Downtown San Jose Whole Foods Updates

Last week at City Hall there was community meeting to go over the new Whole Foods breaking ground in 2013 on the corner of The Alameda and Stockton. It sounds like there was some push-back from the community on a long corrugated steel wall that would face the Alameda and have no windows. As you might guess, having a giant empty wall on a major thoroughfare is not ideal for vibrancy on the street. The good news is that the design process is still in progress and there is time for revisions.

Now, for some really good news. There will be a two-story building anchoring the corner of The Alameda and Stockton that will contain a brew pub and restaurant. This will be the very first brewery to be a part of a Whole Foods and the plan is for it to continue to stay open late even after the grocery store closes. There will also be a patio between this building and the main building, designed as an area where the community can gather. Parking should not be a problem with 141 spaces in the back (will be interesting to see how they prevent people going to the HP Pavilion from parking here).

The entire project should be done by 2014, which I have a feeling will be a banner year for Downtown.

Source: The Merc

Casino M8trix May Open Today!

Based on this YouTube video from last week, it looks like San Jose's long-awaited new Casino may actually be opening . It has been a long and complicated journey, but it looks like the doors will be swung wide open today open sans the penthouse gaming floor (boo). Even non-gamblers will be able to enjoy the 4 new restaurants--a couple of which should be open very late into the night--and of course the solid addition to our skyline. Of all the high-rises in San Jose at the moment, this is the one that I think best represents a "Silicon Valley" aesthetic.

For anyone that checks out M8trix, be sure to post your thoughts in the comments.



UPDATE: M8trix Ribbon Cutting is tomorrow at 8am, but it does open today at 10am.

Dishcrawl: "Unexpected - 8 Restaurants, Theatre, And More!"

You have to hand it to Dishcrawl. They continue to step up their events time and time again. This is going to be the first Dishcrawl that will be done in conjunction with 1stACT Silicon Valley and the San Jose Downtown Association. The new twist this time around is going to be 10 unexpected performances (hence the name) including opera and interpretive dance. This is a self-guided Dishcrawl across 8 different venues featuring food and drinks from the Fairmont, Mezcal, Green Barrel Wine, SV Local Market, and many others. Read all of the details below or head straight to the Discrawl site to reserve your spots!

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Dress up and get your date night on with the first "Unexpected" event!

Experience 10 unexpected performances from opera to interpretive dance while strolling through 8 restaurants in the heart of Downtown San Jose!

Some of the dish and drink pairings you can expect are from Fairmont, Mezcal, SV Local Market, and Green Barrel Wine. Full list to be disclosed early August, but don't wait to purchase tix!

This event is eat as you please, self guided and open to all ages. Checkin at Fairmont San Jose.

$19 entry fee online, $25 day of. Dine and wine as you please through 8 stops. All dishes $5 and drinks $5. (Click here to purchase tickets.)

Please inquire about vegetarian options at hi@dishcrawl.com.

Discover The Unexpected is a series of events to be programmed throughout the Silicon Valley powered by 1stACT Silicon Valley and the San Jose Downtown Association.

About LiveSV LiveSV.com provides a robust, current and easy-to-use online platform for the arts, culture and entertainment community to engage, participate and communicate with their audiences. LiveSV.com is the place to go to discover, experience and share what’s new and unique in the Silicon Valley. Powered by Arts Council Silicon Valley.

About Dishcrawl Dishcrawl creates dining experiences and events to satisfy anyone’s craving. You can find your local Dishcrawl Ambassador leading you through progressive dinners, prix fixe dinners, and other fun food events! Visit Dishcrawl.com for a local dining experience.

Enter Music Publishing Continues Its Commitment To Education With DRUM! Night Benefit For Lincoln High School

San Jose, Calif. – For a third consecutive year, the editorial staff of Enter Music Publishing, publishers of DRUM! Magazine, has joined a host of high-profile cosponsors to present DRUM! Night!. The biggest drumming event in Northern California, DRUM! Night is a benefit with two goals: raise money for Lincoln High School and to create greater awareness for the cause of music education in schools.

DRUM! Night 2012 will transform the San Jose Repertory Theatre into a drummer’s playground on Friday, August 10. Like last year, DRUM! Night promises to be an exciting evening of drum clinics, performances, instruction, exhibits, raffles, and awards. Additionally, last year’s DRUM! Night was very well received by those who attended and the media. Joshua Santos, publisher of the San Jose Blog, noted that “DRUM! Night was a booming success.”

DRUM! Night’s Diverse Lineup
The show will spotlight the talents of three incredible drummers — Kenny Aronoff (Chickenfoot, John Fogerty), Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Divine Heresy), and Cora Coleman-Dunham (Prince, Beyoncé) — demonstrating startling chops and sharing professional playing tips.

