My first exposure to Jesus and the Dinosaurs came in 2015 when I saw the band’s sticker on the wall above the urinal in the Cafe Colonial bathroom. It was black and white with a T-Rex in a leather jacket strutting down an alley. The band name (truly a gem) quietly tucked itself into the back of my mind and rested there for six months before the band circled back into my life—this time not in sticker form.

It was a day-long festival at The Colony, the venue that offered them (and so many others before) a space to play before they had any audience in town. What started as an exciting opportunity to satisfy my curiosity about a titillating band name quickly gave way to a mind-blowing live music experience. You could feel the roomful of individuals, plenty of whom were hearing Jesus and the Dinosaurs for the first time, codify into a collective whole. That kind of singular moment is elusive in the modern world, and I think it’s just about the best service a live punk show can provide.

In the ensuing years, the band has become a Sacramento mainstay, steadily building a following out of live experiences like the one I just described.

Jesus and the Dinosaurs are from Fairfield, but Sacramento has become a sort of second hometown. They play a thrash-y mix of garage rock and punk that feels at the same time classic and very much its own, aided in part by a mix of Spanish and English lyrics, plenty of contemplative sociopolitical subject matter and instrumental breakdowns that lock the listener in to the deepest of grooves.

They’ve released two EPs with four tracks each, all of which are available on a Bandcamp page that I have looped at least six times while writing this article.

Vocalist/guitarist Brian Peraza-Orozco spent his formative years in El Salvador where he learned to play guitar and joined his first punk bands. That was back in 2005, fresh off George W. Bush’s reelection and one year into Donald Trump’s run as host of The Apprentice.

Fast forward to 2018 and that host is now a president who rallies his base with stories about “caravans of immigrants” and MS-13 gang members, both of which are political stories with ties back to Central America and Peraza-Orozco’s home country of El Salvador. Jesus and the Dinosaurs are not an exclusively political band, but Peraza-Orozco says his songs are about the Latin-American experience, which has essentially become politicized in the current climate.

Submerge caught up with Peraza-Orozco by phone in early August. We talked about the band’s origins, lineup changes and what they’re planning next.

How does a Jesus and the Dinosaurs song get written?
Throughout the history of the band, it’s been me bringing a basic, raw idea. I like to have a song that can be played just as well acoustic as electric. Not that it’s a soft song by any means, but the skeleton has to come across. From there we really just jam on it. I basically do a loop, play the same thing over and over, and we just keep cycling until it feels like we have a rhythm and cohesion.

When did you start playing?
I was 14 or 15 in El Salvador. Eventually, I ended up forming my own band and playing in two or three others. One was a punk band that wrote “No Es Democracia” [which means “It’s Not Democracy” and has become a Jesus and the Dinosaurs staple].

When did you come to the U.S.?
In 2010. I didn’t bring any musical equipment because my situation in terms of space was uncertain. I was inactive for a couple of years until I got a hold of a guitar and started playing again. I was shaping a sound but it was geared a little more toward folk-punk because it was just me on acoustic guitar. But I wanted to be in a band, that’s all I knew.

So when did Jesus and the Dinosaurs form?
I think it was 2014. I was about to start putting up signs at school and I met Mario, our old drummer. I told him, “let’s make a band,” and immediately after that I brought my brother in. We were not even called Jesus and the Dinosaurs then [the band was called Las Miserias]. After a few months, the name changed because of a dream I had where I was in a band called Jesús y Los Dinosaurios. I had recorded some acoustic songs and released them under that name. I showed them to the guys and they were like, “Why don’t we just call the band that instead of having two separate things?” We translated it to Jesus and the Dinosaurs and immediately people started remembering the name. Our very first show was Gordon’s Music in Fairfield. That sort of kick-started it.

When Mario and Jesus and the Dinosaurs parted ways last year, was the band’s future ever in doubt?
Mario was one of those drummers who’s out there in the forefront. He was so essential to the band that it was hard to think about it any other way when everything came down, but it made me go back to thinking about that original idea of having the skeleton of the song regardless of instrumentation. The essence is still the same.

Of course, a different drummer brings a different sound, but take a step back and it allows you to reconfigure things and reshape things. It gives you a fresh outlook instead of just repeating what you’ve already been doing. My biggest thing is allowing everyone to be themselves and do their thing. I never wanted Mic [drummer Michael Fernandez] to do anything like Mario did. We told him to just listen to the songs and have a feel for them. He was our friend before he came to be the drummer of the band. We also had the benefit of having G [bass player Mario Granados], who had been playing with Mic for years [in a band called Los Mojados]. It’s almost as if the pieces were slowly coming together without us even knowing.

What prompted the split with Mario?
In every member separation there’s a conflict. They tend to be about musical ideas, but in this case it was more a problem with sharing behaviors—things we did not agree with. It was about not being able to justify or permit certain behaviors in the band.

Both EPs have two songs in Spanish and two songs in English. How does a Jesus and the Dinosaurs song find its language?
A lot of times when it comes to rhymes, certain words and languages cut and flow better with the melody. Other times it comes with a pre-established idea. For example, with the song “Plastic Cheese,” I just sat down one day and was like, “I’m going to write a song.” I was reading an article about The Beatles, and John Lennon was referring to Kraft American Cheese as plastic cheese. It brought an idea and the lyrics, of course, came out in English.

