Take their debut album, Thickets and Stitches, and you can go from funk to lazy folk all within a couple of tracks. Singer and guitarist Will Sprott’s voice floats above the music, his drawl hanging from word to word. If you haven’t already heard their music, it’s a must. The group’s second album, Don’t Throw Me Away offers even more variety with horns and harmonicas echoing through tracks, equal parts blues, folk and 1950s pop sounds. The group plays tonight, its first show at San Francisco’s Fillmore, opening up for Morcheeba.

You cannot talk with artists or musicians alike in San Jose and not mention the Mumlers. In fact, they usually make the mention first and share stories about high school, or parties or strange encounters. The Mumlers grew up in San Jose and chose to stay in their hometown, even after being signed to Galaxia Records. Fresh off a six-week tour and a collaboration effort with San Jose’s Left Coast Live, Will Sprott shares some interesting happenings (and people) from their journey to date.

SJ FAM: Of all the locations you were able to play at, what stands out most?

Will: My favorite venue was in Birmingham, Alabama—the Bottle Tree. When you’re on tour, you’re hungry and don’t get to take showers as often as you want to. Here, they had a huge box of socks waiting for us. You don’t understand, socks are like gold. It was the greatest thing, free socks, a great meal and silver airstreams out back so that you don’t have to stay in a hotel.

SJFAM: What has been your strangest show?

Will: One time, we got asked to play a boat festival in San Francisco. It was yacht day or something. Anyway, they offered us a lot of money and it was only four days in advanced and they needed a musical act. We’re not sure how they found us but we said sure. They told us they were expecting half a million people at the festival and we get there and it’s set up for a huge crowd, huge metal barriers to create a buffer 15 feet between the stage and it’s on the pier. There’s a really elaborate sound system and it was just a monster stage. We’re used to playing stages that are cramped but here we were all spread out. We played for two hours for a crowd of about three people. We had a lot of fun playing for nobody. It was really bizarre.

SJ FAM: Your artwork, both on fliers and on your album covers are distinct. Who does the work?

Will: The majority of show fliers I do myself but we do have a few people that send us artwork. If anyone asked me, I say sure. I love to draw. That was my sort of passion growing up. I don’t mind drawing flyers but I don’t have much time to do it. There’s a girl, Maxine from San Jose, that has done a few. That’s been really neat. The cover for our last album was done by Mitsy Avila Ovalles. She’s from San Jose and is friends with a couple of our band members. I’m a big admirer of her artwork. She’s my favorite artist from San Jose. The first album cover was done by Lori Damiano. I really liked her drawing. She’s an animator, not out of San Jose.

SJFAM: Who would be your “dream” show with?

Will: If we could play with someone like Otis Redding, the best performer of all time. It would have been really amazing to share a stage with him. At Left Coast Live last year, we got to play with Booker T and that was amazing too. Definitely Buddy Holly, Cam Calloway, Howlin’ Wolf, and Beatles.

SJFAM: What’s the one thing you always make sure to pack?

Will: My guitar.

The Mumlers open for Morcheeba at the Fillmore tonight, 8 p.m.

Story By m. flores, Photos courtesy Josh Marcotte of Lost San Jose

SJ FAM is looking for 5 of San Jose’s top artists to participate in our 2nd Annual Art & Sole.

Requirements:

• Each artist will be asked to design 2 shoes: 1 male and 1 female shoe to auction off at the 2nd Annual Art & Sole.
• Artist will be given 2 weeks to design 2 pairs of shoes, finished products must be returned to SJ FAM by Friday, August 27. Shoes will be provided by event sponsors.
• Since bidders have an option of purchasing shoes as is or having a replica made in their own size, artist may need to create a 2nd pair of each shoe to tailor the shoe size of the bidder.

Benefits:

• Selected artist will receive 50% of the total bids placed on each of his or her shoe. Bids will starts at $50 per shoe.
• Artist will be promoted on www.sjfam.com

If you are interested in being an artist for Art & Sole please send an e-mail of interest to submissions@sjfam.com

Please include:

• Contact information
• A brief description of your interest
• Link to portfolio

Deadline for submissions: August 7, 2010

“I see these colors and just don’t know what to do with it all,” she says with excitement in her voice. Her eyes get large and her movements a bit faster as she points out the newly blooming fuchsia flowers around her home in East San Jose.

Her home has various examples of this hanging from her walls—seascapes in every hue of blue imaginable.

