The New York Times once called Café Tacvba “Mexico’s most visionary rock band,” and it would be difficult to argue otherwise. The band formed way back in 1989, and the Grammy-winning group has staked their lengthy career in constantly reinventing themselves; notably, Café Tacvba frontman Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega often changes his name and identity from tour to tour. The band’s music runs the gamut of post-punk soundscapes, incorporating elements of folk, electronica and new wave. Opening will be The Marias, a dreamy pop rock outfit from Los Angeles featuring the swoon-worthy vocals of Maria Zardoya. For a taste of what they have to offer, check out the sumptuously romantic clip for their song “I Don’t Know You” on YouTube. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this Sunday performance at the Crest (1017 K St., Sacramento). Tickets can be purchased through Crestsacramento.com.
{The Marias}
**This write-up first appeared in print on page 8 of issue #273 (Aug. 29 – Sept. 12, 2018)**
For those unfamiliar, The Philharmonik is a pretty big name in music around Sacramento. His real name is Christian Gates and at 24-years-old, he’s already a multitalented producer, versatile instrumentalist and ambitious vocalist, and at the moment, his creativity knows no bounds. His music is a breath of fresh air in an overly saturated hip-hop mainstream where his deeply personal accounts articulate not only the injustice he sees around him, but also his optimism. Gates finds a way to make the nostalgic traits of each of his songs feel brand new.
On his 2016 rap project, Good People, the beats and content were reminiscent of an Outkast album, but with a Sacramento perspective. Now he’s back to take you on a soul-filled funk quest through his new self-titled album that will be released on March 1. Sonically, it includes R&B, electronic and even folk elements, but listeners may also notice that Gates wants to instill people with genuine hope and bravery.
Gates has been featured on stages at Concerts in the Park and GATHER, and has performed on Good Day Sac, Sofar Sacramento and headlined the James Cavern-hosted Basement Sessions. He has also been featured on websites like AfroPunk.
Gates is working ambitiously to branch out toward something bigger than music, under Sol Collective’s Sol Life record label, he wants to use his platform to help underprivileged communities and make Sacramento truly inclusive.
In recent news, Gates has been in the media for his boycott of Sacramento News and Review’s Sammies, the publication’s annual music awards show. Gates was nominated along with other Sac musicians like Hobo Johnson and Tel Cairo. The show was canceled this year after artists and nominees planned to boycott the event in response to SN&R’s profile of former Sacramento police officer John Tennis, who fatally shot a black man in 2016. Local musicians and activists plan to hold a series of Anti-Sammies events on March 14 and 15 at Blue Lamp, but Gates will not be performing. You can however catch him live at his album release show at Sol Collective on March 3.
Submerge had the opportunity to chat with Gates about his new album, society and his thoughts concerning his Sammies boycott.
We’re excited about the new album release, how long did it take you to get the project together?
I’ve been working on it since July 2016. What’s funny is that I’m always working on music, so by the time my first mixtape [Good People] came out I already had drafts for a couple records that were potentials for this album, but I wasn’t sure. The finished project took about a year-and-a half to two years.
Can you talk about the major differences between Good People and this new self-titled album?
Well Good People was [specifically] a rap album. I feel like that was where I was at [when I made it] … With this album [The Philharmonik] something just came over me where I was going back to my roots with artists I grew up with like Stevie Wonder. All the funk people were in my brain and I couldn’t get it out.
You have a playlist on Spotify titled “My Biggest Inspirations.” I heard Earth, Wind and Fire, and J.Cole among others. But of all the artists on your playlist, Stevie Wonder is on it the most. What is it about Stevie Wonder that resonates with you as a huge inspiration?
He’s just the greatest. His voice is perfect. And the fact that he doesn’t see at all makes it seem like he’s more in tune with the music. He’s just so captivating. He’s just like my biggest inspiration, hands down. All-time favorite.
You open the album with the mellow “Underdog.” But I’m a bit confused on whether the tune is about a single underdog or multiple characters. Can you explain?
It’s everybody. I think everyone has felt like an underdog in a certain way, shape or in life. For me this is how I’ve felt like an underdog. In school I used to get made fun of hella. Just all day getting picked on. I was that guy that would get the most picked on.
On “Pay Me,” your big message is the importance of not being taken advantage of. It seems like you’re saying, “Pay me, recognize me and give me the acknowledgment I deserve.” Is there more to the song?
It’s also my way of saying how much I hate capitalism. I was thinking about having to chase money all the time and the people at the top who have the whole world for them to devour. Is it too much to ask to make enough for me to live on? Like fuck you.
Do you have aspirations other than being a musician?
I want to make a change in this city. Not just like for the music aspect, but just for the community aspect. Because [Sol Collective] they’re doing so much, I want to also pour into that.
Back to the album, is “Momma’s House” [featuring Hobo Johnson] about getting out there on your own?
It’s hella depressing. It’s like at the end of the day, I was a privileged kid. I had a roof over my head and enough food to eat. The only thing was I couldn’t go out much and I had to watch my sister a lot. My mom was single and she had to do the work … The transition into adulthood is very hard. Everybody is getting into debt. The jobs aren’t equating. So on “Momma’s House,” I was like responding to all that by saying, “How the hell do I get out of this?”
“Good Day” is a less upbeat song yet a beautifully piano-driven representation of the challenges you’ve gone through emotionally. You struggle with depression correct?
Anxiety. Yeah, so I wrote that shit at like four in the morning. I couldn’t sleep. I was super fucking depressed. I just wanted to have a good day. Like over the years it felt like it was getting progressively worse especially after moving out. Isolation is almost unbearable.
On “Energy” you tap into your sultry, sexy, and romantic side. Where does that come from?
Incredibly, it came from a platonic place. It’s funny. I just wanted to talk more about just the connection and for me like there are people that inspire that song. Like experiences that I’ve had and I’ve been like wow the energy is really nice here. If you can sit at a bar at Motown Mondays and hold a conversation for the whole duration, that’s a good energy there.
