[Written on Sunday, April 9; Printed in Issue 237: Monday, April 10, 2017]
I don’t even know where to start.
As we were working on this issue, we got word that one of Sacramento’s most beloved artists and DJs had passed away—Dan Osterhoff, known to many as DJ Whores. It all seemed to happen so fast and seems like it came out of nowhere. I am still in shock and probably will be every time I’m at an event and won’t see his smiling face.
I don’t remember the first time I officially met Dan, maybe it was around the time he painted the sign at Anthony’s Barbershop, or maybe it was at Press Club after dancing my face off at his Wednesday night party called HUMP. It was probably around 2008 or 2009, and it feels like a lifetime ago. I will always remember the numerous encounters I was lucky enough to have with him whenever it was that we broke the ice, which seemed like every time we saw each other. He was everywhere, and I mean everywhere: birthday parties, art exhibits, block parties, Dan was always there supporting his homies and Sacramento’s creative community.
I think when we started Submerge, I didn’t want to be the person who became best friends with everyone in town, just because of what I was doing, making Submerge. I wanted to have a more journalistic approach, to tell stories and not be biased. However, when a friendship forms organically, and you discover who someone really is beyond their music, beyond their art and you truly enjoy running into them and sparking up conversations every single time to shoot the shit, that’s someone I can genuinely call a friend and one I hold dear to my heart. My husband and I had that sort of friendship with Dan.
Dan was beyond special. As a visual artist, he was probably the most talented lettering guy I’ve ever met. I remember when I was going to school for graphic design, it was so frustrating drawing an ampersand over and over to prefect it. So I had nothing but admiration for all the signage Dan has done around town: Sail Inn, Dad’s on S Street, his collaboration with Shaun Burner on the side of Dimple on Broadway and so many others.
As a music lover, Dan was always telling me who he was listening to at the moment, trying to turn me onto new stuff. He was true to himself, too, because when he wasn’t feeling his Press Club night, he stopped it to do something he was feeling, and that was the dubstep night at Townhouse called Grimey. He was always talking about local up and comers, trying to mentor them along the way. He was seriously always chopping me up about his homie Jurts.
As I’m typing this I can’t help but be sad that Sacramento lost such an amazing guy, and am super bummed that when I saw him at the ArtStreet exhibit last month I didn’t go chop it up with him. I guess that will be one regret I’ll always have.
However, I will go forward knowing the impact and friendships he also had with so many others, and judging from the amount of love being shared on social media, I think he was a genuinely nice guy to everyone in town.
It’s time to say goodbye to 2015. From rock concerts, to dance parties, to comedy shows and everything in between, here is your ultimate guide to Sacramento-area New Year’s Eve parties! Have fun, be safe and please don’t drink and drive.
1) If you’re looking for a funky dance party head to Torch Club and get down with two fantastic local bands: IdeaTeam (featuring Aquifer) and Black Star Safari. Cover charge is $25, 9 p.m., 21-plus. Torchclub.net for more info.
2) Enjoy a soft rock explosion at Harlow’s with Mustache Harbor. Tickets are $30 in advance, doors open at 9 p.m., 21-plus. Hit up Harlows.com for a link to buy tickets.
3) Sing along to your favorite hard rock hits with Radio Heavy at our favorite downtown Roseville watering hole, Bar 101. This party is free and 21-and-over, with a 9:30 p.m. start time. Bar101roseville.com for more info.
4) Groove to late ‘80s and early ‘90s hip-hop, hip-house, and R&B at “New Jack Fling” at Press Club, brought to you by DJs Crook (featured in our current issue), BenJohnson and Satapana. $7 cover, 21-plus, 9 p.m.
5) Ace of Spades wants to party hard with you on NYE when they host legendary heavy metal band Y&T, with opening sets by locals Skin of Saints, ONOFF and Roswell. Tickets are $35 in advance, available at Aceofspadessac.com. 7 p.m. doors. This show is all-ages!
6) The newest dive bar on the grid B-Side invites you to check out their digs and get down to sounds by DJ Whores and friends. No cover, 21-plus. Search for “B-Side” on Facebook for more info.
7) We here at Submerge are teaming up with the Lipstick crew for an epic NYE dance party at Old Ironsides featuring live music from local dreamy/synth-y pop group The Good Fortune, as well as DJ sets by Shaun Slaughter, Roger Carpio and Adam Jay. 9 p.m., 21-plus. $8 advance tickets available at Cuffs.
