San Jose Music & Nightlife

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For over 40 years, San Jose has been the hometown and starting point of dozens of now-famous bands. The Doobie Brothers emerged from the neighborhoods around San Jose State with their addictive brand of psychedelic stoner rock, legendary skate punk band The Faction stumbled into one another at a backyard party in a San Jo neighborhood and underground giants Insolence found their nook when they couldn't decide whether to play metal, reggae or rap, so they opted for all three. San Jose may not be a big city, but this is definitely a case where size doesn't matter. Multitudes of bands are following in the footsteps of the already famous, and finding their start in the stomping grounds of this eclectic South Bay hotspot. Bands; get free links on SanJose.com here or check out the FREE Events Calendar for shows in San Jose.

The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers wafted out the hoods around San Jose State University during the psychedelic/biker heyday of 1970 to became one of the top selling bands of the '70s. Their string of hits included "Listen to the Music," "Black Water," "Takin' It to the Streets," "Minute By Minute" and the "What A Fool Believes." After disbanding in 1982, the Doobies re-formed in 1997 and continue to tour, though band members now live in Hawaii and the far reaches of Northern California.

Smash Mouth

In 1999, Smash Mouth smashed out of San Jose's billiards and club scene with a sound that wedded ska, punk surf and '60s pop and a 3.5 million-selling debut album (Fush Yu Mang) that contained the hit "Walkin' on the Sun." ("A boppy, buzzy slice of '60s nostalgia that is the musical equivalent of crushed velvet and lava lamps." --Toronto Sun) Their second album, Astro Lounge, contained the blockbuster "All Star," and their songs have made it onto the soundtracks of Shrek, Austin Powers in Goldmember and commercials for Buick, among others. More >>

Papa Roach

Coby Dick, Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner and Tobin Esperance met in high school in the Northern California city of Vacaville and formed Papa Roach in 1993. With four independent CDs under their belts, they signed with DreamWorks Records in 1999. Papa Roach released Infest the next year, hitting it big with their industrial strength blend of hip-hop, groove-funk and hardcore. More >>

Los Tigres del Norte

Originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, they live quietly in San Jose and Morgan Hill, but Grammy-winners Los Tigres del Norte are superstars with a catalog of 30 records and 14 movies. They are considered the top "norteño" band and the pioneers of the "narcocorrido" or drug ballad. Their Spanish-language songs about immigration and life on both sides of the border clearly resonate among millions of fans. More >>

Insolence

Insolence's assaulting blend of rap, metal and reggae earned it a legion of fans in San Jose. After dominating the local underground scene, the band caught a break and signed with Maverick Records. In 2001, the group released its major label debut, Revolution, which scored minor hits with "Natural High" and "Poison Well." Today, with the addition of respected San Jose drummer Kevin Higuchi, Insolence is giving over to its long time love of reggae. Its new material is awash with those sunny island vibes. The band hasn't lost its edge though and its live shows are supercharged with full-force jolts of electricity. More >>

The Faction

1982-1985
Reunited: 1989, 2001

The No Hidden Messages album set the standard for skate punk in all its screw-everything glory. All members actually skate or are involved with skateboarding. This San Jose skate punk band, thrown together in Steve Caballero's backyard in 1982, became a lynchpin in the subculture merging punk rock and extreme sport. Two decades later, its presence is still felt in every Warped Tour and punk pop release. A successful reunion show in 2001 has led to repeated engagements including a new album. More >>

Diesel Queens

1989-1996

The most offensive joke band in San Jose band history. The Diesel Queens were kicked out of every club for crossing every line of decency and morality. Bodily fluids, topless dancers, penetration, songs about man-boy love, the Diesel Queens took performance art to its highest and hairiest. Their songs were straight-ahead Stooges punk rock rage crossed with hopped-up pop. "Punks Went Dirthead," "Panty Sniffer" and "Ass Man" only hinted at their greatness, collected for posterity on Hooked on Moronics (Sympathy for the Record Industry). The band members are all over the place, from artwork (Johnny Mojo) to wedding DJ (Mr. Friction). Velvy, bless his festering little heart, is probably linked to Enron in some nefarious way.

Skankin' Pickle

1989-1995

Following Fishbone's lead, Skankin' Pickle helped usher in the third wave of ska punk and was the inspiration for many bands including No Doubt, Save Ferris and Less Than Jake. The band has split into the winds with members reassembling in Neosoreskin, 78 RPMs, Captured By Robots. Lead singer Mike Park went on to run Asian Man Records, put on the Plea For Peace tour, and occasionally front the Chinkees. More >>

The Frontier Wives/Luckydog

This American roots-rock band with Replacements-like swagger, attitude and, unfortunately, work ethic came to define the South Bay/Laundry Works scene during the late '80s. Its drummer, Lex van den Berghe, went on to become a finalist in Survivor 2. Today, he and a couple other Frontier Wives (and one Social Club member) now play in a band called Luckydog, which released its self-titled debut on Steve "Smash Mouth" Harwell's Spunout Records. They also reform the Wives for kicks and beer.

No Use for a Name

Cupertino's No Use For a Name has the unique bragging rights of playing on the first Warped Tour, way before it became this huge, flyer-shedding, traveling target market carnival on urethane wheels. More importantly, they were making jumpy punk pop for a long time and they're still good at it. They had a Top 40 hit in the mid '90s with "Soulmate." Such success sometimes makes a good punk band go soft (hello all you stupid emo balladeers) but NUFAN keeps it hard and real. After a few lineup changes, Tony Sly and his crew continues its hard-won efforts on Fat Wreck Chords with its latest album Hard Rock Bottom. More >>

Joe Sharino

1975-present

In the '80s, Joe Sharino opened the US Festival, had his video played on MTV and had dreams of being the next James Taylor or Kenny Loggins. Now he plays other people's songs at church picnics, corporate functions and every food festival there is. He and his band play 90 shows a year. When the Joe Sharino Band "four-walls," that is, rents out a hotel ballroom for a concert, it sells out. His annual pre-New Year's Eve show at the Coconut Grove in Santa Cruz--a tradition that stretches back to 1984--sells out 1000 tickets at $35 a pop. His email list is 3200 names deep and his fans are some of the most dedicated party people in the South Bay. Click here to read his story and view the pictures.