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.

BACK TO THE BEATNONSTOP HOME PAGE

« June 2007 | | August 2007 »

---

July 27, 2007

Why do fools fall in love?

2006 wasn't the easiest of years for James George Serrett. He crashed his BMW, his marriage fell apart and life just wasn’t doing so great overall. But he did find time to record a CD called “The Most Romantic Fool,” and the title track is this week’s “Sunday Single.”

The album's full of soft-rock with confessional touches, like Serrett was singing from a psychologist's couch. Check out some of the CD’s song titles: “Do Not Take Candy From This Man,” “She Calls Them Her Crying Days” and the rhetorical “Am I in Love or Tired of Feeling Lonely?”

Here’s more about Serrett and his song:

JAMES GEORGE SERRETT
Song: “The Most Romantic Fool”
Style: Soft rock, for fans of Bread, America, Ambrosia. and anyone who listens to Mix 96 (KYMX).
Influences: “I have so many, but as a songwriter, the country artist Phil Vassar. His command of language is amazing to me. I also like Ronnie Milsap, Bob Seger, Billy Joel and even Neil Sedaka."
Story beind the song: “I was going through a horrible divorce and my wife wouldn’t talk to me. My shrink said, ‘You’re a writer - write her a song.’ I did, but she still wouldn’t talk to me. But I had a new career. I’m going full ahead at songwriting now.”

Click on the button below to hear “The Most Romantic Fool.”

On the Web: www.myspace.com/jamesgeorgeserrett or www.cdbaby.com/cd/jgserrett

Posted by cmacias at 5:56 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 25, 2007

Gone fishing

BeatNonStop will be back on Aug. 6 ... have a good one, and rock on \m/

Posted by cmacias at 1:10 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 24, 2007

ComeOnShakeYourBody
BabyDoTheConga

BeatNonStop is gearing up for some summer vacation, which will include a trip to Miami. I’ve never been to the home of Rick Ross and company, but here’s what I’d love to do while I’m there:

- Go for a ride on Uncle Luke’s yacht
- Got to a taping of “Sabado Gigante”
- Drop by Pandisc Records and dig through their backstock
- Find the spot that doubled as The Babylon nightclub in “Scarface”
- Take a spin down Ocean Drive with tracks by the Beat Dominator blaring from the speakers

OK, so this is more a dream list than anything, but it should be a mojito-sipping good time. And part of the trip will be dedicated to a journalism camp for high school students, so it should be, as the kids say, “edu-ma-cational” as well.

Speaking of Miami, just got word that Pitbull is coming to the Sacramento area on Sept. 30. The Cuban-American rapper who reps “the 305” will perform at the Cultural Connection Festival in Woodland. Sacramento’s own Sol Peligro is sharing the bill, and the show will also feature a firme car show. Stay tuned for more details … in the meantime, I’m going to play DJ Laz’s “Mami el Negro” on my iPod.

Posted by cmacias at 1:20 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 20, 2007

Familiar voice

"Sunday Single" takes a little sojourn to Southern California, but we're featuring a singer who's familiar to many Sacramentans. "Boomerangs & Seesaws" is a song by Shannon Curtis, whom you may remember from her stint on KWOD (FM 106.5) and the local pop-rock band Paradigm. She's now down in the Los Angeles area and released a solo CD last week. Here's more about Curtis and her song.

SHANNON CURTIS
Song: “Boomerangs & Seesaws”
Style: Piano-led pop and rock
For fans of: Norah Jones, Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan
Story behind the song: "'Boomerangs & Seesaws' is a song about a relationship that is off and on, one in which the two people just can’t get their timing right. The imagery of a boomerang - out and back again - and a seesaw - up, then down, then up - describes the motion of that relationship - up, down, high, low, back, forth - and the person from whose perspective the song is written decides they can’t hang on to it any longer. The song started out from a seed of personal experience, as most of my songs do. However, once I started getting into it, the song took on a life and a story of its own, as most of my songs also tend to do."

Click on the button below to hear To hear "Boomerangs & Seesaws":

On the Web: www.shannoncurtis.net

Posted by cmacias at 10:46 AM | Comments |

---

---

July 19, 2007

Ozzfest - the new romper room?

Ozzfest ruled the earlier part of the week, but I'm back here at BeatNonStop's headquarters (that would be my desk, which is so cluttered right now with CDs and notebooks that I can barely find a place for my coffee). Anyway, I spent the better part of Tuesday afternoon and evening getting my ears blown out at Ozzfest. And then Wednesday was spent recovering from said Ozzfest, and catching up on sleep since I was up until 4 a.m. writing the review.

