Monday:
Rival Schools
Taking their name from a Capcom fighting game, Rival Schools came together with a built-in reputation. The members were previously in well-known hardcore bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s: Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, Youth of Today and Iceburn. After a hiatus through the middle of the past decade, the band is now on a reunion tour stopping in San Jose on Monday.

Tuesday:
Fitz and The Tantrums
Michael Fitzpatrick, frontman of Fitz and The Tantrums, describes his band’s musical style as “soul-influenced indie pop.” He favors the organ and horns over guitars. They’ve had a good deal of success on TV, performing on almost all of the late night shows and having their songs placed in shows like Criminal Minds and Desperate Housewives.

Wednesday:
Love in American Times
Raised in San Jose and best known for her portrayal of communications officer Hoshi Sato in the TV show Star Trek: Enterprise, Linda Park stars in Philip Kan Gotanda’s sassy romantic comedy running at the San Jose Rep. J. Michael Flynn plays a wealthy businessman attempting to sweep an accomplished young woman off her feet, but when the family enters the picture, hijinks ensue.

Thursday:
The Stepkids
It takes more than a smattering of reverb and delay effects to make good psychedelic music. The Stepkids are not only great musicians in their own right but they also integrate far-out visuals into their music videos and live shows. Sake San Jose, a sake tasting event in Japantown early Thursday evening, might be good preparation.

Friday:
Haleh Abghari and Laurie San Martin
The Montalvo Arts Center hosts a Final Fridays free program featuring a musical and theatrical performance by artists Laurie San Martin and Haleh Abghari and percussionist Chris Froh. Inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s The Conference of the Birds, aspects of Korean pansori and Iranian traditional music are digitally manipulated to accompany soprano vocals and live percussion.