Massive Delicious settle in Sacramento and find home after time on the East Coast

Before you start to complain about the scorching 100-degree Sacramento weather, try and remember that there is no place like home. Even though Californians start to sweat at 9:30 a.m., our vast variety of culture, music and art make the heat bearable. After living on the East Coast for nearly five years Andrew Conn, bass and synthesizer player from band Massive Delicious, missed his home in the Golden State. When Conn decided to move back he asked his band mates, vocalist and guitarist Dylan Crawford and drummer Josh Rosato, the ultimate question, East Coast or West Coast?

“I was always telling those guys I am moving back to California with or without you, East Coast is too cold. I always knew I was coming back to California and I was basically like, ‘You know it’s a better scene out there so if you guys want to come with…come with,’” said Conn over the phone.

Shortly after his band mates decided to follow him to Sacramento, and they are now making a name for themselves as Massive Delicious. Only after living in Sacramento for nearly a year they feel welcome and see more support for their music in this town then they had ever experienced on the East Coast.

“East Coast was very like every band for themselves, there’s much more of a musical community out here,” said Rosato.

Massive Delicious is a fast-moving band that is quickly picking up momentum in the Sacramento music community. During the past few months they have received positive feedback from fans and other local bands.

For the rest of the summer season they have shows lined up for almost every week all over California–in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Pismo Beach and a CD release show at Harlow’s in late July. The trio is also boarding their live show on a train (the Sacramento Beer Train) with local band ZuhG and beer from Sudwerk Brewery on July 21, 2012.

Their quick popularity comes as no surprise because their style of music contains a catchy blend of reggae, jazz and funk. Massive Delicious adds new spice to make jazz and funk contemporary but still manages to keep a traditional feel to their soulful music. While listening to one song you might get a chill jazz vibe or a “funky psychedelic jam session” in another.

“We definitely go toward more of a reggae side of things. The jazz and funk are dispersed in-between it,” explained Conn.

All three members have been working toward their latest self-titled album, that will give you smooth jams to dance to during those warm summer days by the American River. The album is complete with seven songs that make up 45 minutes that will help you unwind at the end of the day. Massive Delicious has been working on this album for almost a year and a half and some tracks were even created two years ago. “This album has been a long time coming,” Rosato explained.

Each song sounds like a continuous smooth jam session. While listening to Massive Delicious’ music you can’t help but feel relaxed and content.

“We just want to get our positive energy working so that the crowd can be positive about it and get moving because if people aren’t moving, then we aren’t really doing our jobs,” explained Conn. “We want the little kids and the grandmas dancing.”

“What we are trying to do is go for a universal music.

When anybody hears it they are going to be like, ‘Wow that is good music. It may not be my thing but I appreciate it,’” added Rosato.

And before playing their good music there’s only one thing a drummer needs to get ready for a high-energy show.

“Cheeseburgers for Josh,” said Conn with a laugh.

“Maybe if a cheeseburger is available, if not I’ll have a few beers and then I’m chilling,” joked Rosato. “We’ve done so many shows at this point. Andrew and I both did 200 shows in the bands that we were in before. It’s just like another thing. We go out there and do it.”

Just after playing a first few shows in their new home of Sacramento, they all knew that they had moved to the right place. From making women in the front row at Harlow’s dance to their jams to making the crowd move at the Reggae in the Hills Festival in early June, they have become a part of the unique musical community in the area. They found it surprising that being an unknown reggae band people were still dancing and grooving to their jams.

“It’s really refreshing after being back East for a couple of years, where the scene seems to be oversaturated. There’s not much love going around to local bands like out here,” said Conn. “There’s a lot of love going around [here] so we really appreciate that.”

Even though their musical scene had changed for the better, the East Coast has served them well in the past. Conn, Rosato and Crawford have a strong musical background and education. Crawford studied music for four years at the University of Idaho, Josh has a degree in classical percussion, and Andrew has a degree in contemporary writing and production for music. The trio officially became good friends while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Massive Delicious uses their education, musical influences and previous band experience to create a sound that is truly unique and fun.

“One thing going into the band, I really [didn’t] want to sound like some other band. I wanted to come out here and retain my own sound,” Conn said. “I think all of us do a good job of that, not trying to sound like anybody else.

Through their own sound Massive Delicious wants to spread positive energy, to the West and East coasts. “When it comes down to it we love what we do,” said Conn. “I think we’re really just trying to spread good vibes and have a good time.”

Massive Delicious will play their CD release show at Harlow’s on July 26, 2012. Also playing will be local jam-rock powerhouse ZuhG, Awkward Lemon and Adrian Bellue. To purchase tickets, go to http://harlows.com/. Get there early because the first 100 people will get a free copy of the CD.

