Berryessa Walmart?

Well, I have some bad news today. It looks like SyWest Development wants to build a Walmart where the Century Berryessa 10 movie theaters used to be. SyWest has recently razed a beloved theater in Pleasant Hill to build several cookie-cutter big box stores, despite protest from thousands of residents. It looks like they want to do something similar in San Jose. While there is little reason to preserve the Berryessa theater, putting another generic Walmart there seems like a poor use of the space, which will only be minutes away from the new San Jose BART station in 2017.

The person to complain to is Bill Vierra, the SyWest president and COO (bill_vierra@sywest.com). More information on the flyer below.

Thanks Andrew for sending this in!

Dome Theater in Pleasant Hill that was Razed by SyWest

DRUM! Night 2013 Lineup Announced

On Friday, August 9th, a stellar group of drummers across multiple genres will be performing in Downtown San Jose (including Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers). For all the info, check out the press release below or head over to the event website over here!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chad Smith, Cindy Blackman-Santana & Jason Bittner will dazzle West Coast drummers in August!

San Jose, Calif. – The editors of DRUM! Magazine have announced the all-star line-up of drumming clinicians that will appear at DRUM! Night 2013. Expect lots of chops to fly when Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Chickenfoot), Cindy Blackman-Santana (Lenny Kravitz/Santana),Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall/Anthrax), and Street Drum Corps take the stage at the San Jose Repertory Theatre on Friday, August 9.

“We work hard to present a diverse lineup of drummers every year,” says DRUM! Magazine editorial director Andy Doerschuk. “Music media tends to pigeonhole artists into categories like ‘metal’ and ‘jazz’ — we’re just as guilty as any other music magazine. But our objective is for DRUM! Night attendees to walk away from our festival with a new appreciation for the similarities that exist between drummers like Chad, Cindy, and Jason, and be exposed to styles of music they might not otherwise hear.”

The star-studded roster of past DRUM! Night performers is proof of this proposition. Previous DRUM! Night festivals have featured living legends like Terry Bozzio, David Garibaldi, Kenny Aronoff, and Thomas Lang, as well as emerging hotshots like Thomas Pridgen, Queen Cora Dunham, Marco Minnemann, and Tim Yeung.

In addition to this year’s incredible array of talent, DRUM! Night 2013 will feature a gear expo, raffle, silent auction, and presentation of the 2013 BADAAS (Bay Area Drummers Achievement Awards) trophy to a local drumming legend whose name will remain a secret until the onstage presentation of the award. Paul Bostaph of Slayer and Mike Bordin of Faith No More were the first two annual honorees.

For more information and tickets, go to drumnight2013.com. And be sure to pick up a copy of the August issue of DRUM! to read our cover story featuring the stars of DRUM! Night.

About Chad Smith

Chad Smith has played drums with The Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988, appearing on every Chili Peppers album since the band’s 1989 breakthrough, Mother’s Milk. When not working with the Chili Peppers, Smith has remained busy with such side projects as the all-star band Chickenfoot and instrumental fusion outfit Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats, as well as a long list of studio sessions with such diverse artists as Kid Rock, Glenn Hughes, Brandi Carlile, Johnny Cash, and The Dixie Chicks. Over the years, Smith has also contributed time to charitable causes including MusiCares, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Children’s Hospitals, among others.

About Cindy Blackman-Santana

One of the few drummers who is equally compelling in jazz or rock settings, Cindy Blackman-Santana began to turn heads after moving to New York City in the early ’80s, and within a short time started racking up credits with such jazz luminaries as Freddie Hubbard, Sam Rivers, and Jackie McLean. She released her first solo album, Arcane, in 1987, and has continued to enjoy a prolific solo career. Blackman-Santana elevated her profile considerably when she began playing with Lenny Kravitz in 1993, and continued to play with him until 2004, when she decided to focus on solo jazz projects like her recent Spectrum Road super-group with bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Vernon Reid, and organist John Medeski.

