Monkey, Foreigner, Sugar Hill Gang, The Roots & Treasure Island

pick

wed

thu

fri

sat

sun

mon

tue

upcoming

editorialpick

Wed. Sep. 12, 7:30pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $56 - $151 buy tickets Justin Timberlake RESCHEDULED: Justin Timberlake's stunningly ambitious second album, Futuresex/lovesounds, is the antithesis of a sophomore slump, as Timberlake's sly pop sensibilities and producer Timbaland's rhythmic invention push each other into entirely new musical realms. Incandescent tracks like "My Love" and "What Goes Around" are part of a musically eclectic album that mixes a wild array of genres and influences, often within a single track. With a falsetto that ranks up there among the likes of Scritti Politti and the brothers Gibb, Timberlake brings his elastic vocal talents to an intriguingly experimental set of songs that are densely layered with unexpected changes and unforgettable hooks at seemingly every turn. Good Charlotte opens.

Wed. Sep. 12, 8pm Rio Theatre 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz 831.421.9200 $35 - $47

Pink Martini POLYGLOT ROMANCE: With its lush, cinematic sensibility, the 12-piece band Pink Martini has a way of turning each concert into the musical equivalent of a film festival, complete with the need for subtitles. The Portland-based phenomenon has won a huge international following with its idiosyncratic repertoire of original songs and pop obscurities in more than a dozen languages. Featuring a string and brass section and four expert percussionists, the ensemble crafts intricate arrangements that provide evocative settings in which China Forbes, the band's deliciously polyglot vocalist, is free to roam.

Thu. Sep. 13, 7:30pm Mountain Winery 114831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga 408.998.TIXS $45 - $67.50 buy tickets

Foreigner URGENT: Few arena rock acts of the '70s were able to transcend their popularity into the following decades, but among the ones that did, including Styx, Heart and Boston, none did so with as much musical proficiency as Foreigner. Founded by veteran guitarist Mick Jones, Foreigner's rise to rock royalty was born out of Jones' hit-making genius and singer Lou Gramm's shimmering vocals. The resulting sound spread the band's popularity like wildfire. Hit after hit, album after album, Foreigner's dominance can still be felt today. The list of car-radio classics includes "Cold as Ice," "Feels Like the First Time," "Hot Blooded" and about 20 other songs, all of which are arena-rock solid.

Thu. Sep. 13, 9pm Britannia Arms: Downtown 173 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.278.1400 Usual Cover

FTB & Monkey SKA LOVERS UNITE: As FTB and Monkey hit the San Jose scene once again, there will undoubtedly be a showing of the city's most enthusiastic ska and punk fans cramming into the Brit's main room and merrily swilling beer long into the night. Monkey has been drawing ska and pop-punk fans since their debut in 1997, and have since racked up an impressive list of awards over their years of touring. FTB, born out of the frustration of too many San Jose metal bands, has been hitting the stages since 2001 with a fresh, ska-based style that still honors the members' punk-rock roots.

Thu. Sep. 13, 10pm Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge 99 E. San Fernando St., San Jose 408.998.9998 $5 - $15 guest list

128 BPM DEEPER AND FASTER: Fresh house grooves rule the dance floor at Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge tonight during the 128 BPM party. DJs Double K, Andrew MD and Naughty J head the triple-threat beat attack, spinning nothing but solid house all night long. So all of you bass-heads that miss a regular house scene in San Jose, give some props to Fahrenheit for bringing it back.

Thu. Sep. 13, 7pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $40 buy tickets

The Roots PHILLY BORN: The legendary Roots crew makes its way back to the Bay tonight, and the group is still so far above and beyond any hip-hop artist today, partly because of their strict dedication to play instruments and never sample somebody else's work. The last time we saw the Roots, the jazz-influenced hip-hoppers were headlining the Dew Action Sports Tour at HP, but now you can catch Black Thought, ?uestlove, Hub, Kamal Gray, F. Knuckles and Cpt. Kirk Douglas droppin' riffs, beats and dope rhymes in their natural onstage digs.

