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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« October 2007 | | December 2007 »

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November 30, 2007

Call that a bargain

Ain't Betty is the local duo of Meleva Barbula and Graham Sobelman, and they've crafted a dark, yet, intriguing mix of Americana, pop and folk. Their song "Bargain Day" is this week’s “Sunday Single,” and check out those dense piano lines and the way a string section wraps around Barbula’s voice.

AIN’T BETTY
Song: “Bargain Day”
Members: Meleva Barbula (vocals) and Graham Sobelman (piano)
Style: The darker side of folk and Americana, pairing moody piano work with exquisite vocals and harmonies.
Influences: Rufus Wainright, Ben Folds, Rosie Thomas, Dar Williams.
Behind the song: “I wrote the song a couple years ago,” says Barbula. “It’s about those people who are being victimized, those people who feel that life is happening to them and there’s nothing they can do about it. I have a lot of family and friends who do that, and the songs come out of that powerlessness of seeing it happen.”

Click on the button below to hear "Bargain Day":

On the Web: www.aintbetty.com

Posted by cmacias at 6:03 PM | Comments |

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November 29, 2007

They're No. 1!

Blender magazine sure loves its lists, and the latest rundown at Blender.com is "The 100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever." And look at this, the top spot went to a band that hailed near these parts, the good 'ol "Sunrise Seaport" of Stockton. That group would be Pavement, which ruled 99 other would-bes with the album "Slanted and Enchanted." Says the blurb at Blender.com: "('Slanted and Enchanted') came out of nowhere and touched a nerve, quickly selling 100,000 copies and inspiring scores of bands to strive for a similar mix of beauty and brains." Way to go, indie dudes.

As for the rest of the list, Sonic Youth's "Daydream Nation" was the runner-up, and it's sooo unjust that Flipper's "Generic Album" was relegated to No. 86. That was easily No. 37 material, but check out the entire list for yourself and let the haggling begin.

Posted by cmacias at 3:51 PM | Comments |

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November 27, 2007

Beat this

So I was tapped this week to write the "Coming Distractions" column (which you can peep here). But here's one item that missed the deadline: The English Beat is coming to Harlow's on Dec. 7. Now this isn't the English Beat line-up from ska's days of yore. It's essentially a solo vehicle for frontman Dave Wakeling, and rounded out by a bunch of session musicians. But don't let that turn your nose up to this show. Yours truly has seen this latest incarnation of the English Beat a couple times, and they put on a great show. Wakeling still sounds fresh and charming as ever, and the band does justice to the English Beat's back catalog ("Mirror in the Bathroom," "Best Friend," "Save It for Later," etc.). Tickets for the show are $25, and call (916) 441-4693 for more information.

On a different note, I'm gearing up for tonight's Van Halen extravaganza at Arco Arena. Gotta say I'm looking forward to this one. I'd seen the Sammy Hagar version of Van Halen before, but was never quite feeling it and the band seemed a little lackluster in their last Sacramento stop. So I'm curious to see how the band's faring with David Lee Roth back in the mix, but you can bet it'll be an air-guitar nation out in the audience. Look for the review on www.sacbee.com starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Posted by cmacias at 3:11 PM | Comments |

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November 26, 2007

Blue Monday

Howdy, and welcome back to work for those who took an extra long weekend in honor of Thanksgiving. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this workweek is starting with reports of two deaths in the music world.

Kevin DuBrow, lead singer for hair metal icons Quiet Riot, was found dead in his Las Vegas home on Sunday. The cause of death is still unknown, but you can bet that "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health" are being played somewhere on an old-school metalhead's iPod. Quiet Riot trivia: Its 1983 "Metal Health" album was the first metal album to top the charts.

And pop-punk fans are reeling after Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert died while on tour over the weekend. The cause of death is unknown as of now, and Calvert apparently passed away in his sleep following a show in Detroit. Check out the band's MySpace page to see all the fan tributes pouring in.

Posted by cmacias at 3:08 PM | Comments |

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November 23, 2007

Don't play with ...

Ariel S. Lee left Sacramento for school at the Univeristy of California, Santa Cruz, and returned without the love from her freshman year but with a whole lot of subject matter for songs. That break-up inspired many tracks from her album, "The Vigilante," and one of those songs is this week’s "Sunday Single." Log on to www.SacTicket.com/sundaysingle and check out "Scissors." It’s a softer track on an album that often seethes with angst, but "Scissors" still has an edge - and a great vocal performance.

