Monopoly capitalism poisons everything. It has turned Hollywood into a sequel/reboot machine. But it goes further than that. Our food is garbage; our elections are farcical, and even the drinking water isn’t safe to drink. Rock ‘n’ roll was once the fertile soil for all sorts of rebellion, but overproduction and an influx of talented but vapid one-hit wonders have stolen that from us, too.

I read in a press release that they called themselves “The Most Honest Band in Rock and Roll,” and I was ready to needle them about it, thinking it was just a play on the band’s name, but I was wrong. I sat down with drummer Justin Mellor and singer/guitarist Chuck Bradley and was dying to ask them about it.

I read that you guys are the most honest band in rock ‘n’ roll. Where does that come from?
Chuck Bradley: We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re just trying to play really good rock ‘n’ roll that’s familiar to people and is fun to listen to, and channel all of that into a great live show. For us, that’s where the honesty comes in. We’re not gonna try to fool you with smoke and mirrors, we’re just gonna come out and play you some good music.

Rock seems to have become pretty stale in the past decade, do you see yourselves as trying to take it back?
CB: Yeah, that’s the whole point. For a lot of years, everyone wanted to be in a blues band, and then you had people wanting to break away from the blues and try different stuff, which is cool, but we got to the point where we missed those building blocks of rock ‘n’ roll. So we’re taking it back to the basics of not trying to play a million chords. We wanna play the ones that matter. We want to try and strip it away and do just what it would have been in the beginning. Maybe in a fresh way that means something.

You guys do some cool covers and seem to have really cool taste. What do you listen to?
Justin Mellor: I started out doing heavy metal and punk and hardcore, and I still listen to all of that stuff. As I grow, I’ve been listening to a lot of older country and bluegrass and a lot of different stuff. My favorite band is The Refreshments, but I also derive a lot of influence from Megadeth. I love stuff like that.
CB: That’s part of stripping it down—when you do that color or that little drum part, it grabs people because it’s not through the whole song. It counts if it’s well-placed. You [Mellor] are so good at that. The fills that you do and the stuff you do rhythmically always fits into the stuff we’re doing—it doesn’t ever fight with what we do.
JM: I like Dave Lombardo’s [from Slayer] drumming, but when I’m listening to a really good rock ‘n’ roll song, there’s actually not a lot going on, and a good drummer plays to make the people sound better instead of just playing a thousand miles an hour. That’s cool, but it doesn’t really have its place in rock ‘n’ roll.

And you guys use pretty specific vintage equipment. Is that an honesty thing, too?
JM: When you’re an artist, you’re trying to find the perfect color, and when you’re a musician you try to find the perfect tone. When you’re as obsessed as we are, you never quite get it, so you’re always searching. We use a lot of hearty gear. Chuck uses a Marshall amp.
CB: I just got that, I’m super excited about it.
JM: Tube-powered, hearty stuff. We don’t like little solid-state amps that have a thin sound, we want the stage show to sound as cool as the record sounds.
CB: You know, the new amp that I got has bass, mid, treble and volume, and that’s all. It’s made to overdrive the tubes and make that round, three-dimensional sound. Dan [Sisson], the other guitar player, is super into that, too, and when I started playing music with him, he really revolutionized that for me. Having a guitar tone come from the instrument itself is important, and it’s easier for me. I don’t have to tap-dance on pedals all night.
JM: It’s a house of cards thing. The more stuff you plug in, the more it can go wrong, and it hides the real thing.

It’s harder to replicate live, too, right?
JM: Yeah, and we wanna sound really good live, first and foremost. We don’t wanna be that band that sounds really good on the record and then sounds totally different live. Some bands sound like they have five guitar players on the records and then only two on stage. We don’t wanna be that, because you can get carried away in the studio … You can sound like a symphonic orchestra and you get on stage and it’s just two guys.

