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9l`ck kf Jg`cc Jligi`j\ SAN JOSE music fans enjoyed a rare surprise Monday thanks to a secret appearance by indie-rock veterans Built to Spill at Cafe Stritch; it was one of the coolest shows to happen in San Jose in the past decade. The event was not publicized beyond word of mouth, but it still drew more than 200 people to the new eatery and bar on South First Street. The secret show landed between Built to Spill’s two sold-out San Francisco dates at Slim’s and a show Tuesday in Santa Cruz at the Rio. The San Jose gig was supposed to be Built to Spill’s only day off during their three-week tour. But when they found out that Slam Dunk, who were opening several of their shows, were doing a small show at Stritch, they volunteered to play it as well, not even knowing where the show was at or any details about it. “We’re doing this shit because it’s fun to do,” said Built to Spill lead singer/guitarist Doug Martsch. “It’s still a job and all that, but we’re lucky we get to do this. We still think of ourselves as a young punkrock band. We’re all in our 40s. We made a bunch of records. We happen to be on Warner Brothers, but this is fun.” Built to Spill went on after opener Andy Barnes (of Worker Bee and Dinners) and then Slam Dunk, and played a set entirely of covers, which Martsch explained to me he felt OK with since no one was actually paying to see them. The band ran through classics, including “Beast of Burden” by the Rolling Stones, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult featuring a member of the audience on cowbell, “Here” by Pavement, “How Soon Is Now” by the Smiths, “Abba Zabba” by Captain Beef heart and the closer, “Age of Consent” by New Order, which turned into a psychedelic jam that lasted 30 minutes. The crowd was all smiles. The couple hundred people who packed the small performance space danced, sang along and even occasionally crowd surfed. —Aaron Carnes
MAY 1-7, 2013 s metrosiliconvalley.com s sanjose.com s metroactive.com
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