Post from: Submerge Magazine

Words by Anthony Giannotti

Yes Face to Face did break up, but who cares? They’re back together and on a worldwide tour for their new album, Laugh Now, Laugh Later, released May 17, 2011. Lead singer and guitarist Trever Keith has one simple thing to say about the split: “We had some creative differences and now we don’t.” After 20 years, seven albums and countless live shows, there are bound to be some raw nerves and differences of opinions—anyone in a band can attest to that.

We got to talk some more with the sole founder of Face to Face about the new album and tour, then we got deep into a few of the problems in our society.

So this is your first album support tour since 2002. How’s it going?
It’s going very well. We are having a great time out here. This is the first full headlining the United States and Canada tour we’ve done in the last nine years. We started playing shows again about three years ago.

The new album has some classic Face to Face-sounding songs and some that take a little different direction. Was that on purpose or did it just come out that way?
If you listen to our catalog, it’s not the first time we’ve had songs that were various tempos—mid-tempo to fast. This is just a record that is a collection of new ideas from Scott and I, we just wrote the songs we had ideas for in our heads. We didn’t overthink it, and we didn’t really spend too much time trying to do something for any specific purpose. There wasn’t anything planned or calculated about the record or the songs. It’s really just an honest, accurate snapshot of the way that we feel at this point in time.

On “It’s Not All About You” you say, “Everybody wants to have it made/Don’t want to do nothing but still get paid.” Do you see this as a major problem in our society?
That’s an interesting question. Basically the song is about being selfish. It’s about the mentality of wanting something for nothing. That’s ultimately what the line is about, and yeah, I would say that is definitely a huge problem, especially in the United States of America.

Do you see that selfish attitude as a recent thing? Is it more common in the younger generation?
I’ve seen it become more of an issue in my lifetime. I’m 42 years old; maybe I just notice it more now, but it doesn’t seem that it was to the degree that it is now.

Do you think there is any way to right this path we are on? Do you think it’s just going to continue to get worse?
You know I’m better at pointing out problems. I don’t claim to have the solution. A lot of my lyrics really just deal with personal trouble. They really just deal with the individual and that kind of thing. The only way something like that will be solved is through the individual. It’s about personal responsibility. It’s about trying to fix yourself first. If everyone worked on fixing themselves, I think we’d have a better society across the board.

Would you say that it is the punk rock mantra to point out the problems in society so as a group we can work on them, to try and bring underlying problems to the surface?
I have no idea man. I don’t really know what punk rock is anymore, and I hardly care. We do what we do, and I try not to worry about what punk rock means.

I read that you had Corey Miller of L.A. Ink do the album art. How’d that come about?
We’ve been buddies with Corey for the last couple years, and obviously we’ve been talking with him about working on the new record and just through hanging out and talking about it he was like, “Hey man I’d like to try and do some artwork for that.” I was kind of telling him about how some of the songs went and that gave him some really cool ideas for the art. It was really a cool spontaneous thing where he was kind of getting a little inspiration from our creativity, and we just started feeding off each other. He started making these drawings, and I was giving him song titles. It just turned into this cool cooperative thing creatively.

You guys are also stopping at some tattoo shops to help promote the album and tour?
Yeah we did a couple of those. We stopped in New York and Philadelphia as well as a few others. We actually had Corey on tour with us for a week or so and got to stop in some cool tattoo shops. We sold some of Corey’s art and some records. It was a lot of fun.

Do you have any plans now that you have a new record out?
Just touring. We are about midway through this tour—I think four or five weeks left. We still have the rest of the South, all the way up to the Pacific Northwest, Sacramento, all the way down SoCal and the rest of the Southwest. Then we are hitting the rest of the world: Europe, Australia and hopefully back down to South America all before the end of the year.

Wow, that’s quite the busy year. Still touring that much after 20 years?
Yeah we are workhorses [laughs]. It’s what we like to do.

Do you have any advice for anyone starting a band nowadays?
Yeah: Quit. Get a real job. That would be my best advice. Stay in school, go to college, get a skill. Seriously. I guess if anyone is in a band and really wants to make a go at it, you need to forget about what your band looks like or any of that bullshit. Just get out there and play shows; play a lot because it’s all about how good you are live. Now that the record industry has taken a shit you really just got to look at how well you play live and really cultivate that.

