Santa Clara County Local News

Martin Yan has been on TV longer than ESPN or the Food Network. He goes way back.

This story is about your favorite songs. When you first heard them, you immediately wanted to hear them again. They stayed in your head for a month. While your body moved to their beat, everything that happened to you then, the memories of all of it, can come back to you through these songs.

The student and the teacher sit facing one another, their feet on the drum pedals, drumsticks in their hands. Autism may make the 10-year-old’s speech unique, it may make his attention variable, but right now he is communicating with his teacher in a different dimension, in a language he can feel.

This weekend—truly a last hurrah before the seasons change—San Jose’s Plaza de Cesar Chavez will be the site of the last two concerts for Metro’s Music in the Park concert series. In between there is Kids Day in the Park, presented by Bay Area Parent.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Quite the prolific artist, 34-year-old Mitski (aka Mitsuki Miyawaki, born Mitsuki Laycock) has released a handful of great records over the past couple of years. Her current tour finds her supporting her latest, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, which has resonated with her adoring fans while also receiving critical acclaim.

LA-born, Hawaii-based, ethnically Polynesian and musically immersed in the sounds of Jamaica, reggae artist J Boog is an international and multicultural sensation. Buoyed by the success of his latest single, “Fire Up Di Roses”—a collaboration with The Green, Common Kings and mentor Fiji—J Boog is in the midst of a world tour that takes him as far as New Zealand. Among those concert dates is a Sept. 22 performance at San Jose’s Music in the Park.

Keeping a restaurant afloat for 45 years is certainly no small feat. It takes grit, determination, good help and a fair bit of luck. Yet year after year, seafood lovers are reeled into this Los Gatos eatery.

Lowrider culture began in LA in the ’40s when enthusiasts retrofitted their autos with custom wheels, hydraulic lifts and other dazzling accessories. The culture soon expanded across the nation and beyond. Presented by the United Lowrider Council of San Jose and Local Color SJ, the 2nd Annual Lowrider Art Showcase will feature a fleet of lowriders. The free, family-friendly event includes artmaking and painting demonstrations, DJs, dancing and local food and art vendors. The showcase honors the lowrider community and is an excellent way to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Texan singer-songwriter Hayes Carll debuted with 2002’s Flowers & Liquor. His work’s wry lyricism and poetic quality earned him plaudits right from the start. Carll’s second album, 2004’s Little Rock, earned distinction as the first independently released album to top the Americana chart. Carll has gone on to rack up numerous awards and a Grammy nomination. His latest album, You Get It All, was released in 2021 and featured Carll’s distinctive brand of humor and moving sincerity. It was heralded as a return to the county stylings of his earlier work.

Brian Regan is the comedian other established comedians tell new comedians to watch and learn from. He’ll give a stand-up masterclass on Sunday when he brings his latest tour to Mountain Winery. Regan is the classic observational comic with a delightfully goofy personality and delivery. Even when he explores deeply personal subject matter, like his own struggles with OCD, he manages to fit it into his playful structure and comic rhythm, rendering it all incredibly relatable, accessible and hilarious. Regan has eight hour-long releases and countless late-night talk show appearances available to get that stand-up education started.

Since Anderson .Paak’s album Malibu was nominated for a Grammy Award, he’s become the poster child for all things funk. He hasn’t rested on his laurels, either, as he’s won a whopping eight Grammy Awards and topped the music charts since. Besides his much-lauded solo work, .Paak turned heads when he collaborated with pop icon Bruno Mars on their old-school funk-inspired band, Silk Sonic. Besides his adept rapping skills and production prowess, .Paak can play the drums something fierce. This Saturday, he will turn even more heads when he treats South Bay audiences to his funky stylings along with his backing band, the Free Nationals.