Would you describe Jesus and the Dinosaurs as a political band?
I like to keep things very much how they are in real life. You’re not always thinking about politics and you’re not always thinking about unrequited love. [Politics] is definitely more relevant now, though. These songs are focused on the Latin-American experience. “El Salvador se Quema” is about El Salvador and the political situation over there. “La Difunta” is about an immigrant father trying to come to the States and never making his way, and his wife dying there waiting for him. It’s about the journey from there to here, which thankfully I didn’t have to do because my parents did that for me back in the day. It’s a grueling journey and a lot of the issue has to do with American foreign policy. This doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It’s not just because people want to buy a car and an iPhone.

What’s around the corner for Jesus and the Dinosaurs?
We’re focusing more on writing and less on shows. Our drummer had a baby in November. It’s cool to be out there playing, but you have to realize there are other things to pay attention to as well. We’re getting a feel for the new songs, adding parts here and there. We’re making this EP and we want to look into labels, try to put it out internationally, hit Latin America more. We haven’t had our stuff on streaming platforms, so we’re going to do that, too. With this lineup, I think there’s a consolidation of sound that we are reaching, our life experience. We have that energy, that drive.

For more information on Jesus and the Dinosaurs and to keep up with future shows, visit Facebook.com/jesusandthedinosaurs.

**This piece first appeared in print on pages 16 – 17 of issue #272 (Aug. 15 – 29, 2018)**

The Sacramento area has a large and diverse punk scene, with styles ranging from pop punk to folk punk to hardcore. But from time to time, the local music scene becomes permeated by a handful of bands who are playing another exciting and danceable sub-genre: ska punk.

One of these local bands is ska/skate punk group At Both Ends. The band has been playing together for almost three years now (their anniversary is coming up in September), and they recently celebrated the release of their new album Wheel’s Out the Window with an energetic and heartfelt album release party at Cafe Colonial. At Both Ends has put out a short EP in the past, but Wheel’s Out the Window is their first full-length album, and it takes a more upbeat and eclectic direction than their previous release.

The new album was recorded in Sacramento at Pus Cavern, and is distributed by Morning Wood Records (a small punk rock label based out of the Netherlands), as well as online. Wheel’s Out the Window captured the attention of ska and punk publications around the United States, and the album has also been warmly received in Germany, France and other parts of Europe.

I caught the band’s set at their album release show, and I was struck by their uplifting lyrics, driving drum beats and vibrant horn section. Catchy vocal harmonies give way to epic guitar solos, and intricate instrumental switch-ups will keep you on your toes. The group dances and leaps around the stage while they wail on their instruments, and as a member of the audience it’s hard to stand still.

I had the chance to talk to singer/guitarist Gene Mansour and singer/bassist Sean McCobb about their new album, things they’re looking forward to and the serendipitous way that the band was started.

Photo by Cam Evans

Tell me about your band name. What are you guys at both ends of?
Sean McCobb: Everything.
Gene Mansour: We are at both ends of a whole bunch of things. Like the spectrum of punk.
You know, going from ska to kind of metal at times. At Both Ends is burning the candle at both ends, in my life and in the lives of a lot of the other guys in the band. I have a full-time job and a full-time family, a wife and three kids, and we’re still cramming in the band, organizing tours and living life to the fullest! Life’s too short to not burn the candle at both ends, that’s my perspective on it.
SM: We like to have two very wide perspectives and make them run into each other, so that what we create is different, hopefully, than things before.

How and where did you guys start At Both Ends?
SM: There was this guy named Dan.
GM: Dan initially sent out a Craigslist post asking for a bass player. I liked the idea of why he was forming a band, so I said, “I don’t play bass guitar, but if you need a second guitar, I’ll play with you.” And he got Junior [Onesimo Martinez, Jr.], our drummer, and Sean, who’s a bass-player and trombonist, to come and jam with us. Dan just never turned up after the first practice. We just kept playing. Then we added to the band. Now Jason [Eldred] is playing lead guitar, and George [Brahler] plays with us on trumpet.

Where is everyone from?
SM: We all live in Sacramento right now, but only Jason is actually from Sacramento.
GM: I’m from Australia, Junior is from Orange County, Sean is from Rancho Cucamonga and George is from Kansas.

What was a pivotal experience that made you realize you wanted to play ska music?
SM: I bitched a lot. I just complained until we started playing ska music. That’s how I remember it, I could be wrong.

So At Both Ends didn’t start out as a ska band?
SM: We were supposed to be a straight punk band initially. I don’t know if we were supposed to be anything, but we didn’t play a ska song until probably a couple months in.

Do you have a message in your music? What type of change would you like to see globally, and how do you think your music ties into it?
SM: When At Both Ends started, I wanted to bring freedom, and I’m kind of an anarchist, and I wanted to spread that. But I really eventually saw that spreading happiness was kind of cooler. So that’s where I’m at now. I want to make music that makes people happy and dance.
GM: The vibe of the music is definitely about happiness. From my perspective, a lot of what I write is about people taking initiative for their own life. I don’t like the idea that people have to look for someone else to blame. You need to take initiative for your own life. That’s what a lot of the songs end up being about, when I write them. A lot of the meanings and the words are about that. But as a whole, I think that Sean hits the nail on the head, saying that we want people to have fun. Particularly when they come to see us play live. We want them to have a good time.

