Tag Archives: Citrus Heights

The Circle of Laughs: Comedian and Actor Brian Posehn Returns to His Sacramento Stand-Up Roots

Six months before Brian Posehn turned 21, he rang Laughs Unlimited in Old Sacramento to ask how he should go about getting into stand-up comedy. They told him he needed to be of drinking age, so he spent the next half-year preparing a five-minute set. They suggested the open mic at the old Metro Bar and Grill next to The Crest.

“The week I turned 21 I went on stage my first time and completely destroyed,” Posehn told Submerge during a recent phone interview. “And then I went on the week after at the same open mic and tried all new material. I ate it so hard, but still loved it.”

Those Sacramento open mics laid the first bricks on a path toward a sprawling career that led Posehn at first to San Francisco and later to Los Angeles. If you don’t know him by name, it’s likely you recognize him, whether it be from The Sarah Silverman Program, Rob Zombie’s horror movies or one of the dozens of sitcoms and shows he’s guested on.

Posehn was raised in Sonoma, but moved to Sacramento when he was 17 to attend American River College and live with his grandpa. The initial plan was to become a rock journalist or a DJ, but his foray into stand-up comedy rerouted that course.

He’s written and acted for dozens of shows and movies, recorded comedy albums, written comic books, hosts a podcast and is currently authoring a book about his life and career.

On Jan. 5–7, he’ll circle back to Sacramento for a string of shows at the Punch Line.

“I usually wind up seeing people I haven’t seen in 20 years,” he said of the homecoming. “There are people I worked with at the Tower Records up in Citrus Heights that still live up here and I’ll hang out with some of those dudes.”

Posehn has also stacked the shows with some of his favorite locals, including Ngaio Bealum, a local comedian who writes a popular weed column for Sacramento News & Review and is active in the marijuana-legalization movement.

When did the stand-up comedy segue into an acting career? 
In ‘94 I moved to L.A. with the intention of getting writing jobs. I didn’t move there to act at all. I wanted to write sketch comedy and late night stuff. It must be so frustrating to anybody who wants to act, but I just happened to do a set in L.A. and a casting woman saw me and brought me in the very next day to audition for my first sitcom and I got it. It was a show called Empty Nest that’s gone forever. That was the first thing I did and it was such a fluke.

When you got on board with Mr. Show, could you tell it was something special? 
Absolutely. I knew David Cross first through San Francisco because he was coming up to the city a lot. Through David I met Bob [Odenkirk]. They were just writing these hilarious sketches and they’d go and perform them at night. By the time it turned into Mr. Show, I was such a fan of those two guys. The first four episodes of season one I acted in, but they wrote all of those by themselves. By the time I was hired as a writer I already knew it was going to be the ‘90s generation’s SCTV.

You were in episodes of Friends and Seinfeld. Which show is better? 
Which one did I have a better experience with or which one makes me laugh? Well, actually, it would be the same! I had a better experience with Seinfeld—and the show is better. That said, I was happy to be a part of Friends and it did help at the time and got me other work. Just my sensibility was more Seinfeld made me laugh and still does. 

When did the love for metal music start?
KISS was the first band that I obsessed over. I wasn’t just a casual fan of anything. Whether it’s movies or music or comic books. I would just get into something and completely obsess over it. In the late ‘70s I got into Van Halen and Black Sabbath and AC/DC and all of that stuff. I just sought out heavier and heavier music, and then in the early ‘80s, by the time I was in high school, bands like Iron Maiden and thrash metal was starting. I went from Iron Maiden to Metallica and here I am as a 50-year-old man still into the same music I’ve liked since I was a kid. 

What album did you latch onto early that’s still just as strong?
Oh, there are a lot of them. If I had to pick, it’d probably Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast and then Metallica’s Ride the Lighting. Those are the ones I loved the most. 

How did the Rob Zombie connection happen? 
I’ve known Chris Hardwick since he was like 19 I think. I met him at UCLA for a comic book thing. He was in the first Rob Zombie movie House of a Thousand Corpses and I was a little jealous so I said to Chris, “How the fuck?” He said, “Oh I know Rob. He’s a cool guy. You should meet him.” I was like, “All right! Let’s make that happen.” I went to a party at Rob’s and talked to him and he said, “You’re really funny on Everybody Loves Raymond,” and I’m like, “Rob Zombie watches Everybody Loves Raymond?” That was kind of funny to me. Something about picturing him in those boots just sitting around watching Raymond. 

Through that we became friends and then he wrote me into The Devil’s Rejects. He asked, “Do you want to be a roadie and you get shot in the face?” I’m like, “Yeah man. Whatever you want me to do.” I was there for five days. I acted two days, got shot the third day and played dead the next two. It was a fun experience. 10 years later it’s still one of those things I’m most recognized for, among that group of horror fans and metalheads. 

