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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« November 2007 | | January 2008 »

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December 28, 2007

Take a load off Anna

Some of you might recognize Hence Phillips as the former bassist in Jackie Greene's band, the guy who laid down the low notes on "Gone Wanderin'." Phillips is now wrapping up a fine solo album and "Sunday Single" has scored a preview track. The song is called "Anna Lee," and if you especially dig those harmonies, note that the back-up vocals come courtesy of Greene and Sal Valentino.

HENCE PHILLIPS
Song: "Anna Lee"
Style: Country-rock with shades of bluegrass and Americana.
Influences: Steve Earle, the Band, Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers, Bob Marley ("I went to see him when I was 18 and it changed my life," says Phillips.)
Behind the song: "I'm a big fan of the Band and their song 'The Weight' has a line in a verse that says, 'What about young Anna Lee?,'" says Phillips. "I don't know the background to those lyrics, but I just thought it was a nice visual and I like the name. I've written songs in the past about women, but the funny part is that something about 'Anna Lee' made my wife jealous and perk up."

Click on the button below to hear "Anna Lee" - ya hear?

On the Web: www.hence.tv

Posted by cmacias at 2:04 PM | Comments |

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December 26, 2007

From Melarkey's to Miso

Happy Kwanzaa and day after Christmas to everyone ... and after doing that final bit of holiday shopping at R5 Records over the weekend, BeatNonStop ended up at 16th and Broadway once again. But this time it was for a Christmas night movie outing to see "Juno" at the Tower Theatre. (Quick review: very funny if slightly precious script, loved the soundtrack from Kimya Dawson and all the musical references to 1993).

Anyway, across the street from Tower, I noticed a new Japanese restaurant called Miso has taken over the front part of the former Melarkey's. But those who've lived in Sac for a while know that Melarkey's was a go-to live music spot for many years. Locals will tell you about seeing Oasis at the old Melarkey's, or getting all goth back in the early 1990s when Melarkey's on Sunday night transformed into Club Cthulhu. I remember a very cool Charlie Hunter show at Melarkey's when the jazz guitarist covered Bob Marley and Nirvana tunes, and one of the first times I saw the Deftones was back at this club. But hands down, the nuttiest show I caught at Melarkey's was No Kill I - the local Star Trek tribute band that's punker than you'll ever be - that resulted in busted instruments and a cracked head for Captain Kirk. Good times!

Anyone have other Melarkey's memories? You do? Awesome ... leave a comment or e-mail cmacias@sacbee.com so we can all hear them.

Posted by cmacias at 12:01 PM | Comments |

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December 24, 2007

Shop, shop, 'til you drop

Happy X-Mas Eve to everyone ... but is anyone out there? BeatNonStop is stuck in the office for a spell, though it seems like the wider world is rushing about, hitting the mall before doors close or picking up the final ingredients for holiday feasts.

But I'm happy to say I finished my Christmas shopping a little earlier than usual, and got those last gifts at R5 Records on 16th and Broadway. Without sounding too much like an advertorial here, it warmed my music-loving heart to see so many shoppers at R5 on Sunday. After all the grim statistics and stories about the death of CDs and brick-and-mortar music shopping - and yes, I've been a few of 'em myself - it was cool to see people hunting for CDs and DVDs in an actual store. And especially not some big box or mammoth chain sort of deal.

I nearly bought some goodies for myself at R5. Their vinyl selection is small but wonderfully varied, with titles ranging from Kool Keith to Billy Childish and those Iron Maiden picture discs were pretty cool. I also came close to buying a Keith Jarrett jazz CD, but decided to hold off after spending way too much coin this Christmas season. I'm sure this is exactly the way Jesus wanted us to commemorate his b-day ...

But this is no time for Bah Humbug stuff. Merry X-Mas, and be sure to save those receipts.

Posted by cmacias at 1:58 PM | Comments |

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December 21, 2007

All the way Live

"Sunday Single" is wishing you all a happy holidays - be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or the winter solstice celebration of your choice - with some tasty hip-hop. The song is "Anywhere" by Live Manikins, a local crew that's become the cream of Sacramento's rap scene in the three years they've been together. "Anywhere" isn't about that thuggish stuff that tends to get people uptight. The song is all about an uplifting vibe, with soulful backing vocals and a choice flute sample to keep the good feelings flowing.

