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

Wild, Wild West

Every Wednesday night, The Ghost Town Rebellion meets in a backyard oasis off of 21st and C streets for what they like to call, “Decompression Chamber Wednesday.” It is a weekly ritual reserved for the band to practice songs, tell stories and bond over grilled foods and alcoholic drinks.

Those Wednesdays usually go down like this: The five members of the band huddle around a triangle table filled with Sol beers and an obscure tequila bottle. They steal cigarettes from one another in a chain-smoking frenzy, only breaking the cycle to readjust their stringed instruments or dress a hot dog with condiments. Sometimes, you will see guitarist/banjo player Justin Forcione show off his undeniably impressive ability to play the guitar with his front teeth.

These Wednesday indulgences, however, hold a deeper purpose than the above-mentioned. To The Ghost Town Rebellion, Wednesdays represent band bonding, jamming and perhaps what sets this band apart: storytelling. Aside from being tons of fun, these rocker dudes can also be considered really unorthodox educators. I would like to quote Kevin Hart when I describe what it’s like to listen to this band’s lyrics: “You gonna learn today!”

Shawn Peter, lead singer of the band, is a Downtown Sacramento Community Service Guide head and Historical Supervisor. He has been dedicated to Sacramento’s history since 2000, when he was recruited to develop a historic walking tour program for the region. He continues to be the head supervisor for what turned out to be a very successful program. Peter’s knowledge for all things Sacramento, whether ugly or prideful, worked as the seeds that helped his sound garden grow. The Ghost Town Rebellion tells Sac’s history though its songs thanks to Peter immersing himself in this city’s history and being inspired by it enough to incorporate it into his art.

“The band name itself is supposed to have a dirty feel,” says Peter, “It represents the ghosts of the area telling their stories. There’s a heavy emphasis on the Wild West, and the rebellion of Sacramento and its people. With that, it is also a true urban city which honors its wild and pioneering past on all levels of development.” Peter would find himself writing songs about the elements of Sacramento’s past that intrigued him most, which he then would share with the band. “They would love the concept. It’s just plain fun. I would pick an idea, place or person and the event surrounding the subject and we would turn it into a song.”

The band’s current EP, Ghost Town Rebellion: Volume 1, is a five-song historical chronicle of the city. “Poverty Ridge,” refers to the area around 21st and T, where Sacramento’s only hill is. The song tells of an incoming storm and floodwaters threatening the more impoverished part of town in the earlier days. “Poverty Ridge” documents the struggle of the poor running uphill to escape floods caused by rising levee waters.

Another song, this one particularly scandalous in nature, is “Murder on Grand Island.” This tune is about a crooked businessman, the county assessor to be exact, and the messed up ways he maintained a fat wallet. This real-life character would set up murders around town and methodically capitalize on them. He would find male landowners who had no next of kin, have them killed, and swoop in on their properties, among other assets; Sacramento drama, old school edition. The guy was eventually caught and as the song says, “… but the evidence was against them / And the town, they all, hanged them high! Hanged them high!” Here’s another weird fact I learned from this song: Sacramento practiced hanging all the way up until 1915. Ew!

The band’s songs are pure rock ‘n’ roll, with a dash of blues and a hint of Americana. Throughout the EP, the banjo somehow steals the show. To be completely honest, I never thought I would say that; but listening to the lyrics paired with the banjo in the blues context just worked so well. Peter has more of a straight-forward voice and is an audible lyricist. You can definitely hear his roots as an emo/punk rock musician.

There are decades of music experience among the five members of The Ghost Town Rebellion. Each of the guys are in at least one other band. Bassist Sean Navin says, “The band got together so seamlessly and almost effortlessly. When this particular lineup got together, we didn’t miss a beat and were playing shows within a matter of days.”

The mutual affection is also noteworthy in this group; imagine a band where everyone looks up to each other. The only negative event was in Reno a few months back, when Peter broke the hearts of his fellow bandmates by not helping them build a fort in their hotel room after a show.