Thu. Sep. 13, 9pm VooDoo Lounge 14 S. Second St., San Jose 408.286.8636 $12 guest list

Jet Boy GLAMOR BOYS: If there was ever a time to resurrect your Aqua-Net hairspray, your leather, lace and tightest ripped jeans, a Jet Boy concert is it. A true rock & roll band in every sense, Jet Boy hails from the heart of the '80s with the message that rock never dies. These guys were the perfect blend of punk, glam and traditional metal back when they began in 1985. Their influences included the Rolling Stones, Hanoi Rocks and, of course, the New York Dolls. Like every live-hard, die-young band from that era, Jet Boy faced innumerable setbacks that eventually caused the band to fall to pieces. But true rockers have a way of being stubborn, and these guys have managed to hold it together, much to the delight of glam, punk and classic rock fans all over the place.

featuredpick

Fri. Sep. 14, 8pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $27.50 buy tickets Guster KING OF THE BONGOS: A good shuffling of the now rather substantial library of Guster songs is unlikely to ever spit out something that wouldn't fit into any romantic comedy. Even so, Guster has less in common with fellow '90s alternative starlets Dave Matthews and Ben Folds than it does with the hard-luck careers of, say, Wilco or the Mother Hips. Starting out as a college band trio in Boston, Guster made a name for themselves on the East Coast with only two acoustic guitarists mingling two perfectly matched voices, and one unusually ambitious bongo player who managed to make acoustic pop music sound like rock. Never quite achieving major commercial success, the adorably approachable Guster has nevertheless grown out of its acoustic roots into a successful and relentless touring quartet, towing along a growing and loyal fan base.

Fri. Sep. 14, 8pm Fox Theatre 2215 Broadway, Redwood City 650.363.8581 $20 - $23

Sons of Champlin STILL GROOVY: We all know the story of San Francisco's flourishing music scene of the '60s, when psychedelic rock was broadcasting its groovy message across the globe via bands like Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, and of course, the Grateful Dead. but does anybody remember the more obscure groups of the era, the ones that have slipped, one by one, down the cracks of our eroded memories? Here's a little flashback. Contrasting with the guitar-dominated sound of their contemporaries, the Sons of Champlin formed quite a following along the West Coast with their unique blend of rock, R&B and jazz. Instead of electric guitars, the Sons preferred keyboards and a horn section, but the vibe, man, was just as good. If you need proof, truck on over to Redwood City's Fox Theatre tonight—it'll be a trip. Bing and the Bingtones also perform.

Fri. Sep. 14, 8pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $13 - $21 buy tickets

The Devil Makes Three TENNESSEE WHISKEY: Santa Cruz may seem an unlikely birthplace for a feisty cowpunk band, but The Devil Makes Three did in fact spring up from its thriving underground indie scene, working their way from house shows to eventually selling out multiple nights at popular venues. With old-timey licks and a punk-rock attitude, The Devil Makes Three continue their ascension into the professional Americana circuit.

Fri. Sep. 14, 9pm Taste Ultra Lounge 87 N. San Pedro St., San Jose 408.885.1016 Usual Cover guest list

Ladies' Night @ Taste DEN OF INIQUITY: If you're the type of girl who likes to dress up in your most revealing, glitzy clothes and giggle your way into an ultra lounge with your gal pals, then this is the event for you. Though there's no sign out front that says, "Boys, keep out!", the Taste Ultra Lounge Ladies Night Out features a pretty menu of the most girlie amenities, such as mini-manicures, makeovers, massages, martinis and, of course, men. Pure Romance will also be there hosting one of its iniquitous passion/pleasure parties for girls who wish to restock their bedside table drawers. Various house & hip-hop DJs will keep the dance floor rolling all night long.

Fri. Sep. 14, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $8

Flexx Bronco HARD BUCKING: From San Francisco, Flexx Bronco kicks out hard and gritty rock like a sleazed-up garage party full of guitars, whiskey, sex and that little something extra that induces listeners to get up and throw something. Seriously, whenever and wherever these guys set up, you'd better just gird yourself for an all out booze-soaked free-for-all set to stylings of thrash, punk and rock that have spent just a little too much time together in the audio blender. Los Bastardos de Amor opens.

Fri. Sep. 14, 10pm Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 Usual Cover guest list

Virgo Party @ Vault MYVAULT.COM: Celebrating Virgos everywhere, the first official MySpace-sponsored party at the Vault is the place for ultra lounge fans with a MySpace addiction to head out to on Friday night. Well-known, award-winning DJ Scene will be spinning his classic remixes and hip-hop in the Homepage room, along with the Bay Area's famous DJ E Rock, also a MySpace featured artist. DJ Nasty Nick and three other spinners will keep a constant supply of house music in the back room. MySpace will also be filming the event and hosting a photo shoot for those who want to build up their library of pics.

Fri. Sep. 14, 9pm Britannia Arms: Cupertino 1087 De Anza Blvd., Cupertino 408.252.7262 $5

Left of Christ w/ Rivals HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD: Left of Christ rocks the Cupertino Brit tonight with hauntingly melodic with highly technical metal chops. The bandmates in Left of Christ have kicked around several other bands in the San Jo metal scene for years before coalescing into this incarnation, and their collective talent is readily heard in each blazing guitar riff and pounding bass line that comprises their progressive sound. Also on the bill tonight are those hard-hitting punkers from Gilroy, Rivals, who have torn up every venue they've played.