What direction does the style of music take, in comparison to what you’ve done before?
GM: The style of the album took us more down the ska avenue. The first EP was very much fast, melodic skate punk, with a little bit of ska thrown in. [For this album] we incorporated more songs that are ska, while still retaining that fast, melodic [punk] undertone throughout the album. I suppose that we became more ska. We brought the trumpet player George into the band before this album, and we added more horns to the mix as well. So that was kind of the direction that we headed down on the album. And I think our songs became a lot more dynamic as well.
SM: Our music [on this new album] is much more technical than on the EP.

Are you working on new music, now that your album is complete?
SM: We got so many songs in the works. I’m making a driving effort [to make it so] that everything I produce is a really spliced version of ska and punk. So, [the songs are] not [structured] like an offbeat verse with a downbeat chorus, but in a single part of the song you’re going to hear both things. We switch back and forth between the upbeat and downbeat.

Photo by Cam Evans

We already touched on this a little bit before … You want to inspire people to take initiative in their own lives, and to go out and make things happen. My next question is this: What type of knowledge do you think people should study in order to facilitate the evolution of our species?
GM: Woah, that’s deep. You do realize that you’re speaking to a bunch of punks right?
SM: I think people should learn how to understand how they impact everything else. You play an infinite role in everything else that goes on in the world, so if you consider that and make small choices every day that are better for everybody, I think that would help our species progress.
GM: My opinion is that people need to look at evolution itself: how the human species progressed from caveman to what we are now, and where we’re at with evolution. I think that evolution itself now has come to point where we’re not evolving. It actually may be a negative evolution. Like Sean said, people are no longer looking at the big picture, they’re only looking at themselves. And if you don’t look at the big picture, you miss out on the important stuff. You need to try to be open-minded, and keep learning about everything. If you don’t, you’ll revert and become a part of the negative evolution. You will not propagate your species.
SM: Also, people need to understand how energy is produced and how food is produced, and how those things are interrelated. It’s important to understand how much energy we’re consuming, not just with the lights that we turn on, but with everything we do. For example, things like soda take so much energy and resources from the world, but soda is really bad for people. Think about how much energy is used to do that, and it doesn’t have a positive result. We waste a lot of resources producing it.

What are you most looking forward to as a band?
GM: Oh, we can’t reveal that just yet. Something in the near future!
SM: [Laughing] Oh man, I almost said it right off the bat!
GM: I know, that’s why I cut you off, Sean! [Laughing] But currently, we’re heading on a mini tour down to Southern California … We get to play with the absolute champion band Lowbrow, and some other bands that are champion bands down there.
SM: Lowbrow is amazing. People should listen
to Lowbrow.
GM: Check them out. Radical music. It’s pretty exciting. But every show … I’m definitely excited for every show we play at. I think it’s an absolute honor and privilege to get out and play music in front of people. And to have at least one person dance, even if it’s Sean … That does something for me.
SM: I’m really excited about making new music. I like the writing process, and we decided to take a break on that for a little bit, so I’m really excited to get back into that. That’s not what I was going to say first [laughing], but that’s an answer.
GM: We will reveal such news soon.

See At Both Ends in Sacramento on Friday, July 7, 2017, at Old Ironsides with The O’Mulligans, Jesus & The Dinosaurs and Captain 9s and the Knickerbocker Trio, and on Saturday, July 8, 2017, at Cafe Colonial with Dan P. and the Bricks, Skasucks and Rebel Radio. Their new album Wheel’s Out the Window is available for download online, or you can order a CD from Morningwoodrecords.com. Stream the album via the Bandcamp player below.

The O’Mulligans formed way back in 2003 (!) with the plan of banging out a few songs at a suburban Sacramento battle of the bands. This month, nearly 15 years later, they’ll release their first full-length album.

“We were listening to a lot of Dropkick Murphys then and wanted to sound like that,” said guitarist and one of the band’s two singers, David Lindsay. “We wrote a couple of songs in that vein and were like, ‘Oh, this sucks. These aren’t good songs.’”

They ditched the Celtic-punk routine right off the bat, and the battle of the bands never even ended up happening. They pivoted toward a more carefree shade of catchy punk rock almost immediately, but never fully resolved their repeated conversations about changing their name along the way.

“None of us are really even Irish,” said Lindsay during a recent phone interview. “It’s like a bad tattoo that we’re kind of stuck with. We just kept the name and started writing some goofy songs.”

The O’Mulligans piddled along as a side project for years, mostly playing friends’ parties, while all three members focused on their “more serious” bands. Things were sporadic until around 2011, when the band’s members started giving the band more attention—playing regularly and recording some demos and EPs, carving out a place in Sacramento’s punk scene.

This month, nearly 15 years after their formation, The O’Mulligans will release their first full-length album, Meh, at a show with The Moans and The Enlows at Café Colonial on Feb. 24, 2017.