You performed at the Insane Clown Posse’s Gathering of the Juggalos. How was that?
I was working at Metalocalypse with a good buddy of mine, Brendon Small, the head writer of the show, and I got a text from my agent asking if I’ve ever heard of the Gathering of the Juggalos. I’m like, “Yeah, yeah I have.” He told me what the money was and I walked back into the writing room and said to Brendon, “Dude, I just got asked to do the Gathering of the Juggalos and the money is this.” He goes, “You gotta do it!” I probably would have done it for one-third of the money just for the experience. 
It was crazy. Performing at four in the morning in a field out in the middle of nowhere to people wearing face paint and baggy clothing. There was blood on the stage because they had backyard wrestling before. We were being taken around in a golf cart by a clown. I think his name was Fartso the Clown or Yukko the Clown. You’d think it would have stuck with me.

Why do you keep your Twitter feed private? 
I don’t go on there to share jokes with people because I got kind of burnt out on the whole thing. Sorry to get negative, but that’s just how I feel at this point. I feel like it’s important to advertise myself, but other than that I kind of hate what a time suck it is.

You’re a comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and more, while also closely associated with metal, nerd culture and horror movies. What drives you to so many pursuits and passions? 
I’m super lucky that I’ve been able to carve a career out of doing all of these things that I love. There’s not one thing I do that I don’t want to do. I have fun at all of it—voiceovers, writing coming books, being in horror films, telling fart jokes into a microphone. Not that I just tell fart jokes, though. I never went “Hey I’m going to move to L.A. and do 20 different things.” I just moved here to make a living and that’s the way I still look at it.

Catch Brian Posehn live Jan. 5–7, 2017, at Punch Line Sacramento, located at 2100 Arden Way. Shows start at 8 p.m. all three nights, with additional 10 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday. For tickets and more info check out Punchlinesac.com

**This interview first appeared in print in issue #229 (December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017).

Home Sweet Home

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Andy Allo
Concerts in the Park, Cesar Chavez Plaza, Sacramento
Friday, June 20, 2014

In this era of music when so many genres are constantly being mixed and mashed, and then remixed and re-mashed, it’s refreshing to hear a throwback artist every now and then who embodies a pure, timeless sound without all the distracting fluff and noise prevalent in today’s mainstream.

Sacramento fortunately has such an artist to call its own: the afro-rocking Prince protégé Andy Allo who is one-part funk, one-part acoustic, but all soul.

Raised in Citrus Heights and attending college-prep schools near the Arden-Arcade area through her teenage years, Allo got her start by forming a band in town called Andy Allo and the Traffic Jam and eventually played a solo gig at an open mic at Fox and Goose on R Street.

Since then her career has been spiraling upward after putting out two independent albums, making appearances on talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Day Sacramento, and touring with Prince’s band, The New Power Generation, as one of his singers and guitarists. Allo collaborated on a few songs with the pop icon as well, some of which appear on her second album Superconductor, released in 2012.

The co-produced album by Prince, prompted a European tour with an extra stop in Japan—a trip Allo just got back from the day before her recent arrival to Sacramento.

Allo came home Friday, June 20, 2014, to headline a live show as part of Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Concerts in the Park 2014 season—a series of free weekly concerts of local bands and musicians held annually from early May to late July at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Three bands opened for Allo with DJ Sam I Jam spinning records in between performances.

The other bands included the Delta City Ramblers, the Harbor and Contra, who each brought eclectic elements to the table—and subsequently to the show as a whole—according to Play Big Sacramento booking committee member Danny Secretion.

Allo said she tries to come back to Sacramento as often as she can for her hometown fans, having just been in the area in November for an acoustic show at Assembly Music Hall on K Street.

“I’ve been traveling a lot,” she says. “But yeah when I have downtime, I try to get shows like this and come back and show some love. This is where it all started.”

After about five or six songs in, Contra’s set came to an end with a respectful applause from the audience who were dispersed throughout the plaza. Once Allo was announced to come on next, however, a modest wave of people migrated to the front, making the area a bit more congested than it had been for Contra.

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While the three opening acts were comprised of four to six members at a time, Allo pieced a smaller band together—one drummer playing bongos and a bass drum, and one electric guitarist—for a much more scaled-down, intimate show.

She took center stage with her acoustic guitar in one hand and gripped the microphone with the other, receiving a warm welcome from the crowd as she introduced herself in a brief prologue to her set.

Then, she dove head-first right into the music.

Opening with the short but catchy interlude “Sometimes” from her first album UnFresh, Allo immediately had the crowd’s attention as she glided on the bouncy rhythm with her sweet, gentle voice.

She followed up with “When Stars Collide,” a song similar in tone and energy, but coming off her second album Superconductor. During the bridge, Allo weaved in the hook from Drakes’ “Hold on We’re Going Home” perfectly to fit her melody and then transitioned right back into her original lyrics without missing a beat.