You think anyone in particular is dishonest?
CB: I’d hesitate to say dishonest, but there are different approaches. We don’t think these guys are trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes, it’s just different. We’re interested in making songs work without 50 million tools to do it. There’s a lot of newer stuff that’s overproduced, in my opinion. I’ll watch something on TV like Good Morning America or Saturday Night Live or something and they’ll have a country band on, and I play pedal steel, so I know that’s a pedal steel lick you’re playing, and I’ll look on stage and there’s no pedal steel player up there, so that’s the kind of dishonesty we’re trying to avoid. We want to have the record sound like we do live, and capturing that honesty is what we’re about.
JM: Nashville has a formula and they keep doing the same thing that sells. It’s all the same two-and-a-half-minute song with the same type of guitar riff and the same structures—even the same back up singers. They have a formula, and to their credit, it sells, but that to me is dishonest, because it’s remaking a fake product. It’s like KMart selling socks, and there’s no difference to them because it’s a product. We wanna do something genuine that’s made fresh and real.

Sacramento seems to be a really good place to do that right now.
CB: I have to credit a lot of the musicians around here. I think as an audience, people recognize when you don’t put effort into what you’re doing, and I think that’s what ends up killing a lot of scenes in a lot of cities, and you have to keep your game elevated.

Do you mean anyone in particular?
CB: Tatiana McPhee put out a great record. JonEmery—he’s so active. He’s always putting out stuff. Shawn Cahoon of Rancho Deluxe—he’s an honest performer, too. He lays it all out and I respect the hell out of him. He’s that guy that no one knows but I respect him so much. He just hops up on stage and rips. Bobby Dickson of Unchained. Matt W Gage just put out a record, [and] he works with some of the greatest musicians. Billy Hood, too. He’s my favorite local songwriter.

When is the record out?
CB: We’re adding some last minute details and our producer is a busy guy, but the digital release will be out by the end of February. We’re gonna push, and I think we’re close. We’re only doing six songs, but we’re doing it well. We picked the six best songs that could run the gamut of what we do. We want this to be kind of like a sampler was in the old punk rock days that says, “Here’s our three-song EP, and this is who we are.”

What about shows?
CB: We’re really fortunate to be able to play at places like the Powerhouse or Goldfield especially because, you know, those level of venues are important for a city to have. For them to come say, “Hey, we believe in what you’re doing, come be on our stage,” we’re really happy to oblige.

Show The Damn Liars you believe in what they’re doing, too, and check them out live at the aforementioned shows at Powerhouse Pub (614 Sutter St., Folsom) on Jan. 25, 2018, and at Goldfield Trading Post (1630 J St., Sacramento) on Jan. 26. Stay tuned for details on their new album by following the band on Facebook.com/thedamnliars.

**This interview first appeared in print on pages 18 – 19 of issue #257 (Jan. 15 – 29, 2018)**

One Member’s Move to Oregon has ZuhG looking northward for future “Field Trips”

With the closing of the ZuhG Life Store in the Downtown Plaza last summer, Sacramento’s esteemed Hall of Fame ska-reggae-funk mashup band ZuhG has experienced a bit of a proximity shift since its lead singer and guitarist Bryan Nichols moved up to Lincoln City, Oregon. Rather than folding under the separation anxiety, however, ZuhG seems to be thriving following Nichols’ move. Their touring capacity has now easily stretched up the Oregon coast and even seeps a little bit into Washington, where they say they’d like to frequent more often.

They haven’t stopped making music, either. ZuhG is set to release their sixth studio album, Field Trip, through a CD release party at Harlow’s on March 14, 2015. They’ll also be touring starting in Sacramento and heading all the way through to Seattle.

Before they could do all that, though, ZuhG had one final mission for February: Saving Private Bryan from his Oregon beachside bliss, and bringing him back to Sacramento to put the final touches on their album via 10 hours of studio mixing and mastering—which Nichols says is about 96 percent done by now.

So the band set out on their mission. But instead of simply going to Oregon and coming right back (like most of us non-musicians would do) ZuhG took a few detours along the way and decided to embark on an unannounced, unnamed spur-of-the-moment mini tour.

“We didn’t name it because it’s so short,” Nichols says of their brief musical excursion. “Usually we’ll make a poster and give it a little name, you know?”

“The Pick-Up-Bryan Tour,” bandmate and fellow guitarist JR Halliday interjects. “We pretty much went to pick him up, we come back and then we go to the studio.”

