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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August 31, 2006

Yay for the BellRays

Every once in a while there's a band that comes along and renews your faith in rock 'n' roll, the kind of group that kicks your butt in concert and leaves you a sweaty mess. The BellRays are one of those bands. They're a group from Southern California that channels the spirit of Detroit, kicking out the jams like the MC5 and with some maximum R&B blasting in the background.

So there's no better weekend to get this Labor Day party started than the BellRay's show tonight at the Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd.). You will leave with temporary hearing loss. You will probably stink, too. But you will love it. Even better is that Sacramento's Sonic Love Affair is opening the show. Bring on the fuzz-guitar fury. The music starts at 9:30 p.m. $12. For more information: (916) 455-3400.

Posted by cmacias at 5:03 PM | Comments |

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And this one time at band camp ...

We played DJ Shadow's "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt."

(Thanks to the music forum board at NapkinNights.com for the link).

Posted by cmacias at 1:42 PM | Comments |

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August 30, 2006

New show alert

Just got word that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are coming to Raley Field in late October. Don't have the exact date, but more information is coming soon. Look for tickets to go on sale Sept. 9.

Posted by cmacias at 4:38 PM | Comments |

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August 29, 2006

Reflecting on RHCP

The Red Hot Chili Peppers rocked Arco Arena last night (see review here). and what's the #1 song you'd expect to hear? Of course, it's "Under the Bridge," the "Free Bird" of the alternative-rock set. But the Chili Peppers skipped that and a bunch of other tunes. Fans are also writing in to say that "Higher Ground" was missed as well. Here are some other songs that I wished were in the set:

"Good Time Boys"
"Breaking the Girl"
"Knock Me Down"
"Johnny, Kick a Hole in the Sky"
"Catholic School Girls Rule"
"Fight Like a Brave"
"True Men Don't Kill Coyotes"
"Out in L.A."

But I guess when you've had hits since Ronald Reagan was in office, some tunes just won't make the cut in a two-hour show. The concert was still a blast, especially Flea's multi-colored bodysuit. Was he a mime back in the 1970s?

Posted by cmacias at 2:16 PM | Comments |

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August 25, 2006

Requiem for Maynard Ferguson

BeatNonStop is feeling a little blue because Maynard Ferguson passed away this week at the age of 78. Ferguson was like Gabriel on earth for generations of trumpet players, a king of high notes with lung power like category 5 hurricane winds. His music wasn't for the highbrow set - Maynard rode the disco wave hard with huge lapels and a take on the "Battlestar Galactica" theme. But in BeatNonStop's trumpet playing days, we all wanted to be mini-Maynards when it came to hitting high notes.

Back at John F. Kennedy High School, our band was extremely lucky to have Stan Mark teach our brass section. Stan played lead trumpet in Maynard's big band for most of the 1970s, so he was there for the glory days of the "Conquistador" album, the Grammy-nominated "Gonna Fly Now" and "Battlestar Galactica." Well, maybe "Battlestar Galactica" isn't the best thing to remember Maynard by, but we were all so stoked to have Stan teaching us the finer points of lip slurs and triple-tounging. He worked us like a trumpet-playing drill sergeant, but we loved Stan, especially when he brought Maynard to our school for a concert and clinic (though the clinic was run mostly by his band). Before the concert, we all got to meet Maynard backstage - that is, the boys' locker room - for a quick "hello." The highlight of the concert was Stan reuniting with Maynard for "McArthur Park." When the two held this ridiculous double-A in unison, all of us trumpeters just about passed out, or wanted to run right home and practice.

One of my favorite memories on the Bee's pop music beat is interviewing Maynard. It was just a phone interview, but I still felt like the giddy trumpeter and fan-boy watching him back in high school. Dave Kline (a.k.a. Dave Brody) from the Brodys joined me when Maynard's show came to town a week or so later, and we both had a great time. Maynard did seem winded and deferred most of the highest notes to his latest lead trumpeter (can't remember his name, but whoo-wee could this guy scream). Maynard was such a great showman throughout the gig, and his wild lip trills still gave us the best kind of shivers.