The rest of the show pretty much followed that format the rest of the way, jumping from album to album with a couple of Bob Marley and Doobie Brothers covers in between. Her set consisted of tracks such as “I Want Love,” “If I Was King,”“Hooked,” “People Pleaser” and perhaps her biggest hit, “Yellow Gold.”

Allo consistently demonstrated her showmanship onstage with callbacks, clap-alongs, and even some prewritten/freestyle bars sprinkled into some of the more boom-bap songs, like “I Want Love” and “Hooked.”

Although Allo’s set was super up-close-and personal, which I loved, I couldn’t help but feel she didn’t do some of her bigger songs justice with such a small band.

The album versions of “Yellow Gold” and “People Pleaser” sound rich in production with a variety of instruments bringing these tracks completely to life. The live versions that night, while still good, were lacking the extra punch from the album—almost like they were stripped of their full musical power.

At the end of the day though, her performances made for a solid, all-around feel good show, and you could tell the audience was vibing with the ever-graceful Allo every step of the way.

Ms. Allo left the stage around a quarter to 9 p.m. to a very pleased crowd who sent her off with a long round of applause.

People began to disperse from Cesar Chavez Plaza shortly after and seemed glad to have caught a free glimpse of the soulful Sacramento native right before her career truly takes off to a whole new level.

Adapt or Die, Zac Diebels is Z ROKK

Despite his mostly rock-based background, Zac Diebels aka Z Rokk is making big moves as an electronic artist

On a quiet and cold Tuesday night, students are coming and going from their lessons at Rock Inc., a music school and recording studio with approximately 150 students in Citrus Heights founded by Zac Diebels, better known to many as Z Rokk. Submerge is sitting down with Z Rokk to talk about his new electronic-based album Th Btchrs Bll, but we quickly sidetrack and start to rap about his past. At age 15, when most of us were getting jobs at McDonald’s or the local bowling alley, Diebels took out a loan from his father and purchased DJ gear and enough music to start playing corporate parties, weddings, you name it, as long as it was a paying gig (he eventually paid his father back every cent).

By his early twenties his rock band Simon Says was signed to a major label and touring the world playing alongside groups such as Kid Rock, Deftones and Filter. He’s worked with mega-producers like Rob Cavallo (who produced all but one of Green Day’s albums along with countless other huge bands) and Mark Needham (who has mixed albums and singles for everyone from The Killers to Lindsey Buckingham). He’s had, and continues to have, his music placed on TV shows like Jersey Shore and Project Runway among many others.

He has truly lived what many of us would consider “the rockstar life,” making music his job every step of the way. These days at Rock Inc. he teaches guitar, bass, drums, vocals, even audio engineering and offers producing and mixing for artists. If you can consider it a “day gig,” that’s it, but by night you can usually find him DJing local clubs, remixing songs on-the-fly and generally rocking the party. Check out this excerpt from our interview with the talented multi-instrumentalist to learn more about his upcoming record and what makes him different from a “drag and drop DJ.”

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Producing and writing for other artists seems to be something you enjoy and have been keeping busy with lately. Have you always had a knack for helping other artists hone their talents?
Yeah absolutely. What you see now, there are guys like myself that are DJs, producers, writers, they play tons of instruments. They’re not just DJs or just whatever. You’re a go-to tool. Usually a lot of these guys have studios of their own and they’re able to do a lot of things. And for a manager, label, PR firm or an artist, it’s helpful to be able to hire a guy, one person, that can do a lot of these things really well rather than hiring a full team. But you don’t want to become a jack of all trades and a master of nothing, so I think because of my experience working with big producers and big artists, I have the experience of knowing how these guys make records. Now I can transpose that experience to your record.

What sort of projects are you working on now as far as producing and engineering goes?
Working with Jonny Craig a lot. Overwatch, I helped develop them. A lot of stuff for Diamond Dez. A lot of hip-hop stuff. I just got some syncs and licenses with Fox Clothing, Quiksilver and Roxy. A lot of publishing stuff. I do a lot of music for MTV shows, I’ve had so many songs on like Jersey Shore, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Project Runway, things like that. These days I’m concentrating more on duos or solo artists. I just like it. I feel like in a band setting I usually end up working with one or two guys anyway. I love doing remixes. I’m getting a little tired of the traditional rock band. Rock Inc. has been a godsend because I don’t have to do the studio to pay my bills. I only do records I want to do. I don’t need the money, my business is fine with that. I do records I want to do that make me happy that I enjoy. Jonny Craig makes me happy, Diamond Dez makes me happy, Overwatch makes me happy, Th Btchrs Bll record makes me happy. I’m lucky, not everyone gets to do that.

