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
July 17
From Indian Lakes
Sunmonks
Xochitl
Dusty Brown
July 24 – Season Finale!
Arden Park Roots
Task1ne + Century Got Bars + J-Ras + Charleee
Ideateam
Braden Scott Band
Shaun Slaughter
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!
Placerville’s Element of Soul Getting What They Deserve
For some musicians the thought of living with fellow band members seems more like a detriment to not only personal space, but to the creative process itself. For the guys of Element of Soul, five members living together over the past two years in Placerville not only has strengthened their bonds as friends, but inspired a common spiritual search and heavily influenced their first full-length album, E.O.S,. set for release April 20. Wanting a more in-depth experience into the recording process, EOS turned to a couple of old school rock ‘n’ rollers, Mark Harmon and Bruce Spencer of the 77s, who double as producers at Blue Limit Music recording studios in Rocklin. With over a year in the studio behind them, the time is now for Mike O’Briant, Ben Moore, Chris Brown, Seth Ahern (aka DJ Zephyr), Eric Opdyke and Tristan Brown. But their next test is tightening their living quarters from a house on five acres to a 22-passenger van.
Moore and O’Briant remember being the only young men at their junior high school dances busting moves on the dance floor to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” so naturally they became friends. Later in life the two would also find themselves sharing vocal and guitar duties in EOS. The six band members ultimately found each other linked through Ponderosa and El Dorado high schools, first playing as a three-piece acoustic band with the addition of Chris on bass. But what truly solidified EOS as a band, according to O’Briant, was adding in Opdyke on drums, Tristan on lead guitar and DJ Zephyr on the ones and twos, completing the elements of their family in 2009.
“We’ve always wanted to do something that we enjoyed and understood that it was going to be out of pocket,” O’Briant explains. “You have to pay to play. You have to deserve it. And, we finally did it.”
When asked about categorizing their genre, O’Briant and Moore were reluctant in choosing just one. Sure, EOS brings the reggae feel to a live performance and yes, there’s plenty of acoustic elements, but what was to come, I wasn’t even prepared for.
“Right now, we have ourselves listed as reggae-folk-pop-rock,” O’Briant laughs. “Did I just blow your mind?
“The reason we say folk is because we have that acoustic aspect, but we’ve always been reggae and we’ve always put our own twist on it. More than anything, it’s the vibe and the energy that surrounds us with reggae. It’s pop because you can sing along to it.”
They started recording their 11-song album last March with Blue Limit Music’s Spencer and Harmon, who told the guys they were “a little rough around the edges” according to O’Briant. But that honesty is just what EOS were searching for when choosing a studio to trust with their first album.
“We definitely signed up for more than just an album. We wanted to do it our own way,” O’Briant explains. “We’ve always been about family and home. We found some guys who were interested in helping us grow, rather than just put an album out. So, that’s why we’ve taken a year and taken step by step. There’s no need to rush anything that doesn’t need to be rushed.”
With good reason. Songs off the album like “The Movement” capture what each member of EOS brings to a sound they have spent the past three years perfecting.
“Right now, ‘The Movement’ blows my mind. It was the first song that completely gave me chills and gave me that outside perspective,” O’Briant explains. “I just close my eyes and got chills. It made me feel amazing.”
The song’s light, acoustic introduction marks the times when the band was in its infancy as a three-piece, then layered with DJ Zephyr’s 10 years of expertise in sampling and scratching. O’Briant’s spoken-word style delivery on vocals is complemented by the accents on guitar by Tristan, which then introduce Moore’s approach to the microphone singing melodies within the chorus, his voice reaching higher pitches as the song progresses. Call and response are how these two vocalist split time within a song equally, all kept on beat by the jazz-style percussion of Opdyke and the groovy-bass lines of Chris.
“With six members in a band, the studio process has helped us find where we need to be in the song. We all find where we need to be. Find the space and appreciate it,” O’Briant explains.
Moore adds, “During the whole album, we definitely swing a lot of different ways with the feel of the songs,” he says. “It’s a lot of self-improvement, self-empowerment, stand up for yourself, speak your mind and love yourself.”
And this philosophy rings true for the whole band thanks to a little band meditation courtesy of their spiritual life coach Dr. Kim Clarity, who has visited the band at their home in Placerville to assist them through guided meditations. Moore says these meditations helped them find a stronger bond, open better communication with one another and overall learn to coexist peacefully. The band also took time out together in 2011 to attend a three-day seminar sponsored by Dr. Clarity, dedicating 12 hours each day.
“It was a nice realization of somebody that was a really positive and spiritual person who was telling us that we have good energy that we need to harness and use for a good cause,” O’Briant explains. “She even said for six grown males to be able to get together and not be at each other’s throats is a blessing and you need to be able to share that with the world. From then, it took on understanding.”