Face to Face will stop in Sacramento on June 19, 2011 to play Ace of Spades with Strung Out, Blitzkid and The Darlings. Tickets are $20 and the show starts at 6 p.m. For more info, go to Aceofspadessac.com.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

-JC

Post from: Submerge Magazine

The Hideaway
2565 Franklin Boulevard • Sacramento, Calif.

Words & Photos by Anthony Giannotti

How would you define a dive bar? A recent article in Playboy (yes, I read it for the articles) describes a dive bar as, “A church for down-and-outers and those who romanticize them, a rare place where high and low rub elbows—bums and poets, thieves and slumming celebrities. It’s a place that wears its history proudly.”

After years of hanging out in so-called “dives” or “holes in the wall,” I have become something of a self-proclaimed expert of dive bars. My definition of a good dive bar is a softly lit, well-worn, cozy neighborhood bar slinging cheap, stiffly poured drinks and is accompanied by the airs of desperation, redemption, comfort and camaraderie. It is a place where you run into old friends, make new friends or just drink alone. It is a place any seasoned bar fly would proudly call home.

My love for these dingy places led me straight in the door of well-known downtown bartender Mariah York-Carr’s new joint, The Hideaway. Dive bars have become a little bit of a trendy movement, leading to some of the best bars being overrun by no-neck suburbanites and college bros. This has forced out some of the neighborhood customers, aka “the locals.”

“I wanted to make our place not a punks’ bar or rockabilly [bar] but an underground place,” York-Carr said. “All the stuff in here came from my house or friends. I think Sacramento needs a place like this.” The underground vibe was very apparent when I glanced around the dimly lit room. The walls were lined with old punk rock flyers, car show flyers, Sailor Jerry-style tattoo art and the staples for any dive: large neon beer signs. Although it is a rather large place, the dozen or so high-top tables, half-dozen booths, two pool tables and a jukebox gave it a nice homey feeling.

The Hideaway has gone the extra mile in the jukebox department, forgoing the soulless, download-any-crap-you-want flashy modern jukebox for an older model that requires manually installing the CD sleeve so the track titles are visible. In your average bar room jukebox, you’ll find classics such as AC/DC, Hank Jr., Rolling Stones and maybe Pasty Cline. Not only does The Hideaway’s jukebox have these beloved classics, but it is also stocked with anything from Flogging Molly to The Aggrolites to Reverend Horton Heat—as well as many other artists from the punk, hardcore, reggae, honky-tonk country and rockabilly genres. “This is the music we like,” York-Carr said. “This is the music we want to make memories to.”

I understand that the point of a dive is not to serve mixologist-level drinks—a shot and a beer will do for most dive bar frequenters. As I bellied up to the bar, I was a little disappointed they did not have a recommended drink list, and I was even more disappointed when I saw orange juice coming out of the Wunder-Bar soda gun. It’s the little things in the drinks that makes patrons feel like the bartender cares about their drinks and, in turn, them. However, our bartender Roxanne was very much obliging with drink recommendations. I decided on a shot of Jameson and Miller High Life, because, when in Rome…

Then, as I looked over the bar menu, I rapidly came to the realization that this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill microwaved then deep-fried greasy pub food. The entire menu was chock-full of mom’s comfort food but with a distinct flair. “We wanted to make a thoughtful menu with thoughtful technique,” said head chef Drew Boyce. “We want everything to be familiar but twisted. Bar food can get stodgy and dull. We wanted different but familiar.”

After much deliberation I settled on the “Hot Cock” sandwich and truffle fries. The sandwich was a breaded and deep-fried chicken breast smothered in a spicy but sweet sauce topped with onions and blue cheese. The blue cheese mellowed some of the spiciness and the crunchy chicken breast added a nice texture. I thoroughly enjoyed the sandwich. It’s a perfect blend of modern culinary technique and deep-fried comfort food.

As much as I dug the sandwich, the fries were ingenious. You probably don’t expect such a strong statement about fries, but these fries topped with salt, cracked pepper, shredded Parmesan cheese and truffle oil, were simple, fresh and a perfect complement to another shot and beer.

I made fast friends with some of the other customers that had some very high praise for the mac n’ cheese, Buffalo shrimp and sliders.