Lite Brite distills the energy of their high-powered live show on a brand new album

A rock concert might be the only place in the world where it is acceptable to thrash around with full force, scream at the top of your lungs and push random people to the ground. If you tried this on the street, a grocery store, or a restaurant you will be kicked out and given the cold shoulder by society. Whether it’s moshing in the crowd or playing guitar on stage, rock concerts welcome your inner beast with open arms. There is one local band that produces this kind of high-energy show that can make anyone want to jump around. Submerge caught up with brothers Eddie and Matt Underwood, members of Sacramento rock-trio Lite Brite, in front of Peet’s Coffee to discuss their new self-titled album and rocking out on stage.

“If we have any underlying rage, [performing] is a good way to release it,” said vocalist and guitarist, Eddie Underwood.

“Instead of stabbing each other in the face,” continued drummer Matt Underwood. “It’s an expensive habit really.”

Eddie, Matt and Robert Lander, bass, are ready to bring their high-energy show straight to your living room. Their goal was to make their new self-titled album as close to the band’s live show as possible, making Lite Brite’s stage-fueled passion completely mobile.

The opening track of Lite Brite’s new album are recorded sounds from the band having fun with an analog phaser, creating eerie sounds that set the stage for their 12-track rock album. “We had an idea that it was going to be a theme in the record. I don’t think it ended up being exactly the way we thought it was going to be but it was a good way to tone the record,” Matt said. “I like the way that it turned out. It’s a noisy record.”

Lite Brite is excited to unleash a record that it can completely claim as its own. There is only one track, “Heaven,” on which the band collaborated with a musical engineer.

“We did it all ourselves. We mixed it all ourselves. We recorded it all ourselves. It was exactly what we want,” explained Eddie.

“It’s going to be really cool though, getting our music done, because we never really had a whole album that is just the way we wanted it to be,” Matt added.

Lite Brite hopes to give the new music as much exposure as possible, including a tour in the near future and to make the tracks easily accessible and sometimes free online. Matt Underwood wanted to adopt a business model that was made popular in the ‘60s by bands such as The Rolling Stones, where they would release numerous singles at a rapid pace.

“It would be really timely,” Matt explained. “It’s sort of this idealistic vision that I had, get something out and get it out on the street really fast. It would be the right song at the right moment.”

So far the Underwoods have been very successful in getting their music out quickly even though they have only played music professionally for the past few years. While in high school, Matt and Eddie would jam out to cover songs in their parent’s garage with their friend Bob.

“We just started playing covers and stuff. It was fun playing stuff that we like and Bob came over every day. He didn’t do homework. That worked out well,” joked Matt.

Since then, Lite Brite has been on two West Coast tours including one with Middle Class Rut. During their past tour, life on the road never seemed to get dull for them. Every city had a new adventure waiting for them. While stopped in Minneapolis, they had their van broken into early in the morning.

“What really pisses us off is that they stole our lunch meat,” Eddie said. “All of the equipment was in the back, and they could have easily gotten thousands of dollars worth of equipment, but they just went though our ice chest and downed 10 Red Bulls and ate our lunch meat on the spot.”

But missing lunch meat wasn’t their only problem that day. The thief decided to break in through the passenger window and crack the windshield causing Lite Brite to rush to get it fixed before a show. While on the same tour but this time in Wyoming, Eddie and Bob almost landed in a bar fight over the topic of Nickelback.

“I might have said something like, ‘Nickleback sucks,’ and one guy said, ‘Hey, hold on a second, I like Nickelback. I’m about to knock your teeth in.’ And then all of a sudden someone comes in from another room where Bob was playing pool and he said to me, ‘You better come quick… Your friend is about to get his teeth knocked in,’” Eddie said.

They decided to leave the bar before anyone would have to make an emergency trip to the dentist. But the highlight of their previous tour was the high-energy and jam packed shows, full of people who have never heard of them before but loved every minute of it. “The last two U.S. tours that we did were awesome,” Matt said. “Pretty much every show was just tons of people to play for.

“We completely sold out of CDs really early on our last tour. We had to burn thousands of CDs so we had something to sell.”

Recently, you might have caught them at Friday Night Concerts in the Park in early May. That night was one of their most memorable performances because there were over 7,000 people watching them at Cesar Chavez Park.

“You can’t really beat that,” Eddie said.

Before playing a high-energy show, whether it’s in front of a huge park or small venue, there isn’t much that Eddie needs to get himself pumped up to jam on stage. “The best way to warm up is to have a couple of beers. You don’t want to overdo it but not too little, because we don’t want to stand there like a couple of stiffs,” Eddie joked. “And not too much or else Bob and I will start yelling at each other on stage.”