Tell me about Th Btchrs Bll. What can people expect from it?
Th Btchrs Bll is an electronic, remix, dubstep record. I like heavy music, period. I’m pretty intense and people that know me know that. I’m intense about love, happiness, whatever I do. And I love music that makes me feel emotional. I started listening to 12th Planet a lot more, the Crystal Method, Chemical Brothers, New Order, stuff like that, and I was like, “The songs I love the most are the ones that sound like they should be in a Transformers movie.” Just huge and dirty. I love MSTRKRFT and Death from Above 1979, and I was just like, “I want to make an electronic record that would be like an Automatic Static [Diebels’ solo rock project] record, just really heavy electronic music.”

Having had a mostly rock background, what do you love so much about electronic music and DJing?
My intern and I were just having a conversation about this. He was all, “It’s weird that you’re so into electronic music when you came from a rock band.” I was like, “Not really.” I’ll tell you why. Being in a band, it’s all about this group of guys being on stage performing for the people. When you’re a DJ, people don’t really care about you, they care about the vibe… They can barely see you. No one’s going, “What’s he doing? He’s playing some crazy solo!” You can’t even see what I’m doing. It looks like I’m at a table. No, what they want is, “What is he going to do to us next? What vibe or emotion is he going to send us next?” That’s what I like. It’s all about the energy that you get from people around you.

Let’s talk about your process when performing or DJing live as Z Rokk. You’re not simply queuing up songs and pressing play. You’re actually remixing songs live, right?
Yeah, I’m not a drag and drop DJ, that’s not what I do. So what I do is I’m more of a “remix DJ.” It’s not like I invented this. DJs do this. I use a program called Traktor—a lot of DJs use Serato. Serato is more traditional like playing a record, drag and drop and press play, or scratch over it type thing. Traktor is made by a company called Native Instruments and it’s really revolutionized things because it allows you to take every piece of the song apart. Kick loop, snare loop, hi-hat loop, whatever. I can turn those pieces on and off on the fly, I can put effects on them on the fly and then I can sync them to each other and play them to another track. I’m remixing live. You’re hearing a version that’s never been made that I’m making up on the spot and it’s different every time. And what’s cool is that I can broadcast it, so if you come to a gig that I’m doing as a remixer, you can dial in on your smartphone or your computer and download what I’m doing. So on Th Btchrs Bll record, what I’m doing is you will be able to download not just the stems like a normal remix record, you’ll be able to download all of the pieces so that you can take a song and remix your own live version with the pieces that I give you. It’s called remix decks. It’s becoming really popular. It’s like making music out of music. Like putting a mirror against a mirror, just endless. It’s really exciting. I love it. We live in a really great time.

What are some of the tools or technology that you use in the live setting to achieve this?
I used to have an MPC [Music Production Controller], but now I’m using Machine, also by Native Instruments. It allows it to also be a midi-keyboard so you can use it as a synth, you can sample your voice or whatever. And then it’s software-based, so it allows you to have it here [points to computer screen] and that way you can see what you’re doing. In dubstep and electronic music you’re using a lot of synths and stuff like that: wobbles, growls, LFOs [low frequency oscillators], performance oscillators. With Machine and programs like Massive and FM8, this is where it becomes literally engineering. You are engineering sound. You’re taking oscillators, frequencies and different things and then manipulating them by adding distortion, delay, reverb, modulation effects or whatever to the point where I’m making from scratch things that came from literally nothing. For me, it’s pretty much adapt or die. This is the way things are going, at least in this genre of electronic-based music. What I like to do is to make the technology an instrument.

Do you think you look at electronic music different than someone who doesn’t have a rock band background?
Probably, I think that’s a safe assumption. I look at electronic music as the future and a new frontier. But it doesn’t have to fulfill the stigma that I think it gets where it’s like, “Oh well it’s in the computer so it’s just so easy, anybody can do it.” That’s bullshit.

Now that you’re back “behind the decks” so to say, DJing and remixing whatnot, it’s sort of come full circle for you in a weird way. From the outside looking in, you’ve had a pretty crazy life. Do you ever think about that sort of stuff?
Sometimes you’re in your own bubble. I’m like any other artist, I’m really hard on myself and I get really down on myself sometimes like, “I suck, this sucks, I hate this, that sounds like shit!” Then sometimes I kind of have to shake my head and go, “Oh yeah, I’ve never had to do anything else but music, this is pretty cool.” The one thing I always try to remind myself as hard as it is, because, you know, the music business can be pretty fickle… But then I start to think that I wouldn’t have been able to do this this long if I sucked. I’m not that good of an actor. There’s no way I could have faked it this long. Or, I should just get an Oscar. I just love making music, I can’t help it.

