raul y Mexia and Chatos 1013.

Sun 29: The Albert Square
Café Stritch, 4pm
When singer-songwriter Sim Castro reformed post-punk band Albert Square this past year, it was almost like a new band emerged. The songs were looser, more intense and had an almost unhinged quality about them. Castro’s songwriting still has those same subtly complex ’90s indie rock leanings, but with more urgency.

Sun 29: Cartoon Bar Fight
Café Stritch, 6pm
Falling somewhere between dream pop and indie folk, Cartoon Bar Fight could be 2013’s answer to the Cranberries. They create a lot of lush arrangements and earnest melodies, and have a knack for writing interesting concept albums. Their next release will be about space, according to the band.

Sun 29: The Trims
Café Stritch, 7pm
Proving that the ’80s offered more than just cheeseball radio pop songs, the Trims hone in on the darker, more interesting, underground post-punk bands from that decade for influence, while blending it with a modern alternative dance-rock sound. They have a gift for creating immense, consuming layers of guitar sounds while still keeping the tunes pop-friendly.

Pivotal Silicon Valley innovators and some of the biggest names in music will converge at San Jose’s C2SV Technology Conference and Music Festival, headlined by Iggy and The Stooges.

The festival, held at 12 downtown San Jose venues September 26-29, provides a new platform for sharing ideas, discovering new music and, of course, having a lot of fun in the heart of Silicon Valley. In addition to Iggy And The Stooges, 90s alt-rock pioneers The Lemonheads, electro-pop duo The Limousines, Oakland political band The Coup and modern funk pioneer Dam-Funk are among the 70 acts expected at the festival. Many more acts will be announced soon.

Robert Scoble, Jeff Stibel, Nolan Bushnell, Chris Anderson and Steve Kirsch are among the many speakers who will share new ideas during presentations and panels at the technology conference.

Early-bird tickets are on sale now HERE.

First wave of acts:
Iggy And The Stooges
The Lemonheads
The Coup
The Limousines
OFF!
DAM Funk
Black Milk
Clawhammer
Deafheaven
Fatso Jetson
**Many more to be announced

Scheduled Tech Conference Speakers:
Chris Anderson – CEO, 3D Robotics
Andre Haddad- CEO, RelayRides
Kare Anderson- CEO, Say It Better Center
Beth Rogozinski -Founder, Transmedia SF
Todd Wilms- Social Business Strategy for SAP
Lesley Mottla- EVP, ZipCar
Nolan Bushnell – CEO, Brainrush
Elisa Camahort Page – Co-founder and COO, BlogHer, Inc.
Dafina Toncheva- Partner, US Venture Partners
Ephraim Lindenbaum-Managing Director, Advance Ventures LLC
Joe Davis – CEO, Tocata
Nadav Gur – CEO, Desti
Brian Behlendorf- Compurter Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Labortory
Robert Hawn- Attorney, Structure Law Group
Shel Israel – co-author, Age of Context
Steve Kirsch – Founder and CTO, OneID
Gary Kremen – Founder, Clean Power Finance, Sociogramics
Wedge Martin- CoFounder, GeoPapyrus
Matt Miesnieks – CEO, Dekko
Chuck Reed – Mayor, City of San Jose
Jeff Stibel- CEO, Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp
Scott Schreiman – CEO, Kerio Technologies, Inc.
Robert Scoble – Startup Liason Officer, Rackspace
Josh Silver – CEO, United Republic
Rich Skrenta – CEO, Blekko
Ralph King- Producer, Extreme By Design
Raj Singh – CEO/Founder, Tempo AI
Kim Walesh – Director of Economic Development, Chief Strategist, City of San Jose
Steve Westly-Founder, The Westly Gorup
Rujul Zaparde – CEO, FlightCar
Maya Zuckerman – Co-Founder, Transmedia SF
**More to be announced

Fore more information, visit the official website: http://c2sv.com/

On the day where love conquered all in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Limousines declare “Love is a Dog From Hell” in the first video from their album Hush.

Released “In honor of today’s monumental achievements for gay rights,” the video features a few Suicide Girl types in their underwear, same-sex kissing and nude hula-hooping.

Singer Eric Victorino told us in May that “Love Is a Dog From Hell” describes the thrill of a first kiss but cautions that love is unpredictable and complex once the door is opened.

“We wanted to write songs that we could perform as adults for the rest of our lives,” Victorino says. “I can see being 45 years old and singing ‘Love Is a Dog From Hell.’ The old stuff had a short shelf life. I can’t see myself being 40 and singing a song about Tumblr.” Read more about the Limousines in the Metro Newspaper feature about the new album.