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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May 30, 2006

Forgive me, Father ...

For I am on my way to see Madonna’s show tonight in San Jose. And this is a concert that reportedly features the Material Girl singing while strapped to a crucifix, scenes of bondage and a lot of bumping and grinding. Padrino, I will say an extra “Our Father” prayer before writing my review, which will be online Wednesday at 7 a.m. and in the Bee’s Scene section on Thursday.

Posted by cmacias at 1:15 PM | Comments |

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May 25, 2006

Beck with strings

Last night's Beck concert was like a blast back to preschool. This was the rare concert where a puppet show was in the mix, featuring marionettes and a "puppetron" video screen. The sold-out crowd at Freeborn Hall loved it, so check out my review of the show for more about this meeting of Punch and Judy with pop music.

I missed the opening band, Lavender Diamond, and that may have been a good thing. Two readers wrote in to say that Lavender Diamond was terrible, horrible, etc. So that got me thinking: What was the worst opening band you've ever seen? My vote goes to Genuine Diamelles, which opened for David Bowie back in the early 1990s. Their set included an afwul, acapella verison of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" and the whole thing was just, well, wack.

Posted by cmacias at 2:24 PM | Comments |

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May 22, 2006

Weekend wrap-up

Prayer candles with images of la Virgen de Guadalupe outlined a runway at the Sol Collective arts and cultural center on Saturday night. And it was like a mix of the sacred and the swanky as the fashion show started. The models looked amazing, like the hippest cholas you’ll ever see, in their peek-a-boo dresses and shirts with images of La Virgen on them.

This was a very firme show called “Votive: La Suerte de Guadalupe” that mixed fashion, art and music. “Votive” was spearheaded by three locals – Angelie Pereda, Paris Martinez and Adam Saake - and Angelie told me that the inspiration for the show came from her aunt, Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, a leading Chicana artist who works in textiles and mixed media.

So along with the fashion show, there was La Virgen-inspired art on the walls and plenty of music pumping through the place. I thought the music during the fashion show should’ve reflected the Votive theme a little more. Instead of the funky house music that serenaded the models, why not “Suavecito,” “Latin Activity” or a little Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam? But overall, this was a very cool event and was capped for me by a stunning midnight performance by Dusty Brown, the local brother-sister act.

Otherwise, my weekend playlist sounded something like this:

“Blow,” Spankrock
“Oops,” DJ Technics
“Posse on Broadway,” Sir Mix-a-Lot
The “Jimi (Hendrix) Plays Berkeley” DVD
“Temperamental,” Everything But the Girl
“Wisdom,” Brian Jonestown Massacre
“We Haven’t Turned Around,” Gomez
“The Kids Are Alright” DVD, the Who
“Comanche,” Thee Headcoats
“Snibe,” Sunny Day Real Estate
“Go Hard or Go Home,” E-40

Posted by cmacias at 5:00 PM | Comments |

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May 19, 2006

Beat this

Jason Lytle (ex-Grandaddy) is performing at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Beat (17th and J streets). And it does hurt to put that "ex" in front of Grandaddy. The band from Modesto put out some fantastic records, including the alternative-rock opus known as "Sophtware Slump." Don't know if Lytle will be playing any Grandaddy tunes at this Sunday show, but it's definitely worth checking out.

Posted by cmacias at 3:40 PM | Comments |

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Deftones Wrap-up

Thursday’s free concert in Cesar Chavez Plaza might go down as the only show where more people were interested in the music than the beer garden. The Deftones threw a free show for hometown fans, and it was nuts out there. Slam dancers kicked up dust and dirt. Fans were even watching from the top floor of a nearby parking garage. And the Deftones rock pretty hard, even if they guys looked very red in the face from the early evening heat.

I caught the show from behind Stephen Carpenter’s guitar rig, and it was a cool view. The band played for about an hour, and the highlight for me was when Chino sang “Headup,” but substituted the lyrics with Bubba Sparxx’s “Ms. New Booty.” Nice. Chino also did a bit from “Wicked,” the classic Ice Cube track, and the crowd got extra pumped off that.

“That was fun,” a very sweaty Chino said after the show. “I’ve been to a bunch of shows here (at Cesar Chavez Plaza) but never played here before. But the dust, man, it was hectic out there.”

Lots of fans were still milling around the park after the concert, and the Deftones guys were gracious about signing autographs and posing for pictures.

