Music & Nightlife

AS PART of its free Community Concerts series, the Steinway Society of the Bay Area presents a family-friendly afternoon performance by Namik Sultanov. The Azerbaijan pianist (born in the fabled oil city of Baku) got started on violin and flute, but by the time he was 12 he had switched to the piano. » Read More

NME’s Mike and Peter Skilj aren’t afraid to take on anyone and everyone, including each other. The San Jose punk band has been around since the mid-’90s, with members coming and going, but the heart of the group has always been the Skilj twins. With a new album out and another almost finished, NME have made a name for themselves as brash, intelligent, uncompromising and a lot of fun to see live. » Read More

IN the late ’80s, downtown San Jose was going through massive redevelopment, with seemingly endless construction everywhere. At the same time, a thriving counterculture scene grew organically on a stretch of First Street that wasn’t part of all the redevelopment. A nightclub called F/X opened at the corner of First Street and San Salvador in the old Pussycat Theatre, providing a creative antidote to the meat-market bars that constituted what little nightlife existed in other parts of downtown. At F/X, variety was crucial. You’d see national touring bands, B-movies, British motorcycle events, fetish dancing, oddball costume contests or even Tw » Read More

LED Zeppelin’s shark sex legend. Axl’s riot in St. Louis. Burzum’s church burnings. Ozzy biting the heads off bats and doves. » Read More

THE SOUTH BAY seems to be getting more and more places to listen to good music. They are sprouting up in little corners where you don’t expect them. One newer venue that is trying to bring good blues to San Jose is Poor House Bistro. This New Orleans restaurant can be found near the downtown train station. » Read More

WHEN Leonard Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, he appeared at the podium with the serenity of a Zen monk and humbly declared: “This is a very unlikely occasion for me. It is not a distinction that I coveted, or even dared dream about. So I’m reminded of the prophetic statement of Jon Landau in the early ’70s. He said, ‘I have seen the future of rock & roll and it is not Leonard Cohen.’” » Read More

OUTSIDE of the Latin music world, some people don’t realize Marc Anthony isn’t just Mr. Jennifer Lopez. In fact, the guy is in the Guinness Book of World Records for most salsa albums sold. He had been recording Spanish-language albums for years before releasing his first, self-titled crossover hit. » Read More

MICHELLE CHAPPEL’S song “Screw you, Yahoo,” from 2008, is a jaunty, acoustic number on how bad it feels to be laid off and think it’s your fault when it’s not. An accompanying video posted to YouTube featuring the diminutive Chappel showing flashcards with key words from the song became a brief Internet sensation, garnering 17,000 viewers on its peak day. “I think the video’s more relevant now than it was then,” Chappel says. » Read More

HUBERT SUMLIN is a national treasure. Not just because he played with Howlin’ Wolf for almost 25 years, including on what is to my mind the best blues record ever made, 1962’s Howlin’ Wolf (a.k.a. the “Rocking Chair album”). Or because he also played with Muddy Waters, most notably on the 1957 single “Got My Mojo Working.” Or even because his incredible and unmistakable guitar style influenced everyone from Eric Clapton to Jimmy Page to Keith Richards. » Read More

THERE COMES a point in every artist’s life when he or she simply hits a wall. Picasso’s hiatus following World War II, John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” from 1973 to 1975 and Hemingway’s 10-year literary absence after writing For Whom the Bell Tolls are all examples of an artist’s need for a temporary departure from the creative realm. For San Jose songwriter Angie Thurman, that time is now. » Read More