What I get from “Let Freedom Ring” is your experience with racism and injustice from your daily life, or things you see happen to other people, but you sound really confident that there will be better days.
There will be. I wanted it to express how everybody feels ever since Donald Trump has been in office. The racists have definitely come out of the woodwork. So if they are going to come out of the woodwork, I’m definitely going to be more vocal about that shit. I don’t really care who it offends. Like if you have a platform where your voice can inspire people, it’s like your obligation—your responsibility to make sure that the people that are oppressed have some type of liberation in what they hear.
Were you the first to boycott the Sammies this year? Did you know other artists in the community were going to follow?
That shit’s been going on for a while. I’m not [the first]. I just had a big enough platform for people to notice [in the media]. People have been doing that shit [boycotting SN&R and The Sammies] for years … Honestly, a lot of people of color have been boycotting it and were voicing it and have been voicing it. But to be honest most of the white artists that have been doing it [boycotting the Sammies] wouldn’t have done it unless someone really came out the woodwork and really said something about it. And I do feel that way.
So you think it’s a “bandwagon” mentality for certain artists?
I definitely do. I definitely do think it’s a bandwagon. I mean there comes a place where I think racism is wrong, but there’s also a place where now that everybody is on board with this, they are on board, too, because of that. I didn’t give a fuck about any of it. I was like, yo, this is the right thing to do, and if you’re not going to do that it’s fine. But like Shane from Tel Cairo was very authentic [when he boycotted the Sammies]. Like he was ready, he was with me and there were other people that were with me. I felt some of the backlash from it to back down. But I’m not going to back down from it, and I do think we’re going into a good direction. But I think that shit is going to be temporary and I think they [SN&R] are going to revert back to their old ways. At this point I just feel like everything that they do, like the apologies in SN&R have been unacceptable because they haven’t really been apologies.
What do you want to see happen as a result of this boycott?
I want to see that black lives matter, and I want to see black lives inspired. I want to see more inclusivity of black and brown people within artist ranks and I want to see them get more money for it. I want them to be recognized. I want them to be seen. There’s just too much use of the word “diversity” without really having diversity, so that’s my message. You know like, yo, start putting your feelings to action.
Are you performing at the Anti-Sammies?
I’ll be at SXSW during that time. The Sammies got canceled. I guess that’s a start in the right direction. But I’m skeptical and think things will go back to the way they were.
Make sure to check out The Philharmonik’s self-titled album, which will be released on March 1 on Spotify, SoundCloud, Tidal and Apple Music. You can celebrate its release at Sol Collective (2574 21st St., Sacramento), on March 3. Tickets are $12, and Jmsey and Sunmonks will also perform. You can also catch The Philharmonik live on March 9 for an intimate show at Gold Standard Sounds recording studio, or on April 13 at Harlow’s (2708 J St., Sacramento) when he opens for Bilal. For more info, go to Facebook.com/thephilharmonik.
**This interview first appeared in print on pages 22 – 23 of issue #260 (Feb. 26 – Mar. 12, 2018)**
At the dawn of the decade—a blink of an eye ago, and yet seemingly a bygone era—South Florida’s Surfer Blood seized the indie blog zeitgeist with their brand of perpetually sunny, reverb-drenched power-pop, spearheaded by singles like “Swim” and “Floating Vibes,” the choruses of which are still echoing in fan sing-alongs, TV and video game soundtracks.
Since then, however, the tide has turned in on itself time and again, almost on a yearly basis. From being dropped by Warner Brothers Records following their sophomore album Pythons, to lead guitarist Thomas Fekete’s re-diagnosis and succumbing to cancer between their last two releases, Surfer Blood’s trajectory has been constantly re-routing since it first began. On the music front, they’ve faced a similar situation to other bands of an “endless summer” outlook that debuted around the same time (Best Coast, Wavves, etc.), who have had to contend with the storm clouds of the increasingly divergent and sometimes grim-faced modes indie rock has taken.
All of this says more about the capricious whims of the novelty-hungry hype machine than the artistic evolution of the band. The past few years has seen Surfer Blood regroup to produce some of their most interesting, well-crafted statements. It may be a gentler, more reflective, fine-tuned beast than the one encountered in the brazen wash of their first two albums, but the Surfer Blood of 2017 (two original members, John Paul Pitts and Tyler Schwarz plus two new additions, high school friends Lindsey Mills and Mike McCleary) has managed to stake out a new swath of territory to explore, with their most ambitious songwriting to date.
Whatever clouds may have hung over the release of their fourth album, Snowdonia, back in February, the result was a faithfully balmy, yet more melodically complex installment in an oeuvre marked by insuppressible optimism. Aside from a decidedly psychedelic flavor on tracks like “Instant Doppelgängers” and the title track (their longest song at nearly eight minutes), the clearest indication of a change in artistic latitude is the stark, understated Antarctic photography that serves as the album’s artwork. If the group has come to a similar place of icy stillness and reflection, then it is only on the route to warmer climes.
In October, they issued their latest release, an album of cover songs fittingly titled Covers, which showcases every facet of Surfer Blood’s sensibility, and confirms their efforts to embody a mood rather than a genre—the coy romanticism of New Zealand indie band The Verlaines, the unkempt rock exhibitionism of Mudhoney, the hyper-pop surge of Outkast’s “Hey Ya!,” the nostalgic chug of Polaris’ “Hey Sandy” and the latent unconventional inclusions by Pavement and Cream.
On Jan. 20, 2018, a string of West Coast tour dates will bring Surfer Blood (once again) to Blue Lamp in Midtown. In preparation, we recently dropped a line to John Paul Pitts to talk about the role of the band’s far-flung influences, finding solace in a time of tragedy and transformation for the band, and settling into the creative long-run.
I wanted to talk about influences, because the most recent release from Surfer Blood is a covers album. What do these songs mean to you? Had you always planned to do a covers release at some point?