ARIEL S. LEE
Song: "Scissors"
Style: Pop-rock with plenty of high drama and strong vocal pipes.
Influences: "Tori Amos, I became obsessed with her when I was 14 or 15,” says Lee. “I still love her, and I like Garbage and Poe. I’ve always loved female rock, versus the folk-pop that you always hear."
Behind the song: "It was a break up that I had in my freshman year of college, with my first love and all that," says Lee. "It was pretty messy. That’s what most of the bitter songs on the album are about. Basically, I kept giving him more and more chances and he kept failing me. So figured it was my duty to cut him out of my life."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/arielslee

Posted by cmacias at 11:29 AM | Comments |

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November 21, 2007

Giving thanks

Right now, I'm thankful that my iPod is working once again. It's been bugging out on me over the last couple weeks, and at one point it looked like all of my music was erased. But so far, so good. And I'm extra thankful that I've got an excuse to go out on Thanksgiving night. Nothing wrong with the family holiday functions and all that, but it'll feel good to work off that bird later Thursday night. That's because DJ Larry Rodriguez is spinning at the Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd.) on Thanksgiving night, and the cover charge is only $3. We're talking old-school funk, Latin and Afro-Cuban grooves and lots of other music that's meant to move that trunk. The party starts at 9 p.m. and yours truly will be the one requesting DJ Larry to play "Express Yourself" by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Have a good Thanksgiving, and see you there.

Posted by cmacias at 12:49 PM | Comments |

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November 20, 2007

Blast from the skater past

Thanksgiving means a shorter-than-usual workweek, and around these parts, it means that deadlines are extra tight for our Ticket sections. And coming up for a column to cover the weekend after Thanksgiving is always extra tough because folks are traveling and shows tend to slow down. But not this time.

I was stoked to see that Suicidal Tendencies are playing on Sunday night at the Boardwalk, and just the mention of the band's name brings me back to freshman year in high school. Picture a skater boy with a mop of bleached bangs in his face and torn jeans - and Suicidal Tendencies' first album on the stereo (and, yes, stereos and turntables are what we used back then). But that record, full of some of the thrashiest and in-your-face punk you'll hear, was the soundtrack for many a skateboard session and sulking session after a trying day at John F. Kennedy High School. Because, you know, high school is all about being taught to be a conformist, and who cares about geometry anyways. (At least that's how it felt back then.)

So the 15-year-old skater in me was feeling radical when Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies called in for an interview. We talked about the band's early history, how the group's faring circa 2007 and also about Suicidal Tendencies' infamous name. He explained that it had its origins in skateboarding lingo, that it was like an excuse to go wild. And I remembered trying to explain this to my mom - call her MomsNonStop - back in high school. My parents were never too hung up on the music I listened to, whether it was Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath, but my mom did freak when she heard "Suicide's an Alternative" blaring over the stereo after school one fine day. Mike laughed when I told him this story. And this is probably the kind of parental reaction he'd always been looking for. Read more about the band in Friday's Weekend Ticket, but for now I'm going to play Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized" ("All I wanted was a Pepsi and she wouldn't give it to me!").

Posted by cmacias at 4:20 PM | Comments |

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November 16, 2007

Alive and kicking

Not to be confused with the Pearl Jam song, "Alive" is this week's featured "Sunday Single." And the song comes from the local band the Generals, which features former members of Pocket Change and Zero to Heaven. And it all adds up to a solid, feel-good sound that should appeal to fans of alternative-rock who don’t like that angry, tantrum inducing stuff.

THE GENERALS
Song: “Alive”
Style: Melodic alternative-rock with sweeping vocals, just like you’d hear on The Zone (FM 100.5)
Members: Matt Sertich (vocals/guitar/piano), Kirk Janowiak (drums/keyboards), Blane Barker (bass)
Influences: Depeche Mode, the Beatles, OMD, the Cure
Behind the song: “My dad passed away a couple of years ago, and it’s about the changes I’d done in my life at the time, and being grateful and not taking things for granted,” says Sertich. “It’s about the simple things and breaking down the walls of pain I’d been holding on to and finding some serenity.”
See them: Dec. 1 at the Underground (2401 Olympus Drive, Roseville) and Dec. 3 at the Press Club (2030 P St.)

