Faith is a powerful thing. It drives people to do all kinds of things–both positive and negative. For Sacramento Christian hard rockers The Seeking, faith has been a nourishing force in the band members’ lives. The band stands to release its full-length debut, Yours Forever, on Nov. 6, 2012. Before that, they will launch on a mammoth cross-country excursion, touring in support of Woe, Is Me.

The tour begins in Atlanta on Nov. 2, 2012 and circumnavigates the United States before culminating in Greensboro, N.C. The trip will keep The Seeking busy, playing shows almost every day, and it’s so extensive that some of the band members (which include Taylor Green, vocals/screaming; Dylan Housewright, clean vocals/guitar; Grayson Smith, guitar; Shane Tiller, bass; and Ben Wood, drums) had quit their day jobs, taking a leap of faith in their music, so to speak.

It would be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone, diving headlong into a career in music, but considering the members of The Seeking range just 18 to 21 in age, it may even be more so.

“We’re probably going to cry,” Taylor Green joked in the first of two phone conversations about the band spending such an extended time away from family.

Green started the band with Housewright in 2010, the two still in high school. Green wasn’t sure what his role would be in the band they wanted to get together. He considered bass and guitar, but didn’t want to buy the gear. He even thought about drumming, but the physical coordination proved difficult.

“I was going to try to do drums, but the only thing I really needed to try to get down was the feet,” he said. “It’s the hardest freaking thing. I don’t know how Ben does it.”

Green had done more traditional singing in his church’s youth group, however, and settled on becoming Housewright’s vocal counterpoint in The Seeking. Though Green also provides traditional clean vocals, his guttural screams shake up Housewright’s soaringly melodic voice.

“Screaming showed up out of nowhere,” Green said. “I figured I’d just try it. I just went for it.”

It would seem Green made the right decision. The band signed to a label (Razor and Tie) in September, and when Submerge talked to Green, he and the band were in Los Angeles, recording with well-known producer John Feldmann, who’s worked with a litany of well known artists (The Used and Papa Roach this year alone) and is also the frontman for pop-punk stalwarts Goldfinger.

Listening to The Seeking’s Yours Forever reveals a barrage of heavy rock sounds–crushing guitars, pummeling breakdowns and snarling vocals–but the album’s most striking feature is its melodicism. It’s the band’s pop tendencies that The Seeking is working to bring out under Feldmann’s keen, catchy songwriting sensibilities. Green reported that the band was re-recording “Alone,” perhaps the most hook-laden track on Yours Forever, reworking it to make it even more radio-friendly as well as working on a new as-yet untitled song the band co-wrote with the producer that should be released in 2013. In the following interview, Green described what it was like working with Feldmann, offered clues into the band’s first music video and discussed matters of faith.

How has it been working with John Feldmann? What have you done in the studio so far?
Oh, it’s amazing. It’s an awesome experience working with him. The bands he’s recorded are legendary bands, and he’s done some solo artists as well. So far, it’s been awesome. We’ve done a lot of demoing the past couple days, and today we started doing the final product and it turned out really good. We’re laying down some drums, we got the bass track laid down in there. It’s turning out really well.

You mentioned a couple days ago that you were going to be working on “Alone.” Is that the track you’re going with for the radio?
We’re actually working on two songs. We’re releasing “Alone” on the album, the original one, but this one is redone a little bit. It’s going to have some new parts to it. It’s going to be released separately for something for radio–hopefully it will get there. We’ve got another song that we started completely from scratch, and it’s all ready to go. It’s all demoed out. That one sounds amazing as well.

You said you were working on rewriting the chorus for “Alone” with John Feldmann. How was it writing with him?
His writing is pretty cool. His studio is separate from his house–he works on his property–but he’ll go play his piano in his house. Dylan met up with him at the house and they worked something out. It’s definitely hot, and it’s definitely catchy, and it’s definitely awesome. It’s going to fit so well.

Tell me about this new song you guys started from scratch. Was it based on any ideas you and the band had kicking around?
We had some ideas, but we came in and we didn’t really get a chance to show them. He [Feldmann] started off asking us some questions when we first got there and took off and started writing. We came together and figured everything out. It’s all from scratch. We started writing it when we got here. It’s turning out awesome.

What kind of stuff did John ask you guys to get you going?
He just wanted to get to know us a little bit, to see what kind of band we were. We covered the fact that we were a Christian band. He asked us about how we grew up and what type of music we started playing and how were we before we got signed, and how we’re evolving. He went off and started recording stuff. The chorus is definitely the catchiest part, but it’s a really pop-y side to us. We think people are going to dig it.

You guys seem to be exploring the pop-ier side of things. You were saying that you came from a heavier music background. Is it fun for you to do something outside of your comfort zone?
It’s really fun. We’ve been playing a style for so long, and we definitely see ourselves staying in that style for a while, but this is something that’s different from the album. It’s way pop-ier than the album, but it’s fun to go in there and throw down some singing–no screaming at all.

You’re going to be filming your first music video on Sunday. What song are you shooting the video for?
It’s going to be for the title track, “Yours Forever.” I’m not sure where it’s going to be yet, but it’s somewhere in SoCal. It’s going to be fun.

Did you have a hand in the concept of the video?
Yeah, we picked the concept a couple weeks ago. We had about three concepts to choose from, and this one fit the meaning of the lyrics more. The other two didn’t fit the lyrics too well, but this one definitely did.

Can you talk about the concept more?
I don’t think so [laughs]. I’m not too sure what I’m allowed to talk about. The lyrics are about God talking to us… I’ll get into a little bit. I believe it’s about a girl, and something happens where she could lose her life. Right at the last minute, or right after she dies, her life flashes before her eyes, and then the music video kicks in, like everything kicks in, to what she sees in her future. It flashes to her at the end, to her before her dying, and then the video changes from there, and there’s a twist to it. I’m really excited about it. It’s a cool concept.

A lot of your music deals with your faith. Is that the band’s first goal when it comes to making music? Are you concerned with expressing that?
Definitely. We want people to know that we express our faith through our music. We’re not like those preaching bands, like For Today, but when we play, we want to show people that we’re there to love on them, and God is there to love on them. We’re here for a reason, not just to play music, but we’re here to be a shoulder to cry on or a friend to them. We’re trying to show God’s love through the band to them. It’s just an opportunity to show people that they’re not alone in struggle, that if they want to try God out, we definitely encourage that. Just, not make them feel uncomfortable when they come to watch us, that we’re there to simply hang out with them and talk with them about anything. If they want to have faith in the Lord, then we’re there to encourage them. Faith is a huge thing with the band. It’s something we want people to recognize.

