Tag Archives: Ace of Spades

Tooth & Nail • Caleb Shomo Hits His Stride on Beartooth’s Current U.S. Tour

Caleb Shomo first hit the scene as the keyboardist and later vocalist for electronic/hardcore act Attack! Attack!, which lasted until his departure from the band in late 2012. However, Shomo had been writing songs on his own prior to his departure, which allowed him to quickly segue into his current band, Beartooth. The band signed to Red Bull Records in 2013.

Since 2013, Beartooth has released three full length albums and one EP, with the most recent effort—Disease—debuting Sept. 28, 2018. The band is currently on their first major tour in over a year in support of their new album, and approaching the halfway point of their tour, Shomo feels they are finally hitting their stride.

“It’s definitely a bit of a different thing,” said Shomo during a phone interview with Submerge. “We’re playing for about an hour and 20 to an hour and 40 [minutes], depending on the night. So, that’s a lot of songs. It just took a little while to get my voice used to it, get my body used it.”

Over the past couple of years, Beartooth has seen a few changes in their lineup. In 2016, drummer Brandon Mullins left the band, and last April they lost guitarist Taylor Lumley. Zach Huston (guitar) and Connor Denis (drums) were brought in to fill the vacant positions.

“It is great. I truly believe our band is the tightest it’s ever sounded,” said Shomo of the current lineup. “I think we all have been putting in a lot of work to really get our stuff tight, and to play our parts as well as possible. The glue is definitely there. We’re feeling really good on stage.”

As for the band’s recent record, Disease, the reviews as of yet have been mostly positive. Heavy Magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars. Aussie outlet Wall of Sound gave it a 9.5 out of 10 rating. British publication Dead Press! gave the album a solid 9 out of 10 lightning bolts (which is apparently a valid rating system), adding, “with Disease, Beartooth continue to take hardcore’s energy and effortlessly mix it with slick and strong melody, administering a record with an abundance of hooks that are only surpassed in volume by unquestionable passion.” In addition to the warm reception from the press, the band also feels the new songs are getting good vibes from the fans on tour from the newest material.

“They seem to love it so far,” said Shomo. “The new songs have been going really well … We’re playing five new ones in the set, and every song so far has gone over really well and we’ve been discussing throwing some more new ones in the show, just because of how much people have been liking it.”

For the band’s live set, they have added “Disease,” “Bad Listener,” “You Never Know,” “Manipulation” and “Infection” all from the new album, and due to positive reception from audiences so far on the tour, the band is considering adding “Fire.” “Bad Listener” has received some attention online from the band’s more metal/hardcore fanbase due to its hard-hitting nature, with fans remarking the band hasn’t strayed from their roots.

“The lyrical content is about having all these people that tell you that you need to have this ‘normal life,’ and that music isn’t a career,” said Shomo regarding “Bad Listener.” “I think it really translates broader than that. That’s to me what the lyrics are about … doing what I want to do, for everybody just choosing our own path and doing what makes them happy. Musically, I really don’t know. I was just kind of sitting around there messing around with a riff. Two hours later I had an instrumental.”

One of the important aspects of being on tour for any band is maintaining sanity and good health throughout, especially when it comes to long stints away from home. This is especially crucial for someone like Shomo, whose struggles with anxiety and depression are well documented in both the press as well as in his lyrical content. When it comes to mental health, Shomo takes self-care seriously.

“Being on the road actually helps [my anxiety and depression] a decent bit,” said Shomo. “For me, getting the exercise of playing a show every night is massive … I think that’s a really good emotional release for me. I really do have to try, though, and be conscious of everything that’s going on. Making sure that I have plenty of time to myself during the day, trying to eat good and exercise. Other than that, I think, that’s just how I do. Meditation every so often also has helped.”

In additional to his mental health, over the course of a long tour, another risk a vocalist must combat is the strain on his vocals. This is true whether you are screaming out metal songs, sonnets or lullabies. Regardless of the genre, every artist has their own way of fighting off the dreaded laryngitis.

“I think it’s mostly about trying to generally have good health,” explained Shomo. “Having a good, clean diet is definitely a first step. I feel like when you just eat a bunch of junk, it can mess with your stomach, which can mess with your throat in turn. Aside from that it’s honestly simpler than you would think … just stay super hydrated. We drink a lot of water throughout the day. I always have a Pedialyte on stage to try and make sure when I am sweating it out I’m able to run the course. Getting a good eight hours of sleep. Generally trying to maintain health and pace yourself throughout the show, don’t try to burn it out on one.”

In addition to his work with Beartooth, Shomo has also worked on his electronic project CLASS. While the project hasn’t done much since the 2013 debut EP outside of a few remixes, CLASS remains sort of active (similar to the way the Postal Service remains an active project). For his own projects, at least for now, Shomo has preferred to keep his musical styles like his laundry: separated.

“For me [electronic music] is just kind of when I grew up and just started discovering my tastes a little more,” said Shomo. “It just feels more natural for me, at least with the music I make. I just like having them separate. I mean, don’t get me wrong … I still produce bands that integrate both, and I still love bands that use both. Enter Shikari was a huge influence on me at an early age, and I think they were some of the pioneers of metal-electronic stuff. But, being at this point in my life, I just like to keep them separate. If I’m in a guitar-driven band, I try and make the sounds using pedals and guitars, but if I’m making electronic stuff I just like to dive down into that rabbit hole as well.”

Shomo joined Attack! Attack! when he was 14 years old in 2007. At this point, he has been in the music industry for more than a decade, and could be considered a veteran. However, despite being so experienced at such a young age, Shomo sees his age and his experience as a non-factor.

“For me it’s all I’ve ever really known,” said Shomo. “I think for most people, they find it a little bit bizarre, but to me, everybody I know in this industry has been in it 10 years, so it feels kind of natural. I don’t really think about being 25 that much. I think about the day-to-day, what the band needs, and I don’t think age has much to do with it to me.”

As for his career, Shomo found his way into an industry quite early on. However, were he to suddenly find himself leaving music for whatever reason, Shomo has some ideas as to which direction he would take in regards to his new career path.

“If I wasn’t into music, I would probably try to find a job in the golf industry,” said Shomo. “I just love golf; it’s a big part of my life. When I’m on tour, I try to play as much as I can. I really don’t know what I would do, but something related to golf would be awesome.”

Beartooth will play Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento) on Nov. 3. Also performing will be Knocked Loose and Sylar. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance through Aceofspadessac.com.