Between acts, the animated punk-rock ensemble Street Drum Corps will provide percussive interludes on drums and everyday objects, while acting as the evening’s MCs to welcome the star performers onstage.

“We’re really excited about this year’s lineup,” said Andy Doerschuk, editorial director of Enter Music Publishing. “It’s such a diverse presentation of styles, from straight-up rock, to extreme metal, and funk. All those incredible chops will definitely keep the audience on their toes.”

Pre-Show Percussive Events
As attendees queue up before the show, the award-winning ensemble San Jose Taiko will take over the plaza outside the theater at 4:30 p.m. to showcase their infectious brand of choreographed drumming that draws from both Japanese and Western traditions.

While the main show begins at 6:30, the doors will open at 5:00 to allow early attendees to tour through a vintage drum museum, a Roland electronic drums lab, and exhibits of gear made by drum and percussion manufacturers. In the meantime, onlinedrummer.com’s celebrated educator Nate Brown will conduct a pre-show “stick tricks” workshop in the lobby.

BADAAs Awards
To celebrate the rich drumming history of the San Francisco Bay Area, in 2011 DRUM! inaugurated the Bay Area Drummers Achievement Awards (or BADAAS). The first award was presented to Mike Bordin, best known for his work with Faith No More and Ozzy Osbourne.

This year’s winner has been chosen and notified by the editors of DRUM! Magazine, and the prized trophy is being engraved with his name, which will remain a mystery until it is presented during DRUM! Night 2012.

“We’re lucky to be part of such an incredible music community here in the Bay Area,” said DRUM! publisher Phil Hood. “We realized DRUM! Night gives us a prime opportunity to honor those drummers who have contributed to this legacy.”

Raffle & Silent Auction
DRUM! Night raffle tickets are already on sale for a chance to win a full drum kit featuring Gretsch Renown57 drums and Zildjian Z3 cymbals (check event web site for details — drumnight2012.com). In addition, participating cosponsors will contribute drums, cymbals, hardware, sticks, and drumheads to a silent auction. Winners will be announced at the close of the show.

Signature Series Cosponsors
Cosponsors for DRUM! Night 2012 include DW, Zildjian, Ddrum, Sabian, Tama, Vic Firth, Remo, Vater, Gretsch, Samson, Yamaha, Roland, Meinl, Ahead, Axis, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2012, and Metro Newspapers.

Tickets
Advance tickets for DRUM! Night 2012 are $35 for premium seats, $30 for house seating, and $20 for balcony seats. Tickets are available on drumnight2012.com or by calling 408-971-9794, ex. 210.

About Enter Music Publishing
Founded in San Jose, CA in 1991, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of informative and entertaining drum and music-related media, with distribution in 40 countries. DRUM! Magazine is the company’s flagship publication and continues to set the industry standard for editorial quality and innovation. Enter Music Publishing, Inc. also publishes drummagazine.com, a leading drum-related Web site. The company’s mission is to be the best source of drumming news and information in the world.

History San José Highlights Both Historic Locations in August

 ‘Happy Birthday Car 124’ at History Park on Sunday, August 12

& the Annual Fandango! at the Peralta Adobe

in the San Pedro Square Market on Sunday, August 19 

San José, CA – July 26, 2012

The second of the series of the History San José’s Family Days will be on Sunday, August 12, Happy Birthday Car 124!, a celebration of Trolley #124’s 100^th birthday party at History Park. A great place for a birthday party, this signature red trolley will be running on its track, there will be a trolley car drawn by a horse, and visitors can pump themselves a ride on a vintage hand-car. Vintage vehicles on display will include fire engines, an electric car, and Model T’s.

There will be crafts for the kids, live music featuring the Peninsula Banjo Band. And what a birthday party---cake included! Even the San Jose Giants will celebrate. Party-goers can stay, picnic and watch the fireworks after the baseball game. Food typical of the Gay Nineties will be available for purchase all afternoon.

Then on the following week, Sunday, August 19, is the annual Fandango! at the Peralta Adobe, in the heart of the new San Pedro Square Market.

This date is significant in that it commemorates the death 161 years ago of Maria Luis Peralta. He was the Californio who lived in the Peralta Adobe with his family, and was one of the first Accolades (mayor) of Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe.

Typical of that era, there will be music and dancing, as well as a descedant of the original horses that were brought by the Spanish explorers. Children will have the opportunity to make adobe bricks, corn husk “pocket buddies”, candles, rope a steer and learn more about the mission and rancho period of California.

Then mark all calendars, as Saturday, October 13 is the last in the series of Family Days. Filipino-American Heritage Day, celebrating Filipino American Month in October, will honor Filipino Americans and the current exhibit, Through My Father’s Eyes: The Filipino American Photographs of Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado (1914 – 1976). The exhibition is in the Gallery at the Pacific Hotel, and is a collection of 50 photographs chosen from more than 3,000 discovered by his daughter, Janet Alvarado after his death. This exhibit offers a rare view into the daily life of the Filipino-American community in the post-World War II era in the Bay Area. That celebration will include filipino foods, dancing and music, and other activities.