Was music one of the things that helped you discover your own faith?
Yeah. I became a Christian when I was young, but nothing really hit me until I started high school, and even then, I wasn’t in any bands or anything. I grew up in a Christian home. My parents didn’t, but when I was born, they became Christian and their faiths grew as well. They didn’t pressure me like a lot of parents would. It was more of a choice for myself. I was always a clean-cut kid. In high school, I thought for a long time I’ve been faking it, but let me see what it is to really put myself [into faith]. It was an awesome experience. I grew to love the Lord. Music is one thing I want to do with the band, because I knew it would get me out of my comfort zone of just staying in my hometown and going to church and being on the worship team. I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and see where God could take me. I trust Him to take me out on the road…and see what He could do with me. It’s an awesome opportunity, and it’s going to change my life.

The Sacramento area will get a few chances to see The Seeking live. First, they play with Jonny Craig for a two-night stint at Luigi’s Fungarden on Oct. 26 and 27, 2012. The band returns on Nov. 19, 2012 with Woe, Is Me at Ace of Spades. The Seeking has also set up a donation page to raise money for gas during their long arduous trek across America. Help keep the fuel tank full by going to http://www.indiegogo.com/theseeking. For more show info, go to http://www.facebook.com/theseeking.

As a professional rider for Lib Tech Snowboards, creative genius at snowboard film production company Think Thank, and team manager for all Mervin Manufacturing brands, which includes Lib Tech, Gnu, Roxy Snowboards, Bent Metal Bindings and others, Jesse Burtner has managed to make a career out of his passion. At 34 years old, Burtner has dedicated his life to snowboarding ever since the moment he slid sideways down a snowy hill in 1989.

“I’ve been living and breathing snowboarding since I started,” Burtner recently told Submerge. “It’s just kind of developed into work, but it hardly ever feels like work. Basically I just keep getting opportunities to communicate the joy of snowboarding whether it be through a video part, or presenting an entire movie, or an article in a magazine, or helping steer the future of an amazing company like Mervin, it’s all just talking about what I already love and want to spend my time doing, snowboarding. Compared to sitting on the couch watching TV, it is hard work, but in the grand scheme of things it’s not work, it’s a gift.”

Speaking of gifts, Burtner’s film production company Think Thank has yet another one for shredders around the world. Their ninth film, Mind the Video Man, has been freshly released this summer (what a tease!) and is receiving rave reviews from those lucky enough to have seen it. A quick peek at the trailer on YouTube proves we’re in for a wild ride with powder slashes in the backcountry, insane urban rail spots, kickflips (yeah, on a snowboard), one-footers, a super rad back flip-to-5050-to-180 out, all sorts of crazy stuff. Think Thank is definitely pushing the envelope with this film, but not in an “Art of Flight, we had a million dollars to make a snowboard super movie,” sort of way. It’s more of a “my friends and I like to snowboard, party, have fun and film crazy shit and we’re really good at it,” kind of thing.

In celebration of Ground Zero Boardshop’s annual snowboard movie premiere party on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 at Ace of Spades, where Mind the Video Man will air, Submerge caught up with Burtner to chat about the film, how his process changes from year to year and what it feels like to be inspiring snowboarders around the globe.

Jesse Burtner (L) and Ted Borland (R)

Congrats on the release of Think Thank’s ninth film! How does it feel to be unleashing it into the world?
Thanks! It’s been really good. You never know how it’s all going to go down, but this year has been exciting, a lot of good things happening with the movie and the riders in it. It’s really fun showcasing all these new guys shoulder to shoulder with some Think Thank veterans like Scott Stevens and Chris Beresford.

You’ve been riding in and making shred videos for many years now. How does your process and your mindset change from year to year and from film to film?
The way we keep it fresh is by giving each movie its own mission statement, with a sort of overarching philosophical theme. It means we get to use our best snowboarding of the season to tell a little deeper of a story or message and that makes it interesting year to year. Sometimes they are sort of abstract themes and sometimes they are more self-inspection. [Mind the Video Man] is looking at the state of the snowboard video in general, kind of celebrating the institution of the snowboard video and how important it is to snowboard culture and all of our lives as snowboarders.

What were some standout moments for you when filming for this video?
Both trips to Japan were amazing. Especially Holy Bowly–it was so much fun riding that snow bowl with some of the most epic people in snowboarding. Also our second trip to Alaska in the spring, Stevens, Beresford, Pika [Christina Burtner], [Mike] Yoshida and myself. Just such a good crew, great snow, it was like a vacation, but we were getting stuff done too.

It’s been a couple months since the movie’s world premiere at High Cascade Snowboard Camp. What has the feedback been like from those that have seen it?
It’s been super good! It’s been really fun showing video parts from all the new guys like Jaeger Bailey, Brandon Hammid, Brandon Reis, Nial Romanek and Curtis Woodman. A whole new batch of riders shown in our distinct Think Thank style.

It seems like there are more snowboard films and more companies making them every year, and budgets are getting bigger and bigger for some of those films. Does all of this weigh on you and your crew when filming year in and year out? How do you try and make your movies stand out in all of the noise?
There is for sure a lot of noise. So much stuff on the Internet, everyone has a Web series. That’s cool, they get their day in the sun. And I do mean their “day,” because that’s about all the hype something can generate when it lives for free on the Internet. We try and stand out by staying insulated in our own group working on our project, trying to obtain our objectives and not constantly reference what we do back to what others are doing. It’s a combination of staying in our little Think Thank bubble unaffected by snowboarding’s trends or industry pressure while still knowing what’s going on on a grass roots level, what’s exciting, what’s next, what’s new, that’s where we want to live.

Does it trip you out to think that countless snowboarders out there turn to your videos to get hyped before they go ride? Or that these films could be inspiring the next generation of rippers?
It’s the best thing about what we do, is when you realize some people are paying attention and getting into snowboarding or staying into it and learning new tricks partially because they watched a Think Thank movie, that’s amazing.

