But before you start whistling "Love me do" we should probably explain - it's the Australian sensation, The Wiggles, that's scheduled to play Arco in July.
Tickets are on sale for the preschool band's Go Bananas Live! show, which has performances scheduled for 3 and 6:30 p.m. July 21, according to a Wiggles news release.
The concert features singing and dancing with the four Wiggles - Sam, Anthony, Murray and Jeff - and their Wiggly cohorts and features songs from their latest album, "The Wiggles Go Bananas."
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or at the Arco box office.
Tickets range from $15 to $32 and seats purchased in the $32 level will include an exclusive Wiggles giveaway, the release states.
Got a Wiggle-crazed child just too, well, wiggly to wait for their Wiggles fix?
Parents and preschoolers can now explore a new interactive Wiggles Web site.
The site, WiggleTime.com, is an ad-free "virtual world" featuring games, stories, coloring pages and other activities, said Alicia McAllister, a Wiggles spokeswoman.
An early childhood consultant helped develop the site's content to ensure the activities incorporate educational principles into the fun and games.
Children and parents can access some activities on the site for free, or pay a $6 monthly fee for premium access, which includes access to merchandise discounts, presale Wiggles tickets and a monthly "report card" for parents to let them know how their child is doing, she said.
Deftones bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma following a Nov. 3 car accident near San Jose. Now, Cheng's family and friends are trying to raise money to help pay for his medical bills,
Fans can donate money through the One Love for Chi site and all proceeds will go directly to Chi's mother, Jeanne Cheng.
The goal is to raise a minimum of $20,000 - so far they've netted just under $5,000.
In addition to donating, fans can also keep up with Cheng's status via family blog updates.
The Deftones are scheduled to play their first show without Cheng, April 5 at the Bamboozle Left Festival in Irvine, Calif,
Former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega will perform in Cheng's place. Vega is a friend of the band's and has filled in for Cheng in the past.
No word yet on when "Eros" the album the band was recording before Cheng's accident, will be released but look for another benefit show in the coming months as well as more Deftones dates.
Sasha Soukup wanted to get away from it all. So, she and husband Chris Streng packed up their San Francisco home and moved to Grass Valley.
Soukup found it quiet and peaceful and, well, kind of boring.
"We lived by ourselves at the end of a dirt road and I got really tired of myself," Soukup says. "I needed some hobbies and I'd started to notice my own crappy patterns when it came to not making art."
And, so armed with a desire to get something done, she joined a local artists' group and started exploring music. Soukup had sang and played before - but never really beyond her bedroom.
"I had terrible stage fright," she says.
But, as she started to feel at ease with her art, Soukup decided it was time to take it public - with a little help from her husband and a set of makeshift drums.
"We didn't have drums at first, he was just playing on pans and a bucket."
That stopgap approach fits the music.
Anchored by Soukup's raw, punk voice, the Shamrocks, who recently added bass player Taylor cook, make music inspired by everything from '50s pop vocals, and doo wop to calypso, punk and pop.
"I've been listening to a lot of music from the San Francisco psychedelic music scene lately - a lot of Jefferson Airplane," she says.
"We've been doing a cover of White Rabbit' - I love the way Grace Slick sings, it's so operatic and trippy."
Sasha & the Shamrocks
Song: "Happy Anywhere" Style: Lo-fi experimental pop with a nostalgic flair Behind the song: The musical structure came first.
"It's just a fun little thing, the chord is a happy little thing."
The lyrical content follows a parallel to Soukup's life.
"The words are all about different places around the world - places my close friends have been," Soukup says. "There's someone who spent time on a fishing boat in Alaska, another friend lives in Dubai.
"It's just about making that choice to move out of our comfort zone, when you get that bug to change something up geographically."
Listen to "Happy Anywhere" here;
See them: Saturday at the Center for the Performing Arts (314 W. Main St, Grass Valley). Uni & her Ukulele and Tippy Canoe also perform. The 8 p.m. is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information: www.thecenterforthearts.org and (530) 274-8384.
Chelsea Wolfe was a good girl. The Sacramento singer-songwriter still is actually.
"I don't think I've ever been a rebel - I've always considered myself a good person," Wolfe says. "I believe in honesty and kindness and integrity and kindness.
But...
"I have a dark side that I keep to myself - I only show it through my music. The rest of the time I'm very happy-go-lucky."
Certainly, with its ethereal dirge of guitars, keyboard and strings floating beneath a mournful voice, Wolfe's music is anything but cheerful. Still, its roots have somewhat happier origins.
The 20something Wolfe's been making music since she was nine and she and her sisters crafted "gothic hip-hop" songs in her country musician dad's home studio.
"They were hilarious but some of the songs were kind of awesome considering we were so young," she says.
Now, she adds, it seems as if she's "been writing songs forever."
It took her years to get them out of the house. Wolfe didn't start performing live until 2005, a year after she returned home from Capetown, South Africa where she'd been attending bible school and working with children.
Today, Wolfe says, her Christian faith is still part of her music.
"There are a lot of themes that relate to spirituality," she says. "It inspires the things I write."
Wolfe is currently at work on a new album. It will be, she says, "grittier" than her first CD, 2006's "Mistakes in Parting."
"I'm working with a friend (Sacramento musician) Scott McChane but it's mostly self-produced," she says. "I'm using some of the original demo tracks for the songs so rather than having everything sound so sparkling clean, it has a much more personal sound."
Chelsea Wolfe
Song: "Underwater"
Style: Ghostly folk-pop
Behind the song: Wolfe's new album follows a delicate thread of self-doubt.
"It's about feeling you're going crazy, like you're lost in your head, attempting to fit into a normal world," Wolfe says. "This song is the first track and it sets the mood. I wanted it to be droning and spacey and moody."
"Underwater"'s narrative draws on the story of the writer Virginia Woolf's suicide by drowning.
"I wanted to explore her situation - what drove her to walk into a river with stones in her pocket," Wolfe says.
"I wanted it to sound like what it felt like when she went underwater."
See her: 7 p.m Saturday, March 14 at the Blackwater Cafe (912 North Yosemite, Stockton).
It feels like it's a lifetime away but mark your calendars: Rod Stewart will bring a new greatest hits tour to Sacramento, August 5 at Arco Arena.
Greatest hits? He has them.
Rod "The Mod" Stewart's career spans several decades and boasts countless hits including the seminal "Maggie May," "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "You're in My Heart."
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14 through Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.
Why let Second Saturday have all the fun? Get some art action a week early this Saturday when the Artisan (1901 Del Paso Blvd.) hosts "Movement in Design," an evening of music, fashion and art.
"Movement in Design" - a.k.a. MODSAC - will highlight fashion area boutiques and designers including Van Der Neer, United State and Havoc. There will be live music too via DJ Greg J, the New Humans,Diamond Monsterrr and DJ Rock Bottom.
There will also be a "Battle of the Boutiques" fashion-inspired art exhibit.
The all-ages event starts at 6 p.m. and costs $5 at the door.
Mike Farrell didn't really want to make music anymore - much less a rock record. But there was the well-known Sacramento guitarist with a batch of songs and some pals who wanted to finally hear them.
"A friend reminded me that I'd made a commitment to do a record," he says. "I sort of reluctantly started the record, not really feeling very confident."
Farrell's brush with a self-imposed musical exile came amid some personal upheaval but as the singer recovered his footing in life, he also regained a sense of ambition - and direction.
"(The new album) was going to be more of a country record (because) as much as I'm a fan of rock, I don't really feel like I have the voice for it," he says.
"That's one of my biggest pet peeves - that I don't have one of those cool, screaming rock'n'roll voices."
Usually that doesn't matter. In Daisy Spot, the Brazilian pop-influenced band he's fronts with friend Tatiana LaTour for example, the songs are decidedly soft and mellow. Elsewhere, he gets by with a little help from his friends.
"In a band like Th' Losin' Streaks I'm not the main focus- I have other people to rely up on to bring the rock," he says.
"To do this on my own is more of a challenge."
So, finally alone behind the microphone, Farrell worked on finding his voice.
"It took a lot primal scream therapy," he says. "I just had to scream it out, get it out and feel comfortable."
Behind the song: The track, produced by Dana Gumbiner, came together in the studio with Mike Curry on drums and Lee Bob Watson on the clavichord.
"The demo was really bare bones and I was very skeptical about how it would turn out," he says.
"But Mike Curry nailed it and Lee Bob - I didn't even have to give him direction - he just came in and nailed it on the spot."
Farrell wrote the song in 1992 yet despite the seven years between writing and recording, he says it's particularly apropos of the times.
"The very first (line) is 'it seems that things won't get much better' which seems to reflect the state of the world right now - I didn't mean for it to be a topical songs but it's really perfect for right now."
If you're still on the prowl for things to do this weekend (and ever-so-slightly beyond), here are a couple of good possibilities.
Tonight at Luigi's Fun Garden (1050 20th St), it's Detroit garage rock band Tyvjk with Sacramento pop band Desario and, straight outta Davis, some country via San Kazakgascar. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $6 at the door.
Saturday night there's a great hip-hop show at Harlow's (2708 J St) with Lyrics Born. A little pricey - $25 a ticket - but worth it if you've got the cold, hard cash. Starts at 9 p.m., 21-and-over.
Finally, skipping over Sunday, there are not one but two good shows on Monday night. For jazz fans there's the Mitch Marcus Quintet, an SF ensemble whose live shows are equal parts improvisation and crafted composition. Also on that bill, Sacramento's delightful electro-pop duo Hearts + Horses. The all-ages show is at the Java Lounge (16th & Broadway), costs $5 and starts at 8 p.m.
Finally, also on Monday night, L.A. rock band Everest returns to Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.) The band, which makes pretty 70s-era pop rock, just finished a tour opening for Neil Young. The Cowboy Killers are also on that bill. The $8 show is 21-and-over and starts at 8 p.m.
Rock, rock til you drop: Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick are embarking on a 40-city tour this summer and the show stops here, Sept. 3. The venue's yet to be named, but I'm guessing it lands at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.
Wherever it's at, tickets go on sale next Friday, March 6 via LiveNation.com. Or, if you're a Citi credit card member, you can get special pre-sale access beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 4. Visit privatepass.citi.com for more information.
Hip-hop star Lil' Wayne will bring his "I Am Music" tour to town, March 30 at Arco Arena. The rapper, perhaps best known for his smash "Lollipop" single, will be joined by T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson.
Tickets ($39.75-$79.50) go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, March 2 via LiveNation.com
Just a reminder, tonight is that A.C. Newman show at Harlow's (2708 J St, Sacramento). The New Pornographers singer is playing songs off his two solo albums including the most recent, "Get Guilty."
Also on that bill, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, The Mississippi-based singer-songwriter plays quirky, sophisticated pop and is signed to the Animal Collective-founded label Paw Tracks - if that's not enough to get your music geek-loving heart out of the house, I don't know what is.
The 21-and-over show starts at 8:30 p.m. and costs $14 at the door.
Nick Shoman - aka DJ Oasis - bought his first turntable when he was 10; retired from deejaying at the tender age of 13 and then, finally, as he reached adulthood decided to stage a comeback.
"When I started I was inspired by DJ Premier and DJ Kool Herc - the real pioneers (who) could play old James Brown records and old groove jazz records and get people breakdancing," he says.
Once in high school, however, the budding turntablist decided to take a break - discouraged by what he described as a lack of "spirit."
"I could just see things were changing - hip-hop was going in a different direction," he says.
"I just let everything collect dust."
The spark reignited years later when a friend asked Shoman to show him the basics of deejaying.
Happy to be making music again, Shoman also realized he could, perhaps, make some money at this as well.
It wasn't easy, however.
"You could be the best DJ ever but some (clubs) won't give you a chance," he says.
After a few fruitless attempts at getting his set into various Sacramento clubs, Shoman teamed with the Neighborhood Watch, a local coalition of deejays, musicians and artists.
Now, with a little help from his friends, the 22-year-old has performed at Harlow's, the Press Club, Empire and Capitol Garge.
"We're just a group of people who work together - we're friends who give each other a push."
DJ Oasis
Song: "Well Connected (Introduction)"
Style: Jazzed-out noises and pop samples
Behind the song: "This is the first track I did after I started deejaying again," he says. "I wanted to make something that served as introduction to me, expressing who I am."
Shoman mixed the melody from the old '70s pop tune "Baby Come Back" ("I just thought the beat was so crazy") with riffs created on a computer. All those bits and pieces, he says, add up to one voice.
"I speak with my hands because I'm deejay," Oasis says. "I cut up a bunch of different (sounds) to make myself heard.
See him: Wednesday, March 4 at Capitol Garage (1505 K St, Sacramento) with DJ Matt Kelly. The all-ages show starts at 10 p.m. and is $5 at the door. For more information: (916) 444-3633
After skipping Sacramento on the last go-round, Coldplay is scheduled to bring its latest tour to town. The Grammy-winning band performs July 14 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.
Amadou & Miriam, Kitty Davis and Lewis will also perform.
Tickets ($35.50 lawn, $80-$98 reserved seats) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via LiveNation.com
David Shapireau first picked up the guitar to play funky Southern-tinged R&B in high school. Now, several decades later, the 58-year-old musician, building on musical liaisonswith the likes of Norton Buffalo, is finally fronting his own rock'n'roll band, West of Next.
"I've had my own jazz bands before but never anything like this - it's the first time I've ever sung," he says. "I'm enjoying it very much."
The path to this point was long and musically winding. Shapireau moved from Europe (by way of Baltimore) to California in 1972 and quickly became immersed in the Northern California rock scene, playing with, among others, Norton Buffalo, Jerry Garcia and Maria Muldaur
Shapireau's personal set of songs arrived long before he had a band to call his own.
"I just got this songwriting fever in 2002 and had hundreds and hundreds of songs - I finally decided I should do something more with them than just sing them to myself."
And so, finally, after moving to Sacramento in 2008, Shapireau put together a band that reflected his musical aesthetic (everything from western swing and bluegrass to Zydeco), all cut with a diamond-like precision.
"I have a background in jazz composition ... and I needed someone who could play very well technically and read music."
Shapireau found like-minded musicians in guitarist Steve Randall, drummer Tony Dey and bassist Paul Knutson.
Now, West of Next's sound is an amalgation of eclectic sounds, melancholy observations and pop sensibilities.