I’d say they’re artists who a lot of them were around during my formative years as a young musician, like The Verlaines and all the Flying Nun Records bands that I got into. Some of the songs we’d already recorded for fun, like “I Melt With You” by Modern English, and over the course of six years or so, they start to pile up, and we realized we had enough material for an LP. Mike [McCleary] the guitarist has a studio space—many of them we had done in band practice before. All of the songs sound really different, recorded at different times in different spaces, with different equipment, with different band members—just sort of all over the place. If nothing else, it’s a nice trip down memory lane.
You’ve said you went to a more arts-oriented high school. Would you say you were introduced to “indie” or “underground music” at an early age? Did you have any older siblings that influenced your music taste?
I think I was into what most kids around me at the time were into—At the Drive In, a lot of emo and some older punk stuff, a lot of the DC hardcore stuff. I was messing around, playing a little bit of guitar. I didn’t have any older siblings, but I did have an older friend who was very influential. He gave me a copy of You’re Living All Over Me by Dinosaur Jr. when I was in ninth grade, and it was like the mother lode, because it still had the same sort of edginess as the contemporary stuff I was into at the time, but it was also sensitive, and the singing was softer. The guitar solos were very melodic and emotional, and I really connected with that. I just started writing songs in that vein. You know, sincere and a little bit sappy, lots of layers of buzzy guitar, fast tempos. This was when all of the pieces connected for me as a songwriter, so I’m very grateful to my older friend for introducing me to such great music. I started taking it all in, and here I am, 15 years later.
There’s more of a psychedelic bent to Surfer Blood’s latest work. What influenced this change?
I’m always being exposed to new music. When Thomas [Fekete] was alive, I was very lucky to have somebody who was seemingly a bottomless well of knowledge. He could talk with authority about most forms of musical genres and movements. Most of it is just being around people who are smart and have really good taste, and aren’t afraid to tell you what their opinions are. I guess for Snowdonia, I was listening to a lot of Can, which was one of Thomas’ favorite bands. I admire their level of improvisation, which is something I’ve tried to cultivate with this band in the past few years, turning the live show into something more extended, jammier and dynamic.
I think [on Snowdonia] there was a deliberate focus on not coming up with an idea and automatically assuming that it had to be a straightforward pop song, and I’m really happy with the result. When you’re brainstorming, I think it’s probably a good thing to not have too many preconceived plans or notions about the ideas that are coming to you.
The time period of Snowdonia’s recording and release was heavily affected by Thomas’ passing.
It’s definitely put everything into perspective, that life is so short and fragile. You can only take all of this so seriously. At the end of the day, the music has to be fun, and it has to be enjoyable … Now, it’s so clear that everything happens for a reason. If I hadn’t met Thomas, I might still be in Florida working at a restaurant or doing some other job. This was always my passion to be writing and recording music and touring. You know, we got to spend the golden years of our lives traveling around the world with our best friends and playing music together. In hindsight, all the work was its own reward. And I’m really grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be on the level that we’ve been able to.
You’ve said that the idea for “Snowdonia” came from a dream where a muse-like figure—a wintry snow-woman—came to visit you. Why do you think she came to you?
Probably just because I needed to be comforted by something at the time … I was making demos for this album, Thomas had left the band months before for health reasons, and Kevin, who had been in the band for years and who I had known since we were kids, was leaving the band and moving away to have a more stable adult life. I was back in my apartment again writing these weirder songs, wondering if it was a huge mistake, or if I was on the right path. There was something about that dream that tried to help me get the ball rolling, and this long, winding song, “Snowdonia,” came out of it. The character represents the solace, and ironically, the warmth of committing to something again.
What was it like writing songs alone for the first time?
It was extremely hard because, I guess like a lot of millennials, I like to get affirmation super quick as soon as I get an idea, and there was just crickets, you know? But I’ve been trying to stop being so much of a perfectionist and work and rework the same songs over and over, and unfortunately that’s my nature.
After eight years and four albums, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself/being in a band?
If there’s one thing I learned about this, it’s that maybe I don’t do too well under pressure. When we were on a major label, working with really notable, talented people with lots of experience, I don’t know if that’s great for me, actually. But now, even though this record was challenging, I think things started coming my way. As I get older, I realize I’m more private and introverted than I thought I was when I was younger. Going from 2010, just being a community college student to someone traveling the world and constantly being interviewed, it was more shocking than I thought it would be. I’d been a bit optimistic in thinking I could bite off more than I could chew. The whole thing was a learning experience.
Would you say the current iteration of Surfer Blood has found its footing? Has your approach to music changed?
For one, I’m much older, and probably much wiser than I was when I was young. I can say that now. I try not to set expectations anymore. I think setting expectations is what caused us to sign to a huge label that we had no business being on so early in our career. Now we’re in a zone that’s comfortable, and that’s not a terrible thing. We’re on a label that really appreciates us, has tons of good ideas and is super supportive and helpful—just a great overall place, and I’m sure we’ll continue making music with them. We’re touring in a way where we don’t get too burnt out or homesick, or where it gets too uncomfortable to be fun, and without spending too much money. Right now my bandmates are the easiest people to be with eight to 10 hours a day, I know them all well, they’re super easy-going, they’re not dramatic, and all the stars are aligned to keep doing this in a sustainable way where we’ll be healthy and keep chugging along.
What’s changed in indie rock or music in general since you started out near the turn of the decade?
It’s hard for me to tell. I mean, obviously, the elephant in the room is that record labels won’t stay in business forever. People were complaining about that when our first record came out, and a decade before that. Most people are just trying to make their way in this crazy world where people are over-stimulated with all the content falling in and out of their lives. I know things change, but at the same time, nothing changes.
Finally, what music should I listen to this week that’ll change my life?
There’s this guy named Tony Molina who lives in Oakland who I have gotten really into the past six or seven months. He used to play in this band called Ovens. You can find the album online—it has a black and white cover, all the songs are like 20 seconds long. If you hear it, you’ll definitely understand why someone in Surfer Blood would like a band like that.
See Surfer Blood live at Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd., Sacramento) on Jan. 20, 2018, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $14 in advance and can be purchased through Abstractpresents.com. Terry Malts and Honyock will also be performing.
