A weekend of music was on tap at Santa Clara’s Studio Bongiorno, as six musical acts took center stage over two nights Oct. 17-18.
Kicking off the Friday evening performance was The Residuals, a thrash metal band from San Francisco. Stripping down their hard sound, Joshua Lykkenberg and Dugi Pentagram played as an acoustic duo, sans drums, but kept their edge by incorporating heavy guitar riffs and screaming vocals throughout their set.
“All our songs were actually, originally made on acoustic – all the riffs and stuff,” said Lykkenberg.
“It’s almost like you got to see the skeleton of the song itself,” added Pentagram. “If you can complement us on our acoustic version…”
“You will love us actually,” finished Lykkenberg. “[Playing an acoustic show] was different, but I saw people appreciate it, especially when I pointed out that we usually play electric.”
The Residuals were followed by Wolve, an alternative singer-songwriter from San Jose. Throughout his short set, Wolve strummed his guitar and told relatable stories through song. Caesar Kent then performed spoken word in a slam-poetry style that closed out the first two acts and prepared the audience for the evening’s finale, Rodrigo Lopez.
Lopez, performing in his last show under his own name, played guitar while his bandmates accompanied with a trombone, harmonica and piano. Utilizing his unique sound, Lopez turned tunes upside down, performing a cover of Eazy-E/NWA’s “Boyz in The Hood,” that was somewhat reminiscent of a version put out by Texas band Dynamite Hack in 2000. Additionally, Lopez sang songs by Johnny Cash and Sublime, and kept them fresh by adding his own spin.
“I’ll be playing under Hijos de la Llorona [The Kids of the One that Cried] going forward,” said Lopez. “It’s a Mexican urban legend … All the music [we played tonight] was written by myself in my bedroom … The outcome was pretty great. I was really happy with it. Half of the set was a cover set, although all of the music was written by us, and we did that because I didn’t want to rush the lyrics and I wanted to focus on the sound. I thought that by doing the cover set it was a good balance of my own creativity and something people could relate to – are familiar with.”
On Saturday, The Dirty Dogs opened the two-band show, playing original songs and covers of classics like Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” David Marshall of Fritz Montana closed the night with his guitar and soulful voice. Marshall also played a set that included original songs and covers, including a version of The White Stripes’ “Fell in Love with a Girl” and duet of Rihanna’s “Stay” that brought the house down.
On Oct. 25, Saoirse, Coed Pageant, Taylor B. and Jet W. Lee will play an all-ages acoustic set at the studio.
“It’s the local San Jose scene,” said Billy Buzos of Dragon House Productions, who books shows at the venue. “It’s people who operate at the local level, musically … If you’re into that scene, you’ll enjoy the show.”
The show begins at 7 p.m. and there is a $5 cover. Visit http://www.facebook.com/dragonhouseproductions or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-Bongiorno for more information.