LIVE MANIKINS
Song: "Anywhere"
Style: Positive minded hip-hop with worldly sounds
Members: MCs Self, Flavius, Linguistics, Runt Rock and DJ Rated R
Influences: Run-D.M.C., Hieroglyphics crew, Wu-Tang Clan, drum-and-bass beats.
Behind the song: "We had one of our in-house producers collaborate with the leader of a drum-and-bass crew from London called Universal Project," says Self. "When he heard the beat, the whole topic was just a beautiful day and enjoying life wherever we go.
"We just want to say support hip-hop in general because it’s in a state of emergency," adds Self. "We just try and promote music in its purest form and hope people relate and latch on to it."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/livemanikins

Posted by cmacias at 2:58 PM | Comments |

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December 20, 2007

List this

The end of the year is nearing, so right about now I'm in Top 10 mode. After all the music that's flowed through these headphones over the last 12 months, it's time to start whittling the choices down to 10 albums that you can read more about in the Dec. 30 issue of Ticket+ (plug, plug). This isn't the easiest exercise - sometimes an artist can make a huge statement over a couple of songs vs. an overall album - but hey, this is the time for list-mania and we're playing right along. I've already got a few shoo-ins, including M.I.A. and Amy Winehouse, but a good chunk of the list has yet to be filled out. Stay tuned to see how this shapes up.

But back at BeatNonStop's kitchen table, where an iPod has been stuffed with a bunch of music over the last few days, most of the tunes I've been listening to the most are older songs. I've been especially sprung on "In a Room" by the British band Dodgy. I'd never heard of 'em until I got the "Brit Box" box set from Rhino Records, but "In a Room" just rules in a hyper-melodic sort of way.

So for kicks, here's what my iPod playlist is looking like these days. And by all means, feel free to share yours through a comment or e-mail cmacias@sacbee.com.

Week before X-Mas random playlist

"In a Room," Dodgy
"Lucky Man," The Verve
"Fun Never Ends," Sense Field
"Chance of a Lifetime," Creeper Lagoon
"Man Out of Season," Tender Idols
"In Circles," Sunny Day Real Estate
"Dream All Day," The Posies
"Little Sister," Queens of the Stone Age
"Make it Rain," Fat Joe feat. Lil' Wayne
"Yay Area," E-40
"You Remind Me of Something," R. Kelly

Posted by cmacias at 11:32 AM | Comments |

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December 17, 2007

The song remains the same

Did you notice something different today about this blog? Well here's the deal: BeatNonStop just outsourced its Web design to India and now we've got a new look. Just kidding! SacTicket.com is being retired to the great HTML code pile in the sky, so there's a new Web addy and design over here.

But these are just minor tweaks: www.sacbee.com/beatnonstop will be our new corner of the Web starting soon, and you'll automatically be redirected there from the old address. Other than that, we'll keep coming so fresh and so clean with musings on music, and be on the lookout for the re-launch of our PodNonStop podcasting series. Deal?

But right about now, BeatNonStop is in recovery mode from last night's R. Kelly extravaganza at Arco Arena. Two hours of baby making music can sure tire a person. But "Kells" was in his usually kooky form, and you can check out my review here.

Posted by cmacias at 2:51 PM | Comments |

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December 14, 2007

Hear me roar

Judging by the buzz around town, Aroarah could be the next local band to hit the big time. Aroarah's an all-girl group with tons of talent - a bunch of endorsement deals - and rocks just as hard as the dudes out there. "In Dreams" is a song from Aroarah's debut EP, and is also featured on this installment of "Sunday Single." You can also read more about Aroarah in the latest Ticket+. Now who said ladies can't rock?

AROARAH
Song: "In Dreams"
Style: All-grrrl hard rock
Members: Lydia Gavin (lead vocals/guitar), Morgan Knoester (lead guitar), Chelsea Baker (bass), Mackenzie Knoester (drums)
Influences: Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins
Behind the song: "It's actually about a very crazy dream I had about going into this other world and being chased by all these crazy monsters," says Gavin. "I dream very vividly, but it has some emotional underlying tones. But other than that, it's just about a crazy dream."

Click on the button below to hear "In Dreams":

On the Web: www.myspace.com/aroarah and www.aroarah.com

Posted by cmacias at 12:42 PM | Comments |

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December 13, 2007

Holiday tunes

Yes, we love the magic of the holiday season: the twinkling of lights strung along houses, endless re-runs of "The Year Without a Santa Claus" on cable, the warmth of a yule log in the fireplace (at least on those days when the county says it's OK to burn wood). It all helps to sooth those holiday gripes, like getting snaked on a prime parking spot at the mall.

