The name “Ramone” is pretty much synonymous with punk rock, and Blue Lamp is sure to be rocking Oct. 18 when CJ Ramone hits the stage. While CJ isn’t one of the original members of The Ramones, he logged seven years as the legendary group’s bassist/vocalist from 1989 until the band’s retirement in 1996. Over the past few years, CJ (nee Christopher Ward, an ex-U.S. Marine) has held onto the Ramone monicker, and has released a couple of solo albums. His most recent effort, 2014’s Last Chance to Dance was released on venerable punk label Fat Wreck Chords. This show will also feature special guests Toy Guitar and The Knockoffs. For more info, go to Bluelampsacramento.com, or to purchase tickets in advance ($13), go to Abstractpresents.com. Gabba gabba hey!

Just as we were starting to really fall in love with them, it looks like Sacramento pop-punk band Little Tents is already hanging it up. Guitarist/co-vocalist Lys Mayo (second from left in the photo above) — who plays in other bands like Dead Dads and is really a big part of the local punk scene is unfortunately moving away from Sacramento at the end of September, but luckily for all of us, Little Tents has one last show on Sept. 9 at Blue Lamp with Success from Seattle, Broadway Calls from Portland and locals Bastards of Young. In just around two short years of being a band, Little Tents not only landed a cover of Submerge, but their seven-song debut Fun Colors also found its way onto our “Top Albums of 2015” list (at number four no less!). They were also nominated for two SAMMIES awards, earned a highly coveted slot on this year’s Concerts in the Park lineup opening for Authority Zero and Another Damn Disappointment, and they even made some waves outside of our little Sac bubble by getting on the San Francisco-based indie music blog Thebaybridged.com’s “10 Sacramento Bands to Keep Your Eyes On” list. I was going to try to describe Little Tents’ sound, but I’ll just let Submerge contributor Josh Fernandez do it for me: “Little Tents is pop punk in the way Jawbreaker was pop punk—melodically interesting, catchy, lyrically expressive, yet just hard enough to make your conservative uncle say, ‘What the fuck is this shit?’” I fucking love that description. Anywho, if you personally know Lys or not (I actually don’t, I’m just a fan of all her work) the Sept. 9 show at Blue Lamp would be a good one to come out to. It kicks off at 8 p.m., it’s 21-and-over only and tickets are available for just $10 in advance at Punchandpiefest.com. Learn more about Little Tents at Facebook.com/littletents916 and listen to their super rad album at Littletents.bandcamp.com. Best of luck Lys, thanks for all the sweet tunes!

It was 5 p.m. on a Friday and the members of Sacramento’s Bastards of Young were packing up to drive west for a show in Oakland. I had spent the previous three days under a heavy and horrible blanket of the flu, and I was still in the thick of it. I woke up from a nap a few minutes before our scheduled talk and leaned against the base of my couch as I dialed the band on my iPhone.

I’m familiar with Bastards of Young’s music, but at the time of our interview hadn’t yet listened to their soon-to-be-released record, White Knuckles. They had sent me a private streaming link several days prior, but I had not yet clicked it. Having been knocked out by a 102.5-degree fever and an array of subsequent symptoms, my struggling body was on a reprieve from punk rock. I was on a diet of silence and Seinfeld reruns almost exclusively.

It’s entirely unprofessional to not listen to a band’s record before interviewing them, but in the end, I’m good with the decision. That’s because on the day in which I wrote this story, my first day truly back in the saddle, I was able to take the whole album in with a clear head, and I’ve let it loop at least nine times in the hours since that first listen.

If, hypothetically speaking, you were to have spent five days shelled up in your home quietly eating chicken soup and lime popsicles, White Knuckles is precisely the tool you would want to crack open the nut and re-enter the real world with some legitimate momentum. It’s sturdy, anthemic and positively bold; a solid album for the springtime, when dead things snap back to life. In my case, it’s what the doctor ordered.

On “Never Catch Me Girl,” you can hear a bit of Bouncing Souls, although it’s spiked with a gravel and growl akin to Hot Water Music, a clear Bastards of Young influence. “Mary” and “Yankee Bluejeans” are two other standout tracks—catchy punk songs that carry a contemplative tone, but mostly just get your blood moving.