“Big and bright and loud,” Sanjuro says of the colors that inspire her. “I believe in reincarnation and I must have done this in a past life because it came so naturally.”

Of course, she is talking about her art. She isn’t classically trained as an artist. In fact, she studied journalism at Cal Poly and worked in the marketing and advertising industry before she fell into her  current place as a small business owner.

She started Munio-Ink in 2006 as a T-shirt company, printing her images onto eco-friendly, fashion forward tees. When she started designing the marketing material for the business, paint on skin made sense. She began painting beautiful seascapes onto her good friend’s skin and the result was very well received.

Before the business, art was something she’s always done.

“I’ve been doing art since I was big enough to hold a pencil,” Sanjuro says with a bright smile.

As a little girl, she colored everything. She’d take her mother’s lipstick and paint her whole face, the brighter the colors, the better.

“I love coloring, blending colors, contrasting them,” she says. “I’m obsessed with it. Drawing is just a means to an end.”

She has also been inspired by all things in nature.

“The flowers, the ocean the color of fish and the patterns and textures, they all inspire me,” she says. “But there’s something specifically about the ocean. It’s peaceful but there’s a fiery intensity about it all.”

Sanjuro’s excitement over color, art and the natural world is infectious and she plans to spread that at Seaskin the exhibit at Kaleid tonight, from 6 to 9 p.m. It’s her first official show, in her hometown no less and she hopes people will be excited. The proceeds of the show will all be going to Oceana, an organization that focuses on ocean conservation. And although she won’t have any of her human subjects on hand, she will have some equally impressive stand-ins.

“This is my coming out as an artist,” Sanjuro says. “I’m as excited as I am nervous. There’s a theme and a cause. Art and music and charity can all go together real easily.”
She was first interested in raising money for Oceana when she learned more about the epidemic of shark fining.

“They are such an essential part of an ecosystem,” Sanjuro says.” Because the ocean inspires me so much I wanted to help these powerful creatures have a voice. If my paint can help them have a voice, I feel like I’m doing something positive.”

Seaskin happens tonight, 6 to 9 p.m. at Kaleid Gallery, 88 So. 4th Street. $10 donation at the door goes to Oceana. For more information, visit www.munio-ink.com.

Story and photos by. m. p. flores

The quiet man, with his black-rimmed glasses and driving cap draws quietly on an oversized dry erase board. Two large pieces of found wood hang side by side, both with images of women.

He speaks softly about his art and where he gets his inspiration (from his fiancé Angela Marquez, by the way) and what it’s like to have his work on display.

“Part of the reason I decided to put myself out there was that everyone is warm and very supportive here in San Jose,” Dion “dna” Bello says. “If I thought that people would be negative, then what would be the point?”

His style of artwork is a free-flowing one, with no themes, no parameters, no rules.

“It’s easier creatively,” he says. “It doesn’t have to have a narrative. It lets other people figure it out. It can be abstract.”

His choice of medium consists of various found pieces with interesting textures.

“Canvas is expensive, for one, and wood allows texture in the background,” Bello says. “Canvas looks too traditional. You expect something on canvas. This way, things are more loose, and I have creative freedom.”

Freedom is something that resonates with Bello and the key philosophy he held onto when owner of South First Billiards, Ben, approached him after the Heart of Chaos UpRoar 2009 show to put together a show for March.

“I didn’t want to put a theme to the show,” Bello says. “I don’t want to stifle people like that. I wanted them to create something from their own minds. Themes limit you.”

With the help of fellow artists and friends Dee Jae Pa’este and Anabella Piñon dna created the first Illuskrate show.

“The response has been good,” he says with a grin. “I’m pretty stoked. People are buying my stuff and really, I just paint to sell my work to afford to keep painting.”

Bello studied graphic design at the Academy of Art and has his own personal studio in his home in Evergreen. He grew up in Virginia but at the age of 11 moved to San Jose and has been a transplanted native ever since.

Dna just tied up his show at the Usuals clothing boutique on the Alameda and is now gearing up for his fifth show, Illuskrate 2 at South First Billiards. Prior to that, he made his debut at UpRoar 2009, an annual show that Heart of Chaos puts on. Since then, he contributed a zine to the Art of Zines show at Anno Domini and put on the first installment of Illuskrate.

Dion “dna” Bello’s next show is Illuskrate 2, July 2 at South First Billiards, 420 So. 1st Street, San Jose. For more information, visit www.illuskrate.blogspot.com.