They live together. Perform together. And even meditate together. The members of EOS thrive off of their newfound oneness and have all become certified teachers of meditation. O’Briant and Moore adorn malas around their necks during the interview, Buddhist prayer beads used to count the number of times a mantra is recited while meditating.
“I think it’s a blessing that we’re able to communicate as well as we do and we’re able to get along. It’s amazing, and we thrive off that,” O’Briant explains.
Yet, the six who make up EOS also thrive off of their music, which they say, is the constant throughout their days with booking their first three-week tour from San Francisco to Long Beach, recording and releasing their album in addition to writing new material with plans to go back into the studio for a 6-song EP release.
“The biggest thing you can hope for in music as a band is to be unique and original. You don’t want to be classified, because that’s what makes it interesting and different. There’s no point to listen to a song that you’ve already heard by a million different artists.”
Moore adds to O’Briant’s sentiment, “[Our music is] full of self-expression. There are no limitations. I just play music that I feel inside me,” he explains. “Everyone’s already played everything. It’s just more self-expression. How do you express yourself?”
To follow the band’s travels on the road and get more information, go to Facebook.com/elementofsoul. Catch them live at Cesar Chavez Park on May 25, 2012 as part of Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Concerts in the Park series. Also playing is ZuhG, Playboy School and DJ X’GVNR.
Submerge has got your first look at the lineup for this year’s Friday Night Concerts in the Park series. The 13-week shindig kicks off on May 4, 2012 at 5 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento. You can see the entire lineup right here. Major brownie points to anyone who can name all of the artists that have been on the cover of and/or featured in the pages of Submerge (hint: there’s a lot of them).
May 4
Arden Park Roots (reggae/rock)
Island of Black and White (acoustic/blues/reggae/rock)
The Storytellers (roots/reggae/ska)
Shaun Slaughter (indie/electro/pop)
May 11
Middle Class Rut (rock)
Lite Brite (rock)
Horseneck (rock)
DJ Whores (electro/indie/dub step/alt)
May 18
Nickel Slots (alt-country/Americana)
Infamous Swanks (rockabilly)
Blackeyed Dempseys (Irish rock)
DJ Adam J (indie/dance/alt)
May 25
ZuhG (funk/reggae/jam)
Element of Soul (acoustic/jam rock)
Playboy School (electronic indie/pop)
DJ X’GVNR (pop/top 40/electro/dance/dub step/house)
June 1
Oleander (rock)
Allinaday (rock)
Trackfighter (rock)
Verdugo Brothers (house/top 40)
June 8
Mumbo Gumbo (zydeco/roots/dance)
Todd Morgan and the Emblems (blues/rock/jazz)
DJ Mikey Likes It (top 40/‘80s/‘90s/party groove)
June 15
Relic 45 (blues/rock)
Out of Place (acoustic/alternative/rock)
Sexrat (alternative/rock)
Reggie Ginn (pop)
Shaun Slaughter (indie/electro/pop)
June 22
7 Seconds (punk)
Bastards of Young (punk)
City of Vain (punk)
DJ Whores (electro/indie/dub step/alt)
June 29
The Nibblers (funk)
The Coalition (world beat)
Diva Kings (folk/pop rock)
DJ Fedi
July 6
Full Blown Stone (reggae rock)
Dogfood (alternative rock)
Street Urchinz (reggae/rock)
DJ Nate D
July 13
Another Damn Disappointment (ADD) (punk)
Walking Dead (punk)
A Single Second (punk)
The Left Hand (punk)
DJ Blackheart (house/electro/punk/indie)
July 20
Walking Spanish (blues/indie rock)
Jack and White (alternative/pop rock)
Autumn Sky (folk/pop)
CrookOne (soul/pop/hip-hop/Motown/indie)
July 27
The Brodys (pop/rock)
Early States (pop/rock)
Hero’s Last Mission (pop)
Chaotic Fusion (DJ Oasis & !nkDup) (rock/top 40/dance/mash-ups)
As you probably know by now, this year’s lineup was not booked by longtime promoter Jerry Perry, but instead by a committee of local promoters, musicians and music enthusiasts that go by the name Play Big Sacramento. One committee member, Andy Hawk, who works at Entercom radio stations and promotes Wednesday night shows at Powerhouse Pub in Folsom, recently told Submerge of this year’s lineup, “As a committee we worked with venues, clubs, bookers and musicians in an effort to create a lineup of the best Sacramento has to offer. We have 13 weeks of shows filled with the biggest headliners in town, and have added the most talented DJs in Sacramento to play in the beer garden. Friday Night Concerts in the Park this year will truly be the centerpiece of entertainment in Sacramento this summer.”
