Features & Columns

Jazz on the Plazz

No more congenial way to enjoy music on a summer evening exists than Los Gatos' venerable Jazz on the Plazz. The setting retains a small-town Americana feel, and the town's many coffee shops and restaurants are easily at hand for pre-show snacking or an after-concert meal. This year's lineup gets under way with jazz vocalist Kathleen Grace and her band (June 23). Local blues hero Chris Cain performs with Blue Wednesday (June 30). A taste of the big Monterey Jazz Festival in mid-September can be had on Aug. 18 when the Monterey Jazz Festival County High School All Stars play. Other performers are John Proulx (July 7), Judy Wexler (July 14), Spencer Day (July 21), the Terrence Brewer Trio (July 28), Janis Mann (Aug. 4), Robin McKelle (Aug. 11) and Barbara Morrison with Full Spectrum Jazz (Aug. 25). (MSG)

Wednesdays, 6:30pm.

Free. Los Gatos Town Plaza.

Music in the Park

Music in the Park is so completely tied to the identity of downtown San Jose on summer Thursday nights that most of the faithful will probably go no matter who's playing. But that doesn't change the fact that it's nice to see the best lineup in years set to hit the park in June. The alt crowd gets two current radio favorites, Cold War Kids (June 3) and the Gaslight Anthem (July 22). For straight-up rock & roll, there's the BoDeans (June 24) and Tonic (July 8). Ska and reggae always work particularly well at MITP, and this year there's the Skatalites (June 17), the English Beat (July 1), Don Carlos (July 15), Eek-A-Mouse (Aug. 12) and Pato Banton (Aug. 26). For nostalgia, there's Y&T (Aug. 19). For R&B, Lenny Williams. And for pure, unadulterated Music in the Parkness, Pete Escovedo (July 29). (SP)

Thursdays, June 3-Aug. 26, 5:30pm. Free.

Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose.

Stanford Jazz Festival

The Stanford Jazz Festival often talks up its dedication to the educational component of its mission. But in this case, it's not just hype. A couple of months ago, I was visiting Stanford and saw Dave Douglas, one of the featured performers at this year's festival, practicing with a group of students who were learning his music. This wasn't just breezing in and then flitting off—Douglas studied them and gave feedback at the end of every piece. And when he pulled out his trumpet and jammed with them, it was obvious these students were getting the kind of education that can change your technique, or maybe your life. Douglas is performing with his quintet (Aug. 1), which also includes saxophonist Joshua Redman, who will subsequently perform with his trio (Aug. 4). In fact, it's safe to say there's a lot of incestuous threesomes and quartets. These jazz guys really get around. Then again, there's dozens of featured shows, so perhaps a little cross-pollenization is to be expected. There are tributes to the music of Ella Fitzgerald (July 11), Dave Brubeck (July 22) and Django Reinhardt (July 28); a night of Brazilian jazz (June 25); a performance from blues legend Mose Allison (July 16) and a harmonic convergence of three jazz legends: Charles McPherson, Junior Mance and Tootie Heath (July 24). (SP)

Aug. 13-15

Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose

LIVE 105's BFD 2010

In case you didn't follow all the drama around the Sublime reunion, here's the short version: Sublime become megastars playing reggae-ska-punk for grungy white kids with tattoos, Bradley Nowell dies, grungy white kids with tattoos roam the Earth aimlessly for 14 years with nothing to do, guitarist Bud Gaugh and bassist Eric Wilson decide to put the band back together, some 20-year-old NorCal guy no one has ever heard of named Rome Ramirez takes over vocals, Nowell's family threatens to sue, the new band says stop trying to keep the message of Sublime away from grungy white kids, Nowell's family says the grungy white kids can have the music as long as no one calls it Sublime, the band plays anyway, Nowell's family gets an injunction, and finally the whole thing gets settled. Thus emerges the god-awful compromise "Sublime with Rome," proving that in legal battles like this, it's always the band name that loses. But hey, now they're headlining BFD, along with the Deftones, a newly returned Hole (which, against all odds, still has Courtney Love), Silversun Pickups, Spoon, Matt and Kim, Cage the Elephant, Flyleaf, Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem, the Temper Trap, Dan Black, the Limousines, Dirty Heads, the Soft Pack, Far and Middle Class Rut also perform. (SP)

June 6 at noon.