**This interview first appeared in print on pages 16 – 17 of issue #256 (Jan. 1 – 15, 2018)**
When your uncle is a professional magician and bestows upon you his magic kit after hanging up his top hat, it’s only natural that your first gig as a performer involves magic. For the quintessential Sacramento musician, Anton Barbeau, this is exactly how he first landed on the stage and caught the performance bug.
“My first performance, my first gig, was doing magic in school—I was 10 or something like that. As a magician I was probably reasonably mediocre but I loved performing, so that was my beginning as a performer was doing magic,” he chuckles.
While Barbeau didn’t take his magic act to Las Vegas, his need to create magic never abated. Instead, the artist plunged headfirst into the local musical pond and has been swimming there ever since. To say that the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist’s work is prolific would be a gross understatement. Come on, the guy has put out more than 20 recordings in the last 20 years—some years putting out as many as three albums during a single trip around the sun. But his latest musical effort might just prove to the world that his work is truly magical.
Collaborating via the Internet and email, artists from across the globe contributed to the musical process of creating Magic Act without setting foot into the studio with Barbeau. The process was one in which Barbeau himself didn’t necessarily think would pan out into musical gold, but the end results even surprised him.
“Tracks were coming in from Italy and Spain and all over the world. It’s kind of exciting because it all fit together—it does work, which surprises me,” he explains. “I always like the feeling of having a band or people that you’re in the same room with and there’s the chemistry but in this case some of the chemistry seemed to happen from around the globe, electronically and it still fits.”
As a born-and-bred Sacramento artist, Barbeau’s local roots are deep—as the prodigal son of the local music scene his artistic presence still resonates. And while he calls Berlin home now, he makes a concerted effort to return to those roots, often finding himself back in his room at his father’s house toying around with new ideas on his old drum kit and other instruments laying around before heading out to reconnect with friends, family and old bandmates.
“It’s funny because I’ve been back recently, and so I’m hoping the prodigal son shtick still works. I’ve got a really good band in Sacramento and it’s really fun playing with these guys,” he says. “To be playing songs off of the new record will be good—I do feel appreciated when I’m back, in California in general, it’s nice to come home. There are people who know my catalog, there are people who know songs of mine from 10,000 years ago. There’s something gratifying in that.”
Currently, the magician-turned-musician is gearing up to make his way back home with his bag of tricks in tow to play once again for the hometown crowd with a smattering of performances throughout the area with gigs at Luna’s Café and Fox and Goose, but it’s the record release party at Shine on March 12 to celebrate Magic Act that Barbeau is really looking forward to.
“I think the songs are sort of a typical range from me, there’s a handful of the three-minute pop songs with catchy choruses but there’s also sort of a murky, psychedelic middle [section] and I feel it’s a very genuine record for me,” he explains.
The record—much like the artists who collaborated on it from all over the globe—is a collection of songs and ideas that coalesced magically. Some of the pieces of music that landed on the album started out as tracks for other records and some were just sitting on the shelf, collecting dust in Barbeau’s seemingly infinite catalogue of music.
“I’ve made a lot of records and it’s easy, it’s what I do. So with this one, it feels like the songs picked themselves, they chose to be together,” he explains. “It feels like they belong with the rest of the songs. It’s not often that I make albums where I feel like the album itself tells me what to do. When that happens there’s something magical about that which is nice considering it’s called Magic Act.”
Certainly Barbeau’s long-spanning career is proof of his incredible drive and devotion to making music. He’s been making music longer than most of the hottest local bands have been jamming. His music is a powerful mix of pop and psychedelic but it also takes cues from The Beatles and David Bowie. Sure, he’s been bestowed with considerable praise from establishments like the BBC and Spin magazine, and is pretty much beloved by everyone when he comes home to play shows. But even a celebrated artist can appreciate those special moments where the process of making music is truly transcendent.
“Most of the people on this album are people who I’ve worked with before … but a few people [aren’t], like Colin Moulding from XTC. You know, XTC are huge, huge heroes of mine,” he gushes. “To work with Colin was a really thrilling moment—and again that’s a kind of magic, to work with one’s heroes.”
For Barbeau it really is all about the work. From his sanctuary in Berlin, where he spends the majority of his time dreaming up new material, to the frenetic and inspiring energy of the streets and canals that litter the cultural and artistic center of Germany, the mercurial musician is always at work. It’s the only thing he knows how to do, he admits.
“When it really works on another level for me is when things sort of spring out of nowhere or somewhere where you can’t see,” Barbeau says. “I think with this record it feels like that happens a lot, everything feels really inspired even when tracks were sent across the globe through email everything fit. One musician is responding to another musician’s performance, even if they aren’t playing in the same room at the same time—and that’s magic.”
Celebrate the release of Anton Barbeau’s latest album Magic Act March 12, 2016 at Shine, located at 1400 E Street in Sacramento. Barbeau and his band will be joined by Corner Laughers for this all-ages show. $7 cover, 8 p.m. show. If you can’t wait that long, you can catch Barbeau Feb. 27, 2016 at the Fox and Goose (1001 R Street) with Blame the Bishop and The Bobbleheads at 9 p.m. Cover for this 21-and-over show is $5. For more info, check out AntonBarbeau.com
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr. Seuss
Jeremiah Jacobs had a plan. In the early to mid-‘00s, he was convinced he knew the direction his life was going to take. His career in film and television music composition wasn’t taking off the way he had envisioned. He saw others around him succeeding in ways he was unable. As the saying goes, his best laid plans went awry, and the vision of his future was in flux. However, instead of giving up, Jacobs changed his direction.
“At some point I just walked up to the cliff and I jumped off, and it turned out I had wings,” said Jacobs during a recent interview over the phone with Submerge.
In the present, Jacobs and his now three-man operation The Heartbreak Time Machine are in the process of promoting their debut release—dubbed The5/12EP—as well as spending time in the studio putting the finishing touches on a full-length slated for release some time in 2016. The project’s current lineup features veteran Sacramento musicians Mikey “LP” Sessions (guitar) and Seth Edward (drums).