“Like Nails on a Cross” slows things down, trading the high-energy crowd shouting for pure melody and harmony. You could tuck the tune nicely into an Alkaline Trio record, and yet it’s uniquely Bastards of Young.

In the band’s early days, guitarist Nick Ripley wrote and sang the bulk of the songs. White Knuckles is the first record on which he and Patrick Hills, the band’s other guitarist, split the vocals and songwriting evenly.

“For the sake of variety and diversity, it makes for a more interesting sound,” said bassist Sean Hills. “It wasn’t anything we talked about. Pat just started bringing songs to the table and it worked out. We’re really lucky that we have two strong songwriters.”

The members of Bastards of Young—Ripley (guitar/vocals), Patrick Hills (guitar/vocals), Sean Hills (bass/vocals) and Wyman Harrell (drums)—came up in the local punk scene behind staple bands like Whiskey Rebels. Three of the four members of Bastards of Young played in Hanover Saints, a similarly popular local band throughout the 2000s.

Bastards of Young will have CDs and digital downloads of White Knuckles available at their upcoming show with 7Seconds at Blue Lamp on April 7, 2016. A week later they’ll head south for a short tour that ends with shows in San Diego and Tijuana for La Escalera Fest, an annual festival put on by the band’s record label, La Escalera Records.

Over the course of a phone conversation and a follow-up email thread, the members of Bastard of Young discussed the band’s history, the upcoming tour and the process behind White Knuckles.

When and how did the band come into existence?
Patrick Hills: When Hanover split up we got together with Nick and started writing songs. We played our first show about nine years ago and somehow we’ve managed to maintain the same lineup the entire time.

Did you guys grow up in Sacramento or the suburbs? 
Sean Hills: We all grew up on the outskirts of town. Patrick and I grew up in Rocklin, Nick came from Newcastle and Wyman used to live out in the Marysville area.

Where do you guys live now? 
Nick Ripley: We all live and work in Sacramento now. Mostly because the suburbs are boring.

How and when did you guys end up on La Escalera Records?
PH: We met the guys who started La Escalera a long time ago on one of our first trips down to San Diego. When they started the label six years ago, we were one of the bands that they included on their first release, a split 7-inch with our friends Success from Seattle.

La Escalera Fest is split between San Diego and Tijuana. What can you tell us about that?
Wyman Harrell: La Escalera Fest is an annual event that features many of the bands on the label and their good friends. It’s basically a big party with great music and barbecue. The label has been booking shows in Tijuana for several years and since so many of the bands on the label are coming from out of town to play the fest, they decided to book a show down there as well. There’s an awesome music scene in Tijuana. We’re super excited to be playing.

How much from the new record will you play at the 7Seconds show at Blue Lamp? 
NR: A majority of our set includes songs from the new album but we always throw a few older songs into the mix.

How does Bastards of Young fit into Sacramento’s punk scene? 
SH: The punk rock scene in Sacramento is a pretty small, tight-knit group of people but there’s a lot of diversity, which is awesome. Our music doesn’t really fit nicely into one specific niche, but it’s actually kinda nice because we like to play with different bands as much as possible.

Have the venues/bands/styles changed over years, or does it feel pretty consistent and steady?
SH: Bands and venues have come and gone but Sacramento has always maintained a pretty strong local music scene. Different kinds of music have become popular over the years but we’ve never really let that influence our songwriting. We write music for our own satisfaction and we consider ourselves lucky that other people seem to enjoy it as well.

What do you guys do for a living outside of the band? 
NR: We’re pretty much a blue-collar band. Pat does [Earth Tone Studios] and guitar lessons. Others are bartenders and deli managers. As much as we love this band and would love to do this kind of music full-time, we’re also realists. We realize it’s highly unlikely that this will ever pay our bills. It’s kind of an expensive hobby for us that we really love. We don’t do this for money. We’ve been doing this for as long as we have because of our love of playing this kind of music.