I've been to just about every Ozzfest since 2001 or so, and the one thing that struck me about this year’s heavy metal extravaganza (besides being free) was seeing babies and toddlers at the show. I practically did a double-take when I walked into the Sleep Train Amphitheatre and saw a young couple pushing a stroller past one of the beer gardens. During Static-X’s pulverizing set, I saw another young couple with a baby in tow. This time the father was holding a child, who was wearing those kind of huge ear protectors that are normally used by people who work next to jet airliners. Good thing those tender ears were covered, but I couldn’t help but thinking about the sensory overload going on with the strobe lights and people partying away. And then before Ozzy’s set, I saw another headbanger couple carting their toddler in a Radio Flyer wagon, complete with a baby blanket and stuffed animal. The kid seemed OK, if not looking on the tired side and maybe a little overwhelmed by the well-tattooed masses around him.

Judging peoples’ parenting skills is hardly a hobby of mine, but I couldn’t help thinking about my own pre-school aged son during all this. There’s no way in heavy metal hell that I would take my son to Ozzfest at his current age. As much as it would be cool for him later on in life to brag that his first concert was Ozzfest instead of Hilary Duff or something, I wouldn’t want to subject him to the stuff that goes on at Ozzfest. If he’d sat next to me on Tuesday, my son would’ve seen a very hammered guy get wrestled to the ground by security, smelled the smoke from a lot of funny looking cigarettes and heard too many four-letter words for his own good. I know that someday he’ll drag me to a concert, but for now I’m happy just to let him be a kid. “Go Diego Go Live!,” here we come!

Posted by cmacias at 12:45 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 16, 2007

Turned into a Pumpkin

For all I know, Billy Corgan and company are still jamming and twiddling with delay pedals over at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The recently reunited Smashing Pumpkins kicked off an 11-night run at the Fillmore last night with an equally epic setlist. The Pumpkins hit the stage at 10 p.m. and I finally bolted back to Sacramento around 1 a.m. – just as Jimmy Chamberlin kicked into a drum solo. Whew …

Now I don’t mind a long concert – just as long as it doesn’t feel that way. And I’ve definitely dug me some Smashing Pumpkins over the years, and used to play “Gish” on almost a daily basis and saw the band during the “Siamese Dream” days at the Warfield in ‘Frisco. So I jumped at the chance to catch the Pumpkins kick off nearly two weeks’ of shows, and was especially stoked to see them in a small venue. (I’ll take a Fillmore show any day over some sports shed or amphitheatre concert extravaganza).

But once the Smashing Pumpkins hit the 2 ½ hour mark, and Corgan kept noodling away on his guitar, three words came to mind: I’m Over It. The band was even getting heckled by a few of its fans, especially this guy with a Scottish accent whose tirade won’t be repeated, when Corgan played one solo like he was just dorking around with new gear at Guitar Center.

The set contained songs from every facet of the Smashing Pumpkins’ universe: new tracks from “Zeitgeist,” unreleased songs, rarities like “Untitled” (the “Easter Egg” song on the Smashing Pumpkins’ DVD compilation), an acoustic set, plus a bunch of the band’s biggest hits (“Today,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Disarm”). But I’m pretty sure the band didn’t play anything from “Gish.” Bummer.

Smashing Pumpkins circa 2007 only feature two original members: Corgan and Chamberlin the drummer. But it sounded just like the salad days of ‘90s alternative rock when the group rocked through “Hummer,” “Zero” and a glorious version of “Tonight, Tonight.” My personal highlight was hearing the Pumpkins play “Drown,” which some of y’all might remember from the “Singles” movie soundtrack.

I was really keeping my fingers crossed to hear “Muzzle,” “Rocket” or “Cherub Rock,” but once the band was in the midst of the jam-which-would-not-quit – and the time was pushing 1 a.m. – that was my cue to split. The lobby of the Fillmore was filled with concertgoers who were sitting down against the walls and resting their legs. And I figured, hey, at least I’ll get the show’s free commemorative poster, a concert tradition at the Fillmore. What I should’ve got was a t-shirt that said: I Saw the Smashing Pumpkins for Three Hours And All I Got was … Nothing! The usher said that posters wouldn’t be given out until the show was finished. Shucks. So I hoofed it to the Japantown parking garage, drove back to Sac with virtually no traffic (yes!), and pulled into my driveway around 2:30 a.m. What a night – and morning.

Word has it that Smashing Pumpkins will be back in Northern California this fall. Corgan joked that these Fillmore shows were an “exclusive band rehearsal” – albeit one with a razzle-dazzle light show – and my guess is that the Pumpkins will play a truncated set the next time around. But keep an extra Red Bull handy, just in case.