It is, he says, an equation that adds up to the unexpected.
"The average rock band doesn't usually do it that way."
West of Next
Song: "Something to Go On"
Style: Off-kilter pop
Behind the song: "Most of my songs are about melancholy and loneliness but this is more positive," Shapireau says.
"I just thought that everyone needs something to get them through - we all have our belief system, be it religion or another person."
The song's structure, he adds, diverges from rock's usual verse-chorus-verse framework.
"Most of my songs are usually very Broadway or Beatles," Shapireau says.
"I'm not exactly sure why this one came out different but when you're writing you want the mood to fit the lyrics - I wanted something upbeat but, because of my personality, also a little eccentric."
See them: Thursday at the Java Lounge, 2416 16th St, Sacramento; the all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door.
The local Circle of 5ths entertainment / promotional group is hosting a Valentine's Day benefit tomorrow at Club Retro (6251 Hazel Ave., Orangevale).
The all-ages show benefits the UC Davis Children's Hospital Benefit and scheduled performers, among others, include Larisa Bryski, The Grumpy, Fair Game, Early States, Man Automatic and Save and Continue.
It began as a simple idea: A classic bar band that married rock music with a twist of twang.
Brian Guido, on break from his guitar duties in Grub Dog & the Amazing Sweethearts, decided the time was right to start his own band.
"I'd been writing music but I really didn't know how people would respond," Guido says.
The Regulars, CA's first incarnation fit that rock-meets-country vibe but as members came and went, the music evolved.
The band's current line up, rounded out by Jay Shaner (guitar), Mason DeMusey (bass) and Ross Levine (drums,) has pushed the band in a different direction - the band'ssecond album, "Songs About Love & Depression," is a mix of no-frills rock and hooky pop.
"The songs have progressively been getting more pop-oriented," Guido says.
"There's still some rock involved but not as much of that country twang."
Their name, a nod to the Replacements tune, "Here Comes a Regular," epitomizes the local music scene and the band's place in it.
"Everyone in Sacramento plays in three bands and everyone knows everyone," he says
"We are the regulars. Whether we're playing or not, we go out all the time and see (our friends) play."
The Regulars, CA
Song: "Songs About You"
Style: Melancholy rock
Behind the song: "The album is about a certain period in my life - I guess the only good thing that comes out of depression is that it inspires you to write and be creative," Guido says.
"This song is about trying to kill the thing inside of me that makes me feel down."
Guido says he relies on his band mates to take his ideas and make them better.
"I come in with a song and everyone is involved in the process," he says. "Ross adds a lot of music theory to the process. Mason and Jay can really change it up too, (suggesting) we make a part shorter or longer.
"I trust them and just let them do their thing," he says. "It makes me a better songwriter."
See them: Friday at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St, Sacramento). The Tattooed Love Dogs and Kate Gaffney are also on the bill. The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $7 at the door.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss cleaned up at the Grammys, winning a total of five trophies - including the big one for Album of the Year.
Yes, this means they won out over Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman" which, in turn, means the Stereotypes crew lost out on their second bid for a Grammy.
Jeremy Reeves reaction (via text) "We lost! It's rigged"
and then
"Ha ha"
Seriously, you can't complain too much, losing out to the likes of Plant and Krauss and it's a good call on the part of the Grammys. "Raising Sand" is a complex and sophisticated record that's also immensely emotional and catchy.
It's the kind of record that'll make your year-end favorite list and your mom's. And I mean this in the best way possible.
As for the Stereotypes' double-loss. These guys are still at the beginning of their career. My guess is these won't be their only career nominations.
Ok, so seriously - we thought something was wrong with our work TV set during that M.I.A. performance with T.I., Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on "Swagga Like Us."
As soon as Queen Latifah introduced them and the camera cut away - poof! black and white!
For real, I almost got up and hit the TV, Fonzi-style but then I became so entranced with M.I.A's maternity outfit.
My guess is you won't find that lil' frock over in the Target Liz Lange section.
It was - how do I put this delicately? - wrong, wrong, wrong.
Also, although the British singer was wearing sensible sneakers but I was still worried that all the weird squatting dance moves would induce labor.
But back to the color, or lack thereof. Apparently this was intentional on the part of the Grammy producers - it was a "black-and-white throwback performance."
Throwback to what? To a time when our sets transmitted shoddy images and/or our parents were too thrifty to upgrade to color (hi mom!).
I have a love-hate relationship with John Mayer. I think he's an immensely personable, funny and smart guy but too often his music doesn't reflect that. In short, most of his music is boring and predictable. (Live, it's a slightly different story if you've got an appetite for endless blues riffs.)
That said, it makes sense that he won for pop male vocal. Even if there were arguably more deserving artists who should've been nominated, Mayer was sort of a shoe-in in this category.
The reasoning:
James Taylor and Paul McCartney skew a little too old and many of the Grammy voters may not really know who Jason Mraz and Ne-Yo are - despite the latter's huge success with his "Year of the Gentleman" album. Thus, Mayer gets the majority of the votes because he's younger, hipper and safe enough.
Now, don't send me hate e-mails defending Mayer - this is a case of hate the game, not the player, folks.
I'll admit that the whole Grammy eligibility consideration thing confuses me - it seems as if an album has extraordinarily long window in which to be considered.
Take, for example, the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album, "Raising Sand."
It was released in October 2007 yet was nominated for a bunch of 2008 Grammys.
Huh?
That quibble aside, this marriage of the Led Zeppelin front man Plant and bluegrass goddess Krauss has made for an amazing album that's completely deserving of its nominations. Thrilled to Plant and Krauss "Please Read the Letter' win for Record of the Year. I didn't know, until today, that this was actually an old song that Plant wrote with his old Zeppelin pal Jimmy Page. Plant and Krauss gave a decidedly sad, folksy twang.
So, unfortunately, Stereotypes - Jeremy Reeves, Jon Yip and Ray Romulus - lost out on their first Grammy nod for the work they did on Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman."
Instead, Mary J. Blige picked up the trophy for best contemporary R&B album.
Reeves, texted me right after the award was announced:
...Well it felt like the 1,000,000 time anyway. Seriously, I know that was THE song of summer but it's now February and they're still trotting her out to sing that tune?
She does have other singles, ya know.
Perry's a cute girl - love the gittery fruit salad romper - and she's got some pop-punk chops. She reminds me a bit of a cross between Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.
My guess is that her career will end up more like the former's than the latter's though.
Jeremy Reeves, the local guy I profiled a week ago - and his Stereotypes producer pal Jon Yip are up for two Grammys for work they did with Ne-Yo - sent me this star-sighting text: "I practically ran over Paris Hilton ha ha"
The Deftones will perform their first show since the November car accident that left bassist Chi Cheng in a coma.
Rick Gershon, a Warner Brothers publicist for the band, confirms the Sacramento hard rock band is scheduled to perform April 5 at the Bamboozle Left Festival in Irvine, Calif.
Former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega will perform in Cheng's place.
The 38-year-old musician, seriously injured in a Nov. 3 car accident near San Jose, remains in a coma.
The band explained its decision to regroup on stage in a recent blog entry:
For everyone that knows Chi, knows that he never wanted down time. Chialways wanted to keep working and never slow down, which is why we feel confident in returning to the stage at Bamboozle in April. Chi would want it, and we want to make sure we're keeping his legacy alive.
It won't be Vega's first time with the band. He temporarily replaced Cheng when the bassist took a brief break from the Deftones in 1998.
The band is also still at work on a new album, "Eros." It's the same disc the Deftones were recording before Cheng's accident. Once slated to hit record stores this month, Gershon says its release timetable is now indefinite.
Will the fourth time be the charm for brothers Don and Ryan Clark? The siblings, who grew up in Laguna Creek and now live in Seattle, were recently nominated for a Best Recording Package Grammy for their work on the Hawk Nelson CD, "Hawk Nelson ... Is My Friend"
The nomination is technically only in Don Clark's name but, says the 33-year-old artist, he and his 29-year-old brother share an even split of duties in their Seattle-based graphic design firm, Invisible Creature.
"We pretty much have the same skill set and work in the same style," Don Clark says, on the phone from Seattle.
Indeed, it was Ryan Clark's name on the nomination for last year's Grammy bid for Norma Jean's "O God, the Aftermath" disc. (The brothers' other two noms were for packages designed for the post-punk band the Fold and Christian punk band Fair).
The Clark brothers' resume is even more impressive - the two have designed album art and posters for the likes of Will.I.Am, Kings of Leon, the Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Tool and Pennywise.
The Hawk Nelson album artwork is a colorful '60s-style illustrated cover that folds out into a full board game. The actual CD disc doubles as the spin wheel that keeps the action moving.
"The band came up with the idea for a board game but they didn't really think it would be playable," Clark says.
The brothers took that idea a step further, creating a four-player and researching and referencing old '60s and '70s board games for inspiration.
"The goal is to see who can get to the show first and, during the game, the band drops in to help you get there quicker," he says.
The pair will attend the Grammys - their category will be awarded during the daytime ceremony - but don't really expect to win against a group that includes the Thievery Corporation and Metallica.
But, Clark says, no worries - they enjoy just getting the chance to hang out
"The night before the Grammys there's a merit award ceremony and that's way cooler than the (televised) Grammy awards because it honors lifetime achievement,' he says.
"It's like this cool little club that we snuck into."
Lux Interior, front man for the groundbreaking punk band The Cramps, died today in a Glendale, Calif., hospital due to complications from a pre-existing heart condition, according to a news release issued by the band's publicist. There are conflicting reports about the singer's real age but IMDB.com lists it as 60.
Lux Interior, born Erick Lee Purkhiser, formed The Cramps in 1972 after meeting Kristy Wallace in Sacramento. The two, who lived in Midtown, shared a love for surf rock, rockabilly, B-movies and other bits of so-called "trash culture."
Interior took his name from an old car commercial, and Wallace, who changed her name to Poison Ivy, attributed her new music moniker to a vision she received in a dream. The couple dubbed its music as "pyschobilly" - taking the term from an old Johnny Cash tune.
The Cramps moved to Ohio in 1973 and, in 1976, migrated to downtown Manhattan where they joined a burgeoning punk scene populated by the likes of the Ramones, Blondie and Television.
The band's 30-plus years on the punk scene spawned 14 albums, a seemingly endless tour schedule and an indelible influence on artists such as the Black Lips, the Reverend Horton Heat and Sacramento's own (now-defunct) Groovie Ghoulies.
The 2009 Noise Pop schedule is now up and it's a winner. While the San Francisco music festival, which runs Feb. 24-March 1, doesn't have quite the same industry recognition as, say, South By Southwest, it's nonetheless a pretty awesome way to check out great new bands, established indie acts and certifiable rock gems.
How's this for starters: Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh) and Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar) will give the keynote address for this year's conference. The one-day event will examine the state of independent music and how it intersects with new technologies, touring and industry trends. Confirmed panelists include singer-songwriter Penelope Houston; Live 105 music director Aaron Axelson and Wired magazine's writer Nancy Miller.
Mould also headlines the February 28 show at the Swedish American Music Hall (a tiny little place above Cafe DuNord at 2170 Market St., SF),
Other scheduled acts include the French Kicks, Martha Wainright, Stephen Malkmus, A.C. Newman.Matt Costa, Kool Keith and Ra Ra Riot.
The festival, now in its 17th year, also highlights art and film and this year's line-up includes a screening of the 2008 documentary "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison."
The 2008 Bestor Cram film chronicles Cash's (pictured, right, outside Folsom Prison with then-girfriend June Carter Cash) 1968 Folsom Prison concert (and its subsequent concert album). It also touches on the political and cultural events that shaped the event and includes archival footage and interviews with people who witnessed the show.
"Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" will screen Wednesday, February 25 at the Roxie (3117 16th St.)
For a complete list of performers, films, exhibits and ticket prices visit the Noise Pop web site.
It's been nearly two months since DJ Rated R was injured in a Philippines car crash. Now, the Sacramento-based musician born Ronald Florente is undergoing physical therapy in Visalia and, friends say, is on his way to a full recovery.
"He's doing really good at the moment," says Justin "Self" Brown, Florente's band mate in the Sacramento hip-hop group Live Manikins.
Florente, who was performing in the Philippines with his other group Live Audible Soul, was seriously hurt in a Dec. 11 crash near Baguio City.
The accident occurred when the brakes gave out while the van in which Florente was riding crashed after its brakes gave out. Florente, 26, was in the van's back row of seats and went through a window upon impact, sustaining major head and spinal injuries as well as a broken collarbone and clavicle.
Another member of the group, Runt Rock (real name: Gabriel Pizarro - he also performs in Live Manikins), was also injured but only suffered scrapes and bruises.
Florente, who underwent several major surgeries in the Philippines, was finally allowed to return home in mid-January..
Live Manikins will briefly regroup for a "Rock 4 Ron" show to benefit Florente but, Brown says, he hopes the whole crew will be back on stage by March.
"We don't want to really play again until Ron's back," Brown says.
"He's the backbone of our sound and it doesn't feel right without him."
Live Manikins
Song: "Malfunktion"
Style: Rock meets hip-hop
Behind the song: "We were hanging out one day, playing with music and Ron was scratching this guitar riff and when he started riffing Gabe started putting down drum beats and freestyling," Brown says.
The track, Brown says, epitomizes Brown's energy.
"Most of the sounds on this track are just Ron scratching," he says. "The vibe is "like Run DMC and Aerosmith on 'Walk this Way' - it's not crazy or dangerous angry it's just us rocking out."
See them: Thursday at the Image VIP Lounge (705 J St). Addict Merchants and Righteous Movement are also on the bill. Admission is $10.
Tesla fans take note: The band will appear at R5 Records (16th & Broadway, Sacramento) today at 6:30.
The quintet will be on hand to sign autographs and commemorate the release of its latest album "Forever More" in a limited edition run of collector, 180-gram vinyl.
It's the band's first vinyl release since 1990's "The Great Radio Controversy."
In an interview I recently did with the band (which you can read more about in this Friday's Ticket section), Tesla bassist Brian Wheat said that, in this era of CDs and MP3s, they were happy to get another chance to use the medium.
"We wanted to put (2004's) 'Into the Now' on vinyl but the record company wouldn't let us," he says. "Now we do things on our own and we get to do what we want."
The band will also debut its latest video, "Fallin' Apart," during the appearance.