Shoreline, Mountain View

Rockstar Mayhem Festival

Whereas last year's Mayhem Festival boasted metal acts like Cannibal Corpse and Slayer that have managed to stay relevant, this year's seems a little, shall we say ... nostalgic. Korn blew up in the '90s with a different kind of sound, melding metal with hip-hop and funk. The first four albums solidified them as a band that seemed like they could do no wrong. After Untouchables was released, some of their older fans started to feel alienated. Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch gave his life to the Lord and left the band in 2005. Drummer David Silveria left a year later. Lead singer Jonathan Davis found sobriety. The band was trying something different and lost what made them stand out in the first place. Now, with a new album titled Korn III: Remember Who You Are, some of us are hoping they take their own advice. Rob Zombie is also a '90s product. He burst onto the scene with White Zombie, who looked crazy and had songs about horror movies. It was heavy, gritty and loud. But when he tried his hand at movies, the music took a back seat. Audience members can be fickle, especially when an artist dares to try something different. They say they want something new, but often revolt when the new music doesn't sound like the old music. So for this year's headliners, it will definitely be a blast from the past. Also on the bill is Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Atreyu, Norma Jean, In This Moment, 3 Inches of Blood, Hatebreed, Chimaira, Shadows Fall and Winds Of Plague. (BD)

July 11

at 2:15pm; Shoreline, Mountain View, $25–$55

Lilith Fair

With summer festivals suddenly hot again, a bunch of the most popular bands are pinballing between headliner stages (don't worry, Alkaline Trio, we won't single you out just because you were at BFD last year and the Warped Tour this year). You know which tour doesn't have a bunch of crossover from last year? Lilith Fair. You know why? Because these other tours are sausage fests. You heard me, sausage fests! Name me the all-woman bands or even female singer/songwriter–driven bands at the other major festivals coming through the South Bay this summer. Can you even think of one? Right, so I guess that's why Lilith Fair had to come back, because this is where estrogen rules. Headlined by Sarah McLachlan and Heart, and featuring Miranda Lambert, Colbie Caillat, A Fine Frenzy, Marina & the Diamonds, Susan Justice, the Submarines and Ann Atomic, you'll have to look far and wide for a Y chromosome here. Although it would be totally awesome if they had one boy band that they kept around as the token guy group and sexually objectified all the time. Opinions vary regarding this separatist approach to summer festivals, but I don't see why. From the headbangers to the emo kids, everybody else gets their own festival. However, I'm reminded of what Valerie Agnew from 7 Year Bitch once said, "Women's music, my ass—you'd better put some Motörhead in that section, because as far as I'm concerned, that's women's music." Next year's Lilith Fair headliner: Lemmy! (SP)

July 5

Shoreline, $32.25–$125.50

Lucinda Williams & Robert Earl Keen

I saw Robert Earl Keen open for Lucinda Williams several years ago at South by Southwest. Besides being two of the top talents to come out of the rootsy and quirky Americana movement. Both Keen and Williams have rootsiness and quirkiness to burn; though known for emotionally charged New West tales like "Blow You Away" and "Feelin' Good Again," Keen's last album had a song called "10,000 Chinese Walk Into a Bar" that is both about that, and not about that. Meanwhile, Williams spent six years making her breakthrough album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, recording the whole thing and then firing the producer, recording it again with Steve Earle, and then firing him, too. How that thing ever finally got out is anybody's guess, but thank God it did. A couple of years ago, Williams began performing her various albums in their entirety on different nights. Her last album, Little Honey, had a pretty good cover of AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)." Basically, you can't predict what either of these performers will do at any time, but they're among the best songwriters working today, and Keen's warm style and humor nicely balance Williams' artsy cool. (SP)

Aug. 18 at 7:30pm

Mountain Winery, Saratoga, $35–$69.50

The Heavy

If only I could get the Heavy's "How You Like Me Now?" song out of my head. But it's worse than that, isn't it? Oh yes, because not only does the song stick in your head, but it's in that pretty awesome commercial where a bunch of kids' dolls (including a monster from Elijah-Wood-fueled Internet fetish Yo Gabba Gabba) go bowling, hang out in a hot tub with bikini blondes, get tattoo patches sewn on and, in general, act out. Like any person with half a brain and a functioning nervous system, I usually really hate good songs used in commercials, but that one's pretty good. Classic-soul-worshipping Brits the Heavy are also good. Like the similarly minded Dirtbombs, they take the best tricks from vintage R&B and graft them onto great postgrunge rock songs. Seeing as how they are the alt "it" band of the moment, advance tickets are highly recommended, asap. (SP)