“Admittedly Nostalgic”

The same week that The O’Mulligans emailed me an advance copy of Meh, I happened to crack open NOFX’s recently published memoir and I was scheduled to attend Emo Night at The Press Club for another story I was writing. Suffice it to say, it was a week spent dipping into the songs of my teens and early 20s. The new O’Mulligans album tucked itself beautifully into that week (closer to the NOFX than the emo), because it nods so deliberately to the past, sonically and in the lyrics, which are heavy on cultural references, both smart and playful.

There’s plenty to laugh at on the album, but The O’Mulligans aren’t the Bloodhound Gang or anything. They’re not a stand-up act.

“Contemporary music is seriously lacking in humor, but I don’t want to be thought of as a joke band,” said bassist and other vocalist, Jeff Florence. “I want to be a good band that just happens to make good jokes.”

The O’Mulligans tilt more toward the Offspring/NOFX/Vandals attitude in that they are clearly down to fuck around and are not hung up on taking themselves too seriously, but that doesn’t mean all they’ve got are jokes. Take that attitude and spike it with a heavy dose of early Green Day and you’re starting to get a feel for what the The O’Mulligans offer up on Meh.

“This album is a conscious throwback,” said Florence, describing not only the music, but the whole experience of the disc. “Have you ever shelled out hard-earned dough for a bare bones CD that sounded like it was recorded on a phone? I feel this CD is an accurate representation of us from the killer sound quality to the popping visuals. I hope anybody who digs our music will appreciate our admittedly nostalgic compact disc.”

The album’s artwork, by local artist Mark Stivers, is a bright and beautiful piece of pop art featuring the face of a blonde woman with popping red lipstick. The band’s name is slapped across the top in large comic book lettering. The cover is an absolute attention grabber, which is why its title, featured on the cover in the form of a white talk bubble from the woman’s mouth, is an anticlimactic beauty: Meh.

The album was recorded and mixed by Pat Hills at Earth Tone Sacramento. The bulk of the 14 tracks have been written and performed in their live shows for the last few years, but they needed to save up some money and set aside the time before pinning them down alongside one another.

“It just felt like time,” said Lindsay. “We had more than enough songs for an album, but it was mostly a financial thing. Fortunately for us, Patrick at Earth Tone is fucking killing it. He’s offering good services at an affordable price.”

The O’Mulligans have played together for nearly half of their lives. With Meh, they will have their first full-length under their belt.

“This band started out as a joke, and it still is a joke that makes us very proud,” said drummer Michael Luna. “This album is funny and we need some laughter right now, and what better way to do that than to throw in a couple of dick jokes?”

Take Me Back to 1994

The song “DJs” is a five-minute lament on the current state of radio music. The song makes a specific reference to 1994, which is the year Lindsay got his first CD—The Offspring’s Smash. He was 8 years old and had to share it wish his sister. She kept the CD, and they used that to make him a copy on tape. A year later he bought his first CD of his own—Green Day’s Insomniac. You can draw a direct through-line from those albums to what The O’Mulligans are making now, and as someone who grew up on that exact same music, it’s a treat.

The song “Your Pathetic Band,” a favorite of mine on the album, is built entirely of Star Wars lines, with the two singers trading verses—Florence singing from Luke’s perspective and Lindsay as the Emperor. “T.G.I.F” commits to its theme just as admirably, only this time it’s a rapid-fire run through Full House, Family Matters and the rest of the shows you spent your childhood watching. Some other standouts for me are the abrasive “Textual Criticism” and the catchy “Song in My Head”—neither of which are joke songs.

The band is a staple in the Sacramento punk scene whose hub is Café Colonial, where they’ll host their release party. (Lindsay even has a burger named after him on their menu.) The release party will feature two of their favorite local bands, The Enlows and The Moans—the latter of which which features Danny Secretion, whom the band considers a mentor.

“I expect and hope to be surrounded by friends and family,” said Luna. “The local punk scene is our family and if they were the only ones to show up, I would be happy. A few people from other bands have messaged us or told us they were looking forward to the album and that has meant a lot to me.”

I reached out to Danny Secretion for comment. “The O’Mulligans (Davey, Mike, and that other guy) are men of honor and conviction,” he said. “They are true professionals who fly the banner of local punk rock with pride. Most of all, I can’t get that fucking pizza song of theirs out of my goddamn head!”

Hear that pizza song yourself at the The O’Mulligan’s CD release show for Meh on Friday, Feb. 24 at Café Colonial. The show, which also features The Moans and The Enlows, starts at 8 p.m. and the cover is $5. Find out more at Facebook.com/theomulligans.

Auditory adventures await, if you so choose. Every year experimental musicians from all over the nation (and even the world!) descend upon Sacramento for the annual Norcal Noisefest. Sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, often weird, Noisefest is not for the faint of heart. If you consider yourself an adventurous consumer of music and art, consider hitting up Luna’s Cafe on Sept. 30 or Cafe Colonial on Oct. 1 and 2 to partake in the 20th annual celebration of “sound art.” Groups like Uberkunst, Instagon, Big City Orchestra, Liver Cancer, Dental Work, Lords of Outland, Xome and so many others are eager to expand your mind. Tickets are just $10 per day, all ages are welcome and weekend passes are available at Norcalnoisefest.com, where you will also find a plethora of information on this year’s events, as well as a history of the festival and recordings from past shows. This year there are even two satellite shows, Sept. 29 at The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, and Oct. 3 back at Luna’s for a post-fest decompression gig. The all too common verse/chorus/verse song structure can be damned, and the “millennial whoop” can go to straight to hell, because the Norcal Noisefest is back to remind us that music can and should be off-center, avant-garde and interesting. Long live the noise!