Tesla will also perform live this Friday at the Memorial Auditorium (1400 J St, Sacramento). Tickets are $29.50. For more information call (916) 808-518 or visit Tickets.com.
As a teenager, Sacramento hip-hop artist Tais co-opted other people's music to make his own.
"I think I started out just like everybody else - (writing songs) over other people's instrumentals," he says.
"This was back when artists would release a single that had an instrumental (version of the song) on the other side - I wrote my first song to an Outkast tune," he says.
"I don't even remember what song it was - just that it moved me."
Eventually Tais graduated to spoken word before hooking up with some old high school friends to form the local hip-hop group Righteous Movement.
"We're not a band so much as a collective," he says. "We're four MCs and everyone gets to do solo albums and side projects.
Tais's first solo CD, "Truth Arises in Search of Mixtape," is an ode to his ongoing journey - artistically and personally.
The mix, he says, is mature and soulful.
"This is about me being on the outside looking in," he says. "It's about how I've grown as a man."
Tais, now 27, still crafts his songs with a cut-and-paste aesthetic.
"Hip-hop started with people making mixtapes and taking other people's music and making it their own," he says.
But the idea, he says, now goes well beyond his high school days of merely dropping rhymes over someone else's music.
"My angle is this: Let me take this music and reintroduce it to you."
Tais' efforts have already earned him some prominent recognition: URB magazine just named Tais one of its "Next 1000" important hip-hop artists to watch, praising his "authenticity" and "light, breezy" sound.
A big honor, sure, but Tais says he's already found his biggest influence, inspiration and fan in six-year-old son Noah.
"He comes on stage with me and is so into it - he could be my hype man," Tais says.
"And if I stop rhyming, he just keeps on going."
Tais
Song: "Introduction"
Style: Sweet, melodic hip-hop
Behind the song: Tais kickstarted the song by sampling a track from the Seattle-based hip-hop group the Boom Bap Project.
"It's just a beat that hit me - a kind of rough beat that's slow and really embodies my style."
The song's message is simple.
"It came out of the way people introduce each other at shows, When you perform before an audience for the first time you have to (address) that people are asking 'Who is this guy?'
"A lot of people just know me as Tais from Righteous Movement so this song is a way for me to introduce myself on my own," he says.
"It just breaks it down: This is who I am and this is where I'm going."
Sacramento rapper Sub-Zero has been inducted into the West Coast Hip Hop Hall of Fame. The artist formerly known as MC Prince Julian used to perform with Sactown's Beat Boys back in the day - i.e. the early 80s.
Sub-Zero's latest disc, "S.M.D. PART 2" features a guest appearances by Twista, the Dogg Pound and the late Mac Dre. A new disc, set for a May release, will include appearances by Snoop Dogg, E-40 and Suga T.
Word is there are still a few tickets left for tonight's TRV$DJAM show at the Park Ultra Lounge.
TRV$DJAM is, of course, the two-man musical mayhem featuring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrated club mixmaster DJ AM (aka Adam Goldstein). Together the two create a mix that covers everything from hip-hop to '80s rock.
Both men, as you probably remember, were badly injured in a September air crash that killed Barker's assistant, Roseville native Christopher Baker. It was a tragic accident that left two musicians injured and grieving - but also with a renewed sense of spirit and an appreciation for life. It's good to see them back on their feet so soon.
The pair perform tonight at the Park Ultra Lounge (15th & L Streets, Sacramento). Doors open at 8:30 p.m.. $40 tickets available via WanTickets.com.
His idea was to keep it simple: Guitar, bass and drums and an exploration of the spaces in between each sound.
Dan Elkan was on break from a guest stint playing for Hella on tour and the former Pocket for Corduroy musician wanted to put together another band of his own. So he contacted his old PFC bandmate Thad Stoenner who was living in Elkan's Nevada City hometown.
Next thing Elkan knew he'd moved back to the foothills and, with the addition of drummer David Torch, had put together Them Hills.
The band was born in January 2006 but wouldn't play its first show until the end of that year.
"I didn't want to just start a group and play before we were ready," Elkan says.
During that time, the band explored its dynamic.
"Most bands have two guitars, bass and drums - or maybe even more (instruments) than that, I wanted something that was simple," he says. "I wanted to (work on) creating a sound where each instrument would matter more than if you had a bunch playing - especially in a live setting."
The band tried to capture that ethos on its debut CD, "Greener Grassing."
"I wanted to have a simple sound that was (also) dynamic," he said. "I wanted there to be more spaces where instruments were not playing - it's like when you think about a song like U2's 'With or Without You.' That's a powerful sound but it's just bass."
Them Hills
Song: "Grow Down"
Style: Jangly indie rock
Behind the song: The track stemmed from a single drum beat, Elkan says.
"David came up with this really quirky punk sounding (riff) and the concept came out of just us thinking about punk rock," he says. "It's about how you deal with the idea of getting older while still keeping your mind young and fresh."
It's OK, he says, to not conform to so-called "adult" standards.
"That's an old punk idea: You can grow up but still be young at heart."
See them: Jan. 25 at Luigi's Fun Garden, 1050 20th St, Sacramento. Tera Melos and Sbach are also on the bill. $5.
U2 fans hungry to hear the band's new album "No Line on the Horizon" don't have to wait until the disc's March 2 release date to hear some music. They don't even have to wait until Feb 15 - the day the album's first single "Get on Your Boots" is set for release.
This Monday (Jan. 19, to be exact), KWOD 106.5 will be playing "Get on Your Boots" throughout the day starting in the morning during "The Adam Corolla Show" which airs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Wow, that's almost enough incentive to get me to tune into Carolla's show.
OMG grab your eyeliner, Fall Out Boy is headed to Sacramento.
Just two years after the emo-pop band cancelled its headlining appearonce at Sleep Train, the band is now scheduled to bring its Believers Never Die Part Deux tour to town, April 8 at Memorial Auditorium.
Also on the bill: Cobra Starship, Metro Station, All Time Low and Hey Monday.
Tickets go on sale Jan. 23 through Tickets.com but if you're part of the FOB fan club you can get in on some pre-sale action on Jan. 21 via OvercastKids.com.
That icon of 70s pop-rock Fleetwood Mac's been talking reunion for a while and now the rumour is true. Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (but, sadly, no Christine McVie) just announced tour dates and Sacramento made the list.
Fleetwood Mac Unleashed: Hits Tour 2009 will arrive May 18 at Arco Arena.
Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this Saturday. Get details via the band's Web site.
Erstwhile Davis mixmaster DJ Shadowhas nabbed a sneaker deal with Reebok.
Shadow (aka Josh Davis) is a preeminent hip-hop instrumentalist. His 1996 full-length debut "Endtroducing ..." is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the '90s and still stands up today for its moody yet alluring mix of jazz, hip-hop, funk and other audio bit - all sampled from vinyl. The cover of "Endtroducing," by the way, is a photograph of the dusty, album-clogged interior of Sactown's own Records store (taken in its original K Street location).
Anyway, back to the sneakers.
The shoes are available on DJ Shadow's site and feature the cover image from DJ Shadow's 1995 EP "What Does Your Soul Look Like?"
They'll set you back $104.99 - a small price to pay for such cool comfort (via Pitchfork).
Where in the world are The New Humans? Just as quickly as Sacramento fell in love with the band's prolific, electro-blues sound did it seemingly disappear into the woodwork, eluding hoards of newfangled admirers--men and women committed to swooning over maniacal synth action and impeccable hairstyles.
Although staying low on the area's musical radar, the '08 Sammie-award-winning New Humans aren't sitting around twiddling their thumbs. The band is staying busy writing and recording new music, and they haven't abandoned their search for a vocalist, although they'll continue innovating new sounds until they find the perfect match.
The New Humans resurfaced for a Sunday, Jan. 11 performance at Expression College in Emeryville.
Sacramento music lovers have something to look forward to...other than sunny weather.
The name of J. Matthew Gerken's band Nice Monster explains exactly what his intentions are for its music.
"I don't like writing songs that have typical guitar strums - you know, ba-ba-BA-ba bum. I like using odd time signatures and syncopations - that's the 'monster' part, (writing) difficult or interesting rhythms," he explains. "But at the same time I like but at the same time, I really like catchy melodies."
Gerken, along with friends Jefferson Pitcher and Christian Kiefer, is also part of the recent Of Great and Mortal Men project which recently released the highly lauded three-CD set, "43 Songs for 43 Presidencies" (Standard Recordings, $30).
The brand-new, self-titled Nice Monster EP swaps politics for a rich mining of sonic spaces, experimental yet accessible noise pop and complicated emotions.
Nice Monster is rounded out by Jason Roberts (guitar), Greg Aaron (drums), Chad Wilson (bass) and Gerken's girlfriend Heather Phillips (piano, vocals).
The new EP was recorded in the home shared by Gerken and Phillips and the experience, he says, was mellow with a focus on fun instead of technical perfection.
That relaxed vibe was aided by the arrival of a puppy.
"Heather and I were looking for a new puppy and in the middle of recording, a rescue puppy became available," he says.
The presence of Mickey, a Black Lab/Border collie mix, gave the recording sessions a playful mood.
"It was just really fun and created such a relaxed, flexible atmosphere," he says. "The fidelity might not be as pristane as it would be if we'd recorded at a studio but I think the performances are better."
Nice Monster
Song: "Down"
Style: Jazz pop
Behind the song: "It's similar to a lot of Nice Monster songs because it doesn't have a verse-chorus-verse (structure)," says Gerken who cites artists such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Wilco and Radiohead among his influences and inspirations.
"Down" starts with a slow, deliberate mood before shifting, half-way through, into something decidedly more upbeat.
"Those kinds of shifts happen a lot (in our songs)," Gerken says. "The texture, the time feel, the meter, even the lyrical topic - it can all change."
The song's subject matter, Gerken says, is a "tongue in cheek reflection" about childhood.
"The first part of the song is about a person wondering why they are the way they are," he says. "In the second half of the song, there's the realization that 'oh yeah, it's because of this stuff that happened when I was a kid.'"
The song's actual lyrics, he adds, are pretty "ambiguous."
"You almost need liner notes to understand them," he says. "I like to leave room for people to make their own interpretations."
After weeks of teasing listeners with ads promising a "change" for the station, Capitol Public Radio debuted a new show "Off Air." The hour-long music show makes its weekly debut every Thursday at midnight with a playlist that covers everything rock, punk, folk, pop, etc.
The show is hosted by Nick Brunner who, so far, has injected a nice dose of hip but thoughtful music sense into his program. This week's program featured songs by Iggy & the Stooges (a nod to this week's passing of Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton), the electro-pop sounds of Ladyhawke and erstwhile Sacto musician Jefferson Pitcher singing with neo-folkie Rosie Thomas.
I particularly like how Brunner doesn't just stick to the ultra-obscure or so brand-new-hip-that-it-hurts type of musuc. He's just got a good ear for mixing up sounds, old and new.
Looking forward to what Brunner plays next week, in the meantime you can listen to the first two shows at SmartRockRadio.org.
As 2008 finally fades away, I'm at work on my annual "Best of" CD mix featuring my favorite songs of the year. Since I can't send each and every one of you a disc, I thought I'd just post the list here.
There are 24 songs because 23 is my favorite number but I couldn't decide which song to cut. The list is mostly national artists but there are a couple of local acts as well (in bold).
"American Boy" - Estelle with Kanye West
"Oxford Comma" - Vampire Weekend
"White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes.
"Mercy" - Duffy"
"Pretty Bird" - Jenny Lewis
"Single Girl, Married Girl" - Charlie Haden, with the Haden Triplets
Miniature Birds / Grand Archives
"Cane Cola" - Desario
"Skinny Love" - Bon Iver
"Here With Me" - Jennifer O'Connor
"Sunday Afternoon" - Rachael Yamagata
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" - She & Him
"You" - Two Sheds
"Chasing Pavements" - Adele
"The Kelly Affair" - Be Your Own Pet
"4 Minutes" - Madonna
"No Pause" - Girl Talk
"Don't Watch Me Dancing" - Little Joy
"Wishes Were Horses" - Lucinda Williams
"Life Is Better" - Q-Tip
"Tell Me Now" - Baby Grand
"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" - the Black Kids
'Get Better" Mates Of State
"Nothing Ever Happened" - Deerhunter
That's that, time to get ready for a night out to toast the arrival of 2009. See you on the other side.
The last time James George Serrett put out an album he was having a rough go of it. His wife had just left him and, worse, wouldn't speak to him. So, distraught, Serrett channeled all his angst, anxiety and worry into an album, 2007's "The Most Romantic Fool."
Fast forward to 2008 and things are, well, just as emotionally rough for Serrett - he and the ex still aren't on speaking terms.
Lucky for the 60-year-old singer-songwriter, it simply meant he had another record in him.
"This last year was even harder than the last and so my songs started getting even more personal," Serrett says of his latest release, "Living in Slow Motion."
As with "Fool," the new record is a collection of soft rock power ballads influenced by the likes of James Taylor and Billy Joel.
And while the songs are great therapy for him, Serrett says, he's always a little surprised that other like his sad songs so much.
"I asked my shrink - 'why do people like this stuff?'," he says.
"He told me, '(because) they've been through it and made it through to the other side.'"
James George Serrett: "Living in Slow Motion"
Style: Soft rock
Behind the song: The song, Serrett says, "comes from a personal and painful experience."
"It's about denial and self-delusion and refusing to move forward," he says. "The guy (in the song) is dazed and weaving and holding on to the delusion that she might come back."
And while writing the song was therapeutic, Serrett says, the actual recording of it was eye-opening.
"There's nothing like hearing your regrets blasting from the studio's speakers."
The members of Tesla have come a long way since their late '80s, early '90s hey day. Then, the Sacramento hard rock band, touring the world on the success of albums such as "Five Man Acoustical Jam" was forced to squeeze recording sessions in between shows.
It was an exciting time, sure, says Tesla bassist Brian Wheat - but tiring, too.
The band's latest album, "Forever More," on the other hand, was recorded in Wheat's Midtown home studio. The five-month process, Wheat says, was considerably more relaxed than all those tour pit stops.
"We were in our own beds every night - this is a much more civilized way to make a record," Wheat says.
Produced by longtime Tesla friend Terry Thomas, the album reflects the band's decades-long work ethos:
"You get the idea, you work it out and then you just go in the studio and do it," Wheat says.