June 24 at 8pm

The Blank Club, San Jose, $10

Vans Warped Tour

I went to last year's Warped Tour at Shoreline pretty much just to see NOFX, though it was a bummer the Exploited dropped out. Still, Fat Mike and company made it totally worth it, screwing up onstage at every opportunity and in general being as goofy and punk rock as you'd expect. Near the end of the set, Mike promised that the next song we'd hear was a new one that would be "the best song you'll hear at this year's Warped Tour." It turned out to be an instrumental, with breaks punctuated by the multiethnic band members taking potshots at each other with racist jokes. And as someone who believes in dignity and equality for all races, I have to say ... goddamn, that shit was funny! They can't be repeated here, but suffice it to say that punch line to the best joke was "my bike." It really was the best song anybody heard that day, and really, that's the weird stuff you go to Warped Tour to hear. The drone of endless emo-punk bands annoys the crap out of me, but those little punk-rock moments at what is supposed to be the most punk rock of all festivals are what keep us coming back. This year's lineup features the All American Rejects, Alkaline Trio, Andrew WK, Sum 41, Bring Me The Horizon, The Bouncing Souls, Face to Face and dozens of others. (SP)

June 26, noon. $33

Shoreline, Mountain View.

Left Coast Live

Just when we thought ridiculously ambitious art (always the best kind) was dead in the South Bay, along came Left Coast Live. It's not so much a question of "What is the mission of this festival?" as "What isn't the mission of this festival?" It's back with six days, 35 stages and 100 bands. Built on a solid foundation of top local groups, but with the added hook of headliners OK Go and Neon Trees, the festival is a way to see practically every dimension of the music scene in the South Bay. OK Go, of course, is based several hundred miles south of here, but with the now-widespread appeal of its music (its video for "Here It Goes Again" is the most favorite music video in the history of YouTube), they offer a nice hook for the LCL uninitiated. OK Go's nearly perfect blend of indie-rock earnestness and pop hooks was clear from the moment it covered "This Will Be Our Year" for the Future Soundtrack of America compilation in 2004. The buzz built from there, and if the band can help this fledging festival build that same kind of buzz, their mission at Left Coast Live will be complete. (SP)

June 21–26.

Downtown San Jose.

Mondays

Jazz on Main Mondays, 6pm. Free. Main Street, Redwood City.

Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet 6/21

The VW Brothers 6/28

Kenny Washington Quartet 7/12

Rick Vandivier with John Worley 7/19

Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo 7/26

Mads Tolling Quartet 8/2

Kristen Strom Quintet 8/9

Tamburr and Vitchev Project 8/16

Tuesdays

Milpitas Backyard Boogie Concert Series Tuesdays, 6:15pm. Free. Various locations. Milpitas.

Bruce Guynn and Big Rain 6/22 at Murphy Park

Orquesta Borinquen 7/13 at Cardoza Park

Hit Waves! 7/27 at Pinewood Park

Jessica Johnson 8/10 at City Hall

Flavors of Jazz Tuesdays, 6:30pm. Free. At various Santana Row restaurants. 408.551.4611.

Jack Conway, Nancy Gilliland 7/6

Rick Vandivier, Lee Pardini 7/13

Round Midnight, Mark Russo 7/20

Jessica Johnson, Wally Schnalle 7/27

Fil Lorenz, Susan Rancourt 8/3

Kristen Strom, Jazz MEchanics 8/10

Kat Parra, Gus Kambeitz 8/24

Brian Ho, John Worley 8/31

Wednesdays

Jazz on the Plazz Wednesdays, 6:30pm. Free. Los Gatos Town Plaza.

Kathleen Grace 6/23

Blue Wednesday with Chris Cain 6/30

John Proulx 7/7

Judy Wexler 7/14

Spencer Day 7/21

Terrence Brewer Trio 7/28

Janis Mann 8/4

Robin McKelle 8/11

Monterey Jazz Festival County High School All Stars 8/18

Barbara Morrison with Full Spectrum Jazz 8/25

Redwood City Music in the Park Wednesday, 6pm. Free. June 23–Aug 11. Stafford Park. See www.redwoodcity.org for schedule.

Sunnyvale Summer Series Wednesdays, 5:30pm. Sunnyvale Farmers Market.