But here's one of the biggest bummers of the season: bad holiday music. Say you're feasting at the company potluck, enjoying some home-baked ham and shooting the breeze with your colleagues. Then the boom-box is turned on ... and it's Kenny G playing "Silver Bells." Noooo! And there's that inescapable Josh Groban "Noel" album. Just gag us with some egg nog, why don't ya.

So here's the question: what do you think is the coolest holiday-themed song or album? BeatNonStop is big on James Brown's "Funky Christmas" album, and the David Bowie/Bing Crosby duet on "Little Drummer Boy" also warms this holiday heart. Your inner-kid also can't go wrong with the "Heat Miser" song from "The Year Without a Santa Claus," or "Skating" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Jazz fans out there may also want to check out Cyrus Chestnut's "Charlie Brown Christmas" album, which gives the original Vince Guaraldi score a loving and jazzy touch.

Leave a comment or send an e-mail to cmacias@sacbee.com with those favorite holiday songs. Cool?

Posted by cmacias at 11:40 AM | Comments |

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December 11, 2007

Dance dance revolution

So I was checking out today's "Coming Distractions" column, and just about blew coffee out my nose when I saw Rachel Leibrock name-check "Dance Party USA." Anyone else remember this show? "Dance Party USA" was like a 1980s version of "American Bandstand," but with enough hair spray to put a hole in the ozone layer. We used to watch "Dance party USA" after school, not because we were dying to see kids in Philadelphia do dance routines to Run-DMC's "Mary Mary," but because we liked to talk smack. There was the Madonna-be, this nerdy kid in glasses named Timmy and enough bad '80s fashion to fill a dozen Chess Kings. OK, so maybe we were a bunch of nerds ourselves but getting snarky to "Dance Party USA" was still a favorite after-school stress release. BTW, did you know that Kelly Ripa was a regular on the show?

So let's thank the YouTube gods that this "Dance Party USA" clip from 1988 will live forever (or at least until YouTube's servers crash). Enjoy!

Posted by cmacias at 4:14 PM | Comments |

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December 7, 2007

Lemme see those horns \m/

"Sunday Single's" been way overdue for a blast of heavy metal, but that's all about to change. This week we're featuring "Eye for an Eye" by the local band Nephilim, and witness the song’s guitar fury and double-bass drum thunder. You can read more about Nephilim here in Ticket+. Here’s a quick riff in the meantime about the band and its song:

NEPHILIM
Song: “Eye for an Eye”
Style: Ferocious heavy metal with killer guitar solos and riffs.
Members: Brian Curtin (vocals), Brett Rechtfertig (guitar) Britt Green (bass), Brian Gifford (drums)
Influences: Meshuggah, Testament, Tool, Pantera
Behind the song: “I wrote the lyrics during Spanish class and health class,” says Rechtfertig, remembering his high school days. “I think I’d heard the phrase ‘eye for an eye’ and thought that was cool. I decided to start writing about it, and it grew ideas in my mind. But from a lyrical standpoint, it’s about someone who’s about to give forth the judgment that someone will get. It’s kind of a karma song.”
See them: Dec. 17 at the Boardwalk (9426 Greenback Lane, Orangevale)

Click on the button below to hear "Eye for an Eye" - and don't forget to turn the volume up to "11."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/nephilimmusic

Posted by cmacias at 11:59 AM | Comments |

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December 6, 2007

Grammys go West

Nominees were announced this morning for the 50th annual Grammy Awards, and Kanye West emerged as king of the pack. The hip-hopper led all Grammy would-bes with eight nominations, including a nod for album of the year (“Graduation”). Grammy voters also gushed for Amy Winehouse, she of the perpetual beehive hairdo and rehab stints, who received six nominations. She’s up for both song and record of the year (“Rehab”), album of the year (“Back to Black”) and will go mano-a-mano with Feist, Ledisi, Taylor Swift and Paramore for new artist honors.

Five nominees a piece went to Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake , Jay-Z, Timbaland, and
T-Pain.