It's a simple enough foundation for the band's working man's rock blues sound but, Wheat says, Tesla has definitely evolved since its early days.
"We've been making records for 22 years and have traveled the world and gone through marriages and divorces and kids and other life experiences," he says.
"Those life experiences translate into your music, of course. We're the same band but now we're seasoned like an old baseball."
Behind the song: "Jeff (Keith) and Frank (Hannon) wrote this one - it's a fictitious letter to a private in the army, telling him 'we're pulling for you, we support you,'" Wheat says.
"But then, he doesn't get a reply and people start to worry about whether he is alive."
Eventually, it's learned that the soldier died and, ultimately, the song "is about thanking him for that sacrifice he made," Wheat says. "It's very patriotic."
In September we told you about the Of Great & Mortal Men album featuring 43 songs - one for each president. The 3-CD set, written and recorded by the Rockin-based Christian Kiefer, Sacramento's Matthew Gerken and Bay Area artist Jefferson Pitcher featured guest appearances from local artists such as Vince DiFiore and John Gutenberger as well as nationally known names such as Rosie Thomas and Bill Callahan.
Kiefer, Gerken and Pitcher are still at work song number 44 (for Barack Obama, of course) and we just got word that the trio will perform at a pre-inaugural benefit on January 17 at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C. (600 I St, Washington, D.C.).
Scheduled guest performers include Nellie McKay, Silver Darling, Jukebox the Ghost and These United States.
The concert is a benefit for Bands for Lands, a Colorado-based non-profit that promotes self-sustainability and social awareness.
DJ Rated R, a member of the Sacramento hip-hop group Live Manikins, was seriously injured Dec, 11 in a car crash near Baguio City.
Rated - real name Ronald Florente (pictured at right) - was on tour there with Manikin-offshoot Live Audible Soul, when the brakes on the passenger van in which he was riding apparently failed, said Florente's Live Manikin bandmate Justin Brown (a.k.a "Self").
Brown was not in the Philippines at the time of the crash.
According to Brown, the vehicle was going downhill when the brakes gave out. The van crashed and flipped over when it hit an embankment. Florente, 26, was in the van's back row of seats and went through a window upon impact and sustained major head and spinal injuries as well as a broken collarbone and clavicle, Brown says.
Another member of the group, Runt Rock (real name: Gabriel Pizarro), was also injured but only sustained bruises and scrapes and is now doing fine, Brown says.
But, although he's still in a Philippines-area hospital and won't be able to transfer back to Sacramento for at least a month, the DJ is expected to make a "full recovery," Brown says.
"He wasn't paralyzed ... he will recover - it will just take a long time."
In the meantime, Florente's friends and family are trying to raise money to pay for the portion of his medical expenses not covered by insurance.
The members of Live Manikins are planning a benefit show for the end of January. We'll keep you posted on the details.
Until then you can donate via the band's MySpace page or in person at the United States Clothing Boutique (1014 24th St, Sacramento).
With more than two dozen musicians (and their egos), conflicting schedules and a tight production timetable, it could have been a disaster.
Lesa Johnston, co-founder of the Pus Cavern Recording Studio, admits she was worried.
In the end, however, the Pus Cavern Allstars' recording of "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" was as fun and peaceful a project as its name suggests.
"I was concerned - all those egos coming - but the recording sessions ended up being so much fun," she says. "Everyone was just so cool."
The song, recorded to benefit the Sacramento Children's Chorus, is a who's who of Sacramento musicians with, among others, members of the Deftones, Tesla, the Hoods, Far, the Skirts, the Secretions and the Snobs stepping into the recording booth.
Johnston - along with her husband, engineer Joe - had put together local Christmas CDs before but this year, as the deadline approached, she was faced with a lack of material and the gnawing need to get something done.
"We didn't get enough submissions this year (but) I had the urge, I needed to do this (because) at the end of the day we give the money to someone who needs it," she says.
So, w ith the holiday season approaching, the Johnstons called on their friend Dave Buckner. The former Papa Roach drummer, now playing with his own band Last Angels, agreed to produce and quickly decided on just the right song.
"Happy Christmas (War is Over)" is probably the coolest rock'n'roll Christmas song ever," Buckner says of the John Lennon-penned tune (alternately known as "Happy Xmas" (War is Over")).
"It's just not your average holiday tune - it goes much deeper."
With the song decided, Buckner says, everything else just fell into place even as musicians scrambled to meet their tight production schedule.
"There were some scary moments but in the end everyone was extremely easy to work with."
So, no trashed waiting rooms? No outrageous demands? No holding out for the choicest guitar solo?
Nope, not even one tantrum.
"It was one of the loosest, most fun vibes," says Daycare guitarist Sonny Mayugba (pictured above, photo courtesy Sacpress.com).
"It was just everyone learning the song together and not sweating it - we're all older, we're all professionals and it was just about getting down the best song we could."
The Pus Cavern Allstars
Song: "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"
Style: Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Behind the song: Sonny Mayugba, who plays rhythm guitar on the track, says the modern Christmas classic proved to be a difficult undertaking.
"I thought I could just play it by ear but the song is really not that easy - Beatles' chords in general are pretty tricky," Mayugba says. "I had to get the sheet music to learn it and was totally just cramming to learn it in time for the session."
But with the chords finally figured out and parts learned, the gathering became relaxed, filled with impromptu covers and jam sessions.
"Recording studios are usually kind of nerve-wracking but this was almost like playing a live show," Mayugba says. "Everyone was playing - you had five or six guitarists, totally solo-ing their heads off. I think that's why the song comes out sounding so fun - those guys are just having a good time."
Inspired by his musical hero Neil Young, Sacramento's Christopher Fairman always knew he wanted to be a musician.
He just didn't want to sing.
"I was really against it, I was really stubborn," Fairman says.
The reason? Simple: He didn't think that he could.
"I was pretty bad for a while," he insists.
The 23-year-old Rio Americano High School graduate, however, had one very important fan who thought otherwise.
"My mother encouraged me to do it," he says. "Now I think I'm pretty damn good."
And while his sentiment is, he admits, a little "cocky," it required more than a lot of practice to get to this point - it took a little ease.
"I think, just in life, I let go - and once I let go I didn't care about a lot of things that other people care about, " he says.
"I think that helps, if you don't care what other people think about you then you can let loose."
Fairman released the "Born Broken" EP in 2007 and plans to release a new CD ""85, 87" in the spring.
Produced by David Houston, the music is dark and reflective with a sound akin to Americana crooner Ryan Adams.
"It's like a diary of a year in my life," he says. "The songs are more personal than anything I'd done before."
The album's feel was also inspired by another piece of art, a ghostly, abstract image in shades of moss green, gold and orange that was painted by Fairman's friend Michael Pitcher.
"I don't know what it was, but I saw that picture and it just brought something out in me," he says.
The painting will be the album cover for "85, 87" and the fit, he says, is perfect.
"It's dark and there's so much going on - there are different characters there."
Christopher Fairman
Song: "Pages"
Style: Slow, meditative Americana
Behind the song: Written in just 20 minutes, the song epitomizes Fairman's loose, carefree approach.
"The song is very fluid and when I was writing this, I really didn't know what it was about for a while."
Eventually, the words came into sharper focus.
"It's just very confessional, talking about how I see the world and how I don't always believe in myself," he says. "It's about the pages of the books I could write, I've got a lot to say."
"It's about how sometimes I don't believe in myself really just about the 'pages and pages' of things I have to say."
See him:
Dec. 12 at the Javalounge, 2416 16th St, Sacramento.
The 9 p.m. show is all-ages.
Dec. 19 at the Blue Lamp, 14000 Alhambra Blvd.
The 10 p.m. is 21-and-over only.
Caitlin Gutenberger had never been in a band, hadn't really sang - certainly never in front of anyone - had never written a song.
She didn't have the experience but she did, however, find she had a musical connection with husband, bassist Johnny Gutenberger and his Jackpot bandmate Rusty Miller.
"Johnny and Rusty had some downtime and I wanted to learn to play drums so we'd just goof off and we had this real chemistry," she says of the collaboration that eventually became Two Sheds.
"So I wrote a few songs and then switched over to guitar and Rusty started playing drums."
Yes, it really was that simple.
"I was freaked out at first - I never thought I could write songs - I was an English major, used to writing things that were longer," says the 27-year-old singer.
"But then I got over the hump and wrote a handful of songs really fast.
That was 2004 and in the years since, Two Sheds, also featuring James Finch Jr. on guitar, has released a album (2006's "Strange Ammunition") and this year's digital-only, self-titled EP.
The music, grounded by Gutenberger's soft yet decidedly assured voice, is a mix of ghostly folk-pop and bouncier indie rock.
With Two Sheds geographically divided - the Gutenbergers live in Sacramento, Miller and Finch live in San Francisco - it's sometimes difficult to get the band in the same room for anything other than a show.
Still, the members of Two Shed are planning on spending some quality time together in 2009 with plans for a tour, a South By Southwest appearance and a new album on the calendar.
The new record, Gutenberger says, is still little more than a hazy notion.
"Second records are weird because the first one is just a big solo barf," she says with laugh.
"I have a lot of ideas that are all over the place but I really don't have a clue what it will sound like - we'll see what happens in the studio. I just want it to be (recorded) in a cozy environment with no pressure."
Two Sheds
Song: "WTF"
Style: Upbeat yet moody, wistful pop
Behind the song: The track's sunny sound belies its dark take on a particularly bad spell and a chorus which, yes, is acronym for "What the #$• !."
"Have you ever had one of those days or weeks or months where a bunch of bad things happen?" Gutenberger asks.
It's just, perhaps, a rhetorical question but the her viewpoint is disarmingly straightforward.
"Honestly, it's just one of those stupid choruses because I couldn't think of anything else to sing," Gutenberger says.
"I wanted to think of a more lyrical, nuanced way to say that but this is what came out instead."
Initially, "WTF" was a slow, meditative song but, over time, evolved into something faster and brighter.
"We just started playing it fast at practice because we wanted it to have this Tommy James & the Shondells sound - very 'la la la' with a quiet little heartbeat," she says.
"It just ended up being very fun."
See them: Tuesday, December 9th at Luigi's Fun Garden,
1050 20th Street, Sacramento. The 8 p.m. show is all-ages and $5 at the door. Chelsea Wolf and the Parson Redheads are also on the bill.
On the Web: http://www.myspace.com/twosheds
The collaboration started a decade ago in a Sacramento High School classroom.
Lee Bob Watson was a musician but he was also a substitute teacher and, sometimes between classes, he found himself talking music with one of his students.
That student, Derek Taylor, had a band called Bucho and he invited Watson to come check them out sometime.
Watson did and, now 10 years later, the teacher and the student are bandmates in Happy Mayfield, which releases its debut CD Friday at Old Ironsides.
The four-piece, based in Sacramento and San Francisco, connects its members' electric influences to craft an oddly compelling hybrid of folk, soul, hip-hop, world beat and rock.
For Watson, who's played with the likes of Jackpot and recently released a solo album, it's an affirmation of how music can define your life. The birth of Happy Mayfield, he says, came at a point when he'd started to question the very act of making music.
It was 2004 and, back home after a stint teaching English abroad, Watson reconsidered his path: Playing endless bar gigs, touring on the cheap and subbing to make ends meet.
"It'd been 10 years of the grind of doing music and so I took a hiatus and stepped away for a minute - I just had to take it all in and ask myself, 'is this what I want to do?'" It's a crazy life."
Finally, he decided yes - but with a catch.
"I wanted it to be fun and positive, I wanted to find something that was uplifting."
That meant sifting through the sounds that got him interested in music in the first place - old funk, soul and jazz.
Watson, already writing and recording music for his 2007 solo CD "Aficionado," set aside songs that didn't quite fit that album's Americana vibe.
"Sometimes I'd write something that was more upbeat and dance-oriented, so I put them aside and waited until the time came when I would have the proper band."
The time arrived when Watson approached his old friend and student.
Watson had jammed with the members of Bucho before and now he wanted them to give his songs new life.
"The first batch I wrote came out pretty realized but I'm an old school cat and I knew that ... they would bring in some more contemporary influences."
By this point Bucho had disbanded and Taylor was living in San Francisco, playing drums with his old Bucho bandmate Josh Lippi and pal Ben Schwier in The Park, an ensemble that combines funk and jazz with hip-hop and R&B.
Taylor was ready to play.
"Lee used to burn us mix CDs and really opened my eyes to old (music)," says Taylor, whose Bay Area band now backs up neo-soul and pop acts such as Alice Russell and Nino Moschella.
"I loved his songwriting - when he had this Happy Mayfield idea, it just seemed totally natural."
And, although Watson already had the songs, Taylor says, Happy Mayfield has transcended the sum of its parts to create not just a sound but a sense of place,
"We're all from California and we all have this genuine love for soul and dance and that kind of cross-cultural sound."
Bassist Josh Lippi sees Happy Mayfield as unmistakably "authentic" but also something larger-than-life.
It's like we all are (playing) as these alter-egos," he says.
"Lee Bob's coming from this folk singer-songwriter background but in his heart of hearts he's this real James Brown kind of soul singer."
Dana Gumbiner was also struck by the band's dramatic flair - both on stage and in song.
"Lee Bob has this real cinematic way of looking at music, it's almost theatrical," says Gumbiner, who produced the Happy Mayfield record at his Grass Valley-based Station to Station studio.
And with songs that touch on everything from love and religion to outlaws and inspiration, it's Watson's viewpoint that keeps it fresh.
"It's like Happy Mayfield became this character with a sub-narrative on subjects" Gumbiner says,
"That's what makes it click."
Still, although Happy Mayfield may be Watson's creation, the singer-songwriter says the rest of the band is force that makes it breathe.
"This is all happening because the band is hitting its stride," he says.
"They've played with tons of different people and they bring a playfulness to the music that pretty much goes beyond any boundaries."
Happy Mayfield
Song: "Happy"
Style: Jazzed out, Booty-shaking funk
Behind the song: The track, which references everything from street poet/ R&B singer Gil Scott-Heron to the El Camino High School-run station KYDS 91.5, chronicles Watson's lifelong musical journey - and sets the mood for the rest of the record.
"I wanted to write a bio for the band so I started writing down things and it occurred to me that it was a song - a declaration of principles," he says.
