The Scene Is Coming Back

Re "South Bay Live Now!" (Silicon Alleys, May 2): I just wanted to let you know how much this article stirred me up. I totally feel you on what this place used to be like. I wasn't playin' shows down here at the time, but you're damn right I was down here watching 'em. I remember comin' down here and watchin' bands like M.I.R.V., Green Day, Snot, No Doubt, NOFX, A.F.I., Bad Religion, Skankin' Pickle, Monkey and all sorts of other fucking amazing bands come in and out of places like the Cactus Club, the Usual, and all sorts of other Places That Time Forgot.

Coming into this scene three years ago, I saw a place where people really didn't give a shit about goin' to shows. And why would they? Most of the bands that were playing around here were (like mine, sad to say) terrible. There were a handful of good ones, but not enough to really sustain anything other than the occasional dive bar gigs and half-cocked house parties. Since then, things have slowly begun to turn around. The bands are getting better, sharper. The talent pool has begun to thicken up, and local musicians are beginning to realize that if they really want to get people to come out, the game has to be stepped up. There's no other alternative.

You're seeing a new breed of venues down here now as well—places that wouldn't have dreamed of doing so years ago have begun hosting live music regularly, sometimes two or three days a week. C&J's Sports Bar, the Cupertino Brit, the Homestead Lanes, and countless others have stepped up and begun giving aspiring bands opportunities to flex their talent, and in doing so have inspired clubs that didn't normally host much local talent before such as the Voodoo Lounge and the Blank Club to open their doors a bit more again. They've begun to realize that a scene is coming back and that there's a market brewing once again for live bands in the South Bay.

So now a new generation of bands and clubs has set the stage to (hopefully) put this place back on the map. Being that my band is a part of this whole movement, I am humbled and excited to share in this experience with my peers and fellow musicians, dancers, artists, thinkers, and general creative types who just wanna make somethin' happen. Your article has inspired me, sir—I can't wait to see what happens next.

Randle, Vocalist, Castaway, San Jose

We Take Verbal Abuse On Letters Page

Gary, love the article ("Do Stop Believin'," Silicon Alleys, May 3, 2006), though my life is much different now. Had to mellow out from those destructive ways. I know what you mean, I've been searching for this CD literally for years—my old vinyl copy won't play and I've lost all the tapes I had made. VA set the mood for those years of life, drinking and carrying on and such. Summer Slam 85 was a pivotal point as the scenes crossed over and drinking with Scotty afterwards is a great memory for me. Thanks for the article and I wonder how many shows we were at together.

Brian Damage, Verbal Abuse, Via email

The Memory Hole Deepens

Re "Myth of the Universal Library" (Techsploits, May 9): Thank you, thank you, Annalee. There is so much B.S. about this (even Dvorak has participated in the B.S., and he is one of the best) that it frightens me.

The digitization of information, and the way the existence of digitized information encourages the discarding of other forms, is creating the biggest "memory hole" since the invention of writing eliminated the transmission of history through the telling of stories, a.k.a. "myths."

Now if only we can make Ms. Newitz into a meme, maybe there will be hope for the preservation of a greater part of out history, culture, and still useful even if outdated technologies.

Jim Pivonka, La Crosse, Kan.

Stevie's The Best

Re "Stevie Nicks: Style Icon" (Style, May 16): Thanks for a nice review on my favorite performer. I have always been really mad about other reviews in the past that described Stevie with negative statements. She takes these words to heart, but her true fans would never speak anything heartless. The drug days, and when she gained weight, articles would be cruel. We are only human, to make human mistakes. All she has ever done is try to please her fans, and wonderful reviews, and articles such as yours are well deserving of the best female rocker of all time. Thanks for putting your human touch to your article.

Jim Templeton, Toronto, Ontario

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