The Groove Kings 6/16

Silicon Valley Houserockers 6/23

Entourage 6/30

Too Smooth 7/7

Night Fever 7/14

Touch of Class 7/21

Sage 7/28

Julio Bravo y Su Orquesta Salsabor 8/4

Busta Groove 8/11

Native Elements 8/18

Pacific Standard Time 8/25

The Hitman 9/1

Thursdays

Cupertino Summer Concert Series Thursdays, 6:30pm. Free. Memorial Park Amphitheater, Stevens Creek Boulevard and Anton Way, Cupertino.

Cupertino Symphonic Band 6/3

Kapalakiko 6/10

Tempest 6/17

The Retro Rockets 6/24

Aja Vu 7/1

David Correa and Cascada 7/8

Music in the Park Thursdays, 5:30pm. Free. Sponsored by Dos Equis and Metro. Plaza de Cesar Chavez, Market and San Carlos streets, downtown San Jose. www.sjdowntown.com.

Cold War Kids & Jesse Malin and St. Marks Social 6/3

Lenny Williams & Prince BlkMagic Damons 6/10

Skatalites & Sarazino 6/17

BoDeans, Dusty Rhodes & the River Band & Careless Hearts 6/24

English Beat & Odd Numbers 7/1

Tonic & Green River Ordinance 7/8

Don Carlos 7/15

The Gaslight Anthem 7/22

Pete Escovedo Orchestra and Tortilla Soup 7/29

Foreverland & Love Stoned 8/5

Eek-A-Mouse & the Hold Up 8/12

Y&T and OTR Band 8/19

Pato Banton & Whiskey Avengers 8/26

Mountain View Summer Sounds Thursdays, 6:30pm. Free. Castro Street, Mountain View.

The Sun Kings 7/8

Pop Fiction 7/15 at Cuesta Park

Finding Stella 7/22

The Shanks 8/5

Mazacote with Louis Romero 8/12 at Rengstorff Park

The Spazmatics 8/19

Songwriters Under the Stars Thursdays, 7pm. Free. Park Valencia, Santana Row, San Jose.

Robert Berry 5/27

Mike Simpson 6/10

Steve Krause 6/17

Kristina Sablan 6/24

Aprylle Gilbert 7/1

TBone Ted Kastelic 7/8

Steve Kritzer 7/15

Fridays

Morgan Hill Friday Night Music Series Fridays, 7pm. Free. Downtown Morgan Hill. 408.779.9444.

Steve Czarnecki Soul Jazz 6/4

The Dan Gogh's 6/11

Kelly McDonald Band 6/18

Fred McCarty and Co. 6/25

Shane Dwight Band 7/2

JJ Hawg 7/9

The Hot Rods 7/16

The Shanks 7/23

Cubby's All Stars 7/30

Usual Suspects 8/6

Severe Pleasure 8/13

The Dadz 8/20

TBA 8/27

Redwood City Music on the Square Fridays, 6pm. Courthouse Square, downtown Redwood City.

Bell Brothers 5/21

Mestizo 5/28

The Refugees tribute to Tom Petty 6/4

White Album Ensemble 6/11

Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic 6/18

Notorious 6/25

Cash Tribute 7/2

Caravanserai tribute to Santana 7/9

Luce 7/16

Café R&B 7/23

Hot for Teacher, tribute to Van Halen 7/30

Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums 8/6

Rumours, tribute to Fleetwood Mac 8/13

Courtney Lynn and Big Trouble 8/20

Native Elements 8/27

Aja Vu 9/3

Saturdays

Cultural Performance Series Saturdays, 6pm. Free. Courthouse Square, Redwood City.

Raul Midón Latin guitar 7/17

Jayme Stone Banjo & Beyond 8/22

Sounds of the Row Saturdays, 1pm. Free. Park Valencia, Santana Row.

Ho 'Omana Hawaiian Band 6/26

Tim Volpicella Quartet 7/3

Stu Hamm 7/10

Vasona Vibrations Saturdays, 5pm. Free. Vasona Lake County Park, Los Gatos.

The Sherry Austin Band 6/5

Flatpick Sidekicks 6/12

David Correa and Cascada 6/19

Purple Hat and Sad but True 6/26

The Avalanche Choir 7/3

10th Avenue Band 7/10

Jessica Johnson 7/17

Women With String Attached 7/24

The Klezmakers 7/31

Sundays

Music in the Park, Los Gatos Sundays, 5pm. Free. Civic Center lawn.

