BeatNonStop A Weblog by Chris Macias Bee pop music critic Music geek (n. myü-zik 'gEk) 1: A person who proudly wore KISS commemorative pajamas in third grade. 2: A person who owns multiple copies of the same album, still buys vinyl and has a room dedicated to 2,000 or so CDs and records. 3. A person who wrote a five-part series about traveling with a local band in their stinky van - and loved every minute of it. 4: Chris Macias, the Bee's pop music critic, serving Sacramento's music scene since 1999.

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« March 2006 | | May 2006 »

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April 27, 2006

Super Sonic

Yes, the rumors are true. Sonic Youth is coming to Sacramento, and the great noise-rockers will perform on July 3 at Empire. Now here's a great idea: Blow up your eardrums to Thurston Moore and crew, and the next night blow up some fireworks.

Sonic Youth tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. For more information: (916) 448-3300.

Posted by cmacias at 5:03 PM | Comments |

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April 25, 2006

"Living With War"

Neil Young has cranked out a new album called "Living With War." It was recorded just a few weeks ago, and is already set for a digital release on May 2. Look for the album to reach record stores some time next week. The album will also be streamed on www.neilyoung.com starting Friday. Lyrics from the songs are already up on Young's site.

"Living With War" could be the most politically charged album of his career.Song titles include "Let's Impeach the President," "Shock and Awe," and "Lookin' For a Leader." The album was recorded as a "power trio" but also includes a 100-member choir. Let the streaming begin, and the plan is to have the CDs in stores just as soon as they can be manufactured.

Posted by cmacias at 3:58 PM | Comments |

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April 24, 2006

From the board

Here's some chatter about the upcoming Guns N' Roses tour from the BeatNonStop board:

From kingsdude:

The Guns and Roses band that plays NYC will NOT be with the original members. The ONLY original member will be Axl Rose, period. To me that is NOT Guns and Roses, that’s a used up lead singer who has run out of royalty money, so he grabs four studio musicians and goes on tour. WEAK! The only way to see Guns and Roses is with the original members.

From jforce:

I'm glad to see them reconciling - if even for a short period. The music scene is so lifeless right now that I'm sure they will be welcomed back with open arms just as Motley Crue has been. '

Speaking of open arms.. if only we could get Steve Perry to do a few shows.. I'd pay anything to see him.

How about we get Steve Perry to don a KFC bucket - a la Buckethead, Guns N' Roses' hired gun of a guitarist - and join in with Axl Rose and co.? Does anyone know who's actually in this latest version of GNR?

BTW, my only experience with GNR in concert was, well, one of their no-show gigs. Back in the "Appetite for Destruction Days," GNR was opening for Iron Maiden at the old Cal Expo amphitheatre. But before GNR was to hit the stage, Slash sauntered up to a microphone and announced that Axl was sick and couldn't perform. *cough cough* Fans booed, some hair-metal honeys had crushed hearts, but Iron Maiden played an extra long set to compensate for Axl's absence. Rock on.

Posted by cmacias at 3:14 PM | Comments |

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April 21, 2006

PodNonStop 020: Coheed and Cambria

Get progressive as Chris Macias talks with the heady group Coheed and Cambria.

(4:17) - posted April 21

Download PodNonStop 020

Stream PodNonStop 020

Posted by icahir at 1:57 PM | Comments |

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April 20, 2006

Is music worse than ever before?

Has the pop music scene reached new lows? One poster on our message board is feeling that way. Does a group like Black Eyed Peas or Good Charlotte signal that pop music is playing to the lowest common denominator? Post here and rant away.

Here's how the thread is shaping up so far:

From jforce:
I can't believe what kind of crap is getting signed to record deals these days. It's hard to believe how many millionaires Roger Linn has made... unworthy ones at that. Does anyone know who Roger Linn is? Ask Prince who he is... or Pete Rock... or Teddy Riley... or Jay Z... or P Diddy.. they will be able to tell you. He made them.

Music is dead. It's really sad. When Sheryl Crow is number one on the rock charts... music is dead.