But now Lite Brite is ready for Sacramento to join them at Ace of Spaces on July 6, 2012 for their CD release party.

“The music scene has been ridiculously awesome to us in Sacramento, and if it wasn’t, we probably would have quit doing it a long time ago,” Matt explained. “Recording an album is stressful and everything but pay off is definitely worth it, it’s very gratifying, just having this giant project for months at a time come to an end. What’s cool about an album is that it’s always going to be there. It’s always going to exist. It’s always going to be around. And you will always have that work that you did.”

A stacked lineup will help Lite Brite celebrate the release of their self-titled CD. Stuck, Musical Charis, Simpl3jack, The Hungry and The Trees will all join Lite Brite at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on July 6, 2012. Tickets are $10 in advance/$12 at the door. For ticket information, go to http://aceofspadessac.com/.

For Jon Mess, Music and Art Share a Similar Rhythm

Artist Jon Mess might be the only human example of going from zero to 60 and back in 3.5 seconds. One second he is thrashing paint on a canvas with quick and forceful strokes; the next he is stopping and staring intently at the chaos before him. He likes to start off a painting at a very fast pace but then slows down to analyze each stroke. At times he will stare at his work for more than 30 minutes.

For the past 10 years, Mess has experimented with various art forms including painting, graphic design, writing song lyrics even perfecting screamed vocals. His causal demeanor and laid-back personality make it seem surprising that his well-known talent is screaming lyrics in front of raving fans. He has been in the spotlight as a vocalist for Sacramento’s post-hardcore band, Dance Gavin Dance, but has been under the radar as a talented local artist. Each creative side of him represents the perfection of organized chaos; that can be heard in the vocals and seen in his art.

“I try and create a sort of rhythm with the strokes…like the way that music or notes would go up and down on a scale,” Mess said while sitting on a bench outside of his art studio. “I like the element of just going at it and moving real fast but at the same time I want to have balance and stability and take into account [the] formal element of art.”

His abstract artwork is full of bright colors and sharp strokes that leave no empty space on the canvas. Each piece of art is completely open to interpretation and everyone will have a different opinion on what the image is or what it means to them. It’s a “choose your own adventure” art show, Mess said. One minute you might see a rabid zombie dog but after a close examination you might see two eerie dark figures appear in the painting.

Horse, Oil on canvas 30’’ x 40’’ 2012

To get started on a painting, Mess lets his natural intuition and spontaneous side work together. “That’s one of the main things about my process is that I don’t work from an image or I don’t usually work from an idea,” Mess explained. “I put a mark on the canvas, then another one and then it starts to look like something.”

But if Mess does have a sporadic thought in his head it normally comes out as a painting, a lyric or sometimes both. From the most recent Dance Gavin Dance album, a song titled “The Robot with Human Hair Part 2 ½” contains three words that seemed to cause a small uproar with some of his fans.

“There is this one lyric that is ‘confusing ice cream cone.’ People were always misinterpreting or are confused as why the lyrics weren’t cohesive, just scatterbrained. Well, my lyrics are confusing ice cream cones,” he said. “Then I painted a big ice cream cone with a big question mark.

If it works, it fits in the song and fits on the canvas, why do I need more meaning than that? Why can’t I just paint anything?”

Having a creative process isn’t new in his family; in fact his artistic talent could prove that the creative gene might be a dominant one. Growing up he watched his mom sculpt clay vessels and “curvy vases”; he worked for his uncle, a veteran artist who builds massive metal creations; he is related to one of the animators of the legendary cartoon show The Simpsons; and his cousin works for the art department at UCLA.

“Why is everyone an artist? This must be genetic,” Mess said about his artistic family history. “My mom always had a studio attached to the house with kilns, a potter’s wheel, clay and paints. I learned and did sculptor clay when I was a lot younger and I starting painting when I was 16.”

Since then, he has completed many paintings that he is ready to share with the Sacramento community. Starting on April 14 the FE Gallery will display some of his work for his fans and art enthusiasts to enjoy. He is excited to move all of his artwork from his current studio (that he shares with other local artists in downtown Sacramento) and formally hang it in an official art gallery.

CominUp, Oil on canvas 30’’ x 40’’ 2011

The final product of the art show will have a completely different vibe than Mess’ current workspace. At first glance his art studio resembles an abandoned warehouse, but after walking inside and smelling the paint fumes, anyone could sense the hard work that surrounds the studio. The crowded building is divided into multiple messy workstations, and it’s hard to tell where one art station begins and where the other one ends.

But this environment is a recent upgrade from working at home in his apartment. “I was getting paint on the carpet, the walls, my hands, bathroom and my cat. [It] would get on him and he would track it around,” Mess said. “So out of necessity I had to move it all out. It’s been really nice.”