What’s the meaning of the album title, White Knuckles?
NR: We’re all getting older and life just seems to be screaming past us at a million miles per hour. There are a lot of obstacles along the way. Many of the songs on the album are about growing up and overcoming adversity. White Knuckles is just a reminder to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

What was the process of recording the album, given that one of your band members runs a studio?
SH: We tracked everything together when we recorded drums, but we kinda took our sweet time with everything else. Having a studio conveniently available is a blessing and a curse. We couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out, but I think that it took more than a year to finish.
NR: It was kind of a slow process. We compiled songs we had written over a few-year period. When we sat down to record, we did it within a three or four month period.
SH: When we went into record it, we did 18 songs. We whittled it down to what we thought were the strongest of the batch. The new album is our first full length and it’ll have 12 songs on it.

Where can people buy White Knuckles and in what formats will it be available?
NR: The album will be available digitally and on CD on April 7, 2016. Fingers crossed, hopefully it will be available on vinyl later this year.

Bastards of Young will celebrate the release of White Knuckles alongside 7Seconds and The Knockoffs April 7, 2016 at Blue Lamp, located at 1400 Alhambra Blvd. in Sacramento. Doors for this 21-and-over show open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available in advance at Abstractpresents.com.

It’s time to say goodbye to 2015. From rock concerts, to dance parties, to comedy shows and everything in between, here is your ultimate guide to Sacramento-area New Year’s Eve parties! Have fun, be safe and please don’t drink and drive.

1) If you’re looking for a funky dance party head to Torch Club and get down with two fantastic local bands: IdeaTeam (featuring Aquifer) and Black Star Safari. Cover charge is $25, 9 p.m., 21-plus. Torchclub.net for more info.

2) Enjoy a soft rock explosion at Harlow’s with Mustache Harbor. Tickets are $30 in advance, doors open at 9 p.m., 21-plus. Hit up Harlows.com for a link to buy tickets.

3) Sing along to your favorite hard rock hits with Radio Heavy at our favorite downtown Roseville watering hole, Bar 101. This party is free and 21-and-over, with a 9:30 p.m. start time. Bar101roseville.com for more info.

4) Groove to late ‘80s and early ‘90s hip-hop, hip-house, and R&B at “New Jack Fling” at Press Club, brought to you by DJs Crook (featured in our current issue), BenJohnson and Satapana. $7 cover, 21-plus, 9 p.m.

5) Ace of Spades wants to party hard with you on NYE when they host legendary heavy metal band Y&T, with opening sets by locals Skin of Saints, ONOFF and Roswell. Tickets are $35 in advance, available at Aceofspadessac.com. 7 p.m. doors. This show is all-ages!

6) The newest dive bar on the grid B-Side invites you to check out their digs and get down to sounds by DJ Whores and friends. No cover, 21-plus. Search for “B-Side” on Facebook for more info.

7) We here at Submerge are teaming up with the Lipstick crew for an epic NYE dance party at Old Ironsides featuring live music from local dreamy/synth-y pop group The Good Fortune, as well as DJ sets by Shaun Slaughter, Roger Carpio and Adam Jay. 9 p.m., 21-plus. $8 advance tickets available at Cuffs.

8) Laugh away the new year at Punchline Sacramento during “2015’s Last Laughs” featuring sets by Ngaio Bealum, Keith Lowell Jensen and many other local faves. Two shows: 7:30 p.m. ($20) and 10 p.m. ($25). 18-and-over. Punchlinesac.com for more info.

9) Blackbird recently re-opened and they’re throwing a party this NYE co-presented by Rue 27, THIS Midtown and 1810 Gallery featuring live tunes by nu-disco act Figgy, and a DJ set from Sacto faves Sister Crayon. 7:30 p.m., $40 per person, $75 for VIP upgrade. Studio53.eventbrite.com for more.

10) Visit historic Grass Valley for Center for the Arts’ “Laughs, Lolo and Legs” party featuring comedy from Katie Rubin, neo vintage jazz pop music of Lolo Gervais, burlesque from the Bow-Tie Beauties, DJ dance party hosted by Jamal Walker and more! 8 p.m. doors, tickets start at $22. Hit up Thecenterforthearts.org for advanced tickets.

11) For a family-friendly daytime celebration that everyone can stay awake for, head to Crocker Art Museum’s “Noon Year’s Eve” event, which is free for all ages and runs from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Performances from Germar the Magician, Ebo Okokan, Ohana Dance Group and many more.