What’s your favorite environment to film and/or ride in? Urban stuff or backcountry stuff?
My favorite is to unlock a hidden opportunity in the terrain, whether it be a street spot or backcountry or somewhere in between. Just seeing an opportunity, some new rad way to do a trick, that moment that your brain figures it out and you know it’s on. And then being able to do that just about anywhere you go, that’s what I’m all about, if you can do that at every spot then it’s nothing but possibilities.

What’s next for Think Thank? I assume you’ll drop another mindblowing shred flick about this time next year? Any other cool projects you are working on that you can talk about?
We have plans for sure. Christina “Pika” Burtner, my wife, is full-time working on Think Thank now so she’s been doing a lot to get us caught up and in the position to make our best effort yet this coming season. I love our crew, Ross Phillips, Sean Lucey and of course Sean Genovese. We all work great together and there is quite a bit of passion to keep pushing in to the next level of what we do for Think Thank and snowboard videos in general.

Any last words?
Thanks to all the riders for putting your trust in Think Thank and me and risking it all out there for Mind the Video Man, I think you guys should be really proud of what you’ve accomplished! And thanks to you guys, Submerge Magazine, see you at the show!

Think Thank’s new film Mind the Video Man will air at Ground Zero Boardshop’s annual snowboard movie premiere party on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 at Ace of Spades. $14 in advance with tickets at all GZ locations, $16 at the door. Free lift ticket to Sierra-at-Tahoe with paid entry. All ages are welcome and there will be $10,000 worth of gear given out to the crowd. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more info or to order a copy of the film, go to http://thinkthank.com/

Killer Mike Speaks without a Net

As rumors circulated that Ronald Reagan’s hologram would deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention, the significance of Killer Mike’s “Reagan” magnified to the level of, “If you hear one song this year…” Reagan remained dead, leaving us with one last enemy in the cross hairs: his legacy.

With the future of the Dungeon Family, an Atlanta-based collective comprised of Outkast, Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob, in limbo Killer Mike emerged from its shadows this year with R.A.P. Music. His collaborative album (also featuring T.I., Bun B and others) is one of the most talked about records of the year, garnering a comparison from Pitchfork Media to Ice Cube’s classic AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, thanks to Bomb Squad production meets doom-heavy space funk beats from El-P. Killer Mike holds no punches on R.A.P. Music. We discussed his sneaky left over the phone; Mike stating “When I write I try not to put parameters on myself. There will be things that feel like they need to be said.”

The album is an eardrum assault, but on “Reagan” the tension is ripe for El-P’s cinematic builds that culminate to Killer Mike’s grand proclamation, “I’m glad Reagan dead.” The statement perks the ears as the beat drops out entirely to alert all in earshot of Mike’s definitive four words. It’s bigger than politics or hip-hop, though. There’s far more to take from “Reagan” than a battle-cry against the idealized Great Communicator as Mike calls out hip-hop for being part of the problem. The problem being puppets with corporate-interest hands stuck in their backs. To Mike there’s little difference between a talking head reading teleprompters and a rapper glorifying gang life and the consumption of liquor brands. The rapper is just a man with a fancy chain and the president is just a man in a chair.

The track “Reagan” deals a lot with the breaking down of ideologies, particularly addressing how Reagan was an actor-in-chief but it goes beyond him. Is there a rap equivalent, either a figure or ideal that you’d like to see dispelled?
When I’m talking about Reagan being dismantled it’s less about the human being that was Ronald Reagan. Because he didn’t have power, the corporations held the power. It’s the Reagan ideology of being a puppet to a puppeteer that is corporate interest over human interest. So for me, the Reagan in hip-hop that I’d like to see destroyed is the value of corporation’s favor. As MCs, we should not be pandering to these corporations. We should seek the people we rap to and we rap for.

When I rap my interest is pleasing the people I rap for and not pleasing a corporation, who may or may not give me money. That doesn’t mean I don’t take corporate money. Corporations like Pitchfork [Media] and YouTube are the reasons I’m entitled to that. But they came under the understanding that we want you to make the video that merits this music. A television corporation gave me the freedom to make a rap album I’ve always wanted without interest of how to get it on the radio.

It’s about valuing the freedom over the corporations. Reagan was just a corporate spokesman. What I would like to see is the destruction of the rapper as a corporate spokesman.

Have you followed the statements Kendrick Lamar made regarding his disinterest in voting in November?
Yeah, I heard about it. Kendrick is in his early twenties. That’s how you feel.

My personal philosophy, even when I was in my teens, is… well, my grandparents were from segregated communities. So for me, voting is a blood oath. I knew the people that suffered blood at the hands of dogs and police forces. I vote as a blood oath. I vote for the same reason Jews hold true to Israel. There’s a blood oath that’s born out of a suffering that’s unimaginable. It’s not saying I agree with any policies there or anything like that. I understand a nation’s adoration and allegiance born out of a suffering called the Holocaust. So for me, I take voting with that sincerity because what happens to the African on the continent of the Americas has been truly a holocaust. Voting represents some measure of victory in reclaiming your humanity through that. It is a moral issue. It is a social issue. I will always vote.

So if and when real revolution ever has to happen, I’ve exercised the right. If that no longer works for me, then I have the right in this country to bear arms and fight for my freedom to the very death. That’s how strongly I feel.

Your music videos from the R.A.P. Music record have been very cinematic. Is this a lead up to you looking at movie roles?
I’d like to. I don’t know the realities of doing movies, but I’ve seen a lot of big black guy parts I know I can nail and even do better. I’ve done a few indie movies on the street side. It’s been a cool experience I’ve met a few black actors that have encouraged me to try something. At some point I’m giving it a try.

I’d gotten bored with videos in the rap genre. I wanted to bring cinema to my videos, so hopefully it’s something I will continue to do. It costs a little more. I think rap deserves it though.

Are there plans for a third video from R.A.P. Music?
“Reagan” is already done and “JoJo’s Chillin’” is the next one we’re shooting. Expect a video for “Butane” too. I’m going to finance another video too. I haven’t decided which one yet. I want to shoot “Don’t Die,” but you’re talking at least 30 grand for that. We’ll get it figured out.

