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Shot of Insolence Billy Rosenthal adds his mic skills to Willie's Conception set at Cactus By Sarah Quelland THERE WERE LOTS OF FAMILIAR FACES at the Cactus Club last Friday (Nov. 24) to catch the after-Thanksgiving bash with Willie's Conception, Luxt, Sift, Local ODdity, Down2None and Shortie. Among them were members of San Jose's own Insolence, who are currently in the studio recording their major-label debut set to come out on Maverick Records in the spring of 2001. According to Mark Herman, one of Insolence's two forceful vocalists, the sessions are going extremely well, and he was happy to relay the news that "Front" (from 1996's Within) and "Lifted" (from 1998's Universal) should make the cut for the new album. Insolence fans were in for another treat during Willie's Conception's set. After an energetic, musically sound performance, the band closed with a freestyle, and Insolence's other vocalist, Billy "Mech 1" Rosenthal, jumped onstage to contribute his mic skills. Sift is another exciting local band to watch. Featuring vocalist Chris Dinsmore, guitarists Joe Biagini (also known as KSJO DJ Sloppy Joe) and Ted Aguilar, bassist Badger, drummer Danny Stevenson and keyboardist Brett Crane, Sift has a heavy rock & roll vibe comparable to bands like Alice in Chains and Godsmack. The long-haired Dinsmore brings elements of trashy Southern rock into the mix, and when he plays the floor toms, Sift takes on a powerful psychedelic-rock quality. Many South Bay fans were disappointed when the San Jose date (Nov. 19) of the Anger Management Tour with Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Eminem and Xzibit was canceled, and there's been little discussion as to why it was called off. Apparently Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst had been having some problems with his voice throughout the tour. After playing Nov. 17 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and Nov. 18 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, Durst, sources say, decided to rest his voice so that he could do the last stop of the tour Nov. 21 at The Pond in Anaheim. Though the other bands wanted to go on with the San Jose Arena show without Limp Bizkit--and allow refunds for ticket holders who wanted them--that plan was nixed. Limp Bizkit is currently touring with variations of DMX, Godsmack and Sinisstar, but there are no Bay Area dates on the horizon. ... Papa Roach just embarked on the Master Bay Tour, and although there are no Bay Area dates as of yet, there are rumblings that the band may conclude the tour with a special show somewhere in Northern California. Regardless, on Dec. 15, Papa Roach will take the stage at LIVE 105's annual Not So Silent Night benefit concert at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium with Green Day, A.F.I., Disturbed and Deftones. The benefit for Luckie Strike (the band's equipment was stolen while it was on tour) will be held this Friday (Dec. 1) at 7pm at the Outhouse behind Los Gatos High School. Bands scheduled to perform include Outtaline, FreakbomB, Drain 26, Prop 808 and Luckie Strike. Tickets are $5, and all ages are welcome. Word is this will be FreakbomB's last show. The Huxtables will participate in a party for the new Dungeons & Dragons movie this Saturday (Dec. 2) at Legends of Sports and Comics in Vallco Mall in Cupertino. The all-ages event starts at 1:30pm. In the evening, the poppy Slow Gherkin side project will perform at the Fishbowl in Sunnyvale with Big in Japan, Co-Ed, Stereotyperider and Enda. The teens-only show runs 7-11pm. ... Although there were reports that Dogstar was scheduled to perform at the Usual, the band was never confirmed. Bassist Keanu Reeves, singer/guitarist Bret Domrose and drummer Robert Mailhouse will perform Dec. 9 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz with Bottlefly. ... Fans of San Francisco rock band Swarm will be interested to know that when the guys played Hobie's in Concord Nov. 17, the audience got a special treat when guitarist Jerry Cantrell (known for both his work with Alice in Chains and his solo material) stepped onstage to perform with the group. Rumor has it Prince has secured the SJSU Event Center for a special event taking place next Friday (Dec. 8). No details have been announced. PLAN AHEAD: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Dec. 1 at Agenda Lounge; Filibuster and Floppy Rods, Dec. 1 at the Cactus; Goldfinger, Dec. 2 at the Cactus; Sammy Hagar, Dec. 2 at the SJSU Event Center; Agent Orange, Dec. 8 at the Cactus; Fishbone, Dec. 8 at the Usual; Frank Black, Dec. 8 at Cubberley Community Center; Blue Meanies, Dec. 10 at the Cactus. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]