The EP features performances by a number of well-known and respected Sacramento musicians including drummer/producer Dave Jensen and guitarists Art Padilla of Hero’s Last Mission, Michael Gregory of The Michael Gregory Band and Michael Roe of The 77s.
The path that lead Jacobs to The Heartbreak Time Machine started in his career as a composer for film and television. As mentioned earlier, in the mid-‘00s, he had begun to show promise as an up-and-coming artist in that area, providing music for the award-winning independent film American Yearbook about two kids planning a Columbine-like attack on their high school, as well as documentaries Do As I Say and Not as Good as You: The Myth of the Middle Class School.
In addition, Jacobs has done work on projects he refers to as “industrials,” such as animated features NASA produces to be presented to Congress.
But at some point, Jacobs started to see a pattern in the industry in which he was working so hard to succeed: “Somewhere around 2009 I was out looking for work in the advertising world—and film because I loved and still kind of like doing that—and what I found out is that the people getting the bulk of work were all performing musicians,” said Jacobs. “They all had bands, and I sat back and thought about it for a second and I realized the reason these guys are writing compelling jingles and compelling film soundtracks … is that all of them either have a passion for performing, or they have in the past.
“I took a step back and said if I am going to continue to write better music for film and TV and I’m going to be a contender, I need some street cred, so I had better take my music out to the people and see what’s real.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Initially, Jacobs tested the waters by contributing his talents to existing projects. The Heartbreak Time Machine is his eighth group. But of all of his former projects, this is the first he has fronted. Previous acts he has worked with include James Cavern, Autumn Sky and Clemon Charles.
“It’s a little bit of ego, a little bit of wanting to put your own thing out there,” said Jacobs of his decision to move from the background to the foreground in the performing arena. “I felt like—and I hate to use this cliché—I hadn’t been expressing myself fully in the projects I had been a part of.
“I’m mostly a producer, that’s my background. I’m an engineer and a producer by trade. I’m really brand new to being a performing artist and taking my own material into the wild, so to speak. The production side is old school to me, almost simple compared to asking people to come to shows. It’s such a different proposition.”
At the very start of the interview, Jacobs mentioned he was fighting through pre-show nerves prior to a performance scheduled for that night. When asked about how he has dealt with being the primary focus on stage, he simply responded, “I don’t know if I have dealt with it.
“Even in this interview, I can’t imagine I’m coming across as a ‘seasoned interviewee.’ My experience has been the backing guy … a hired gun,” said Jacobs. “That’s pretty much the case with everyone I’ve played with. I’ve just been in the band, helping craft the act a little bit, but I’ve never had to be fully accountable for the creative end, and ultimately the economic consequences of it, and this is the first time where my name, my songs, and everything are on [the line], and if people choose not to buy it, they are not buying me.”
As of now, this is quite literal. Copies of The5/12EP have been available since November 2015. The EP is made up of a collection of singles recorded since the inception of The Heartbreak Time Machine. Jacobs explained that the process, while quite different than the experience he is presently having recording the band’s full length debut, was special in its own right.
“We recorded it in a number of places. It’s kind of like a series of singles that were produced one-by-one as I was building my team over the last couple of years,” Jacobs explained. “The first one we actually recorded was ‘The Great Big Book,’ and we recorded that at Pinnacle College with Dave Jensen, and then we mixed that at Weston House … The rest of the songs, I think they were recorded and mixed at Weston House as well. The only exception would have been ‘Make it Through’, which was recorded in my bedroom. So was ‘My Heart Belongs to You,’ and ‘This Song is For You’ I think I recorded at Studio Z.
“One of the things I liked about doing singles one at a time is you really get to craft them all, and you put all your focus on putting it together and really getting the production right,” he continued. “I think the singles really sound different and they really do reflect a really different period of time and perspective and artistic approach, and they really sound different. There is part of that that I really like. Like an iTunes on shuffle kind of sound. But, having done five songs in the studio one right after the other, they definitely all sound like they came from the same place. I struggle with that occasionally. Sometimes people want the thing to be complete, like they want it to all come together … at the same time wanting to create something a little more compelling; like a different sound in the same record. It’s a weird balance to strike.”
Another thing that is significant for both The5/12EP as well as for The Heartbreak Time Machine itself, is that it stands as a record of the project’s development. Until recently, the singles consisted of Jacobs and a variety of guest musicians. The band’s lineup now solidified as a three piece, The/512EP can serve as a placeholder for a time when Jacobs was trying to find his footing, and ultimately, found it.
And of course, if he ever wants to revisit those days down the road, the EP can also serve as a personal Time Machine—hopefully sans the heartbreak. Only time will tell.
“I’m obsessed about what the future holds,” said Jacobs, “It’s probably the thing that occupies the most of my brain space every day.”
The Hearbreak Time Machine’s EP release show is on Jan. 20, 2016 at Powerhouse Pub in Folsom. You can also catch them again on Jan. 31, 2016 at Old Ironsides in Sacramento, and on Feb. 13, 2016 at Bar 101 in Roseville. Visit Facebook.com/heartbreaktimemachine for more information on how to order their new EP.
“Oh, so I can get comfortable?” Andy Harrison asks as he lights up a smoke. He’s up in my studio space, and it’s cold AF. I’m laughing at everything he has to say as I get acquainted with my audio recorder, some out of nervous habit, some because Harrison is just an amusing kind of guy. I’ve asked him to come up and talk about how things are going with one of his bands, Peace Killers.
I’m able to come to some sort of compromise with my digital device where it allows me to record a conversation so long as I keep it hanging precariously off the table edge. We both continue smoking as I rattle on about some nonsense, organizing some notes.
(Subsequent to sitting down with Andy, I was able to get a few answers from bass player Alex Dorame via email).
Harrison and his bandmates are steady faces in the Sacramento music scene. They started Peace Killers in 2012 as a couple of their other projects at that time were winding down.