"This song became a genealogy of Happy as a character - why I feel the way I do, why I feel I have the right to say this."
See them: Friday at Old Ironsides(1901 10th St, Sacramento); the 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $7 at the door. Friendly Creatures and Casual Fog are also on the bill.
Autumn Sky had 150 songs from which to choose so when it came time to narrow the selection down for an EP she wanted to pick songs that represented her range of musical loves and influences.
"A lot of pop, a lot of toy pianos and little bell sounds," Sky says. "(But) then there also my angry songs and things that are serious."
Just six songs long, "Diminutive Petite" packs a Goliath-sized wallop and is an aural history of Sky's musical progression. The Orangevale resident started playing piano as a child and, by the age of six, already had already written a several dozen tunes.
She eventually moved on to the cello and then the guitar. Now, a voice major at American River College, Sky is studying voice and jazz, Recently, she and a group of classmates formed a jazz combo which, she says, has had a major impact on her songwriting approach.
"It's difficult (because) I don't really know jazz chords so it makes me respect my limits - it's made me more creative and more respectful of all the people who came before."
Sky, who grew up performing in worship groups, also credits church as an important, if subtle, influence.
"I don't write Christian music, per se, but spiritually definitely influences what I choose to write and how I write about," she says.
Simply put, she says, her faith helps her set a personal songwriting standard.
"I would never write a song that I wouldn't my little brother to hear."
Sky will release a full-length album in April. Her EP will be available Thursday at a Luigi's Fun Garden CD release show or online at iTunes or CDBaby.com.
Behind the song: "It's a very sad song about a woman who is regretting a decision she made to not follow a romantic interest."
But, by the end of the story, Sky says, the woman's decides to live with her choice - and any lingering sense of remorse.
"I wanted it to have this wistful, melancholy feel," Sky says.
Recorded at Sacramento's Hangar Studios, Sky recorded the song in just one take with piano player Evan Palmer and drummer Kayla Schureman, both from the local band All on Seven. It was record
"We've played it live so many times we were able to just go in there and capture it," she says. "I think that gives it a really cool, organic feel."
See her: Thursday at Luigi Fun Garden (1050 20th St, Sacramento) with Lynus and A Happy Medium. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door.
Sometimes, Jeanette Faith admits, it gets a little confusing. She and husband Wes Steed had a band called Park Avenue Music and then that evolved into the side project Hearts+Horses. But now Park Avenue music has an album out that's called - you guessed it -"by hearts+horses".
The differences, Faith explains, aren't just about words.
"Park Avenue Music was very structured: Song, song, song," she says. "But then we started Hearts+Horses, it was just improvising, even when we were recording.
"I don't really like writing songs or lyrics - they usually sound forced," she says. "I wanted to break away from that and create a soundscape, a mood."
Now, Faith says, the focus is on of-the-moment sound and emotion.
And, yes, that spontaneity also happens on stage.
"The shows can be really great - or sometimes just a lot of noise," Faith says. "It's kind of scary but it's also kind of exciting."
Faith taught herself to play piano as a child and is also an accomplished cellist and singer. Now, as she plays the keyboard or piano and Steed turns the dials on a modular synthesizer, their music reflects a deep love for everything from jazz and classical to pop and new wave.
"I'd like it to have more of a modern, classical sound but it doesn't always turn out that way," she says. "It usually ends up sounding like a soundtrack."
But that's OK, too.
"I always wanted to be a score composer - that's where my songs come from, I'm always seeing movies in my head and just telling that story."
Park Avenue Music
Song: "Tufts"
Style: Dreamy, delicate and exquisite
Behind the song: "I just sat down at the piano and started playing and the mics were there and Wes just happened to record it," Faith says. "(Later), I added melodica and Wes added drums and effects on the vocals."
The piece grew out of an image playing in Faith's head.
"It's a story about this girl, driving around the block. She's dropped this guy off and the (relationship) that isn't turning out the way she wants it to and she's thinking it's going to change, that's it's going to get better," Faith says.
"Finally, she realizes, 'this is stupid - I'm just driving around in circles'."
Musically, that translates to something ethereal and sad but also uplifting.
And, Faith says, because it was recorded live on a whim it's also imperfect - but she wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's not the ideal recording but I'd rather keep the (song's) original feeling. When you try to rerecord it never turns out as good as the demo," she says.
"There are some mistakes in it but I don't care. It gives it a freer sound, It's real, it's raw."
Matt Sertich and Kirk Janowiak have been playing together for more than 15 years so when the pair's latest band, The Generals, was suddenly whittled down from three to two, the old friends took it in stride and decided to remain a duo.
"The idea just seemed kind of fresh," says Sertich, who previously played with Janowiak in Pocket Change and Zero to Heaven.
"We just have a really good chemistry - we write really well together," Sertich says.
With a shared love of 80s rock and British pop, Sertich (guitar, keyboard, vocals) and Janowiak (drums, keyboards) started writing songs after Zero to Heaven disbanded in 2005. They played its first show, with bassist Blane Barker, in 2006.
Now, Sertich says, no bassist is no problem - even on stage.
"We just program the bass into an iPod - the strings and other stuff, too," he says.
"It's awesome and it doesn't take away from the spontaneity when we're playing live."
The Generals released its debut album "Save Me" earlier this year and plan to enter the studio this month to record another. In the meantime, check out "Trains" at www.sacbee.com/sacramentosingle
The Generals
Song: "Trains"
Style: Spacey, reflective rock
Behind the song: "I'd just made a lot of changes in my life at the point when I wrote this song," Sertich says. "I lived ... near the train tracks and every night I'd hear the train go by. It shook the house but it was really very comforting."
That song, he says, is about a past relationship and changes he's made in his life since it ended.
With a swooping melody, "Trains" hits its rhythmic stride mid-way through the song - just like a locomotive gaining speed..
"It starts off pretty soft but once that pre-chorus hits it sounds really big."
With a pedigree that includes Papa's Culture, Seventy and the Original Heads, Harley White Jr.'s been making music in Sacramento for years now, playing everything from jazz and hip-hop to rock.
These days, White's concentrating on jazz but still wearing many musical hats as the songwriter, arranger, stand-up bassist and leader for his big band-styled Harley White Jr. Orchestra.
"Doing the big band - it really covers everything I want to do," White says. "It allows me to do all those things that I'm interested in doing."
And what interests him, White says, is incorporating all of his musical loves - pop, jazz, hip-hop, rock, swing, etc - into one cohesive sound.
White finds inspiration in two music greats.
"Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones are my ideal musicians," he says. "They have hubris - they see the whole picture."
As such, White says he has no plans to release a CD version of his big band work.
"To release a big band record that sounds like a big band record? I wouldn't do it when Duke Ellington's already done it so perfectly," he says. "Those guys were on the road 200 nights out of the year and the music they play sounds like it - it was done so perfectly."
Fans can, however, find the Harley White Jr. Orchestra online as White turns to the Web to release experimental versions of his music. Check out one of those tracks, "Autumn Returns" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.
Harley White Jr. Orchestra
Song: "Autumn Returns"
Style: Ethereal, dubbed-out jazz
Behind the song: "This a Harley White Jr. Orchestra song remixed by the Original Heads," White says. "I went into the studio with producer William Prince and we started with a regular square mix - like what you'd hear the band do at a show - and then dubbed it out.
"Dub (music) is what happens when you strip things out - it's about the (concept of) less is more."
Here, less is more means taking out some sounds while giving new life to others.
"You start with a bare bones skeletal mix and then add reverb and delays," he says. "It's about making the music more spooky and ethereal. "For example, there's a horn sound that, in the original version of the song goes "pow!"
Then, White says, lowering his voice to a whisper, "when you dub it out for the remix, it sounds like 'pow, pow, pow."
"It's about finding the subconsciousness of the song."
See them: Friday at the Distillery (2107 L St, Sacramento ) with the C.U.F. and Red Tape; the 21-and-over show starts at 10 p.m. and is $7 at the door.
Or, Nov. 11 the HWJO plays World War II-era music at a Veteran's Day party at Club 21 (1119 21st St, Sacramento). Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their best '40s finery. Admission is $10 and the music start at 9 p.m.
It took Jay Shaner a year to record his solo album, "Best Laid Plans." The process, says the Sacramento musician, taught him a lot about what it means to be a songwriter.
"I was working with (other artists) but ultimately I realized that I've come to a point where I have to have the artistic vision for where the music is going."
That recognition of responsibility was freeing says Shaner who also sings and plays guitar in the Cowboy Killers.
"You take music seriously but ultimately you've got to let it go - leave the guitar part alone," Shaner says. "It doesn't need to be pristine it's fine the way it is. I ended up making the album that felt right to me."
Shaner's been playing music nearly his entire life but only started writing his own about a dozen years ago.
It was the Cure's "A Letter to Elise" that inspired him to try his hand.
The sweet, sad pop song moved him, Shaner says, for the way it layered its emotions.
"To be able to say something deep that struck you on more than just a superficial level t the best songwriters write songs that can hit you both a visceral and a cerebral level."
Jay Shaner
"The Astronaut Song"
Style: Quiet, reflective folk-pop
Behind the song: "The song is about regret and coming to the point where you realize you're not going to be the person who, in your grandest dreams, you set out to be - but ultimately, you can still be happy with yourself."
Reconciling the music with the lyrics proved challenging, Shaner says.
"Early in my songwriting life I erred on the side of making things too catchy," he says. "I wanted this to be more melancholy - less dramatic."
To achieve that, Shaner experimented with a less traditional structure.
"I wanted to keep the middle (of the song) more ethereal and textural instead of (sounding like) a melodic break," he says. "So we brought in more drums at the end to make it more intense instead of adding another melody line.
The members of Sacramento's Must.Not.Die are both deejays and musicians. Yes, Miguel Francis and Quinten Larsen, both 24, play records and remix songs but they also create their own music.
"We DJ really fun stuff - a lot of indie, electric dance music," says Francis of the tunes he Larsen spin at clubs such as R15, Old Ironsides and the Blue Lamp. "But the stuff we make is really different - we're going for that whole shoegazer, wall of sound, sample-based sound."
Francis and Larsen, who attended different area high schools, met through their school's theater programs and quickly bonded over a shared love for "nerdy music."
"We geeked out on stuff like Edit and Glitch Mob and then we just decided to start producing stuff on our own," Francis says.
Now the two tap into their other, disparate tastes - Larsen likes groove-oriented hip-hop, Francis prefers indie and math rock - to fashion new sounds.
"We'll work out something from a synthesizer and then create our own melody," he says.
"Quinten's good at laying down tracks and (creating) the rhythm section - I'm more involved in the melody so we'll just throw something out there to see what direction we go in."
They also use music samples in their songs -but with limits.
"We'll use samples as a pop element but when we do they have to be short and unrecognizable by the time we're finished," he says. "We don't want you to be able to tell what song it's from."
The two are currently at work on an EP, which Francis describes as "edgy and rough."
"It has a caustic energy - I'm just trying to represent my world view which is very imperfect, brooding and anxious."
The EP will be released by the end of the year, until then listen to the single "Attachment Interlude" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.
Must.Not.Die
Song: "Attachment Interlude"
Style: Surreal, dreamy electro-pop
Behind the song: "This song came out of a break-up," Francis says. "I was really in love but we weren't talking and I was listening to this one Pete Yorn song over and over. There was a small loop (in the song) that asked this question about not talking."
Francis took a three-second sample of the loop and then deconstructed, distorted and sequenced it into a brief, tense melody.
"It builds into this energy and madness that I was trying to convey," he says.
"I just wanted to personify that question of (not knowing) and have it build and build until it finally releases to the point where you let go."
See them: Must. Not.Die deejays Wednesday at Barcode Nightclub & Lounge, 1890 Arden Way, Sacramento. The 18-and-over dance club opens at 9 p.m and is $12 at the door.
Earl Brooks only moved to Sacramento five months ago but he's had one toe-tapping foot in the River City for much longer.
Brooks' band, Ghosts of Wyoming, was born in Seattle - his home for 26 years. But, after meeting Sacramento guitarist Jerry Lewis at a gig, the band slowly shifted to include more parts Sac than Seattle.
"I just woke up one day and decided it was time for a chance so I made my girlfriend mad and told her I was moving," he says
The pair still talk on the phone twice daily and her influence is notable in the lyrics Brooks writes for his rollicking country-rock tunes.
Drawing from true life inspiration, he says, is the only way he can write.
"I can't write from anyone else's perspective but my own," he says.
"I can't sit down and say 'I'm going to write about a truck driver -it just comes out sounding like a 17-year-old's essay."
Ghosts of Wyoming
Song: "I Have a Brain"
Style: Bar room brawlin' Americana
Behind the song: "I really like this song because it's got a great opening line, 'I was born in a one stripper town," Brooks says.
"That's a running joke with me and my sweetheart - her dad was an oil executive in Los Angeles ... and I grew up in eastern Idaho and Wyoming so the song is about the dynamics of two very different people coming together."
In addition to Brooks and Lewis the band also includes bassist Brad Moore,singer Mary Louise Picerno and keyboardist / lap steel player Brett Lemke.CQ
Much of GOW's music reflects influences such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Neil Young but "I Have a Brain" also taps into his love for the Flaming Lips.
"There are these two lap steel parts buried in the mix and they just come in and out of the song," he says. "The Flaming Lips have really tweaked my head as far as emotional content and general weirdness. There's a certain joy to their music that's really powerful."
See them: Saturday at the Ryan Seng Collective, (1301 I St.) The artists' reception starts at 6 p.m., the music starts at 10 p.m. Free.
Because, as I always like to say, Thursday is the new Friday there are a couple of good shows to check out tonight (you know, after the vice presidential debate). Best of all, given the troubling economy, they're both on the cheap side.
In Sacramento at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.), check out quirky folk-pop singer-songwriter Ricky Berger with San Francisco band Uni & Her Ukelele (pictured) and, coming atcha live from Foresthill, the wonderful western swing'n'twang sound of the Poplollies. That show is 21-and-over and costs $5 at the door. For more information: myspace.com/theoldironsides.
Or, head over to Sophia's Thai Kitchen (129 E St, Davis) to check out Tim Williams. The New York-based singer-songwriter crafts moody, earnest pop and because there's a melodica in the mix it all sounds so sparkly and pretty. That show is all-ages and only $3. For more information: myspace.com/sophiasthaikitchen.