Lee Alverson's Tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John 6/20

Nuthn' Fancy, tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd 6/27

Livin' in the USA 7/4

Dirty White Boys 7/11

James Garner's Cash Tribute 7/18

Opera San José 7/25

The Rising, tribute to Springsteen 8/1

Rumours, tribute to Fleetwood Mac 8/15

Sage 8/22

The Sun Kings 8/29

HP Pavilion San Jose.

Roberto Carlos 5/28

Alejandro Sanz 7/10

The Wiggles 7/31

Lady Gaga 8/16–17

Heritage Theatre Campbell.

Straight no Chaser 5/22

Three of a Kind Comedy Tour with Kellen Erskine, Andrew Norelli and Dave Burleigh 5/26

Riders in the Sky 6/19

Montalvo Arts Center Saratoga.

Boz Scaggs 6/9–10

Jonny Lang 6/18

Lily Tomlin 7/17

Dave Koz and Jonathan Butler 8/6

Joan Baez 8/12

Bill Maher 8/19

Al Jarreau, George Duke Trio 8/20

Mountain Winery Saratoga.

Shows at 7:30pm.

Goo Goo Dolls with Vedera 6/1

Crosby, Still & Nash 6/7

Diana Ross 6/12

Chick Corea Freedom Band 6/13

Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson 6/16

Imogen Heap 6/18

Erykah Badu 6/19

Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers 6/22–23

Brandi Carlile, Dave Barnes 6/26

The Black Crowes with Truth and Salvage Company 6/30

The Avett Brothers 7/1

Court Yard Hounds 7/9

Gipsy Kings 7/10

Yes/Peter Frampton 7/11 (6:30pm)

Ziggy Marley 7/15

Smokey Robinson 7/16

The Beach Boys 7/18

Barenaked Ladies 7/19

Jamie Cullum 7/20

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band 7/22

Aziz Ansari Mature Content 7/23 (8pm)

Martina McBride 7/26

Pat Benatar, REO Speedwagon 7/27 (6:30pm)

Squeeze and English Beat 7/30

Michael McDonald and Chaka Khan 7/31

John Legend 8/1

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band 8/3 (8pm)

Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin 8/5

Los Lonely Boys and Fabulous Thunderbirds 8/6 (7pm)

Chelsea Handler 8/7 (8pm) Styx 8/8

Natalie Merchant 8/9

Blondie and B52s 8/10

Huey Lewis and the News 8/11

Ron White 8/14 (8pm)

Rob Thomas 8/15

Billy Idol 8/16 Cyndi Lauper and David Rhodes 8/17

Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen 8/18

The Swell Season and Black Francis 8/19

Hippiefest with Jack Bruce, War, Mitch Ryder and more 8/20 (6:30pm)

B.B. King and Buddy Guy 8/21

John Hiatt and Los Lobos 8/22 (7pm)

Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright 8/23 (7pm)

Crowded House 8/24 (7pm)

Garrison Keillor 8/25

Melissa Etheridge 8/26

Chris Isaak 8/27–28

Celtic Women 8/29

Earth, Wind and Fire 8/31

Shoreline Amphitheatre

Tim McGraw 5/29

Live 105BFD 6/6 at noon

Country Throwdown 6/20 at 1pm

Montgomery Gentry 6/20

Vans Warped Tour 6/26

San Francisco Symphony 7/4

Lilith Fair 7/5

Rihanna with Ke$ha and Nicki Minag 7/10 at 7:30pm

Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival 7/11 at 2:15pm

Toby Keith 8/6

Rush 8/9

American Idols Live 8/24 at 7:30pm

Christina Aguilera 8/18

John Mayer 8/20 at 7pm

Dave Matthews 8/28 at 7pm

Left Coast Live

$15 and up. San Jose; www.leftcoastlive.com

6/25–27 A week of music-related events culminating in performances on 6/25. Headliners include OK Go and Neon Trees. Also, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys 5/28 at 8pm at Landmark Ballroom.

Santa Cruz Blues Festival

5/29 Ben Harper, Taj Mahal, Joseph Arthur, Ivan Neville's Dumstaphunk.

5/30 Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Eric Burdon and Was (Not Was)

Stanford Jazz Festival

Multiple venues, Stanford University. 650.736.0324.

6/25–8/7 With Dick Hyman, Randy Weston, Freddy Cole Quartet, Tuck and Patti, Mose Allison, Jan Santos, Gerald Clayton Trio, Ruth Davies' Blues Night and Keb' Mo', Dena DeRose Trio and more.