Many thanks to our volunteer photographers – Christina Guzman, Alexandre Chung and Mike Tkacheff. More pictures from other photogs on their way! If you have any you’d like to share with us, please send us a link or email them to info@leftcoastlive.com.

Over a hundred people came through to last night’s panel discussion about the DJ culture.  Many topics came up within the discussion revolving around the impact of technology, the responsibilities of a DJ, and what makes a DJ “real.”

So, what makes a DJ, you ask? According to Melanie “That Girl” Panergo and Paolo “Cutso” Bello of the Bangerz, a real DJ is someone that knows and breathes music and of course has a strong foundation when it comes to their skills. It is their responsibility to keep their audiences up to date with new music and of course keep their body moving throughout the night.  Sake One from Local 1200 mentioned that it is also their responsibility to uplift their communities when help is needed.

From this, many of our audience members learned a great deal about the power a DJ possesses when it comes to shaping culture and educating their communities.

We definitely plan on having more panels like this in the future. Thank you to all the participated and came through to this event.

-Grammer

His father gave him his first turntable when he was three years old, and Wen Davis has been spinning records ever since. Known as one of the South Bay’s most versatile club DJs, Wen can rock any crowd, any room, on any given night of the week.  Wen Davis has rocked side by side with many of the Bay Area’s finest DJs, has several production/remix credits to his name, and has played clubs in Vegas, LA, San Francisco and Miami. 

Wen was a staple for four years at Soulstar, San Jose’s premier monthly R&B/Soul music party and continues to hold his monthly slot at Foxy, the South Bay’s best house music party 7 years running.  Additionally, he currently holds down local residencies at the Air Lounge (Oakland), Vinyl Room (Burlingame), Xanh (Mountain View), Roux (Santana Row/San Jose) and is one of the original resident DJs at the world famous Cardiff Lounge in Campbell, Ca.     

Be it hip hop, reggae, R&B, soulful house, or smooth down tempo beats, Wen Davis continues to be a staple in the Bay Area music scene. Wen’s personal motto is “love what you do, do what you love.”  When you see and hear him play, it’s easy to tell how he’s been around so long, and why he has no plans of stopping any time soon.

Catch Wen Davis on Friday, June 25th from 07:30 p.m. to 08:45 p.m at the Scion Silent Disco.

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Can’t get enough of OK Go, Yo La Tengo, The Mumlers, Good Hustle, J*DaVey, or The Park? Left Coast Live and Motorola are giving one lucky winner a cell phone that will allow you to upload all of your favorite LCL music so you’ll never miss a beat.

You can also record a clip of your favorite LCL artist as they perform at the festival or tweet about our Life Size Mousetrap with a phone from Motorola! Not only will you be able to hold your favorite moments of the festival in your new phone, but win an autographed poster by our Friday headliner, OK Go, to hang in your room!

You have until Friday, June 25th at 5 p.m. to upload a picture on our twitter or Facebook page with you and a Left Coast Live 2010 poster or banner. You can upload the picture on our Facebook page with the title “Left Coast Live and Motorola Contest” OR tweet using the twitter tag #LCL2010.

The Left Coast Live staff will pick one (1) winner who will win a poster autographed by OK Go and a cell phone sponsored by Motorola and Left Coast Live.

Grunge; it’s the music scene that got coverage throughout the world for its sound, slang, appearance and way of life. The documentary Hype! was played in front of a packed room at Gordon Biersch on Tuesday night, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Cinequest’s Halfdan Hussey.

Hype! delved into the Seattle music scene with interviews from those that were at the forefront of the movement, including Sub Pop Records, the label that gained the most attention during that time for signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney. I was impressed with how the movie used rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture phenomenon. My favorite quote from the film was “every community has a pool of talented people that can come together to make things happen,” which is how Left Coast Live came about!

After the movie, Halfdan Hussey probed members of the Left Coast Live booking team to find out our perspective of the San Jose music scene as musicians and promoters, and what we felt was the “San Jose sound” and how we discover new music. It was apparent from the panelists responses that our scene is very musically diverse due to the melting pot of cultures and ethnicity in the South Bay, which is quite different from Seattle’s distinct sound that led to the whole grunge phenomenon. There’s also the benefits and hardships that come out of our valley being so affluent; especially how the high rent makes it almost impossible to survive as a struggling musician. Each member of the panel also picked two bands who folks should look out for this weekend at Left Coast Live:

Michael Grammer: The Park and J*Davey
Barbara Wahli: Northern Son and Ambience
Michael Brilliot: Beachkrieg and Lagos Roots Afrobeat Ensemble
Will Sprott: Lagos Roots Afrobeat Ensemble and My Pet Saddle
Thomas Aguilar: J*Davey and Darondo

The evening nicely culminated in the Gordon Biersch patio with a fun and lively performance by The Bingtones, much to everyone’s enjoyment!

-Barbara

The Cactus Club was always just a story I heard from folks in San Jose. It always started off with “It was the place to go see live music…” or “If only you were around to catch it…” Although the Cactus Club had already been shut down for about 5 years when I came to San Jose, it’s character was still alive in every music lover here in San Jose that I met.