**This piece first appeared in print on pages 14 – 15 of issue #277 (Oct. 24 – Nov. 7, 2018)**

Your Smith and Rhye at Ace of Spades 2018

Your Smith and Rhye at Ace of Spades • Oct. 20, 2018

It is an exciting night for music lovers in Sacramento as Rhye and Your Smith showcase their first projects in five years. Rhye, headed by Toronto singer-songwriter Mike Milosh, released their second album, Blood, at the beginning of the new year. Any fan of Milosh’s beautiful, breathy tones over calm, melodic beats on Rhye’s first album, Woman (2013), knows this project is long overdue. The same sentiment for overdue projects applies to Caroline Smith, now known as Your Smith. The Minneapolis native moved to Los Angeles in the five years since her previous release, Half About Being a Woman (2013), and in those years, she found herself and her voice. Thus comes her latest EP, released in August 2018, Bad Habit, full of feel-good vibes and amazing vocals. Don’t miss out on this show that will surely put you in a trance. This all-ages show takes place at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento) on Oct. 20. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets are $29.50 and can be purchased at Aceofspadessac.com.

**This write-up first appeared in print on page 8 of issue #276 (Oct. 10 – 24, 2018)**

The Voidz

The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas Brings His Band The Voidz to Ace of Spades • July 31, 2018

The Voidz (formerly billed as Julian Casablancas + The Voidz), the newest creative project from The Strokes frontman, is bringing their psych-meets-art-pop sound to Ace of Spades (1417 R St.) on July 31. The group is touring in support of their sophomore LP, Virtue, which released last March and presents a much more mature and cohesive band than was seen on their debut release Tyranny from 2014. Their name change, which the group announced after a smash-hit South American tour, is indicative of this new sound. While fans of The Strokes can slip on their circa 2001 Converses and dance around to the familiar rock-pop sounds of songs like “Leave It In My Dreams,” fans of The Voidz’s harder, edgier sound can rest assured that the band is no longer just a Casablancas side project, and that their leader is giving them room to grow. Members like drummer Alex Carapetis, who studied jazz at Australia’s most prestigious conservatory, and guitarist Amir Yaghmai who has performed with L.A. beat darlings like The Gaslamp Killer and Daedalus, lend innovative rhythms to the group. In other words, they’re more than just the sum of their parts, as can be seen by a slew of dynamic, energetic performances. Doors are at 7 p.m., visit Aceofspadessac.com for more info. Oh, and did we mention that you, dear reader, can get $25 fee-free tickets by using the promotional code “SUBMERGE” while checking out?

**This write-up first appeared in print on page 11 of issue #270 (July 18 – Aug. 1, 2018)**

Oblivion, Decay | Ministry, Chelsea Wolfe | Ace of Spades | March 26, 2018

The aggressive, clanking, dystopian monster that is industrial metal has powered through the better part of four decades. That feat is due in no small part to the staying power of Ministry’s blueprint—breakneck hardcore rhythms and the theatricality of metal paired with impish, future-shock subversion and distorted railing against the powers that be. Neither receding into the ethereal, atonal smelt from which the genre was birthed nor edging toward the cabaret-ish melodrama to which some of its purveyors have launched it, Ministry has remained in the mode it has been in for most of its career—as pissed-off and volatile as a horde of flamethrowing cyborg hornets swarming an explosives factory. The targets of their wrath change with time; they’ve spent multiple album cycles taking the piss out of both of the Bush eras, and with their latest album, AmeriKKKant, they’ve set their sights on the rapid nosedive of political discourse following the 2016 election. Regardless of the political epoch, their collective sonic fist is trained on war, tyranny, oppression and the evils of state power (as long as there’s a Republican in the White House).

As a lead-up to this sustained apocalyptic onslaught on a Monday night, opening act and rising Sacramentan star Chelsea Wolfe is a rather subdued pairing, providing a melodic counterpoint of smoldering doom. Save for a few older songs, her set is mostly comprised of tracks from Hiss Spun, her heaviest, most “industrial” work to date. The pace is deliberate, the distortion slowly ratcheting up over Wolfe’s despairing timbre, and as she closes on 2013’s “Feral Love,” the air seems filled with a poltergeistic haze ready to ignite at a moment’s notice.

From this thematically circuitous act bearing sparse theatrical trappings, we move to its complete opposite in Ministry. Two towering, inflatable chickens resembling Donald Trump are brought out to grace either end of the stage, each sporting prominent swastikas on their chests (enclosed in the “no” symbol, of course, because yes, people are contentiously dumb enough to miss even this metaphor). Small towers of staticky TVs and an oozy neon-green glow arrive to shape Ministry’s vision of an American media nightmare, and when iconically dreadlocked (and freshly vampire-fanged) Al Jourgensen takes up his chrome demon-skeleton microphone to lead into the first bars of the eight-minute opener “Twilight Zone,” one feels they are encountering a carnival barker at the gates of hell, or the final boss of Hot Topic.

The first three-fourths of the concert track the band’s current Trump-era frenzy along with selections from their 2004–2007 anti-Bush trilogy. Their arguably least political song, “Punch in the Face,” is also thrown in, which strangely turns out to be their most politically insightful and prescient statement about the current mood in the U.S.A. At least one person is continuously shouting requests for songs from 1988 over my shoulder during this time—a typical concert peeve—but it seems to work into the all-around atmosphere, which is the cry for the utopia that never really was, the lament of a current dystopia that in some form has always existed. A highlight of this first part of the set is the arrival of guest performer Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory for the number “Victims of a Clown.” “You think clowns are fuckin’ funny?!” he berates the crowd. The gusto with which this line is delivered is enough to convert any pro-clown stragglers that might be hiding among the crowd.

In a way, the parts of the show I could consider “low points” really weren’t in terms of sheer entertainment value and surrealist capital. “Señor Peligro,” Ministry’s late ‘00s warning to Hugo Chavez about Dubya plotting to invade Venezuela and rob it of its oil, is now accompanied by news footage of Nicolás Maduro, adding up to a message that’s anyone’s guess (perhaps the Venezuelan citizens’ plot to invade the Caracas Zoo and rob it of its meat?). Then, there is the glorious rendition of their new single “Antifa,” an anthem I hope to god catches on that features balaclava-clad, red-and-black flag twirlers over Jourgensen’s refrain of “We are not Snowflakes! We are the Antifa!” What can you say? It’s a heartfelt, completely unironic showstopper coming from a guy who’s been around long enough to see tons of skinheads fuck with people at alternative shows over the decades. I can’t hold his sentiments against him anymore than I can berate him for appropriating those gorgeous “locks” of his. But after “Wargasm,” played in sync with footage of a deranged juggalo figure growling about how “the blood on TV” makes his junk feel tight, it’s about time for Ministry to take us back to the old stuff. While Ministry’s spine-ripping music continues to be fine-honed to an ugly perfection, its standard of satire has only managed to stand on an equal footing with the quality of whatever Republican president they happen to be targeting. During the last 30 years, that quality has gone from hovering around waist height to its current location somewhere beneath the floorboards where the ratshit is.