Local musician Martin Birke looked far beyond Sacramento to bring an international flair and depth to his latest project.
Birke founded Genre Peak as a electronic pop trio in 2004 but after a band mate moved to New York, he turned to the Internet to add to the core that includes guitarist Christopher Scott Cooper.
The result? Collaboration with influential British bassist Mick Karn (Japan, Kate Bush) and the Spanish electro-pop group Stereoskop as well as a new Canadian vocalist, Tara C. Taylor, found via MySpace.
Now Birke says, Genre Peak reflects its players exhilarating take on collaboration.
"I gave up my rock star dreams a long time ago," says Birke, whose past projects include Casualty Park, a synth pop duo that composed work for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the 1998 Joe Carnahan film, "Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane."
"Now there's a real joy in getting to work with people who have the same ideas I do - I think that's the success of the album."
"Preternatural" is available online at CDBaby.com and locally at The Beat and R5 Records.
Listen to the single "Wear it Well" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.
Genre Peak
Song: "Wear it Well"
Style: Densely layered, soaring electro-pop
Behind the song: "This song (originated) from a drum program I created several years ago," Birke says. "I went back to it with the idea of getting a new lead vocalist.
"I was tired of hearing my own voice (because) I always get compared to Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, so I sent the rough demo to Tara," he says.
When Taylor sent him back her vocal demos, Birke knew he'd hit on the right sound.
"I told her, 'this is good - we need to get you down in the studio," Birke says.
"Wear it Well," he adds, served as the album's launching point.
"I hadn't consciously been thinking about doing an whole record but after that song, but that's the track that the album grew from - the rest of it just came so easy."
The show's not listed on the club's calendar yet, but looks like Mates of Statewill be playing a show at Harlow's on Oct. 6.
The Kansas-based married couple - they used to call San Francisco home - are on tour with Santogold. The Brooklyn artist doesn't list Sacramento on her tour calendar but here's hoping that hip-hop /pop (hip-pop?) singer will also make the show.
If you have yet to hear Mates of State's latest album, "Re-Arrange Us," give it a whirl. It took me a while to take a shine to the critically acclaimed disc but then after about the 10th listen all if its beautiful nuances clicked into place (I'm a big fan of their earlier discs so I knew it was just a matter of being patient).
Mates of State's Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner recently did a Peta ad - kind of a surprising choice for the animal rights organization given that the duo's not very well known outside of indie rock circles.
Maybe it's just that they look so darn good all naked-like.
Waltzing melody lines and two-step beat changes - it's easy to imagine swinging through a
ballroom to one of Keith Gray's quirky pop songs. Recording and playing under the Bicycle Rider moniker, Gray crafts indie pop that reflects his love for the baroque and theatrical.
"I'm really into classical music and musicals," he says. "I love Julie Andrews kind of stuff - 'The Sound of Music' and 'Mary Poppins.' "
Although the Bicycle Rider is, essentially, Gray's solo project, the 25-year-old musician has nonetheless enlisted some stage and studio help from drummer Matt Spahn and bassist Todd Coleman.
"They both bring such style and a real presence to what we do," Gray says. "They bring a really warm vibe to the music."
Gray and friends are working on a new album with local producer Matt McCord. The CD won't be out until February; until then, check out the single "Only This Time, This Year."
The Bicycle Rider
Song: "Only This Time, This Year"
Style: Quirky ballroom pop
Behind the song: "This is one of the first ones written, and it helped put me in the direction that I'm going now," Gray says.
While the song's lyrical focus is simple - "It's about family and relationships and hardships and trying to get through them all" - its makeup is more complex.
Gray initially crafted the tune, also featuring Harley White Jr. (bass) and An Angle's Kris Anaya (piano), with a particular sound in mind. The finished song, however, ended up in an entirely different direction.
"I began it with a classical guitar pattern, and then it just started developing into something else - this nursery rhyme just came out." Such evolutions are becoming a familiar part of Gray's songwriting process.
"I find that a lot of the music I listened to as a kid (is) now coming out in my writing," he says.
"I think it works, and I think people (relate to it) because the sound is not completely outrageous - but it's not completely normal, either."
It's homecoming week for Brian Buckley. The Bella Vista High School graduate is back in town for his 10-year reunion and, to celebrate, brought his band with him.
It'll be Buckley's first time in front of a Sacramento audience.
"I've been playing music all my life but just started playing in front of others a few years ago," he says.
The Brian Buckley Band, featuring Mike McGraw (guitar), Albert Estiamba (drums) and Dan BodemanQ (bass) is finishing up work on a new CD.
"We're done recording and we were very blessed to work with Mark Howard who produced Bob Dylan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers - everyone," Buckley says.
"We recorded at the Mack Sennett Stage - the oldest sound stage in LA; it has 100 foot ceilings and is the size of a football field - the whole thing was pretty unreal."
The album won't be in stores until February, until then you can preview the sound with "My World," a cut off Buckley's self-titled 2007 debut.
Brian Buckley
Song: "My World"
Style: Epic, orchestral rock
Behind the song: "I'm a real fan of using separate time signatures - speeding things up and then slowing them down," Buckley says.
"I had the idea of starting the song in a particular way and it just ended up having all these parts - (there's a) an acoustic bit and then the chorus and a B-section bridge followed by a hard rock piece and then a quiet, almost ballad-like ending."
For Buckley, much of the song's success is owed to an appearance from noted session drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell).
"Vinnie really made all those parts stand out," Buckley says. "He makes all those motions with tempo and time changes feel seamless - that's a tough thing to do and he just makes it all seem like a wheel that's just rolling along."
See them: Wednesday at Marilyn's (908 K St, Sacramento). The 21-and-over show starts at 8 p.m. and is $8 at the door.On the Web: www.myspace.com/brianbuckley
No, that's not an inappropriate question - I really do want to know.
Tom Mailey, of KNCI's Pat & Tom Show Morning Show e-mailed me today with a Very Important Question: What is that yellow thing sticking to Simpson's leg on the back cover photo of her new CD "Do You Know"?
Simpson, as you know, just pulled up her pop-gospel roots to replant herself as a country singer.
Intrigued, I dug my copy of the CD out from underneath the mountain of discs on my desk and, yep, sure enough - there's something really weird about that photo.
So far, Mailey says, listeners have weighed in with guesses ranging from " a sun reflection (or) summer squash to a penalty flag (our fave, given her relationship with Tony Romo)."
Mailey has a different idea.
"I think it's a foam pad or pillow they put their to elevate her leg to make it look sexier, with the intention of airbrushing it out later," he says. "But somebody neglected to do so, probably because they were hypnotized by that come-hither stare."
Any guesses? Musings on the manipulations of photos in the entertainment industry? Leave your thoughts in the comments section or head over to the KNCI site.
Sacramento's Baby! is, with just five shows played a, well, baby of band. But that doesn't mean that the trio doesn't have chops.
Fronted by Roach, formerly of the longtime area punk band, Groovie Ghoulies, it also features Kortnee (Riff Randals, Whiz-Bang!) on bass and Christine (The Pizzas) on drums.
The group is so new, they've only recorded a few songs so far - one of which written specifically for Roach by a Dutch rock'n'roll pal, Jerry Hormone.
Baby!
Song: "You Better Run"
Style: The Shangri-La's amped up on punk
Behind the song: "I thought the song was great when I first heard it," Roach said. "Now I'm trying to get other guys to write songs - I want to release a CD called 'Roach & Her Boy Toys.'"
So far however, she hasn't had much luck.
"I don't think (the guys) are going for it," she says, laughing.
Although the band stayed pretty faithful to Hormone's original demo, they did add a few personal touches to the track.
"We added a real rock ending - I needed it to have fireworks," Roach says.
Hormone, in an e-mail from Rotterdam, admits writing a song, from way across the Atlantic Ocean, was a bit of a challenge.
"I didn't really know what (her) band sounded like yet but I knew - and really dig - Roach's guitar sound from her stuff with the Ghoulies.
"I figured I'd make it a garage-y early 70's glam tune, because it's got these boogie woogie chords that really fit her style."
See them: Friday at Capitol Bowl's 300 Room, 900 West Capitol Ave, West Sacramento. The Enlows and the Boyfriendz are also on that bill. The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is free.
The first thing I thought last night as the Democratic convention came to a close and the Brooks & Dunn song "Only in America" filled Invesco Field was, well: "Weird."
Second thought? "Ah, politics - it's all about the strategy."
What's next? McCain busts out some U2, Will.I.Am or Kanye West? Afterall, those artists aren't just some of Obama's personal favorites - they're also ardent supporters of the Democratic candidate.
Then again, the Brooks & Dunn song has already been around the political block: Both George W. Bush and John Kerry used the track during their 2004 presidential campaigns. Brooks & Dunn have also done some in-person campaign time with Bush.
What did the country superstars think of the choice? Kix Brooks offered this centrist point-of-view.
"Seems ironic that the same song Bush used at the Republican Convention last election would be used by Obama and the Democrats now," Brooks said in a written statement released to the press this morning.
"(It's) very flattering to know our song crossed parties and potentially inspires all Americans."
Sacramento rock trio The Grumpy have a lot of reasons to be, well, not so grumpy. Not only did the band just release its latest album "Throes of Contemplation" but they've also got a sweet gig opening for the Sacramento Monarchs before tomorrow's game at Arco Arena.
The band, featuring Cameron (vocals, guitar), J.W. Brooks (drums) and Jake Ferguson (bass), has a decidedly American rock sound - aggressive, yet slick. Perfect for, say, a sporting event.
The Monarchs game (against the Houston Comets) starts at 7 p.m., the band performs at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $10-$90 via TicketMaster.com
Don't want to pay that much? The band also plays Friday, Sept. 5 at Ugly's (7161 Auburn Blvd. , Citrus Heights). The 9 p.m. show is 21-and-over.
The band may list Brooklyn as its hometown on its MySpace page but the members of !!! wanted to make one perfectly clear: Sacramento was, is and always will be home.
"This band is not afraid to say it's from Sacramento," said back-up singer Shannon Funchess as the band played to a packed house at Harlow's on Tuesday night.
"Sacramento you own !!!."
And Sactown made good on its investment as the band ripped through its blistering set. With singer Nic Offer - clad in a polo shirt and shorts - leading the groove, there wasn't a stationary pair of feet in the building.
Well, there was that one guy in front me who kind of barely tapped his Converse in time to the rhythm, but he doesn't count. Seriously, how can you go to a !!! show and not shake what your mama gave you?
As always, !!! (pronounced "chk chk chk" - or you can use any rhythmic, repetitive sound really) proved that "disco" and "punk" aren't mutually exclusive tunes. Moving through tracks off of their three albums, the band delivered beats so raw they seemed to cut to the very core of your soul. With horns, keyboards, tambourine and killer guitar riffs, !!! marries its dance floor vibe with gospel, soul and hard rock.
The show, a benefit for Concerts 4 Charity, also featured Touchez in the opening slot and more skinny jeans, thrift store tees and ironic mustaches per square foot than is probably legal. But I mean that in a good way, really. Hey, if you're not too cool to dance (Converse-tapping guy, I'm looking at you), then you understand what I mean.
I'm not a huge fan of gigantic outdoor music festivals - they're crowded, stinky and unless you get there at an indecently early hour, chances are you'll barely be able to see the bands.
Even this weekend's Outside Lands Festival didn't quite pull at me - as much as I'd like to see Radiohead or Beck or Tom Petty again or even as much as I'd love to check out newer, younger acts such as Bon Iver.
But, I am a huge fan of Wilco and because the Chicago-based band was otherwise bypassing Northern California, I decided to make the trek to SF's Golden Gate Park to check out their set on Sunday.
I'd actually hoped to also see Canada's Broken Social Scene because I imagine that, like the Arcade Fire, they're quite an exciting band live.
But, alas, Muni is not my friend and after the N line dropped us off somewhere near one tail end of the park, it took us nearly an hour (for reals) to find ourselves to the Twin Peaks stage - exactly 10 minutes after BSS finished its set.
Note to festival organizers: Signs pointing the way to the appropriate entrances would've helped. Really.
Sigh.
But, all was not lost. That still gave us plenty of time to get a much-needed beer and find a spot on the grass for the show - only about five miles out (see accompanying photo for lack of detail).
And, although I wish Wilco had been the headliner instead of Jack Johnson and, thus, played beneath the night sky, they still put on a great show.
A grew show that was, however, definitely geared toward the latter half of the band's catalog. Playing for about an hour-and-a-half, Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline and the rest of the band stuck mostly to fare from their last two albums, 2004's "A Ghost is Born" and 2007's "Sky Blue Sky."
They did pull out a few older tracks including "Via Chicago" (from 1999's wonderful "Summerteeth" record) and "California Stars" (from the band's 1998 "Mermaid Avenue" collaboration with Billy Bragg).
But, if you were hoping for a dose of early country-rock ("Casino Queen" or "Passenger Side" anyone?!?), then this wasn't the show for you.
Instead, the band stayed pretty faithful to its current noise lovefest. What do you expect, that's why they hired Nels Cline to be in the band. The guitarist, who's played with everyone from Charlie Haden to Thurston Moore, is an amazing musician and his very presence lends to Wilco's current obsession with noisy, noodle-y rock and guitar solo freakouts.
If you can get yourself out of the past (and it's hard, I know, it's hard), Wilco is still a great band - albeit a very different one that rose from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo in 1994..
Still, the best moment for me, came via 2001's pretty, quiet "Jesus, Etc." And, judging from the chorus of cheers that rose from the crowd as the band struck that song's very first note, I wasn't alone in my happiness for its inclusion.
Wilco will probably never get the acclaim or even album of, say,a Radiohead who, of course, headlined Friday's Outside Lands set to much fanfare.
But, for me at least, they were more than worth the drive, public transportation adventures, endless walking, that really bad overpriced vegan burger and the slightly nagging feeling that I'd gone to all the trouble to watch a band from a distance that approximated at least one full city block.
Allyson Seconds is well-known around Sacramento. Over the years, she's been in numerous bands including Go National and Ghetto Moments but it'd been years since she'd performed front and center, with the spotlight of attention shining solely on her.
So, the 39-year-old musician, ready to find her voice, called on longtime friend Anton Barbeau, currently playing music in the U.K., to help her make some music. The resulting songs, which will appear on the upcoming album "Bag of Kittens," are sweet pop gems steeped in melancholy and regret.