Although the doors didn’t open until 6:30pm, we had a line of more than a hundred folks ready to catch the world premiere of Rock the Block a few minutes before. In the end we had two sold out shows with every seat taken and people sitting on the sidelines to catch a documentary that summed up one of the best moments of the San Jose music scene.

With a theatre packed with folks who were part of the Cactus Club, there was laughter as comments were made on the food served there, the bar and the amazing restrooms (sarcastic tone) they provided for the attendees. Although there were many positive things about the Cactus Club, the atmosphere changed once the documentary started to talk about the demise of their favorite venue and the change of South First Street. And in the words of one of our panelists and co-owner of the Cactus Club, Stikmon, “All good things must come to an end, so good things could start again.”

Yes, the Cactus Club did end, but there are a still a bunch of folks who are keeping the music scene alive in San Jose. And with Left Coast Live this week, they are just one of many examples of a group of people who are out there promoting the vibrant SJ music scene, like the Cactus Club once did.

Here are photos from the night.

-Amalia Renteria

“Call them sassy. Call them women warriors of music. Just make sure you call them talented.” – Trenton Times

BlowUpDollz are an all girl band out of Palo Alto, CA. They are a four piece rock group consisting of Fisty Pyxx (Guitar/Vocals), Taxi Teaze (Bass/Backup Vocals), Razz Taztic (Electric Violin, Vocals), and Heddy Vodd (Drums). Together, they make BlowUpDollz, a highly energetic band out to make each show an experience no crowd could forget.

BlowUpDollz redefine the “girl band” image, and are out to dispel the myth that girls can’t play their instruments. Drawing inspiration from classic rock artists, such as Joan Jett, the addition of an electric violin catapults their style into an uncharted genre they like to call Tit Rock. Not only are they accomplished musicians, but they each bring a unique element to the overall stage performance. From splits and back bends to sudden bursts of choreography, all while playing instruments, it’s clear to any audience these girls are doing what they love.

On top of being a perky and upbeat group, BlowUpDollz are a very driven and hardworking band. They have established a presence in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene and are often out supporting other local bands and passing out fliers and CDs for their upcoming shows. After their own performances the girls love to hang out at the venue and socialize with fans. BlowUpDollz are committed to helping communities, playing benefit shows from Modesto to Palo Alto to Chicago. They book all of their own gigs, playing venues such as The Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, and Crash Mansion and Arlene’s Grocery in New York City. Determined to reach out to fans outside of California, they orchestrated their own Northeast tour performing in 10 different states. Having returned to California, they’re performing regularly and working on their second album to be released this year.

Check out these explosive ladies on Friday, June 25th, at Milano’s!

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As the reigning Nor Cal Regional Battle winner of the College Battle of the Bands, Elements of Style (E.O.S) is a live hip hop group blessed with the many eclectic backgrounds of 6 gifted individuals. With the crowd commanding force of Journeymen (Chris Rudy) and Musiphile (David Fonseca) as the lead MC’s; structured upon the rhythm section of Jim Leadbetter on drums and Carlos Agrillo on bass topped off, with the delightful melodies of Jason Sampognaro on guitar and Andrew Nguyen on keys, E.O.S is a force to be reckoned with. Keep a look out for their debut EP titled “Elements of Style” arriving soon at a record store near you!

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Chris, or DJ Ichy, came from a musical family which inspired him to delve into musicianship at an early age. On a whim at only 15 years old, Ichy bought his first set of turntables and never looked back. He began mobile DJing immediately, and his influences, D-Styles, DJ Shadow and Mr. Dibbs inspired him to enter into the battle scene of the Bay Area to see great success. He won the Beats, Rhymes and Life song competition, became a finalist in the B-Side Showdown and Hot Import Nights in 2005 and 2006, and won ultimate championships in the 2005 and 2006 Distortion 2 Static Battle and the 2007 Beatdown DJ Battle, and The Bring it Back DJ battle in 08, and 09.

Aside from Battling Ichy is in working with San Jose Hip Hop crew Counter Productive (DirtBag Dan, Abel Abilities, Skylar G), as well as San Jose legends Insolence. Insolence is wrapping up their new album Project Konflict produced by Michael Rosen, who had previously worked with acts including Rancid, AFI, Testament, and Papa Roach.

Check out DJ Ichy at the Bring It Back stage on Saturday, June 26th!

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Luicidal is a staple of the San Jose music scene. This musical monster has worked with various artists across the country while expanding the local music scene as Urban Music Director of San Jose’s own 90.5FM KSJS. Performing at venues throughout the greater Bay Area, Luicidal has established himself as one of Northern California’s premiere DJ’s. A gigantic force on the web, Luicidal has maintained a presence on countless blogs, forums, and social networks by dropping an endless number of mixtapes, touching on Funk, Hip Hop, Electro, and Dubstep. Continuing to expand his knowledge and research of the Hip Hop genre, Luicidal has interviewed and collaborated with a slew of artists including, The Grouch, Opio of Hieroglyphics, The Jacka, Fashawn, Locksmith, Tash of the Liks, Black C of RBL Posse, and Netta Brielle to name a few. A true showman, Luicidal provides exclusive sets for every performance, check him out this summer at music tours around the Bay Area including Left Coast Live.

Check out DJ Luicidal on the Bring It Back stage on Saturday, June 26th!

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