You’ve most likely seen Harrison if you walk around town or frequent bars. He is a face among the line at the bar, the line to the bathroom, on the stage, talking to ladies and making them smile, etc. I can guarantee you if Ground Chuck sees him, it’s hugs-on-sight. I’ve long admired his effortless charisma. Harrison’s other band, Celestions, have been engaging crowds with their straightforward, driving, soul-influenced rock ‘n’ roll for years. It stands to reason that this endeavor would also showcase Harrison’s knack for catchy hooks and melodies, albeit in a different tone.
Having some songs, a general idea and some bandmates, the band recorded some demos with Pat Hills at Earth Tone Studios in Rocklin. Hills and his Pepsi-sweet Midas touch have blessed some excellent recordings by artists like Tera Melos, King Woman, Number Station and the Hanover Saints to name a few.
Peace Killers garnered some Internet buzz and began looking at labels that might put out the record. After some deliberation, the band decided that heavy music label Svart felt like the most promising. Svart is known for putting together a solid roster of heavy, sludge-driven doom and metal artists, as well as straight-ahead ‘70s psyched-out occult metal and experimental, atmospheric black metal. From Jex Thoth to K-X-P, from Tahtiportti to Dakhmandal, Svart has put together a diverse roster of bands.
Fast-forward to now, Peace Killers have just finished a video for the song “Devil’s Daughter,” with the help of Kill The Precedent’s Jesse Mitchell. The freshly dressed and configured new vinyl LP will be out Jan. 22.
What were some of your influences writing the songs for this record? Andy Harrison: I really wanted to emulate Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats as much as I could. There’s sort of the obvious Sabbath nods. I think a lot about Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, those are kinda my immediate influences. At least for me playing guitar, some of my influences go back to Frank Zappa, the Allman Brothers, sort of big rock sounding guitars that doesn’t necessarily suck its own dick too much. Definitely a lot of blues influence, but trying not to do a straight-up dad-rock influence. I don’t mind dad-rock. The other band, the Celestions is sort of a construction-dad, Springsteen influence, and this band is sort of a straight-up, dead-beat tweaker dad-rock sound. Alex Dorame: I feel there’s a lot of everything you can hear on our record. The bands that stand out to myself as influences range from Thin Lizzy, early-Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Murder City Devils, the Doors, up to the Cult. Also, Black Sabbath, the Melvins and maybe even the Smut Peddlers.
What Sacramento bands would you get together or resurrect to play a show? AH: Holy shit. Black Mackerel. AD: Black Mackerel! AH: They’re one of the reasons that I even thought “maybe I should try playing some heavier shit.” I thought “we’ll start a three-piece and tune down”. So maybe if they’re reading this they can get their shit together and play a show with us. I think our drummer would probably say FAR. Tales of Terror. AD: I would love to see Hotel Pistol, the Diseptikons, Filibuster, the Union Hearts, Who Cares, and Pocket
for Corduroy.
Who did you get to do the album cover? AH: Her name is Annie Hooker. I saw a print of the buffalo head in the home of Celestions drummer Gabe [van Dyke], and I loved it. It represents something heavy, and hard charging, and noble, and western. We just kinda decided it was a good spirit animal for the group.
Is there a concept for the album? Is there a theme? AH: I think probably the most consistent subject matter throughout the record is party fatigue, or how it takes you to strange, dark places living a hedonistic lifestyle.
We cover “Spoonful,” a Willie Dixon song. You know it’s kinda about people trying to get their fill on lusts and desires. You know, I’m not an authority on the song, but that’s kind of what I gathered from it.
What about a rock album now grabs your attention more than an album would have when you were maybe 21? AH: Definitely the sonic qualities of an album, the way a melody is constructed. I find it harder and harder to relate to someone’s really personal lyrics, I don’t so much write myself into those stories. I need a hook, some sort of balance, some sort of syncopation, some sort of danceable rhythm. Even in heavy music, you know, it’s still there.
But yeah, not so much the lyrical content anymore. You know, I used to get really into Elvis Costello’s lyrics when I was really young, and analyze the shit out of them, and I still appreciate that, but nowadays … like when I listen to a band like Fuzz, it’s just so balls-out, and free, and rockin’. Higher voices, higher, rougher sounding voices, somewhere between Alice Cooper’s rasp and Freddie Mercury’s range.
What’s one Fuzz song you would want people to hear? AH: “Loose Sutures.”
Peace Killers’ self-titled debut album is out on Svart records on Jan. 22, 2016 you can preorder it now at Svartrecords.com. Their album release show is Jan. 30 at Harlow’s with Kill the Precedent, Psychosomatic and The Number Thirteen. Go to Harlows.com for more info or to purchase tickets.
“It’s all about feel-good vibes and having a good time.” That’s how local DJ My Cousin Vinny describes his brand new dance night “Family Jewels” at Chaise Lounge (1330 H Street, the old Bulls location). The third installment of Family Jewels just passed last weekend, but Vinny and his fellow resident DJ AJ Sachs are planning on bringing the party back twice in November (first and third Saturdays) so mark your calendars if you like to groove and want to check out a fledgling dance night that has the potential to be the next big thing. Be the cool guy/girl and get in on the ground floor, then bring your friends and they’ll be like, “You know about all of the cool stuff happening in town!” Check out Soundcloud.com/mycousinvinny and Soundcloud.com/ajsachs to check out recent mixes. Family Jewels is free, 21-and-over only, and the party runs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Gathered at the Hideaway Bar and Grill in Sacramento, Rick Meagher (vocals, rhythm guitar) Adrian Baxmeyer (bass guitar) and St. John Fraser (violin) of One Eyed Reilly were eager to discuss their new record. During our conversation the band opened up about their songwriting process, and how they turned an unfortunate accident into a strong musical bond.
Before the lads bellied up to the table to start the interview, they huddled around the jukebox creating a musical backdrop of punk rock by playing the Ramones, Against Me!, Rancid and The Clash. Once the mood was set, the band settled into their seats with a freshly poured round of Guinness—like any Celtic band should.
Rambunctious Celtic songs about Ireland and alcohol is where most people start when describing One Eyed Reilly’s debut album Hoist Your Glass. Though that description still holds true when it comes to the band’s newest album Barstools and Gravestones, the group’s musical growth is evident on their sophomore release, which ventures into Americana, country and even a little punk.
