"San Jose's DIY and alt music scene never really dies, it just changes. Each generation of San Jose musicians seems to inherit the same challenge: finding a place to play and enjoy live music. Venues come and go, neighbors complain, leases expire, but the energy always finds somewhere new to live. Even as the city grows more expensive, its artists still find ways to carve out corners for themselves. A Cantonese restaurant turned concert hall. A bikini bar. A backyard."
"The regeneration is proof of life, proof that culture doesn't die here-it just moves down the block and starts again. The people and collectives behind this revival are as eclectic as the city itself. Together, they represent a scene that refuses to stay quiet-and one that continues to evolve in the cracks amidst Silicon Valley's ever-shifting landscape."
""I thought we started throwing shows in the '90s but I actually had a customer come in two months ago that said her grandfather used to come watch jazz trios back in the '60s, which is so on point for the Caravan," Warner says. "It made me happy to hear because it just reaffirms that we have such a special musical legacy here.""
San Jose's DIY and alternative music scene repeatedly reinvents itself amid venue closures, neighbor complaints, and rising rents. Musicians and organizers face ongoing challenges securing performance spaces as leases expire and familiar names disappear. Artists and collectives respond by transforming restaurants, bars, backyards, and other unconventional sites into stages for live music. Diverse programming including punk, funk, burlesque, and comedy sustains a vibrant downtown presence. The Caravan Lounge operates year-round and its longtime booking efforts help preserve the city's musical legacy and support generational continuity.
Read at Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly
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