The hotspot for Mountain View music The hotspot for Mountain View music (April 23, 2004)

It's not where you think it is

By Dan Stapleton

To catch the latest Mountain View acts, you have to leave town. That's right -- the Mountain View Music Showcase is this weekend in Cupertino.

Atomic Mint is headlining the concert at Britannia Arms on Saturday starting at 9:30 p.m. Other acts include My Monster and Crawldaddy, both of which are from Mountain View, and San Jose's Zebco.

Atomic Mint is a Mountain View-based alternative garage rock band that got its start playing at the Dana Street Roasting Company. The group cites Bjork, The White Stripes, and Nirvana as its main influences.

Drummer Amadeo "AMA" Donofrio and singer, guitarist and songwriter Brianna started the band in 1999, adding bassist Misha Guiffre in 2001. The trio put out its second album, "Audio Candy," in February 2003 and is currently shopping for a recording label. Both "Audio Candy" and the group's first album, "A Better Mousetrap," are available at Tower Records, Streetlight, and through www.atomicmint.com.

Those who attend the concert will also witness the second performance of My Monster. The band debuted on April 3 at the Britannia Arms with Rubber Side Down. The four-member band is comprised of lead singer and guitarist Michael Shockey, bassist Sean Fuller, drummer Lisa Rutta and rhythm guitarist Joyce Kuo. The band's members are mostly from San Jose, but they meet to practice at Fuller's house in Mountain View.

"We're an eclectic group of people. We range in age from 40 to 21, and we kind of bring a whole bunch of music styles together. We like to believe that we have an early Smashing Pumpkins feel and tone," said Fuller.

My Monster's first three-song CD is currently being produced and will be available at the show on Saturday. More musical samples are available online at www.my-monster.com.

Crawldaddy, a four-member hard punk band, is making its stage debut on Saturday.

The Mountain View Music Showcase is being held in Cupertino because, said performers, Mountain View lacks a suitable venue for small bands to perform live. "It would be ideal to do it here in Mountain View, but there's just nowhere to do it," said Donofrio.

Mountain View is missing out on an opportunity to become a Bay Area music hotspot, he added. "There's a Friday music scene that's just out of sight, but it's all around you," Donofrio said. "If someone would take a chance and give us a room and let us start doing a series, I think we could make something happen, something special."

The Mountain View Music Showcase will take place at the Britannia Arms Pub and Restaurant in Cupertino, located at 1087 South De Anza Blvd. The show is free and open to everyone 21 and over.

E-mail Dan Stapleton at dstapleton@mv-voice.com

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