As an extended finale, we’re treated to four songs alternating from the bands’ most acclaimed albums, Psalm 69 (1992) and The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989). The crowds collective blood gets pumping for the delicious riffs of “Just One Fix” and the power-drill mania of “Thieves.” While the entire show up to this point has been relatively breakneck, this section feels infinitely less cumbersome. After the band closes on the Matrix-soundtrack-featured number “Bad Blood,” one can’t help but revel in the chaos that the O.G. masters of industrial mayhem have delivered tonight, still high-powered after announcing five years ago that they would call it quits.

There is still every reason to show up for their fuel-injected spectacle whenever you get the opportunity. If in three years they come back to take down Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s conservative reign, they’ll make ghoulishly apt traveling partners for our acid-trip of a future.

**This review first appeared in print on page 10 of issue #263 (April 9 – 23, 2018)**

Matt and Kim

Where Do We Go From Here? • Matt and Kim Return for Triumphant Sixth LP Following Brief Hiatus

Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, members of the electronic pop act Matt and Kim, have been partners in crime since the early 2000s, when they met as students at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. They almost instantly began collaborating musically. Their infectious, melodic sound is instantly recognizable, as are both Johnson’s unique vocals and Schifino’s wildly raw and chaotic drum style. Their most recent release, a four-song EP titled WE WERE THE WEIRDOS, hit the streets in 2016.

The pair built a small but enthusiastic cult following early on in their career. In 2009, when their song “Daylight” was featured on a Bacardi Mojito commercial, they exploded on the national scene. That same year, Matt and Kim also made waves when the music video for their track “Lessons Learned” debuted, which featured the duo running naked through New York’s Times Square. The two have been a consistent presence in the indie music scene since, having put out five full-length albums, continued steady touring and netting an impressive 50 million views on YouTube.

Last March, Matt and Kim were performing at Mexico’s Vaiven Festival, when Schifino suffered a severe on-stage injury, tearing her ACL and forcing the band to cancel an upcoming tour and go on hiatus. After an extended break, they are back with a new album, Almost Everyday (due to be released in May) and are getting ready to tour in support of their new album. Submerge had the opportunity to speak with Johnson prior to embarking on their journey.

I wanted to start with something you’re probably tired of talking about right now: Kim’s injuries. Have there been any long-term effects? Is she taking any special precautions?
We haven’t really even talked that much. Last year, when it happened, we basically just fell off the map. We cancelled all of our shows, then we weren’t talking to anyone for a long time, and now we’re really just beginning to talk about this album and this tour. It is still fresh in a way because [Kim] is still doing her physical therapy; now she’s down to just a couple times per week as opposed to every single day of the week. I mean, she came at this thing like a football player would, like it was her job to get better. So it’s been almost a year of physical therapy, all the time. They say you’re not fully healed for two years. It’s a rainy day here in New York right now, and she feels that a lot, and when we fly. But, overall she worked so hard, so much harder than I would. I would have totally been on the couch. I watch her dance, and we’re in rehearsals now for tour, and she’s up on top of her kick drum again, and it’s like nothing happened. But, she’s still got to be a little cautious.

Was there ever a moment where retirement was a consideration?
[Laughs] No. It’s crazy to think about how with, say, professional sports 20 years ago, an ACL and meniscus tear, that could be the end. But, thanks to modern medicine, it seems to be a minor setback. Maybe I’ll call it a major setback.

Let’s talk about the new album. You guys brought in a lot of guests. How were the guests selected? Did you have a wish list, or were they brought to you as options?
No, I mean we had decided we wanted to get these extra voices on the songs. Because there’s something that happens when we play live and the audience is singing along, the energy that’s created that’s more than just my voice. And, like many singers, I have mixed feelings on my voice. I like adding the other voices in and the energy it creates. Basically what we did was thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool to have some of our friends who are musicians?” We just started reaching out and seeing who was available, and who wasn’t locked in some hardcore contract that they can sing on the album as well. Everyone on there is people we know that we are friends with, but were all willing to take the time to do some vocals for us. And it’s so cool to hear bands that I’m a fan of, to hear them on songs we wrote.

It’s been about a decade since you did that big Bacardi commercial. You’ve done the Caribbean Cruise commercial and the Google Pixel commercial. I’ve gotten mixed reviews from artists about commercial work, but you guys seemed to have embraced it. Have you ever had reservations?
Well, funny enough the biggest reservation I had was before the Bacardi commercial. I came from a world of punk rock, and the term “sell out” was easily used and so I remember when the Bacardi commercial came around, we were like, “Wow.” This is, money-wise, especially where we were as a band, we had never seen a check like that before. We were like, “Hopefully it won’t get seen by many people.” So we were reserved. But honestly, that commercial changed our band; it just broke us as a band. The biggest payment they could have ever given us was just having our song in that commercial, and having people hear the song and react to it. And it was this very beautiful, cinematic commercial just with our song and nothing else, no other dialogue on top of it. Millions of people got exposed to that song because of that commercial. It changed our lives. So we realized the power of having your song in the right place, and it was as much a Matt and Kim commercial as it was a Bacardi commercial. Luckily, we’re in a position where more and more radio stations take a chance on us, but we’re this band that’s between many things—we’re not a rock band or a pop band or an electronic band. We’re tough to play on a radio station. So sometimes, these opportunities have been really great for us. Not that there haven’t been [opportunities] we’ve turned down because it didn’t feel right. I remember one particular yogurt commercial, it was a very much like, “Kids like this yogurt, mom’s like it, too.” It did not feel artistic in any way. They ended up basically just copying our song anyway.

Have either of you considered working solo, on projects that are separate from each other?
Well, as far as musically, I actually co-wrote and produced my first song for another artist earlier this year. Yeah, I haven’t really even mentioned it, and I don’t think I threw it on social media, even though I’m super proud of the song and the artist’s really cool. This guy goes by Bohnes [Alexander DeLeon of The Cab] and the song is called “My Friends.” It’s a really rad song. It was really cool to hear a production that I had done. He’s got like a young Justin Timberlake-y voice, but with more edge. I don’t know, but I do hope to do more things like that.

Was it weird not having Kim involved in a project?
Yeah, because we do everything together. So it was a little weird. I’ll tell you, I tend to go a little sort of out there, and Kim grounds us back and says, “Maybe that’s a little too far.” It’s kind of nice to pull the reins off for a second and see what happens. But, in the end, her input for Matt and Kim is obviously invaluable and so appreciated. I don’t know where we would end up if she wasn’t around, but it could be in a bad place.

Have you guys ever considered adding any permanent members to Matt and Kim other than the two of you?
Permanent members? I don’t know. I feel like Matt and Kim and that other guy would be weird. I just feel like it would be weird to have someone else on stage with us. We hope someday to do some more collaborative things, and maybe we will bring someone in more of a lead position in. I don’t know. I don’t want to build up any rules. We’ve been doing this for a while.