His upcoming show will be his first official gallery show, apart from college galleries at Sacramento State. While attending college, Mess studied electronic art and started to feel out his interest in post hardcore metal music. This slight interest and curiosity led him to become a famous hardcore screamer, a skill that he happened to pick up randomly.

“I didn’t know what I was doing at all at first and there was no real guidebook,” he said. “I asked a vocal coach at Sac State and they were like, ‘You are going to destroy your voice. You can’t do this. You’ll have no career.’”

If Mess had believed the unfaithful coach, he wouldn’t have toured with Dance Gavin Dance across the United States, and he wouldn’t have been called a “resident screamer” by Alternative Press. After being told he would have no career in screaming, Mess ended up headlining Sacramento State with his band almost right after his graduation date. But in terms of his future career, Mess is a little unsure of where his art will take him. He is going to “play it by ear” but doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

“I’m trying to stay within the creative field but in terms of what specific path it’s going to take,” Mess said. “I know that I can always just paint forever.”

Washing, Oil on canvas 30’’ x 40’’ 2011

Check out the works of Jon Mess at FE Gallery. The exhibition will run through May 3, 2012. The gallery is located at 1100 65th Street, Sacramento and can be found online at http://www.fegallery.com/. If you’d like to see more of Mess’ artwork, go to http://jondmess.tumblr.com/.

Milagres; 1,2,3; Unicycle Loves You

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, Davis – Friday, March 23, 2012

Being 5 feet tall can have its advantages. First off it’s easy to become a champion of hide and seek, no cabinet or closet is too small to curl up in. And the chances of running into a bookshelf or tree branch are at an all-time low, because it’s easy to walk right underneath them without noticing. But the worst time to be vertically challenged is trying to see at a concert, especially if the stage is the same level as the floor.

The stage at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen in Davis isn’t actually a stage at all; it consists of a small wooden porch where all of the band members are cooped up in the corner, which provides a low level of good viewing but a high level of intimacy. As my friend Lucy said, the band members have “no room to bust a move.” But the three bands that opened up the “2012 Music Season Premiere” for the tiny venue didn’t need space to show off new moves but showed off their musical talents instead.

The opening band (starting oddly on time for a rock show) was Chicago’s garage-pop trio, Unicycle Loves You, who were all about making a bold statement. The drummer of the group rocked out while wearing bright red shorts that seemed at least two sizes too small for him. But he might have been the only person who could pull off wearing short shorts during a chilly March night. Their live music could make anyone want to jump up and dance around in circles. Before playing their last song, the lead singer boldly said, “Davis is better than Los Angeles and San Francisco put together.”

During setup for the next band, 1, 2, 3, the crowd seemed to multiply in minutes, making everyone squeeze in a little tighter. The lead singer got ready for the show by wearing a straw hat with a loose rope chinstrap. He later admitted that it was bought in San Francisco because he “thought it was appropriate” for the night. Their two guitars, drums and bass brought a fun but peaceful vibe into the air that even made some viewers on the sidewalk start to dance. For the last song of their set the drummer decided to play standing up, which led to a long instrumental jam session between all four band members. Originally from Pittsburgh, Penn., the band made their trip to Davis seem unique and not just another stop on their tour.

Somehow by the time the headliners, Milagres, took the stage the number of people in front of me multiplied again, making it an even tighter squeeze and keeping the prime viewing spaces at a minimum. Although it was difficult to see any of the band members, the sounds could make any music lover nod their heads and tap their feet in appreciation to their songs. Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., Milagres’ melodic but powerful music shook the wood panels of the porch. Shows at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen are usually a mixture of people who are trying to drink while holding loud conversations and people who are really into the music. But while the headliners were playing, most people were tuned in to the music. Milagres’ set ended with an encore that was demanded by the audience, making it all of the possible songs they could play in one night.

Although the view of the band was minimal, watching the reaction from the audience was almost better. I caught a girl with her eyes closed swaying side to side, a guy fist pumping, people yelling song requests and lots of head nods. It didn’t matter if someone was sitting front row with a perfect view or in the back sitting on a bar stool, everyone could hear and feel the music that night.

C!nder’s maniacal machines are creations of pure joy

Not many people can find joy in stepping on a fresh piece of gum. The moment it hits your shoe it suddenly turns into an endless string that seemingly can wrap around your entire body. And no matter how much you wipe the pink bundle of teeth marks on the curb, it lingers on the bottom of your heel. But there might be one person who can find some joy in a gum catastrophe.

“Look at the way that thing pulls apart, it’s awesome. Who would have thought that only one cubic centimeter of chewing gum could stretch about three feet long?” Christian Cinder asked with excitement, while sitting inside Broadacre Coffee.