8) Laugh away the new year at Punchline Sacramento during “2015’s Last Laughs” featuring sets by Ngaio Bealum, Keith Lowell Jensen and many other local faves. Two shows: 7:30 p.m. ($20) and 10 p.m. ($25). 18-and-over. Punchlinesac.com for more info.
9) Blackbird recently re-opened and they’re throwing a party this NYE co-presented by Rue 27, THIS Midtown and 1810 Gallery featuring live tunes by nu-disco act Figgy, and a DJ set from Sacto faves Sister Crayon. 7:30 p.m., $40 per person, $75 for VIP upgrade. Studio53.eventbrite.com for more.
10) Visit historic Grass Valley for Center for the Arts’ “Laughs, Lolo and Legs” party featuring comedy from Katie Rubin, neo vintage jazz pop music of Lolo Gervais, burlesque from the Bow-Tie Beauties, DJ dance party hosted by Jamal Walker and more! 8 p.m. doors, tickets start at $22. Hit up Thecenterforthearts.org for advanced tickets.
11) For a family-friendly daytime celebration that everyone can stay awake for, head to Crocker Art Museum’s “Noon Year’s Eve” event, which is free for all ages and runs from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Performances from Germar the Magician, Ebo Okokan, Ohana Dance Group and many more.
12) Enjoy some amazing homegrown talent at Crest Theatre when Jackie Greene and his band perform a special NYE concert! Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and tickets start at $35 in advance.
13) The kind folks over at Blue Lamp are throwing a free NYE bash featuring great music, plenty of booze, good company and a champagne toast at midnight. 9 p.m. start time, 21-plus, no cover.
14) Groove to some soul, funk, disco, reggae, latin and more from a few of Sacto’s best selectors at Fox & Goose. DJs Larry Rodriguez, MC Ham and Wokstar will be spinning all night! $10 cover, 21-and-up, 9 p.m.
15) Bundle up and head up the hill for three days of SnowGlobe (Dec. 29–31) in South Lake Tahoe featuring headliners like Jack Ü (aka Skrillex and Diplo), Kaskade, Dillon Francis, Run the Jewels, E-40 and many more. All-ages event. Check out Snowglobemusicfestival.com for details.
16) NOW 100.5 FM and MIX 96 are throwing a masquerade party for the ages at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento featuring cover band and headliner Apple Z, plus DJ Rated R, Quinn Hedges and Ryan Hernandez. $75 in advance for general admission, 9 p.m. start time, 21-plus.
Everyone loves a good day party. Sun is up, music is loud, drinks are flowing, life is good. The good folks at HOF (aka Hall of Fame) know this all too well and are planning their triumphant return to the party-throwing scene on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, with “Gametime: The Infamous #HOFDAYPARTY.” Going down at the beautiful and well-shaded River Walk Park in West Sacramento, this all-day rager will run from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature well over 20 performances from DJs, bands, producers and rappers.
“It’s been two years since we’ve descended on the streets of the Capital City to rage in the name of a good time,” the HOF team recently wrote on Hofisbetter.com. “Quite honestly, we’ve missed your crazy asses,” they went on to say. “We miss the excitement that leads up to a HOF party. We miss seeing everyone get hyped when they park their cars, finish their personal-sized bottle of whiskey and walk through the gates of a HOF party. We miss cleaning up the aftermath of a HOF Party and seeing exactly how hard you guys went the night before. Finally, it’s time for us to relive those emotions all over again.”
Just some of the artists tapped to perform so far are Jurts, Soosh*e!, DJ Whores, DJ Oasis, Roman Austin, Zyah Belle, DJ Cos the Kid, Lunaverse, J. Sirus and so many more. There will be two stages, multiple watering holes for those of legal drinking age, a water hydration station (remember to bring your own refillable bottle) and you’re also encouraged to bring blankets, umbrellas, lawn chairs, etc. to chill out in the shade to help keep your body temperature low ‘cause chances are it’ll be a scorcher that day. Tickets are available now at Gametime.queueapp.com and start at just $15 for early birds (price will go up to $20 soon!) and run all the way up to $50 for a VIP pass which gets you three drink tickets, VIP entry, backstage access, exclusive viewing areas and other perks.