One Eyed Reilly’s growth and diversity has spilled over from the recording studio to the band’s live shows. “We’re definitely going to be bringing hard hitting country as much as we possibly can,” Baxmeyer said when asked how the band was going to approach their upcoming show with outlaw country artist Bob Wayne.
With their first album and a few years under their belt, the band was comfortable with expanding their sound, “We felt like [Hoist Your Glass] had to establish our Celtic credibility. As a songwriter I felt like every song had to be Celtic,” said Rick Meagher when comparing One Eyed Reilly’s albums. “On [Barstools and Gravestones] we didn’t feel as constrained because we had gotten our foot in the door and already established ourselves. With that being said there’s certainly plenty of Irish revelry on the second one as well.”
How do you feel you guys have grown in the last few years? St. John Fraser: When the band was created, the premise was for everyone to have an equal part. All of our influences need to be heard in the band in some way or form. So we had a starting point, but as we’ve been playing together it has evolved. I think musically and certainly lyrically, it’s been a progression, not because it’s a choice, but because we are getting so much more accustomed to working with each other.
I have noticed a lot of historical references in your lyrics. Does your writing stem from personal experience or historical events? Rick Meagher: Both. When I joined One Eyed Reilly I had also by coincidence gone to Ireland for a three-week trip. Having the experience of being in all of the pubs over there, and going to Dublin where the general post office was—where the Easter Rising in 1916 started—and seeing that they still haven’t repaired the bullet holes in the walls of the building. The reverence they have for that event and the fact that they haven’t fixed the bullet holes struck me. So that led to the opening line of the title track to our first album Hoist Your Glass.
Adrian, I heard that you were more of an athlete when you were younger, but through unfortunate circumstances [Adrian lost his right arm in a motorcycle accident] you found yourself turning to music. Adrian Baxmeyer: I have always enjoyed listening to it but I never jumped into playing music. Losing the arm helped because I couldn’t play basketball and baseball like I used to and it was frustrating. So I decided to try music. There was kind of a learning curve to do it one-handed, then once I got that, I’ve only known how to do it one-handed.
Why did you choose an instrument that traditionally requires both hands to play, as opposed to the trumpet or another instrument that requires one hand? AB: The trumpet was my first idea but then I was chatting with my dad and said, “You know I see Victor Wooten doing a lot of hammer-ons when he plays in addition to plucking and stuff,” and I was like, “Couldn’t I just do hammer-ons for everything?” At first I had a lot of fret buzz and a lot of string noise because I couldn’t dampen with the right hand, but as time went on I just learned how to do it with other fingers on my left hand.
St. John, why did you choose to play the Ramones on the jukebox? SF: I grew up in a classical household and it was very structured. I was really only allowed to listen to classical music. My first concerts were all classical. I saw opera before I ever saw a rock concert, so as I started becoming a teenager and finding music—other than classical—I started stashing it in various places of my room. I listened to anything that was “stick it to the system.” I think it’s one of the reasons I’ve always had an affection toward punk in general. But yeah, there’s just something about the Ramones sound. Coming from a very orchestrated, technical world there’s something about the simplicity of it that delivered its message without messing around, it spoke to me. RM: [St. John] always said [his dad] made him practice six hours a day, and it had to be six good hours or he would say, “two more.” When he got to be an adult he was burnt out and gave the violin up for 17 years.
How did it feel to start playing the violin again after 17 years? SF: When I was young I was winning state competitions. I was being groomed to be a soloist. When you’re young it was a cool thing to a certain extent, but what I realized was that I was creating a distance. The unrelenting competition is just not who I am. But I realized part of me was missing. I love music and I realized that to a certain extent I was broken. There was a significant piece of me missing, and here I had a friend who was going through the struggles of learning an instrument. AB: Actually when we first started out, [St. John] wouldn’t play the fiddle, he wouldn’t play the violin. He would only play the mandolin because it’s strung the same. When we really decided to be serious about this band I was like, “Let’s do this, but you have to play fiddle!” SF: Yeah, Adrian was the inspiration for me to start playing music again. Music is such a wonderful thing and I hate the competitive side of music, but I love the collaborative side of music. I love sitting down and making music with Adrian because he is going to approach music uniquely. He’s going to approach it based off of his life experiences.
I noticed you guys have a diverse catalog of covers including songs like “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” How do you decide what you’re going to play live? RM: Part of it is just responding to audiences. When we do “Devil Went Down to Georgia” people love it. It doesn’t matter if we’re playing Irish Night on the Delta King, they still love it. We’ll throw Wilco songs in there, we’ll play other Americana songs that people dig. Depending on the venue, depending on the event, or the occasion we’ll change it up.
You guys can get a little heavy at times too… RM: We love punk elements, even in our original songs like “Higher Hand,” the second half definitely has punk aspects to it. SF: That touches back to what we were talking about earlier. Everyone in the band is bringing in part of their influence and so it’s probably the best decision we’ve ever made to not pigeonhole ourselves into a specific sound. We’re always going to have our Celtic roots because we love them, but it’s fun to broaden our horizon to include Americana and folk and even country elements.
For more info on One Eyed Reilly visit 1eyedreilly.com. See them live at the Celtic Festival at the Nevada County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The Celtic Festival runs Oct. 2-4. Tickets can be purchased through Kvmrcelticfestival.org.
