By his own admission, Will Sprott has been doing “some strange things for money” these days. After spending five years in Oakland, the San Jose-born singer, songwriter and former leader of The Mumlers is now living in Seattle. He moved there about a year ago, without any idea of where he would live… » Read More

It’s 10am on a Saturday morning inside the recently opened RockBar Theater. While the mood is light, it’s clear that this crowd is not composed of morning people. As Barbara Wahli, better known as promoter and manager Barb Rocks, admits at the start of the meeting, she’s running on only five hours… » Read More

Fifteen seconds into Hard Girls’ newest album, A Thousand Surfaces, the band explodes with more power and ferocity than anything you’ll find on any of the San Jose group’s previous recordings. It’s the kind of agitated, visceral energy missing from a lot of punk rock these days. As on prior records, their sonic… » Read More

Amy LaCour’s blend of funk and folk is a perfect fit for Red Rock Coffee’s “Western Songwriters” series. Well … except for the coffee part. “I don’t drink it,” she laughs, “I drink tea.” The choice is fitting for the soulful songstress. Her understated delivery does not grab you by the lapels, like… » Read More

What were you doing this weekend? Hopefully you weren’t at Chris Brown’s Capricorn Bash at The Fiesta Nightclub. Shots rang out inside the Southside dance hall early Sunday morning while the controversy-saddled R&B singer and rapper was performing his song “Loyal.” Five people were shot in the melee, but none were killed, according… » Read More

Murder mystery dinners are fun and all, but lets be real—aside from the candelabra used to bludgeon the poor victim to death, they just aren’t metal enough. That’s about to change this April, when Metallica guitarist and horror fanatic Kirk Von Hammett hosts his second annual Fear FestEvil in San Jose, which will feature… » Read More

Cinebar, that venerable watering hole located at 69 E. San Fernando Street, may soon be sold, according to sources familiar with the situation. However, fans of the long-running dive—which pours stiff drinks at easy-to-swallow prices—need not fret, at least not right now, according to Cinebar’s manager, who goes by Kate Skate. Skate has… » Read More