12) Enjoy some amazing homegrown talent at Crest Theatre when Jackie Greene and his band perform a special NYE concert! Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and tickets start at $35 in advance.

13) The kind folks over at Blue Lamp are throwing a free NYE bash featuring great music, plenty of booze, good company and a champagne toast at midnight. 9 p.m. start time, 21-plus, no cover.

14) Groove to some soul, funk, disco, reggae, latin and more from a few of Sacto’s best selectors at Fox & Goose. DJs Larry Rodriguez, MC Ham and Wokstar will be spinning all night! $10 cover, 21-and-up, 9 p.m.

15) Bundle up and head up the hill for three days of SnowGlobe (Dec. 29–31) in South Lake Tahoe featuring headliners like Jack Ü (aka Skrillex and Diplo), Kaskade, Dillon Francis, Run the Jewels, E-40 and many more. All-ages event. Check out Snowglobemusicfestival.com for details.

16) NOW 100.5 FM and MIX 96 are throwing a masquerade party for the ages at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento featuring cover band and headliner Apple Z, plus DJ Rated R, Quinn Hedges and Ryan Hernandez. $75 in advance for general admission, 9 p.m. start time, 21-plus.

Hustle and Thrash

In the mid- to late ‘80s, D.R.I.’s Crossover album comes out, Slayer’s Reign in Blood was annihilating everyone and the “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez was finally behind bars. All over California, skateboarding and thrash metal were influencing young punks like Jeff Salgado and his friends, who would eventually start Psychosomatic.

Today, the band members live in Sacramento, and they’re really doing it. With more tours ahead than anytime in the past, they are a testament to “stand by your band.” Or van, for that matter.

Salgado is the band’s founder and vocalist/bass player. He looks like the older, metalhead dad at the skatepark, who’s really patient and encouraging, but looks sort of alarming to the other parents because he has long hair.

I met up with Salgado last Friday. His role as the band dad felt apparent right off the bat. He annotates most of the things he says with how excited he is, and how grateful he is for opportunities that have been presented, and that stuck with me. The band dad is in charge of morale; he has the grey hair to prove it.

“It’s been non-stop since June,” Salgado said. “When I’m not working or spending time with my family, I’m working on the band … We did a video, contacting people … And when you’re booking a tour you have to touch base with people. You don’t want any of your dates to fall through, and if they do, you have time to scramble to make something work.”

Salgado sees the band as finding its stride now more than in the past, with a solid, committed lineup, a new record, even Psychosomatic skatedecks.

“It’s a new birth, a new band. Since then, we got the right pieces as far as band members go, and it just clicks like it never has before.

So it does feel like a new band and we’re all equally excited.”

Part of Psychosomatic’s shifting dynamic is due in part to Toby Swope, who had been the band’s drummer since 2001, taking on a new role as the band’s lead guitarist. Swope is also new drummer Jared Klein’s half-brother. Dan Mills rounds out the group on guitar.

“In the past we had members that were not 100 percent committed, now we do,” Salgado explains. “I am so grateful that I have these guys to play with me. I told them, ‘Don’t just play in this band; own it. Make it your band.’

I know that Jared’s really happy to play with his little brother.

“Toby can do anything musically, he’s just unbeatable,” he continues. “He just did a North American tour with Revocation, he’s written 90 percent of the guitar parts and music on this new album.”

Sacramento’s BuriedinHell Records is releasing Psychosomatic’s newest album titled Clicking Sound of a Hammer Pulled Back, an effort Salgado sees as darker and more serious than previous recordings.

“We’re older now, we’re more mature,” he says. “It’s serious and darker, whereas the other albums were more wider range with the skateboard-party feel. This one is more reclusive, and serious. There’s one song at the end where I really went deep in my own insecurities, and I put it on a song where I had never done that before. It shows that I’m not just a shell of hardness, I have vulnerability, which I don’t like to express. But in doing so, I felt better about the song.”

The album is a jarring meld of metal and punk in a simple format that can be appreciated by fans of other albums, like Hoods’ Pray for Death album or Diseptikons’ Solutions Supported by the Angry.

Taking shape in the fertile soils of Salinas, the band played locally, mostly parties, traveling to bigger cities to play to more people. By 1998, they all made the move to Sacramento where they soon found footing in the local music scene.