This event is open to all ages. River Walk Park is located at 651 2nd Street in West Sacramento. For more information, hit up HOF’s website or follow them on Twitter: @HOFisbetter. They’ll be dropping the final lineup, set times and juicy other details as it gets closer. Pro Tip: check out HOF’s promotional video below featuring the ultimate party dude himself, Kenny the Dancing Man. Trust us, it’s freaking gold.
Once again winter has passed (if you can call that a winter), which means that spring is here and with it, the 2015 Concerts in the Park series, which officially kicks off on Friday, May 1! We’ve got your first glance at the eclectic lineup right here, and there’s a little something for everyone. Dig country music? Don’t miss May 15 with Cripple Creek Band and Golden Cadillacs. Want to throw your hands up at a hip-hop show? Mark your calendars for Blackalicious and DLRN + Stevie Nader on May 29 and a sure-to-be-insane collaboration set featuring Task1, Century Got Bars, J-Ras and Charleee on July 24. Wanna rock out with some post-hardcore? Check out Jonny Craig’s new band Slaves alongside A Lot Like Birds on June 26. Want to dance your face off? Hit up Joy and Madness on May 8. What about punk rock, you ask? Yeah, they’ve got that too. Check out Mr. T Experience, The Four Eyes and others on June 19. The indie-rock loving crowd will enjoy July 17 featuring From Indian Lakes and Sunmonks, and reggae enthusiasts can get their fix with Element of Soul on June 5 and Arden Park Roots on July 24. Peep the entire lineup below! If the artist’s name is linked, click on it to read a feature on them from a recent issue of Submerge. We’ll see you out at Cesar Chavez Plaza on Friday nights starting on May 1!
May 1 – CIP Kick-off!
Island of Black & White
Drop Dead Red Riotmaker
DJ Epik
May 8
Joy & Madness
Sol Peligro
Zyah Belle & The Funkshun
Paul Gordon & the Ambient Experience
May 15
Cripple Creek Band
Golden Cadillacs
Be Brave Bold Robot
Ashley Barron
DJ Rawhide
May 22
Frank Hannon Band
Alex Vincent Band
Pressure Lounge
DJ Peeti-V
May 29
Blackalicious
DLRN + Stevie Nader
Element Brass Band
Druskee
June 5
Element of Soul
Burro Once An Empire
50-Watt Heavy
TL Miller / imf.DRED
June 12
Jonah Matranga
The Storytellers
Kevin Seconds
One-Leg Chuck
DJ Elements
June 19
Mr. T Experience
The Four Eyes
The Enlows Rebel Punk
DJ Whores
June 26
Slaves
A Lot Like Birds
Tell the Wolves
We Went to the Moon
Z Rokk
July 3
No show! Happy 4th of July!
July 10
The Soft White Sixties
The Nickel Slots
Justin Farren
Vintage Vandals
El Conductor
Though he makes his home in Copenhagen, Steven Jess Borth II’s electronica project CHLLNGR has deep Sacramento roots
The Red Bull Studios Copenhagen website is written entirely in Danish, but search “CHLLNGR” and you’ll likely land on a video mostly spoken in English, aside from a few locals in a bread store. The video features CHLLNGR (stylized, vowel-less Challenger), an experimental dub music project masterminded by Steven Jess Borth II, laying down tracks in the Red Bull Studio for its sophomore record, Form of Release. The documentary mostly depicts scenery from Copenhagen and the studio, recording artists in indigenous garb from New York City and rappers from the United Kingdom, but in the midst of this global project is Sacramento. Oddly, our city has played a pivotal role in Borth’s project since its inception in 2010.
CHLLNGR performed at the Submerge 50th Issue Party in 2010, having graced the magazine cover in anticipation of his then-untitled debut album. At the time CHLLNGR was in a larval state, still largely faithful to dub music traditions of instrumental reworkings of recordings that slug along at a reggae beat stripped to its “riddims,” which translates to bass and drums. It’s a genre pioneered by artists like Lee “Scratch” Perry, Errol Thompson and King Tubby.
In those days CHLLNGR consisted of Borth, Andrew “Young Aundee” Southard and Dan “DJ Whores” Osterhoff in the live setup. But behind the scenes, the project relied on a troupe of local collaborators who continue to be influential cogs four years later on Form of Release, namely Dusty Brown and Justin “Dr. Echo” DeHart.