Here's my response:

I think it's always sort of sucked and been good at the same time. The 70's is dogged for its cheesy disco music and AOR rock (Boston, REO Speedwagon, etc.), but it was also the era that punk emerged, the rise of Parliament-Funkadelic and the time when the seedlings of hip-hop were planted. And today, sure, Sheryl Crow, Black Eyed Peas, etc. might hit No. 1, but there's still plenty of good music to be had, whether it's Bloc Party, Beck, Blackalicious, Mars Volta, M.I.A. etc. Finding good music might require some extra digging, but it's always out there if your ears are open. Whether it makes No. 1 is a whole other story.

BTW, for those not in the know, Roger Linn's been designing drum machines and sequencers (like the almighty MPC) for more than 20 years. If you've heard "When Doves Cry," you've heard one of Linn's drum sounds.

Posted by cmacias at 3:17 PM | Comments |

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April 19, 2006

Hold up, Heritage Festival

Speaking of summer concerts, I just got word that the Heritage Festival has to move from River Walk Park.The site, on the West Sacramento banks of the Sacramento River, is flooded and it would still take three weeks of clean up if the river levels dropped. The festival is planned for June 3 -4, so organizers of the Heritage Festival are now scouting some new locations. Keep your fingers crossed on this one.

Posted by cmacias at 2:59 PM | Comments |

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Summer concerts

More summer concerts are coming down the pipeline. The Black Crowes, with Robert Randolph & the Family Band and Drive-By Truckers (one of BeatNonStop's favorite bands) are playing at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre on June 13. And what's this that I'm hearing about Kelly Clarkson and Toby Keith both reaching the amphitheatre this summer?

So what concert are you most looking forward to this summer? Post your response on BeatNonStop's message board.

Posted by cmacias at 2:49 PM | Comments |

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April 18, 2006

Axl alert

Guns N' Roses - or what passes as the band these days - just announced a tour, including two shows in New York City (May 15 and May 17). The rest of the gigs are European dates. But what do you think the chances are that Axl Rose and company will actually finish the tour? Post your thoughts on our
message board.

Keep in mind that the band's 2002 tour imploded after some no-shows by Axl Rose. The band was even scheduled to perform at Arco Arena, but then the whole tour was scrapped. Too bad, so sad. "Chinese Democracy," the band's ballyhooed album, is what, 10 years in the making with no release date in sight. Does anyone even care about Guns N' Roses anymore?

Posted by cmacias at 4:28 PM | Comments |

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April 13, 2006

Fade to black

So much for Junta being downtown’s all-ages hot spot for music. The club on the K Street Mall has shut down after just three months on the scene.

How do you think that Junta’s closing will effect Sacramento’s music scene? Post your thoughts on the BeatNonStop message board.

At least the 18-and-under set can still catch some all-ages shows at Fools Foundation and the Library, or trek out to the Boardwalk in Orangevale. There’s also the occasional all-ages matinee at Old Ironsides. But it's too bad that Junta is gone, right when the club seemed to be finding its stride. Here are some of the bands that were scheduled to play at Junta in the next few months: Still Life Projector, Pressure Point, Bridges, No Avail and Whiskey Rebels. Bummer ...

Posted by cmacias at 4:41 PM | Comments |

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April 12, 2006

Feeding back

Thanks to everyone who’s left responses in our new comments/message board page. The first thread is one about the "Top 10 Albums That Are Essential to Any Record Collection.”Here are a couple of those lists :

From dlewis1:

Beatles--Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Jethro Tull--Aqualung
Emerson, Lake & Palmer--Pictures At An Exhibition
Beach Boys--Pet Sounds
The Who--Who's Next
Pink Floyd--The Wall
Dave Brubeck--Take Five
Simon & Garfunkel--Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
Thelonious Monk/John Coltrane--Live @ Carnegie
Michel Petrucianni/Eddy Louis--Conference de Presse

From “dougcash”

1.Gloria Lynne-Live at the Las Vegas Thunderbird
2.Lambert,Hendricks & Bavan-Live at the Basin Street East
3.Sly & The Family Stone-Stand
4.The Beatles-Revolver
5.Jimmy Smith-The Cat
6.Joni Mitchell-Hissing of Summer Lawns
7.Paul Simon-Paul Simon
8.Stevie Wonder-Innervisions
9.Jaco Pastorius-Word of Mouth
10.Kate Bush-Hounds of Love

Hey, I like that “Hounds of Love” pick. I kept going back and forth about that album on my own Top 10 list, and ended up listening to “Hounds of Love” on my iPod earlier today. But trying to compile “10 Essential Albums” is almost like a no-win situation. You could easily break it down to “10 Essential Jazz Albums,” “10 Essential ‘70s Rock Albums,” etc.