“We were just a bunch of skate kids back in the day that started a band. We had played the Bay Area, but we had never played in Sacramento, so we didn’t know what to expect. Coming from Salinas, you had to drive to Santa Cruz at a minimum to see a good show. Otherwise, it just seemed like we were playing parties, and it wasn’t worth it; we had to get out of there. I was 28 years old, and I came here with pretty much nothing but my band equipment. I had to start over from nothing, and it was totally worth it,” Salgado recalls.

These are not some, fly-by-night, wango-tango boys. These guys have been ripping the heaving bowels out of the soft center of California with their thrash metal assault for nearly 30 years, with four U.S. tours, soon to be five, as well as several other package tours yet to be announced.

Thirty years worth of driving to local shows and numerous tours can destroy any one van, or two, or three. It takes a certain kind of love to keep the same van purring warmly.

“One of my best friends is a diesel mechanic, so he services it every time we go out,” Salgado says. “The Ford van is nothing to him, he works on diesels, so this is like cake to him. He can figure out anything having to do with the van, so we’re lucky.”

Over time, the desire to make things more functional in a tour van may lead to some modifications. One common tour van amenity add-on is a wooden bunk/loft which can serve as a sleeping platform and storage shelf.

“We had a loft at first, but it ended up being a hassle more than anything, getting the gear out. So what we ended up doing was getting a trailer, so we can spread the gear around. If you’re driving a full U.S. tour, you’re gonna be spending a lot on gas anyways. We keep it really simple and basic, and accessible anywhere you need to be.”

Before he left, I asked Jeff if there was something that the 2015-him would tell the 1988-him just starting a band, and he said, “Get over your personal shit, and work your ass off. Period.”

This is fitting advice for any budding musician, or artist in general, from someone a little older. Get your shit together.

Psychosomatic are headlining Blue Lamp Sept. 18, 2015, for their tour kickoff/CD release, with Kennedy Veil, Jack Ketch, Solanum and xTomHanx. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through Bluelampsacramento.com.

Two hip-hop heads are better than one. That’s how the old saying goes, right? Well, such is the case when two local MCs, Mahtie Bush and Kham Raw, joined forces recently for a hot new EP titled No Days Off. Bush and Raw are at their best on No Days Off; they’re both lyrical beasts having cut their teeth in the local scene for years. And by partnering with producers/beatmakers Flawless Trackz, DaSoulOLife and ADOTHEGOD, the new duo has made a super solid five-track debut. Of course, what’s the point of dropping a new release without throwing a party to celebrate? That’s just what Bush and Raw are doing! Head to Blue Lamp this Friday, Sept. 4 to see the two bring the house down along with special guests Kel C’z (of Alumni), Jauwon Pierre and DJ Lahn. The doors open at 10 p.m. for this 21-and-over hip-hop extravaganza that will only set you back $10 at the door. Blue Lamp is located at 1400 Alhambra Boulevard in downtown Sacramento. For more info on this show and future events, visit Bluelampsacramento.com. No Days Off will be available for download via iTunes on Sept. 4. -JC

Shut Up and Listen!

Comedian Robert Berry likes his venues to be loud, weird and sometimes a little awkward.

If you have ever driven down to the corner of Fulton Avenue and Monroe Street in Sacramento, you may have read a huge sign hanging above a dive bar that reads, “The Coldest Beer in Town.” And upon walking into this local joint, On the Y, you will be greeted with a collage of beer posters, cheap drinks and interesting characters shouting over metal music. But when comedian Robert Berry walks in, all he can think of is comedy. Every Thursday night before karaoke, Berry feels comfortable enough to unleash some new jokes in a pretty uncomfortable environment for most comics.

“Sometimes there are three people in there with their backs to you. It’s a very humbling and difficult experience;it’s a really weird show there,” Berry explained while sitting inside of The Mill, a decidedly cozier coffee house on I Street.

“There’s old crusty guys that are 70-plus that are telling old timey one-liners, [and] one guy with a drum doing rim shots after each joke. And you can try out new stuff there because no one is going to know,” he said with a loud laugh. “It’s not going to come back and haunt you, but it’s fun and, you know, I’m just a loud guy.”