Much like British outfit Unkle, CHLLNGR defies simplistic classification because Borth seemingly doesn’t have “no” in his vocabulary. It loosely takes the form of a collective, rather than a solo project, as each release hosts a revolving cast both credited as guest features and buried in the fine print of liner notes. The only consistency across CHLLNGR’s two LPs (Form of Release and 2011’s debut Haven), outtakes release Hidden Tracks, and the Datter EP are Borth and the mastering finesse of Dr. Echo. Well, perhaps one other: Sacramento.
For example, Haven’s closer “Dusty” features vocals from Jessica Brown, a long-time contributor to her brother’s eponymous project Dusty Brown. The lyrics to “Dusty” were written by Young Aundee, while the title of the song is assumed to be a reference to Dusty, who opened his studio to Borth to create early Haven demos.
“Dusty gave me access to all his vintage gear,” Borth said. “In that period Young Aundee was there in Dusty’s studio most of the time and he played a really big part. He did most of the arrangements for [“Dusty”], also he did the lead synth on ‘Ask For’ and quite a bit more.”
In the initial Submerge interview, Borth mentioned a few particularly noisy recording sessions with Zach Hill of Death Grips, although it is unknown if they were utilized for Haven—given its nocturnal, downtempo qualities I’m inclined to think not. But in those early sessions Borth’s mindset was hinged upon experimentation. Whereas on Form of Release, CHLLNGR has evolved into a wish list come true of vocalists and co-producers.
“Form of Release, I really wanted to have a vocal album,” he said. “I was comfortable with some instrumentals, but I definitely wanted something that was not necessarily traditional pop songs, but a weird pop music.”
The detraction from having Red Bull’s insoluble budget was that Borth got his wish in the form of a curse. The album features JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET from New York City, Dels from the United Kingdom, Grace Hall of Skin Town from Los Angeles, Blaqstarr from Maryland, and no possibility of uniting this group for a live set, particularly JOSIAHWISE, who contributes to five tracks.
“It’s pretty much just been me,” Borth said. “I’ll sing the songs in their place. With JOSIAH’s songs it’s very tough because he’s an insanely talented vocalist and writes complicated melodies I can’t exactly pull off.”
When I ask about his live setup for his New Year’s Eve performance at this year’s TBD’s New Year’s Eve Block Pary, Borth laughs at the thought as he mentions he’ll have to rely on Sacramento once again. “I need to start sending some emails around because I need to borrow some equipment,” he said. “But I want some old friends to join me on stage as well.”
If Borth is the captain of CHLLNGR, Dr. Echo is his first mate. Through emails he wrote that he and Borth never met properly in Sacramento, though he theorizes they were “probably in the same place at the same time on numerous occasions.” Though his connection to Sacramento has faded, Dr. Echo began as a drummer in dub band The Defendants with former !!! member Tyler Pope, and later ran Soundlab Studios in various Midtown locations before moving to Los Angeles in 2002. Having mixed “98 percent” of CHLLNGR’s output, Dr. Echo was flown out from his current home in Anaheim to Copenhagen on Red Bull’s dollar at Borth’s request. Dusty Brown was also flown to the studio in the last week for the task of “filling in the gaps,” according to Borth.
“Dusty was crucial,” Borth said. “It’s always been in the back of my head to collaborate more with him. I just have a lot of respect for him, his stylings, how quick he is and how he can really bring his ideas to the table and they can be very well thought-out. He has so many years of experience with electronic music that he can just get in there and finish up any ideas that I had started. He tied up the loose ends in a huge way.”
Borth is the captain of CHLLNGR, there’s no questioning it. In a Skype call we discussed the process of recording in the Red Bull Studio and he notes that the majority of the songwriting was done on his laptop with a micro-Korg and spring reverb prior to their three-week recording stint. He said the documentary just captures the focused grind of piecing an album together in three weeks.
“Most of it was doing really nerdy stuff,” he said. “Just running the sounds I’d already made and having the other collaborators record their vocal parts. Dels came out and JOSIAH came out. Justin [Dr. Echo] was there pretty much the whole time with me.”
As first mate, Dr. Echo has witnessed the evolution of CHLLNGR from dub homage to a spacious nocturnal metamorphosis on Haven, and into the Form of Release sessions, which reveal CHLLNGR at its most pop-y and universally catered state. He attributes the early alterations to Borth’s love of R&B as a heavy influence on the distinct sound, particularly in the melodies and harmonies, and the more recent growth to his prolific mind for collaboration.