You’ve mentioned that you and El-P are back working together. How’s that coming along?
El told me after the last record that this is just the beginning. These beats were just the ones he knew we were going to do. The next beats, the ones we’re going in on and the ones he’s playing for me, the ideas he’s coming with are pushing the limits of what we just did. I’m telling people don’t expect to hear me without El for the rest of my career.

I definitely want the anticipation and giddiness to always be there, but less in a “wonder what’s going to happen” kind of way and more of a, “I know what happens with Snoop and Dre” kind of way. I know what happens when Just Blaze and Hova [Jay-Z] get together. You know what happens when [Ice] Cube gets together with Bomb Squad, that’s my thing. When [Scar]Face gets together with Mr. Lee. For me, after every record I try to destroy that guy and be a better version of myself. Me and El are going to kill what we just did.

There was also talk that one of the albums will be you and El-P sharing the rapping responsibilities. Is that still happening?
Exactly. That’s the next thing. The EP of me and him going back to back. Then, we’ll work on the album. I want to do a R.A.P. Music 2 and I’ve got to get a Pledge 4 [mixtape] going. Then, I’m going to do Elegant Elephant. That’s three solos for me. A lot of music in the next two to three years is what I’m anticipating.

Since you’re touring with GZA, what song of his are you looking forward to hearing him perform live every night?
He’s going on tour to do the Liquid Swords album. I don’t think it’s appropriate to try to pull any one track out of that. I’m going to be one of the first people on Earth, probably since his promo tour to watch him do that album. That’s what I’m stoked about. I pray that Killer Priest joins us at some point because “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” is going to be incredible. I’m going to smoke weed every night and stand in the crowd to hear that album.

Being someone who can articulate the difference between being a sexist at times and a full-blown misogynist, what measures do you take when you write to keep that concern for public perception in your songs?
A lot of times you’ll say bitch unnecessarily. You can go back and you can fix that so that a clean version doesn’t need to be made. And it will sound doper or slicker.

It’s instinctive. It’s like pornography. You can’t really define what it is; you just know when you see it. You know when certain lines come to your head and it’s like, no that’s too far. My approach is I don’t belittle. I give opinions. I’m not here to degrade you. I’m not here to be over you. I’m not here to rule you. I can’t readily say what’s sexist or misogynistic. There’s a very thin line. I might fall into the sexist pail, as a man I may step there, but I don’t see women as less than or incapable of. I don’t tread that path.

And I say this as I look at “The Birthday Song” video by Tity Boi. [Sings] All I want on my birthday is a big booty ho.

Killer Mike will open for GZA, who will be performing his legendary Liquid Swords album, at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Sept. 26, 2012. This is a hip-hop show you won’t want to miss. Go to http://www.aceofspadessac.com/ for more info and to purchase tickets.

Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege of Chiddy Bang is blessed with the gift of gab

Philly hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang has all the ear-grabbing gimmicks a major label requires and the true skills in rap to not put their credibility at risk. It’s a delicate tightrope the group walks with a casual cool on its critically lauded Breakfast debut on EMI, released in February 2012.

Comprised of producer Noah Beresin, aka Xaphoon Jones, and rapper Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege, Chiddy Bang signed to EMI on the strength of their indie-rock sampling mixtape The Swelly Express. The formula is primed for major success; Xaphoon samples MGMT, Passion Pit, and Sufjan Stevens, while Chiddy plays the role of a modern Fresh Prince (see: clean fun) but it should not be considered a hipster-pandering, blog-friendly gimmick. Nor should Chiddy be treated as a pop rapper. In August of last year, Chiddy broke the Guiness World Record for Longest Freestyle by rapping for nine hours and 18 minutes at the 2011 O Music Awards.

Chiddy Bang’s summer schedule is indicative of the band’s split personality between pop and rap. Back on July 15, Chiddy bang teamed up with legendary Philadelphia pop-rocker Daryl Hall to perform a few Hall and Oates covers for Hall’s critically acclaimed Web series Live from Daryl’s House. Currently, on Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller’s Under the Influence Tour, the group will squeeze in headlining dates that include a stop in Sacramento before jumping on a late August tour with power pop rockers Fun.

On July 19, the band released exclusively on iTunes a new EP/single, Mind Your Manners, which features a brand new track “Twisted,” and as we learned in a phone conversation with Chiddy, the group’s long-anticipated mixtape Grab a Plate may also see a release very soon. The world record-holding rapper took time from his busy schedule to answer a few of Submerge’s questions.

So you just got off stage as part of your debut on the Under the Influence Tour with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. Following this tour you’ll head out with Fun. I imagine the tour experiences will be drastically different. What sort of expectations do you have?
Definitely, man. That Fun tour is going to be a different experience. This is just a strictly hip-hop atmosphere. I was just speaking with Mac a couple seconds ago and I haven’t got to run into Wiz, and I haven’t seen [tour mates] Schoolboy [Q] or Kendrick [Lamar] yet. It’s all love, man. We’re definitely going to blaze many…if we’re under the influence of music, right?

Chiddy Bang is considerably popular on college radio and campuses. You’ve done a few campus tours in the past. How did you handle the post-show invites to kick it on campus?
Those post-show invites to kick it on campus, you have to be careful. I remember one time in particular I was at this college on my birthday. I had a post-show invite to kick it at these females’ dorm. Man, I thought it was all cool. Turns out it was a freshman dorm, so everybody and their mama was in the lobby waiting for me. Everyone was staring at me, and it caused a bit of a ruckus, a bit of chaos on campus. I wouldn’t really advise kicking it on campus.

As cool as the fans are, really they are not ready to host you. If they want to host you, it can’t be on campus. I lost a phone. I lost a brother. I can’t even remember what happened that night. Never again.

You’ve almost done the entire late night TV circuit with Conan, Leno, and Fallon performances. Who was the coolest late night host you got to meet?
I would say Conan. His whole show is just filled with comedy, and it’s obvious he’s a cool ass dude.

As you guys got started a lot of the music was based on samples from modern bands. Did you have an issue with any of those bands flat out denying you the sample, either from a stance against sampling or just not liking your particular treatment?
We had one issue where there was a song that didn’t make our record, but we put it out for free. It was a song called “By Your Side.” Basically, the artist that we sampled [Cocorosie’s song by the same title] for whatever reason, they were like nope, you do not have permission to use this song. What we did was say, “OK. Well, we’re going to put it out for free anyway.” You can’t sue us for putting it out for free. It’s not a commercial release, so we’re not making any money off of it.

