Sacramento musicians rebrand, refocus and roll out new music with more depth

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down live music performances, leaving those in the music industry without a primary and vital outlet to reach audiences. However, there may be a silver lining as artists and insiders are exploring creative ways to use virtual platforms and also have a more time to create new music, according to the folks at Omina Laboratories, Sacramento’s go-to recording studio for rap, hip-hop and R&B.

Pete Rodriguez, who goes by the name Pete Space, has worked as the head sound engineer at Omina Laboratories since January, when he closed his own studio SoundCap Audio after 10 years. He says there is a marked difference in the content artists are producing since the pandemic started.

“I think it’s great,” Rodriguez said. “People have more time to actually look in the mirror and reflect, open up, get those emotions out, get those thoughts out. I’m pretty sure music is therapy, and this is the perfect time to do it.”

Before the pandemic, artists were less introspective and more focused on conforming to the status quo, according to Rodriguez. Now, artists are more “individually creative” than ever because they have time to sit with themselves and embrace what makes them unique, he said.

“Everybody is like, I’ll be me and that’s okay,” Rodriguez said.

Live shows are gone; here come the streams

Promoter and event planner Elisa Scott of iLisa Entertainment has been working with artists since 2009 to promote, brand and market themselves, primarily by organizing live shows around town. She is the host of the long-running open mic show All Things Indy, formerly called Rock the Mic. The live music shutdown has profoundly affected the way she works, Scott said, namely in that she can no longer offer the pay-to-play system, where artists pay a fee to perform and she provides enough event tickets for them to sell so they make their money back and earn a profit.

“In that sense, it sucks because that’s how we made a living,” Scott said.

But recording live performances inside venues and offering them on streaming platforms is a possibility to fill in for the live music experience in the near future, according to Scott. Live streaming some performances means artists can view feedback from the audience via comments, so it is interactive, and their performances can reach people around the world.

“Some people don’t like it, but I love it,” Scott said of virtual live performances. “You still get that feeling of live music and it’s kind of personal too because that person is right there, not in front of you, but they’re there.”

The upside to staying home is that there is a greater emphasis on marketing, branding and promotion that has forced some artists to level-up their social media game when they otherwise may have been complacent, according to Scott. She said the music industry was never just about live performance, even before the pandemic.

“Before I work with someone, I check their Instagram, look at followers, see who they’re talking to,” Scott said.

Scott also agreed that she sees artists “being more creative and being themselves,” rather than trying to fit a preexisting mold. Content-wise, Scott said Sacramento artists have been more focused on local issues like gang violence and George Floyd protests.

“They’re making it a point to talk about the issues,” Scott said. “It’s a time where people are reflecting, looking in the mirror, seeing how they can actually change what society has become.”

Scott encourages artists to be aware of how they put their music out to virtual audiences. She said websites like BMI, CD Baby, and TuneCore are important tools to ensure they make money when people listen to their songs.

“A lot of artists don’t have their music is registered,” Scott said. “This is a time where I’m telling artists, make sure your music is registered, make sure you’re getting paid for the music that you’re putting out. Why are you spending all this money, from the studio to the time that you’re writing and creating and then you’re not making any money from this? That’s important.”

Music artists get creative

Sacramento rapper Webster the Kat, or Logan Slack, apprentices with Rodriguez in the sound studio at Omina Laboratories. Because live performances are not an option, Slack released a video on YouTube featuring an in-studio performance of his newest single “Future Wife,” saying he “just wanted to make something nice for the fans.”

When weighing the merits of virtual performances versus live, Slack said, “I would do it either way. If I was given the opportunity where I knew like 10,000 people are going to watch this online, I would give it the same full character I would give it if I was live. But, when I look up Hawaii, I’m not like man, I’ve been there because I’ve seen hella pictures and videos. I have to get on a plane and see what it looks like with my body. That’s part of being a human.”

Slack said he sees the extra time he has lately as a blessing, since the demands of his serving job are on hold. He said, “now is best time to pursue your dreams and figure out yourself. It’s giving me time to learn, to build fans, and I have time now to make all these songs. It may give me time to ensure the fact that I don’t have to work for anyone else again.”

Bay Area rapper Cousin P, or Parrish Grayson, was in Omina Laboratories recently to record a song called “George Floyd.” Grayson said he sees the pandemic as positive in that it has caused a “spiritual change around the whole planet.”

“Personally, I’m loving it,” Grayson said, because artists in the rap industry are using the platform to “speak our voice and tell a true story.”

Grayson agreed that social media is the main conduit for new music to reach audiences and that although he misses the ability to socialize, his messages these days get straight to the point.

“It’s like a yin and a yang,” Grayson said. “Because you can be more creative when there’s no one around.”

Talented performers come together

Scott, Rodriguez and Slack said before the pandemic and social upheaval against police brutality, the Sacramento music scene was waning, despite the city’s ability to home-grow talented artists. The problem, they said, is when artists from Sacramento reach a certain level of fame and success, they move to Los Angeles and don’t come back.

They cited examples like punk rap outfit Death Grips, rapper Mozzy, experimental rock group Dance Gavin Dance, and song writer Victoria Monét as talented artists from Sacramento that now use L.A. as a home base.

“L.A. is a mecca, but there’s so many talented people here of all arts,” Slack said, as was demonstrated during the gathering that happened June 17 to honor late Sacramento hip-hop artist King Kahali, whose real name was Doey Rock.

“There were super-talented videographers, producers, sound engineers, rappers, singers, rock and roll artists, guitarists all there to pay their respects,” Slack said. “We were saying it might have been the connection that needed to happen, because all these people were like ‘We should do some dope stuff together.’ I imagine in the next year or two, Sacramento might just take off.”

The folks at Omina Laboratories said they want to promote positivity through music during the pandemic. They hope the pandemic and the time many spend at home as a result will encourage a greater appreciation of relationships with friends and family, and an awareness of shared experiences, good and bad, with the greater community.

According to Rodriguez, an unintended side effect of the pandemic is people, “realize what’s important – which is family, art and being creative.”

This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 7:26 AM.