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South First Times Five

Eclectic Madness: Local favorite I.B.O.P.A. (a.k.a. the Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto) headlines the Usual at this year's South First Music Experience. This year's South First Music Experience rocks in with Outtaline, Swerver, Stunt Monkey, RetroMotive and many more By Sarah Quelland FIRST OFF, the fifth annual South First Music Experience--a Metro-sponsored event--will be held next Thursday (April 8). The Cactus Club has a heavy-duty rock & roll lineup with Outtaline (featuring members of the now-defunct Soda), Swerver, Spitkiss and Tribal Disco Noise. Papa Roach headlines this 16+ show, and Jalopy Taco Stand closes out the night. At the Usual, the bill features exuberant punk-pop trio Stunt Monkey, jangly pop rockers Oranger and the ever-eclectic madness that is I.B.O.P.A. Agenda hosts rockabilly and swing acts Texas Border Radio, the Chop Tops and Hot Town Jubilee upstairs, and DJ dancing in the cellar. Toon's offers original rock acts, including modern rock trio Kao Tao, the moodily atmospheric RetroMotive, the rootsy rock of Dear Liza and the edgy guitar-driven rock & roll of headliners the Recruits. It's $10 for access to all participating clubs ($5 for one club), and all proceeds benefit local charities, including Second Harvest Food Bank, ARIS and A Place for Teens. The Week That Was IT WAS another busy week on the local scene. Sketch performed with the End at the Usual March 23 and did a little Milli Vanilli action as it recorded video footage for "Metal Mom." ... March 25 saw the Recruits at the Edge with Stone's Throw and Smitty. Talented songwriters, engaging performers and all-around nice guys, the Recruits are one of the best-kept secrets on the local music scene despite their dedicated and well-deserved fan base. On March 26, Nine Past Nine debuted at the Cactus Club, opening for Method 5150, Will Haven, Professional Murder Music and Tribal Disco Noise. It's difficult not to draw parallels with L.A.-based P.M.M. (which features former Spitkiss guitarist Brian Harrah) and Korn, but the band still impresses. ... Triplex brought its positive, message-oriented vibe to Gaslighter's Music Hall March 27 with a Caribbean hip-hop rap jam session presented by One Time Productions. Pyracy, SWRV, Papa Roach and Insolence also played. SWRV's sound is too much like Insolence without the funk groove and bears Korn and Deftones tendencies. Not only that, Jimmy Arceneaux's band, Swerver, predates SWRV by more than a year. Get some originality, boys. Papa Roach put on a full-blast show, and it looked like Insolence was about to bust out with another quality set. As much as I enjoy its live energy, I've seen Insolence many times, so I darted up to the Cactus to catch Monkey, whose infectious Latin ska-jazz noir had the enthusiastic crowd moving all over the dance floor. Special guests onstage included Monkey's original trombone player, David Borton, and George Glover from the Irradicats on guitar. PLAN AHEAD: Garbage and Alanis Morissette, April 1, San Jose Arena; Mother Hips and Plush, April 1, the Edge; Dave Davies (from the Kinks), the Odd Numbers and others, April 2, the Cactus Club; Sketch, Stepchild and others, April 3, the Quarter Note; Kao Tao, Andalusia and Lisa Dewey, April 6, the Usual; Insolence, April 8, the Edge. Catch SFMX5 Cactus Club headliners Papa Roach April 8, 3:30-5pm on KSJS 90.5FM with DJ Helder Skelter. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]