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Th Btchrs Bll by Z Rokk will be available in late March via digital label Authentik Artists. Keep an eye out at Zrokk.com or Facebook.com/zrokkmusic for more information. Catch Z Rokk DJing and remixing live on Wednesday nights at Dive Bar, Thursday nights at R15 and Saturday nights at K Bar. You can also see Z Rokk at Concerts in the Park on July 19.

Ridiculous End of Summer Tan Lines at the Farmer’s Tan Competition at Shakers Pub – Sept. 22, 2012

Tan lines, we’ve all got them. Unless of course you sunbath in the nude, in which case, what was your address again? It has been a long, hot, sunny summer and chances are you are rocking some legit tan lines right about now. The organizers of the Farmer’s Tan Competition on Saturday, Sept. 22 at Shakers Pub in Citrus Heights want you to embrace those tan lines, flaunt them even, for a chance to win prizes and most importantly, bragging rights. As to not leave anyone out, the categories for this outrageous contest include: Tank Top, Flip Flops and Socks, Arms, Legs, Sunglasses/Hat/Neck, Fake and Bake/Sunscreen Design and Full Body/Combo Tan. Sunscreen be damned! Rock those lines! Party kicks off at 8 p.m., Shakers is located at 5940 Sperry Drive, 21-and-over only.

Break Dancing at the Breakin’ the Law NorCal Qualifier on Feb. 4, 2012

Because we understand that Valentine’s-related events is useless to those of you who don’t give a rat’s ass about the day, we are bringing this event to your attention, which is 100 percent Valentine’s Day-free. B-boys and B-girls are gonna duel it out at the Breakin’ the Law NorCal Qualifier, hosted by Sound Samuraiz. Winners get a paid trip to Madison, Wisc., to compete in the Breakin’ the Law elite competition. If you have what it takes, register by posting on the Breakin’ the Law Facebook page or by e-mailing soundsamuraisquad@hotmail.com with your name, crew and hometown. Otherwise, just show up and jam out. Those who jam out in circles will be eligible for prizes. Northstar Zulu DJs Esef and Epik will spin the beats. Doors open at 3 p.m. on Feb. 4, and battles begin at 4:30. Bring $10 to get in, or $5 with an I.D. if you are military or a student, to the Greathouse of Dance at 8117 Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights. There is no charge for ages 7 and under.

Didn’t Mean to Freak You Out

The Kelps show a flair for the theatrical on stage and on their latest album, Head Like a Mouse

If you have ever watched or listened to The Kelps and thought they were unlike any other band you have seen or heard before, then the band has succeeded in being exactly the kind of act lead vocalist/guitarist Cory Barringer wants it to be.

Just over two weeks ago, the Lincoln, Calif.-based band released their debut album, Head Like a Mouse, on Soundcloud, a site that allows sound-sharing. The band received so much positive feedback on the album after streaming it online for just a few days, they made it available for free download over a three-day period in early September, during which hungry listeners snatched up almost 400 free copies.

The album, which has since returned to stream-only status, was recorded within a six- to seven-month frame at Shattered Records in Citrus Heights by producer Jack O’Donnell. The Kelps are hoping for an official album release around Oct. 30, 2011.

Meanwhile the band has been nominated for a Sammie award for the second year in a row, this time as best rock band.

The Kelps is Barringer, Cameron Betts and Tony Reyes, all a mere 19 to 21 years old. Online they have classified themselves as alternative, indie rock, southern Goth and blues punk. This was really just for the sake of providing information, Barringer explained, as the band doesn’t care much for labeling their sound.

“We should sound like The Kelps,” Barringer said.

Labeling can put a band at a disadvantage, particularly being lumped into the blues genre, he said, because comparisons are quickly drawn to traditional blues bands.

“I have been pulled aside by countless old men who have informed me that we are not a blues band.”

Some of their musical influences are more evident than others: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Bright Eyes, David Byrne, Dr. Dog and Roger Waters.

If there is a genre the band is striving to fit into, it is something completely new and different from anything that has already been put out there by other musicians.

“Even if [listeners are] freaked out, I want to have an effect, whatever that effect might be,” Barringer said.

By freaked out, Barringer is referring to the sometimes taken-aback looks he sees on the faces of an audience during one of their live shows, a reaction he associates with seeing something new or different. “And to me, that’s the whole point of creating anything is just bringing something new into the world,” he said. “Even if they hate it, it’s new.”

What immediately stands out about this band is its distinctly eerie lyrics and fiery vocals. Within the nine sonically crisp tracks of Head Like a Mouse, some entwined with poetry, Barringer and Betts cogently howl tales of getting locked up and tainting the innocent over gnashing guitar riffs. It is cryptic rock ‘n’ roll bearing dark elements comparable to the Murder City Devils or The Misfits. Not enough bands rock this hard.

