Wait... they write, too?

4/1 is April Pho Day

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 23:07:08 -0700

We’re proud to be a part of South First Fridays this April 1st, and that’s no foolin’. (Get it?)

South First Fridays is a brilliant collaboration between the City of San Jose, 1st Act Silicon Valley, the Downtown Association and Two Fish Design, and the idea is simple: Make downtown San Jose the most vibrant arts and music destination that it can be!

Come on down Friday, April 1 and look for us at Pho 69, the new(ish) restaurant at 321 S. 1st Street starting at 7pm. We’ll play for a couple hours and hope you’ll join us for some noodles, reggae, jazz and other surprises as downtown San Jose comes alive the first Friday of every month.

Cheers,
ARQ

ARQ Goes Clothing Optional

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:15:26 -0800

We've got some exciting news about our next gig for all you ARQ fans (and if you're reading this, you probably don't hate us, so we'll count you as a "fan," if that's not too presumptuous on our part). We're playing live on KSCO, so you can groove on those jazz-reggae sounds of ours in the privacy of your own home!

What? you ask. How is this exciting news for me? I don't get KSCO. I don't even know what city it's in! Fair questions, but we have you covered, adoring fan. (Are we pushing it now?)

Thanks to the black magic that gave us the pan-galactic interwebs, you can listen to the performance online! From anywhere! Just go to http://www.ksco.com/ on Saturday, February 19th from 3-5 p.m. The show is called Raising the Standards (that's what we in the music biz call a jazz pun), and we'll do our best to answer host Michael Jacobi's questions, or possibly not break long enough between songs for him to ask any.

Of course, the best aspect of this gig is that it's the first time we'll be playing where the audience can be full-on nude, if you want. And, by law of averages - and factoring in the Santa Cruz crowd - you know that at least one person will be... Dave....

It's also the first gig where the band can be nekkid, too, but we hear Mr. Jacobi is a good guy. We'd never put him through that.

Please plug your 'puter into a set of speakers and plan to listen in. And dear fans: If you call in to ask a question, at least grab a towel.

Altered Roots Quartet live
KSCO's Raising the Standards
February 19, 3-5 p.m.
www.ksco.com

Cheers,
ARQ

2 Great Gigs, 1 Great City

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:13:17 -0700

Glorious San José! Home of the Sharks, The Tech Museum, Naglee Park Garage and the best jazz festival going! And your favorite reggae-jazz foursome is honored to once again be playing the mighty San Jose Jazz Festival on Saturday, August 14, at 6 p.m. We’ll be rocking the Theatre on San Pedro Square (48 Hr. Jazz Club), a very cool venue and a nice way to break up all the outside time you’ll be enjoying all weekend long (starting with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic Friday night). We’d love to see you and all your family, lovers and frienemies there.

If you have an extremely good reason for not making it on Saturday (we’ll accept pneumonia, pneumatic drill accidents or other ailments and mishaps beginning with a silent “p”), you have a rare chance to quickly make it up to us (and yourself, of course. We’re playing the very next Tuesday, August 17 at Santana Row’s El Jardin, starting at 6:30 p.m. You know that place: It’s in the middle of the main drag dangerously close to the frighteningly-large chess set (I swear that knight charged me once). Imagine it: Outdoors, sipping really good drinks, eating small plates and diggin’ on the vibes ARQ is playing. What a perfect way to break up the work week.

Come to think of it, both of these gigs really feel like must-do events. The Jazz Festival, at $15 a day, is the best deal in live music since Van Halen played Jeff Spicoli’s birthday party. And the Tuesday gig at El Jardin is, well... how do you beat free?

Can’t wait to see you, barring psychosis, of course.

Cheers,
ARQ

ARQ and Reggae Royalty!

Sun, 30 May 2010 15:57:46 -0700

We could spew all manner of colorful adjectives and otherwise purple prose to explain why you need to come to Santa Cruz on Saturday, June 19. We could and would, if we needed to, but we don’t.

Here’s why: We’re playing with The Skatalites. That’s all you need to know.

If you really need more, check it: The Skatalites are on tour celebrating their 46th anniversary. They were there in Jamaica ushering in the beginnings of ska, rock steady and reggae, and did it all with a healthy dose of jazz roots.

Wait, what’s that? Reggae and jazz? But, that’s what Altered Roots Quartet does?

Ah, now you’re seeing why this is going to be such a great show. We, the band, are on Cloud Eleventeen over the opportunity to share the stage with the truly legendary Skatalites. We, hopefully not too immodestly, think our sound will be a good compliment to theirs. And mostly, we hope you’ll be there to enjoy it with us. It all happens here:  Saturday, June 19

Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz
Doors at 8, show at 9 p.m.
Get your tickets in advance. This one will sell out!

See you there,
ARQ

Thank you & See You Friday!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:20:10 -0700

You, dear friend of ARQ, absolutely made our San Jose Jazz Festival gig come alive like we had Frampton on stage with us! We had a blast in the Theatre on San Pedro Square, and just as much fun at the festival’s pre-party over at the Naglee Park Garage. Man, what a couple a nights we had! We seriously felt the love, and can’t thank you enough!

Now, what if you didn’t make the Jazz Festival? What if you missed both of those amazing gigs? Do you give up on live music and sequester yourself to a life of auditory isolation? What if there was a way to gain instant redemption? Ooo, you’d do that in a hot minute, wouldn’t you?

Well, here you go: We’re playing at San Jose’s Gordon Biersch restaurant this Friday, August 14, at 8 p.m. The outdoor seating is in an amazing patio with brick walls, the best-brewed beer in town and garlic fries that are important enough to be their own food group.

Come on down and let’s extend that SJ Jazz Fest. vibe for another week! I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend.

(photo taken by Jeff Mosqueda - with his phone, no less!)