So on behalf of the trumpet players out there, we thank you Maynard for your tremendous spirit, bionic lungs and odes to 1970s' science-fiction shows. Many of us nearly got a hernia from trying to hit those same high notes, but we always kept reaching because of you.

R.I.P. Maynard!

Posted by cmacias at 1:18 AM | Comments |

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August 23, 2006

RollingVanStones

As if two shows in November at San Francisco's SBC Park weren't enough, the Rolling Stones just announced a new Bay Area date. It'll be on Nov. 5 at Oakland's McAfee Coliseum (the place where BeatNonStop's beloved Raiders tend to get stomped). And here's the kicker: Van Morrison will be opening the show. Can you say, "Baby-Boomer-Palooza?"

Tickets prices range from $60 - $150, which is fairly reasonable for a Stones show. They'll go on sale Monday through TicketMaster (www.ticketmaster.com or 916-649-8497). Check this out schoolboys and schoolgirls: A $20 student discount is available for the $99 tickets (online purchase only). Maybe it'll be less of a "Baby-Boomer-Palooza" after all.

Posted by cmacias at 1:26 PM | Comments |

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August 21, 2006

Sock it to me

The only thing better than the tube socks that Chino Moreno's wearing in this pic is the way he sounded last night. The Deftones rocked it last night at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre, and here's a review of how the Family Values tour went down last night with Deftones, Korn and other bands that are making me feel a little deaf today.

Here's a bonus: Check out the Deftones' MySpace page to hear their new song, "Hole in the Earth." It's about as majestic as metal gets.

Posted by cmacias at 1:27 PM | Comments |

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August 17, 2006

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties, the Korn/Deftones podcast is not available.

Posted by swilliams at 5:11 PM | Comments |

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Butterscotch's going big time

Back in October I profiled Antoinette “Butterscotch” Clinton, a world-champion beatboxer who lives in the Sacramento area. Now the Sac State music student is blowing up nationally with her “boom-de boom bip” vocal routines. Check her out at www.beatboxmixer.com, where she’s sitting pretty with a few of beatboxing’s legends, including Rahzel (a.k.a. “The Godfather of Noyze”) and Click “The Supah Latin.” Zhigga what?! At the site, you can make your own beats and loops from sounds provided by these beatboxers.

You can also catch Butterscotch at Sac State on Sept. 8 when she opens for Lyrics Born. And there’s also word that she’ll be heading to Japan soon to be a guest performer at the World Hip-Hop Challenge, the competition where she reigned supreme last year.

Here’s a link to my story on Butterscotch, complete with audio and video of the beatbox champion doing her thang.

Posted by cmacias at 3:59 PM | Comments |

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August 16, 2006

Advance 'Tones

"Saturday Night Wrist" is the Deftones' new album, and it's set to drop on Halloween. And hello, here's a watermarked advance copy of the album that just landed on my desk. I'm only three songs in, but so far it's sounding very large and a little more keyboard-heavy than past albums. Stay tuned for more, but in the meantime here's the tracklisting:

1. "Hole in the Earth"
2. "FM"
3. "Beware" (also known as "Beware the Water" on recent set-lists)
4. "Cherry Waves"
5. "Mein"
6. "Interlude"
7. "Tilde"
8. "Rats! Rats! Rats!"
9. "Pink Cellphone"
10. "Combat"
11. "The Earth"
12. "Comanche"

p.s. Watch this space for a Deftones/Korn podcast on Friday. The two bands co-headline the Family Values 2006 Tour on Sunday at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Posted by cmacias at 4:31 PM | Comments |

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August 14, 2006

And she's buying a Stariway ... to Stardom

One after another the bands played, 21 of them on Sunday afternoon, like an earnest iPod shuffle of emo, metal, classic and No Doubt-inspired bubble-punk. This was the sound of Stairway to Stardom, the Skip’s Music summer music program for young people that culminates with a battle of the bands. So the kids packed their gig bags and best rock star moves and headed to the Holiday Inn at I-80 and Madison. Then it was five hours of music, 63 songs in all, with cheering from lots of moms and dads and friends waving signs in support.

