I don’t care if the last seven, not to mention, greatest, Beatles albums never were performed in concert, I still enjoy the atmosphere live music builds.  Even if Strawberry Fields Forever was the trippiest pop song ever written, it’s going to have a hard time competing against the relationship that develops between a live audience and the musicians, especially outdoors.

There’s something about the combination of live instruments and fresh air that activates our carnal instincts, just watch any of the Arcade Fire’s shows on YouTube and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.  In a live set the crowd is not only able to hear the band but see, touch, and if you’re really lucky, smell and taste them too – that is, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Rockin’ out on the Row

Every now and then Santana Row feels the same way and holds live music sets of their own.  This time around, So Timeless, of Bay Area roots, wins over the crowd with smooth saxophone-laced tracks and crisp vocalized harmonies.

First up is Lionel on alto sax whose puffer jacket and Asics sneakers are a definite homage to 1970’s fashion.  The derby cap and cords let you know that he’s one smooth saxophoner.  To his left is vocalist, Lonnye who layers a zip-up hoodie underneath his leather jacket to give it an even more laidback vibe.  You can never go wrong with all black peices.

On the keys is Ed, and I’m starting to think they coordinated the derby cap look before they took to the stage.  Not to his detriment, the headwear compliments his printed button-up seamlessly.  Playing acoustic bass, Norman brings the cafe-guitar/vocalist-aesthetic to life with the tan-colored blazer (extra points for the fingerless gloves, brotha!).

As twilight turned into nightfall on Santana Row, So Timeless was able to showcase a nice sampling of their body of work that reflects their iconic r&b influences Earth, Wind & Fire; Stevie Wonder and Babyface.  They even used the intimate setting to take requests from the crowd, covering Jill Scott’s “A Long Walk”, inspiring multiple shoppers-turned-audience-members to drop some coin into the guitar case and even pick up a copy of their album.

Special thanks to Jasmine Price for the photos.

Flyer from SJ Fixed

There are certain combinations out there that can’t be beaten.  There’s turkey and avocado on Dutch crunch – marvelous.  One can’t neglect to mention Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the triangle offense – deadly.  And of course Sunday morning sunshine, bicycles and breakfast.  It would take a force of nature to standup to combinations like these.

 Now to discuss our last combination I’ll have to bring you back to last weekend, which is when all of this greatness came together to create Breakfast and Baskets, the first installment of a monthly breakfast ride with SJ Fixed.

 Usually the Bay Area is known for weather on an even keel but being an El Nino year, it’s been nothing but fickle.  So if you have the chance to ride your bike with a t-shirt and sunglasses you better get in on it while you can.

 I met up with the guys at SJF at the San Jose State Event Center (the usual meet-up spot for the weekly Tuesday and Thursday rides.)  This group is most notorious for their fixed gear riding and trick sessions but today all bikes, from cruisers to tricycles, were welcomed for this easy jaunt.

The vine-covered patio was filled to capacity and hungry patrons were spilling into the sidewalk as our pack rode in.  Luckily, Kevin, who put the ride together, thought ahead and called to reserve a big enough table to fit all the riders (sans bikes) into the patio.

 From what I saw most of the breakfasteers were young – and tanned.  There was the occasional elderly couple enjoying, a no doubt, longstanding Sunday brunch.  Attire hit the entire range of the spectrum – from the median: t-shirts/polos and jeans/shorts, to the scruffy: sweatpants and undershirts/tank tops, and the dressy: selvage denim and dressier tops.

Here’s a look at some of SJF before the ride.

Here’s Kevin, the mastermind behind this ride hydrating before we all head out.  I wish I got a picture of his all-black cruiser from fashion designer Paul Smith.  Messenger bags and backpacks designed with cyclists in mind usually have a cellphone pocket that’s within arm’s reach like the one seen here.  And of course Wayfarers are always welcome on days like this one.