There was also much hobnobbing back stage. Jeff Irwin, the guitarist for Will Haven, mentioned that his other band, Abominable Iron Sloth, has a CD release show on Saturday night at the Boardwalk. Shaun Lopez (Revolution Smile, ex-Far) talked about some of the vocal tracks he’s producing for the Deftones’ upcoming album (“The songs sound big and beautiful,” he said. “I think this album is going to take (the Deftones) to the next level.”). DJ Crook, the turntablist in Team Sleep (Chino’s side project), said that he’s spinning every second and fourth Saturday at the Golden Bear.

The Deftones show was a little taste of what’s coming on Aug. 20. They’ll be playing at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre, co-headlining with Korn on the “Family Values” tour. For now, here’s the set list from Thursday’s show:

1. Bored
2. Minus Blindfold
3. My Own Summer (Shove It)”
4. Feiticeira
5. Digital Bath
6. Nosebleed
7. Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
8. Around the Fur
9. Headup
10. Change (In the House of Flies)
11. Engine No. 9
12. Root
13. Birthmark
14. 7 words

Posted by cmacias at 2:43 PM | Comments |

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PodNonStop 022: Summer concert preview

From Sonic Youth to OzzFest, Chris Macias looks at what's coming down the concert pipeline this summer.

(6:06) - posted May 19

Download PodNonStop022

Posted by icahir at 12:05 PM | Comments |

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May 18, 2006

Lady Luck

La Virgen de Guadalupe … you’ve seen this icon of Mexican faith on candles, keychains, kitschy velvet paintings and t-shirts (like the one worn by the dork at the top of thus page. And now “La Virgen” will have a whole art/music/fashion show dedicated to her. “Votive: La Suerte de Guadalupe” is going down on Saturday night at Sol Collective (2010 Del Paso Blvd.) and will feature music, art and fashion as inspired by the Virgin Mary.

“Votive” is being organized by Adam Saake, the local drum-and-bass whiz kid behind the band Shotgun Sound. Along with Shotgun Sound, there will be music and lots of knob twiddling from Tycho, Dusty Brown, Junobot and other electronic acts. DJs will also be in the house, and so will a lot of art and photography that’s inspired by La Virgen. A fashion show will also go down at 11 p.m., which will include a very cool local clothing line called Por Vida.

The event starts at 6 p.m. and costs $5. It’s all ages until 10 p.m., when it becomes an 18-and-up event. For more information: http://www.myspace.com/solcollective.

Posted by cmacias at 4:23 PM | Comments |

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May 16, 2006

Deftones confirmed for Cesar Chavez Plaza

Here's a good reason to sneak out of work a little early on Thursday. The Deftones are throwing a free show at 5 p.m. Thursday at Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th and J streets). The gig is a little taste of what you'll see later this summer, when the Deftones perform with Korn at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre on Aug. 20. Now spread the word ...

Posted by cmacias at 2:47 PM | Comments |

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May 15, 2006

Free Deftones downtown?

The hot rumor of the day is that the Deftones will throw a free concert at Cesar Chavez Plaza on Thursday. Stay tuned for more details.

By the way, if you haven't peeped it, check out my Mother's Day story with the Deftones' Chino Moreno and his mom. (Jackie Greene and his momma are also featured).

Posted by cmacias at 3:30 PM | Comments |

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May 13, 2006

PodNonStop 021: Rock moms

Pop music critic Chris Macias podcasts family style this time, hanging out with Chino Moreno of Deftones, Jackie Greene and their moms.
Download PodNonStop 021

Posted by icahir at 11:53 PM | Comments |

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May 12, 2006

More impressions

Les Claypool, “Of Whales and Woe” (out May 30): The CD starts off with – big surprise! – some atonal bass noodling and obnoxious, cartoon-y vocals. I’ve always dug Les Claypool’s musicianship and am part of the contingent that thinks “Primus sucks” (e.g. Primus is all good, buddy). But I’ve always found a lot of Claypool’s solo work almost unlistenable. “Of Whales and Woe” is sounding like the soundtrack to a bad episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” maybe where SpongeBob and Patrick eat some mushrooms that they’re not supposed to be eating, and psychedelic Crabby Patties start chasing them around Bikini Bottom. So far, no thanks.

Nelly Furtado, “Promiscuous” (advance single, album out June 20): Nelly Furtado’s last album pretty much tanked, and it sounds like there’s a major effort to reinvent her as Gwen Stefani 2.0. Timbaland, beatmaker to Missy Elliott and others, is the producer behind this track, and it’s a candy-coated R&B romp where Furtado coos and does the “come hither” thing like she’s a freak of the week. “Promiscuous” sounds like it could even be a Black Eyed Peas song, which is good if Furtado wants to woo the “TRL” crowd, but not so good if you liked her as the pop singer with a multi-culti touch.