I want to end with a question about the last track on Almost Everyday. It’s a song called “Where Do We Go From Here.” I am positive the track isn’t a metaphor for your career path, but I wanted to pose the question: Where do you go from here?
We wrote that song with a couple of things in mind. We wrote it about friendships or relationships that had gone toxic, and where do you go from there? I think a big thing in our mind is, when certain things happening in our country right now, where do we go from here? You know, it seems impossible for certain things to change. But, as a band, where do we go from here? Album number six. We’ve been lucky. Every time we take a break, every time there’s a new album and every time we finish a tour, we always wonder will people stick with us? Will they come back? Will they move on to whatever is next and new and fresh? And then we put this tour on sale and shows started selling out immediately. I’m just so thankful that we get to continue to do what we do, that people want to come see us. Without a lie, Kim finally got back to playing drums and rehearsing, and she was tearing up just to be able to do it again, because she missed it so much. So, as long as we get to keep making music and playing shows, we’re happy.

See Matt and Kim live at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento) on April 2, 2018, at 7 p.m. Cruisr and Twinkids are also performing. Tickets are $30 for this all-ages show and can be purchased in advanced through AceofSpadessac.com

**This piece first appeared in print on pages 22 – 23 of issue #261 (March 12 – 26, 2018)**

The American Dream • Nigerian-born Igwe Aka is a Local Hip-Hop Star in the Making

At a Carmichael hole-in-the-wall named Granite’s Subs and Wing Shop, local rapper Igwe Aka walks in. When I greet the 19-year-old Aka, real name Anthony Aka, he goes in for a hug rather than a handshake, like a good acquaintance you haven’t seen in a while. It was comforting. He recommends what to order for lunch—“The Sweet and Hot wings are flame,” he says—and mentions a new project he’s excited to work on, which pays homage to the SMACK battle rap DVDs from the early ‘00s.

I was first introduced to Aka’s music at Concerts in the Park last summer. Robbie of HOF was DJing and called Aka to the stage. Based on his performance that day, it would have been easy to assume Aka was a clown with electric energy and attention-grabbing humor. Although that may be true, he is actually more mellow and conscious of his actions and behavior. He exudes a self-awareness that would make one question his age.

Aka’s music is reminiscent of Joey Bada$$ in depth, and Kanye West in beats. His content deals very much with the realities of a kid growing up in the North Highlands/Citrus Heights area.

“I’m a huge Kanye West fan, so that’s a given,” Aka says, “but Joey Bada$$ is the reason I started caring about not only old school rap, but the reason I started caring about the depth of my raps when I was in like eighth grade.”

As far as genres, Aka doesn’t limit himself to a specific type. Reggae, soul, latin, African beats and African layers of chorus-inspired melodies can be heard across the artist’s tracks. Whether covering issues involving substance use, women, vivid emotions or simply being human, the rapper is always being honest with his audience and himself.

Although Aka grew up in a Sac suburb, he was born in Nigeria as Anthony Chukwubuike Aka’Naizerigwe. According to Aka, the term Igwe, from his last name, has multiple meanings, like king and the heavens.

Aka told Submerge that moving to the States and attending private school came as quite a culture shock, and that he would endure jokes about the color of his skin. As a child, he didn’t understand how his skin color was the punch line of humor.

“In Africa it wasn’t an issue to be black, that’s just what you were. So it was weird coming here and experiencing that,” Aka says. “I’m hilarious and I can take a joke, but at least if you’re going to make a joke, make it funny or interesting.”

In middle school, Aka was moved to public education and met close friends through those years. During that time, he says he was influenced by the contrasting interests that emerged within people, like Pokémon and skateboarders, alternative music and other people of color, and how this culture contributed to blending genres within his music.

He got into hip-hop through his older brothers who rapped. Aka started rapping in high school himself, but says that he was writing rhymes way before then. He always knew he was destined for something greater in his dreams.

Today, immigrants in America may be fearful to dream due to their prospects for deportation. The concept of the American Dream today is altered and somewhat non-existent, but Aka still believes it’s possible.

“It’s a little bit easier [today than in the past],” Aka says, “But the fight [for acceptance and decency] still has a long way to go. As Malcolm X said, ‘You don’t stick a knife in a man’s back nine inches and then pull it out six inches and say you’re making progress … No matter how much respect, no matter how much recognition [whites show toward me], as far as I am concerned, as long as it is not shown to every one of our people in this country, it doesn’t exist for me.’”

Aka details how his progress has increased in the Sac hip-hop community with the MyNorities, a group of rising rappers in Sacramento who support and help each other in the hopes of expanding their music. It’s evident that he cares for these dudes like family. He even mentions how the crew is doing a show at Exhale Smoke Shop in Sacramento to support one member who was in an accident and needs help paying for medical bills.

To be in the MyNorities, a person needs to be authentic. When asked about what authenticity means to him, Aka responds, “Just being cool. Like for me, it’s being a cool kid in the sense of being comfortable. Being comfortable in your own skin, in the clothes you like, in saying, nah that’s not for me, and in saying, that is for me. I have friends that say they would never do drugs, and that’s dope because they are expressing their individuality. But I also have friends who are like, ‘I feel you and that’s dope but I dabble.’ But that’s dope, too, because they are expressing their individuality.”

About a month ago Aka released the track “Moonwalking,” a reflection on anxiety and selling Xanax. He wrote the song out of frustration after selling his laptop and running low on funds. He had recording equipment but without a laptop, working on his craft was going to be difficult. With the help of his friend Austin and his laptop, Aka found a beat on YouTube from producer P-Soul to perfectly vent out his art.

He explained a bit about the allusion and figurative language in his lyrics. In the song he raps:

If you getting credit I’m the one who made the C-part
Face of a sweetheart pockets full of Sweet Tarts
If you got a sweet tooth hit me, I got street narcs
Off a downer, but the clouds are what we reach for …

What he means is, the face of those that he sees consume Xanax are young and his character in the song can provide the medicine for those baby-faced kids, but he understands that the drugs are for the darkness of anxieties building within these young people.

Prior to “Moonwalking,” Aka released his first music video for his track “Right On,” and has multiple projects on SoundCloud like The Classics Vol. 1, a collection of songs that includes the tune, “Henny Sea,” which has been played 33,000 times.

As for new stuff, Aka is working on a project called Smells Like Sadness. The collective project will be about 11 to 14 songs. But he mentions it may be cut to just nine tracks depending on how he feels about the result. The collection is based on springtime blues. Another collection Aka is building is called Igwe’s Universe.

As far as a sequel to The Classics Vol. 1, Aka comments, “What I’m scared of is … I don’t want to make a part 2 of The Classics that sounds too much like part 1. I want to take it to another level but I don’t feel like I can take it to another level yet. I want the production value to be crazy.”

Igwe Aka should be on your watch list and he’ll be popping up all over town sooner than you can imagine. Hopefully you don’t miss out on this King on the rise.