Fresh off of stops in Eugene, Oregon and Arcata, California, ZuhG played their last show at the Powerhouse Pub in Folsom on Feb. 21, 2015, testing some of their newer songs on the dance-prone audience and even jamming out with a local violinist during their set, before having to wake up early the next morning and hit the Pus Cavern Studios for some final tweaks.

Submerge was able to catch up with Nichols and Halliday before their studio session that Sunday morning to ask them everything we possibly could about Field Trip, their upcoming tour, their newest songs and where ZuhG plans to go from here.

Why did you decide to name your new album Field Trip?
JR Halliday: Just going out on tour, you know? It’s like a field trip where you go to school and you get on the bus and you go off on a little adventure. It’s like little field trips. You know, it’s kind of what we do.
Bryan Nichols: I forget who said let’s make it that. But we were all like, yeah. Because like you said, we go on all our little trips and sometimes our tours are like two weeks long, so we almost don’t call them tours—we just call them trips. It’s like a field trip. Yeah, it’s very much so what we’re doing. You know what I mean? We’re like a group of friends, getting in our bus and going on a field trip. Like, “Let’s go to Eugene, let’s go to Arcata, let’s go to Seattle.”

I know you guys have a song called “The Hits” on your new album, which is about people requesting for you to play hit songs and famous covers. How did that song come about?
BN: So, I live in Oregon on the coast, you know, when we’re not touring. And I play this little restaurant gig a lot on the weekends, just in the corner of a restaurant. Like, people don’t really care I’m playing—I’m just kind of background noise, you know? But so often people will come up and to me and be like, “Hey, do you know any…” and I get the most ridiculous requests. Like Jimmy Buffett. “You know any Jimmy Buffett?” Or, “You know any AC/DC?” And some girl’s like, “You know some Bruno Mars? Or Adele?” Just ridiculous stuff that I wouldn’t sing. It’s like, “Yes, of course I’ve heard of that person before. But no, I’m not going to play an AC/DC song in this restaurant right now.” Nor do I know it… So it’s just a goofy song about that.

Bryan, how has your move to Oregon affected the band’s dynamic, if at all?
BN: I actually think this is working out better. I used to own a store in Sacramento called the ZuhG Life Store. And so after that store closed and just where I was in my life. I felt like I could finally move away and still make the band happen. You know? I would never leave until I felt like that—I mean, the members that we had and the way that we’d get down. So I saw my opportunity to move to the Oregon coast. I got a beach hut… I got lucky in a small little Oregon coastal town and I’m literally on the beach. It’s cool because now it’s opened up this whole realm of us playing in Eugene constantly and Portland and Seattle—just Oregon in general. We’ve just been tearing up Oregon lately as opposed to in the past, we were always going to San Diego and Hermosa Beach. We’re making our way up the coast a lot more, like every tour. So it’s cool because a lot of people when I was first moving there were like, ‘Aw, is the band breaking up?’ And I’m like, “No. Our band is just going to be playing more.”

So if anything, maybe the move up to Oregon has helped the band in some ways.
BN: I would say it’s broadened our reach. You know what I mean? We’re playing in other towns, and it’s nice.

I noticed from last night’s show that the band will just keep jamming sometimes, even if the original song is shorter. How much of a live set is pre-planned and how much is improvised like that?
BN: I mean, there’s definitely structure to some of the songs. Like, “Here comes Bryan singing a verse, or here comes a chorus.” But the bridges or the solos, who knows how long they’re going to be? You know? If Andre’s still shredding and he’s got his face on, we know not to go to the next part yet ‘cause he’s still in the middle of it. So yeah, there’s a lot of improv going on. But there’s also structure.

How’s it been after the ZuhG Life Store closed down? Do you miss it?
BN: I like to call it first and foremost a local music store. Like, we had a whole wall of just bands from Sacramento. So we were like a big merchant booth for that. And then it grew into music lessons and local art and shows in front of the store and local clothing companies. So local anything, you know? It was fun. I don’t regret it at all. I never thought I would own a store, and then an opportunity just kind of fell on my lap [and] I didn’t want to pass it up. It was great for the band, too. I like to think so many people in Sacramento just kind of know what ZuhG is or have heard of it because of that store… I had a lot of band members working there and helping out. It was demanding. You know, we were open damn near every day, during the mall hours we had to be open. So we only had a couple days and holidays [off]. It was super fun, and to see it go is sad, but I don’t miss owning a store. Although, I’ll drive by my Oregon coast town and see some building for rent or something. I’m always kind of like, “Hmm, I wonder how much that is.” I’m always kind of intrigued.