Anyone else have a list they want to post? Don’t be chicken – all the cool kids are doing it.

Posted by cmacias at 3:42 PM | Comments |

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April 10, 2006

Sound off!

What are the Top 10 albums that you think are essential to any record collection? Sound off on on our brand spanking new message board/comments section.

The editors of www.DailyCD.com, an e-newsletter about “best of” music, posed the question recently and came up with this list:

1. Aretha Franklin – “I’ve Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You”
2. Bill Evans – “Waltz for Debby”
3. Boz Scaggs – “Silk Degrees”
4. Kruder & Dorfmeister – “The K&D Sessions”
5. The Zombies – “Odessey and Oracle”
6. Harold Budd and Brian Eno – “Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror”
7. Sarah Vaughan – “Sarah Vaughan”
8. Fred Neil – “Fred Neil”
9. Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté – “In the Heart of the Moon”
10. Lucinda Williams – “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”

Nice mix, but my 10 albums recommended for any record collection would go something like this:

1. Beatles, “Revolver”
2. Run-D.M.C, “Run-D.M.C.”
3. James Brown, “James Brown’s Funky People”
4. Miles Davis, “Kind of Blue”
5. The Stooges, “Raw Power”
6. My Bloody Valentine, “Loveless”
7. Nina Simone, “Wild is the Wind”
8. The Who, “Live at Leeds”
9. DJ Shadow, “Endtroducing”
10. Keith Jarrett, “Koln Concert”

Tell BeatNonStop what you think because enquiring minds want to know.

Posted by cmacias at 4:19 PM | Comments |

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April 6, 2006

Get Seen

You procrastinating musicians are in luck. The deadline for bands that want to be considered for the Sacramento Film and Music Festival has been extended to Monday. To recap, the "Sac Music Seen" part of the festival is a collaboration between local bands and filmmakers to create a new video. Come on, all the cool kids are doing it. Participants in past festivals include Aaron King & the Imperials, Bucho, Ghostride and Headrush.

To download an application, visit http://www.sacfilm.com/music.html. Now get cracking.

Posted by cmacias at 4:47 PM | Comments |

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April 5, 2006

Impressions, like the John Coltrane song

- Angels & Airwaves is the new band from Tom Delonge of blink-182, the dork-punk band which may or may not be broken up. The lead-off single, “The Adventure,” just made its way to my desk and it sounds like a cross between Coldplay and the Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary.” There’s a big, delay-driven guitar riff that builds and builds, and then Delonge nearly ruins the moment with his Valley Dude-singing style. But I’ll bet that the Hot Topic set is going to be swinging its chain wallets to Angels & Airwaves’ debut album, which will be released on May 22.

- Lila Downs’ new album also just came this way, and I couldn’t wait to hear it after reading the title (“La Cantina”). Downs, a singer with roots in Mexico and Minnesota, has one of the most amazing voices you’ll hear. Most of her music is in a Latin/world fusion kind of vein, but I’ve always wanted to just hear Downs go off on an album of salt-of-the-earth ranchera music, like the title suggests. Downs’ voice indeed sounds good, but it’s buried in so much gloss and reverb that the whole effort sounds overly slick. The use of electronics and drum loops makes for some interesting touches, and though Downs is great at many things, rapping is not one of them.

- “Gold Lion” is the lead-off track from the latest Yeah Yeah Yeahs album: I liked it better when it was called “No New Tale to Tale” by Love and Rockets.

Posted by cmacias at 2:55 PM | Comments |

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April 3, 2006

Rumor of the week

The buzz in cyberspace is that Sacramento’s Deftones are going to tour later this year as an opening act for Korn. (This comes via www.blabbermouth.net, with a nod to the Korn fan site www.kornunleashed.net). Who knows if this will pan out, but it’s interesting on a couple of fronts: 1) These two bands were buds back in the Cattle Club days of the early-1990s, but 2) The Deftones’ Chino Moreno and Korn frontman Jonathan Davis were talking smack about each other in the press a couple years ago. Maybe everyone’s made nu-metal nice since then, so stay tuned for more info.

Speaking of Deftones, check out my review of the band’s recent Arco Arena show right here.

Posted by cmacias at 3:29 PM | Comments |

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