Jessica and her friend ride in v-necks, which definitely helps the air flow to vital parts on these sunny days.  Extra points for the helmet Jessica!

Marc and Tyson are living up this Sunday.  Cutoffs have always been a fixed gear riding staple, possibly because their chains chew up all their pant legs and make it a necessity, but who knows.  Tyson sports an interesting corduroy variation while Marc shows off this beauty of a Savers find.  It sort of reminds me of a watercolor I’ve seen somewhere.

This is Sean, an obvious Star Wars fan.  No need to be ashamed buddy, you’re in good company on the Radar blog.  At first glance the print looks just like any Star Wars tee – I didn’t notice till after I went through the pictures that Skywalker and Darth Vader are both ripping on guitar, sweet!

I usually like to wrap up with the best/funniest picture, and this time I think I might have outdone myself.  This is a cinnaroll that Sean ordered at Bill’s.  It wouldn’t have tasted as good without the links on the side.  Syrup on everything, yes!

(Shut your mouth, you’re drooling on the keyboard)

Business or Pleasure, not both

The way I see it, laptops and sandy beaches are like tighty-whities and black socks (not that they always need to match).  Name one cocktail or tropical libation inspired by the guy who answers emails beneath palm trees and tucks his Tommy Bahama into his Dockers.  There are people who think working while on vacation is productive; to me it’s a half-hearted attempt at either one.

With that said, I did attend Silicon Valley’s 20th celebration of Cinequest Film Festival, originally with the intention of photographing Silicon Valley’s chic, but opted instead to sit back and enjoy the show.  Well, five shows – but whose counting really? 

Fashion in Film

Staying true to the feeling of this website I can’t write this post without some mention of fashion, my heart just won’t let me.  So I’ll be pointing out characters and their individual styles while discussing Cinequest. 

The Greatest, produced by Pierce Brosnan who also appears in the film opposite Susan Sarandon and Carey Mulligan, was by far the most star-studded of the five films. 

Mulligan plays Rose, a high school senior who, on the last day of school, finally speaks to her crush Bennett (Aaron Johnson) after four years of passing each other in the halls.  Their romance is cut short by a lethal car accident that leaves Rose the surviving member of the couple.

Bennett’s parents (Brosnan and Sarandon) are still in a state of disbelief when Rose appears on their doorstep revealing that she is carrying their late son’s child.  The film’s deep characters drive the story and explore the different faces of grief.

Brosnan plays Allen, a university professor who definitely dresses the part.  In a scene where he takes Rose and the rest of his family to their beach house, Allen sheds all traces of academia.  A navy blue poplin shirt and khaki club shorts tell everyone around him that he won’t be available for office hours.  The look is definitely a nod to the reemergence of Americana in fashion.

Upperdog is a Norwegian film that traces the life of twins separated by adoption. Axel lives a very posh existence with his adopted, upper-class family.  After he is betrayed by his girlfriend with his best friend, Axel sinks into a depression. 

The importance of appearance among the wealthy lead Axel into a ritual of crisp, white shirts and pressed, black slacks.  It’s a veneer that hints not only to his depression but the sterile environment in which he was raised.

Let’s fast forward to our fifth film, The Orange Girl.  Aside from being one of my favorites, this Norwegian tale of life and love received its own reprise on the final day of Cinequest.  Now, it’s Cinequest tradition to bring back a number of audience favorites (decided by ballot) for closing night and The Orange Girl made the cut, bravo!

Our hero, Jan, and his son Georg both fall in love with girls by chance meetings, albeit one generation apart.  For Jan he discovers his muse on the train ride to work carrying a basket of oranges and wearing a bright red trench.  The coat becomes a symbol that haunts him as he mistakes her for every woman who boards the train. For Georg, who develops the plot by reading his fathers letters of the orange girl, finds an orange girl of his own while on a cross country ski trip.