Posted by cmacias at 12:41 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 13, 2007

School of rock

Class is in session, so turn up that computer and get ready for "Sunday Single." This week’s featured song is “Fisher King” by Christian Kiefer, a local singer-songwriter and English professor. “Fisher King” comes from his new album, “Dogs & Donkeys,” which is a narrative about economics with allusions to T.S. Eliot, Saul Bellow and others. Don’t trip if this sounds too Advanced Placement for your taste: “Fisher King” is an accessible and heartfelt bit of Americana, with a guest appearance by The Band’s Garth Hudson.

You can read more about Kiefer and his song in today's Ticket+. For now, here’s some background on Kiefer and his “Fisher King.”

CHRISTIAN KIEFER
Song: “Fisher King”
Style: Americana and singer-songwriter stylings, with a literary bent
Influences: The Band, “The Waste Land” by T.S. Eliot, Sufjan Stevens
Quote: "Some of the images I’m borrowing from T.S. Eliot and Saul Bellow. Musically, the initial recording was done at The Hanger in Sacramento with just acoustic guitar, scratch vocals, bass and drums. This is a song that lyrically came together with relative ease."

Click on the button below to hear "Fisher King":

On the Web: www.christiankiefer.com
See him: July 28 at the Fox & Goose (1001 R St.)

Posted by cmacias at 10:11 AM | Comments |

---

---

July 12, 2007

Manson on Line 1 ...

Just got off the phone with Marilyn Manson, who's coming to the Sleep Train Amphitheatre in August with Slayer. Is Lucifer himself doing some booking for Live Nation's concert division? Anyway, this was the third or fourth time I've interviewed Manson, and as usual, he was great. Some friends always go "aagh!" and volunteer to say some Hail Mary's on behalf whenever I'm about to interview Manson. But I'd take an interview with Manson over some scripted and overly coached pop star any day (*cough* Carrie *cough* Underwood).

Manson's always a thoughtful talker, nothing like the bloodied looking goth guy in ripped fishnets that you see on stage. Topics included the influence of Lewis Carroll on his work, notions of shock value in contemporary society, the dark days that resulted in his latest album, and a recent concert in Romania where he met Alice Cooper for the first time.

Here’s a quick snippet from the interview, and look for the story on Aug. 19:

(On being dismissed as a "shock rocker"): "I just don't think you can shock people with anything. I think you have to be provocative. If you don’t get anyone’s attention, you're not relevant in any way as an artist. You're not saying anything. Now we live in an era where the world is a victim of itself. Everything you see on TV – it's impossible to be more shocking than that."

Posted by cmacias at 1:37 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 10, 2007

"There's something about the weather ..."

Credit is due to the Heckasac blog for turning me on the above YouTube video. And then a reader e-mailed recently to point out said YouTube video, and now it's my turn to pass along this gem.

It's a video for "Sacramento (A Wonderful Town)," by a Scottish bubble-gum pop band called Middle of the Road, and looks like it was filmed in the early/mid 1970s. I have no idea if they're talking about our fair city, or the Sacramento in Kentucky, or a Sacramento somewhere else. Is there a Sacramento in Holland? It looks like this video was shot in Amsterdam.

Either way, our civic leaders should think about adopting "Sacramento (A Wonderful Town)" as the city's theme song. Hit the "play" button and see for yourself.

Posted by cmacias at 3:40 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 9, 2007

Feeling Green(e)

So what did you all make of the Live Earth concert that went down on Saturday? My favorite moment was the inflatable pig that had “Save Our Sausages” written on the side during Roger Waters’ set. Or maybe it was the environmental tip to buy music digitally, which would cut back on fuel emissions from trucks shipping CDs. I’m sure Russ Solomon at R5 Records was happy to hear that one.

Like most of you, I caught the Live Earth telecast in bits. I saw some clips on Saturday morning with coffee cup in hand, including Duran Duran singing the now topical “Planet Earth.” Seeing Duran Duran at Wembley Stadium was déjà vu. They were at Wembley the weekend before performing at the “Concert for Diana.” Same went for Kanye West, but at Live Earth he was part of the line-up at Giants Stadium in New Joisey.

The rest of Saturday was spent feeling guilty while I ran errands in a car that’s not a Prius. I caught up with the Live Earth action later at night, and dug the highlights of the Beastie Boys rocking through “Sabotage,” the meeting of Madonna and gypsy-punkers Gogol Bordello in “La Isla Bonita” and Metallica pretty much showing everyone how to rock a stadium.