Is it possible that another ZuhG store could open up again, either here or in Oregon?
BN: It’s possible one day. I don’t have any plans right now, but I always think about it. And I got some friends who’d wanna do it too—like work there and sell their art and whatnot.
JH: It was very time-consuming, you know? We couldn’t just leave on tour. We had to make sure the store was covered. He was constantly on the phone talking to someone about some random thing for the store.

So, are you saying you’re happy that it closed down?
JH: I personally am. But I didn’t work there.
BN: Yeah, you didn’t do shit.
JH: I was like moral support. I’d show up, make an appearance.

Sounds like you’re more freed up to focus on your music.
BN: Yeah, it was definitely hard. Imagine going on a month-long tour and finding somebody to watch the store the whole time. It definitely frees up some time.

So what’s next for you guys? What’s your next move after this album, and where do you want to take ZuhG in the long run?
BN: Well, we’re always really excited about the festival scene. And we’ve playing a lot of festivals every time the time comes around. So we always focus on playing bigger and more festivals. That’s always it.

Do you see ZuhG going on a nationwide tour at some point?
JH: Absolutely.
BN: We have, and we’re going to again in October.
JH: Yeah, we’re going to Hawaii in August. So we just got five tickets.

Do you aim to be a touring band for the rest of your musical careers?
BN: Yeah. Bigger and better tours, always and constantly. The way I see it, for us to get bigger and go up to the next level, I want to go on tour with a band bigger than us and open for them every night. So I try to position ourselves to where we get to open for those bands, and one of these days one of those bands will be like, “Hey, I like you guys. You should come on tour with us.” I feel like that happens a lot. So that’s what I always try to do as far as getting to the next level. I try to find those opportunities for us, and hopefully it’ll work out.

Would you like ZuhG to achieve mainstream success and be radio-friendly one day?
JH: I think active would be a better word. Even if we’re making a little bit of money or no money, we’re still going to be doing it. We’ll stay play in our band and [ride] in our bus—whatever we have to get us from point A to point B.

Are you guys able to make a decent living doing music full-time?
BN: I got a beach house, man. We’re not rich, but you know.
JH: We all do our own thing, you know, our own little hustle to make ends meet as well…We don’t just rely on ZuhG to make our money and all that. At least us two.

So does ZuhG already have another project on its mind?
JH: Oh yeah. I’m already brewing up ideas upstairs. [Bryan’s] already got a bunch of songs that have been put on the table. But we gotta finish this one first. We started Field Trip before we came out with Calm and Clear.

Seriously?
BN: We had a drummer bail out. When we were recording Field Trip, one of our drummers quit. So then it just kind of turned into, “Let’s record an acoustic album with me and JR and our homegirl singer Jesi Naomi.” That’s basically all that’s on that album Calm and Clear. So we came out with that album because a drummer quit and we had all these acoustic songs.

I guess it’ll feel good to get this one out of the way then, huh?
BN: It’s been an idea for a long time, yeah.

Don’t miss the release party of Field Trip at Harlow’s on Saturday, March 14, 2015. Groovincible and Dank Ocean will be joining ZuhG for the 10 p.m. show. $10 cover, 21-and-over.

Talent and Connections brought Once an Empire Together, and to Cesar Chavez Park

In the era of “pay to play,” hounding venue owners and promoters for a shot at a 15-minute slot on a bill, slogging up and down the streets of Sacramento flyering the hell out of the grid, not to mention the near-constant act of pestering—um, convincing— friends and family to come to your shows, new bands have a pretty tough time breaking into the local music scene. It’s a grind; it’s the art of the hustle.

So, when a new band is still attempting to ascend the ranks in the local music scene and it manages to pull of one off the biggest coups in the Sacramento music scene by snagging a much-coveted spot on the 2014 Concerts in the Park roster, it’s kind of a big deal.

