Sik Luv, The Stills, College Nights, Irish Punk and Mass Hairspray

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UPCOMING

Fri. Oct. 6, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $7		Strata SONIC ELEVATION: After hanging out in Jolly Old England working on their upcoming new album, you'd think Strata would like to just come home and relax, but you'd be wrong. Eager to deliver their hard driving alt-indie power licks to the hometown fans, Strata comes to The Blank for what is sure to be a sold out show. Strong and visceral, haunting, but melodic Strata hits your heart, mind and soul with resonating power and the long journey from across the pond has diluted none of their edge. The vivid imagery of Eric Victorino's lyrics are as poetic as ever and the stunningly elegant, yet somehow apocalyptic operatic sounds delivered by guitarist Ryan Hernandez, bassist Hrag Chanchanian and drummer Adrian Robison are as tight as they are brutally honest.

Wed. Oct. 4, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 No Cover

My Monster IT'S ALIVE: Rocking hard with a two front vocal and guitar attack, My Monster roars into The Blank tonight fresh out of the studio working on their first full length album to hit the club circuit harder than ever. MC Shockey lays down blazing guitar licks beneath calm and melodious vocal work backed by the intensity of Statis Kuo on second guitar, the pulsing bass of Freak Monkey and the pounding serenity of Joey Guthrie on the kit. As far as local indie rockers go, My Monster kicks right to the gut evoking a raw power and tight, intense sound that's a throwback to more subversive alternative and indie heydays.

Wed. Oct. 4, 8pm Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., San Francisco 415.621.4455 $16 - $20 BUY TICKETS

Senses Fail EXCEPT THE EARS: Kicking out a perfect amalgamation of hardcore punk blended with emo-tinged heartbreak, Senses Fail is all about relentless touring. Fresh off the UK installment of the Taste of Chaos run, that came on the heels of last summer's Warped Tour, Senses Fail ground out the studio work for Still Searching which sees the band maturing in sound, but losing none of their edge. This show at Bottom of the Hill kicks off the West Coast segment of the tour with these boys from Jersey firmly seated as legit headliners.

Thu. Oct. 5, Dusk St. James Park First & St. James Sts., San Jose 408.279.1775 Free

Hang 'Em High @ Cinema St. James WESTERN JUSTICE: Is there a better cinematic offering than a Clint Eastwood western? Well, that's arguable, but in the genre--right behind The Duke--Eastwood is definitely king and Hang 'Em High delivers Clint in all his squinty-eyed and ass-kicking best. After Clint's Jed Cooper barely survives a mistaken lynching, he returns to his former profession as a lawman to hunt down the men responsible for a little frontier justice which always includes blazing six-guns. The commentary on the death penalty aside, Hang 'Em High, is Clint as only Clint can be.

Thu. Oct. 5, 8:30pm The Independent 628 Divisidaro St., San Francisco 415.771.1421 $18

The Stills PURE INDIE SCENE: The Stills--a Montreal quartet that broke onto the post-pop rock scene in 2002--definitely have a chair at the ever-changing rock table. While their first offering stretched the limits of post-pop indie rock creating a sound reminscient of Echo and the Bunnymen and Joy Division, their latest, Without Feathers, breaks completely from those roots with less pop tendencies and more toward '70s Americana heartland rock--which, of course, is a basic tenet of the indie scene; when everything starts to sound the same, change your sound.

Thu. Oct. 5, 9pm SoFA Lounge 372 S. First St., San Jose 408.294.7632 Usual Cover

Welcome to Our House THURSDAY'S CHILD: SoFA Lounge wants to take care of your Downtown deep house needs, so Thursdays they've been running Welcome to Our House with most of The Velvet Shop elite dropping mad house beats for the local bass heads. Welcome to Our House features DJs M3, MJ Gamez, Les Carter and Mars Faram keeping the house dreams alive with special guest turntablists taking their turn on the decks on a rotating basis.

Thu. Oct. 5, 10pm Mission Ale House 97 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.292.4058 No Cover

College Night @ Mission Ale House GENERAL EDUCATION: Now that SJSU is in full swing, you hard working students need a night to call your own and Mission Ale House has never been afraid to deliver. In fact, to help with the post-studying blues, Mission's got drink specials that'll make you completely forget about that mid-term coming up. Of course, as you all know, the Mission drink slingers pour 'em heavy, so line up a note-taker if you're unfortunate enough to be saddled with Friday morning classes.