Catch Igwe Aka performing at Elysium, an exclusive showcase of Sacramento artistry through local musicians, painters, brands and fashion enthusiasts on Feb. 10, 2018, at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento). For more information, visit Aceofspadessac.com.

**This article first appeared in print on pages 22 – 23 of issue #258 (Jan. 29 – Feb. 12, 2018)**

David Garibaldi

Art Rocks! • Artist/Philanthropist David Garibaldi Gives Back to Sacramento in a Big Way

Most are familiar with the parable of the starving artist—the dramatic amalgamation of being artistically gifted but incessantly strapped for cash is a motif that has been romanticized beyond reproach: think, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Gauguin. Cue the violins.

Rarely, however, does one see the trope turned on its head with the emergence of the artist-as-philanthropist. Typically, it’s the artist who receives the benefit of some wealthy benefactor looking to support the arts through their hefty bank account. Enter David Garibaldi.

The Sacramento artist has lined up an impressive résumé—from entertaining crowds with electrifying live shows that blend art and performance, to receiving a commission from the Disney company to bring to life some of its seminal characters in his singularly kinetic style, not to mention his visit to the White House at last year’s South by South Lawn: A White House Festival of Ideas, Art and Action. For the last several years, Garibaldi has been quietly donating his time, talent and coin in support of local and national philanthropic efforts.

“When I was 25 I realized that my paintings were being auctioned off for tens of thousands [of dollars], which is amazing to me, and I was grateful for that,” he explains. “But I thought, ‘OK, this is a great opportunity, how can we use this for a bigger purpose?’ So, I set a goal at 25 to raise a million by the time I turned 30. We met that goal before I turned 30, we’ve since raised almost $4 million now. I like to help organizations that are empowering people, for instance the Women’s Empowerment Program here in Sacramento [and] the Sacramento Children’s Home.”

Now, as Garibaldi prepares to return to the Sacramento stage with Art Life Live—an all-ages benefit at Ace of Spades on Nov. 25 for Turnaround Arts, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities—he says that his passion for helping others comes from his experiences as a troubled teenager. Through the advice of his art teacher and mentor, he realized that the days he spent defacing property with his raucous graffiti-writing crew would only cause him grief in the long run, which he realized soon enough when his pattern of indolence prevented his graduation from Sheldon High School.

“I was always a creator, and I say creator because, yes, I was drawing, but I was also into Legos and cars—building things and creating stories behind them,” he says. “Then I also started playing the trumpet in third grade and I played until high school. So, the music and art were always parallel throughout my life.”

For those unfamiliar with Garibaldi’s work, the artists’ canvases bear the images of noteworthy and celebrated figures in pop culture. But they don’t spring to life in the lonely confines of his studio on the R Street Corridor. They instead emerge under the bright lights of the stage as he prowls the dais, igniting a firestorm of color on the canvas in a flurry of brushstrokes—a wash of yellow here, a slash of blue there. As the driving beats from one of his favorite hip-hop tracks serenades him in his progress, and amid the frenetic pace of the show, slowly a portrait begins to emerge. The audience waits in anticipation of which famous visage will appear on the once inky, blank canvas.

And while Garibaldi is enjoying the accolades, exposure and most certainly the paychecks, he confides that in his 20s he was unemployed, careless and lost most of his worldly possessions to poverty. He cites the Sacramento creative scene as the catalyst for his evolution from self-taught artist to performance artist to philanthropist.

“I started painting in 2003. I had never painted on canvas or with acrylics before, I just started teaching myself how to paint,” he explains. “I started combining what I love—music and art—and instead of waiting around, I thought, ‘I’m going to go and paint live where people are into what I’m into, and hopefully attract buyers or collectors.’”

While Garibaldi admits that he probably gave away more than he sold, it’s because of those early art sales that he began to gain confidence. This propelled him on an upward trajectory that would lead to performances at the White House, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and as the opening act for both the Blue Man Group and Snoop Dogg. Garibaldi says that with every $50 sale or $100 sale, his confidence in his talent grew. It was a tough time, but he was also fearless.

“I was dealing with the local scene at the time. In a sense I was the new kid trying to make my way in and I didn’t do things like everyone else,” he continues. “I didn’t talk to the right people, I didn’t go through those political channels that everyone else did. I was like, ‘I’m going to go out and paint live, and no one is going to sell my work and take a commission.’ So, I just didn’t care. I think that is where Sacramento came into play, why I say Sacramento was so influential, is because of the climate and the opportunity that was provided—you can create your own opportunity.”

It’s through this concept of creating one’s own opportunities that inspired Garibaldi to take his humanitarian calling to the next level as he sets his sights on expanding his legacy in philanthropy.

“I’m also starting my own nonprofit with my high school art teacher. It’s in the process right now and it will be up and running next year,” he says grinning widely. “It’s being called Creator X Project and [our mission] is to multiply the amount of creators in the world by giving them the tools and the inspiration to create. Similar to what Turnaround Arts does, but my dream, or my goal, would be to adopt a classroom for a year and make sure they’re fully supplied with not only the art supplies but also instruction.”

Art Life Live promises to reveal even more of Garibaldi’s fearless nature. According to Garibaldi, his fans can delight in both the expected and unexpected. The artist will be jutting around the stage at his usual frenetic pace, but says he plans to incorporate other components into the show that his Sacramento admirers have yet to experience.

“I am going to be doing a 60-minute performance,” he explains. “I’ll be doing up to eight paintings live—they’re done all completely different, some are multiple pieces that are moving. We’ve got this massive video wall that will be on stage that I’ll be interacting with, [and] I’m breaking out my trumpet for an interlude. It’s basically made up of a lot of moments and it’s a journey, but the concept is Blue Man Group meets Bob Ross. It’s an all-ages show, and I’m donating tickets to my old high school art class so I’m giving them 40 tickets because I want to inspire the next generation.”

Proceeds from the upcoming show will also benefit Turnaround Arts, the national program originally founded by the Obama administration. Garibaldi explains that when he was invited to the White House to perform last year, he was approached by representatives of the program and asked to be a Turnaround artist, an opportunity the artist-cum-philanthropist dared not deny—especially since the program speaks directly to his personal mission of providing arts access to children.

“I get to adopt schools around the country,” he says proudly. “I go visit them and do performances for them, but these schools have already been given funding and anything they need to use the arts to turn around non-arts issues like attendance, math scores, morale. I’m definitely getting more into arts education, more so because I’m learning about it firsthand.”

While Garibaldi continues to build his brand traveling the world with his artist’s palette in tow, his commitment to the Sacramento community continues to drive him in this next stage of his career.

“Sacramento creates this climate that [while] there’s a scene, you can also do your own thing, and I took full advantage of that, I didn’t ask for permission,” he explains. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to do this! I’m not going to take shit from anyone and I’m going to figure this out.’”