The second annual Sac Ladyfest is just around the corner, set for July 15–16 at Cafe Colonial, located at 3520 Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento. Ladyfests are annual non-profit events that take place all around the world. Organized mostly by women, they usually feature live bands, lecturers, spoken word, art and more. Sacramento’s very own grassroots version of Ladyfest launched last year to rave reviews, and organizers are excited to bring it back this summer. The two-day event will feature well over a dozen bands, many of them local, with quite a few touring in from out of town as well. Friday, July 15 performers include Chico’s Pink Bandana, Grass Valley’s Slutzville, Oakland’s Introflirt, plus locals Lights and Sirens, Spacewalker, Ghostplay, Apri Foolzz and Katmonkeys. Then on Saturday, July 16, you’ll get heavy doses of rad tunes from Australia’s Divide and Dissolve, San Francisco bands Queen Crescent and Quaaludes, Los Angeles groups Period Bomb and Trap Girl, plus locals Destroy Boys, The Bottom Feeders, Ani Maul and (Waning). It’s just $22 for a two-day pass, or $12 for individual days. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. each night and all ages are welcome. A portion of proceeds will go to Wind Youth Services, Sacramento’s only homeless youth center. Visit Sacladyfest.com or Facebook.com/sacladyfest to learn more and to hear a mixtape of Sac Ladyfest artists.

The Secretions are explicit in their support of the local punk scene, and front-and-center to that support has been an openness to the bands that have come up in their wake—many of which feature members who weren’t even born when The Secretions formed in the early ‘90s.

They are a firmly lodged staple in the Sacramento music scene, and their impact can be felt at venues all across the city on any given night. As you’ll see, those bands cherish The Secretions, not only as musicians, but as humans.

The Secretions will be celebrating their 25th anniversary on July 9 starting at 6 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre on Stockton Boulevard. There is a $10–$20 sliding-scale donation and all proceeds will go to the Pit Bull Socialization and Obedience Crew in Sacramento.

I reached out to some locals who have been close to The Secretions over the years to get a feel for the band’s influence. I’ve stitched together those stories (which run the gamut from hilarious to heartwarming) below, with some thoughts and memories from the band’s drummer, Danny Secretion, weaved in.

Photo by Kevin Fiscus

David Lindsay, guitarist for The O’Mulligans
I first saw them perform at their 10-year anniversary show at Capitol Garage when I was 15. I knew that playing music with my friends was all I wanted to do. It’s still all I want to do. 

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have my own band share the stage with Danny, Mickie [Rat, bass/vocals] and Paul [Filthy, guitar] numerous times and am lucky to have them as my peers, even though I still consider them my personal rock ‘n’ roll heroes. I’m almost 30 now, and I’m pretty sure I play it off quite cool in front of them, but I’m still a huge fan and I still aspire to be like them. The Secretions are one of the greatest bands to come out of Sacramento, and I can’t wait to see them continue for hopefully another 25 years. To this day, I know that they secrete and I suck.

Danny Secretion on how things have changed:
Twenty-five years ago, we knew all the other punk bands that were playing in Sacramento. Now, so many more young people are playing. Some bands have people that aren’t even in high school. That’s so cool. They’re out there playing and booking shows. Juniors in high school are asking us for advice on touring.

Jordan Stephen, vocalist/guitarist for Shot Trip (formerly Pilgrim)
Last summer, our good friends Simpl3Jack booked their “final” show at Cafe Colonial and asked my band and The Secretions to be a part of it. When they got on stage, The Secretions ripped through the entirety of the Ramones’ second album, Leave Home, as a tribute to Simpl3Jack heading off to college (even going so far as to replace the “Gabba Gabba Hey!” with a chant of “Simple Simple Jack!).

To see a band that had been around since before I was born humbly, and sometimes hilariously, trudge through an album of songs they had just learned to pay tribute to a couple of kids was amazing and completely inspiring. Without Danny and The Secretions, I might not have a place in any of the Sac music scene, but luckily, I do. And I’m eternally grateful that I do.

Danny Secretion on booking bands from tours past:
The 25th Anniversary show is going to be a show that you’re never going to see again. The Community and The Secretions are the only bands that play regularly. I don’t know if Final Summation or Social Concern are ever going to play again. Last time Ashtray played was two years ago.

Trying to get [some bands] back together can be like opening old wounds among the band members. Maybe there’s a reason they broke up.

All these feelings are going to come to the forefront. Me being a big crybaby, I’m probably going to be bawling the whole night, but in a good way. We want to celebrate this great trip that music has taken us on.

Liz Salmi, drummer for Luckie Strike (1997–2001)
One of my favorite things about hanging out with and being on tour with The Secretions is that no one in the band had a bad attitude. All of the people in my band self-identified as being a bunch of nerds, and The Secretions were always nice to us and fun to be with.