Fri. Oct. 6, 8pm Johnny V's 31 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.947.8470 Usual Cover

Sik Luv GREASER SET: Bay Area cow punks and rockabilly rebels to the core, Sik Luv sets up at Johnny V's for a Downtown hootenanny full of beer guzzlin', bass slappin' and lightning fast guitar licks that sound like the devil is riding Lonewolf McCool straight to the bowels of hell. Nana slaps that upright bass with a fury while crooning out classic psychobilly tunes with Lonewolf kicking in his greased back vocal chops for songs about interstellar hot rods, lovin' til the grave and over medicating your significant other. The Rocketz, Stellar Corpses and some Hamms in the can complete the deal.

Fri. Oct 6, 6pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $40 - $125 BUY TICKETS

Juan Gabriel MARIACHI FESTIVAL: Probably the most important and successful singers and songwriters in popular Mexican music, Juan Gabriel lends his extreme vocal chops to the 15th annual San Jose International Mariachi Festival starting it with a special concert at the HP Pavilion. The San Jose Mariachi Festival runs through the weekend with all-day affairs Saturday at Discovery Meadow in Downtown and continuing Sunday with Feria del Mariachi at San Jose's History Park.

Fri. Oct. 6, 8pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $15 - $18 BUY TICKETS

The English Beat UK SKA: As one of the earliest new wave ska revival groups, The English Beat scored some monster commercial success in the early '80s due to their energetic sound and the fact that a fledgling MTV played "Save it for Later" and "I Confess" relentlessly. The English Beat actually disbanded around '83 with two of the members later forming Fine Young Cannibals--man, "She Drives Me Crazy" almost sent us to the nuthouse--but has since started doing some touring due to the second revival of ska. Heck, if we're lucky legendary saxophonist Saxa will still be kickin' it.

Fri. Oct. 6, 9pm The Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 Usual Cover

Mornings After @ The Vault PAY ATTENTION: Even though it's called the Mornings After party, don't let the name fool you because this club throwdown hits Friday night at The Vault in all its swanky glory. Guest DJ Jason Dee takes a turn on The Vault decks with the bar staff and Vault Vixens kicking in their own brand of nightclub fun. So let's recap so there's absolutely no confusion; it's called Mornings After, it happens on Friday night, who knows where they got the name, but you can bet it'll be happening.

Fri. Oct. 6, 9pm Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge 99 E. San Fernando St., San Jose 408.998.9998 $10

Fusion @ Fahrenheit BLENDING DEGREES: DJ Big Bad Bruce mans the decks tonight at Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge spinning a mash up blend of dance, rock and hip-hop for the club masses. The bar crew will be kicking down the specials all night long to back up Triple-B's mastery of the turntables. Heck, if you show up early, Fahrenheit will still be serving their world-class menu so you can get some sustenance before shaking it on the dance floor.

Sat. Oct. 7, 9pm Taste Ultra Lounge 87 N. San Pedro St., San Jose 408.885.1016 Usual Cover

Grey Goose Tasting @ Taste BUT NO BLINDFOLDS: Whereas we can't verify Grey Goose's claim of being the world's best tasting vodka (does vodka really have a taste; it has smoothness, but taste?), we can clue you in to when and where you can put them to the proverbial Pepsi Challenge. At Taste Ultra Lounge, for their monthly tasting party, Grey Goose will be on the block and you can make up your own mind about the truthfulness of their statement. Local DJ Big Boy will be laying down the tracks along with DJ 2nd Nature lending his skills with a live video remix show.

Sat. Oct. 7, 9pm The Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 Usual Cover

Steve Smooth & JJ Flores CHICAGO SPIN: The Vault is bringing in a Windy City double house throwdown featuring two of Chi-town's hottest spinners, Steve Smooth and JJ Flores. The two turntablists will be cracking heads for the first time and all you house music fans know, the Chicago house scene is definitely on par with the one in The City, so deep booty shaking grooves should not be a problem. Local spin-heads Roger Moorehouse, Mario Dubbz and Kyle Chase round out the bill.