Watching The Kelps live, you’ll notice the crazed facial expressions, the finger twitching, hands grabbing for the sky. A dramatic performance. This is not a coincidence. Prior to starting The Kelps officially in the summer of 2009, the three were in theater together at school back in Sheridan, Calif., where they first discovered that they clicked creatively.

After watching so many live shows, Barringer concluded that although there is a lot of talent out there musically, live performances are lacking energy these days.

“I quickly realized that if I was going to do anything up there, it would have to be something that people would want to talk about. Something more. Give them their money’s worth, don’t just stand there and play,” Barringer explained.

While they are unmistakably dark in both their songwriting and performance, in person these guys are anything but anguished or depressing, which Submerge quickly realized during an interview outside the Naked Coffee Lounge with Barringer and Reyes. The following is an excerpt of the conversation.

My observation is that your lyrics tend to be pretty dark. Is this reflective of your guys’ personalities at all?
Tony Reyes: Nope! I wouldn’t say so.
Cory Barringer: I’d say that it’s reflective of a part of us all if that doesn’t sound too hokey. What it is is just everyone has a bit of that dark side and we’re fools to deny it. I consider myself an overall fairly happy person. But there is that dark side and for me it’s the music that can kind of exorcise the demons, especially in the performance, the live performance. That’s how I can get it all out of my head for a while at least, and then it crawls back. Yeah, I’d say that one of the reasons that the lyrics tend to sway to the dark side–wow, that sounds like Star Wars, doesn’t it–is just I find that the most emotive ways of writing are often the sad, twisted things. Those come easier to me. It’s not like I force either side of it, I have written happy songs before. They weren’t very good but I’ve written them. To me it’s the idea of no matter what I do, I try to be sincere so whatever comes out comes out.

And I imagine that this kind of allows you guys to put your theatric experience into use.
CB: It definitely does, yeah.
TR: As far as performance goes, I’ve always felt like I’ve never had a choice. Because like Cory was saying earlier I did spend a lot of time in theater. And I don’t want to say I really know anything about drums, but there was a point where I was uncomfortable playing on a drum kit and [then] there was a moment in time I became comfortable. And after that point I felt like I didn’t have a choice about how I acted back there. And I didn’t realize I was putting on a show until someone said, “Dude, your face is crazy when you’re back there screaming.”

How or why did you recruit Reggie Ginn [for “Blood Poem” on Head Like a Mouse]?
CB: It was partly just because we knew we needed a woman’s voice. We also liked her a great deal. We had done a bunch of stuff with her. It all just kind of worked out perfect, because she’s also recording her album at Shattered Records with Jack so she was already kind of in and out of there. And I kind of liked the idea of having the poem set behind a piano piece and none of us can really play the piano quite so well. I really wrote it on the guitar but with the piano in mind. And I also just really liked her voice.

We had no idea if she could do it because if you’ve heard it there are different portions. There is the beginning where she is doing the poem but then it gets darker and darker and she’s just screaming and we had no idea if she could scream, because she has a great voice, a great, powerful voice, but it’s a different beast altogether when you’re giving an emotive performance of screaming and being dragged away. She nailed it.

And it was just so cool to watch someone so out of their element.

During your June show earlier this year at the Naked Lounge you had introduced “Grimoire” as a bit of an anthem “for everyone different like us.” I don’t know if you remember saying that…
CB: Yeah, I did say that.

So, I wanted to ask you…
TR: Cory, did you just get quoted?
CB: Yeah, I did. I didn’t think anyone was listening. It’s not technically about that but that’s the neat thing about our songs because we all kind of have different interpretations of our own stuff. And even though there’s a different story that goes along with that song that nobody will ever get because the lyrics are just that cryptic, we wrote them that way, it was intentional, so no one knows what they’re about. But I kind of took it as what could be an anthem for being different. Again, I’ll go back to when we started as a band, I wanted to be a band for other people like me. And by that I mean the band nerds, the theater geeks, the kind of social outcasts that kind of feel they don’t really belong with a lot of people.

You can stream the album at Soundcloud. For more info on The Kelps check out their Tumblr page (Thekelps.tumblr.com).

Secretions Suck-Fest!

Beloved Sacramento punkers The Secretions are celebrating 20 years of being a band (congrats fellas!) with a three-day festival they have dubbed “Suck-Fest,” in honor of their slogan, “We Secrete, You Suck,” from May 27 to May 29, 2011 at Fire Escape Bar and Grill in Citrus Heights. The lineup is absolutely insane, boasting over two dozen of Sacramento’s and the Bay Area’s best bands including The Mr. T Experience, The Left Hand, Bastards of Young, Pets, The Enlows, Brian Hanover, The Snot-Cocks, The Hybrid Creeps, Ashtray, The Secretions (that’s a given) and many more. Friday, May 27, will see The Secretions playing an “alumni set” where former band members Julie Bruce, Morgan Giles, Tom Working and Kevin Stockton will make guest appearances. On Saturday, May 28, The Secretions will play a “20 Years in 60 Minutes” set where they will blast through a solid hour of tunes spanning their entire two decades as a band. And finally Sunday, May 29, will be “Secreti-oke,” where The Secretions will play a set featuring guest vocalists hand-picked by the band from some of their favorite local groups. Good luck picking just one night to attend, as they all look really, really good. You might want to just plan on camping out in the parking lot. Anybody got an RV?
-J. Carabba