To save space on tour, Luckie Strike and The Secretions shared gear. As drummers, Danny Secretion and I shared a drum set. He sang in his band, and I didn’t. However, if The Secretions performed before us, Danny’s microphone would sometimes be left next to the drum set. Having a microphone is a rare treat for a drummer, and I always felt empowered to say things into the microphone during a show … If Danny could do it, I could too, and no one could stop me.

Charles Albright, guitarist for RAD
I was at Rio Americano High School when The Secretions played there in spring of ‘98. They set up and began to play. A crowd of jocks in the distance started lobbing insults and rocks. Danny said, “Shouldn’t you guys be at football practice?”

More insults, more rocks. They went into a song and Mickie yells, “Sorry we don’t sound like NOFX, motherfuckers!” Pretty soon an administrator appeared, pulled the plug and they were escorted off campus by police. One of the punkest things I have ever seen.

Danny Secretion on the story you just read:
That’s all true. We took the afternoon off work to go do that, and got kicked off of a high school. Bands that played the next two years had to sign a contract saying they didn’t know us.

Brian Faucett (aka Brian Hanover), owner of Revolution Ink and vocalist/guitarist for Hanover Saints
You’d think after 25 years there would be nothing left to Secrete with these guys, but you’d be wrong.

Rachel Hanna, singer for The Bar Fly Effect
I got to get up on stage with The Secretions at Danny’s birthday bash in like 2013. It was a Ramones themed show, and he personally asked me if I’d sing a song with them. The guys are so much fun and so accepting and loving of everyone in the scene, I can’t imagine life without knowing them. 

Sophia Flores, singer for Crude Studs
Around 2000–2003, most punk bands in Sacramento were fairly aggressive and politicized, or at least the bands I tended to follow. I wouldn’t go on to see them much until around 2006–2007, when I ran shows at the Javalounge on 16th Street.

These interactions, as well as the cooperative booking endeavors I would work on with them at The Hub, and later at Cafe Colonial, are really what showed me what these folks were made of. They strove to create opportunities for younger bands to gain experience, network and most importantly, play in a safe space. They were, and continue to be, the gateway drug to punk in Sacramento.

Danny Secretion on the annual Fuck Cancer shows:
Prior to my father’s death I was raising money for The American Cancer Society. When I lost my father to cancer, I pursued it more aggressively. I’m exhausted after those shows, but I go to bed with a smile on my soul. They’re therapeutic. I don’t want to just say, “Oh, cancer is bad.” I want to say “Fuck Cancer.” I’ve got anger in that.

Dal Basi, owner of Phono Select Records
The Secretions were one of the earliest bands I became friends with after moving to Sacramento in the early ‘90s. They blew me away with their limitless energy and buzz-saw rock ‘n’ roll, Ramones-inspired punk-roll blitzkrieg. To this day they continue to rock like a punk rock ‘n’ roll juggernaut. Every time I see them live I leave with a smile on my face. How many bands have stayed continuously good after 20-plus years?

What they do for local music deserves our respect. So, members past and present, thanks for the years of great memories, friendship and most of all, the rock ‘n’ roll!

Danny Secretion on the band’s “mentorship role”:
We can’t take any credit. If bands come to me for advice, I’m always willing to give it. The thing about being in this scene for so long is you see the people when they’re 14. A lot these kids’ first shows were Secretions shows because they felt safe and went on and developed their own bands. If we meant a lot to them, we succeeded.

Jordan Wolfe, bassist for Final Summation
The Secretions took us under their wing very early on and really became like big brothers. We could go to them for advice on how to play out-of-town shows and how to get merch made, but even how to handle life-changing events of the good and bad variety. They were also there for advice on life changing in general and how to handle it in a positive way. When our guitarist at the time, John Powell, sadly decided to take his life at 19, Danny and Mickie were the first two people at my house to make sure Bear [Williams, guitar] and I were OK. 

I’ve come to find that a lot of kids who gravitate to punk rock (the ones who don’t have a close friend or relative to hold their hand) are kids who think they are weird, or nerds, or get bullied … whatever. Outcasts of various degrees.

Once in the scene and going to shows, sometimes the same level of bullying from the “normal” world looms its ugly head and can make an already rejected person feel even more rejected. A band like The Secretions mean what they say and make it OK to be who you are, no matter how weird. Oh, you like wrestling and punk rock and horror movies but you also have a secret fascination with eating at every In-n-Out Burger in America? Cool, come out to a show and make some new friends so you have someone to go with you next time. THAT is what a Secretions show is like.

Anger and attitude and violence all have their place in punk rock, but the lovable geeky punks like Joey Ramone or a young Billie Joe Armstrong carve out an area for the not-so-angry, but still displaced. You’ll find songs to circle-pit to, songs to mosh to, songs to pogo to, songs to sing along with, songs to simply stand there and bob your head to, ALL at a Secretions show. There is literally something for everyone looking to have a good time. 

They were inspired by bands like The Ramones and The Misfits, both of whom have spawned generations of bands, and I think that helps build a bridge in seeing how they did the same thing.