About Jason Bittner

Best known as the hard-hitting drummer with Shadows Fall, Jason Bittner gained prominence in the early 2000s during the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal movement. He has won multiple drumming awards, been featured on the cover of drumming magazines, and became a popular clinician at international drumming festivals. Bittner has twice toured with Anthrax, filling in for founding drummer Charlie Benante, and has developed a reputation as an educator through his work as a faculty member for the 2007 Drum Fantasy Camp, and with the release of his method book Drumming Out Of The Shadows and instructional DVD What Drives The Beat.

About Street Drum Corps

Since their formation, Street Drum Corps has blown away audiences at nearly every major U.S. festival with their combination of thunderous percussion and visual stimuli. SDC’s shows are a primordial, stomping blast of energy, theatricality, and passion. There’s a reason why members of No Doubt, Bad Religion, and Projeckt Revolution tour mates Atreyu all want to play with them. Why Conan O’Brien invited them to perform on his show. And why The Used’s Bert McCracken has practically adopted them as his pet band. SDC are more concerned with rhythm than genre. In their performances, one hears tribal, rock, punk, dance, and industrial.

About Enter Music Publishing

Founded in San Jose, California, in 1992, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of cutting-edge drum and percussion magazines, with distribution in 40 countries. DRUM! is the flagship publication of Enter Music Publishing, Inc. and continues to set the industry standard for editorial quality and innovation. Enter Music Publishing, Inc. also publishes great content on its website, drummagazine.com. Over the company’s history, Enter Music Publishing has spearheaded other well-respected publications, such as How To Play Drums and TRAPS magazines. The company’s mission is to be the best source of drumming news and info on this planet. The company’s founders, Phil Hood and Andy Doerschuk, are well-respected drum industry veterans with more than 50 years of experience in the field.

For more information:

Andy Doerschuk

Editorial Director, DRUM! Magazine

408-971-9794, ex. 215

andy@drumlink.com

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Andy Doerschuk
Editorial Director, Enter Music Publishing
95 South Market St., Suite 430
San Jose, CA 95113
408-971-9794, ex. 215
andy@drumlink.com

The San Jose Night Market is Back!

Now in its second year, the San Jose Night Market is back in full swing at 1411 Mabury Road. Inspired by similar outdoor events in Asia, you will be able to find all sorts of vendors, street food tents, gourmet food trucks, and even farmer's market booths at the Night Market. Come check it out any Friday or Saturday night from 6pm-11pm!

Fore more information, visit the Night Market website here or their Facebook page here.

O'Flaherty's "54 Launch Tap Party"

I never used to think of O'Flaherty's as the go-to destination for craft beer, but they have truly become an anchor for the Downtown beer scene. This Tuesday at 8pm, they are celebrating their new taps--all 54 of them--by selling all their draft beers for $1! Let me say that one more time... they are selling all 54 of their beers for $1 each! If that wasn't good enough, they are sweetening the deal with free hor'dourves.

This event is a no-brainer if you even remotely enjoy beer. Don't miss out on this very rare opportunity, it may never come again! For more information check out their website over here.

Saturday Stats: San Jose Ranked as #1 Most Innovative City

Newsweek has named the San Jose area as the #1 most innovative metro based on number of patents created. Another interesting stat is that 63% of all the patents in the US are submitted by people living in the top 20 metros. Those people only make up 34% of the US's population.

Thanks Dan for the link!

Source: Newsweek

MOST PATENT-INTENSIVE METRO AREAS

San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA
Avg. Patents*: 9,237
Patent Intensity**: 10.29

Burlington–South Burlington, VT
Avg. Patents: 826
Patent Intensity: 6.86

Rochester, MN
Avg. Patents: 606
Patent Intensity: 5.70

Corvallis, OR
Avg. Patents: 194
Patent Intensity: 4.83

Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, N.Y.
Avg. Patents: 1,226
Patent Intensity: 4.70

Boulder, CO
Avg. Patents: 666
Patent Intensity: 4.04

San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA
Avg. Patents: 7,003
Patent Intensity: 3.59

Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA
Avg. Patents: 310
Patent Intensity: 3.20

Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos, TX
Avg. Patents: 2,497
Patent Intensity: 3.09

Ann Arbor, MI
Avg. Patents: 590
Patent Intensity: 2.93

*Averaged over 2007 to 2011.
**Patents per thousand workers, annual average between 2007 and 2011.