Allyson Seconds
Song: "I Used To Say Your Name"
Style: Soft, hypnotic pop
Behind the song: "This was the first song I heard, I loved it right away," Seconds says. "Anton did exactly what I was hoping - write a song with my voice in mind. It's my favorite out of all the ones he did; I really love the piano.
"I went to Europe to play with Anton - every time I even do an open mike in Sacramento I get butterflies like crazy," she says. "But I thought, what better way to throw myself into singing then go to a different continent and play to a roomful of strangers?"
Barbeau says Seconds has made the song entirely her own.
"It doesn't even sound like something I've written," he says. "I just feel like it's her song. She has a lovely voice and a very relaxed style and when she's up there singing she's just very true to herself."
The show must go on. The Dave Matthews Band show scheduled for Monday at Raley Field will still happen despite the death of longtime DMB saxophonist LeRoi Moore.
Moore, 46, died Tuesday due to complications from injuries he sustained during a June ATV accident. Moore was not playing the tour and Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones) will continue to play his parts through the remainder of the band's shows.
I spoke with DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley on Monday - the day before Moore's death. At the time, Tinsley and the rest of the band were still hopeful he'd make a full recovery and join the band on the road for the next round of dates.
"LeRoi's playing came from the heart and soul" Tinsley said at the time. "Everybody in the band has realized you can't replace him."
You can read my interview with Tinsley, Sunday in the Bee's Explore section.
OK, Neil Young fans, this may be the closest you get to heaven.
Young just announced a new North American tour and while, so far, it's not coming to Sacramento or even San Francisco, he will play Nov. 1 at the Reno Events Center.
Death Cab for Cutie and Everest will open the show.
(To be honest, I love Death Cab but I'm more than a little bit disappointed that Wilco's run with the band starts at the end of November. Now that would be a perfect show.)
Tickets ($75-$250) go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster
Want to get a preview of Everest? The buzz band is playing Sunday at Old Ironsides for a whole lot cheaper. The 21-and-over show is $7 at the door and also features The Parson Redhead and local band An Angle.
Nine Inch Nails just announced dates for its upcoming Lights in the Sky tour and Sacramento made the cut.
Look for the Trent Reznor-fronted icons of industrial rock, Dec. 12 at Arco Arena.
No word yet on when tickets go on sale to the general public but if you're a registered member of the band's Web site, you'll get first dibs on a pre-sale tickets, premium seats, etc.
Local jazz musicians Ross Hammond and Scott Amendola had played together many times before but when the two were paired on a recent project, they decided to continue the partnership by forming a duo.
The Lovely Builders is Hammond on guitar, Amendola on percussion and both on electronics and the resulting sound is playful, confident and, as the name may suggest, exquisitely innovative.
The Lovely Builders Song: "Vote" Style: Sprawling, free-form jazz Behind the song: "We had some extra time in the studio and just started playing through some ideas we'd sketched out. 'Vote' just came out of that," Hammond says.
"We wrote it around a rhythmic figure as opposed to a melody or chord progression - Scott is really a mad scientist, he's an incredible, great drummer but he's also into electronics, (creating) lots of sounds - it's like 'where the hell is that coming from?' It's fun, it's cool." See them: August 25 at the Java Lounge, 2416 16th St. Sacramento.
The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door. For more information: (916) 441-3945 On the Web:www.myspace.com/rosshammond
Rock Band, the popular video music game, is the sponsor of a new mammoth emo-pop tour.
Break out the Kleenex and black eyeliner: Panic! At the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T's (pictured) and cab will headline Rock Band Live, scheduled to arrive Oct. 12 at Arco Arena..
There will also, apparently, be a chance for local bands to compete for the opportunity to take the stage. Details are pending but I'd suggest you do more than just practice your Kurt Cobain riffs on Rock Band if you want a shot at 15 seconds of fame.
It's Tuesday which means today's the day for new CD releases / downloads, etc.
A couple that have caught my attention: U2's new self-titled six-disc deluxe edition box set.
The set, sold exclusively by Amazon (Island, $79.98) includes expanded, remastered two-disc versions of the band's first three albums, "Boy," "October" and "War." Each bonus disc includes B-sides, live takes and other rarities.
There's also room in the set for a fourth, as yet-to-be-released album.
Also out today, The Walkmen's "You & Me." The New York-based indie rock band is releasing the album - for now - exclusively through the Amie Street online music store. For the next three weeks you can get it for just $5. For each album purchased, Amie Street will donate $5 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as part of the site's ongoing Download to Make a Difference campaign.
And, finally, Mojave 3's Neil Halstead has a new solo disc, "Oh! Mighty Engine" (Brushfire Records, $13.98). I've yet to hear the whole disc but I love Halstead's dusky voice and smart, melancholy lyrics so it's pretty high on my to-buy list. You can sample songs here.
Sacramento's four-member Desario crafts perfect slices of soft, jangly pop.
The band, with John Conley (guitar, vocals), Mike Carr (bass), Michael Yoas (guitar) and Jim Rivas (drums), is like a Who's Who of the NorCal pop scene - their musical pedigree includes members of California Oranges, Holiday Flyer, Sinking Ships and Rocketship.
Desario's new album, "Zero Point Zero," will be released in October on Darla Records.
Until then, get your sugar fix by listening to "Cane Cola"
Desario Song: "Cane Cola" Style: Sweet, melancholy power pop Influences: XTC, Interpol,the Shins Behind the song: "We were at practice, and John (Conley) and Mike (Yoas) started fooling around with the two-part guitar interplay you hear at the beginning of the song," explains Desario bassist Mike Carr. "I really liked what I heard - it already sounded like a (finished) song. I just assumed it was a song they had already played in some other band together. I love it - it's one of the band's favorites." See them: Desario performs at 9 p.m. Friday Aug. 1 at Luna's Cafe (1414 16th St.). On the Web: www.myspace.com/desario
If you missed the Carolina Liar's last Sacramento performance, you're in luck. The Los Angeles (by way of, well, South Carolina) band is going to play the Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown Plaza on Monday.
But you can't exactly buy tickets to the pop band's performance - you have to win them via 106.5 (KWOD).
Autumn Sky is one of the rising artists on the local singer-songwriter scene, armed with an acoustic guitar and some bittersweet yet lovely songs. She's got an album coming out in September called "All Which Isn't Singing," and "Sunday Single" brings you a sneak peek with a song called "Rockets!"
AUTUMN SKY Song: "Rockets!" Style: Folk-pop with a pointed edge Influences: Cat Stevens, June Carter Cash, Bright Eyes, Devendra Banhart Behind the song: "When I first started to write 'Rockets!,' it was going to be a song about how much I disliked the local music scene, and how tired I was of the same old circuit, which never seemed to change," she says. "And worse, (it was) filled with people who never seemed to notice or care. But the chorus changed it from an 'I dislike' song to a 'give me something new' song, which makes it a little less depressing, and honestly, was more true to how I felt." See her: Autumn Sky performs on July 30 at Luna's Cafe (1414 16th St.)
Yes, it's another casualty of the smoke: KVMR's 30 Years in Your Ears festival that I wrote about in The Bee yesterday.
Don't worry, it's still happening but the Street Fair scheduled for tomorrow is now moving inside the Miners Foundry (325 Spring St, Nevada City). Time is the same: Noon-6 p.m.
The No-Goodniks have only been a band since April, but the group is already bringing the noise around Sacramento. The No-Goodniks specialize in no-frills pop-punk, just the kind of speedy and melodic stuff that Granny warned you about. Check out the song "So Pathetic" - it'll get you going quicker than a triple shot of espresso.
THE NO-GOODNIKS Song: "So Pathetic" Style: Good ol' three-chord punk rock Members: Jessi Rose (vocals), Tom Hutchinson (guitar/vocals),
Cary Rodda (bass), Skott (drums) Influences: Ramones, Sex Pistols, X, the Clash, Groovie Ghoulies Behind the song: "It's basically kind of like a stalker story gone wrong," says Hutchinson. "Jessi the singer wrote the lyrics, and it's about a guy who won't leave her alone, and his attempts at wooing her get more pathetic as time goes on. It's based on various true stories, I guess." See them: The No-Goodniks perform Friday at Old Ironsides (10th and S streets)
Click on the play button below to hear "So Pathetic":
Headbangers deserve clean air, too. Right? So the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival which was set for today at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre has been postponed until Monday. That smoky air from all of the wildfires has made it too gnarly on the lungs so tickets will be honored at Monday's re-scheduled show. To recap: this all-day festival is a mecca of sorts for local metalheads and features Slipknot, Disturbed, DragonForce, Mastodon and many more bands with guitars that go "chunk-a chunk-a chunk-a."
Monday's show starts at 1:30 p.m. For more information: (916) 649-8497 (TicketMaster).
"Sunday Single Showcase" is set for Thursday night at Old Ironsides, and we've got another evening of live music and artist interviews on tap for y'all. This edition is special for a couple reasons: 1) We're doing the show on a Thursday, instead of the usual Sunday; and 2) we'll be rocked by a band from England called Abdoujaparov, featuring Les Carter (formerly of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine).
But I'm especially stoked about the headliner, Sacramento's own The Evening Episiode. I'm straight up hooked on this indie-electronic band, and if groups like Portishead and the Cocteau Twins rock your world, you'll be hooked too. Check out the clip below of "Red Weather," which really does describe some of the weather we've had lately, but also floats so lovely with Terra Lopez's vocals and the percussion kick from Ira Skinner.
Here's a player to hear "Red Weather":
And once again, here are the details of Thursday's show:
Sunday Single Showcase (The Thursday Edition)
An evening of live music and interviews with the Bee's Chris Macias WITH: The Evening Episode, Abdoujaparov (U.K.) WHEN: 9 p.m. Thursday WHERE: Old Ironsides, 10th and S streets HOW MUCH: $5 INFO: (916) 443-9751
Tough economic times call for - softly rocking Americana songs that are absolutely free?
Well, in my little corner of the world, yes.
Life as Ghosts, a local five-piece whose music reminds me of a cold desert night, is offering a free download of its newest song "El Famino."
It's a great way to preview the band's sound - they've got a record out "Sea to Shore," available now at The Beat (1700 J St. Sacramento) and R5 Records (2500 16th St.).
Visit the Life as Ghosts' MySpace page for the download and more info.
The Lemmies are a local all-grrrl punk band that's named in honor of Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister. And the Lemmies' mission is twofold: 1) pay tribute to Lemmy's huge face mole; and 2) rock your world. Check out the Lemmies' song "More" with all its buzzsaw guitars and drum throwdown. But it's all done with a girly touch, like Hello Kitty with fangs.
THE LEMMIES Song: "More" Members: Sailor Lane (bass/vocals), Dahlia Deathstrike (drums/vocals), Tuka (guitar)
Influences: Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, Lemmy's gigantic face mole, Iggy Pop, the Clash, Elvis, riot girl bands. Behind the song: "The song has been around for awhile, mutating and being recycled," says Dahlia Deathstrike. "It's about having mad crushes, falling for dudes and being left high and dry, with your sailboat on an island with one donkey." See them: The Lemmies perform on Thursday at Club Retro (6521 Hazel Ave., Orangevale)
As part of its ongoing "Movies on a Big Screen" series, Shiny Object will host two screenings of the brand-new documentary "The Gits."
"The Gits," which shows at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, tells the story of the famed Seattle punk band fronted by Mia Zapata until her murder on July 7, 1993.
Zapata's murder was still unsolved when director Kerri O'Kane started shooting "The Gits" in 2002. In 2003, DNA evidence linked Jesus Mezquia to the crime and in 2004 he was convicted of the crime and is now serving a 36-year-sentence.
"The Gits," which also details the closely knit, grunge-era Seattle scene, includes an interview with Joan Jett, After Zapata's death, Jett recorded an album with the surviving members of The Gits called "Evil Stig" - "Gits Live" backwards.
Shiny Object is located at 600 4th Street in West Sacramento. TIckets are $5. For more information visit the Shiny Object site. And, for more information on the film, go here.
Say what? Huh? Sorry, I'm a little deaf in my right ear this morning. That's what I get for standing a little too close to the speakers at last night's epic Drive-By Truckers show at Empire. We're talking a three-guitar, Southern rock onslaught from a truly great American band. Drive-By Truckers hail from northern Alabama and their songs are populated with various ornery characters and a sense of small-town tenacity during tough economic times. Think of Drive-By Truckers as something like Lynyrd Skynyrd in the age of job outsourcing.
But most importantly, the Drive-By Truckers rock hard. So there was lots of hootin' and hollering during the band's set at Empire, which stretched past the two-hour mark and still didn't touch such gems as "Ronnie and Neil" (from the "Southern Rock Opera" concept album), "Do It Yourself" and "Feb. 14." The group's touring behind its latest album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," and a chunk of its set featured these newest songs. Some longtime Drive-By Truckers fans may have missed Jason Isbell, one of the group's key songwriters who left the band last year (BTW, don't miss Isbell's excellent solo album "Sirens of the Ditch.") So yeah, I missed hearing such Isbell penned tunes as "Outfit" and "Decoration Day," but Drive-By Truckers still roared like a nitro-powered Peterbilt in songs like "Sink Hole," "Marry Me" and "Lookout Mountain." The band played loud and loose - the bottles of Jack Daniels being passed around the stage was fuel for these Truckers - and Tuesday nights rarely rock like this.
Side note:Patterson Hood of the 'Truckers talked a couple times about someone from Sacramento who was "one of his favorite people in the world." Does anyone know who Patterson was talking about?
Anyway, that was one mighty show, even if my ears are paying for it. But that's the best kind of rock 'n' roll: the kind you can still feel the next day.
"Sunday Single" is big on bands that truly do something different, so we're happy to say that the Definite Articles have one of the most unique sounds around town. The members of Definite Articles are classical musicians by background, but bring their string instruments into an intriguing indie-pop setting. Check out the all of the cool melodies, plucking and bowing on "Elixirs," which you can hear down below.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLES Song: "Elixirs" Style: Indie-pop meets chamber music Members: Shawn Alpay (vocals/cello), Jon Sung (violin), Arjun Singh (drums), Melody Mundy (viola) Influences: Electric Light Orchestra, Sufjan Stevens, the Arcade Fire, Matt Pond PA. Behind the song: "'Elixirs' was written about a girl who I could never quite admit that I had feelings for," says Alpay. "I wrote this song as a means of processing through that, where you're balancing between two different emotions, and you can't quite figure it out which way the seesaw will go. So I left the perspective of the lyrics vague. Are the words coming from me, or the girl? I suppose I still haven't figured it out, even now." See them: July 12 at the Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd.), with An Angle, Bridges and Bright Light Fever.