Rock out with your art out with David Garibaldi on Nov. 25, 2017, at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento). Tickets start at $35 and proceeds will go to a great cause. Hey, it’s almost the holidays, so this is a fun way to begin the giving season. For tickets to this all-ages benefit show, go to Aceofspadessac.com.

**This article first appeared in print on pages 18 – 19 of issue #253 (Nov. 20 – Dec. 4, 2017)**

Collie Buddz

The Good Life Keeps on Giving • Collie Buddz Weeds Out the Haters on New LP

Superstardom hasn’t changed Collie Buddz much over the last 10 years, but the world in which he works has made significant strides, to his benefit.

Buddz’s music is steeped in the reggae traditions he grew up inspired by, and that muse bleeds into both hip-hop and house cuts throughout his catalog.

“Whether you call it tropical house or dance hall, I feel like reggae influences everything and is more prevalent in mainstream than ever,” Buddz says. “For me, mood music is very important. Depending on how one is feeling or what one is doing, there is always a perfect soundtrack. I think a big part of reggae’s appeal is its unique ability to cover all the bases for any mood. Also the underlying core reggae principles of equality, healthy living and conscious thinking are very important, and the more eyes and ears we get on them the better.”

The 33-year-old American/Bermudian (born Colin Patrick Harper) says he has always worked toward a goal of making great music, but notes that building a brand and diversifying is important for any business. To that end, a series of smart career and collaboration choices, along with little controversy (if you ignore the whole federal marijuana prohibition thing), have allowed Buddz to build a good life that he says is complete with his wife and two children. Buddz brings a lightness and happiness to his fans in his latest album, Good Life, and recent tours.

“We actually just finished a summer amphitheater tour with Rebelution, Nahko and Medicine for the People,” Buddz notes. “We hit the East and West Coasts on that one and my sides still hurt from all the laughing.”

Good Life dropped this summer, and is Buddz’s first album released from his record label, Harper Digital Entertainment, in another one of his major career moves.

In addition to his first big, independent release, Buddz has started a radio station that is local to Bermuda with 10,000 daily listeners and also streams internationally online (at Vibe103.com), his own marijuana strain (“Bermuda Triangle”), trendy clothing and merch, and a unique sound that keeps up with what’s hot in today’s market.

“I have many interests and only 24 hours in a day, so on the business side my strategy is very simple: Work with people who I first and foremost like and believe in and that are experts in their respective fields,” Buddz says. “Surrounding myself with the right team and letting everyone play their part has worked for me. Although vastly different, all my business ventures have a natural synergy between each other with the people being the secret sauce. My music career or any of my business ventures would not be possible without the support of my wife and family.”

Buddz’s collaborations on Good Life include Bay Area rapper P-Lo, Miami rapper Kat Dahlia, singer Kreesha Turner, Jody Highroller (aka Riff Raff) and Snoop Dogg rapping on the track “Yesterday.”

This is Buddz’s third collaboration with Snoop, though they have yet to meet in person.

“For this song, Riff Raff reached out to me via Twitter about doing a song together,” Buddz says. “He sent me the beat and the hook and I instantly liked it. I laid down my part and then he got Snoop on there and the rest is history.”

The 10 songs on the album each have a slightly different sound, and perhaps only the last track, “Glass House,” has a traditional reggae feel, though accented by more electronic riffs. The album opener, “Control,” is a blend of reggae, pop and Latin music.

Highlights of the album include the title track, and “I Got You,” a sweet love song with cute Caribbean references like, “You’re hot like a Scotch bonnet pepper.”

Ten years ago, Buddz started behind the scenes, getting a degree in music engineering and helping artists in Bermuda record. He entered the reggae scene rapping in his deep Caribbean accent about weed, snagging major collaborations and a Sony record deal. With his first hit, “Come Around,” listeners noticed. His fan base grew quickly, but the topic of weed was still taboo.

A comical exchange between Harper and NPR reporter Michel Martin about “Come Around” in a 2007 interview captures the sentiment of the time:

Martin: So Collie, “Come Around,” a great song. Congratulations on the hit.

Buddz: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

Martin: And what’s it about, again?

Buddz: Well, mercy, you want me to explain it on the air?

Martin: We could say it’s about the pleasures of getting weed again after a dry spell. Is that right?

Buddz: Yeah. Yes, that’s exactly what it’s about.

Martin does jab Buddz later about his usage, noting he could come up with a title for his album had he not been smoking so much, and she also sheds light on the “haters” he’s witnessed in the business because he’s white.

Collie Buddz

Fast forward to 2017, and those comments may not be as relevant, considering Buddz’s success across races and the changes to the marijuana industry.

“One huge difference is that back in the day it was very taboo to even discuss being in the marijuana business,” he says. “Traveling the world performing music, I have had the opportunity to meet some of the best farmers, enthusiasts and other entrepreneurs and have been very selective with whom I work. Nowadays there is a lot of green-related business ‘opportunities’ thrust my way. Understanding which ones to pass on are just as important as which ones to take.”

Buddz says the differences in legalities within states is often confusing and tricky to navigate. He understands different communities need to decide on what’s right for them, but does take issue with bans on medicinal use.

“Ultimately, the plant has so many undeniable medicinal, recreational and just utilitarian qualities that I am proud to have been and continue to be on the forefront of ushering in the end of prohibition.”

Reggae music and the marijuana industry often blend together, and that sentiment resonates on Good Life. The album is supposed to be a reflection of his life for the last 10 years, and his commitment to working toward solutions for living well.

“As an artist, I have the unique ability to express myself using music as an outlet and I hope to continue to make music that serves as an outlet for others to get through difficult times,” Buddz says. “Most of the problems I am addressing are fairly common, day-to-day issues. Living right, eating healthy and just progressing and striving to get better everyday.”

Another standout to Buddz’s creative package is the artwork accompanying the new record and its supporting tour. Buddz worked with Ineffable Music Group for the cover design and lyric video for the title track. The final design is a very hip, very now tropical vibe, reminiscent of what the latest restaurants, interior decorators and fashion designers are creating.

“With this being my first independent release, I really wanted to have a cohesive campaign that would be digestible for all and I was very happy with the outcome,” Buddz says.

The campaign will continue with Buddz’s West Coast tour starting at the end of November. He hits Sacramento Friday, Dec. 1 at Ace of Spades, followed by shows in the Bay Area, the Central Coast and Humboldt County.

Buddz will be selling his new strain, “The Swizzle,” at his California shows for those wanting to fully partake in the Collie Buddz experience.

Collie Buddz drops into Sacramento Dec. 1, 2017, at Ace of Spades. Tickets are $25. Find a full list of Collie Buddz tour shows at Colliebuddz.com.