We’ve been pretty blessed with sampling and sample clearances. That was the only issue, and we still put it out anyway.

On the flip side of the coin, has sampling a band led to talks of collaborating more closely in the future?
We had an Ellie Goulding feature sort of on our album. It was really low-key, though. On the last hook she was just singing under some tracks. That was pretty dope, because we sampled her song “Under the Sheets” and cleared a remix out of it. There was a blog post, too, where she said “Opposite of Adults” was a song she runs to. That was really cool of her, to get on the album and sing.
[Xaphoon Jones also returned the favor to Goulding, by producing her remix cover of The Weeknd’s “High for This.”]

Have you gotten sick of the breakfast-related questions yet?
No, not really. I love breakfast. It’s my favorite meal of the day.

Do you make it a point on tour to scope out the good breakfast spots in each city?
Definitely. Noah is really good at that. He has a list of all the dope breakfast spots in New York City. He knows far more dope spots than I do. Adam Richman [of Travel Channel’s Man v. Food] is a friend of ours. He tweeted us about how much he loves our Breakfast album.

To have someone from the Food Network feeling our album is the like the ultimate for a group that named their album Breakfast. We are talking about ways to collaborate in the future. You never know, we might pop up on the show and cook some breakfast with him or something.

If you’ve got his ear, you might as well try and facilitate something, if only for the food perks.
Might as well make it worthwhile. We’ve been blessed. We’ve had a couple random people show love, like Jonah Hill showed love. He tweeted he was really into the record, and I was like, “Wow, I’m really into every movie you’ve ever made.” Fair trade.

Being on a major label brings the stigma of being more pop-minded. One publication called the record “mainstream hip-pop,” which makes me cringe pretty hard. How do you guys handle labels such as this?
I never entertained what people labeled us. At the end of the day people can never understand what it really is. They don’t know what kind of music we’ll make next. Breakfast is the first offering, the first on the menu. There’s many meals to come, and I’m not really worried about people calling it mainstream hip-pop. I think it’s very much rap. It’s very much spitting and my man Xaph is very much into producing and coming up with dope beats. We’ve just got to keep creating and vibing. Everybody else can talk since it’s their jobs to talk, right?

That’s how they get paid, right? They got to make money and put food on the table.

After breaking the freestyle record, how long of a hiatus did you take before you felt like you could freestyle again?
Man, I took like a four-month freestyle break. I was tired of doing it and everybody asked me to do it, but it was just played out. Don’t ask me to do it, and if you do, I’m just going to pass it off to Xaphoon. That’s how it’s been.

Xaphoon can freestyle well enough to take the reins?
Being around me he picked up a couple things. He got a couple tricks up his sleeve.

I read that after you broke the record, you didn’t talk for around an hour or so.
I couldn’t talk, man. My mouth was burning. I was so exhausted, not even talking all day, but rapping all day. The top of my lip was burning. After nine hours worth of rapping that will happen.

What’s the status on the Grab a Plate mixtape?
That tape, we were working on it, but then we had to take a break off of it to do the Breakfast thing. We’re back at it though, working on completing it. We’re thinking of changing the title, but it will still essentially be Grab a Plate. We’ll know within the next couple days what we’re going to do with it. We’ve got a studio on the bus to work on it.

You heard it here first. Mixtape at the end of August. Let’s do it.

That will be around the time you hit Sacramento.
Exactly. We’ll debut some new tunes. You already know.

That’s going in print, so we’re holding you to that.
Alright, brother. Appreciate it. We got you.

Chiddy Bang will take the stage at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Aug. 21, 2012 and doors open at 7 p.m. K-Ottic, Brodi Nicholas and J. Sirius are also performing. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through http://aceofspadessac.com/.

Childish Gambino, Danny Brown

Ace of Spades, Sacramento – Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Childish Gambino’s Camp Gambino Tour sold out Ace of Spades months in advance. The line to get in stretched the length of the R Street block and wrapped down 14th, halfway to S Street. Inside it was a patient wait through one opener to see a young Hollywood actor from NBC’s Community, Donald Glover, take the stage as a rapper.

There’s no use hiding it. The opener was Detroit’s Danny Brown. A recent signee to Fool’s Gold Records and the artist I anointed as Rapper of the Year 2011 in another publication. As for Childish Gambino’s debut record Camp… I gave it a few listens in November and deemed it overrated. Glover’s Camp record is not as painful as Brian Austin Green’s One Stop Carnival album in the ‘90s, but if he’s serious about rapping over acting he’ll live in the shadow of Drake. But what the hell do I know? Danny Brown had a few pockets of fans in the first row shouting his gratuitous lines from his XXX album back at him. Childish Gambino had wall-to-wall admirers reciting every word to a song that shares its title with a TV show, canceled after 12 episodes.

It was his show for the taking and it’s easy to revel in the limelight with such positivity electrifying Ace of Spades. No songs faltered or lulled the set. It was hit, hit, hit for Gambino and even the time lapse for an encore seemed insignificant. He was impressive, but I did not leave converted.

My struggle with Glover/Gambino does not stem from questioning his talent as a performer or even as a songwriter. He’s a clever rhyme writer, interspersing wit culled from his stand-up like, “I sound weird, like nigga with a hard R” and references to Invader Zim. His balance between nerding out and sneaking in sentiment testifies to his mass appeal. He tours with a talented backing band, half of which look as though they toured with Travis McCoy, while the others possibly play violin behind Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. His stage presence is not the issue, and the giant screen displaying lyrics, forest landscapes and scenes from the streets of New York City were not the issue. It lies in not knowing how to perceive his craft.

The name Childish Gambino was conceived through the use of a Wu-Tang name generator, making it difficult to assess it as genuine or satire. The campy name paired with Glover’s notoriety as a stand-up comedian, his far superior talent in my opinion, and presence on a sit-com, lean towards the notion he’s a parody. So why weren’t we all laughing? Why was everyone singing along in earnest?