Fighting cancer one punk at a time

Get Shot

The Strange Party, Get Shot, The Crunchees, Drastic Actions & More

Fire Escape Bar and Grill, Citrus Heights
Saturday April 23, 2011

Words & Photos by Mike Saechao

Upon entering the Fire Escape Bar and Grill, I was engulfed in punk rock heaven. Arriving half an hour early, I peeked around. Vinyl records hung on the walls, a slew of flyers and pictures of rock ‘n’ roll icons papered the walls. This was definitely punk rock utopia.

This lineup of bands–including Get Shot, The Crunchees and Drastic Actions–promised a great show, but all this rocking out was for a good cause. The concert doubled as a breast cancer benefit for Julie Marie Thomas, the sister of frontman Jasson Drastic of Drastic Actions. 

Kicking off the show was Jamie Havok, an acoustic singer/songwriter from Vacaville, Calif. Her heart-wrenching lyrics caught the audience’s ear. “I’ve become the screamer of a thousand-dollar deed/No amount of crying is going to bring me to my knees,” Havok sang in “Screamer.” I was thrown off guard by her soulful voice and honest lyrics.

Following Havok was Drastic Actions, who tore up the stage. Jasson’s commanding stage presence was contagious, inciting head banging and rowdiness as the show transitioned from acoustic melodies to snake-like guitar riffs and screaming vocals. Drastic Actions set the stage for a night of mosh pits and the craziness that followed after.

The next band that came on stage was The Crunchees. When I heard this, it immediately made me think of a sushi roll. Boy was I wrong. Chloe Angst, the lead singer of The Crunchees and a Brody Dalle lookalike, counted down and let out a screech of high-pitched lyrics, perking up the crowd’s ears. Her voice took me by surprise. I was not at all expecting such a distinct voice that would haunt the venue. Halfway through their set during “Blood Stains” a mosh pit broke out as I was clicking away on my point and shoot.

Throughout the night, bands such as Support the Rabid, Okami and Kill Devil kept the night alive rolling out head-banging anthems of internal aggressions that embraced the spirit of punk rock and alternative.

Kill Devil

Then came what I would call the craziness: Get Shot took the stage. Vocalist J.P. Hunter stampeded the stage shirtless and a complete set list drawn on his body, bringing what seemed like an uproar of chants among the crowd. I knew that this was going to be a good set, as I was shooting the breeze with the bassist Scott Strahan a few hours earlier. The band started off with “Steal Your Girlfriend,” igniting a massive mosh pit as Hunter stepped foot into the crowd. For having two new members, it was shocking how entertaining and wild they were–definitely punk rock on speed.

By “Best Friend,” a song about sleeping with your best friend, Hunter was screaming, crawling and jumping off ledges like a drug fiend. Get Shot’s set reeked of vulgarity and aggression and was downright offensive–exactly what punk rock should be.

The night ended with The Strange Party, who lived up to its name with rock ‘n’ roll blues songs about lost romances with obscure lyrics. Vocalist Justin Pine told the crowd the band had been absent a few years, though their set felt as if no time had passed. Their music was definitely a breather from the hardcore punk rock the evening offered.

Once the set was over, the crowd demanded an encore. Soon after, J.P. Hunter of Get Shot joined The Strange Party on stage and improvised No Doubt covers before the plug was pulled and the night of punk rock was over. Who said punk music couldn’t fight cancer?

St. Patty’s Day punk rock party at The Fire Escape Bar and Grill

The Fire Escape Bar and Grill in Citrus Heights is hosting a great lineup of punk bands for a St. Patty’s Day party on March 17, 2011 and what’s better than good live punk music and beer–lots of beer? Not much, really. Especially when you are in Citrus Heights. Mosh pits and ear-ringing will be provided by The Secretions, Hanover Saints, Drastic Actions, Mad Judy and Surrounded By Thieves. Doors open at 6 p.m. and there’s a $10 cover. 21-and-over only.

Turn It Up

Pets Return to “Kill The Boredom” For Second Album

Most people watch TV and play video games in their living room, but Allison Jones and Derek Fieth of the rock band Pets use their house space a little differently. For the past few years, the rock couple has used their living room as an area to practice their music for upcoming gigs and recordings.