“I think it should be evident that dub music from the ‘70s to ‘80s is a major influence on his sound,” Dr. Echo wrote. “However, ‘dub’ can be a vague term these days. Qualities such as spaciousness, sonic subversiveness and otherworldliness seem to remain appropriate to CHLLNGR’s sound throughout the years… I really think CHLLNGR’s music truly exists in the cracks of today’s genres.”
Ring in the New Year with CHLLNGR and an A-list lineup at this TBD’s New Year’s Eve Block Party, which will take place Dec. 31, 2014 (duh) on 20th Street between J and K streets. A-Trak, Sister Crayon and Gigamesh (among others) will also perform. Tickets start at $45. Check out Tbdnye.com for more info. NOTE: #TBDNYE IS ALMOST SOLD OUT! LIMITED AMOUNT OF “LAST MINUTE” TIX ARE STILL AVAILABLE, BUT THEY WON’T BE FOR LONG! ACT NOW IF YOU WANT TO GO!
After a heat wave as intense as the one we just had, we’re looking forward to enjoying more than two dozen DJs and live bands over two days along the Sacramento River at the first-ever Splash Music Festival, taking place at Rio Ramaza Marina and Events Center (10000 Garden Hwy), on Saturday, July 13 and Sunday, July 14. Splash will not only feature international headliners mixed with regional talent, but there will also be a gigantic wading pool, slip ‘n’ slides, misting systems, water cannons and plenty of other ways to keep cool while the following DJs and bands blast through a world-class sound system: Darth & Vader (all the way from Brazil), Krafty Kuts (from England), Luminox, NiT GriT, DJ Dan, Trevor Simpson, Dyloot, DJ Billy Lane, Diamond Dez, Who Cares, The Frail, Element of Soul, G.A.M.M.A., DJ Whores, Atom One and so many others. Considering the level of talent, tickets are a steal at just $40 for a two-day pass. Single-day passes will put you back $30, so we say go for the two-day and make a weekend of it (limited camping and RV spaces are available, too). There are also backstage and VIP packages available; visit Splashmusicfestival.com for more information. Bust out your board shorts, bathing suits, tank tops and flip flops, because Splash Music Festival is sure to be a wet and wild time. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
A new monthly dubstep/glitch/bass night called Heads on High is launching on Friday, April 5 at Shenanigans (705 J Street). This 21-and-over dance club will be held the first Friday of every month inside the venue’s downstairs space, a dark and grimy spot, just perfect for getting weird on the dance floors until 4 a.m., as the event organizers have obtained after hours permits from the city. Expect to see live art, lasers, lights and fog. The venue has lounge areas as well, and they don’t charge you to chill in them like some bottle service spots do. The kickoff party on April 5 will feature sounds by JDUBZ, Vik Rokit, Isturite, IMF.DRED and DJ Whores. It’s just $5 before midnight and $10 after. Keep an eye out at Facebook.com/HeadOnHighProductions for time slots, guest DJs and other upcoming parties.
Sacramento Electronic Music Festival 2012
Day 2: Friday, May 4, 2012
Day two was both a settling in and a tug-of-war between sub-genres. At any given moment, in the presence of any DJ booth, the vibrations tugged toward the posh club life, the trendsetting hipster cool of synthology, the dingy underground scene of warble bass drops or the distant past of trip-hop that conjured oriental delicacy. Night two was about playing the bar, hugging the stage, bro-ing down in the neon, hands up for MCA tributes and patio lounging with your shoes off to enjoy the Astroturf.
Billy Lane
On the Harlow’s stage Billy Lane treated 11 p.m. as official “kick this shit in gear” hour, demanding energy with heavy drops and buzz saw riff manipulations. Upstairs, DJ Whores and Crook One traded off selector duties, spinning a refined set fit for a Grimey night, and proved why they are two of our city’s most elite on the decks. Meanwhile, sets from Tha Fruitbat, Night Night and Seventh Swami took the vibe back to the Command Collective days from the early-Aughts.
Mux Mool
Headliner Mux Mool was a living conglomerate of the night’s mixed bag of performers. With a dash of each sound heard in the three spaces, the attendees swarmed to the main stage after midnight for head-nodding synth beats, peaking laser bursts, flourishes of 8-bit stylings and a few well-placed remixes of Method Man, Beastie Boys and The B-52s. He would slip deep into his album catalog, consisting of Skulltaste and Planet High School, but never alienated an onlooker who might have lacked familiarity. A deep cut was followed by a sample of Method Man’s gravely drawl, rapping, “We keep it movin’, yeah, we keep it movin’” and Mux mirrored his sample. As the headliner, Mux Mool had the last dedication to Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, who passed away from cancer that morning. He incorporated his drum work to a “Brass Monkey” sample and replaced the remorse with an invitation to a castle in Brooklyn where a mixture of malt liquor and orange juice is the drink of choice.