–By m. p. flores

May 01, 2010

On Saturday May 1^st at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Santana Row’s most popular summer event, A Poolside Soiree, returns to showcase the coolest looks for a hot summer in the most summer-y of spots—poolside at Santana Heights, Santana Row’s resort-style residential complex.

Two runway fashion shows will feature the newest styles from Santana Row retailers including legendary bridal retailer Priscilla of Boston.

Tickets are $40 and include poolside

For more information, please visit: www.santanarow.com/events/

In the futuristic year of 2010, an alien beauty crashed to Earth. Lost and distressed, she has made her way to Silicon Valley and has taken refuge with Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. Come, witness for yourself the spectacle of the woman who fell from space!

Bring your sketchbooks and charcoal, for in exchange for sanctuary, she has agreed to let her likeness be rendered by our esteemed student body.

Join us on Thursday, April 22nd at 7pm at Anno Domini, the official San Jose Chapter of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-art School!

DR. SKETCHY’s ANTI-ART SCHOOL

Dr. Sketchy’s is the world’s premier alternative drawing movement. Every month, over 3,500 artists gather in nearly a hundred cities (including New York, Hollywood, Sao Paolo, London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, and Melbourne) to sketch glamorous, subcultural models and compete in drawing contests in an atmosphere of artistic mayhem. (NYC headquarters:www.drsketchy.com )

Featuring Live Model: Theresa Dunnavant
Master & Mistress of Ceremonies: Drew Clark & Trina Merry

Thursday, April 22nd, 7pm
$10.00/door Seating is limited, so get here early!

Calling all Fashion Designers, Artists, and Musicians…Are you interested in being a part of this year’s SubZERO Festival?

Kick off summer with SubZERO, a diy, artistically bent, hi/lo-techno mashup where street meets geek.

SJ FAM is doing a vendor recruit for San Jose’s SubZERO Festival that will take place on June 4th. The recruitment starts NOW!

In order to be considered one of SJ FAM’s referred vendors for the SubZERO Festival, please email the following items to events@sjfam.com:
Letter of intent (Why do you want to be a part of SubZERO?)
Electronic portfolio
Submission deadline is Saturday, May 1st.

So let’s kick off the summer right and get our local San Jose Fashion, Art, and Music community recognized!

To learn more about the SubZERO festival, please visit: www.subzerofestival.com

]]> http://www.sjfam.com/2010/04/19/subzero-festival-returns-june-4-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.sjfam.com/2010/04/16/a-new-spin-on-the-usual-fashion-2/ http://www.sjfam.com/2010/04/16/a-new-spin-on-the-usual-fashion-2/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:08:53 +0000 Ria http://www.sjfam.com/?p=596

The Usuals’ Marie and Mike Millares are all about combining fashion and comfort, basics and versatility. The new men and women’s clothing and accessories boutique opening its doors April 16 off of the Alameda.

Most of the pieces found here are made of cotton and easy, breathable fabrics that could be worn year round and work with many body-types. The already popular Infinite scarves are Marie’s creations, each handmade with various ways to wear. And although the clothing lines come from various locations including Seattle, Wash., Los Angeles and Australia, the accessories are where the sibling-duo are going a bit more local.

The current line of jewelry includes a series of woodblock cocktail rings that host found items such as cameos and porcelain images, all made by a local jewelry designer off the Alameda

Along with the various layering pieces, the two will also be carrying various T-shirts designed by Mike. Since he was 11, T-shirt design was something Mike loved to do. “My friends and I would make T-shirt designs off of CorelDraw and clip art and that’s what kind of started it for me.” That and growing up, the two took many a road trip. They collected T-shirts from all over the country and even some from various trips up to Canada. “We just always wanted something we could wear, like a hat or shirt, instead of something like a mug that would just sit on a shelf,” Marie says. “Mike is definitely a T-shirt collector.”

Recently back in San Jose after living in various cities throughout California, the two came to a conclusion after surveying their closets. “We’re collectors of clothes,” Marie says. That and they had missed their hometown. There’s something intangible that keeps them coming back and realizing a growing love for their city was part of what led the two to create the store.

Marie even launched her online blog on Facebook, ‘I heart SJ’ to reconnect with her hometown and all those that live and love it. The response was overwhelming and now, with more than 3,700 fans Marie wanted a forum to bring those that loved San Jose as much as she does together.