I know people as young as 12 and as old as 70 that know who The Secretions are. I know people in countries all over the world who know who The Secretions are. That’s insane! But it’s extremely easy to understand. They take what they do seriously, but they don’t take themselves seriously. They are confident in who they are or have come to be, but they keep any amount of shitty ego in check. They have always been humble and happy to help any up-and-coming punk band, so long as a mutual respect was upheld, which isn’t too much to ask.

They write funny songs, but involve themselves with serious causes. They always seem to find a perfect balance in making something ugly beautiful, or something sad funny in a needed way. I owe them a great deal of thanks and still, after almost 20 years, I feel incapable of finding the right way to say thank you.

I hope they know it [has] all meant something, and it [has] never been taken for granted. There are stories, rumors, legacies, lore and so on, which is why they whave such a staying power, and we as a scene and a city are lucky to have them. 

Celebrate 25 years of local punk rock at The Secretions 25th Anniversary Extravaganza July 9, 2016 at the Colonial Theater, located at 3522 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento. The all-ages show is a benefit for Pit Bull Socialization and Obedience Crew, with a $10–$20 sliding-scale donation at the door. The 6 p.m. show also features a stellar line-up of bands past and present, including Final Summation, Ashtray, The Community, Social Concern and Speeding In The Rain as well as DJ sets between bands by Rob Fatal. Find out more at Facebook.com/secretions

Sacramento’s own local quartet Sonder—Chance Taylor (vocals and guitar), Jimmy Haddan (rhythm guitar and vocals), Linda Walker (bass and bird sounds), Spence Haddan (drums)—describe their music as “Acoustic Folk Ska Punk” on their Facebook page. And while the pairing of such disparate musical styles and genres would normally make for a nauseating listen, the band’s musical output would suggest otherwise. This special Friday show will be a celebration of sorts for the band’s aptly titled Unfamiliar Phases EP. For less than the price of a crappy value meal at McDonald’s, you can satisfy your musical palete with music from Killah Wail (surf punk from Modesto), Utmärkt, and Ricky! (from New Orleans’ own Name Calling). The all-ages event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and continues until the last Volvo-driving soccer mom or dad picks up their punker teen. For those who’ve never been to a show at the tiny Cafe Colonial, do make sure you park your car in the gated adjacent lot. Parking on the street can result in possible car break-ins, random tires missing, and more. With all the money you save parking in the right spot, you can surely afford to buy some food at the cafe and a few merch items (yes, they will have buttons and stickers). Like Sonder at Facebook.com/sonderfolkpunk, where you can also RSVP to the show and impress your friends (yet again).

Take a little of the atmospheric and frenetic guitar work of Minus the Bear, the throaty-yet-melodic vocals of Hot Water Music, add a super tight rhythm section, and you’re somewhere in the ballpark of what Yuba City-based indie/punk/rock band VVomen is doing (pronounced like “Women” with a “W”). The group, consisting of Kyle Hansen (guitar), Allan Leri (drums), Paul Collier (bass) and Kyle Kaylor (vocals), first came together in 2012 and they have since dropped an impressive debut EP called Naked (released in late 2013). They’ve played a slew of regional shows, sharing the stage with some amazing like-minded bands like San Francisco’s Heartsounds, Chico’s The Americas, Yosemite Valley’s From Indian Lakes and many others. VVomen is now ready to release their newest EP titled Hangin’ Out Being… this Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, at Cafe Colonial. “The new recording is a lot more cohesive and represents the band as a unit,” Hansen recently told Submerge. “The first group of songs we made on Naked were full of guitar riffs I’d accumulated during the time I’d locked myself away from my friends and decided to start college. The new recording feels a lot more natural.” Hangin’ Out Being… is four tracks, clocks in at around 17 minutes and was recorded with Stephen Hines at The Wormhole in Fairfield, then mastered at The Atomic Garden by Jack Shirley. The VVomen boys were nice enough to let Submerge hear the new EP and it’s a superb extension of the tracks on Naked, giving the group plenty of solid material to pull from for their live shows this year and hopefully well beyond. The Feb. 8 show is not-to-be-missed, though, as it includes touring bands You Blew It!, Tiny Moving Parts and Rozwell Kid along with Yuba City’s Brave Season. You’ll want to get there early, not only to make sure to catch the first couple bands, but because it’s likely to sell out at such an intimate spot like Cafe Colonial (for reference, this same You Blew It! tour is hitting such venues as Bottom of the Hill and Chain Reaction before coming to Sac!). Show kicks off at 7 p.m. and it’s $10 at the door, all ages are welcome, address is 3520 Stockton Blvd. For more information on VVomen, visit Facebook.com/abandcalledvvomen or Vvomenband.bandcamp.com

(waning) taps into Northern California folklore on their latest album The Funeral Mountains

A canopy of branches and leaves rustle softly; they whisper, almost in cadence, with the squeaks and chirps of Mother Nature’s most cherished creatures. Beyond these sounds, found deep within the sacred forest of the eastern Sierra Nevadas, dwells one woman with mystical powers and abilities. She belongs to an elder sisterhood of 4,000-year-old trees and possesses the gift to transform from human to the form of her ancient sisters—a shape-shifter. Sometime in the 1800s, one silver miner met eyes with this mysterious woman and was promised wealth and wisdom, but at a price. The miner, although enticed by the woman’s proposition, was unaware of the ulterior motives at large, wealth and wisdom for the lifelong promise to live alongside the woman as a tree forever. The choice was ultimately his and the story further unfolds within the latest, six-track album, The Funeral Mountains, from psychedelic doom metal band (waning).