Such was the case for Once an Empire—with a growing fan base and another invitation to play their brand of alternative rock to the heaving mass of music lovers at Cesar Chavez Park this summer, the fledgling quintet is looking to solidify its place in the local musical lexicon.

“We got kind of lucky because we got scouted on Halloween night out at Powerhouse,” Empire’s lead singer, Melissa McGregor, explains. “We were dressed as the Channel 4 news team [of the film Anchorman] and it was a riot. Everybody loved it, and so that got us a lot of attention and the right people were there and saw us play, and when they told us they wanted us to come play [at Concerts in the Park] we were just like, ‘Wait, what…like, really, really?’”

As one of the latest bands to emerge out of the many jam sessions that echo throughout garages and basements all around the valley, Once an Empire is a product of the wellspring of musicians in this town. Web-like interconnections led guitarist Jess Hudson to regroup with an old friend from high school who ran a small studio space perfect for jamming.

“I had really started paying attention to music again after having two small children, and I really wanted to play so I followed through with it,” Hudson explains. “He ran a little studio where he recorded bands, so that gave us a really easy place to set up. Initially, we were jamming with another buddy, who didn’t work out, but we didn’t know who would play what… So long story short, we realized, Mike, my friend couldn’t cut it on drums and he’d rather play guitar anyway, so he knew about Steve…and when Steve showed up it kind of immediately sounded like something, [but] we were just going to jam and drink beer.”

“Was it like ‘Dad League,’ or whatever,” drummer Steve Samudio questions in with a chuckle.

“Yeah, ‘Dad League’ or ‘Beer League,’” Hudson confirms with a grin. “So, when Steve showed up it started sounding like something. We started recording ourselves because we had access and, when we heard it [played] back, sparks started flying and we thought we could really do something with this [band] and that was probably the beginning of it. Steve had a friend who we called in to play bass and, although Melissa knew of our band early on, eight months later she came on.”

What began in 2011 as Hudson’s desire to get back into playing music upon his return to Sacramento from Montana with his wife, along with two small daughters in tow, ultimately turned from a jam session with friends into Empire’s current lineup: Levi Vigna joined him on guitar, JR Wooten stepped up to play bass and Samudio joined the group to carry the beat on drums. It wasn’t until a random demo came through during their search for a frontman that inspired the group’s decision to bring McGregor on to handle the vocals.

“We were very specifically looking for a male singer…” Hudson explains. “We had a whole bunch of guys send in demos for two or three months just so that we wouldn’t have to bring every person in to try them out, so we would make them record over our demos and send it back. This guy sends one back we couldn’t tell if it was a female or male voice at first, I knew from emailing that I thought it was a guy, but it sounded like a female voice.”

And the idea was born—talk about girl power!

“Although it was a really different take on our music, which was initially heavier than it is now, something led to [Melissa] going in and recording,” Hudson continues. “Once we heard it we asked her then to record to our hardest rock song…and she killed it. So at that point yeah, we were like, hey let’s go for it.”

“Prove yourself,” McGregor fills in with a wry grin.

And that she did. While McGregor admits this is the first band she has ever been in, let alone fronted, she is the lyrical powerhouse in the band—she writes all of the lyrics and harmonies.

“As far as the music goes, it’s a fully collaborative thing,” McGregor explains. “Jess comes in with a lot of ideas—he is constantly writing new stuff, and he brings that to us and we collaborate.”

Now, two EPs later, the band has packed shows and fans who even approach them during interviews in coffee shops—yes, one such fan couldn’t help but approach them to express her avid appreciation for their music after having seen them perform at a recent gig.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I saw you at Pizza Rock on Valentine’s Day,” gushes Elena Cordova. “That was awesome…that was the best part of my day.”

Their music is a combination of catchy, undulating melodies set over an abundant supply of crunchy, distorted rhythms. Empire first entered the scene with its 2013 offering, 11 Minutes After Sunrise and almost immediately after its release began amassing a stockpile of songs that ultimately evolved into a second album.

Recording the band’s second EP, Changing Shapes, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Sean Stack at Fat Cat Recording, was an experience that its members cite as essential to putting out a collection of songs they could be proud of. Stack, the ultimate task master and one who practices the utmost professionalism in the booth—he is a musician himself, after all—was essential to the band staying on track, according to Hudson.