After a few more rounds I ventured out to the Tiki-themed back patio. Upon inspection of the very spacious patio I spotted a few friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Thus, The Hideaway fulfilled the final bit of qualification for a good dive bar.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Words by Anthony Giannotti • Photos by Breanna Giannotti

If you prefer white linen or are a supporter of PETA, this is not for you. On the other hand, if you have a hunger for exotic meats and fresh food prepared unpretentiously in large quantities, keep reading. I had been hearing legend of Flaming Grill Café from numerous people for a couple of years, but I never could motivate myself to make the drive out of downtown. But when a trusted friend and former chef informed me Flaming Grill was serving a lion and gazelle burger (which he jokingly nicknamed “the circle of life burger”), I decided I had let my Midtowner, “if it’s not on the grid it’s too far away,” attitude keep me away long enough.

Last week a couple of my esteemed colleagues and I made the trip down El Camino Avenue to investigate Flaming Grill Café. To look at Flaming Grill isn’t much; it’s an old gas station with outdoor seating only. It is equipped with a few plastic windows to keep some of the bugs away, some ceiling fans slowly moving air around and poured concrete seats and tables. It is very reminiscent of a small Southern Californian taqueria.

“I’ve been cooking for about 25 years,” owner and sole cook Jose Silva told me. “One day I was searching the for-sale section on Craigslist and found this little coffee shop for sale, so I bought it.” Not much is left of the coffee shop. “We tried selling small breakfast burritos and coffee, but it wasn’t working, so we asked the customers what they wanted,” he said. Obviously burgers were the cuisine of choice, and let me tell you, they don’t just serve your run-of-the-mill hamburgers.

Flaming Grill features some strange and delicious meats: buffalo, Kobe beef, antelope, elk, llama, ostrich, yak and wild boar, as well as a few “specialty while supplies last” meats such as alligator, kangaroo and the aforementioned lion. Since we had sampled many of their “standard” meats at other places, we opted for mushroom Swiss burgers with a kangaroo patty and upgraded our fries to the intriguing carne asada fries. Unfortunately, they were sold out of the lion and gazelle burger; however, I have been informed that it is back in stock in limited quantities on Fridays.

Before our burgers came out, our friendly waitress suggested we check out the beer coolers inside. “I like big hoppy beers,” Silva claimed. This was obvious by the contents of the coolers, which were filled with porters, pale ales and stouts. Flaming Grill keeps it semi-local, promoting many beers from Northern California breweries such as Lagunitas, Anchor Steam, Speakeasy and Sierra Nevada. It’s not all dark, strong beer, though. They stock some of the harder-to-find lighter beers like Shiner Bock, Old Milwaukee and even Schlitz Original in a can!

When our burgers hit the table, we were slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food on the plates. They came complete with a heaping pile of fries smothered in melted cheddar cheese, carne asada, pico de gallo, sour cream and fresh sliced jalapenos. Some of the carne asada bits were cooked a little more than I like, but nonetheless it was still very good.

Oh and the burger—let me tell you about the burger. The bun was fresh, slightly crisp on the outside but tender and sweet on the inside. Unlike certain chain burger joints that serve lettuce that is about to turn and unripe tomatoes, Flaming Grill uses vibrant, fresh lettuce and thick slices of rich, flavorful, ripe tomatoes. The sweet and nutty flavor of the Swiss cheese and mushrooms complemented the strong flavor of the juicy kangaroo patty. No, kangaroo does not taste like chicken. It is a much denser meat that is closer to beef. “I don’t like to season the meat or overload it with sauces,” Silva said. “I like to let the meat stand alone and speak for itself.” He also said that they have gotten hate calls from a few PETA supporters, but “we can’t get anything even close to the endangered species list. Everything we have is legal in the States in certain quantities.” Silva also said if you don’t take his word that the meat is what they say it is, he’ll give you the number to his meat purveyor and you can ask them.

Flaming Grill Café is about to celebrate its three-year anniversary and will be offering a few specials on Nov. 4, 5 and 6, 2010. When I asked Silva what meats we can look forward to in the future he simply smiled and said, “Camel.”

Post from: Submerge Magazine

“There’s a lot of fucking shit pissing me off right now,” Mike McColgan, lead singer of Street Dogs, gruffly says in response to a question about where he gets the inspiration for his politically and socially charged lyrics. You’d think the emotional and physical toll of releasing five studio albums in eight years and a few world tours would have squelched McColgan’s fury. “All the shit that happened with Bernie Madoff, the tough economy is affecting everyday Americans. A lot of people are living beyond the breaking point. Society is really pissing me off right now.”