Buriedinhell Records, based in Sacramento and operated by Kenneth Hoffman of local grind and punk bands like Knifethruhead and Cura Cochino, released (waning)’s first concept album in early January. The main idea behind The Funeral Mountains was not only inspired by native myths, California history and fairy tales, but sprung straight from the childhood dreams of keyboardist/vocalist Susan Hunt.

“One of the first things I can remember is having a dream that I was turning into a tree,” Hunt says over a pint at the Hideaway Bar and Grill. “I still remember that dream and it’s been a while. It was frightening.”

Frightening enough to inspire an album full of the band’s signature ambient tones and psychedelic spells, all compressed with an auditory heaviness arranged with the intent to inspire mood within a room full of listeners.

“Mood is really what dictates a lot of our music,” vocalist/guitarist Jim Willig explains. “We used to call ourselves doom a lot, and we do have a lot of slow songs, but the psychedelic or ambient element of the music is pervasive. There’s always been a hazy, trippy sort of vibe that we have cultivated, but we try and maintain the mood.”

Conceptualized in 2007, (waning) emerged when Willig nudged a reluctant Hunt to jump on a neglected keyboard she owned since youth. Hunt, with no formal training, was eventually convinced by Willig to give keys a chance in the form of “textural, weird sounds” with him on guitar at a noise fest in Eugene, Ore. As years progressed, so did the band’s song structures and a need to add more depth and opportunity for endless musical possibilities with the addition of percussion and bass guitar.

“I was not confident enough to play with real musicians because I’m not studied and I just sort of learned by the seat of my pants,” Hunt admits. “Then Jim bugged me into doing it. It’s taken a long time to gain some confidence and sort of move beyond that to contribute to a full band and challenge myself more.”

Now comfortable with her black and white keys, Hunt says the band is better than when it started and credits bassist/vocalist Ian Black and drummer Benjamin Carpineta. Black, a fan of (waning) before talks of joining surfaced during a Portishead concert, admits the slower, long-form style (waning) is known for was unlike any genre he’s ever experienced.

“Pretty much everything I’ve ever done before has been really up tempo, fast and aggressive,” Black says. “I was in an industrial band for 11 years and before that, I was in a couple punk bands [and] an ’80s-style hair metal band when I was 17.”

He adds, “This band’s music has always been really intense and powerful with a lot of beautiful aspects. It all works together and I haven’t been a part of any other band that has given me the same kind of feeling.”

In fact, feelings, moods and emotions are all sensations (waning) attempts to ignite during its live performances, which is what initially sparked the model for the band.

“I’ve wanted a band where if people close their eyes they don’t imagine people playing instruments, they imagine something else,” Willig says. “That’s why I talk about mood a lot and vastness. Transporting, that’s what we want to do.”

Sacramento loves noise—proven with an 18-season running event in the annual Norcal Noisefest. A mecca for all doom, noise, trance and experimentation, Noisefest hosts a mixed bag of genres, ranging from the more raucous sounds from bands such as Liver Cancer, to the more doom-oriented sounds (waning) emitted in 2007. Ultimately, the noise scene is where (waning) found its home—an odd and at times, raucous environment that allowed the band to express its creativity and gain inspiration for new techniques amid like-minded musicians.

“I’d say when we first started out we were really involved with the noise scene. Now, we’re primarily a part of the metal scene, which is almost an outgrowth of the punk or crust mentality. So, a lot of house shows, a bit more underground with a lot of people in their 30s and 40s,” Willig explains of the band’s new audience.

(waning), a band for the aged crusty at heart, who traded anarcho-punk for the contemporary doom metal scene.

Visit Waning.bandcamp.com to listen to their new album, The Funeral Mountains, and catch a live performance on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at the Café Colonial (3520 Stockton Boulevard) with The Body, Amarok and Plague Widow. The show starts at 8 p.m. and costs $10.

Two of Sacramento’s most prominent musicians are joining forces for a weekly songwriter’s showcase at Cafe Colonial, a new-ish all-ages venue located next to the Colonial Theatre on Stockton Boulevard. The Tune-Up started at Kevin Seconds’ long-defunct True Love Coffeehouse many years ago and has been resurrected a number of times since at various venues. This time around, Seconds will co-host with David Houston weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. starting on Dec. 18, 2013 (note: there will be no show the following week on Christmas, obviously). There will be no cover charge to attend the Tune-Up, so if you can, bring a little cash for food, drinks and if you feel so inclined to tip the songwriters. Each week, Seconds and Houston will host, alongside special guests like Tom Hutchison of the Knockoffs (Dec. 18), Dr. Velocity (Jan. 1, 2014), Warren Bishop (Jan. 8, 2014), Autumn Sky (Jan. 15, 2014) and Jackson Griffith (Jan. 22, 2014). Check out Facebook.com/tuneupsacramento to keep an eye out for upcoming guest performers.