Fri. Sep. 14, 8:30pm Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., San Francisco 415.621.4455 $10

Kinski NO SPRING CHICKENS: Kinski isn't strictly an instrumental band, though the matter-of-fact nature of its vocals, when it does appear, suggests that its attention lies elsewhere. Totally kicking ass, perhaps? In a land crawling with well-intentioned but musically overindulgent Kraut-rock/prog fans playing mid-tempo noodlings, Kinski shines as a beacon of powerful, engaging jams. Since forming at the end of the 1990s, the Seattle quartet has toured frequently and recorded a strong catalog of blissed-out space rock. Due to its unfresh faces (Kinski are no spring chickens), woman-on-bass setup and love of feedback, Kinski is often compared unfavorably to Sonic Youth, but it far less downtown cool and far more acid-soaked. The band recently released its fifth album, Down Below It's Chaos, and is garnering more attention than ever, having toured with Tool earlier this year.

featuredpick

Sat. - Sun., Sep. 14 - 15, 12pm Treasure Island, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $58.50 - $420 buy tickets Treasure Island Music Festival THE PIRATE BAY: Berkeley-based production company Another Planet Entertainment, along with the conspirators behind San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival, are giving Bay Area music fans a rare opportunity to see some of the brightest jewels in popular music this weekend at the Treasure Island Festival. Yes, Treasure Island exists outside of pirate fairy tales; in fact, it's a real place located smack dab in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Check the listings for a complete lineup rundown, but here are the ones you should know about: Modest Mouse (need we say more?), Thievery Corporation, Spoon, DJ Shadow and Zion I. Along with a host of other local acts, Santa Cruz-based The Devil Makes Three are appearing on Sunday, bringing their old-timey sound to a venue fit for kings, or at least the captains of pirate ships. And even Jack Sparrow himself would have a hard time passing this one up, as the first annual festival is sure to shiver-thee-timbers all weekend.

Sat. Sep. 15, 7:30pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $25.50 - $35.50 buy tickets

Freestyle Explosion PARACHUTE PANTS: Before the days of gangsta rap and hyphy, there were the solidly upbeat days of old school freestyle. Tonight at the HP Pavilion, you can relive the days of hip-hop's past at the Freestyle Explosion, featuring the Sugar Hill Gang of "Rapper's Delight" fame, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock and Stevie B, with performances by the original members of Exposé, Trinfere, Company B, Frankie Smith and the spritely Stacey Q. Whether you consider yourself new school or old school, the Freestyle Explosion will definitely take you back to the simpler times of parachute pants, break dancing, big hair and beats.

Sat. Sep. 15, 10pm Agenda Lounge 399 S. First St., San Jose 408.287.3991 Usual Cover buy tickets

Sugar Hill Gang AFTERSHOCK: We're a little unsure if the meatball-toting granny in The Wedding Singer helped or hindered the Sugar Hill Gang when she belted out their seminal classic "Rapper's Delight," but one thing's for sure, that scene was hilarious. Pretty much agreed upon as being the pioneers of recorded hip-hop, the Sugar Hill Gang unfortunately never reached the chart-topping success of "Rapper's Delight" again, but still kick it old school style whenever they can. Catch the NYC trio and proud holders of the very first certified gold hip-hop single at Agenda after their performance at the Freestyle Explosion going off earlier tonight at the Pavilion.

Sat. Sep. 15, 9pm Vivid 8 S. First St., San Jose 408.279.4444 Usual Cover

Dollhouse @ Vivid REDLINE: What could be better than a tagline like "Beauty and the Beats"? That's right, the red-carpet photo edition of Dollhouse at Vivid Ultra Lounge. Enticing people with everything red and sexy, this San Jose club will be turning its interior into a plush, red fantasy land filled with red gift bag prizes, photographers and heavy house and hip-hop beats. Complete with red carpet entrance, anyone wearing red will get the special treatment (i.e. free admission before 11pm).

Sat. Sep. 15, 8pm Ruby Skye 420 Mason St., San Francisco 415.693.0777 $15

Pure Behrouz RESIDENT EVIL: DJ Behrouz returns to San Francisco tonight at Ruby Skye, bringing with him the deliciously hypnotic sounds that brought him to fame in 2003. Mixing elements of deep house, techno and his own personal experiments in sound, Behrouz brings a passion that is lacking with many of today's DJs. His sexy, spellbinding grooves have made him a hit from Ibiza to Amnesia, New York to Miami, Dubai to Singapore. Behrouz's 2005 residency at San Francisco's Ruby Skye is what earned him the highly coveted Best Resident DJ title at the 2005 Club World Awards.

