by
Mike Huguenor on March 6, 2019
One day in 1999, Xavier Dphrepaulezz was driving through L.A. Next thing he knew, he was in a hospital bed. He’d been blindsided by another driver, his car had flipped over and three weeks had passed. His right hand was almost completely paralyzed. Half-atrophied, and held together by steel rods, he was…
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by
Bill Kopp on March 6, 2019
Sarah Brightman is one of the leading figures in classical vocal music today. Carefully maintaining the sophistication of the genre, Brightman has nonetheless managed to achieve superstar status.
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As a young family that recently migrated to the area, we appreciated the attention from another couple around our own age. You and your wife introduced yourselves at our neighborhood grocer’s, and it seemed natural enough—albeit a bit forward for total strangers. We exchanged pleasantries, agreed to get together over dinner sometime…
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by
Mike Huguenor on February 27, 2019
Maybe you know him from The Search for Animal Chin. Or maybe you know him from “Organism,” his funky boom-bap soul track on the soundtrack to Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland. But if you follow skateboarding (particularly, Bay Area skateboarding), then you know Tommy Guerrero. A member of the original Bones Brigade—along with…
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by
Bill Kopp on February 27, 2019
In some ways a reaction to the hard rock and psychedelic excesses of late 1960s pop music, the early 1970s ushered in the era of the singer-songwriter. Led by a raft of supremely talented artists who composed their own material, the scene featured acts like Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Laura…
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by
Mike Huguenor on February 27, 2019
For a certain generation of San Jose denizens, the name 5606 brings back a lot of memories. Starting at the end of the 20th century, the downtown pop-punk band was a staple at just about every venue around the South Bay: the Campbell Gaslighter, the Chemical Free Zone, San Jose Skate, the…
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by
Mike Huguenor on February 27, 2019
So, Monday was blue. Tuesday and Wednesday were gray. Thursday? Don’t even get me started on Thursday. This week has been quite dreary, indeed. But for The Cure, all that drudgery is worth the wait. “Friday, I’m in Love” is like the key to the entire Cure universe. More than an ode…
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by
Gary Singh on February 27, 2019
In 1981, when downtown San Jose resembled a cracked mosaic of dying retail and skid row environs, Ted Gehrke conspired to launch a blues festival on the campus of San Jose State University. Thirty-eight years later, that festival is still held every summer. Gehrke, who passed away last weekend at 79, was…
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The curtains on the sliding back door were wide open as I pranced around in my skivvies fresh out of the shower. I was listening to the radio, singing along and trying to pick out what pants to wear ignorantly blissful that I had an audience. That is, until I spun around…
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by
Wallace Baine on February 20, 2019
The Polynesian reggae artist George Veikoso, who performs as Fiji, was born in his namesake country but moved to Hawaii as a teen, which explains the title of his latest project 50th State of Mind. The jam-packed two-disc collection is a kind of retrospective, looking back at his 25-year career and sprinkled…
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