Click on the button below to hear "Alive":

On the Web: www.myspace.com/thegeneralsmusic

Posted by cmacias at 1:07 PM | Comments |

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November 15, 2007

Celine update

Want to get a head start on some holiday shopping -- or looking for the ultimate lump of coal for someone's stocking? Well, lookie here, because Saturday is your lucky day. Tickets for Celine Dion's show at Arco Arena -- which is, oh, roughly a year from now on Oct. 14, 2008 -- will go on sale Saturday through TicketMaster and Arco Arena's box office. Tickets range from $47.75 (the nosebleed seats) to $150 (closer views of the diva). Those prices don't sound high enough? How about this: The Team Celine Gold Hot Seat Package costs $427.50, and the Silver version is $261. Ouch! That's not including the service charges that get tacked on to ticket purchases, so hope you've got plenty of space on the ol' credit card. Good luck ...

Posted by cmacias at 10:53 AM | Comments |

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November 14, 2007

No sleep 'til ... Boardwalk

Got off the phone a little while ago with Chino Moreno of Deftones/Team Sleep. The former South Land Park resident moved to the Los Angeles area about a year ago, and with Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter having made that SoCal move a while back, the Deftones now divide their rehearsal time between Sacramento and Los Angeles. Right now the Deftones are working on new songs, and Moreno says about 10 are done. But he's getting set to dedicate his time to Team Sleep, his more mellow and electronic side project that features Zach Hill, DJ Crook, Todd Wilkinson and Rick Verrett. Moreno says a new Team Sleep album won't be ready until 2010 - after the Deftones are finished touring with their next record. But Team Sleep plans to release a series of EPs in between to hold everyone over. Team Sleep is also going to play live, and will kick off a new tour on Nov. 29 at the Boardwalk. After that, it'll be back to Deftones land, and the band is eyeing a tour with Cypress Hill in early 2008 to South America.

Read more about all this Team Sleep/Deftones business on Nov. 28 in Ticket+. Deal?

Posted by cmacias at 3:57 PM | Comments |

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November 13, 2007

Oye Como Draw

You may have seen local artist David Garibaldi doing one of his painting performances at a nightclub. It's performance art in the most literal sense, with Garibaldi painting portraits - often of musicians and celebrities - while music plays and he mugs around the canvas to pump up the crowd. Well, Garibaldi really got a surprise last Thursday when he had a live painting gig during halftime at a Golden State Warriors game. So "Oye Come Va" is blaring through Oracle Arena, and Garibaldi starts painting a portrait of Carlos Santana. And then Santana himself walks over to Garibaldi while the final touches are added to the painting.

Check out the YouTube video above to see the performance and Garibaldi's reaction to Santana overseeing the art. Good stuff ... and peep Garibaldi's blog for more behind-the-scenes stories with Santana.

Posted by cmacias at 2:39 PM | Comments |

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November 9, 2007

Hans Solo

Hans Eberbach used to be the frontman for Sweet Vine, a local Southern rock-styled band that was once signed to Columbia Records. A new solo song called "Korea Korea" is this week’s “Sunday Single” and it pretty much sounds like nothing Eberbach sang with Sweet Vine. Eberbach's going in a more electro-pop direction, and you can read more about that in Sunday's Ticket+. Here's a taste of what his new song is all about:

Hans Eberbach
Song: "Korea Korea"
Style: 1980s techno-pop with modern rock sensibilities
Influences: Talking Heads, Beck, INXS
Behind the song: “(My wife and I) were living kind of by LAX with all these planes flying overhead all the time,” says Eberbach. “And the neighborhood was mostly these big squares of townhomes and older people. So the song was the result of walking around those weird empty streets, just walking my dog and watching those planes flying overhead. There’s that sense of elation and openness about being next to the beach and the airport, that you can go anywhere and do anything, to feeling an ominous threat every time a plane flew over.
“I love stuff that’s kind of dark but you can’t help tapping your feet,” he adds.”

Click on the button below to hear "Korea Korea":

On the Web: www.hansrocks.com or www.myspace.com/hansincali

Posted by cmacias at 12:36 PM | Comments |

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November 7, 2007

Strike out

Jackie Greene is certainly bummed about the Hollywood writers'' strike. The singer-songwriter was booked for a spot tonight on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," but the strike sent all late-night shows into re-reruns. Too bad ... Greene was going to perform a new song called "Like a Ball and Chain," and his backing band was going to be Phil Lesh & Friends. Greene's in the midst of a 10-day stint at the Nokia Theatre in New York City, playing guitar and singing as a member of Phil Lesh & Friends. We'll just have to see if Greene's spot gets re-booked once the writers and the Hollywood powers-that-be iron out their differences.