One of the topics that came up when I interviewed Jewel, who appears Saturday at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre with Brad Paisley (read my story here here) was the subject of women in music and what it was like for her when her debut album "Pieces of Me" was released in early 1995.
Alanis Morissette released her debut album "Jagged Little Pill" later that year and, Jewel, notes there were big differences in the way the two artists were received. For one, Jewel's sound was a soft folk-pop and, initially, radio stations wanted nothing to do with her.
"When I first started out Nirvana and Soundgarden were king and they wouldn't arrest a girl," Jewel says.
Then Morissette exploded on the scene with her first single "You Oughta Know."
"Alanis sounded like one of the guys - it was very angsty rock and I was just this sincere little songwriter - very traditional sounding," Jewel says. "Getting me on the radio was (still) heck. I couldn't get my first single, 'Who Will Save Your Soul" on the radio for 10 months."
Once she did make it on the radio, of course, Jewel did very well; she's sold more than 18 million records since the start of her career. But, she adds, being a woman in music during the mid-90s definitely had its downside.
Jewel's success, along with that of Morissette's and others such as Meredith Brooks, Jill Sobule and Hole's Courtney Love meant that most female musicians - regardless of their sound - got lumped in together.
And it was the women who came before them that paid the real price, Jewel says.
"It was insulting - there were so many great women that came before us and (the press) was trying to act as if we invented the concept of women in rock," she says.
"We didn't - Joni Mitchell and Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones came before us. And before that it was Josephine Baker and Etta James and Nina Simone - there were always these women who did amazing, revolutionary things with music."
Shakedown is the right kind of band as Sacramento kicks into summer. Its blend of rock and reggae will make you want to kick off your sneakers or Teva sandals and jump around at some outdoor show. Peep the Shakedown song "Love to Get Love" and chill to the upbeat rhythms and and hip-hop embellishments.
SHAKEDOWN Song: "Love to Get Love" Style: Rock 'n' reggae, with some hip-hop bump Influences: Spearhead, Citizen Cope, Living Legends, Blackalicious Members: Mark Kinyon (vocals/guitar), Bles (vocals), Mike Wilhelm (drums), Garrett Fonda (bass), D.Q. Hayes (saxophone), Mr. Vibe (turntables), A.J. Wilhelm (keyboards) Behind the song: "'Love to Get Love' is a song I wrote pretty much after we had a line-up change," says Kinyon. "Even though reggae can be upbeat and happy, our older lyrics were kind of downtrodden. I wanted to write something a little bit more uplifting, a little bit more positive." See them: Shakedown performs on Thursday at Tokyo Fro's 6th anniversary bash (2224 Fair Oaks Blvd.)
Random Abiladeze (say: Random A-bil-a-ties) is a local rapper and spoken word poet who just dropped an album called "Brutally Honest." His music is all about empowerment and social awareness, and that all comes through on "Never Give Up," this week's "Sunday Single." Check out Random Abiladeze's very on-point rhyme flow and those slick scratches from DJ Rated R from Live Manikins.
RANDOM ABILADEZE Song: "Never Give Up" Style: Hip-hop that seeks to uplift and inspire Influences: Tupac Shakur, KRS-ONE, Nas, Guru Behind the song: "In this song I felt like I'm standing up for the 916 and I'm not afraid to say it," says Random Abiladeze. "It kind of turned into an anthem that I wasn't expecting. (The hook) of 'never give up, never give in, forever we win, to quit is the original sin,' that's just the way things are going. People are disillusioned, and I want to remind them that you can speak with authority and confidence. That's what I want to inspire in other people." See him: Random Abiladeze performs on June 20 at 6 p.m. at Dimple Records in Roseville (1701 Santa Clara Dr.).
The good people over at the California State Fair have just announced a few more concert acts, including KC & the Sunshine Band, Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom and what has to be the biggest boldface name in the entire series -"American Idol" reject turned mega-star Daughtry.
The bald rocker takes the stage Aug. 22, and although the concert is free with admission ($10 general, $8 seniors, $6 kids under 12, free for kids ages four and under), we know you are the ultimate Daughtry fan and want to catch the show from the "Golden Circle." In fact, you are so hard-core, you don't even blink at the idea of paying $59 to get within spitting distance of some stone cold Daughtry action.
(We're not judging - merely observing).
So here's the info you need, oh dear Daughtry addict. If you point your browser over to the State Fair site, you can sign up for their e-letter. Do this by Thursday, and they'll e-mail you a special access code that allows you to get in on some Saturday pre-sale action.
Otherwise, you're gonna have to mingle with the rest of us common folk and buy the tickets on Monday via Tickets.com.
No official confirmation yet on this one, but Pitchfork and BobDylan.com are reporting a Dylan/Raconteurs fall-tour pairing that's to hit Arco Arena on Oct. 18.
Now, I'm a big ol' Dylan fan and was bummed that I had to miss his last Sac-area show (that took place in Davis), only to find out from those who did attend that the whole affair was very hit-or-miss, musically speaking.
But, hey, he's Bob-freaking-Dylan and gets more than a few free passes. Personally, I'm very excited at a chance to see him.
And, having the Raconteurs (pictured at right), featuring the White Stripes' Jack White and pop singer-songwriter Brendon Benson, on the bill is a major plus. The band's debut album, "Broken Boy Soldiers," is (at least in my humble opinion) one of the best releases of 2006; the disc didn't leave my car CD player for months. If you haven't heard it yet, this is smart and snappy pop with a garage rock edge.
Rumor also is that Nashville's Kings of Leon will be the opening act.
A couple of shows that slipped past the Coming Distractions print deadline. First, show promoter Jerry Perry tells us he's in charge of putting together this year's benefit for the Sacramento Housing Alliance.
The Oct. 8 shindig takes place at the Crest Theatre (1013 K St.) and will feature Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours as the headliner. The show starts at 7 p.m. - stay tuned for ticket info.
Perry's also got two tribute shows coming. The first is actually part of a tribute double-header paying homage to bassist Erik Kleven, killed last month in an auto accident: On Oct. 14, tribute shows will take place at both Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.) and the Fox & Goose (1001 R St.). No word yet on the line-up, except for Kleven's longtime friend and musical colleague Anton Barbeau.
Then, on Oct. 21, pay tribute to indie pop songwriter Elliot Smith. Though the details surrounding Smith's 2003 death remain cloudy (it was officially ruled a suicide), one thing is clear: The Oscar-nominated artist left behind a beautiful catalog of moody pop.
Aside from the Kyoto Beat Orchestra, there's no definite line-up on this show, either. We'll keep you posted.
I'm feeling a little bit like Ed Sullivan, 'cos we've got a really big show for you.
OK, well, not right now, but the tickets do go on sale soon.
Anyway, the show: On Thursday, Sept. 28, you'll want to be at the UC Davis ARC Pavilion to check out the Strokes and Muse. The show will be presented by KWOD (106.5 FM.)
The Strokes, of course, are credited with pushing garage rock back into the mainstream (and for also kickstarting that trend in which every cool band has a name that begins with "The").
Muse is a British trio acclaimed for its live performances - they played Empire a few years back. Here's another chance to see them before they blow up totally big.
The particulars: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday; your cost: $35.
Visit the KWOD site or Tickets.com for more details.
This just in: Sacramento blues/folk star Jackie Greene will be making his network television debut on Wednesday. Look for Greene on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," where he'll be performing the song "So Hard to Find My Way" from his major label album, "American Myth."
Greene's manager, Dig Music founder Marty DeAnda, says the show was a last-minute deal. And even though the New York gig means a frantic rescheduling of flights to Greene's Thursday show in Boulder, Colo. - he'll be playing the Triple-A Radio Summit along with the likes of Los Lobos - DeAnda says there was never any question about going to the Big Apple.
"We were originally promised (a slot on "Conan") for the end of this year," DeAnda says. "But when this came up, we didn't want to pass it up and take the chance of missing out on the oppurtunity."
Because nothing says "projected high temperature of 100 million degrees" quite like standing out in the baking sun to watch car crashes, I give you the 2006 Crash-A-Rama.
Crash-A-Rama is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - cars, crashing. On purpose. It's one of the activities being offered as part of the Wasted Weekend III garage-rock fest, which takes place tonight and Saturday night at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.).
This is what I remember from the one I attended a few years back: Scorching heat, sunburned feet, dust everywhere, rock 'n' roll, crunching metal and, uh, scorching heat.
This year's car-jumping event, which will take place on Saturday at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville (800 All America City Blvd.), also will feature hot rod displays and rock 'n' roll from the likes of Sonic Love Affair, the Shruggs and Winelord.
Gates open at 10 a.m. and the carefully planned automotive melee revs up at 2 p.m. Admission is $10.
To read more on Wasted Weekend III events, go here.
In case you forgot (and what with this heat, we don't blame you), the Warped Tour hit town (OK, technically Marysville) today. And that means it's time to get some Joan Jett, who, incidentally, is on stage in a couple of hours.
During an interview with The Bee (listen to the podcast), Jett shares why it took her so long (more than 10 years, to be exact) to release a new studio album, "Sinner."
"We were on Warner Bros., they had an administration change and continued (having changes) for the next three years," Jett says. "We had a lot of trouble getting our record finished, so we decided to part ways - it was very friendly."
In the interim, Jett did put out a Japan-only release called "Fetish," and the title track from that record ended up on "Sinner." In fact, Jett says, many of "Sinner's" tunes are old-ish ones.
"We'd recorded upwards of 30 to 40 songs (for Warner Bros.) and then I went out on the road for a couple of years," she says. "About five years ago, I started taking out those old tapes and listened to what still felt valid to me - there were about seven songs that still sounded great and that became the core of 'Sinner.'"
What with the surefire inclusion of older songs such as "I Love Rock'n'Roll" and "Bad Reputation," sounds like this Warped outing is a total Greatest Hits tour...works for me.
Nevada City's riches just got a little bit, well, richer.
Golden Shoulders' frontman Adam Kline is opening a record store, bringing the tiny town's total up to, uh, one. The shop will specialize in vinyl as well as tapes, CDs, DVDs and "socially concious and locally made clothing."
The appropriately named After the Goldrush Records (it occupies the space formerly held by Love Shack Records) makes its debut Saturday, with a grand opening ceremony from 3-9 p.m.
There'll be live music throughout the day from artists such as Ian Najara, Elena Powell, Ryan Donnelly and, duh, Golden Shoulders.
After the Goldrush is located at 232 Commercial St. in Nevada City. For more info, call (530) 265-3090.
One of my favorite Nevada City bands, Golden Shoulders, has officially entered the, er, golden age of the Internet. The sweet-sounding pop band, fronted by Adam Kline, just released a few albums to iTunes. Now you can find 2004's "Friendship is Deep" and the ultra-rare 2005 EP "Seventeen Bees." The tunes are 99 cents each. Oh yeah, and you can also download their new album "Kin" as well. I'm opening up my wallet right now....
Billy Preston’s passing on June 6 and his funeral on Monday reminds me of a concert of his at Memorial Auditorium in the mid-70s. Preston and his band were headlining a show that included Tower of Power; the Buddy Miles Express opened.
Preston was riding the crest of his radio hits “Outa-Space” and the not-so-complex pop ditty “Will It Go Round in Circles.” His band included the teenage guitar/bass tandem of George and Louis Johnson (later known as the Brothers Johnson). What I remember most was the exuberance Preston and his fellow keyboardist (whose name I don’t recall) showed as they crossed the stage between the acoustic piano on one side and the Hammond B-3 on the other, always slapping hands as they passed each other.
I saw numerous shows at the Memorial Auditorium during the early '70s - pretty much anything that came there - because I had figured a way to sneak in. The method wasn’t particularly complicated - just wait around near the backstage door on I Street. At some point, when bands or entourages were coming or going, or both, one could simply blend into the scenery and scoot inside. From there, it was just about 10 feet or three long strides to another door, which leads out to the main floor. I worked it for more shows than I can remember and became so accomplished I even brought a couple of friends.
On this night, there hadn’t been any openings, and all the musicians for all the bands had arrived. All except one: The lead singer for Tower of Power, the ill-fated Rick Stevens. Their manager occasionally came out, casting frantic looks up and down the block. TOP was working their first national hit, “You’re Still a Young Man,” from their “Bump City” album, and Stevens’ vocal on that tune remains memorable.
The street was now deserted because the Buddy Miles band (still playing “Them Changes”) was already on. Suddenly, an old sedan came careening down the street and skidded to a stop in front of me.
"Is this Memorial Auditorium?” the driver asked, and I nodded. Stevens, in a tank top and creased straw hat, popped out with a couple of friends and they rushed up the steps and knocked on the door.
I naturally followed and we were all hustled inside, and I made my accustomed dash for the next door - melting into to the crowd to watch Mr. Preston do his thing.
Been hearing that Fort Minor single "Where'd You Go" on the radio, but it wasn't until I caught the video on Fuse that I realized it was hometown boy Jonah Matranga singing back-ups (along with Holly Brook). Fort Minor is the new-ish project via Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda. And Matranga, of course, used to front Far and, in more recent years, has made a national name for himself with various solo projects. He doesn't live in Sac anymore, but visits often and it was definitely cool to catch him on TV.
Just in time for the first day of summer - first day of the 21Q blog! So much to do and for once it'll feel like there's plenty of time on the longest day of the year.
One suggestion for your day/night - and we think this one is very appropriate since Sacramento is hotter-than-you-know-what during the summer months. If you haven't yet, check out "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" documentary at the Crest (1013 K St.) This is a look at underground singer-songwriter Johnston, his amazing music and his lifelong battles with mental illness. And, in case you didn't already know this, Johnston was born in Sacramento (Jan. 22, 1961). Of course, he lives in Texas now - but once a Sactowner, always a Sactowner....
Word is the film is ending its stay at the Crest this week, so catch it while you can.
The fab four are coming to Arco Arena.