And there was the judge's table. BeatNonStop had a seat in the back, surrounded by a panel of local musicians, manufacturer reps, fellow scribes and media folk. We took notes and tabulated scores for bands, lots and lots of metal bands that howled and growled and showed that shred-guitar wasn't dead in some circles. Only one band played a 12-bar blues, and that was Red Sixty, the band that won the whole Stairway. Second place went to Avant Guarde, an emo-core group that’s already good enough to start opening shows at the Boardwalk. Atomic Youth charmed their way into third place. The oldest member of this band was 11-years-old, and for a crew that might relax with a tether ball tournaments, they were talented way beyond their years.

The bands take Stairway to Stardom seriously. And so do some of their parents, like the guy who told-off some judges when his band-of-choice was robbed of a Top 3 spot. But I hope that pops is resting easy now. Turning music into a competitive exercise can be tricky, but the overall point of Stairway to Stardom is to just get kids playing music, even if it’s Cookie Monster metal. These young musicians are getting their fingers dirty from guitar strings and drum sticks, and that beats an afternoon of building blisters from a PlayStation control pad. Stairway to Stardom also keeps the local music pipeline packed with young musicians (and customers for Skip’s Music). But I’m willing to bet that somewhere down the line, I'll see more than one of these young musicians playing in a band that's so good that I'll feel blown away.

Posted by cmacias at 12:07 PM | Comments |

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August 10, 2006

You hear it first

About a year and a half ago, I predicted that 2005 would be the year that Baltimore Club music blew up. Looks like I was off by a year. MTV’s “You Hear It First” recently had a feature on the BMore sound, and focused on Young Leek, a BMore artist who signed a deal with Def Jam records.

This is the major-label muscle that’s needed to bring BMore Club to the mainstream. The music’s been brewing and booming in Baltimore for more than 15 years, splicing and dicing Miami bass, hip-house and breakbeats into one of the loudest sounds around. BMore tempos are on the fast side, about 130 beats-per-minute and up, and the bass is sheer low-end devastation. If you want to bug your neighbors, pump a BMore track like DJ Technics’ “Jungle Joint” through your stereo. The bass sounds like Godzilla’s knocking on your wall.

Check out MTV’s feature on BMore Club to learn more about the music, the artists, and some of the dances that define the scene.

BMore Club gets little to no play in Sacramento, though DJ Psol sometimes spins BMore tracks on Wednesday nights at the Blue Lamp. But if Young Leek blows up, you’ll probably be hearing BMore more than you may like.

Here’s my own mix of favorite BMore tracks:

“Jungle Joint,” DJ Technics
“Single Minded,” Knuckleheads
“Tipsy,” (remix) DJ Jonny Blaze
“Blow,” Aaron LaCrate with Spankrock and Amanda Blank
“Big Girl,” DJ Booman
“Oops,” DJ Technics
“Pagers Blowing Up,” DJ Kenny B
“Independence,” Scotty B
“Don’t Hold Back,” Supadukey
“Gutter Music,” Aaron LaCrate with Spankrock
“Hollaback Girl,” (remix) Diplo
“Tech’s Groove,” Knuckleheads

Posted by cmacias at 1:00 PM | Comments |

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August 9, 2006

RHCP on !!!

This morning I had a phone chat with Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band’s coming to Arco Arena on Aug. 28 with Mars Volta (cool bill, btw), but over in Europe the Chili Peppers were touring with !!!. The funky-punk band known as !!! (or by the easier to say, “Chik-Chik-Chik”) was born in Sacramento but moved to Brooklyn a few years back. That’s too bad for us locals, but it’s been cool to see !!! blow up and funk up the spot just about everywhere else.