For some, the words “Faster than a speeding BART train” might ring a bell or fond memories. This weekend, fans can relive their childhood memories—and maybe bring the kids to create their own—when Capt. Cosmic comes to Art Boutiki. Created and hosted by Bob Wilkins (1932–2009), Captain Cosmic was THE place to go for lovers of animated sci-fi cartoons like Ultraman and campy films like Godzilla vs. The Thing. Hosted by Lord Blood-Rah and Tom Wyrsch, An Evening with Capt. Cosmic gives fans two classic episodes, interviews Wilkins conducted with Star Trek and Star Wars celebrities, and the chance to meet the “Capt.” in person.

The Bay Area Chinese Musician Association presents this very talented duo of female guitarists performing classical guitar. Meng Su and Yemeng Wang are enthralling audiences with “Mid-Autumn Melodies,” work that is emotive and gorgeously harmonized without ever becoming arrogant, show-offish or treacly. The versatile duo’s influences range from Renaissance to contemporary music, and they won a Latin Grammy for their work on their first album, Maracaipe. Watching them play is a trip; they barely seem to move as their hands deftly fly up and down their guitars.

Javier Santiago is a rising star in the beat, hip hop and jazz scenes and has tinkled keys with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Aja Monet. Based in LA, this pianist/composer combines acoustic instruments and electronic beats in his ensemble, creating emotive yet relaxed soundscapes. He is the type of artist who stretches himself to become one with a genre rather than someone who bends genres to fit his work. The result is dynamic versatility that creates a unique live performance.

JR De Guzman is quick on the punchline and even quicker on the guitar—a skill he learned while teaching music to teens. He had a knack for making them laugh, so he combined the two for a musical comedy bit that isn’t as annoying as it sounds. When Guzman’s not writing funny songs, he’s writing sets about his Filipino heritage, family life and dating. The greats always say to “write what you know,” and Guzman knows a lot. That must be why his album, Dual Citizen, debuted at number one on both the iTunes and Billboard Comedy Charts.

Music is fluid and ever-changing. It exists in the present moment, even when captured on audio recordings. This year’s Fusion Echoes at SJSU aims to showcase music’s dynamic nature and how it can be reinterpreted, altered and even expanded by adding visual elements to the sensory experience, creating a more fully engrossing odyssey. Fusion Echoes kicks off on Sept 20 with JS Bach’s Complete Brandenburg Concertos! for all who love Baroque music. Other nights include a homage to Linda Ronstadt, an exploration of acoustic and electronic fusion and a tribute to the timeless works of the past. Shows go until Sept 28.

Art Boutiki has hosted a monthly “Drink and Draw” night for the past five years. The premise is simple yet rewarding: a free, all-ages, all-vinyl hangout for people to drink, draw, paint and share laughs. This month features special guests Dad Bod Rap Pod. Composed of local music experts Nate Leblanc, Demone Carter and David Ma, the Dad Bod Rap Pod has grown from a humble exploration of rap music into a podcast with international reach and renown, and they’ll be spinning their favorite records while guests eat, drink, draw and be merry.

A Cupertino incumbent is dropping out of the City Council race to focus on her health, leaving an open seat in November.
Councilmember Hung Wei suspended her campaign Tuesday to prioritize her health after battling stage four lung cancer since June. She will finish her term through December before leaving Cupertino politics for the time being. She said her nearly four years on the council have been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, but she needs to focus on getting better.
“I always say when life gives you different cards, you run with it,” she told San José Spotlight.
Wei, first elected in 2020, leaves a crowded race with candidates including her colleague Councilmember Kitty Moore, former Mayors Rod Sinks and Barry Chang, former Planning Commissioner R “Ray” Wang, Foothill-De Anza Community College District Trustee Gilbert Wong and Cupertino Chamber of Commerce Board Vice President Claudio Bono all vying for two seats on the five-person council. Cupertino elects councilmembers at large, meaning voters can chose from all candidates rather than just those running in their political district — the more common method used by nearby cities such as Campbell and Sunnyvale.
Wei said she is endorsing Sinks because of their mutual values and donated $5,500 to his campaign, the maximum campaign contribution an individual can give.

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