“Our living room is set up so one side is a couch and the other side is all of the amps and guitars set up against the wall,” said Fieth with a laugh. “So when it’s time to practice we have to drag it out, like we are setting up for a show. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s great to practice at home but it does make it a bit of an event.”

Although they would like to have a separate music room in their home to rehearse in, the only thing they seem to need is each other to begin the creative flow.

“He just doesn’t write a song and then I am like, ‘OK show me how to play it,’” explained Jones. “We write at the same time.”

But after much practicing, Pets are ready to unveil their second album, Ready the Rifles with 10 new tracks that will turn your mundane day into a rock out session. At first, they chose their album name because it simply sounded cool, but Jones and Fieth soon realized that the title had more meaning than they thought.

“The ‘rifles’ are whatever you use or we use to kill the boredom,” Fieth said. “So it’s like a call to action…your rifles kill the boredom. The last song is called ‘Bored to Kill’ and that’s what the whole thing is kind of about. If you’re bored, then make it better.”

The amount of footwork Pets put into their new CD could make them one of the hardest working bands in the area. The guitar players made sure that every part of their new album, from the artwork to the packaging, was under their control.

“It was cool to be so hands-on with the company making the CD though,” said Fieth after sipping his $1 Olympia beer. “It just shows that anybody can do it, if they get into it and go for it.”

Both band members agreed that if you mixed the music from The Raveonettes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club it would equal their new rock sound for Pets’ upcoming album.

Ready the Rifles is fully equipped with live drums and has a “straight rock ‘n’ roll” feel to it, compared to their debut album Pick Up Your Feet, which prominently featured a synthesizer and a drum machine. These days, the duo decided to drop the old drum machine and only play with a live drummer for all of their shows.

“So that’s a big difference. It’s always going to be a live band from now on, which is fun,” said Fieth. “We love the drum machine, but we had pretty much had that machine run its course… But the energy playing with live drummers is awesome, especially with the new songs.”

“There’s obviously extra energy on stage,” added Jones.

Pets recorded Ready the Rifles with Ira Skinner at Alley Avenue Studios and hope to book him for future shows as their drummer.

“We would have had to buy a new [drum machine] and learn how to use it,” Fieth stated. “Or hire a regular full time drummer, but we love being just a two-person band. We don’t want to officially have a third member.”

One of their personal favorite tracks on the new album is “Sweetspot,” because it only took them about two afternoons to put together, unlike some of their other songs which took them months to produce.

Both members are Sacramento residents. Jones, from Citrus Heights, and Fieth, from Yuba City, feel like they have played at almost every local venue such as Old Ironsides, Marilyn’s, Press Club, The Distillery, Luigi’s, The Blue Lamp and even Sacramento State. But with the rapidly changing music scene in Sacramento, booking shows for their new music might be a different experience for Pets.

“When we had the drum machine it seemed like sometimes people didn’t know where to put us on a show,” said Fieth. “Now we’ve got this full, loud, rock ‘n’ roll set up. So we’re excited to see what happens.”

In 2010, Pets were pleasantly surprised to win the Sacramento Area Music Award (The Sammie) for “Outstanding Pop,” because they have been nominated multiple times but in different music categories.

It took Pets five years between their two albums, because they never feel the need to force the music out of their heads. They only play rock ‘n’ roll to have fun.

“If it gets hard, then we kind of put it off,” Fieth said.

“We go out instead,” continued Jones.

Even when choosing a band name in the summer of 2003, they decided to keep things short and sweet.

“We made a few simple rules,” said Fieth. “We wanted something that didn’t tell you what kind of music it was going to be. A lot of bands you can tell what you are going to hear just by reading the name. Pets was pretty unassuming.”

But when the fun-loving rockers aren’t on stage, they enjoy a good night out on the town in Sacramento’s downtown grid, mini vacations to San Francisco, and taking care of their pet cat named Townes. They even like refer to themselves as local “happy hour hounds.”

“We can tell you all the good happy hours,” said Jones. “We would have moved if Sacramento wasn’t so good… If there were no downtown, we wouldn’t be living in Sacramento. It’s comfortable, it’s nice.”

When the duo is on stage playing their loud rock set, it is easy to expect both members to be full of delicious pizza every time they perform. When it is show day, Pets have their pre-show ritual food at their weekly downtown eatery, Pete’s Pizza.

Whether its happy hour hunting or guitar practicing in their living room, Pets’ are ready to rock Sacramento and Ready the Rifles definitely won’t kill anyone from boredom, with their raw guitar sounds, synchronized vocals and live drumbeats.

If you are 21+ and missed their all ages CD release show at Luigi’s Fungarden in Jan. you can see them this coming Friday Feb. 4 at the Townhouse. Show starts at 9 p.m. with DJ SAMiJAM, Shaun Slaughter, Adam J, Taylor Cho and Roger Carpio.