He’s not kidding. Not only have they had the privilege of sharing the tours with bands such as Bad Religion, The Bouncing Souls, Rancid and Flogging Molly, but they released their fifth full-length album this summer and are heading out on another headlining U.S. tour this fall. The Street dogs show no thought of slowing down either, McColgan says, “After releasing Fading American Dream in 2006, there was no looking back for us. This is what we do.” I got the chance to catch up with the man, the myth, the legend Mike McColgan to talk about the new album, more of what pisses him off, the spirit of punk rock and The Clash.

You guys have changed it up a little bit for this summer’s self-titled release. This album seems to have faster songs and a fuller sound. The deluxe iTunes version of the album features a few different versions of some songs, giving it a much more Celtic tinge than previous Street Dogs releases.
Nothing is off the table with us. We recorded 35 songs for this album and these are the best 18. We feel that this is our best collective effort to date;
that’s why we went with the self-title for this release. It’s five guys working collectively. This record was an easy record to make, and it’s the most honest
representation of us.

The drums really stand out on the new album; they seem to be very prominent. I like the way it changed your sound a little.
[Laughs] I joked while we recorded this album that we were just four guys lucky enough to play in a band with [drummer] Paul Rucker. I think recording in his hometown of Fort Collins [Colo.] really motivated him. It motivated all of us. It’s such an amazing city. Recording at the famous Blasting Room helped too.”

The lyrics of the new album cover a lot of different topics, everything from the U.S. economic situation, the still turbulent political environment, how the tech age overloads us with useless crap and songs about blowing off the steam created by these problems with friends. But would you agree the underlying message is self-empowerment?
We wanted to make a bold record. We have songs about personal empowerment, personal freedom and the search for personal redemption on
this record. I hope our lyrics encourage people to get off the couch and do something with life and not take anything lying down. We want people to
make a difference in their own lives. Don’t sign out of life; find something to believe in, find something that compels you… There is so much bad stuff going on right now. There are a lot of injustices in our society that really piss us off. If enough people stand up and change the things they don’t like in their own lives, it will eventually change everything.

So you believe being confrontational is what punk rock is about; if you don’t like something, get in someone’s face and change it?
That’s what punk rock has always been about. Don’t follow along with the norm, shake things up, question authority, don’t follow the status quo like sheep. I like being the underdog. I like being the outcast. I like being different. It’s where I feel comfortable. It’s where I fit in.

You’ve been in this comfort zone of outcasts for quite a while now. Where do your punk rock roots stem from?
Without The Clash I don’t think I’d be in a punk band; I honestly don’t think I’d be compelled to sing or write. We wanted to play it like Stiff Little Finger or The Clash. The Clash was public service announcements with guitars. The Clash took you all over the world with their songs, showed you where the problems were. They got people to take part in life. That was the first band that ever did that for me. [Laughs] I don’t think we are the next Clash or want to copy their style; we aren’t even fit to hold their jock straps, talent wise or music wise. They just put forth such a good example.

You are very adamant about the spirit of punk rock. In the song “Punk Rock and Roll” you talk about the spirit of punk not being able to die. Do you believe that the spirit of punk can’t die, that it is an ever-evolving being?
There is no way the spirit of punk can die. There is always going to be an underdog out there fighting for himself and his friends. Even though punk is not very commercially viable right now, we have faith in the younger generation “carrying the torch” so to speak. Out there on the road we see it in every town we visit. That is one of the reasons why we love touring so much. We get to see the kids go crazy just like we did.

While the music industry is struggling and a lot of bands are having a hard time, especially on the road, you guys seem to tour almost year ‘round.
We are a throwback band when it comes to touring. We go grass roots with it; we want to earn fans the old-fashioned way. We want to go out every night
and give our fans the best live performance we can. A little bit at a time, over time, has given us a crowd. We have pretty good followings on both coasts,
but we always try to visit every corner, nook and cranny of the country. Those out of the way spots are where we find the most enthusiastic kids.

With the expectations and comparisons a band like Street Dogs brings, did you guys have to do your time, cut your teeth to prove that you were in it for real?
We had to prove that we weren’t just jumping on a hot wagon, and I think we have done that because we have no axes to bury, no resentment toward other bands. Some of us came from successful bands [Dropkick Murphys and Mighty Mighty Bosstones]. We didn’t want to rely on past successes. We wanted to start something new, fresh. We are out there doing it because we love it.

