This Week in Rock: June 2 - 8

Last week's music offerings in San Jose was fantastic. If you didn't partake, then you sorely missed out. This week, instead of the full-blown rock shows (like The Cure or Scissors for Lefty) there are a variety of styles, venues and cities that we are going to recommend.

First we'll start with Brooke Fraser, a singer/songwriter from New Zealand, who's back in San Francisco this Tuesday at Cafe du Nord. Her album, Albertine, was released in the U.S. at the beginning of May. She became a total phenomenon in the land Down Under when she debuted her first album What To Do With Daylight and achieved platinum status seven times over, four number one radio hits as well as two Tui Awards (New Zealand's Music Awards) for "Best Female Artist" and "Breakthrough Artist" in 2006. The girl is super talented and she's now ready to conquer the United States (no small feat). Her new album is filled with soulful ballads akin to an updated Tori Amos or a less bouncy Sara Bareilles. We are totally digging it. It the intimate environment of Cafe du Nord, we know that the show will be unbelievable.

Later this week Lupe Fiasco will be lighting up the HP Pavilion on "The Glow in the Dark" tour. Fiasco will be supporting long time friend, Kanye West and Rihanna. Some of Fiasco's accolades include:

• 2006 Grammy Award nominations, including “Best Rap Album,” “Best Rap Song,” and “Best Rap Solo Performance”
• Rolling Stone’s “10 Artists To Watch 2006”
• GQ’s 2006 “Breakout Man of the Year

Nominations from:

• BET Hip Hop Awards
• The NAACP Image Awards
• The mtvU Woodie Awards
• The Soul Train Music Awards'

"The Glow in the Dark" tour was already here in San Jose a month ago, but there's so much love for them, they had to come back. Two sold-out arena shows is proof enough that there's something to see.

Saturday, we are planning to go to Live 105's BFD at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. We will be hanging out at the Soundcheck Local Stage. If you planning on hanging out there, please let us know. Who would miss this when you only have to pay $10.53. Here's more info:

Saturday, June 7th @ Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
doors open at 11:30am | music starts at noon

BUDLIGHT FESTIVAL STAGE (noon-8:30pm)
Cypress Hill | Pennywise | Flogging Molly | Alkaline Trio
The Kooks | Everlast | Anti-Flag | MGMT | Atreyu
Airborne Toxic Event | Flobots | The Whigs | Middle Class Rut

SCION SUBSONIC TENT (3pm-11pm)
Moby | MSTRKRFT | DJ AM | Santogold | Steve Aoki | Lyrics Born
Mike Relm | PlayRadioPlay | DJ Omar | Richard Oh | HOTTUB | DJ Miles

SOUNDCHECK LOCAL MUSIC STAGE (1pm-6pm)
The Phenomenauts | Love Like Fire | Here Here | Magic Bullets
Apside | The Hundred Days | Federalists | The Action Design

Take the jump for full music listings:

Photo Credit: jaseNZ

Weekly Music Listings:

Monday, June 2nd:
The Long Blondes and Social Studies @ Great American Music Hall, $15*
Superdrag, Birdmonster and Cold Hot Crash @ Bottom of the Hill, $20*
Chevelle with Sick Puppies @ Independent, $25

Tuesday, June 3rd:
Brooke Fraser @ Cafe du Nord, $15*
My Revolver @ Bottom of the Hil, $8
The Cool Kids @ Independent, $18
Mad Sin @ Slim's $15

Wednesday, June 4th:
Schande @ Cafe du Nord, $10
Egypt Central @ Bottom of the Hill, $10

Thursday, June 5th:
The Wombats @ popscene, $10*
The Reverse @ Cafe du Nord, $10
Or, the Whale @ Independent, $20
Adult Swim presents Metalocalypse: Dethklok with Chimaira and Soilent Green @ Fillmore, $26.50
The Queers @ Bottom of the Hill, $12

Friday, June 6th:
Kanye West @ HP Pavilion, $39.50-75*
The Whigs @ popscene, FREE*
Firewater @ Bottom of Hill, $12
Honeycut @ Independent, $14
Frog Eyes @ Cafe du Nord, $12

Saturday, June 7th:
Live 105's BFD @ Shoreline Ampitheater, $10.53*
Newton Faulkner @ Slim's, $13*
Annuals @ Cafe du Nord, $10*
The Struts @ Bottom of the Hill, $10
The Black Angels @ Independent, $15

Sunday, June 8th:
Local H and The Photo Atlas @ Independent, $13
Erykah Badu with The Roots @ Paramount, $65-83

*we recommend