Finding the simple joys in life has led Cinder to become a professional cartoon surrealist but with a fun twist. He makes you question the stereotypical sci-fi robots that are out to destroy human life and replaces them with fun-loving robots that seem huggable.

“The work is happy because there is happiness,” Cinder said. “Maybe like a Men in Black kind of scenario; the world might be collapsing all around them, but they are going to have the best time they can.”

His current exhibit at the MAIYA gallery in downtown Sacramento, March of the Robots, displays some of Cinder’s (who signs his name C!nder) most recent collections of art pieces that are ready to be admired. He credits his creative inspiration to growing up in the ‘70s, watching Star Trek, reading Mad Magazine and comic books, and the popular ‘60s artist Ed Roth (known for creating the Rat Fink icon).

Whether you are a science fiction nerd, art fanatic or love cartoons, Cinder creates pieces that everyone can enjoy. His art work is bright, imaginative and fun. Cinder likes to portray robots having fun in their environments, smiling and exploring their world with curiosity. One of his pieces shows a red robot sitting and looking very content in a flowery meadow. But not all of this work is happy and easygoing. One piece called Night of the Tinkerbot shows a scared robot running away from other rusty robots who are trying to take his parts.

“The robots can be destructive but so can 5-year-olds,” he admitted.

From destructive robots to robots picking flowers, Cinder uses an art technique called color theory to make the picture on the canvas look dimensional through 3-D glasses.

“When I pick the colors for my subjects, I tint and tone everything according to where they are on the background and the foreground,” he said. “So that’s just the basic concept of color theory. That cool colors will recede and warmer colors will come forward.”

While visiting the MAIYA Gallery, Cinder would walk around with 3-D glasses trying to see if the other artwork on display had the same effect, which made onlookers take a second glance, said Kelly Truscott, owner of MAIYA Gallery. Truscott said that everyone has taken an interest in Cinder’s art, from 10-year-olds to serious art collectors. But Cinder likes to call his fan base the “12-year-old adult.”

“The person who has the energy and interest of a pre-teen and can enjoy life that way but at the same time has the education and experience to appreciate the nuances,” he said. “So anybody who likes a Disney film or Don Bluth animation, I would hope would like my work as well.”

The ideas behind the animation all start with pencil sketches in his worn-out sketchbook. The sticker collage on the front cover of this sketchbook, which includes, In-N-Out Burger, San Diego Comic-Con, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Space Invaders, can easily give away what he loves most. But once the sketchbook is opened, a new world comes to life with Intergalactic Police, Alien Internet and frolicking robots. Cinder can find robots everywhere. One of his drawings is based on a man who was picking up cans on the Santa Cruz Beach and wearing a medical mask with thick gloves. After Cinder saw him, he drew him as a robot on the beach.

His sketch work shows all the technicalities of creating a robot and he does not allow himself to make any edits in his sketchbook. The process of developing a new robot style, which he calls Cinderbots, is a serious task. He takes multiple styles of robots and gives them a name and purpose in each painting, including the Alpha (single box or geometric shape), the Cinderbots (a more formed robot) and the Hakos (cardboard structure characters).

“I think I get the most fun out of the Alphas, he’s been my longest standing character, he gets into the most mischief,” Cinder said. “In the paintings he discovers the most about his world and the Cinderbots act like a supporting crew. I think the Alphabot is pretty cool, Alpha 1 is his name. He just goes by Al.”

And Al can come at an affordable price. Cinder likes to keep this work within reach for everyone. In the past he was known for making “insane cinder prices” where he would only charge $40 to $60 for a large painting. A former art buyer once asked him if they could pay half in cash and the other half would be a trade in CDs, and of course Cinder agreed. Those days it was easy to mark a big painting for cheap because he earned other income but now he has to be more careful with pricing.

“Affordable pricing is important, but at the same time you’ve got to be able to survive. So, I’m trying to find that middle ground. I’m trying to find that point of compromise,” he explained.

Cinder has been making his art accessible for everyone for the past seven years and has created more than 500 paintings. He learned art education through community college courses, spending many hours in a library and through other artists that he knew in the community. Cinder started to take art more seriously when he would sketch portraits of his co-workers’ pets and babies. Now he somehow finds the time to balance multiple art projects at once and spend time with his wife and three children, who often take part in titling his art.

“The paintings on the wall complement my family life,” he said. “I am a father, a husband and a best friend to all of them.”

One of his biggest inspirations came from his daughter, and while they were eating donuts she said, “Mini donut, mini donut, for a mini robot!” This idea sparked Cinder to paint doughnut-hole squids, robots chasing doughnuts and create tiny sculptures perfectly matched for Doughbot, the delicious doughnut café. Cinder’s art can be seen at Doughbot, MAIYA Gallery, and on “anything else that can hold paint,” including custom end tables, bicycle helmets, ukuleles, bongo drums, guitar cases, skateboards, cars (interiors and exteriors), pinstriping, leather jackets and denim jeans. He also does modeling for the war miniature gaming community and table top battles. He creates the scenery and terrain for tiny armies to battle on with mountains, forests, valleys and houses.