There were opportunities to laugh–plenty of them. Danny Brown exposed himself as an avid participant in cunnilingus by performing “I Will” and wagging his oblong tongue between his missing front teeth. He earned a few laughs beyond the front row by letting his followers deliver punch lines from “Monopoly” like, “Stank pussy smelling like Cool Ranch Doritos.” Childish Gambino is not short on humor either. He and Brown are contemporaries in rap humor as both love bragging about their sexual virility and their haters’ lack thereof. Guess which line is Danny Brown’s and which Childish Gambino’s is:

“I fuck bad bitches to Stacy Lattisaw, while y’all niggas got blue balls like an Avatar.”

“My dick is like an accent mark, it’s all about the over Es.”

The first quote is Brown on “Adderall Admiral.” The second is Gambino on “Bonfire.” Did you get it correct? I could split fine hairs like this for paragraphs and end up with an even part resembling the top of Crispin Glover’s head, but what’s the use? Danny Brown doesn’t have a television presence, which is still more powerful and influential than being critically lauded on the Internet.

Glover’s an act worth the price of admission. Place him in the recent crest of celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Scarlett Johansson, who’ve earned successful recording careers. The trend could be gruesome and transparent, were the named figures less talented. It’s undeniable that their recording triumphs are assisted by their TV and film notoriety. Glover is privileged, but his closing statement on “Bonfire” (“Man why does every black actor gotta rap some?/ I don’t know, all I know is I’m the best one.”) hints that he’s aware. It could be worse. The actor/artists could cover Celine Dion instead of Tom Waits, perform alongside Sugar Ray instead of M. Ward, and bring Mac Miller on tour instead of Danny Brown. They should always be commended for their fine taste.

Sacramento rock band Killdevil is releasing a new five-song EP titled For Survival at a huge blowout at Ace of Spades on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Two of their new tracks, “Psychic Medium” and “Rusted Dream,” will be released on 7-inch vinyl available at the show. It will also come with a download card giving access to all five songs. Also on the bill will be Kill the Precedent, City of Vain, Giant Squid, The Secretions and Black Mackerel. That is a seriously rockin’ lineup. Doors open for this all ages show at 6:30 p.m. and it’s $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Go to http://aceofspadessac.com/ for more details. Advance tickets are available Phono Select Records in Midtown.

An Eclectic Local Band leaves Its Mark on the Sacramento Music Scene

Words by Ashley Hassinger – Photo by Andre Jones/Eye Connoisseur Photography

With a multi-faceted sound, local band Iconoclast Robot brings something new and fresh to the Sacramento music scene.

Comprised of vocalist Charles Cash (nee Ryan Charles Gammad), Patrick Caden (bass and guitar), Russell Boucher (guitar), Jairus Beacham (drums) and Jamal Siurano (keys, beats and saxophone), Iconoclast Robot blends jazz, hip-hop and rock together to create a fusion all their own.

As I sat down with Cash and Siurano at the Eye Connoisseur Photography Studio in Midtown, I was intrigued to find out the band’s musical background and their undeniable love and talent for music.

Formed in April of last year, Iconoclast Robot came together with inspirations ranging from The Roots to Rage Against the Machine. An unexpected range of musical tastes brings out all the stops for this multi-genre band.

“We don’t all come from the same musical background. I studied jazz in school, Ryan likes hip-hop, Jairus played in church and Patrick used to play in a metal band,” Jamal explained.

Although different in backgrounds, each member was influenced by music at an early age, whether they were part of band or listened to their parent’s music.

“I’ve always had a knack for music. I remember listening to songs as a kid and being curious as to what instruments were being used. I wanted to know everything about the song,” Jamal said.

The special sound that Iconoclast Robot has is complemented with skillful lyrics. Ryan is the main contributor for the lyrics, and since he started writing back in 2008, he has had one main influence.

“Heartbreaks. As corny as that sounds, I’m most inspired when I’m sad,” Cash confided. “And a lot of my raps aren’t normal witty raps–more like storytelling. I look at the world a certain way, and the lyrics portray how I feel about it.”

Just like its sound, Iconoclast Robot’s lyrics aren’t what you would expect–and Cash writes what’s honest.

“It’s not political. It’s not stereotypical. It’s not what you expect,” explained the vocalist. “It’s sort of my unique perspective, which makes it real.”

The band hasn’t been signed to a label yet, which allows for more creativity and enables the band to grow and change as they see fit.

With no major deadlines or outside influences, Iconoclast Robot is able to focus on what they want as a band, not what a label wants them to do. “We are still new and trying to figure out what our sound is going to be like. It’s nice to have the freedom of not having someone else being an influence over us,” Jamal stated.

Along with the ability to be creative, being without a record label allowed the band to form more spontaneously.

“It wasn’t like someone was signed to a label and they were forced to find members. All of us came together in a way that was natural. I think it’s pretty rare for a band to come together with the backgrounds we have and be able to make it work,” Jamal said.

Without a record label, Iconoclast Robot is forced to jump around from place to place in order to record and practice on a weekly basis. Recently the band has had the opportunity to record at Pinnacle College in Rancho Cordova, but the band is open to any space that will allow them to better themselves.

“We don’t have a lot of money and resources right now,” explained Jamal. “So we practice and record wherever we can.”

Iconoclast Robot’s love and dedication for music is shown in their stage presence. It’s obvious in the energy that is seen, that the band loves what they do. For them, making music and performing isn’t work for them, it’s a release of their creativity.

“Music is all about communicating your ideas, like any art form,” Jamal said. “You’ve got an idea and you want to express that without words and music is the way to do that.”

Although they’ve played locally and in the Bay Area, Iconoclast Robot is hoping to go on tour soon.

“A tour is in the works, and I think we know where we’d like to go. Definitely a West Coast tour including California, Nevada and Arizona. Nothing is solid yet though,” said Jamal.

Even though they are busy working on their own music, I was curious to know what kind of music they were currently listening to.

“I’ve been listening to the artist, Gotye who wrote the song ‘Somebody I Used to Know.’ I checked out some of his other stuff, and he is like us,” Jamal said. “He is all over the map stylistically, so many styles and it’s very creative.”

As for Cash, “I’ve been listening to The Black Keys. One of my favorite bands though is City and Colour, an acoustic and emo sound. He has such a real passion in his voice.”

With a tour in the works, an untitled EP released and their debut album set to release in May, Iconoclast Robot has set goals for themselves, hoping to one day make what they love to do a full-time job.