“Sean is just the kind of guy who sits there and gives you his full attention,” McGregor explains. “He’s treating your art as if it’s very important to him and that’s the coolest thing about working with Sean. You get his full attention and he works so hard and he’s such a talented guy. That’s why we like to give him a lot of leeway with co-producing and getting his ideas into it because he’s just so good at what he does.”

The fivesome is anticipating a healthy turnout when they unleash the beast that is their second album at the record release party on March 14, 2015, at Powerhouse Pub in Folsom. They’re also gearing up to expand on their growing catalog of music. Not too shabby for a new band on the block.

“We have enough material for a whole new album right now,” Samudio says. “Some songs are better than others, but they’re there.”

With a healthy selection of material, a dynamic that includes bandmates who actually enjoy playing and recording together, Once an Empire looks poised to take on, well, the Sacramento music empire.

For more info, visit Onceanempire.com

Whether you’re on the grid or in the ‘burbs, the greater Sacramento area doesn’t lack in the “things to do on New Year’s Eve” category. Just check out this list of 15 ways to ring in 2015! We’ve got everything from rock shows with metal bands, to stand-up shows with the best local comics, to dance parties with big-name DJs and everything in between. Happy New Year’s, y’all, and remember to please be safe (and smart) out there!

1) Head bang till midnight at the “Sac of Stars” show at Boardwalk featuring Korean Fire Drill, Clockwork Hero, ForNever, Graveshadow and about a dozen other locals! Doors at 7 p.m., no cover charge, 21-and-over, free champagne toast.

2) Dance the night away with a huge balloon drop and confetti galore at District 30 with sounds by Well Groomed. $25 cover charge, party starts at 9 p.m., free champagne toast.

3) Dress your best for a party to remember at Park Ultra Lounge with DJ Peeti V. Watch the ball drop on their LED Wall, get free party favors and enjoy a free champagne toast at midnight. $40 presale, $50 at the doors, event starts at 8 p.m.

4) Enjoy New Year’s Eve in the foothills with slide guitar master Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings at Main Stage Theater in Grass Valley! Tickets start at $40 for general admission, show starts at 9 p.m.

5) Bundle up for TBD Fest’s massive outdoor block party at 20th and K streets in Midtown featuring world class DJ and major-festival-level headliner A-Trak! Also performing is Gigamesh, Oliver, Nick Catchdubs, Sister Crayon, CHLLNGR and more! 21-and-over, multiple ticket levels available (general admission starts at $45), Tbdnye.com for details.

6) Love music from the ‘80s and ‘90s? Head to Harlow’s to kick it with cover band extraordinaire Lovefool! Doors open at 9 p.m., $20 cover, 21-and-over.

7) Take the Historic Folsom District by storm this New Year’s with a super-fun dance party at Powerhouse Pub featuring local cover band Take Out! Doors open at 9 p.m., 21-and-over. Bonus: stop into Samuel Horne’s Tavern before the show to check out their amazing beer list!

8) Get down with some mainstream mashups from DJ Rigatony at Starlite’s NYE Celebration! Two floors, pool table and the kitchen will be open until 10 p.m. Guest hosts Lori Love and Miss Lisa. $5 cover, 9 p.m., free champagne toast at midnight.

9) If you want to see some absolutely massive headliners and are not afraid of a little snow and possible sub-zero temps, definitely consider heading to South Lake Tahoe for SnowGlobe, which runs Dec. 29 to 31! Acts like Disclosure, Skrillex, Porter Robinson, Atmosphere, Phantogram and about a million others will keep you warm with their dance-heavy sets! Single day tickets are $99.

10) Why not mix some gambling with your NYE party at Thunder Valley Casino? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is performing (7:30 p.m. in Pano Hall, $47.75), and there is also a grand opening celebration for their new nightclub, Illusions, where DJ Thomas will spin jams all night (9 p.m., $50).

11) If you’re looking for something different this New Year’s, check out Punchline’s “2014’s Last Laughs” comedy show! Two shows, one at 7:30 p.m. with local faves Ngaio Bealum, Ray Molina, John Ross and more. The late show (10 p.m.) will have Johnny Taylor, Keith Lowell Jensen, DJ Mervin and others, as well as a DJ playing dance music and a free champagne toast at midnight. 18-and-over, $25.40 for early show, $31.80 for late show, Punchlinesac.com.