This artist, sculptor, creator, Sacramento native and all-around happy guy is excited to share his thoughts and stories with everyone in the city. “Being in the physical presence of all the work you’ve already done, you can see what you were thinking. It’s like reading back through your journal but on a visual level, because every piece that I make is in its own moment, its own story,” he said.

See Cinder’s work at Maiya Gallery. His exhibit, March of the Robots, also features the works of Marissa “Nurse Squeeky” Goldberg, Dwight Head, Mark Lifvendahl and Mark Harm Niemeyer. Maiya Gallery is located at 2220 J Street, Suite I, and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Psychedelic indie rock group Mr. Gnome is returning to Sacramento during their coast-to-coast spring tour. Recently named Rolling Stone’s “Band to Watch” for their third full-length album, Madness in Miniature, Mr. Gnome is ready to release their new 7-inch, Softly Mad. The duo, featuring Nicole Barille and Sam Meister, has been premiered on MTV, for their new track called “The Way.” Cleveland’s Mr. Gnome will be headlining Luigi’s Fungarden on March 28 along with Playboy School and Survival Guide. The show is all-ages and starts at 7:30 p.m. Entrance fee is just $7 at the door.

Baroque Bash featuring Doom Bird

Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento – Friday, Jan. 13, 2012

On a normal afternoon the Crocker Art Museum is usually filled with art enthusiasts who quietly soak in the historic and modern art pieces as they roam the halls. But last week on a chilly January night, the art museum was humming. Upon entering the museum lobby, there was a different vibe in the atmosphere. It was filled with excited guests who were patiently waiting for the “Baroque Bash,” a music and art celebration to honor one of the Crockers current exhibitions called Florence and the Baroque: Paintings from the Haukohl Family Collection, to start. People were busy talking in small groups or sipping on glasses of wine and beer. After all, there might not be a better way to properly appreciate 16th century artwork than with a glass of classy wine in hand.

As the room waited patiently for the musical performance by Doom Bird to start, most eyes wandered to the left side of the lobby where museum goers could participate in art demonstrations. A few aspiring artists were caught sketching costume drawings from the Baroque period, along with the help of artist Arturo Balderama. A woman dressed in an elegant dress from the 17th century was modeling for the artists and wandering the lobby so people could appreciate her wardrobe.

The musical portion of the show began with relaxing melodies from three instrumentalists who gracefully took strums at a cello and two violins. During their performance, the majority of the audience members seemed to appreciate the music, but were also a little distracted by their surroundings.

After the classical performance ended, Doom Bird was ready to take the stage (which consisted of two rugs on the floor). Band members Kris Anaya and Joseph Davancens were accompanied by many local musical guests for the night including Krystyna Taylor (cellist from Exquisite Crops), Arjun Singh (drummer from Wallpaper) and Adam Wade (singer from Golden Cadillacs). Depending on the night, Doom Bird enjoys to be backed up by great musical talent to keep their shows lively and entertaining. “Joe and I usually play with a large group of people for shows,” Anaya described in an e-mail the day after show. “It usually keeps the audience excited about what we are trying to present in our music.” Although the band admitted that they had not performed in nine months, the performance from the musical group was peaceful and flawless. Each song provided the audience with calming but powerful music notes, making the perfect blend of classical and alternative tunes.

For most of the set, frontman Anaya didn’t have much to say to the audience except for the occasional thank you. But during the middle of their set, Anaya noted that the lobby of the museum resembled a mini airport. “Welcome to the International Crocker Airport,” he joked over the microphone. Taking a bird’s eye view of the museum, it did resemble a map from a stereotypical “airport.” Starting at the left of the lobby was a bar serving cocktails to guests, then families enjoying their dinners on square tables; the middle of the room was filled with rows of silver chairs facing the stage (resembling a waiting room). It provided an atmosphere that made the museum appear busy and full of life. Throughout the entire set, audience members could take in the “artistic extravagance” of art and music that the Crocker Art Museum had hoped for.

Zebulon hopes to wipe those mean mugs off your faces

Finding the perfect band name is no easy task. Musicians spend hours arguing over which words best describe them or whether their title should have a “the” in the front of their name. People can even head to Ratemyband.co and have the computer come up with random, witty band names such as “Step-Mother Trip” or “Cheddar Landslide.” But with local electronic hip-hop duo Zebulon, deciding a name came easy. “It’s actually my name. It’s my birth given name. A lot of people don’t believe that at first,” said Zebulon Griffin.