It’s time to get reacquainted with one of the best indie pop groups our region has ever known, Buildings Breeding. The lush, melodic-sounding group fronted by married duo Chris and Melanie Larsen will celebrate their 10-yearanniversary on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, at Press Club. “Since 1998 I’ve recorded: 270 solo songs, 25 Holy Diver songs, 96 Buildings Breeding songs and 19 Flowerss songs,” Chris recently wrote on his Facebook page. “That’s 410 songs, (that I found on my hard drive).” He goes on to say that, “Out of all of them the Buildings Breeding songs are my favorites and back in September 2005 the first tracks were recorded. This September 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of these songs and we are playing some shows.” The group, who are originally from Davis but now reside in Southern California, have three celebratory shows lined up: Aug. 30 at Left of the Dial in Santa Ana, Sept. 2 at The Knockout in San Francisco, and the aforementioned Sept. 3 gig at Press Club, which will be their first show in Sacramento since 2009! The first 50 people through the door at Press will also receive a free copy of the band’s latest release Rad Dewd, a fantastic 10-track album that’s just begging to be the soundtrack to your next backyard summer shindig. Sharing the bill with Buildings Breeding will be two other great local acts, Arts & Leisure and Vasas. Show kicks off early at 7 p.m. and the cover is $7. 21-and-over only. Visit Facebook.com/buildingsbreeding for more info and Buildingsbreeding.bandcamp.com to sample some of their feel-good tunes. Welcome back, BB, we hope to see a lot more of you in the near future!
I had no idea what the hell ‘Ghostplay’ means so I’ll admit—just like with a lot of text acronyms that I can’t interpret—I looked it up on Urban Dictionary so I wouldn’t have to ask when I interviewed the local band using said moniker. Apparently it’s when you put a white sheet over your head like a ghost and dry hump someone till … you can guess what comes next.
After giving it some thought, Ghostplay is a pretty fitting name for this band. When I finished listening to the band’s soon-to-set-sail debut EP, I felt like I had been surprise attacked by a shrouded spectre that made me climax and left me disoriented. It was kind of awesome and weird. These were the perfect, aptly timed jams for another restless summer, too. Add Ghostplay to your summer playlist, and your list of local bands on whom to keep a watchful eye and listening ear. You can thank me later for the wham-bam.
Ghostplay’s first release, 33, is a five-song EP that the band has been writing and revamping for a couple years now. The band is a tight-knit, funny and endearing three-piece, consisting of facetious frontman Jason Hess on synthesized bass, guitar, keys and vocals; super sweet babe Leticia Garcia on guitar and vocals; and newcomer drummer Armando Gonzales. Ghostplay’s music features complex layers of sound, created by an equally complex assortment of audio equipment.
“The only part that’s a little confusing—and some people have questions about—is that I use a baritone guitar which is split into two audio signals,” elaborates Hess. “One signal feeds to a guitar amplifier, and the other signal is processed by a computer to make it sound more like a bass guitar. Then that signal feeds to a bass amplifier. That same computer is also used to simultaneously create live effects, looping vocal tracks and keyboard sounds.”
Hess describes a collaborative songwriting process rather than a single member bringing the seeds of an already-formed song to the table. “A lot of times songs are born just from the three of us being in a room together” says Hess. The band’s camaraderie and egalitarian take on the band dynamic is palpable throughout our conversation.
Although they’ve been jamming songs into fruition and playing shows for a while, they only recently got to work on a more focused recording effort. “It’s really difficult when you don’t have anything recorded to promote yourself with,” says Garcia. “For this EP, we got to work with a really cool producer, Monte Vallier from San Francisco, so we’re really looking forward to having the EP to help promote ourselves.”
33 is being released by Noise Loves Audio, a Davis-based radio show and label specializing in analog for its sound character—particularly cassettes, although the EP will also be available in digital formats. The corresponding EP artwork by John Conley creatively correlates to the dark and dreamy feeling of the music.
Ghostplay has been twice nominated for the Sacramento News and Review’s local music awards, the Sammies, in the “post-punk” category, but to try to better pinpoint their sound or genre, it takes a mouthful. Gonzales tries summarizing with, “Post-punk shoegaze-y space rock, you know … dark pop,” to which, personally, I’d add beachy surf rock dance-y dream-pop with a pinch of goth.
The opening track on 33, “Too Much,” sets the tone with a spacy, sleepy beach soundscape over which Garcia sings lazily and soothingly. A muffled, echoing Hess melodically chimes in over the ringing, rolling guitar riff. The beat begins to escalate, and suddenly the pace is dance-y, then again takes a breather and slows to a Sunday stroll on Xanax. Just when you think the song is over, you stumble back into the same dream.
My favorite track, “My Halo,” is breathy and uplifting with rad timing changes; on “New Monday,” tremolo-altered voices oscillate, tonality climbs and the cadence pulses; “Science” is haunting, metallic, interstellar, pounding and echoing; “Patience” is full of angst, feedback, strange voices, layered atop traveling arpeggios and a steady pace that builds and erupts into a space cruise.
If all of that sounds great to you, then don’t miss the band’s upcoming EP release show at trusty Old Ironsides on July 10, 2015 (plus Mall Walk is playing!).
When it comes to where the members of Ghostplay want to take the band in the future, according to Hess, they’re happy with things just the way they are. “We have a lot more songs to record now,” ruminates Hess. “Music is something that we really enjoy. Shows are fun whether or not there’s a lot of people there, like this one at this art collective in Davis … it was a great experience, you know? It’s just interesting, getting to collaborate with other artists.”
“I want to do a lot more recording, because that’s what lasts,” Garcia adds.
Spinal Tap was afflicted with a curse of having to frequently replace their drummers due to untimely deaths, such as spontaneous combustion. But Ghostplay, although currently on drummer number three, feels blessed rather than cursed about their own game of musical chairs.
“I’m really grateful that we’ve been lucky enough to find three drummers,” explains Garcia. “Mark Rocha was our first drummer who really helped us get started playing shows and helped shape the songs. Then Michael Couloures, he came in on a whim and learned all the songs in a month to record them.”
Following guest drummer Couloures’ contribution to the EP effort, Gonzales fell right into place. “I feel super lucky. I mean, it was love at first Craigslist,” gushes Gonzales. “This band is so practical and sincere. If I had to use two words to describe Ghostplay it would be those two words.”
Help Ghostplay celebrate the release of their debut EP, 33, at Old Ironsides on July 10, 2015. Get there early, because the first 50 people will receive a free copy of the album. Also performing will be Mall Walk, Silver Spoons and Subculture. This 21-and-over show will cost a $6 cover. Doors open at 8 p.m.