55 Market Facelift Looking Good

If you have driven by Market Street lately, you may have noticed the shiny new facade of 55 Market (aka, the gold building). I think it looks pretty sleek, but with so much empty space in the lobby I wish they added a new retail sport or two. Regardless, this is a huge improvement over what was there before and will compliment One South nicely.

Source: Team San Jose

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Hope you all have a fun and safe Fourth! Don't forget to check out the 2013 Rose, White & Blue Parade today on the Alameda.

Buena Vista Midtown Senior Apartments

Construction is now well underway for the Buena Vista apartment project in midtown. I don't believe that I have mentioned this project before. Buena Vista will have 95 units available for those that are 55-years-old and and meet income qualifications. The community will have several amenities and activity programs to serve residents, and the locations is right between Downtown and Santana Row. The project should be ready by next summer and you can see the full construction schedule below.

Thanks Mark for sending this in!

Hours of Construction

The City of San Jose has issued permit approvals for this development requiring that construction activity and deliveries occur Monday - Friday,  7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Additional notification and City approvals may be provided, for specific activities to be conducted outside of these hours such as on Saturdays.

Project Schedule & Sequencing

Construction will begin Thursday, May 9, 2013 and complete in approximately September of 2014.

Dates are approximate. For more detailed notifications and updates, sign up for Email Updates.
1.  May 9-17, 2013: Demolition
2.  May-June 2013: Mass Excavation (The process of digging the subterranean garage), with approximately 1-2 weeks of compaction, subject to change.
3.  Summer 2013: Concrete Pumps and Pouring
4.  Fall 2013: 1st Phase of Underground Utilities- Equipment in the streets and compaction
5.  September 2013 - January 2014: Framing the Building, cranes and manpower, delivery of prefabricated framing
6.  December 2013-June 2014: Finishes - Building in full swing with various trades (plumbers, electricians, drywallers, etc.)
7.  Summer 2014: 2nd Phase of Underground Utilities
8.  Summer 2014: Final touches, paving, landscaping, cleaning 

Truck Routes (Deliveries & Hauling)

All large equipment and trucks will be directed to enter from the southeast corner of the site and exit by continuing west on West San Carlos Street; they will be directed through signage not to turn north on either Buena Vista or Willard Avenues. The northern-most lane of W San Carlos Street will be closed during construction and pedestrian detours will be posted.

Closing the traffic lane adjacent to the site maximizes the "buffer" of distance between construction activity and the residences to the northwest, north, and northeast.

A roadway easement has been issued during construction allowing Fiesta Lane, adjacent to the Senior Apartment Site, to be used during construction for staging or equipment, as long as access is afforded to Townhome residents and visitors at all times.

Parking

Core Builders will instruct subcontractors arriving on site to park throughout public streets in a 2 block radius around the site in order to avoid parking inundation to any single area. The subterranean garage will be available to accommodate some construction parking when it is completed by late 2013.

Construction Informational Meeting

This meeting was held on May 2, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., and 17 attendees signed the sign-in sheet at the meeting. Download the
Agenda/Handout from the May 2 meeting below.

construction_meeting_handout_5-2-13.pdf

Download File

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Contact Information

The Site Superintendent is Joel Hannagan of Core Builders. If you have questions or concerns regarding the construction of Buena Vista Midtown Senior Apartments on West San Carlos Street, please contact Joel at 408-373-0444 orjhannagan@thecorecompanies.com.

Main Point of Contact for Neighbors
Joel Hannagan, Site Superintendent: jhannagan@thecorecompanies.com, Cell: 408-373-0444 
Pieter Joosen – Project Manager, pjoosen@thecorecompanies.com Office Ph: (408) 293-9728 x36
Crystal Madeiros – Project Administrator, cmadeiros@thecorecompanies.com, Office Ph: (408) 293-9728 x17
Jim Feeley – Vice President of Construction, jfeeley@thecorecompanies.com, Office Phone: (408) 293-9728 x38

Mailing Address: Core General Contractor Inc.
dba CORE Builders
470 South Market Street
San Jose, CA  95113-2819