Submerge met up with Zebulon outside of Peet’s Coffee to chat about hip-hop, live shows and the upcoming New Year.

Describe the transition from the group SouLifted to Zebulon.
It was pretty seamless. SouLifted has more of a reggae twist to it but the music that Brian and I were writing only had certain hints of that, most of it was more electronic and hip-hop mixed together.

What do you think of the Sacramento hip-hop scene?
I’m digging what I’m hearing so far. There’s a lot of talent here versus if you go to a bigger city, it’s a little more watered down. For being a smaller city there is a lot of condensed talent in one area.

What is your music writing process?
It comes in waves. There are dry spells where I sit down and I try to force it out, I try to abandon that pretty quickly. There are times when it just comes out. Most of our tracks come together in hours and we revisit them later, when we start to find the project coming together. Most of the songs come together really quickly, so it just happens in spurts.

What is the best part about performing a live show?
The energy, even if you have to work for it or it’s just there in the smallest form. That’s truly inspiring to get people amped up into what you are doing… One guy, he was probably in his sixties, he came up to me after the show and was all about it. A lot of older people kind of look over the fact that it’s hip-hop altogether [and say], “I like your singing.”

Has social media helped your music at all?
I’m not as consistent as I could be. I go through waves of being on it, and there are times when I kind of neglect it. I’m not on Twitter yet. I always stay at least two steps behind the curve as far as social media goes. I didn’t get on MySpace until everyone was talking about Facebook.

Describe your new EP, Future Flash.
Lyrically it’s a lot of storytelling and musically we touched a little bit on all of our favorite types of sounds and genres. It has a little bit of old material that we twisted in a new way. There are a few new tracks that we are really stoked on. Back in July or August we started those sessions and then we wrapped it up in October, so pretty swift. We work pretty quick if the inspiration strikes.

What has been your favorite thing about this year?
Putting out [our] record and physically distributing it. I’ve wanted to do that. I’ve released stuff independently. We have gone that route before, so this is the first time we’ve actually printed it up through a company and we have it online now.

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
Continue forward with music. Hopefully achieve the goals that we’ve set as far as trying to get the tour going and the new record out. Build momentum.

Mall walkers had reason to pause during their power walks last Sunday at the Westfield Mall. And no, it wasn’t to watch Santa Claus taking photos with crying babies or ice skaters taking falls at the rink. They paused to see the first Non-Drummer Drum-Off. The event is exactly what its name implies, people attempting to drum like Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters but they end up sounding like Animal from The Muppets. In fact, the only qualification of the drum-off was that you were supposed to suck. Even the Facebook event page said if someone was caught practicing before the show, then they would have been automatically disqualified.

Just like American Idol, the non-drummers had to face judges, listen to a sarcastic host and battle to win a prize. The eager non-drummers were going head-to-head for a chance to win a new drum set. At around 3 p.m., a small crowd gathered around a mini stage and bleachers on the second floor of K Street mall in Downtown Plaza that stood in-between the retail stores Express and ZuhG Life (organizers and sponsors of the event). When the show got rolling, most of the audience members ended up being random holiday shoppers, curious workers, or mall walkers who wanted to see what all of the ruckus was about.

The judges, including Matt Mingus from Dance Gavin Dance and Kevin Martinez from Tha Dirt Feeling, had to rate the non-drummers on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) and on “charisma and performance.”

The bad drumming started off with Charleeé Wheeler from the local band ZuhG and his attempt to hit the drums like a rock star. Most of the contestants were familiar faces because they were from local bands or people who are active in the Sacramento community, such as Steph Rodriguez from Sacramento News & Review, Alexander Ayers from Prieta, a local photographer named Dennis, Michael Sean Flanagan, Dean Haakenson from Be Brave Bold Robot (who accidentally broke a drum stick while playing) and even our own Jonathan Carabba gave his shot behind the drums. After almost every performance, the host of the event (Blake Abbey from Musical Charis) would make funny, sarcastic remarks about their performance such as, “It’s so bad I want it to keep going,” or, “It wasn’t even entertaining to watch.” After Bryan Nichols, owner of the ZuhG Life store, gave his all playing the foreign instrument, Blake said, “I would rather listen to a whole Nickelback album than listen to that again.” Although the show was not exclusively awkward drumming, the audience members got to enjoy riffs from the professionals like Matt Mingus.

But the show stopper went to a small audience member who was eager to get a whack at the drums. When Blake asked if anyone from the audience would like to drum off, a young boy named Liam not only raised his hand to volunteer but stood up on the bleachers to be seen and heard. After he pulled a rampage behind the drums, he received a perfect score from the judges and huge cheers from the audience. And every time the host would mention his name he would stand on top of the bleachers and give an arm wave of victory. When he found out that he won the contest, he told his proud mom that they are going to need a “bigger truck” to carry his new gift home. Although little Liam arrived as a casual mall visitor, he left as a drumming champion.