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Mariachi El Bronx is the mariachi side project of Los Angeles hardcore punk band The Bronx. No you don’t need to reread that. It’s not a typo. The Bronx, which is known for its hard-edged, balls-to-the-wall punk rock, has a traditional-style mariachi side project. It’s not unusual for a band to have side projects: The Green Day guys have Foxboro Hot Tubs, Jack White of The White Stripes has The Dead Weather, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie has The Postal Service. However, it is unusual and awesome when a band does a sideways double back flip into a completely different genre for a side project.

After having played many acoustic shows as The Bronx, Matt Caughthran, lead singer of both bands, explains how the band was looking for something different, “We always knew [The] Bronx was supposed to be fast, loud and in your face. We never liked playing stripped-down, just a singer and acoustic guitar. It’s not as fun… We were looking for something creative fun and lighter than full-blown hardcore.”

To combat the lackluster acoustic punk format, the band re-worked a few of their songs mariachi-style. From what I gather from the Spanglish conversations I’ve had with Mariachi musicians at Mexican restaurants, mariachi is a regional Mexican music. The lyrics have been influenced by the development of Mexico but mostly the lyrics are a bearing of the heart and soul of the Mexican people. Mariachi bands generally consist of violins, trumpets, an acoustic guitar, a guitarrón (a large acoustic bass), a high-pitched five-string guitar known as a vihuela and sometimes a harp. Musicians dress in silver studded suits known as traje de charro with wide-brimmed hats—a look that is quite the departure from a five-piece punk band. Mariachi El Bronx doesn’t disappoint on any of the aesthetics. They are a full band dressed in full charro gear. Even going as far as including bongo drums, ukulele, accordion, a smaller, higher-pitched guitar called requinto, not to mention the standard mariachi instrumentation to get the right Latin flavor to all the songs.

After having smashing success playing the rejuvenated songs at a few local L.A. shows, the side project snowballed into its own full-fledged creative outlet. “We just followed the music down the rabbit hole; so to speak. It was a part of us that we didn’t realize was there.” Caughthran says with a great deal of inspiration in his voice. He talks loosely about writing some of the songs on the Mariachi El Bronx album, “It was a natural progression and very liberating. It freed up an entire new creative avenue.”

Caughthran’s enthusiasm about the creative process is undeniable. You can feel the excitement in his tone. He continues to speak about the complex process The Bronx went through reinventing their music by saying, “Some days we wrote two even three songs, lyrics and all. It was one of the funnest albums we’ve recorded, because it went so smooth and easy.”

According to Caughthran, The Bronx never thought anything would actually come of the new project, or that they would record an album—let alone tour the world on its merits.

The mention of touring the world brings up an interesting subject. Any Californian knows that mariachi is abundant in this state; and if you’ve ever been to any of the other states that border Mexico, you know they have even larger mariachi scenes. But what about the rest of the country? “We were worried that people outside of California wouldn’t get the music,” Caughthran says. “Especially in Canada and Europe, they don’t have hardly any Latin influences there. But it’s been quite a relief and surprise. People are diggin’ it ‘cause it’s different!”

When I ask Caughthran if a mariachi traditionalist has ever been offended that a bunch of white guys were playing mariachi and singing it in English, he artfully sidesteps my question. “I mean, being from Los Angeles and, you know, growing up and surrounded by Mexican culture, it just kind of happened,” he laughs. “We can’t help it. We are Southern California boys, and we love mariachi.”

Thankfully for Caughthran and the boys, they have had very positive reception everywhere they have been. “This band has been so great,” he says. “Everyone has been so constructive. We have had so many doors opened that The Bronx would have never been able to do.”

The first big door was opened last summer when the boys got to play main support on a stadium tour with The Killers. “Those guys where so great,” he says. “They put us in venues we’d have never been in.” He even has some kind words about Sacramento. “I remember playing Sacramento on that tour, I think the place is called ARCO? Anyway, that crowd was one of the best on the tour. You could feel the love and support.” They also had the honor of touring Europe and the United Kingdom with the gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. Most interesting, they had the chance to tour with themselves—Mariachi El Bronx opened for The Bronx. Matt says, “That was one of the greatest, most grueling tours we have ever done. Playing twice in a night doesn’t sound that hard but it thoroughly drained us.” Putting forth the energy, let alone the emotion, to play two sets every night for an entire United States and European tour will put the hurt on anyone. “It was very rewarding to see all the people get into two very different types of music at one show,” he says. “The crowds put out the energy that recharged us for the second set.”