Peeping Tom, “Peeping Tom” (out May 30): Here’s Mike Patton’s long-awaited project with a cool roll-call of collaborators, including Massive Attack, Bebel Gilberto, Rahzel and Kool Keith. But it’s Norah Jones, the queen of brunch music, who’s the biggest surprise here. Check out Jones as she drops “f bombs” and basically sings about how she eats men for breakfast (or brunch) on “Sucker.” There’s lots of sounds that pop out on “Peeping Tom,” from trip-hop, to thrash metal and breezy Brazilian vibes. Take that, Gorillaz.

Posted by cmacias at 11:11 AM | Comments |

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May 10, 2006

Word to your mother

Chi Cheng is the bassist for the Deftones, and performs double-duty as a poet. And he has a gig on Thursday night, opening for Dredg at the Fillmore in San Francisco. So if you happen to be in the city by the Bay, try and check it out. Cheng’s poetry readings are always good times, even if his prose tends to be brutal and bleak. But hey, it worked for Charles Bukowski, right?

Speaking of the Deftones, keep your peepers open for Sunday’s Scene section. In honor of the loveliness that is Mother’s Day, I wrote a “rock moms” story that will feature Chino Moreno from the Deftones and his mom. (Jackie Greene and his momma will also be profiled).

Hear about Chino’s teenage hijinx and how he’d get grounded from the Deftones. See the recipe for his favorite macaroni soup, which his mom always has waiting for him when he gets home from tour.

Here’s a taste of the story, from a passage that was cut for length:

Take a seat on the living room couch at Chino Moreno’s mom’s house, and you’ll see the Deftones frontman in a Picture People-styled portrait with his two brothers and two sisters. Moreno, the second-oldest of the bunch, wears a red button-down shirt and a sheepish smile.

This is how Debbie Ramirez thinks of her son, not the alpha male singer and instigator of mosh pits, but always a little shy, always close to his family.

“If he doesn’t hear from us (when he’s on tour), he actually gets sad,” says Ramirez. “I tell him, ‘Mijo, (you’ve) got a phone, too.'”

Moreno, 32, lives in a South Land Park neighborhood that’s about four blocks from where his mother and stepfather live. The mother and son share the same cherubic cheeks and thoughtful eyes, and the two were practically joined like the Wonder Twins when Moreno was a toddler.

Back then, when the family lived off Martin Luther King Boulevard in Oak Park, Ramirez was a preschool teacher at Fruitridge Elementary. Like her other children, Moreno joined the class when he was 2 years old.

And then her future rock star didn’t want to leave.

“When I had to go to kindergarten I cried for the first, like, week or something,” says Moreno. “(I) remember the first day (she) dropped me off. I was like, ‘Where are you going?’”

“He was holding on to my leg,” says Ramirez. “I ended up having to put him in the afternoonclass so he could stay with me at preschool in the morning and then not have that separation (anxiety).”

Posted by cmacias at 4:52 PM | Comments |

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May 8, 2006

Idol worship

What's that I hear ... the sound of power ballads, plugs for Ford and Coca-Cola and endless renditions of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Yep, it's looking like the "American Idols Live" tour is coming to Arco Arena on Aug. 29. Confirmation about this show should be coming soon.

Now's the time to start planning your summer concert itinerary. You can see "American Idols Live" on Aug. 29, and then catch Ted Nugent on Aug. 30 at the California State Fair. Now that's a mash-up waiting to happen. Maybe Chris Daughtry, or some other Idol, could pay tribute to The Nuge with a version of "Wango Tango." How about Mandisa belting out "Stranglehold?" I say bring on the butt-rock and ditch the Celine Dion covers for the "Idols" show.

Posted by cmacias at 3:31 PM | Comments |

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May 2, 2006

Grab a corn dog, see The Nuge

The California State Fair's concert line-up was just announced. Here's what will be shaking in the land of cotton candy and petting zoos:

Loverboy (Aug. 16)
Boyz II Men (Aug. 17)
Lifehouse (Aug. 22)
Rick Springfield (Aug. 29)
Ted Nugent (Aug. 30)
Tesla (Sept. 1)

Whoever booked these shows must really be addicted to VH1's "I Love the '80s." So how does Loverboy hold up these days? Can Mike Reno still rock a mean pair of red leather pants? Will Ted Nugent go hunting in the 4-H exhibits? Will Solid Gold dancers make a surprise appearance during Rick Springfield's set? I'm having neon flashbacks just thinking about it.

Posted by cmacias at 3:55 PM | Comments |

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