12) Not into DJs, electronic dance music and/or indie bands? More of a country guy or gal? Ain’t no shame! Grab your boots and cowboy hat and head to Goldfield Trading Post for a “yee-haw” New Year’s with the excellent Brodie Stewart Band! The party starts at 9 p.m., and there is no cover charge, 21-and-over only.

13) Three of the best local party throwers (DJ Larry Rodriguez, MC Ham and DJ Wokstar) are getting together at Fox and Goose to spin some soul, funk, reggae, disco and more! Smoke, lasers, party favors, the whole nine. Cover is only $10, party starts at 9 p.m.

14) The annual Lipstick Presents NYE at Old Ironsides features a live performance from Sunmonks this year, plus DJs Shaun Slaughter, Roger Carpio and Adam Jay. Complimentary champagne toast, midnight ball drop, tons of giveaways. $8 tickets available in advance at Cuffs Urban Apparel.

15) Enjoy a small, intimate gathering in Davis when the rootsy-yet-dancey local group Mumbo Gumbo rocks a NYE bash to remember at the Odd Fellows Hall. Limited to only 225 tickets! Check out Mumbogumbo.com for more info on where to snag those limited tickets.

Want even more New Year’s Eve options? Check out our calendar section here!

Radio personality and major supporter of local music Andy Hawk has moved his popular Local Licks Live Music Series from Wednesday nights at Powerhouse in Folsom to every other Saturday at Rounders Sports Bar and Grill in Citrus Heights (7433 Greenback Lane). The format of the show has changed a bit, too. What used to be more of a full-on rock show is now being branded as “Local Licks Acoustic Series and Sac Open Mic All-Stars.” Every show will feature a local headliner doing a stripped-down set and a fun open mic session featuring tons of great local musicians and creative themes. For instance, at the next show on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, Humble Wolf will be the featured performer and guests for the Foo Fighters-themed (fuck yes!) open mic will be David James from Allinaday, Mark of Defyance, Laith Kaos, Lindsey Pavao and others. The show after that, on Saturday, March 8, 2014, will feature Some Fear None as the main act with guests for the Grunge-themed open mic being local groups Race To The Bottom, Highway 12 and others. Find Rounders on Facebook to check out upcoming guest performers and themes (there are some good ones, like Jonah Matranga on April 5, 2014!) and don’t forget to tune into 98 Rock every Monday at 10 p.m. to hear Hawk’s Local Licks, an hour-long show consisting of all local music.

Come cheer on your favorite Housewife, Cowgirl, or Bettie Page style pinup girl at the Powerhouse Pub in Folsom (614 Sutter Street, Suite D) on Saturday, Sept. 29. Pinup contestants will be judged based on their responses to a Q&A section as well as crowd response, so make sure to let them know you like what you see! Winners from each category will be featured in Pin Up America magazine. Enjoy barbecue and drinks from the outside bar as you check out the classic cars that will fill the pub’s parking lot. The ladies can occupy themselves at Maribou Salon’s booth, where they can get their hair and makeup done pinup style. You can also watch contestants duke it out in the “Best Pinup Tattoo,” “Barbershop Pompadour” or “Mustache Competition” categories. If you like to shop, plenty of vendors will be at your service. A raffle will also take place with proceeds benefiting the charity Ride to Walk, whose mission is to provide therapeutic horseback riding activities to children and young adults with neurological disabilities. After the competition comes to an end, live bands will rock the stage until last call. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. and general admission is $10. For contest entry information, visit http://norcalpinupcomp.eventbrite.com/.

-By Natalie Basurto

Local hard rock band Misamore ready to release new EP

For local rock guitarist Josh Amolsch, April 13, 2011 is a very important date, one that’s long overdue. The band he founded way back in 2003, Misamore, will finally release their first official recording, a five-track EP titled Horizon, at Powerhouse Pub in Folsom. “This album has been a very long time coming,” Amolsch recently admitted to Submerge. “Every time we tried to put something out it always ended up going sideways due to one reason or another. So having this album finally come together is a huge achievement for this band.”