So far being loud has paid off. From performing awkward sets at On the Y to recording his debut comedy album, Retrocrush, at Sacramento Comedy Spot, Berry is moving fast in the local comedy scene. His booming personality is what makes his comedy stand out from the rest. His set is loud, in-your-face and full of one-liners, which most likely stems from performing in noisy bars full of drunk patrons with short attention spans.

“[If] you go up in a crowd, and you are staring at your toes and mumbling, the audience is going to be like, ‘Fuck this guy! I’m going to talk to my friend now,’ or, ‘I’m going to look at his girl,’” Berry said. “But if I can get up there and be like, ‘Hey! How the hell are you, everybody!?’ and try to be bigger than life and boisterous, then people start shutting up and looking at you.”

His new album is full of his favorite old pop culture references (such as Star Wars), ruminations on Costco and over-analyzing Christmas songs. He finds a way to recreate his favorite memories or stories and cleverly turn them into jokes. And of course, there are also his signature one-liners.

Half-way through his album, Berry goes through a seven-minute bit, called “Groanerpalooza,” a parade of one-liner jokes shot at the audience back to back.

“If you like them, hey that’s great but if you don’t like them, let me have it,” he commented on his album. “This is a learning experience here. These are groaners for a reason, so if you don’t like them, feel free to groan.”

While ripping through the one-liners and audience groans, Berry’s energy never dies down throughout the album. It’s easy to imagine him on performing on stage with his over-the-top persona.

But speaking with him in person is suddenly a different experience than hearing or seeing him perform comedy. He is almost a completely different person. He is quick-witted, likes to laugh and perform karaoke. But he is also a laid-back, friendly and family-oriented guy with a common day job who just wants to make Sacramento laugh. A lot of his material comes from conversations and experiences he has every day with his family and having a full life in Sacramento with a wife of 22 years, a son and daughter. Berry chooses to remain more local with his comedy instead of seeking gigs out of state.

“I’m 45, roughly starting this a lot later than most do, but I’m happy with where it is now and where it’s going, but I don’t have this endgame,” Berry explained. “This album was a milestone for me that I’m very happy with, and it can live forever in some kind of way, so there’s that.”

The title Retrocrush isn’t just about his first album, it’s a name that has grown with his comedy career for over seven years.

What started as a website, turned podcast, then variety show and now comedy album, Retrocrush represents where Berry has been and where he is going with comedy.

It’s a title that originates from his website, a pop culture-based site full of movie reviews, interviews, old comics, video games, lists such as “30 Coolest Game Show Hosts” or “100 Worst Cover Songs” and anything else Berry can think of to reminisce about.

“People all have a past in something, and if you can hit up a lot of areas and get people nostalgic about things, it’s kind of a fun way to connect,” he said of the site.

It was from this mindset that his podcast was born. During the “heyday” of his podcasting career, from 2005 to 2008, he recorded more than 150 episodes, had upwards of 16,000 subscribers and was noted as one of the top 50 comedy podcasts on iTunes. Starting off in the early days of podcasting, Berry saw Retrocrush grow right before his eyes.

“It would blow my mind that I could mention on a podcast that I was hosting a screening of some movie down at the mall and then actually someone shows up and say, ‘Hey, I really like your podcast and I wanted to come and see this,’” Berry explained.

From there Retrocrush still kept growing. He turned it into recurring variety show that was featured at the Comedy Spot for over a year. He would feature local comics, sketches, drag queens and burlesque dancers.

But his transition from owning a pop culture website and podcasting to creating the Retrocrush comedy album wasn’t as tough as it might sound. For Berry, being alone on stage was never foreign territory. He would host local events around town and have fun on stage at the Trash Film Orgy Festival, fundraisers, concerts, charity events and even movie screenings. He would enjoy getting the audience “excited to be there,” started to crack jokes in-between sets, and got a small taste of what stand-up comedy was really like.

Even one of Berry’s long time friends—and conveniently one of Sacramento’s favorite local stand-up comics—Keith Lowell Jensen, would see him host events and encouraged him to get on stage as a comic. Berry specifically remembers one night hosting a festival at On the Y where he had comedy material for introductions and thought about seriously giving stand-up comedy a shot.