“I think at the end of the day all of us would be happy to comfortably support ourselves playing music and not having to work 9-to-5 jobs,” said Jamal. “Tour, play music and pay the bills. I think we’d be happy.”

With music as their drive and passion, the band is looking to turn heads with their rare and intriguing sound.

“We want to blow their minds,” said Jamal. “I want them to walk away and be like, ‘What was that?’”

Collectively, the band wants their fans to be affected somehow by the music they make, and want them to come back for another show.

Music isn’t a gimmick or moneymaker for these five band members; it’s their passion. “Music is something I’m always going to do, whether I’m in a band or not,” Jamal explained. “It’s always going to be a part of my life, regardless of whether I’m making money.”

Iconoclast Robots have an upcoming performance at Ace of Spades on April 13. Go to http://aceofspadessac.com/ for tickets. For updated information on the album release date and upcoming shows like them on their Facebook page: Facebook.com/iconoclastrobot

Mutemath, Canon Blue
Ace of Spades, Sacramento – Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012

Words by Ashley Hassinger – Photos Mike Ibe

Mutemath returned to Sacramento for a stunning performance with musical guest Canon Blue. With distinctive musical styles, these two bands complemented each other flawlessly. A strong emphasis on an array of instruments and powerful lead vocals illustrated genuine musicianship.

Canon Blue, solo project of Daniel James, opened up the night, playing as a trio on this occasion. With the recent release of Canon Blue’s sophomore album Rumspringa, James spoke to the audience about Amish culture being a heavy influence on the album.

His six-song set lasted 30 minutes. James’s set list was a mixture of old and new tracks, allowing the audience to get a full taste of the rich and funky Canon Blue.

An essential feature you can hear with Canon Blue’s recent music is a string quartet. This element gives Canon Blue a unique quality and James is able to recreate this sound with samplers during his live show. Layering a combination of string instruments and James’ vocals generates a refreshed sound. Canon Blue gives listener’s unpredictable sounds and lyrics and has a euphonic substance.

In addition to the layering, the tracks have a variety of tones varying from light and jazz style to an alternative and fast tempo. Canon Blue’s unorthodox sound is what draws in new listeners.

Canon Blue wrapped up their set with a funky and upbeat jam titled “Chicago.” This track is a perfect example of the sound you’ll hear on Rumspringa: a string quartet introduction ultimately bringing in James’ voice.

Standing in the crowd, I overheard a few audience members mumbling, “Who is this band?” Canon Blue made a substantial impression on both fans and new listeners. Their opening made a great introduction to the headlining Mutemath that was to follow.

Writing and performing for almost a decade, Mutemath have polished and perfected their art of music. With three full-length studio albums including their most recent release in October, Odd Soul, Mutemath had a great deal of material to work with for the show.

For those unfamiliar with the sound of Mutemath, imagine a fusion of funk, jazz and rock. Lead vocalist Paul Meany adds an undertone of soul to complete their colorful and distinguished sound.

Known for their exceptional live performances, Mutemath didn’t delay to impress the crowd with a non-traditional entrance. Drummer Darren King led the band in a drum-line formation from the audience onto the stage, with a string of lights hanging above them.

As they took to the stage, there was no hesitation in energy and excitement from the band members as the first song “Odd Soul,” off their third studio album, started up. Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas and newest member Todd Gummerman on the guitar joined in with King and Meany with an immense amount of liveliness on the stage.

The excitement wasn’t limited to one area with Meany interacting with the crowd, and singing in the middle of the audience for the performance of “Equals.”

A favorable characteristic of Mutemath’s performances is their ability to have quick transitions. There is little downtime between songs, allowing for the audience to get the most out of the show.

Along with their swift changeovers, there was a great light show throughout the performance, which took the concert to the next level.

With high energy and dedication, Mutemath gave an exceptional arrangement of their songs over the years, and their animation was contagious to the crowd. Mutemath is one of the few bands left that performs solely for the joy of their audience.

The songs they performed included “Blood Pressure,” “Spotlight” and “Walking Paranoia,” to name a few. The band played a total of 26 songs, giving the audience a passion-filled show.

Our good friends at the downtown Sacramento all-ages music venue Ace of Spades recently celebrated their one-year anniversary, which made Submerge think, “Damn, it’s only been a year?!?” We literally cannot count how many amazing shows we’ve seen there in the past 12 months! The venue’s debut on Feb. 9, 2011 with Rob Zombie was a sold-out show, a term the venue would get used to. From there they hosted everyone from Tesla to Deftones, Snoop Dogg to Mastodon and countless local and regional acts as well. Pollstar, the concert tour industry’s leading trade publication, recently named Ace of Spades No. 52 on their 2011 year-end worldwide ticket sales top-100 club venue list. “What? There’s 51 clubs ahead of us? We got work to do!” joked Ace’s co-owner Bret Bair. “In all seriousness, we’re extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish in our first year and to be the No. 52 club is awesome and feels very rewarding.” Only a few California venues beat out Ace on Pollstar’s list, most notably San Francisco’s The Independent, which snagged the No. 30 spot. Bair mentioned that they weren’t surprised with the accolade for two reasons: They pride themselves on booking artists from a wide range of genres, and Sacramento is a top 25 market. “Eric [Rushing, co-owner] and I always felt that the city and its passionate music fans would support a larger music venue if we could get the talent, and they have!” Looking back on the venue’s first successful year, Bair mentions that the most memorable moment for him was when the Snoop Dogg show came together perfectly. “I actually stopped for a moment to reflect and thought to myself, ‘Holy shit, Snoop Dogg’s on our stage rappin’ ‘Gin and Juice!’” “I would like to give the City of Sacramento and its suburbs a shout-out!” Bair said, continuing with, “We love the fact that fans keep coming to the shows and having a good time, and that’s what it should be about at the end of the day, getting lost in the music and having a good time. We also want to thank all the local artists who have played our local shows or have supported some of the bigger national shows; without them, we would be out of business by now!” Learn more about Ace of Spades by visiting Aceofspadessac.com

Far’s Shaun Lopez and Deftones’ Chino Moreno let their creativity loose with Crosses

Shaun Lopez (guitarist for Far) and Chino Moreno (vocalist for Deftones) have left an indelible mark on the Sacramento music scene–as well as rock music beyond the River City. Sometime last year, the two (along with bass player and songwriter Chuck Doom) began meeting–more or less in secret–on a new project that would leave a new kind of mark, ✝✝✝, aka Crosses.