Chad from the Chili Peppers said that he really dug !!!, even if there were a few rough spots in England with some fans. Here’s more from Chad on !!!:

“They went over great. (But) it was tough because we played these obscure English towns like Ipswich, Derby and Coventry. I don’t think they quite knew what to make of Chik-Chik-Chik. They got a few bottles thrown at them. I think the second show, (RHCP guitarist John Frusciante) came out and said, ‘Hey you guys, this is a band that we love, and they’re good friends of ours. We think they’re great. Be open-minded and check them out.’ After that, it went pretty well and our fans were cool with them. I thought they were great. I loved them. They have so many different influences and styles, and the two-drummer thing was awesome.”

Posted by cmacias at 3:41 PM | Comments |

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August 8, 2006

Who? When? Where?

Start making some space on your credit card account, because the Who just announced a world tour. So far there's no Sacramento date, but the Who is coming to the HP Pavilion in San Jose on Nov. 8. Tickets range from $52 - $97 in most cities, and on-sale information is coming soon.

The Who circa 2006 features Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, plus Zak Starkey (the son of Ringo) on drums, John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick on keyboards, bassist Pino Palladino and Simon Townshend (younger brother of Pete) on guitar and vocals. This line-up isn't for Who purists, but BeatNonStop will vouch for Pete Townshend's guitar godliness, having seen the Who a couple of times in the last few years. Zak Starkey is the right guy to be in Keith Moon's old drum chair. The son of Ringo really slams on his kit. Should be an interesting show.

Posted by cmacias at 2:19 PM | Comments |

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August 7, 2006

Bring that beat back!

BeatNonStop is finally back in Sac. And it feels good to be in the 916 with this weather that feels more like fall and a chill Delta breeze. You see, I spent the better part of the last two weeks in New York City, where the heat index was 115 degrees and the air felt like a wino’s breath. But it was still good times. I stayed for a couple of days at the Hotel QT, which was just down the street from MTV’s TRL studios (you can find it by the three-story Jay-Z billboard that’s right next to it).

One souvenir I picked up was a Lauryn Hill mix CD that I snagged for a few bucks on Canal St. This is the part of NYC where knockoff Fendi bags are everywhere, kind if like a bootlegger’s bazaar. But it’s also a place where you can score mix CDs for $5, and if the business on Canal St. is indication, look for a Brooklyn-based rapper named Papoose to blow up in the next year or so. Mix CDs that featured Papoose were selling like bottles of water on that stanky summer afternoon.

But the main reason I went to NYC was to teach at J Camp, a very cool national program for high school journalists. (Cue Whitney Houston, “I believe the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way …”). Shoot, these budding journalists are smarter than I ever was in high school, and here’s a shout to Alexis T. from Laguna Creek High School, a fellow Nirvana nut who represented Sacramento so well at J Camp. But the downside of all this was that our dorms at NYU had no air conditioning. Pass the fan and the orange Gatorade!

So here I am, back at my desk and trying to get through 500+ emails (much of it Spam), and opening two weeks’ worth of mail. Right now I’m really stoked on these re-releases of the Cure’s “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me,” the old Robert Smith side-project called The Glove, and the new Pharell album that I’ll finally have a chance to dig into.

August is going to be busy. I talked to Jonathan Davis from Korn and Stephen Carpenter from the Deftones for a piece that’ll run in preps of the Family Values Tour. (Quick Deftones bit: the band’s new album is called “Saturday Night Wrist” and will be out on Oct. 31). I’ve also got interviews scheduled with Red Hot Chili Peppers, jazz great Dave Brubeck and am cooking up something on Sacramento’s hip-hop scene.

See you at the coda (and the swamp cooler)…

Posted by cmacias at 4:24 PM | Comments |

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August 4, 2006

PodNonStop 024: Carlos Santana

Pop music critic Chris Macias chats with Carlos Santana, who performs this Sunday at the Sleeptrain Amphitheatre in Marysville.

Download PodNonStop 024

Posted by lash at 8:01 AM | Comments |

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