Meanwhile, you can see Greene with Phil Lesh & Friends on Nov. 27 at the Warfield in San Francisco. The gig's being dubbed "Jackie Greene's Golden Birthday Celebration," so this one will likely go down in the books for all you Greene-heads out there. Tickets for the show go on sale Sunday through TicketMaster (916-649-8497).

Posted by cmacias at 1:55 PM | Comments |

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November 5, 2007

All that scratching’s making me itch

So did you all have a good weekend? Gotta say that mine kicked off pretty well, and with a whole lot of scratching. On Friday evening I headed to Guitar Center to see a scratch DJ showcase from QBert and Shortkut. For those of you who don’t know the difference between a "flare" and a "transform" scratch, Qbert is the DJ that all would-be turntablists pretty much bow down to. (That's him in the above picture, scratching on a Jimi Hendrix picture disc). QBert’s a world DJ champion, a former partner-in-scratching with Mix Master Mike (former Sacramentan and now DJ with the Beastie Boys), and pretty much set the standard for DJs who like that “wiki wiki” sound.

The “turntablism” scene that QBert’s always championed seemed to peak in the late-1990s. But judging by the crowd response and interest on Friday, there’s a sense that a scratch renaissance is underway. The room at Guitar Center was so packed that the crowd spilled into an adjoining section of the store, and there were lots of “ooohs” and “aaahs” as Qbert demonstrated such rapid-fire scratches as “prisims” and “crabs.” Shortkut also got down with some turntable trickery, including some wicked beat juggling (creating a new beat by cutting back and forth between two separate beats). It was also interesting that QBert and Shortkut are calling themselves the Invisbl Skratch Piklz once again, after being a defunct crew for quite a few years now. Mix Master Mike was also a founding member, and A-Trak represented the Piklz before winning his own world titles and DJing for Kanye West. Mix Master Mike and A-Trak are M.I.A. from the Invisbl Skratch Piklz for now, but here’s hoping they all join forces once again.

Anyway, I’ve always had a sentimental spot for this scratching stuff. The first music writing I ever undertook was covering the turntablism scene back in the mid-1990s. And after all these years it was good to see folks like DJ Deus at the Guitar Center. He was one of the Bay Area’s top turntablists before moving to Sacramento to settle down and raise a family. It was also cool to see Yogafrog, the Invisbl Skratch Piklz’ manager, who still remembered me and gave me the low-down on some of the other DJs from back in the day.

I heard that a big scratch session went down later Friday night at DJ Rated R’s place with DJ Deus, Rob Fatal and a bunch of other local turntablists. And sounds like it was so successful that more local scratch sessions are coming soon. It almost feels like the scratch-happy days of 1997 all over again.

Posted by cmacias at 2:33 PM | Comments |

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November 2, 2007

The pen is mightier than ...

Fans of Soundgarden, listen up. "Sunday Single" has a song called "The Journalist" by the local band Breva that's got all the super-heavy guitar and soaring vocals you've known and loved. But "The Journalist" isn't a simple retread to those days of flying the flannel in 1991. It simply rocks, so pump up the volume and read more about Breva and "The Journalist."

BREVA
Song: "The Journalist"
Style: Melodic hard-rock with grunge and psychedelic overtones
Influences: Deftones, Far, Tool, Radiohead, Soundgarden
Members: Andrew Mills (vocals), John Dutra (drums), Phong Ho (guitar), Timothy Pritchard (guitar), Brandon Fernandez (bass)
Behind the song: "Our singer is pretty reserved about talking about his lyrics," says Dutra. "He likes people to think about it for themselves. But I know the song’s about one of his favorite writers, and that guy was just pushing people to live their own life and be unique."
See them: Dec. 22 at the Underground (2401 Olympus Dr., Roseville)

Click on the button below to hear "The Journalist":

On the Web: www.myspace.com/breva

Posted by cmacias at 10:41 AM | Comments |

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November 1, 2007

Run it

Shows for 2008 are shaping up, and here's a big one that's going down Jan. 3 at Arco Arena. According to Pollstar.com, the R&B sensation Chris Brown will be coming to the home of the Kings. His new album comes out Tuesday ("Exclusive") and the advance single "Kiss Kiss" has already topped the charts. Brown's performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September was only bested by Britney Spears' "Gimme More" trainwreck as the most buzzed about moment at the water cooler. Yeah, Brown is a real dancing machine. And sorry to be a downer, but his lip-synching at the VMA's was really awful. Just as bad as Britney's, even. It'll be interesting to see what Brown has in store when he reaches Sacramento. Will it be live or Memorex? Stay tuned for ticket information.

Posted by cmacias at 10:52 AM | Comments |

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