Lopez and Moreno worked closely together before, though according to the Deftones vocalist (who also provides vocals for Crosses), it wasn’t the most positive experience. Moreno says that the vocals for Deftones’ Saturday Night Wrist, released in 2006, were recorded at Lopez’s studio.

“We worked pretty close then–a little too close,” Moreno says. “It was a gnarly time. There was probably one point when we were doing that that I said in my mind, ‘I will never work with Shaun again.’”

Lopez adds with a laugh, “I said the same thing.”

One thing positive that did come from the experience was that the two remained friends, despite the difficulty. Moreno recalls that it was a rough time for him personally and that he felt a lot of pressure surrounding Saturday Night Wrist. This time around, however, things were different. Crosses didn’t bear the same level of expectations as did that Deftones album. In fact, for the most part, no one even knew that Moreno was working on new music.

“The music is pretty powerful,” Moreno says. “I hate to sound corny, but when we get together to make some stuff, it straight up sounds good. I think we just enjoy that.”

Crosses got off the ground with just Lopez and Doom at the helm. Lopez says that he’d met Doom two or three years ago through a mutual friend. Doom was looking for a space to lay down tracks for another project he was working on, but as he and Lopez began getting to know each other better, they began writing together.

“He started bringing in some other ideas that were different than what he was doing already,” Lopez says of Doom. “I thought that it was really cool, maybe I can throw some stuff on top of this. Maybe we could do some co-writing. That was sort of the birth of Crosses.”

Beyond that, Moreno calls the enigmatically named Doom a “very interesting guy.” Moreno says that Doom has a penchant for “really old gear” and still employs floppy disks as part of his recording arsenal.

“I think that’s inspiring to me, because it’s not like he’s got an iPad in some room and he’s making shit that sounds like everyone else,” Moreno says. He goes on to praise Doom’s tireless, and perhaps eccentric, work ethic.

“I’ll get an e-mail at 7:30 in the morning sometimes, and it’ll be a 30-second clip of four chords with this weird loop around it… It’s kind of cool to see how [Crosses songs have] evolved from something as little and abstract as that.”

Moreno was the final piece of the Crosses puzzle. Originally, Lopez had planned on having a revolving door of different vocalists to sing over the music he and Doom were creating, but once he heard Moreno sing over a track, it seemed like he needn’t look any further.

“Once we heard what he could do over it, and it just really made sense,” Lopez says. “It all just sounded like something we could hear Chino’s voice on. He basically told us, ‘I don’t want anyone else singing on these songs.’ It was nice that it worked out that way, that it was really natural and really organic, and nobody was forcing anybody to do anything. He was like, ‘I really like this. I want to sing over these songs.’ He heard it, and then we started writing more songs, and he said, ‘I want to sing on all of these.’ So we were like, let’s do it.”

“I’m just that good,” Moreno quips.

It must have been the right formula, because the partnership became pretty prolific. Moreno reports that the trio produced over 20 songs in about six months. The group released its first album, a five-song EP titled EP ✝ in August 2011. The album was released for free download through the Internet (it can be downloaded at Crossesmusic.com). Another EP, EP ✝✝, will be released in the same manner on Jan. 24, 2012. The goal is to release a third EP thereafter, and Moreno hopes that they will then compile them all into a full-length album along with five new songs. Both he and Lopez are reveling in the fact that they’re making this music on their own, with little outside pressures or expectations.

“To me, that’s one of the lamest parts of being a part of a big label, at least from my experience,” Moreno says. “Every time you’re making a record, you have someone’s opinion who’s outside of making the record, it’s always a damper.”

“And not so much the label, but anticipation from outside the project…right away there are a million opinions of what it’s going to sound like, what it should sound like. We went into this without any of that. It was cool to do it for fun as it went along. Now that it’s done, I guess people will have their opinion now, but it’s done. It is what it is.”

What it is may not be what Moreno’s fans expect or even want to hear from the lead singer of Deftones. EP ✝ is a dark and brooding, ambient yet heavy release, perfect for turning up loud in your headphones and losing yourself in. “This Is a Trick” opens the album with creepy organ sounds washing over a glitchy digital beat that gives way to a chorus in which Moreno’s voice fluctuates between an almost pleading tone to a more metallic yell. From there, the EP traverses down more of a trippy, atmospheric road. Lyrically, the album seems to hold common themes of fantasy versus reality. Moreno says that these are ideas that are actually apparent in his other projects.

“I have a hard time deciding that I’m going to make a song about this topic and just doing it,” he explains. “To me, that takes away all the fun. It puts up walls all around you… I think that’s where the escapism comes through in the lyrics, with all my projects. It’s not like I write differently for this project or that project. When I sit down to write, it comes out however it comes out. A lot of times, it’s a sort of fantasy/escapism, things that are so detached from everyday life or emotions or feelings. I think those things come through anyway.”

Similarly, Lopez and Moreno have a take it as it comes approach toward Crosses. The band will be playing a series of live shows starting Jan. 31, 2012 something they hadn’t really planned to do with the project at its inception. Crosses will play a string of four dates in California, and then two dates in South America (Santiago, Chile for Lollapalooza Chile and Quilmes Rock 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) in late March/early April.

As for the upcoming EP, Moreno gave few details. He says that he doesn’t feel comfortable describing what it will sound like, but mentions that it was recorded at the same time as EP ✝, so it will have a consistent feel, though it will probably be more up-tempo.

“I don’t want to give anyone any pretense of anything,” Moreno cautions.

Those with adventurous ears may find Crosses very rewarding. If nothing else, it’s a shining example of what a group of talented songwriters can do when they’re free to create as they will.

“I think that’s a liberating thing, especially for Chino, that we write, we record, we mix the record, and we basically turn it in and it’s out,” Lopez says. “There still aren’t a lot of people who know about it, which is cool. There are more people learning about it every day, which is kind of what we wanted.”

Crosses will play Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Feb. 3, 2012. Also performing will be Secret Empire, Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross. Doors for the all-ages show will open at 7 p.m., and tickets can be purchased through Aceofspadessac.com