**This article first appeared in print on pages 18 – 19 of issue #252 (Nov. 6 – 20, 2017)**

Chelsea Wolfe

Thundering Haze • Chelsea Wolfe Parts the Veil on Sixth Studio Album, Hiss Spun

Scratch the surface of your being long enough and you’ll fall through into the abyss, a non-world without end, without up or down. Stripped of all context, it is a place where one is left prey to all the wraith-ish antagonists of the psyche; to survive here, one must not only battle them, but create the very terrain on which to wage one’s battles.

It is a space Chelsea Wolfe, raised in Roseville and Sacramento, has returned to time after time in her work, from the charred sparseness of Apokalypsis (2011) to the poisoned synth melodies of Pain is Beauty (2013) and the stormy, distorted depths of Abyss (2015). Taken as a whole, her stylistic arc is a gradually seething sojourn beyond the veil, gathering momentum and intensity, leading to the elemental fury and charged intimacy of her latest album, Hiss Spun (released Sept. 22, 2017). Tagged over the past few years with everything from “goth” to “doom-metal,” Wolfe’s heavy aesthetic is grounded in delicate songwriting and haunting, siren vocals—half-lullaby, half-lament—which cut through the smoke and fire of her most abrasive songs. It’s no wonder she’s managed to simultaneously rivet the gaze of the criticosphere while cracking the Billboard 200 with her last two releases.

Hiss Spun, while emerging clearly from Wolfe’s previous meditations on themes dark and dreamlike, and the contrast between turmoil in the landscape and within the psyche, is the most scourgingly personal of her artistic statements thus far.

She herself has described it as having an element of exorcism, and the suggestion of traumas corporeal and noncorporeal surge furiously to the surface of the lyrics at times. Such things can be gleaned by the listener; they refuse to be borne out in commonplace description, perhaps, but it is clear enough that they are used here as raw material to be sublimated through artistic excision. Against the clinical white background of the album cover (inspired by Wolfe’s visits in her youth to sleep research facilities) she crouches, not so much against the coming purge but to the task of making pain express itself at her bidding. Song titles like “Vex,” “Strain,” “Welt” and “Scrape” underline the volatility of the subject matter, as if a reactor were needed to contain it all.

Outside of the psychological underpinnings of her work, Wolfe is an artist who rocks in the most brutal, primordial sense of the term. Further amping up her distorted grandeur by utilizing additional guitar and vocal work from Queens of the Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen and Isis’ Aaron Turner on Hiss Spun, Wolfe’s succeeded in illuminating her ties to a grand tradition of soul-searing, head-banging music. If anyone can pull together the current demand for brutal emotional honesty and the newfound appreciation for the roar and hiss of black metal in 2017, it’s Chelsea Wolfe.

Fellow Sacramentans will have the chance to experience Wolfe at her latest creative height alongside pulse-shattering fright industrialists Youth Code at Ace of Spades on Nov. 3, 2017.

Photo by Mary Gebhardt

Just in the first couple listens, I get the feeling that Hiss Spun has a lot to do with destruction—not in the sense of an apocalyptic end, but a destructive creation, reordering, making and unmaking. Did this play a big part in the work?
While I was writing this album, there was a lot I needed to finally heal from: my own self-destruction and ill-health, my past and memories. There is a running theme in all my music of becoming stronger from getting through the difficult times—the forest needing the fire to regenerate—and it definitely continued on Hiss Spun.

You’ve said Hiss Spun is a host of small words and phrases with large meaning. What mindspace were you in to allow these terms to slowly gather together?
There are some keywords throughout that guide the album, and tie things together that may not otherwise seem connected. I was in a bad state while writing some of this album, but allowed myself to just be a mess and open up; allowed whatever needed to come out musically or lyrically to flow.

Listening to your discography in order, there is a clear building in anthemic intensity from one album to the next. Is this mostly the means you have at your disposal as you progress, a build in confidence, a rediscovery of influences?
A build in confidence as I get older yes, and a rediscovery of influence—especially on Hiss Spun. Each album I make has its own catalyst, and for this one it was the reunion of my friend and drummer Jess Gowrie and I. We had a band in Sacramento years ago called Red Host, and she really taught me a lot about being in a band, being a good front-person, and just turned me onto a lot of great, heavy music. After I left to pursue my own project, there was seven years of separation. We didn’t see each other all that time but were pulled back together about two-and-a-half years ago. As we became friends again it was clear that our musical chemistry wasn’t finished, so we started writing songs together. Those songs became the beginnings of Hiss Spun.

Do you have any favorite films that fuel your visual input and leak into your music? If you could re-score a favorite film of yours, what would it be?
The Seventh Seal was an early influence for me. I saw it and then read Ingmar Bergman’s autobiography The Magic Lantern and was intrigued by his use of contrast and shadow. But also just the mood and concept of that film—the character of Death followed me for many years. The album cover for my first album, The Grime and the Glow, was in tribute to that, shot by my friend Jessalyn Wakefield. As for re-scoring a favorite film, I don’t know. My favorites already have such great soundtracks—Encounters at the End of the World, Cold Mountain, Cry-Baby. I’d like to score something totally new.

Faith and spirituality seems to be on the wane, but our willingness to discuss and tackle trauma and the burdens we have as humans seems to have grown. Do we still need a connection to the supernatural in our lives? How can it help us?
Finding a connection to the self is very important these days. Sometimes the deepest spirituality can be found inward. Once you know yourself, you can be of use to others.

While making this album, I heard you got back into popular alternative artists from the ‘90s like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. Around that time, it felt like there was a larger place for the willfully transgressive and “raw” nearer to the heart of popular music. Do you think we might be heading that way again in music as a whole?
Jess and Ben [Tulao, guitarist] and I would jam and write songs at my place, and then head to the dive bar down the street and play late ‘90s/early 2000s Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Manson, Deftones and Queens of the Stone Age on the jukebox. I’d love to see that kind of music in a more present way again. Like on SNL, for example, you rarely see rock bands anymore. And there’s not a lot of room for it on the radio either.

I often find the verge between sleeping and waking, whether by day or night, is a really fertile wellspring for ideas—good and bad. Do you find this useful in your work? And is there a way to make bad dreams/bad imaginative content “work” to benefit you?
I’ve been inspired by that state of mind for almost my whole life, without even realizing it most of the time. When I was a kid I had insomnia and bad night terrors. My parents took me to a sleep research facility where I was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and meant to fall asleep in a hospital bed in a small white room, to find what was wrong with me. That actually became visual inspiration for Hiss Spun as well, in the album cover and in the video for “16 Psyche.” Anyway, as I got older, I started having sleep paralysis regularly, but my version was not to be paralyzed, just waking up and the characters/shapes from my dreams were still in the room with me, often moving toward me, so I’d lash out or scream. It takes a while to move on from that haziness, and it would follow me into my day as I wrote new music. I still deal with bouts of insomnia sometimes and sleep paralysis. I’m not sure it’s something that ever goes away.