The series of Family Days at History Park is supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San José.

Upcoming events include:

·      Haunt History Park, safe trick-or-treating, on October 28;

·      Happy Birthday San Jose! At the Peralta Adobe and Fallon House at the San Pedro Square Market on Sunday, November 18;

·      Children’s Holiday Festival with Santa Claus at History Park on Saturday, December 8;

·      the Heritage Holiday Tea is on December 1 at the Fallon House.

General admission is $8 per adult, $5 for seniors and students with a valid ID and children under five are free. Admission is free to members of History San Jose.

For more information call 408 918-1047 or visit www.historysanjose.org

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About History San José: 

History San José is a non-profit organization that collects, preserves and celebrates the stories of diversity and innovation in San José and the Santa Clara Valley. HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology. 

History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112       408.287.2290

For GPS tracking, History Park is at 635 Phelan Road in San José, CA  95112.

www.historysanjose.org

StartOrganic Announces Northern California Growth Plans

San Jose, CA - July 9, 2012 - Building healthy communities just got a little bit easier in the Bay Area with the successful launch of startup, StartOrganic.  A fresh-faced, service-based organization, StartOrganic provides turnkey residential gardening services in which they build, maintain and harvest organic gardens for residents across the Silicon Valley.  

Far from your run-of-the-mill gardening service, StartOrganic is a values-based organization founded by two University of California, Santa Barbara alumni and long time friends, Josh Levine and Troy Smothermon.  With a shared passion for driving widespread cultural change Smothermon speaks to their mission, “With a health crisis that has reached critical mass, greater transparency across the food chain, and sustainability increasingly woven into the country’s social fabric, individuals, families and communities are armed with information and hungry for change.  StartOrganic is empowering people to take their food supply into their own hands and homes.” 

Converting virtually any usable space, from backyards to front lawns, into productive organic gardens, Levine and Smothermon attribute the rapid expansion of StartOrganic to its largely grassroots fanfare.  “When we work with customers, it’s amazing to see the organic gardening experience take hold in their community.  Instantly, friends and neighbors are talking about our gardens and asking how they can grow one of their own,” says Levine. 

Taking the process a step further, Levine and Smothermon have also established produce share events in which customers are invited to bring gardening surpluses to a community produce exchange, simply trading one’s own crop for another’s.  Produce, not dollars and cents, is the only thing that changes hands.  

As the market for organic, sustainable products continues to mount, StartOrganic provides a simple, yet innovative, solution.  Grow your own.  Equipping customers with the infrastructure and ongoing service required to be successful, StartOrganic brings new meaning to localizing the food source.  Looking ahead, Levine says, “Backyard gardens are for everyone, and our mission is to pollinate StartOrganic principles within our local community and beyond.”

About Start Organic
Founded in 2011 by partners Josh Levine and Troy Smothermon, StartOrganic provides residential organic gardening service to the Silicon Valley, with plans to expand throughout the California market.  With a hands-on approach, StartOrganic works with customers to build, maintain and harvest organic home gardens, enabling gardeners of any experience level to enjoy the fruits of their labor – homegrown, pesticide-free, seasonal produce throughout the year.  
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Link:
http://startorganic.org/StartOrganic_Announces_Northern_California_Growth_Plans_2.html

Bent Knee Comes to San Jose Aug 11th

Bent Knee is a Boston-based alternative rock band that is kicking off their third west coast tour in Downtown San Jose at SLG Publishing's Art Boutiki and Gallery (cool venue inside of a comic book publishing house). To sample the band's music click here, or watch any of the Youtube videos below.

Event Details:
Date:  Aug. 11th, 2012
Location:  SLG Publishing's Art Boutiki and Gallery
577 S. Market St San Jose, CA 95113
Bands:  Bent Knee, Contra Ville
Time:  7pm-11pm

Wednesday Wishlist: Downtown Electronics Store

One of the top items on my wishlist is some sort of electronics store in the Downtown area. There are a couple repair shops, but they are not true electronics stores where you can walk in and browse a traditional assortment of electronics. It doesn't have to be a Fry's (although I wouldn't object to one), but just a small 4,000 sqft boutique store with great customer service and late hours would do. 

Speaking of late hours, not a single 24 hour electronics store exists in the Bay Area. New York has several, including an Apple store and Best Buy. If someone could manage to open a gadget shop Downtown that was open around the clock, there could be a market for this given the strange hours of Silicon Valley engineers. I know I've had times in my career where I could have used a USB cable or extra Hard Drive at 2am. We are in the middle of Silicon Valley and the entrepreneurial center of the universe... we need to have instant resources available for those the people that are changing the world (or those that simply want to buy gadgets in the middle of the night).