Sacramento party-pop-rock trio Dogfood is headlining Ace of Spades on Thursday, Sept. 1 alongside other local favorites Element of Soul, Beyond the Grove and Goodness Gracious Me. If you buy a ticket directly from Dogfood for just $10 you will also get a copy of their album Alabama Voodoo. Contact them at Facebook.com/dogfoodmusic or via e-mail at probablydogfood@hotmail.com. Submerge has been lucky to catch Dogfood live around town a couple times over the last few months and it’s always a really good time. Their music is fun (but not overly cheesy) and very well crafted. If you dig bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day and Sublime, chances are you’ll be jumping around in no time once Dogfood takes the stage. Ace of Spades is located at 1417 R Street, the show is all ages and kicks off at 6 p.m. Learn more about the venue at Aceofspadessac.com
Sinister Scene
Element of Soul, A Single Second, Sinister Scene, Adam Roth, Verbatim
Friday, July 18, 2011 – Shenanigans, Sacramento
Words & Photos Mike Saechao
Walking into Shenanigans, my eyes fixated on the plasma screen-filled, pool table-planted sports bar. I scoped around to prep myself for a night of rock ‘n’ roll and some serious head banging.
Starting the night off was Adam Roth of Green Audio. Though the rest of Green Audio was not present, Roth had a guest drummer and a backup vocalist to fill in the void. I expected a hardcore emo set, but was proven wrong as Roth sat down beside his keyboards and let out a melody. “This song is about being drunk and medicated,” he explained as he sang, “There’s something inside of me/That’s laughing with anxiety“–a very depressing yet bittersweet lullaby about self-loathing. Roth did a cover of Green Day’s “Basket Case,” which sounded like it was sung by Billie Joe Armstrong on the verge of suicide. I’ll admit it was a lot better than the original. In one of Roth’s final songs, he sang, “I believe I can be anything with you in my heart/Just give me one more day,” a ballad that left the crowd feeling Roth’s agony. The sound of Roth’s downtrodden voice and acoustic elements reminded me of a dramatic post-breakup story, where acoustic meets experimental.
There was one surprise of the night: A tribal fusion belly dancing group called Verbatim from Hot Pot Studios performed dance breaks in between set changes to keep the crowd going. Throughout the night, this Midtown-based dance crew continued to keep the crowd cheering for not just rock ‘n’ roll but art as well.
Verbatim
A few minutes later, Sinister Scene from Sparks, Nev., was up. I’ve never heard of this band, but I was intrigued by their matching socks and their chemistry. A signal from the vocalist Seven and the band threw down and rocked the stage. The energy and aggression of this hardcore band sparked the crowd, and Seven growled and screamed into the mic with no forgiveness. With almost no transitions or breaks in between songs, Sinister Scene played spot-on hardcore rock music, song after song, scream after scream. By the end of their set, Seven had established what seemed like a cult following of a new breed of head bangers.
Between the dance breaks of Verbatim and a small breather, A Single Second took the stage, and almost immediately started off with an anthem of their own followed by psychedelic drum beats and melancholy lyrics. What really ignited the crowd’s spirits was “Politicians of U.S.A.,” a song about the growing unemployment, a verbal backhand slap to the mistakes of modern politics. It was a mixture of heavy metal and punk rock, revolting against the government and failed relationships. A Single Second continued their set with rage-inspiring anthems. Pretty awesome rock ‘n’ roll, I’d say.
Element Of Soul
For the last act, the lineup of what seemed to be purely just heartache and hardcore aggression came to an abrupt end as Element of Soul took the stage. I was not ready for the barrage of couples flying in and slow dancing to the melodies that came out of this band. It reminded me of a Woodstock documentary, though I would say I was impressed with the crowd they attracted. It was a very smooth transition from hard rock to slow rock, ending the night just right. This jazzy, hip, acoustic extravaganza was not exactly my cup of tea, but I managed to sneak in between the crowd and snap a few shots of the band before bumping into couples who were getting down. As the final hour approached, more couples took the pit and drunken anthems and lullabies became songs of the night.
Arden Park Roots are wrapping up production on a yet-to-be-titled five-track EP recorded recently in downtown Sacramento at Papa Roach’s Studio. The EP will see a digital-only release and will be a precursor to a full-length album ready later this year or early next year, according to Justin Nordan, who along with Eric Rushing co-manages APR under Artery Foundation Management. Catch Arden Park Roots along with Lonely Kings as they co-headline Ace of Spades’ first annual Second Saturday Rock N’ Style show on June 11, 2011. Opening will be locals Not Your Style (it’s their farewell show), Dogfood, Element of Soul, Early States and DJ Whores. There will be a red carpet with tons of photo ops (you could use a new Facebook profile picture anyway), Rockstar Energy Drink models and more!