Sat. Oct. 7, 7pm Aura Nightclub 4825 Hopyard Rd., Pleasanton 925.416.0777 $20 BUY TICKETS

DJ AM CELEBRITY SPINNER: DJ AM, seemingly exclusive DJ to the Hollywood set, bangs out the mixes at an exclusive engagement at Club Aura tonight before he's off again to tend to the party masses at LA's, Vegas' and the NYC's hottest clubs. If you missed his set at the Cabana Beach Club party in September or his run at the SF Lovefest, he won't be back in Nor-Cal until late October; so what's a little drive to Pleasanton compared to seeing the most in-demand DJ spinning today? Yeah, not that much.

Sat. Oct. 7, 8pm Bimbo's 365 Club 1025 Columbus Ave., San Francisco 415.474.0365 $20

Tainted Love '80S REVIVAL: If you miss the '80s tremendously--or never experienced them the first go around--San Francisco band Tainted Love has the panacea for your nostalgia ails. The seven piece carves out their niche by playing all the dance hits of the '80s you can fit into a show and on stage complete with the appropriate animal printed, neon, stretch, vinyl, sleeveless attire. If the musical and fashion cyclical theories hold true, then Tainted Love should be the most requested live band in the world.

Sat. Oct. 7, 3pm Streetlight Records 980 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose 408.292.1404 Free

The Mumlers AURAL PETRI DISH: Resounding winners of the recent Bleeding Edge Festival--the coda to San Jose's Zero One--The Mumlers perform a free show at Streetlight Records this afternoon in all of their premeditated absurdity. If you've never heard these guys before, they're the future of experimental indie rock utilizing off the wall instruments that more belong in an outdated elementary school music course than in a rock band. The Mumlers have a penchant for mashing up strong musical chops with those whacky instruments blended with indie folk rock and topped off with wistful lyrics that boarder on electroshock treatment worthy craziness--stop by and if you're a true indie fan, you won't be disappointed.

Sun. Oct. 8, 11am Plaza de Cesar Chavez Market & San Carlos Sts., San Jose No Phone Free

The Miggs BIG CITY ROCK: For a few years now, The Miggs have been riding their next big Bay Area thing buzz all around the country hitting the bar circuit everywhere from big cities to podunk towns. The San Francisco quartet returns to some semi-hometown roots this week to play the Rock N' Roll ‡ marathon in San Jose today at Plaza de Cesar Chavez. These guys sport throwback tunage reminiscent of the alternative guitar driven rock of the '90s--melodic, honest and authentic. With airplay on KFOG, an appearance on MTV2's On The Rise and the ever-important background music spot on The O.C., it won't be long before the relentless touring of The Miggs shows heavily in their pockets.

Sun. Oct. 8, 8pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $30 BUY TICKETS

The Killers VEGAS, BABY: The Killers rose out of the Vegas ashes in 2004 and haven't stopped their new wave Brit, garage band, alt rocking since. The startling success of their first album and subsequent touring gained The Killers worldwide acclaim for their takes on the mainstream and all it entails. The sophomore effort, Sam's Town, was just released offering a witty deconstruction of modern values set to The Killers impressive alt-rock riffs. Non-stop touring must be in their desert blood--well, we guess it has to be if you're one of the hottest bands on the current scene.

Sun. Oct. 8, 8pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 800.311.1255 $25 MORE INFO

Train RUNNING ON TIME: San Francisco alt-rockers Train make the short trip down 101 (or 280, whatever one doesn't have the 10-mile backup) to headline the San Jose Rock N' Roll Marathon tonight. After years toiling away in coffeehouses, playing run down clubs and opening for every band under the sun, being asked to headline "hometown" benefit shows has to feel good. Their latest top-ten offering For Me It's You, recently hit the stores, hard drives and airwaves, so expect to hear some new, but now Bay Area classic, material.

Sun. Oct. 8, 7:30pm Slim's 333 11th St., San Francisco 415.522.0333 $20 BUY TICKETS

Thrice SCREAMO DRIVING: Hardcore ideologues from So-Cal, Thrice make a two night stop in The City at Slim's for their current West Coast tour before receding back to the studio to finish work on their ambitious upcoming 4-disc album. Thrice began in the skate parks of Orange and has since pushed theirt alt-metal, post-punk driving sound to the limits across the U.S. and Europe garnering more than enough attention from fans, critics and studio execs. The second show for these intensely focused musicians is tomorrow--same time, same venue.