Mariachi El Bronx has some exciting stuff coming up, including a small California tour with Primus in September, according to Caughthran. After two shows in L.A., they’ll play Sacramento on Sept. 14. Matt explains they didn’t want to tour too much this fall, because they are in the process of recording the fourth Bronx album and second Mariachi El Bronx album, with the hope to release them as a double album next spring. With two new albums coming out and as much fan support as any band or bands could ask for, it seems The Bronx has this side project thing figured out pretty well. With their irrefutable lust for music, it’s certain we will be hearing more about Mariachi El Bronx in the near future.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term Celtic rock? Hopefully not U2, maybe Flogging Molly, but more accurately you should think of Young Dubliners. After all, they are one of the most influential Celtic rock bands from the United States. After five years of skipping over the Sacramento area on tour, the Southern California-based Irishmen brought their flavor of traditional Irish folk and modern rock to Harlow’s night club Thursday night.

I had the privilege of witnessing it first-hand. After arriving a few minutes late and getting over the shock of a large portion of the crowd looking about the right age to have gone to high school with Betty White, I found the merrymaking in full swing. To fully appreciate the pub-like Irish folk, instrumental jam the Young Dubliners had broken into, I ordered a shot of Jameson with a Guinness back from the more than obliging bartender. Watching local Irish rockers BlackEyed Dempseys jump and bounce on the dance floor to the guitar-driven punk-inspired song “The Foggy Dew” set a mood that would make The Pogues proud.

Young Dubliners lead singer Keith Roberts made the casual announcement that since the band hadn’t been to Sacramento in so long, they would be playing songs from all eight of their albums. Young Dubliners showed a softer side with a few heartfelt acoustic ballads such as “In the End.” A great deal of the lyrics off their new album, Saints and Sinners, speak out against how bad things have gotten internationally without losing the profound belief that things can and will get better. Traditional folk instrumental pieces such as “Ashley Falls” really allowed the well-seasoned musicians space to showcase their individual talents; specifically allowing fiddle player extraordinaire Chas Waltz some room to show off his chops. Not since Gilles Apap has such fine fiddle work been laid down; Waltz solos are a perfect blend of classical training and folk improvisation not to mention he plays in an intense Johnny Ramone-style power stance! Touring with the five-piece rock ‘n’ roll group was famed Uilleann pipe and pennywhistle master Eric Rigler. On some of the darker power ballads, he was able to make the already ominous bagpipes sound a little spookier with a slight delay on it. You might know Rigler for his work on such small movie soundtracks as Braveheart and Titanic. The accomplished piper treated the audience to the theme song from Braveheart, which I assume is the equivalent, for people of Celtic decent, as an American watching Jimmy Hendrix shred “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock. Traditional Irish folk songs “Molly Malone” and “Seven Drunken Nights” really brought a bounty of dancers and hip shakers to the floor and ending the show with the Dropkick Murphys-ish power song “The Rocky Road to Dublin” set the small but enthusiastic crowd on fire.

After the great set and a few more Guinnesses I had a chance to chat with Keith Roberts. Through a barely decipherable Irish accent he first apologized for coming to Northern California and having allergies. After I apologized for arriving 15 minutes late, he assured me with a sly smile that those precious early minutes of the set were indeed the best part. Roberts did inform me that Young Dubliners planned on making Sacramento a regular stop on their touring schedule. “We are in the same freaking state for God’s sake,” he excitedly barked. Hopefully these words will hold true, because an evening spent with the Young Dubliners is an evening well spent. Make sure to catch their next Sacramento performance and you to will fully understand what Celtic rock means.

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What is your favorite alcohol? Whiskey? Vodka? Tequila? How do you like to drink said favorite libation? Sip it? Shoot it? Mix it? Well no matter what your drink of choice is or how you prefer to get it down your throat, Midtown Cocktail Week will have an event for you. This week of cocktail enlightenment will be held Aug. 9–15, 2010 at various locations around Midtown Sacramento. It isn’t a week for just getting trashed and throwing up on your neighbor’s lawn—being a little tipsy may be a by-product of the festivities—but this week’s focus is cocktail education and appreciation. “Our goal is to educate people,” says Joe Anthony Savala, one of the event organizers and founder of the drink program at Zocalo. “We want people to drink better. People in Sacramento are eating better than ever, so why not drink better? We want them to know what fresh ingredients taste like. We also want people to get out and try new stuff!”

