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Stout City Rockers

Smoke Tiki Lounge

152 Post St, San Jose

408.292.2266

Wed – 10pm; $5

Who are the Stout City Rockers? As a great man once said, "They are us." Actually, I don't know who said that, but I do know it was the name of a great episode of Airwolf. Remember that one, where Stringfellow had to stop a coup in Africa? Classic. Anyway, now that I think about it, the Stout City Rockers are not us, unless you happen to be one of the Stout City Rockers reading this. They would be us, though, if we could write catchier songs, rock harder and bring members of the top South Bay bands together to play on the same album. Lightning has struck twice with the completion of the second volume of SCR, and tonight's show is its official release party. Members of the Odd Numbers, the Shitkickers, the Forgotten and more will be part of the rotating lineup throughout the night. Suicidal Barfly opens. (SP)

Andy and Shani

Avalon Nightclub

777 Lawrence Expwy, Santa Clara

408.241.0777

Wed – 9pm; $35

If you're thinking "Andy who?" you are definitely not Persian. Andy isn't a name in Persian music, it's the name. He's like the Justin Timberlake of Persian pop. Actually, he's more like the George Michael of Persian pop, since he started in a boy band called Andy & Kouros, and when they broke up, Andy blew up. Kouros, meanwhile, was the Andrew Ridgeley of Persian pop, which is why he is no doubt psyched that there is a reunion planned. In the meantime, though, Andy is paired with the similarly uni-named—but not nearly as ubiquitous—new-school Persian pop diva Shani. (SP)


Suska Varda

JJ's Blues

3439 Stevens Creek Blvd, San Jose

408.243.6441

Wed – 9pm; free

Suska Varda is an eclectic vocalist who covers an array of styles, ranging from jazz and folk to pop and rock. She's studied all the greats, and her golden voice is a tribute to them, especially Billie Holiday (minus the nasally tinge). A jill-of-all-trades would be an appropriate moniker, because she never really sticks to a specific genre. Or a specific country—she's sung music from around the world in Celtic, Javanese and North and South Indian ensembles. (BD)

AnnaEstrada

Senzala

250 E. JavaDr, Sunnyvale

408.734.1656

Fri –9pm; $10

Prior to pursuing her musical dream, Anna Estrada studied medicine and became a doctor specializing in anesthesiology. Later, she developed an impressive acting career, performing in a variety of community theaters, along with two appearances on America's Most Wanted. Then in 2002, she entered the Bay Area music scene. Estrada's style is an eclectic blend of smooth jazz with a Latin groove and Brazilian influence. She studied music with singer Madeline Eastman and keyboardist Jovino Santos Neto. In her time on the scene, Estrada has performed at several local venues along with participating in Santana Row's Summer World Music Series. She released her first album, Soñando Vuelos, last year and was nominated for Best Vocalist by The Latin Jazz Corner. Estrada will be celebrating the release of her second album, Obsesión. (Soheil Rezaee)

Nosebleed Academy

Nickel City

1711 Branham Ln, San Jose

408.448.3323

Fri – 6pm; free

Keyboardist Thom Tucker has been in the Bay Area music scene for a while now. First, he garnered attention by tickling the ivories with the band Impact. Then, he joined Unjust, where his unique playing made the rock outfit stand out. Tucker eventually became disillusioned with the band and decided to forge out on his own by creating Nosebleed Academy. This new direction delves into electronic music mixed with rock, and Tucker seems to be right at home. Opening the show will be Rapid Fire, Easier Said, Christina Li and 7h3 K1d. (BD)


Nebula

The Blank Club

44 S. Almaden Ave, San Jose

408.29.BLANK

Sat – 9pm; $10

If there's one thing the people of Earth can show extraterrestrial beings how to do, it's rock. Nebula's stoner rock sends the listener high into space, with the stars their destination. Formed by guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano in 1997 after leaving Fu Manchu, Nebula has stayed true to its roots and has never failed to delight hard rock fans. Slow, dreamy licks mixed with fast, ferocious beats, the bands know how to have a good time no matter what speed they play. Dusted Angel and Radio Moscow will start things off. (BD)


Anjelah Nicole Johnson

San Jose Center for the Performing Arts

255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose

408.792.4111

Sat – 8pm; $22.50

I once spent a summer working in the costume department at Great America. This put me in close contact with a breed of folks known as theater kids. As you may or may not know, theater kids are constantly trying to one up each other with obscure quotes from movies and TV. In between performances of our bad half-hour Hairspray knockoff, there were a lot of quotes flying around the green room. One afternoon, one of the leads stumped the rest of the cast with her recital of Anjelah Johnson's Tammy the Nail Lady sketch. This sums up my—and most people's—knowledge of Anjelah Johnson's comedy. Though she's made her way to MADtv and back, she's still known as Tammy the Nail Lady. Check her out. She does have other material. (JA)


Mary Axe

Streetlight Records

980 S Bascom Ave, San Jose

408.292.1404

Sat – 4pm; free

For a time there, it looked like Campbell's Mary Axe had dropped off the face of the Earth, but this summer they posted a new song, "718." Working a path of gentle notes up to their trademark layers of melodic distortion, it sounds almost—mystical. No kidding, that is some rockin' transcendental shit for your ass. Plus they've been playing around, including this hometown gig at Streetlight. And where is the Straight Outta Campbell album we were promised? C'mon, Alex and Dan and Josh, chop chop. (SP)


The Business

VooDoo Lounge

14 S. Second St, San Jose

408.286.8636

Sun – 9pm; $10

Oi was fun, but it was never too interesting as a punk subgenre. Mostly it was about going to the pub, drinking at the pub and getting banned from the pub. Oh, and football—always with the football. But Mickey Fitz's band the Business was always a cut above. Their song "Oi the Poet" gave the entire style a legitimate reason to exist, and they're always pissed (in both senses of the word) for the right reasons: they stand up for the underdog, rail against injustice and paint an adrenaline-charged portrait of life in working-class Britain. And they were able to turn even the Smiths' "Panic" into a punk anthem. And there's still plenty of time for the pub, and the football. (SP)


San Jose's Birthday

Peralta Adobe

175 W. St. John St, San Jose

408.287.2290

Sun – 1-4pm; free

It may not be on everyone's radar, but San Jose's birthday is Nov. 29, 1777, when the original settlement of El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe was founded. San Jose is the oldest civilian settlement in California, and celebrates its 232nd birthday this Sunday. The party will take place at the Peralta Adobe near San Pedro Square, the oldest address in San Jose and the last remaining structure from the original settlement. There will be a Spanish-flag-raising ceremony at 1pm, re-creating the founding of the pueblo, plus a candle-lighting ritual that symbolizes the rekindling of the spirit of adventure and determination brought to the Santa Clara Valley by a small group of settlers. (GS)


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