You’ll be coming up through NorCal and specifically Sacramento toward the tail end of fall. Is this your favorite time of year? What is your ideal natural setting?
Fall and winter are definitely my favorite times of year, yes. Where I live now it snows in the winter and that quiet is unmatchable. I plan to spend this winter doing psychedelic experiments on myself and working on songs for my next album. Even though I’ve spent a lot more time in Sacramento lately since I moved back to Northern California, I haven’t played a show there since 2012 so I really look forward to coming back and seeing many friends and family!

It’s been a while, so be sure to give Chelsea Wolfe a warm welcome when she returns to melt our faces at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento) on Nov. 3, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. with special guests Youth Code and Screature. Tickets are $22.50 and can be purchased through Aceofspadessac.com.

Editor’s note (March 8, 2018): Chelsea Wolfe will be back in town to play Ace of Spades again on March 26, 2018, with Ministry and The God Bombs. Tickets are $35 in advance at Aceofspadessac.com. Doors open at 7 p.m., and all ages welcome.

**This article first appeared in print on pages 22 – 23 of issue #251 (Oct. 23 – Nov. 6, 2017)**

Joywave

Can’t Get No Satisfaction • Joywave Struggles With What Comes After a Dream Come True

Not everyone gets to live their dream, let alone even name what that dream might be. This was never the case for Daniel Armbruster. From an early age, the Rochester, New York, native knew exactly what he was after: music. Armbruster fronts the pop-rock band Joywave, a five-piece comprised of himself, Sean Donnelly, Joseph Morinelli, Paul Brenner and Benjamin Bailey.

“We all went to high school together—except for our keyboard player Ben—we all grew up together and here we all are a decade plus later still hanging out with our high school friends,” Armbruster said.

Those old friendships feel almost tangible to the listener, especially with the level of ease and humor that tends to come out in the band’s personality, like on their video for “Destruction” as they all fawn over an old mp3 player, or their newest video for “It’s a Trip!” where they slowly age and decay on jet skis.

“I think as people we’re all very lighthearted. We’re definitely not a funny band, but if you hang out with us you’d probably think that,” Armbruster said. “A lot of people are like ‘I’m a serious artist, I can’t ever laugh,’ and it’s ridiculous because it’s just another human emotion.

I think it makes its way into our songs in odd ways, just little moments when it kind of breaks for a second.”

Armbruster and Brenner began playing music together in 2002, and eventually formed Joywave in 2010. Their breakthrough song “Dangerous” peaked the top of the Billboard charts in 2014, followed by their debut full-length, How Do You Feel Now?, which launched the group into touring with The Killers, Bleachers and playing festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza.

By all accounts the group started living their dream. Then it came time to keep living it, and that’s where things got a little confusing. After extensive touring, the guys each came home with their own level of anxiety on how to move forward.

“The dangling carrot has been the driving force for over half my life now,” Armbruster said. “So many people wake up in the morning and they’re like, ‘What’s my purpose?’ People really struggle with that, and I’ve never struggled with that. I’ve been like I know why I exist and I know what I’m supposed to do today. Everything’s been me hurdling toward this moment, and now that the moment is arrived, there’s a little bit of now what? It feels like beating the video game and then it’s like, alright how many more times do you want to beat the same game? We’re having a blast doing it, but it is a little like Groundhog’s Day sometimes, you know?”

That unknown became the groundwork for their sophomore album, Content, a collection of songs devoted to examining what comes next. The first question is in the album title itself, which is a homograph that requires actually hearing the true title to decipher. “It’s a fun word,” Armbruster said. “CON-tent is extremely overused. It’s kind of the enemy of art. This constant thing where you just produce stuff and you blast it out into the universe and it sits on a playlist alongside a bunch of other things. There’s so much to consume now that it seems like it’s a focus on quantity over quality. I wanted this record to be the opposite of that, I wanted it to be very personal and the best thing that I’ve ever made or been a part of, and the most focused. The idea of the title is that misleading thing where you need another human being to tell you that this record is called con-TENT, not CON-tent. If you are a search engine and you google ‘content,’ it’s not going to know the difference, and that’s kind of the idea. Can the listener tell the difference between those two things? I hope that they can. Is this a record you’re connecting with or is this just part of the noise you’re constantly bombarded by?”

While How Do You Feel Now? was packed with sturdy pop dance hits, Content is juxtaposed with a darker mood. Part of this came from the fact that in the midst of writing, Armbruster was diagnosed with pancreatitis and advised to stop drinking entirely.

“The first record is kind of a collection of songs that happened in this post-college time period when I was DJing a lot to make ends meet, [and] there were a lot of times where I was like, ‘I want to make something that I can play when I’m DJing tonight,’” Armbruster said. “But as soon as I couldn’t drink anymore—I’ve DJed a couple times since then, but DJing sober is the least fun thing in the entire world. So that kind of went by the wayside, and I didn’t really feel like making songs like that. Especially with writing, toward the beginning we were driving city to city in a van and I have motion sickness so I was taking dramamine pretty frequently, which brings me down a bit. It left me in a headspace where I wasn’t feeling like making a bunch of dance songs. A little bit of the record is danceable, but not like last time.”

Songs like “It’s a Trip!” take the looming “now what?” question by the horns, with a vocally distorted hook woven into the chorus: “When you’ve gotten what you want/there’s nothing left to want/you don’t know what to want/just tell me what to want,” or on “Doubt,” where Armbruster questions the alternative of a 9-to-5 lifestyle, building to the bridge where he simply cycles the phrase “Never good enough/never satisfied with nothing.”

It’s still pop, full of driving hooks and Armbruster’s soaring soprano melodies, and songs like the quick interlude “Confidence” add a brief, unfiltered light within the heavier-handed production of the rest of the album. Is it sad? Is it cathartic? For the listener it’s mostly catchy with some digestible depth that helps distinguish it from the rest of the pop field. For Armbruster, it’s not quite figured out.

“It was therapeutic, trying to figure out how I felt about everything,” Armbruster said. “The question I get asked sometimes is, ‘Has the band gone like you expected, did you always think it would work out and you’d be moderately successful?’ And it’s like, kind of, but I didn’t think our band would ever get played on the radio, or that we’d play amphitheaters or anything like that. We’ve achieved a level that is beyond what I expected. Analyzing ‘does this make me happy?’ is a big part of the record. Everyone has goals and is working toward them their whole life, and most people never achieve those things. And here we are, we’re only two official records into the life of the band, and we’re bigger than I thought we’d be. I like to try to figure out the why of things, why do I feel like I need to write songs, and at what point [am I] satisfied with it? I’m still working toward that answer.”

Catch Joywave live at Ace of Spades (1417 R St., Sacramento) on Aug. 21, 2017. Tickets are $27.50 and can be purchased through Aceofspadessac.com. Joywave will serve as main support for Cold War Kids. Doors open at 7 p.m.

**This article first appeared in print on pages 18 – 19 of issue #246 (Aug. 14 – 28, 2017)**