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Nick Veronin & Charlie Swanson on July 10, 2019
“I’m a nobody,” Jeff Larsen says with a laugh. Most weekdays, the West San Jose resident works as a real estate agent. On weekends, he spends time with his family and friends. On occasion, he boards a commercial aircraft for some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, where he dons a…
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Gary Singh on June 19, 2019
This Saturday, the 38th Annual San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival unfolds in Plaza de Cesar Chavez, once again cementing the festival’s position as the longest running affair of its kind in the Bay Area.
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Gary Singh on November 28, 2018
In 1983, deep in the suburban hinterland of Campbell, the punk rock photographer Murray Bowles attended a backyard party and shot several pictures of The Faction, San Jose’s legendary skate punk band. A software engineer by day, Bowles was just starting a decades-long side job of capturing Bay Area punk.
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Mike Huguenor on January 10, 2018
It’s hard to blame Rory Koff for feeling a little boastful. What musician wouldn’t brim with pride upon receiving a platinum record? “I gotta brag a little,” he texts me, not long after we finish speaking on the phone. “Look what I just got.” Attached to the message is a photo. In it,…
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Nick Veronin on August 4, 2016
Rising above the din of boisterous, drink-fueled conversation and clinking glassware, a saxophone’s squawk snakes through the crowd. Parting the cigarette smoke haze and ambling over sticky tabletops, a wandering double bass, a splashy trap kit and a peppery piano plod on. It’s the kind of place where a private eye might…
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John Flynn on August 4, 2016
Over the course of his career, Rahsaan Roland Kirk was not always appreciated. Nonetheless, he inspired many still-active jazz musicians. Running the gamut from a trombonist and conch shell player to a pianist and composer to a Bill-Clinton-approved saxophonist, the following artists either played with Rahsaan or deeply studied his works, making…
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Sean McCourt on July 14, 2016
Birthed in L.A.’s late-’70s underground music scene—back when punk rock was still in its infancy—The Dickies are one of the longest-running and most entertaining punk bands to ever take the stage. Formed in the San Fernando Valley in in 1977, The Dickies hit upon a winning formula with songs like “Stukas over…
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Mike Huguenor on July 6, 2016
Ahead of his 24-date U.S.-Canada tour, Kung Fu Vampire is thinking about his hometown. “There’s all this talent here,” the local horrorcore rapper says. “There are so many great emcees, but no one’s stepping up and saying ‘I’m gonna be that guy.’” That guy is whoever will stay in San Jose after…
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Tad Malone on July 6, 2016
Some relationships drag on for years, never really going anywhere, before unceremoniously sputtering out. Though it’s impossible to say exactly what the future holds for San Jose indie quartet Get Married, things are certainly looking up. Formed just last year, the band is already taking things to the next level, inking a…
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Mike Huguenor on June 29, 2016
Reggaeton hit the American mainstream in 2004, with massive hits from Daddy Yankee and Ivy Queen. A mixture of Latin, hip-hop and reggae music, the new sound was a natural fit within San Jose’s downtown scene, where all three of reggaeton’s parent genres have connected well with audiences.
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