Sun. Sep. 17, 7pm Davies Symphony Hall 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $40 - $55

Sinead O'Connor NOTHING COMPARES 2 U: It's been almost 20 years since Sinead O'Connor ended an SNL performance of Bob Marley's "War" by screaming, "Fight the real enemy!" and ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II. But Catholics everywhere need not fear her antics this time around, since this legendary Irish rock singer has officially offered an apology to the Vatican (which they may or may not have accepted) and become an ordained Catholic priest, which the Vatican most definitely did not recognize. From shaving her head to refusing to sing the "Star Spangled Banner," Sinead O'Connor has been one of easy listening rock's most well-known rebel girls since she burst onto the scene in 1987. Some people have branded her a troublemaker, some call her an Irish terrorist, some just say she's a wannabe poster girl for anarchy, but there's one thing most can agree on: this girl can sing. No one knows what she'll tear up or who she'll offend with this concert, but one thing we do know is that fans are guaranteed an amazing, if not humorous, performance.

Mon. Sep. 18, 7pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $25 - $27 buy tickets

The New Pornographers CANADIAN SUPERGROUP: Sometimes referred to as an indie supergroup, Canadian rockers the New Pornographers view themselves as anything but. Borne out of the late '90s indie scene in Vancouver, the New Pornographers scored mass praise from pop circles with their initial release, Mass Romantic, in 2000, and haven't slowed their melodic train down yet. The band's hitting the road in support of their latest release, Challengers, with opening work for this all-ages show by Lavender Diamond and Fancey.

Tue. Sep. 19, 7pm Sleep Train Pavilion 2000 Kirker Pass Rd., Concord 408.998.TIXS $30 - $80

Def Leppard UNION JACKS: What can be said about Def Leppard, except that it's wholly commendable that these original '80s hair-rockers are still alive and kicking...and, apparently, still touring. Everyone knows that Def Leppard were rock mainstays throughout the '80s, scoring monster hits with "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Pyromania" and the still-likely-to-hear-in-a-strip-club romp "Pour Some Sugar on Me." But now? Well, even though Joe Elliott and company have long since been out of the rock spotlight—with good reason, their last offering to the public was the completely lackluster Yeah! in 2006—it still might be worth it to cruise to Concord and see these iconic hair-metal rockers that pushed an entire generation to tear their jeans and sport Union Jack T-shirts.

Tue. Sep. 18, 8pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $22.50 buy tickets

The Sounds NEW NEW WAVE: If you're out scouring the local record store bins, searching on MySpace or the internet and endlessly trying to find the next Blondie, you needn't look any further than The Sounds out of Sweden...heck, lead singer Maja Ivarssson even looks the part. These indie-rock throwbacks recall the days of the New Wave maven with a tight sound and style. The Sounds have played with some of the hottest em/pop "rock" groups on the scene today, including Panic! at the Disco and Angels and Airwaves. Well, now The Sounds are getting their due by headlining the next leg of their tour for their second release, Dying to Say This to You.

coming up

Wed. Oct. 24-Sun. Oct. 28 HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.287.9200 $56-$153 BUY TICKETS

Disney on Ice: High School Musical COOL KIDS: Disney might have even surprised itself with its High School Musical series. High School Musical 2 debuted earlier this summer and was watched by more than 17 million viewers, making it the highest-rated basic cable broadcast ever, and landing the star, Zach Efron, on the cover of Rolling Stone. High School Musical 3 will supposedly be made into a movie, but for now, fans of this cult hit can satisfy themselves by attending the ice version, which version promises to have all the drama, singing and flair of the original, except live on ice--what could be cooler?

Tue. Nov. 6, 6:30pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.287.9200 $39.50-$50.50 BUY TICKETS

Maroon 5 THIS LOVE: Grammy Award-winning Maroon 5 is back in action after a hiatus that followed their 2002 Songs About Jane album. Maroon 5's new material has been blowing fans and critics away--it's sexier and better than ever. The music world has seen tons of artists infusing soul into their music, but Maroon 5 excels at it, making them heartthrobs for many adoring female fans. Funky beats and Adam Levine's unique vocals are still what set Maroon 5 apart from other alternative rock bands. The HP Pavilion might be a huge venue, but Maroon 5, The Hives and Phantom Planet will undoubtedly fill it up with fans and beautiful music.

--This week's newsletter by: RO, JJ, MC, GW, CT & SB

search upcoming music events

metroactive club gallery

music calendar picks

bay area tickets