Spring into First Friday. This week brings with it the first South First Friday art walk of the spring season. Be sure to get out there and check out the great galleries. There’s the 19th annual Latino Art Now! show at MACLA, Julie Barrett and David Mejia at KALEID Gallery and Immersion at SoPo. Also this week: The first Beerwalk in downtown San Jose, Chiefs at the Caravan and much more.
Latino Art Now
Wed, 12pm, Free
MACLA, San Jose
An explosion of contemporary Latino art comes to MACLA this week during the 19th annual Latino Art Now! art auction and exhibition. The gallery will feature some of the best Latino artists from the Bay Area and beyond. Keith Haring meets some sort of primordial Aztec circuit board in the looping, tangled lines of Aaron De La Cruz; Ester Hernandez, Linda Vallejo and Pilar Agüero-Esparza use their art to draw attention to political issues impacting Latin Americans in the U.S. and elsewhere. The exhibit runs through May 13 and culminates in an auction to benefit MACLA and its various community-oriented programs. (VS)
The Beerwalk
Wed, 6pm, $30+
Downtown San Jose
Lace up your walking shoes and prepare your palate. The Beerwalk, which has already trudged through downtown Campbell, Willow Glen, Santana Row, and Japantown, is coming to downtown San Jose for the first time. Founded in 2012, this Bay Area-based organization encourages locals to get to know their neighbors, meet local business owners and come to a better understanding of their community—all while sipping on suds and raising money for a good cause. This week’s walk will feature 20 locally brewed and imported beers. Proceeds will go to local nonprofits. (VS)
The Memory Stick
Wed, 7:30pm, $30+
San Jose Stage Company
Cultures simultaneously clash and find common ground in this new work by Irish playwright and actor Donal O’Kelly. The Stage produces the world premier of The Memory Stick, which examines the 1916 Easter Rising—which saw Irish republicans fighting for independence from the British—and contrasts the rebellion with similar insurgent efforts made by American Indians. The story is told through the eyes of two main characters: Bridget, a young Chicagoan of Irish heritage, and a fellow American of Sioux ancestry who meet on an Army base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Tensions rise as they discover each others’ secrets and one is suspected of whistleblowing. (VS)
Julie Barrett + David Mejia
Fri, 7pm, Free
KALEID Gallery, San Jose
This group show features works by two local artists. First, David Mejia presents new compositions. Titled “Shamanism: Images of a Mythic Journey,” the paintings are intended to explore the world of shamen, who Mejia says occupy a space between the world we can see and that which is unknown. Julie Barrett’s “Dark Expressions” examines the brooding inner space of the mind. Her wildly scribbled black-and-white images conjure feelings of fear and anxiety as they recall a melding of Ralph Steadman and the horror captured within Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. An artist reception will be held during this week’s First Friday art walk. (DSJ)
Louie Anderson
Fri, 7pm, $48
Carriage House Theatre, Saratoga
Louie Anderson first broke out with a standup appearance on The Tonight Show. Following a few bit roles and a Showtime standup special, he found success with his mid-’90s Saturday-morning cartoon, Life With Louie. He’s remained busy ever since and recently landed a role that has resulted in some critical acclaim. Anderson won Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series for his part as Christine Baskets in the Zach Galifianakis-starring tragicomedy Baskets, which recently concluded its second season on FX and was recently renewed for a third season. (NV)
Immersion
Fri, 7pm, Free
Social Policy, San Jose
A new group exhibition at Social Policy showcases the abstract paintings of local artists Giorgiani Mathey, Sophia Ronen and Nik Radford. “Immersion” Patrons are invited to get lost in a good cup of cold brew and Mathey’s ethereally beautiful splotches of amorphous color or ponder the sharp angles of Nik Radford’s colorful geometric designs over an espresso and house-baked pastry. Each piece is aimed at being a journey in and of itself. For those out exploring local art on the First Friday art walk (the first one of the spring season), SoPo will remain open beyond its normal business hours. (NV)
Andrew Rayel
Fri, 7pm, $45
City National Civic
Since debuting in 2009, Andrew Rayel has rapidly climbed the ranks of influential trance producers with his energizing beats, choppy vocal samples and choice synth patches. The 23-year-old Moldovan musician is signed to trance megastar Armin van Buuren’s label, Armada Music. He’s taken the main stages of massive festivals, including Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival, while getting a heavy rotation on the popular ‘A State of Trance’ radio station. On his upcoming mini-tour, Rayel plans to debut tunes from his new album, Moments, which is set for an early May release. The tour, which comes to town this Friday, is expected to feature a number of special guests. (BS)
LAST Festival
Sat, 10am, Free
Hammer Theatre, San Jose
Art, technology and science converge at the LAST Festival. The interdisciplinary event—“LAST” stands for “Life, Art, Science and Tech”—will feature interactive multimedia art installations, speakers discussing cutting-edge technologies and panels on how emerging science and technology will affect society. LAST returns to Silicon Valley for the fourth time in partnership with Paseo Public Prototyping Challenge and Festival. Robots will be the talk of the town as speakers explore the impact of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, synthetic biology and much more. An early exhibition of the festival’s art will be held Apr 7 at 6pm. (VS)
Chiefs
Sun, 9pm, Free
Caravan Lounge, San Jose
With a sludgy yet propulsive sound reminiscent of Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, Phoenix-based stoner rock outfit Chiefs bring their big Copper State riffs to San Jose. They come along with direct support from fellow Arizonans Dead Canyon. Chiefs received positive press from the likes of Noisey and Ghost Cult Magazine for their 2015 full length Tomorrow’s Over. The band are currently on a West Coast tour in support of Second Coming of Heavy: Chapter 5, their brand new split LP with San Diego heavy-psych-blues band Desert Suns. Raise a tall boy of PBR to these fuzzy freaks. (NV)
Tomorrow’s Over by Chiefs
