Cobra Command Over the course of almost 15 years playing their unique brand of sludgy thrash metal, Jason Landrian and Rafael “Rafa” Martinez—otherwise known as San Francisco two-piece Black Cobra—have toured the world with some of metal’s most legendary bands. The band has also released five full lengths, including their…
Though Jello Biafra hasn’t fronted the band for 30 years, three-quarters of the Dead Kennedys’ most relevant members—East Bay Ray (guitar), Klaus Flouride (bass) and D.H. Peligro (drums)—are still carrying the flag along with newest member and singer Ron “Skip” Greer, who has manned his position since 2008. Although the…
Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, owners of the wildly popular downtown Sacramento music venue Ace of Spades, announced today that their venue has been acquired by Live Nation, one of the biggest concert promotion companies in the world. A statement released on Facebook reads as follows: We are honored and…
Magic Man 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…
Motown Feelings Joe Casey can’t help but notice the homogenization of American culture. When his band Protomartyr tours, he sees off-ramps with the same four gas stations, fast food restaurants and budget motels. How long before there’s a combination Travelodge, Chevron, McDonalds? A McChevlodge? Even trendy neighborhoods with rock clubs…
Not one to ever sit still, Sacramento entrepreneur and music business guru Eric Rushing (of Artery Foundation Artist Management, Artery Recordings, Ace of Spades, The Boardwalk, Goldfield and other entities) recently announced he opened a full-fledged recording studio in Sacramento called Gold Standard Sounds. “After 20 years in the music…
One of the best indie festivals in the world is just around the corner, ready to invade the San Francisco Bay Area with well over a week’s worth of drool-worthy events. Luckily for us up here in Sac, gas is cheap right now. Can you say, road trip time?! To…
When it comes to bands, the longer you’ve been together as a group, the probability of keeping the same lineup intact diminishes on a show-to-show basis. Breaking up is hard enough to avoid as it is, but when it comes to members’ personal lives and ambitions, it’s nearly impossible to…
The Felicitous Route Even in this day and age, people dream that show business is propelled solely by a combination of natural-born talent and pure luck. While Felice LaZae has reaped the benefits of both in her lifetime, she holds a deep understanding of the other, more laborious ingredients of…
The Groove is in the Heart There are all kinds of ways to explain music to people, and most of them are wrong, ill-advised, biased or flat-out dumb. That’s just the nature of the beast, especially when the beast is an objective, autonomous listener-experience that you will never truly know…
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