The store proved the perfect vehicle. Local designers, artists and musicians will all be part of the atmosphere at the Usuals. For Mike, this realization of his love for his city culminated when his son noticed the iconic Milton Glaser ‘I Heart New York’ shirt he was wearing and asked what it meant. Mike tried to explain to his son and then asked him what it was that he liked. “I love giraffes and sharks!” he told him. Mike had his next idea—the shark bite ‘I heart SJ’ shirt. “I wanted something that showed my pride in this city,” he says. Many designs were hammered out but nothing took. The shark bites he was using in the heart portion just didn’t look right. “My background is ideas and hers is graphic design,” he says. Marie then came up with a design that added momentum to Mike’s T-shirt business. “It just took off after that,” Mike says.

As for the men’s clothes at the boutique, Mike has simple standards. “I want all my clothes to match. I want them all to work with each other,” he says. There are a lot of neutrals in this collection, making it easy to mix and match and wear all year round. But Mike points out that simple doesn’t translate into boring. He loves the details. From pockets for your iphone to military –styled buckles over a traditional polo to the buttons used, they are all important. His sister agrees. “Details are important,” Marie says. “They’re what make clothing fun and playful.”

The Usuals grand opening is today, April 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1020 The Alameda and will feature art by local photographer Lost San Jose and local artist dna as well as music by The Bangerz. Tasty treats by Treatbot and Dipped in Chocolate.

Visit www.shoptheususals.com, www.lostsanjose.com, www.illuskrateblogspot.com, www.thebangerz.com, www.treatbot.com, www.dippedinchoc4you.com.

–By M. P. Flores

Well, the Sketchbook Show at Kaleid right now has just that opportunity.

The sketchbooks of 29 local artist of various mediums are available today only to be sifted through, explored and absorbed.

The show, launched March 5 and running until March 26 is one of the most intimate experiences you can have with your favorite artists.

Stacks of black sketchbooks, small leather notebooks, and sticker-covered spiral notebooks all invite the visitors to crack them open, take a peek and see the world through the artists’ pen (or pencil).

All the artist stations, small sections of wall and floor along the right side of the gallery when you first come in, have chairs that each artist also created to imitate what they use at home. Examples of their artwork are also on display above the sketchbooks.

At Miguel Machuca’s station, a single sketchbook with a note in the front shares that the day of the show’s opening, Miguel’s car was broken into and all his possessions, including his sketchbooks were stolen.

Flip through the brand new book and you will find sketches and letters from all the artists at the show sharing positive encouragement and good thoughts for the local artist.

Three images of eyes that he has look down on you while you peruse the new book.

On the other side of the exhibit, a small sketchbook with a brightly colored peacock on its cover and fat with images and work almost opens itself to the viewer.

Ivan Gonzales’ urban flair and use of colors is visible both on the canvas and his chair and his set of three freakishly cool sculptures watch while you take it all in.

–photos and review by M. P. Flores

The otherwise quiet residential home on Eighth Street was transformed March 20 and 21 into a living art gallery, attracting more than a dozen local artists to participate and hundreds to visit.

Every corner of the house morphs, is painted, and prepped for art installations. The hardwood floors were covered over by laminate that had painted scenes from the unconventional fairy tail.

Homeowners, artists and Canvas Ghost creators Deborah and Omar Barba began the planning, coordinating and moving of their furniture in February 2009. “Every year we say it’s the last and then we go, hmm, maybe one more time,” says co-creator and homeowner Deborah Barba.

The couple has put on these shows over a weekend, twice a year since 2008, aiming for shows in March and October. The theme for this spring’s show, Alice In Wonderland evoked ink, paint and felt creations–homages to the white rabbit, the queen of hearts and of course, Alice.

Along with the artwork, live music and great food and drink–courtesy Fundamental Gourmet–the people and artist themselves could have been mistaken for Wonderland characters.
A pretty in black and white Christine Benjamin–local artist and participant of this show–walked around greeting visitors with feathers in her hair and striped stockings. One of the two hosts, Omar Barba went from room to room in his best Mad Hatter-inspired outfit with a glimmer of mischief in each eye.

Cat ears, bunny tails and hats of all shapes and sizes [velour and tulle optional!] added to this rabbit hole’s trip … and leaves those that were lucky enough to catch a glimpse wondering what’s in store for the next event.

For more information, visit www.canvasghost.com.

— photos and review by M.P. Flores