“So I went through a lot of horrible sets and open mics, bombing my ass off. I wrote a lot of jokes on Twitter and I still do. The first comedy set I did I basically read jokes off of my Twitter,” he admitted. “It was a good introduction to bombing, which really helps you grow by messing up, having the whole audience stare at you and not clapping. It’s really scary but it helps you think about why that’s happening and how can I make this better.”

But being used to performing and even hosting at some tough venues, bombing didn’t discourage him for a second. From there he only wanted to get better and started to perform at any open mic he could, including coffee shops. But for Berry’s loud persona, performing in a coffee shop didn’t quite match his high energy compared to his favorite stage, On The Y. He became too loud for a microphone because he didn’t even need one, he explained. But all he needed to do was find the right venue to be himself.

“One time he [Keith Lowell Jensen] saw me at Punch Line for the first time perform with a really big full house crowd. I was very loud and I had people singing along with me and chanting with me and he says, ‘Hey, forget what I said about being loud, that works for you,’” Berry said.

Since then he has been writing and gathering bits and pieces from each open mic night he’s ever had to create a full hour of funny material.

“It takes a while to get an hour,” he explained. “You go to the open mics and you get five minutes and put that away, and you get 20 of those five minutes and then now you got an hour.”

Now he is ready to unleash his full debut comedy album at the Punch Line on June 24, conveniently as a part of his birthday week celebration.

From his website, to podcast, to variety show, to comedy album, Berry’s overall mission seems pretty simple: make people laugh.

“I want them to have a good time, obviously I want them to share it,” he said. “So maybe they’ll want to see me live, maybe they’ll just laugh. If someone listened to it and said that was really funny and told me, that’s mission accomplished.”

Check out Robert Berry’s Retrocrush album release show at Punch Line Sacramento on June 24, 2015. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $15 (with a two-drink minimum). You can purchase tickets through Punchlinesac.com.

Sacramento hip-hop artist Ty’Quan Thomas fits the mold of a rap superstar. Born in 1988 in South Sacramento, Ty’Quan was raised by his mom and grandmother, and like many great rappers before him, his youth was riddled with violence, drugs, even murder. But Thomas continues to rise above the street drama and has tapped into a natural talent pool, becoming a lyrical powerhouse along the way. On his latest EP, titled De’ (featuring production from San Francisco’s Juante), Thomas is more confident than ever, his deep voice and commanding delivery pulling you in, demanding your attention. “I named the EP De’ because it was the nickname of my late cousin who was unfortunately murdered March 11, 2005,” Thomas recently told Submerge in an email. “So it’s just me paying homage to him because he’s the inspiration behind me doing music.” Thomas is celebrating the release of the EP at a show on Feb. 8, 2015, at Blue Lamp, opening for Skipper of HBK Gang. If you can’t make that show, Thomas will also be performing at Blue Lamp again on March 7 as part of The B.Y.E Takeover. He’s also got a full-length album in the works called ThugStyle that he says is going to be “real funky, very West Coast, with real life stories and tales of my life.” Stay up to date with Thomas on Twitter (@TheRealTyQuan)

Rock for Tots is an annual concert and toy drive that year after year, for 10 years now, has donated piles of toys to kids in the community, all while rocking out and celebrating local music! This year Rock for Tots is on Thursday, Dec. 18 at Blue Lamp and will feature five rad local bands that all played Concerts in the Park this year: Saint Solitaire, Lonely Kings, FUDI, The Harbor and The Moans. The show will be hosted by Gene Chowder. Concertgoers bring a toy and receive a ticket for a chance to win a raffle prize from local vendors such as Getta Clue, LowBrau, Tank House, Spanish Fly Hair Garage, Article Consignment, Maverique Style House, American Graffiti Tattoo and others. All toys go to Salvation Army. $10 cover, 21-and-over

Rebel Punk’s debut album, Love/Hate, is scientifically proven to make you more badass

“Rebel Punk isn’t punk,” clarified drummer John Quesada. “It’s kind of how The Killers aren’t killers.” Rebel Punk is an El Dorado Hills band with roots all over the world, who play good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. No crazy dramatics here, the lyrics are clean and all sounds are the cries of guitars, drums and bass only. Simple rock ‘n’ roll from experienced musicians who can rely on their honed skills with instruments.