Education is an apparent theme in the week’s list of activities. Starting off the festivities on Monday will be L Wine Lounge, where the theme will be the art of drinking well, and timely drinks. They will be showing how you should be drinking through an entire meal, from aperitif to digestif. “We are excited to be involved again this year,” says Chris Tucker, lead mixologist of L. “We are trying to raise people’s expectations of their local bars.”

Tuesday’s events will give some of the local bartenders a chance to show off their chops with a mixology competition. This cocktail creation competition has a similar format to Iron Chef. The battle for cocktail king will take place at Lounge on 20.

For all you whiskey enthusiasts out there, De Veer’s Irish Pub will be showing off their impressive whiskey selection with their Whiskey Around the World tasting on Wednesday. The whiskey experts at De Veer’s will be sharing some pretty intense knowledge while helping you find a whiskey that suits your palate. So come with a thirst and an open mind. Shady Lady Saloon will be handling Wednesday’s after party, as well as hosting a number of their own events throughout the week. “We are really excited about this event,” says Shady Lady bartender Travis Kavanaugh. “We have different events going every night of the week.” Just a few of the special attractions at the Shady Lady during Midtown Cocktail Week will include a Don Julio presentation, a tiki-themed night, live hand-rolled cigars and visiting guest bartenders from San Francisco’s prohibition-themed saloon Bourbon and Branch.

“We really want people to know how much better fresh hand crafted cocktails taste,” Kavanaugh says.

Tequila guru Joe Anthony Savala breaks down Thursday’s activities at Zocalo. “I love Latin spirits—mezcal, pisco and tequila,” he says. “We want people to enjoy them as much as we do, that is why we are doing a mezcal tasting and education.” Zocalo will be sampling different mezcals from different regions of Mexico. They will also be demonstrating how you can make simple, fresh drinks from south of the border at home. As if a smorgasbord of tequila and regional Mexican food isn’t enough, notable fine dining restaurant and bar Ella will be dispensing late-night drinks and tastings to finish off the evening.

The new dim sum restaurant Red Lotus will be starting off Friday with specialty block ice cocktails. If you have not had a chance to indulge at Red Lotus, this would be a great time to sample from its diverse menu and try an Asian fusion cocktail. Grange will be closing out Friday with some local spirits and food pairing. To say that Sacramento is proud of its local produce is an understatement; we like to see it in our local restaurants. The staff at Grange Restaurant are also very strong believers in the slow food movement. “We have some really neat local alcohols and fresh local ingredients, as well as some very high profile bartenders guest spotting,” said Ryan Seng, mixologist at Grange.

We all know that The Golden Bear is known for their enticing front patio, tacos and $2 Miller High-Life, but on Saturday afternoon, be sure to investigate their newly remodeled back patio and freshly devised cocktail list. Sunday will kick off at Hot Italian for some unique Italian cocktails. I don’t know exactly what Italian cocktails consist of, but I’m sure my fellow I-tie’s will bring more flavor than Steve Zissou’s campari and grapefruit juice concoction. Sunday night the wrap party will be held at The Torch Club. The Torch Club was founded the year Prohibition ended, so come dressed in your best suspenders and flapper dresses. It will be a Prohibition-themed party featuring five classic drink recipes.

Remember these are just a few of the events at a few of the locations. Check Midtowncocktailweek.org or ask your favorite local bartender for a full list of events.

Post from: Submerge Magazine

Brian Hanover is most well known for his years fronting the Sacramento-based street punk band Hanover Saints. After seven U.S. tours, two full-length records, four EPs and nearly 10 years playing together, Hanover Saints called it quits in 2005. Fast forward to 2010: the 35-year-old is about to release his second solo album, publish a book of his writings, continue running his own screen-printing business and still finds time for his family. Brian’s mindset fully embodies the D.I.Y. lifestyle, going as far as to release his solo albums on his own record label Revolution Ink Records, casually saying, “I work hard, it’s just what I do; I don’t know anything else.”