Mon. Oct. 9, 8pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $65 BUY TICKETS

The Pogues KISS MY ARSE: Basically the founders of Celtic punk and the forefathers for all the Irish fusion/ska/punk bands to follow, the legendary Pogues are hitting their first U.S. concert dates in nearly 15 years. Founded in King's Cross London in 1982, The Pogues would soon be known for their politically tinged lyrics and punk charged sets using traditional Irish instruments and, eventually, electric subs. Rumors of a Pogues reunion have been floated for years along with intense rumors of new studio work, but all involved flatly say those rumors are false, but, with the intense followings of such musical scions as the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, some new studio cuts for the originators can't be far behind.

Tue. Oct. 10, 8pm Shoreline Amphitheatre 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View 408.998.TIXS $29.50 - $133.75 BUY TICKETS

Roger Waters TOTAL ECLIPSE: A scant 33 years ago, Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon and it spent two years in the Top 200 along with completely revamping, not only the bar to which all other rock albums were measured, but the entire drugscape for the rest of the seventies. All of the writing credits to what many perceive to Pink Floyd's magnum opus are credited to Roger waters and he'll be performing the seminal album in its entirety for this show at Shoreline. Like many Pink Floyd albums, Dark Side of the Moon, touches on the modern collapses of individuals and society, the pressures of life, greed, death and--one of the basic thematic elements underlying all of Floyd's work--the eventual insanity of founding member Syd Barrett.

Tue. Oct. 10, 8:30pm The Improv 62 S. Second St., San Jose 408.280.7475 $15

Latino Comedy Show WHAT, NO PLAY: Tonight sees the grand opening of the San Jose Improv's new monthly Latino Comedy Show and none other than Christopher "Kid" Reid is headlining. Gone are the days of House Party (2 and 3 included) and Class Act, and he now only thoughtfully muses about his days as one of the late '80s and early '90s most successful rap duos of all time. Since leaving the rap game, and subsequently the bad gimmick movie, Reid has become a decent character actor in a variety of roles and has parlayed hosting amateur stand up shows at the Apollo into a burgeoning stand up act of his own---but, c'mon, what could be more hilarious than that 2-foot high-top fade he used to wear? Robert Zapata, Adam Hunter, Rick Martinez and Crazyboy Marvin also appear.

coming up

Fri. Oct. 13, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $10

Kung Fu Vampire CREATURE OF THE NIGHT: Hip-hop, jazz, rap, goth, orchestral fusion may sound like we were just spewing out a laundry list of musical styles, but we're actually talking about Kung Fu Vampire, one of the most inspired bands to ever come out of the Bay Area scene. With an on stage presence 10-strong encompassing strings, a keyboardist, a visualist, guitar and beats, KFV drops street poignant lyrics over a beat heavy, but totally smooth and dark loungey sound that kicks like a Frankenstein amalgamation of Dino, Dizzy and Mos Def.

Wed. Oct. 11, 7pm Splash 65 Post St., San Jose 408.993.0861 Donations Accepted

Arts and Fashion Show Charity Auction for AIDS Coalition FOR A CURE: Splash is hosting an impressive arts and charity auction on October 11 with all proceeds benefiting the Silicon Valley AIDS coalition and sponsoring people in the 2006 Walk for AIDS on Sunday October 15. The featured artist at this important event is Gustavo Venegas--whose deconstructionist canvases rip to the heart of modern religion and society. About a dozen other local artists will be showcasing their work backed by the slick turntable stylings of DJ Vinyl and DJ Entreat. Come out and support one of the most important charities in the Bay Area.

Fri. Oct. 13, 10pm Britannia Arms: Cupertino 1087 De Anza Blvd., San Jose 408.252.7262 $15

Zion-I & The Grouch HIP-HOP CALI STYLE: Long time collaborators Zion-I and The Grouch are back dropping rhymes and beats on Heroes in the City of Dope and this turn at The Brit will see that 15-track studio cut come to purchasable fruition. Professed beat scientist Amplive backs the Heroes with a slate of Bay Area hip-hop and rap all-stars lending sidekick support. When most other hip-hop groups produce one or two hot tracks, Zion-I, The Grouch and Amplive have put forth a full experimental rap/ hip-hop album that plays like a street opera with the banging sounds of Oaktown.

--This week's newsletter by: RO, DS, RvB & AR

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