The band will release their first album, Love/Hate, at the end of the month at Blue Lamp.

“We first started out as a cover band. We would be working on everything from Johnny Cash songs to The Clash,” said Quesada. One practice session, however, founding member and vocalist/guitarist George Palacios showed up with some original material. Eventually the band found itself cranking out so much original content that they struggled to narrow it down to the 12-song track list that would become Love/Hate.

The band reminded me of Social Distortion with a hint of The Clash. They encompass a sort of badassery that is expressed with class and cleanliness. Love/Hate blends the classic rock that you imagined was played in garages throughout the ‘70s, tinged with an attitude that would get these tunes blasting through the speakers of a dude flying down the 101 on his Harley. The band says they are “High octane rock ‘n’ roll,” after all.

Rebel Punk consists of a bunch of really hardworking dudes. For instance, Craig Dieterich plays bass and backing vocals but is a construction superintendent by day. Matt Vijeh does guitars and backing vocals but also works as a garbage man (the garbage man, according to him). When Quesada isn’t holding it down on drums, he can be found cruising down California’s freeways as a big bad truck driver. Cue the Sons of Anarchy opening song.

The band regularly shreds in a garage in EDH, where they have shockingly only had the police called on them twice. “When they showed up, they said, ‘We followed the kickass music to this garage. Rock on, but ya gotta stop by 9 p.m.’” Quesada fondly reminisced. “Then the cop cracked a beer and threw up some devil horns while we played our next song.” Keep it brutal, EDH.

Before every live performance, the group sticks to a strict regimen of pre-show rituals, mostly consisting of shots, “typically Jäger for Craig, Patron for Cack [Quesada’s nickname], Jack for George, and cold Tanqueray for Matt. Cack usually screams for a few more shots during the set,” the band said via email. You can find Rebel Punk playing everything from indoor venues with two-hour sets to large outdoor events including food truck parties, marathons and charity events. They also played Pat Walsh’s anniversary radio show on 93.1 KFBK. They are even looking forward to finally breaking through and possibly playing the Sacramento Concert in the Park series.

The new album was written from 2010 to 2014, and recorded at the superior Pus Cavern with Joe Johnston. Pus Cavern is the local alt-music recording Mecca where everyone from Cake to A Lot Like Birds to The Brodys has laid down tracks. Most of the material was written by Palacios. Originally hailing from Spain, he penned the songs to reflect his relationship with American culture and assimilating to it. Palacios expresses his disparity with some aspects of our culture, as well as his love for it (hence the album title Love/Hate). The song “Down in the USA” is easily the tune that most reflects the feel of the album as a whole. It is about Palacios coming to the United States on vacation from Spain, meeting his now-wife and deciding to stay in the States to be with her.

The album naturally progresses from tamer jams in the beginning and starts to loosen into controlled chaos in the end. The drums become more heavy-handed and quicker, the vocals are a tad more demanding and embracing of said chaos.

The second to last track off of the album, “What I’m Looking For,” starts with an Elvis Presley-type entrance before osculating into guitar riffs that would make Brody Dalle swoon. Track five, “Breaking Down the Walls,” is a perfect example of this band’s seamless rock ‘n’ roll style. It focuses on the relationship between the guitar and vocals and rolls smoothly binded together until the end of the tune. The band’s influences, which include Social Distortion, Metallica and The Ramones, ring true in their music. Stylistically and lyrically, they have the attitude and they certainly have the guitar playing to back it up.

On the night of their CD release at Blue Lamp, Rebel Punk will release their first ever music video. A1 automotives was more than happy to let them film their video amongst his hot rod collection, some with paint jobs that surpassed more than $35,000.

“It was so fun, yet tedious,” said Quesada. “We had to redo our song at least 50 times to make sure we got the right shot. The folks over at MC2 productions produced the video by rigging the garage with tons of Go-Pro cameras. It was cool because we even strapped one to the back of a hot-rod, and we all loaded in the car and let the camera tape us speeding off into a cloud of dust.” The video will be released at Rebel Punk’s album release show on Jan. 31 at Blue Lamp, where their 12-song lineup will keep that rock rollin’ all night long.