The film flashes back from Jan as a young man to Georg in the present day, paralleling each other’s journey of infatuation.  It’s a great opportunity to see Jan impeccably dressed in Nordic knit sweaters and business suits.  (I love how classic staples in menswear always keep a man in style no matter how far back the picture was taken.)

Now as a post script and to give this entry some visuals, we’re spotlighting Cerina.  She is a makeup artist whose work can be seen in such indie flicks as Glory Boy Days, Liquor Store Cactus, All About Dad (featured in Cinequest 2009 and Pacific Rim Film Fest) and she’s also worked with us here at Helium!

I love her punk rock, rockabilly motif and she rocks that beach cruiser almost like an accessory.  Way to be Cerina!

So to wrap up this Pentateuch of a blog post I’d like to tip my hat to all those involved with Cinequest, especially the volunteers.  You could tell everyone loved films and really helped make the event run smoothly.  Lines stretched to the end of the block at the California screening of Outsourced and by the time I locked up my bike and turned the corner every one of those people was in their seats.

The venues were amazing, specifically the California Theater with its handsome lobby furnished with touch screens gave filmgoers an interactive Cinequest experience.  Volunteers at this venue were especially accommodating to a nosy blogger poking his head into every corner.

And enough can’t be said about the films chosen for the festival.  I wholeheartedly believe that if I had a movie lovers pass as they call them, there would be not a one that I had a negative opinion about.

Once again thank you Cinequest for bringing so many mavericks together in one place and for instilling that spirit into Silicon Valley.  We’ll be looking forward to having you back next year.

***All photos taken from Cinequest website except the last

Tramping through San Jose’s splashy sidewalks will lead to the countless restaurants and cafes lining its rain drenched streets with this poster on display.  It’s a badge indicating the establishment’s endorsement of the city’s premiere film festival, this year being its 20^th installment.

Representing Silicon Valley’s progressive state of being, Cinequest is one of the first film festivals to embrace digital technology within the film industry.  Its founders see it as a channel that empowers mavericks, who, in their words, act as a catalyst of dynamic change in a cookie cutter world.

Soiree Shutterbugs

This two week event (Feb. 23 – Mar. 7) draws a diverse crowd to the downtown area including film makers from 44 countries.  Helium Radar is going to take full advantage, cameras drawn, ready to snap any of the action, and of course fashion, that cross our lines of sight.

Aside from the top-notch films showing at the California Theater and the downtown Camera Cinemas, there will be plenty of bars and restaurants taking part in the action you may be interested in.  Check the Cinequest site for details.

Timing is everything and a zombie convention in the beginning of September isn’t exactly my idea of timely. But maybe I’m wrong and it deserves the same coverage as, let’s say, a Santa’s reindeer sighting – in July. Maybe San Jose is just notorious for its diehard zombie fans.

Regardless, these fans crawled from out of the cracks in the sidewalk as zombies from around Silicon Valley convene on a not-so-timely summer Zombie-o-Rama.

So we threw this one into the Helium Radar vault and sat on it like a Wall St. trader with a great tip– or a fanatical beanie baby collector, which ever you prefer.

With Halloween knocking on this weekend’s doorstep, the funny looks you get when Rudolf’s nose blazes across a warm summer night are predictably missing. It’s time for our zombies to prove our readers that they’ve got some style too.

Somehow this zombie manages to ooze with style despite her various states of decay.  The pompadour,  polka dot blouse and red lipstick combination reek of rockabilly.

                                                                                           Check out the leopard print

An all black ensemble can do a ton for a zombie when using different textures – especially for covering up lingering zombieness and gore.  Here lace gloves, fishnet veil, silken scarf and crocheted vest deliver loads of style for this queen of the undead.

                                                                                                            Digging the umbrella

                                                                                                                                                                  Sometimes the devil’s in the details.  Here it’s possesed this vintage baby carriage, using it to really bring the outfit home.  It carries a certain consistency and completeness to the look that would make Wednesday and the whole Addams family green with envy.

Gratuitous Zombie Mayhem