Last week marked the opening of the 2012 Concerts in the Park series, and the newly renovated Cesar Chavez Park hosted over 6,300 people, a record breaking crowd for the Friday night series says Play Big Sacramento’s Andy Hawk. “Three years ago Mumbo Gumbo did around 6,100 and that was the biggest up till that point,” Hawk told Submerge. “If you give people a reason in this town to go out, they will.” It only gets better from here on out. On Friday, May 11 catch Middle Class Rut live for the first time in Sacramento in over a year! The hard rocking (and hard working) duo, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Zack Lopez and drummer/vocalist Sean Stockham, have been serious road dogs touring constantly for the last two-plus years. “We’ve been finding out the cities we do best in and building fans there,” Lopez recently told Submerge. “Things were easy back when ‘New Low’ was getting spun all day everyday and I could just hang out at Flame Club and drink. This touring shit is hard work!” They were touring so much, in fact, that at some point things started to feel stale, according to Lopez. There were songs on their record they couldn’t pull off live as just a two-piece, and playing along to a laptop was out of the question. So, naturally, they brought in a couple new members into their live setup, Eddie Underwood and Bob Lander of Sacramento band Lite Brite. “Since we’ve toured with them a few times before, it was easy to gel,” Lopez said. “There’s no other guys in Sacramento we’d rather have steal our booze than them.”
See Middle Class Rut live alongside Lite Brite, Horseneck and DJ Whores on Friday, May 11 at Cesar Chavez Park. Every show of MC Rut’s latest tour has been recorded for a live album release, this one included, so let’s all show up and be loud. Visit http://mcrut.com/ for more information about the band and visit http://downtownsac.org/events/concerts-in-the-park/ to see the series schedule.
Sacramento Electronic Music Festival 2012
Day 1: Thursday, May 3, 2012
Friday, May 4 was the official Northern California monthly installment for the alt-electronica club night Low End Theory in San Francisco, but an unofficial preview tested the booming systems of Harlow’s on Thursday, May 3 for the opening of the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival. Lorn, Dibia$e, Jonwayne and DJ Nobody are proven low end theorists, earning their stripes at the Los Angeles weekly event held at The Airliner. The four beat masters sent heady vibrations through onlookers’ sternums and the venue’s foundation, but like every year at the SEMF, local electronica talent is in grandiose display.
Lorn
It felt as though we were on the move at the third annual SEMF. The round robin of sets in Harlow’s, upstairs at MoMo’s, and DJ sets on the patio had me hesitant to settle in. Decisions had to be made, compromises even, but the careful selection of performers this year almost guaranteed no disappointing sets. Whatever room you occupied was the place to be at the SEMF.
Young Aundee
Jonwayne took the stage for Dibia$e’s set, to streamline raps, while Dibia$e played selector, mutating his beats with glitch takes, warping from track to track without throwing off his rapping amigo in flip-flops. The set bled into Jonwayne’s slot, as he returned the mic to the stand, plugged in his beat machine and rattled the walls with menacing cuts that blended Southern trap rap bravado like Rick Ross’ proclaiming, “I’m treated like a king when I’m dining,” with boss level 8-bit beats and the baritone keys of a grand piano.
Dusty Brown
The Low Enders are the genuine article, but I found great pleasure in the discoveries, particularly Satellites. The presence of the wooden Pandora’s Box known as the Monome was a rare sight to behold, since I can only think of two other beat makers (Daedalus and Galapagoose) who are masters of its magical properties. He’s impossible to Google, so I still know jack shit about him. But Satellites’ push-button magic set an introductory tone for the L.A. vibes that followed.
Local performers like Paper Pistols, Doom Bird and Dusty Brown instilled the 916 pride in our festival. My hope is that the out-of-towners lurked around for the Dusty Brown set and that word will spread regarding our secret weapon. Dusty Brown opened with the unveiling of two new songs before delivering cuts from his concise and captivating This City Is Killing Me EP, which is destined to be a local classic. Opening with unfamiliar material reeled me in. It’s a dangerous move, but the group is justified in its confidence in their new music. I’m more than ready for a new Dusty Brown album.