He also does something a lot of older musician don’t do. He doesn’t rely on his past successes. “I want to stay relevant,” Hanover says. “I don’t want to be the crusty old guy that doesn’t know what the kids are listening to.” I had a chance to catch up with Hanover over a few pints of Guinness at one of my favorite Sacramento dive bars, The Press Club.

Thanks for meeting up with me here; I know you’re a busy guy.
No problem, thank you. I’ve only been here a couple times. One of the first times I came to The Press Club was in the early ‘90s to see U.S. Bombs. It was a crazy night; I was over there behind Townhouse smoking and some kid got stabbed at the show!

So you’ve been around the Sacramento punk scene a long time.
In 1984 I was skating a launch ramp with some friends, and someone down the street was blaring 7 Seconds Walk Together Rock Together. Later that day I made my mom drive me to the record store—back then there was Dimple, Record Factory and of course Tower. I got my first punk records that day, 7 Seconds’ The Crew, and Black Flag’s Damaged. I started going to local shows in the mid-‘80s. I even met my wife at a Suicidal Tendencies show back when Big Shots was still open.

Yeah congratulations on the 10-year wedding anniversary. You just got back from a little trip?
Thanks, it’s been a good 10 years. We went up to wine country for the weekend.

What’s it like trying to balance your own business, wife, kid and being a recording/touring musician?
[Laughs] There really is no balance; I think it’s priorities for sure. My wife knew what she was getting into. This is just what I do, and I was already in a band when we got together. One thing that really strengthens us as a couple is being able to do our own thing, it allows us to grow together, really surrounds us with love and grace, [laughs] a lot of grace.

Speaking of doing your own thing, I took a listen to the new release. It’s very good, quite the departure from the Hanover Saints…
Yeah some of it is. For this album I wanted to strip most of the songs down so I really only used an acoustic guitar, tambourine, harmonica and on a few songs electric guitar. All accept the fourth track; it actually was a Hanover Saints song that never made it on an album. It was right toward the end of it. I had already been writing solo stuff, and I brought it to practice when we were playing as a three-piece with Chris from Killing the Dream on bass.

Some of the songs on here have a real Johnny Cash/Bob Dylan singer/songwriter vibe jumping off them.
Each song is a little bit different from the other; they may have a common thread but I tried to get a large variety. Everything I sing about is all true stories, all personal experiences, kind of a Pete Seeger thing. I wanted to do this release differently because of all the different formats everything is coming out in. So the way I’m doing this release is in three volumes, every four months four more songs come out. The next volume is going to come out with a book I wrote and a coffee mug, because it all started with coffee and late-night rants for me.

How did the book come about?
Like I said, I was always at coffee shops writing. Some of the Hanover Saints lyrics I always really liked as standalone pieces. I had been cleaning out some old papers, and I found old poetry, short stories and some other stuff. I thought I’d like to publish it; I don’t know if it’s any good. Sometimes writers can think a little too much of themselves, think they’re a little bigger than life, but I went to a bookstore and picked up a book of poetry and one of the stanzas I turned to was literally four sentences. I thought, I can totally do this. It’s ridiculous.

Do you think it was the writing that attracted you to more of the acoustic style as opposed to staying in the punk rock genre?
Most of the Hanover Saints was written on acoustic or electric. It just depended on how I heard it in my head. One day I was playing the song “Bad Man” at home, Mike Erickson happened to be doing some work for me and heard it. He talked me into putting that song on Hanover Saints record Murdertown, which Pressure Point was producing. By the end of Hanover Saints I felt I had said everything that avenue would allow me to say. I really wanted to get that one on one connection with the audience. I definitely think there is a place for the loud thing. I’m always going to be into punk, and I’ll probably play it again, it’s just if you’ve said what you need to say for that part of your life I don’t feel the need to keep dragging that dead horse around.

Have you found that one-on-one connection?
I wanted to try getting up and doing a solo show but I was too afraid. Then in 2005 Kevin Seconds talked me into being on a bill with him. I just fell in love with it. Being able to play coffee shops, small bars, garages, living rooms and really some sketchy places is an entirely different, incredible, personal experience for me. You can get to know the people and the city you are playing in instead of rushing through to the next gig like when you’re in a full band. I’ve made some great friends all over the country playing solo.

You can get personal with Brian Hanover at the Blue Lamp March 17, 2010 for his 21 and older CD release or March 19, 2010 at 16th Street Café (The old Javalounge).

Post from: Submerge Magazine