San Jose Indie Band "A Yawn Worth Yelling" Releases New Single

One of our local indie rock bands called A Yawn Worth Yelling has just released their latest single and it is getting some national attention. The song is called Lonely Prisoner and you can hear it for free right over here. The band sounds great! Below is some additional information:

The San Jose, CA-based four piece formed in 2011, and have since shared the stage with prominent artists including Saint Motel and Relient K. They also recently played an exclusive showcase at E3 in Los Angeles, and have received praise from notable outlets including Examiner, Impose Magazine and PopMatters. The latter called their style, "upbeat, youthful, and sun-drenched pop...these guys know how to capture the summertime vibe with aplomb."

You can follow the A Yawn Worth Yelling website here.

Playful People Productions Presents: Disney's Alice in Wonderland

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR

Join Alice’s madcap adventures in Wonderland as she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Bird, Gets tied up with the Tweedles, raps with the bubble-blowing Caterpillar, goes to the craziest tea-party ever, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own Game!

Alice boogies down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland of adventures and music with familiar favorites from the original animated Disney classic including “The Unbirthday Song” and “Painting the Roses Red,” along with additional gems like “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Alice in Wonderland is a musical feast for the entire family!

Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

Show Times:
Friday, July 31st-  10am, 1pm, 7pm
Saturday, August 1st - 10am, 1pm, 4pm

Alice in La La Land

Join Playful People for another original mash-up show, Alice in La La Land. Meet Alice, an Indiana girl swept into a madcap Los Angeles adventure. She mingles with Hollywood royalty, appears on a reality show, finds her center with the aid of a yoga-practicing Caterpillar, and matches wits with Orange County Tea Party activists. In her showdown with #TheRedQueen, Alice discovers who she is and sings it for all the world to hear. Another Playful People original, with music by the artists you love to sing along with in the car! Our shows often sell out prior to the show weekend. Be sure to buy your tickets early, you won’t want to miss out on this fantastic production.

Show Times:
Thursday, July 30th - 7pm
Saturday, August 1st - 7pm

Tickets available at www.playfulpeople.net
$12 attendees 12 and up, $8 children 11 and under,  and $6 Children’s floor seating

Tickets at the door (30 minutes prior to curtain)
$15 attendees 12 and up, $10 children 11 and under, and $6 Children’s floor seating

All Shows at the Historic Hoover Theatre, 1635 Park Ave  San Jose, CA 95126

SoFA Sundays

This new event somehow snuck under my radar. Several SoFA arts groups have come up with a monthly "SoFA Sundays" event centered around Gore Park. The event includes food trucks, performances, music, and a variety of community activities. Participating venues are ICA, MACLA, SJQT, the San Jose Stage, City Lights Theater Company, the SoFA Market, Cafe Stritch, and the Continental.

The first event was on July 26, 2015 and you can get a recap over here. Below is the full schedule for the rest of 2015.

SoFA Sundays Schedule

• August 9, 12pm-5pm
• September 13, 12pm-5pm
• October 4, 12pm-5pm
• November 15, 12pm-5pm
• December 13, 12pm-5pm

Source: The Merc

Updated Renders for the Post & San Pedro Tower!

The proposed Post & San Pedro Tower has a brand new design that looks even better than the previous render (the last photo down below). The new owners of the project--Simeon Residential Properties and Kinship Capital--wanted something more dynamic and lively. They used a wider variety of materials and now there are tons of setbacks and balconies, which makes perfect sense in a city that has 300 sunny days each year.

The design isn't the only change. They have added 20 more units to bring it to a total of 202, while keeping the height and footprint of the building the same. Also added: an outdoor pool, spa, and dog park on the fourth floor. Parking is three levels below ground and two above ground, with no separate exterior garage.

There will be two retail pads: 1,500 SQFT on San Pedro, which would be ideal for a cafe or deli, and 3,200 SQFT on Post Street that is being earmarked for a boutique gym. Given that Post Street does not have a significant retail presence, Simeon is considering offering a moderate discount on rent to bring someone into the space (makes perfect sense, which more Downtown developers would do the same).

It looks like this is really coming together nicely. If the Post & San Pedro Tower comes to fruition, it will be another great asset for Downtown San Jose!

Source: SVBJ

New Render

New Render

Previous Render

SJSU Campus Village Phase II

San Jose State University's newest student housing building is now well under construction. The $126 million building will be next to Campus Village Phase I and have 850 beds across 10 floors. This will allow SJSU to move further away from it's prior reputation as a commuter school and attract more students from out of state or the country.

Check out the latest construction photos below courtesy of Robertee from the San Jose Development Forum.

Jade Leaf Filling Long Vacant Spot Downtown

Remember McWhorters in Downtown San Jose on Market and San Fernando? That retail space has been empty for what seems like an eternity. Finally a new tenant is taking its place, and it looks like a solid addition to Downtown's restaurant scene.

As you can see from the sign, Jade Leaf will have food, a bar, and a live jazz lounge. So we're getting both a restaurant and a new live music venue, double win!

Source: Nate Donato-Weinstein's Twitter

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the Second Best City for Summer Jobs

Based on metrics such as job growth, availability of part-time employment, and summer activities, the San Jose metro was ranked as the second best city for summer jobs. There are nearly 400 service sector positions currently available in San Jose, and you can't beat the weather or the variety of festivals and activities we have throughout the summer.

Denver was at the top of the list, while my two favorite competitors (San Francisco and New York City) did not rank in the top 10.

Source: ZipRecruiter

San Jose Jazz Summer Fest - Aug 7-9th

The 26th annual Summer Fest this August features over 100 performers on 12 different stages. You have every incarnation of Jazz imaginable as well as R&D, Blues, and Salsa. It is one of the largest and most renowned Jazz festivals anywhere and is a must-attend event for Bay Area music lovers!

New this year is special programming for the South First Area (SoFA). On Friday night there will be new indoor and outdoor stages in the district, providing an extra-lively South First Friday. Speaking of lively, there will be all sorts of late night parties. They have done 24-hour Jazz marathons in previous years, and I'll look forward to seeing what they have planned this year.

For all of the details, head over to The San Jose Jazz Summer Fest website. Tickets are already available for purchase over here.