Please don’t stop the music 🎤

Local bands and musicians from San Jose, CA
A close-up, fish-eye perspective of three men in punk clothes standing in a construction site.
Move over Green Day. | Photo via POUNDERS
You know, we love to talk about San Jose’s deep musical talents... and thanks to your reader suggestions, we’re back with five more musicians + bands with local roots.

We’ve also got a Spotify playlist for you auditory learners out there. 🎧

🎶 POUNDERS

This pop-punk, power trio was formed in San Jose in the early 2000s. Known for their live performances, snappy rhythm + catchy hooks, the group recently played at last year’s Make Music San Jose event. Fun fact: Drummer Justin Imamura founded Trash Punx — a San Jose clean-up crew making a difference today.

🎶 Inka Inka

Formed in 1989, this Bammie-award winning reggae band from San Jose proclaimed a socially and environmentally conscious message with their music. Their second album, “Reconsider” reached the Top 20 on college Billboard charts before the group disbanded in 1996.

A Latina woman with long, red hair wearing a hoodie.

This San Jose-born rapper has gone global.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

🎶 Snow Tha Product

Born Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza in San Jose — this rising rapper began performing at the age of six with her grandfather’s mariachi band in Redwood City. She began exploring hip hop when she moved to San Diego, and since then, has produced several albums and received a Latin GRAMMY nomination.

🎶 Hook Herrera

This East San Jose-born blues musician became a fixture in the Bay Area’s music scene in the 1970s, and later performed throughout Texas in the 1980s-1990s. Besides the guitar + harp, Hook was most known for his harmonica playing.

🎶 The Chain Gang of 1974

This indie-electronica project is the brain child + alter ego of San Jose-born DJ Kamtin Mohager. After touring with 3OH!3, Kamtin started his solo career with an EP of 1980s-inspired synth-pop. His work has been featured in film + video game soundtracks.

Got more local music recommendations? Keep em’ coming.
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Today
Saturday
  • Bark in the Park | Sat., Sept. 17 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | William St. Park, S. 16th St. + E. William St. | Free entry | Bring along your pup to the largest dog festival in the United States. 🐕
  • 15th Annual Luna Park Chalk Art Festival | Sat., Sept. 17 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Backesto Park, 551 N. 13th St.| Free | Enjoy a colorful day of impermanent art.
  • J.C. Smith Band | Sat., Sept. 17 | 9 p.m.-2 a.m. | Mama Kin, 374 S. First St. | This Bay Area-based, award-winning guitarist keeps the blues alive. 🎸
  • Friends of the Tully Branch Book Sale | Sat., Sept. 17 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Tully Branch Library, 880 Tully Rd. | Free | Take a look, it’s in a book… 📚
Sunday
  • San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks | Sun., Sept. 18 | 1:05 p.m. | Levi’s Stadium | $95+ | 🏈
  • The Marriage of Figaro - Opera San José | Sun., Sept. 18 | 2 p.m. | California Theatre, 345 S. First St. | $20 | The music of Mozart is transported to colonial India in this groundbreaking show. 🎭
  • Laff Ur Blues Away | Sun., Sept. 18 | 3 p.m. | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St. | $30+ | Danny Cruzz presents a night of laughs + blues music. 🎙️
  • NTLive: Straight Line Crazy | Sun., Sept. 18 | Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio | $20 | Ralph Fiennes plays the most powerful man in New York in this pre-recorded stage production.
  • Yunchan Lim - Steinway Society Tickets | Sun., Sept. 18 | 2:30 p.m. | Livestream | $40 | At 18, this pianist was the youngest ever Gold Medal winner at the Van Cliburn Competition. 🎹
Monday

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather
  • 78º | Partly cloudy | 7% chance of rain
  • Pull out your umbrellas. After a historic heat wave, an anomalous weather system is predicted to bring rain to San Jose from Sunday into next week. 🌧️ (CBS News)
Biz
  • Trending for you... TikTok‘s Chinese parent company — Bytedance — is subleasing 658,000 sqft of office space on Coleman Ave., replacing plans for Yahoo to occupy the space. Once this transaction is complete, it would represent one of largest Silicon Valley office deals this year. 🏢 (The Mercury News)

Sports
  • Your weekend just got a bit “cooler”... From today to Sunday, top prospects from the San Jose Sharks and four other teams will be duking it out at Sharks Ice + the Tech CU Arena for the NHL Rookie Faceoff. Tickets range from $25-45. 🏒 (The Mercury News)
  • On Wednesday, the Sharks officially revealed its new “Evolve” uniforms for the 2022-23 season. This retro design features a similar striped design from the team’s 1991-97 jerseys. Fans can now purchase their very own.
Civic
  • After public opposition, the City has decided not to move forward with plans to construct 100 tiny homes for San Jose’s unhoused community on Noble Ave. The plan fell through because of the site’s primary use as a park + distance from resources for the intended residents. 🏠 (San José Spotlight)

Development
  • The city’s Planning Commission voted this week to recommend demolishing a 120-year-old barn + cottage in West San Jose to make room for a six-story building with 70 condos and 20,000 sqft of commercial space. The final decision will be put before the City Council soon. 🏗️ (San José Spotlight)
Feel Good
  • Talk about going the extra mile. This week, a group of East San Jose students + parents ran a fundraiser to help Coach Uzoma Amuchie — aka Coach Zoom — get back on his feet after a fire damaged his home. As of yesterday, the fundraiser has grown three times its goal — and counting. 🤝 (NBC Bay Area)
State
  • In response to last year’s VTA mass shooting, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved Senate Bill 1294, which will create statewide wellness centers for transit workers. These centers will be modeled after San Jose’s VTA Resiliency Center. (San José Spotlight)
Transit
  • This week, Milpitas began a new on-demand transit service to help fill transportation gaps in the city. The SMART app will connect riders to the Great Mall, Milpitas City Hall, Milpitas Transit Center, and Alder VTA light rail station for less than $3 a ride. 🚐 (CBS News)
Trending
  • This week, a series of small quakes in the Bay Area put California’s earthquake warning system to the test. Luckily the MyShake App performed well, and is available to download for free in Apple’s App Store + Google Play. 📲 (FOX 2 KTVU)
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Let’s hit the streets

September’s Viva Calle event in San Jose, CA
A group of bicyclists in festive + active attire.
Roll out, San Jose. | Photo via Viva CalleSJ
It’s time to “walk and roll.” 🚲

San Jose is hosting another Viva CalleSJ event on Sun., Sept. 18 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. This recurring program closes miles of streets so our community can walk, bike, skate, and play through the city.

This month’s route will have four activity hubs: Japantown, Arena Green, Parque de los Pobladores, and Kelley Park + History Park.

Expect road closures along Fourth St., W. St. John., S. First St., Keyes St., and Story Rd. ⛔

On top of food trucks + live music, here are some activities you won’t want to miss:

🌳 Parque de los Pobladores
  • Eight drag queens will battle it out at the SoFA Drag Race from 12-1:30 p.m. 🏳️‍🌈
🐲 Kelley Park + History Park
Stay tuned for more details from @vivacallesj or through the website.
THE WRAP
Today’s issue was written by Nicole.

Editor’s pick: Hey everyone — seems like there’s a lot happening this weekend. I’m planning on having a date night tonight at Mama Kin, stopping by the Luna Park Chalk Festival tomorrow, and rolling through Viva Calle this Sunday. Be sure to check out our new, revamped events calendar to make your own plans.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We’re exploring some San Jose Facebook pages you might like.
Read More
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Editorial: Alyson Chuyang, Nicole Calande, Trevor Peters, Britt Thorson, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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