He added, “This record was kind of ‘do or die’ for us.”

Misamore’s sound lies somewhere between that of Tool, Pantera, Mudvayne and Metallica. The EP’s opening track, “The Desert Shade,” boasts speedy guitar riffs and a huge range in singer Mace Corona’s vocal abilities, who can change from melodic hook to brutal scream in a heartbeat. “New Beginning,” the second track, has a much more radio-friendly vibe to it, but still showcases the band’s musicianship and knack for weaving in oddly timed rhythms seamlessly. “Dead” is a whole lot slower than the first two songs and acts as a great centerpiece for the EP. “Forebay” gets a little tripped out at times, sort of Mastodon-ish, and proves that Mike Dragony can slap the shit out of his bass with some impressive playing in the intro; and “Home” brings Horizon to a close, leaving you wanting more.

Submerge caught up with Amolsch recently to chat about the band’s tumultuous past, their new EP and the status of heavy music today.

Why did it take so long to get an official release together? There have been quite a few ups and downs for this project, right?
Well, we had never had a full band together long enough to put a legit album out. We are very meticulous with everything we do and didn’t want to put out something we weren’t proud of. With that, there have definitely been more downs than ups. Misamore first came together in February 2003 after my old band broke up. I, along with the drummer from that band, launched Misamore. The next four-and-a-half years saw many member changes, a move out to Texas and back and a brief period of time when I just flat gave up and started playing drums in a punk band.

How did the current lineup come about?
I have known Mike for years. I first met him back in 2000 when both of our bands played a show up in Chico at a house party. We met Mace through an ad on Craigslist in 2008 and although it took a year to finally hook up, it clicked right away. Mace met Ryan [Maples, drums] at our rehearsal spot back in December 2010 just walking in the front door. I’m told that Mace just had a weird feeling about this guy and turned around and asked him if he played drums. We had fired our old drummer about three months prior to starting the record, so we were looking for a permanent replacement.

Being the group’s founder, are you also the main catalyst for songwriting? How does that process work for you guys?
I think we work very well together. Mike and I have been writing together for years. He and I will just sit, sometimes for hours and just pound out riffs. We record everything too. I must have 60 gigs of material just sitting on hard drives around my house. We will then sequence riffs together based on vibe, tempo and energy to make sure we are capturing the right feel Mace needs to get across what he feels. And then there is Ryan. He makes sure everything flows and bounces according to his standards. It really is the most healthy writing routine I have ever been a part of.

When were the songs on Horizon written? Are these all older, newer or a mix of the two?
Definitely a mix. It was tough deciding which songs would make it on the debut, but we narrowed it down the five we felt would represent us the best and reach the most people. The oldest song on the EP is “The Desert Shade.” I wrote that song back in 2006 when I was in Dallas. The most recent one is probably “Dead,” written in November 2009.

What are your thoughts on the status of heavier music today? It seems that with all of metal’s sub-genres it’s easy to get classified as “this” or “that” and sort of get pigeonholed, you know? What does a band like Misamore have to do to stand out from the rest?
Well, I am only speaking for myself, but I think that a lot of the heavy music out today sounds very similar. To my ears, there are very few bands that stand out lately. Looking at the big picture there are always trends. Right now, in metal, I just hear breakdown after breakdown accompanied by myriad screams with techno beats for effect. Although it was kind of cool and different when I first heard it, I’m rather bored with it now. I can’t tell if it is my ADD or just my yearning for a new wave of timeless tunes. Misamore is all about energy. We pull from Muddy Waters to Norma Jean. At the end of the day it’s not about how hard a song is or if we got enough double kick or guitar harmonies in there. We want our songs to be in people’s iPods 20, 30, 50 years from now. That is our goal.

What’s more important to you, sounding good live or sounding good on record?
I would have to say sounding good live. However, most people will come to your show based on a good recording. I like the old fashioned word of mouth and the respect that it brings from friends of friends telling their friends and so on. It’s kind of like we are all just a bunch of friends when we get to the venue. Life feels so synthetic lately with computers and texting and social networking; to get in front of a bunch of people and exchange energy with them, that is living man.