What’s funny about these sorts of charity/awareness concerts is seeing how an ordinary pop song can suddenly feel topical. By playing “Gold Digger,” was Kanye West making a statement that mining is leading to the destruction of the environment? Probably not, but this was one gig that would’ve been tough for any pop/rock/rap star to pass up. Think about the promotional opportunity in being seen by an audience in the billions, especially musicians with a new album to plug, be it, Enrique Igelsias, Kelly Clarkson or Smashing Pumpkins. Will the save-the-environment theme carry over to future concert tours, and will Enrique Iglesias’ next CD booklet be printed on rice paper? We’ll have to stay tuned on that one.

Speaking of Green(e), our former local-boy Jackie Greene recently scored a gig that would make any Deadhead drool. Greene’s been performing with Phil Lesh & Friends, the band led by the Grateful Dead’s bassist. Greene, who now lives in San Francisco, performed two gigs recently with Lesh, and the set included Greene playing guitar and singing lead on such Grateful Dead classics as “Casey Jones” and “Truckin’.” Watch this space for more information about upcoming shows where Greene will channel his inner Jerry Garcia.

Posted by cmacias at 12:56 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 6, 2007

Sun, sun here it comes

This edition of "Sunday Single" comes from across the pond - jolly ol' England, that is. Anton Barbeau, the longtime singer-songwriter from Sacramento, is working on a new album in Oxford and sends us his song "In the Village of the Apple Sun." It's an epic blast of alterna-pop. Check out how the tune blows up around the one minute mark.

Here's more on Barbeau and his song:

ANTON BARBEAU
Song: "In the Village of the Apple Sun"
Style: Psychedelic power-pop
Influences: The Beatles, Robyn Hitchcock, XTC
Story behind the song: "(It's) basically a love song for Oxford, inspired by my first moments there," says Barbeau, in an e-mail from England. "We arrived from California in the afternoon jetlagged and loony, and our friend gave us cups of tea and then took us out for a long walk along the Thames, trying to keep us awake until evening. It was a gorgeous end-of-summer day, sunny and warm, with swans on the water, bees buzzing our heads and people on bicycles rolling past saying hello. Very English, and in our state, very psychedelic. As we walked, we heard a deep roar from across the river, and looked over to see a bright red hot-air balloon lifting off from a meadow. Once it was high enough in the sky, it really did look like an apple sun."

To hear "In the Village of the Apple Sun," click on the button below:

On the Web: www.antonbarbeau.com

Posted by cmacias at 10:25 AM | Comments |

---

---

July 3, 2007

U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Happy Fourth of July to you all. Just be careful and make sure those fireworks are of the "safe and sane" variety. And hey you, with the 12-pack of Budweiser. Don't even think of bringing that down to the American River. The Powers That Be have made that a big no-no for the Fourth of July - and Labor Day and Memorial Day, too. And make sure you adhere to the "Click It or Ticket" campaign on the freeways. That's all the rules and regulations for now, as we're set to celebrate the land of the free. But don't forget to click on that YouTube clip above of Night Ranger, because they said it best: You can still rock in America. \m/

Posted by cmacias at 1:35 PM | Comments |

---

---

July 2, 2007

The power of Korn compels you

Nothing like a lazy Sunday once in a while, and though I passed on the Mr. Pibb and Red Vines, sitting around and not doing much was crazy delicious. The TV was set to Copa America soccer games, and I sped-read through “Save Me From Myself,” by Brian “Head” Welch. To rewind, Head is the former guitarist for Korn but walked away from a life of 7-string Ibanez guitars and Jonathan Davis’ bagpipes to devote his life to Christianity. “Save Me From Myself” is part testimony, and part memoirs of Head’s time in Korn. It also reads in parts like an episode of “Intervention,” with Head’s addiction to methamphetamine trashing his spirit and sapping whatever fun rock stars are supposed to have. Head doesn’t hold back with how low his life got at points, admitting to beating up the mother of his daughter, nearly succumbing to suicidal thoughts, and snorting enough meth to fill Kern County.

Head dishes some dirt on his former bandmates in Korn, detailing some of their drug use, ego-mania and general debauchery. I’m sure the guys in Korn won’t be too happy to read some of this, but Head gives the impression that he’s reconciled any ill-will. We’ll see if that holds up – the book will be released on Saturday. Head also details his epiphanies and struggles since leaving Korn. He comes off as a little kooky at times, saying that God wanted him to write a song for 50 Cent, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Speaking of music and faith, I’m working on a story about a Christian rock and rap festival that’s being held on Saturday at Cesar Chavez Plaza. Did you know it’s OK to get hyphy for Jesus, or that God loves distortion pedals? I didn’t, and it’s been interesting to talk with some local rockers and rappers on the Christian tip. The better part is that a lot of their music is solid – this isn’t some DC Talk or Amy Grant kind of stuff – and are even attracting fans in the secular world. Look for the story on Saturday.

Posted by cmacias at 11:21 AM | Comments |

---