But the question remains for West: Will he throw a fit if he doesn’t win album of the year? The hip-hopper has never held back when denied an award (did you see his backstage fit from the MTV Video Music Awards on YouTube?). West’s competition for the mother-of-all music awards include Winehouse, Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters,” Vince Gill’s four-CD "These Days" and Foo Fighters' “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.”

But if anyone’s groaning about nominees, it’s got to be Bruce Springsteen fans. The Boss’ “Magic” seemed like a shoo-in for an album of the year nomination, but was relegated to niche categories, including rock album and solo rock vocal performance. Denying Springsteen is somewhat of a Grammy tradition. He’s been up for album of the year before, but never won Grammy’s top prize.

Overall, it looks like Grammy voters tried a little too hard to make sure the album of the year field was inclusive to various genres. It’s like the Grammy overlords said, “Let’s make sure we have one hip-hop album (West), a rock album (Foo Fighters), country (Gill), jazz (Hancock) and pop (Winehouse).” Now, we love the Foo Fighters around here, but it’s baffling to see how the band was nominated over Springsteen. This whole album of the year pool is just overly safe.

It’ll be interesting to see if Grammy voters will ultimately laud Winehouse, especially for new artist. Winehouse is one of 2007’s great breakout artists and the retro-future sound of “Back to Black” was truly a revelation for the pop charts. But there’s a lot of bad juju that seems to follow Winehouse, like her train-wreck concerts – at least the ones she’s showed up for – and drug possession charges.

So how will this all shape up? We’ll find out on Feb. 10 when Grammy Awards are dished out in Los Angeles.

Here’s a taste of this year’s Grammy Awards nominees. For the full list peep www.grammy.org:

Album of the Year

“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” Foo Fighters
“These Days,”Vince Gill
“River: The Joni Letters,” Herbie Hancock
“Graduation,” Kanye West
“Back To Black,” Amy Winehouse

Record of the year

"Irreplaceable," Beyonce
"The Pretender," Foo Fighters
"Umbrella,” Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
"What Goes Around...Comes Around," Justin Timberlake
"Rehab," Amy Winehouse

Song of the year (songwriters’ award)

"Before He Cheats," John Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie
Underwood)
"Hey There Delilah," Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T’s)
"Like a Star," Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
"Rehab," Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
"Umbrella," Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash &
Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z)

New artist

Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

Pop vocal album

“Lost Highway,” Bon Jovi
“The Reminder,” Feist
“It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,”Maroon 5
“Memory Almost Full,” Paul McCartney
“Back To Black,”Amy Winehouse

Rock album

“Daughtry,” Daughtry
“Revival,” John Fogerty
“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” Foo Fighters
“Magic,” Bruce Springsteen
“Sky Blue Sky,” Wilco

Rap album

“Finding Forever,” Common
“Kingdom Come,” Jay-Z
“Hip Hop Is Dead.” Nas
“T.I. vs T.I.P..” T.I.
“Graduation,” Kanye West

Posted by cmacias at 11:50 AM | Comments |

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December 5, 2007

Celine on the silver screen

So you plunked down a few hundred bucks for Celine Dion's show next October, but what a drag it is to wait, right? Don't you want that diva to show you the money right now? Well, you're in luck - kind of.

Celine Dion's final show of her 5-year engagement in Las Vegas will be beamed into movie theaters around the country. And yes, the Sacramento area will be included in the satellite feed. Show time will be 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at Natomas Marketplace Stadium 16 (3561 Truxel Road) and Roseville 14 cinemas (1555 Eureka Road, Roseville). The price is $12.50, which will barely get you a hot dog and beer when Celine sings her brains out at Arco. You can also nab Celine's big screen tickets online: www.FathomEvents.com.

Posted by cmacias at 2:11 PM | Comments |

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December 4, 2007

Are you ready for some ... Tom Petty?

Did y'all hear the news about the upcoming Super Bowl's halftime entertainment? No, it won't be Prince getting soaked while playing "Purple Rain." And, thank goodness, it won't be Britney shaking her thang in Arizona. The halftime show for Super Bowl XLII will come courtesy of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Uhm, yay! But doesn't Petty seem to be an odd choice, given his anti-corporate stance on things?

In completely unrelated news, Pimp C of the Texas rap duo UGK was found dead today. In the mainstream music world he was best known for his feature on Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" and also appeared on tracks by E-40, Too $hort and Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C was 33 ...

Posted by cmacias at 6:12 PM | Comments |

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