Dean Haakenson

Wes Davis

The Non-Drummer Drum Off
Westfield Downtown Plaza Mall, Sacramento – Sunday, December 4, 2011

Jesi Naomi

Steph Rodriguez

Dennis “the photographer”

Jonathan Carabba

Doug Riggs

Michael Sean Flanagan

Alexander Ayers

Liam

Blake Abbey

Matt Mingus

Reggie Ginn’s third album puts her passion in perspective

Back in high school, Reggie Ginn decided she wanted to learn how to play the piano. But unlike most students she tossed the Basics of Piano book behind her and ditched the formal instructor that would watch her every move. All she needed was a little help from Tori Amos.

When I caught up with the grateful musician on an early but sunny Saturday, her outgoing personality made it seem like we had already knew one another and were just catching up on each other’s lives. As we sat on a table outside of the Sacramento Comedy Spot, we chatted about her new music, learning piano and the importance of human connections.

What’s the title of your new album, Passion in Perspective, mean?
It’s one of those names that can be read in its own way. When I decided to call it that I asked different people, “What does that mean to you?” and a lot of people had different answers. I thought, that’s perfect because that’s exactly what I want to get out of this album, to get different responses and for people to take songs in different ways. When somebody listens to this album I want them to take themselves out of the shoes they are in and see the songs and the world in a different way, that’s the perspective point. For instance, one of the songs, called “Bathsheba,” is written from the point of view from King David. Two of the songs are written through animals’ eyes. So it’s just the art of having a song evolve either through the way you are listening to it, when you’re listening to it, or who you are. So I hope that everybody takes something different from each song.

On your website it says that you want the audience to “not feel alone” through your music. How do you try to do that?
My last album was Sing for the Voiceless, that’s what I like to say, because it’s kind of the vagueness of the song and how everyone can relate to it in their own way. Even though I wrote it from my own point of view and own experience. When you relate with anyone it causes some comfort because you know you are not alone in whatever you are going through. Multiple times I have had people come up to me and say, “Your music means so much to me. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say but have never been able to say it before.” I find it a very big gift to be able to put into words what other people are feeling and it helps them release.

Was it difficult not to have a formal teacher when you were learning piano?
No, it was easier, I think. I tried several times with several different teachers when I was younger. I just didn’t have the attention span. It’s something your parents say, “Oh, go do this.” You don’t really want to, so I didn’t. When I was a junior in high school, I knew I wanted to be a singer. I was writing poetry, and I wanted to express myself in some way. I couldn’t depend on someone playing guitar or accompanying me. So I said, “I’ve got to do this by myself.” Piano just really spoke to me, and like the title of the CD, it was the “passion” that drove it. That’s why I got it. It really just came to me naturally. It’s really amazing because I know a lot of people struggle [to learn piano]. It’s not an easy instrument. But for some reason I think it comes naturally to me.

Who are your musical inspirations?
Tori Amos is really one of the artists that spoke to me most… She really taught me how to express my feelings and how to learn play. I love [an] artist that can be different in a way that’s raw. For instance, PJ Harvey is one of my favorites, because she doesn’t censor herself or worry about how she’s sounding. She doesn’t have to be perfectly on key or just beautiful all the time. She just wants it to be raw, empowering and in your face.

What do you think of the Sacramento music scene?
I really love it here, actually. I went to Los Angeles for a year, to try out things. I wasn’t ready for it, but I did it anyway. It was so cutthroat. I came running back to Sacramento and realized I really needed to establish myself and needed my own town first before going off to somewhere big. Everybody is just so tight-knit here. Once you are in, you’re in. It’s great and there are some super talented musicians that I’m honored to be in the same town as.

What do you do before a show to get yourself pumped?
What I usually do is I talk to the people. I like for people to feel comfortable when they are going to see me perform. People who don’t even necessarily know who I am or they’re there for someone else, I like to bring them in, so they have a reason to stay. Like, “Oh, this girl was nice to me, she’s also a performer? Alright I’ll stay for her set, even though I was going to leave.” Because it’s really important to draw in your audience, whether it’s when you’re on stage or off stage. It’s important to have a connection and let them know they are appreciated because that’s why I’m doing my music, is to have people hear it.

The release of Passion in Perspective will be celebrated at Luigi’s Fungarden in Sacramento on Nov. 12, 2011. The show will start at 8 p.m. and will also feature The Kelps and Fierce Creatures in support. The all-ages show will cost just $5 to attend. For more info to Reggieginn.com.