“We moved the two queen-sized beds together so we could even sleep puppy-dog style after! We were ready to use the linen to build the sickest fort ever. Shawn ended up going downstairs and sleeping in the van,” says Forcione while eyeing Peter with disappointment. Other than the comical and disheartening fort incident of early 2015, the band is a true brotherhood of history and musical admiration.

Ghost Town Rebellion: Volume 1, is the first in a series of three being released in the coming months. The releases will continue to chronicle Sacramento history and channel the band’s rock roots into the effort.

“Musically, they’re gonna be different from each other, but the same lyrically,” says Peter about the other two EPs in the series.

Musically, the band has been developing a more bluesy and swampy sound that will be apparent with the use of more instruments like the slide guitar and the trumpet in the next releases. They will also mix up vocal varieties, with Justin Forcione and Darrell Hukill stepping in to front songs.

“The reason why we chose a three-part EP is because we want to stay excited and focused on sections of the music,” says Peter, “We will be telling more stories about the city and the West Coast. We have 160-plus years of inspiration!”

You can catch The Ghost Town Rebellion at the very fitting and historical Old Ironsides on Aug. 14, 2015, for their EP release. It’s Ladies Night, so all you queens get in for free! To make things even better, the first 100 people will get the EP for free. You can also check out The Ghost Town Rebellion at Theatre DeVille in Vacaville on Aug. 28 (with Lonely Kings and MDSO). Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at Devillevacaville.com.

What started out as a bunch of friends getting together in a small apartment listening to music and dancing all night has turned into one of the most important event production and party-throwing entities in the city: Requiem. “The apartment got too cramped, so we moved to a bigger venue,” Requiem’s Benjamin Leibold recently explained to Submerge. “Forty parties and two years later, we have some of the world’s best up-and-coming talent playing our stages and hundreds of people regularly coming out to our events. It’s really blown our minds.”

As if bringing cutting edge international DJs, producers and bands through town on the regular wasn’t enough, Requiem is also committed to the visual arts community in Sacramento. “We pay all of our artists first, before anything else. That includes custom art for every party, and a huge stage installation done by local art celeb Jose DiGregorio,” Leibold added. In the past two years, Requiem parties have hosted credible headliners like Brooklyn’s Bit Funk, Chicago’s Louis the Child, Los Angeles’ Mighty Mouse and tons of other out-of-towners who are always paired with talented local DJs like Shaun Slaughter, Adam Jay and Druskee, to name a few. Requiem has also had the honor of hosting official after parties for TBD Fest and TBD’s New Year’s Eve bash. “Last year, after TBD Fest, some of Empire of the Sun guys came and partied with us until the lights came on. A-Trak and all the Fool’s Gold crew spent their night with us after the TBD NYE event,” Leibold said. “To have this caliber of artists feel comfortable hanging with us, drinking, laughing, dancing right alongside the struggling Sacramento artist or student on the dancefloor, we can’t ask for anything more.”

To celebrate two years of Requiem, Leibold and his crew are doing what they do best: throwing a super rad party on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, at Midtown BarFly (1119 21st Street, Sacramento). Headlining is the highly sought after multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and DJ extraordinaire Felix Bloxsom, known best as Plastic Plates, his disco/house music alias. Everyone from Adele, to Demi Lovato, to Katy Perry, to Mark Ronson have utilized Plastic Plates’ skills to collab on official remixes of their tracks, so you know he’s good, otherwise pop stars wouldn’t fuck with him.

Also on the bill are Casino Gold, who just crushed it at THIS Midtown in July, and Vitamindevo, “A playa tested, SF party throwing DJ who’s on the rise,” according to Leibold. Ernie Fresh, Adam J, Tripz and Synclan (of Helicopter Showdown) will be making noise too. 18-plus to get in and dance, with 21-plus full bar. Pre-sales are just $10 at Requiemevents.queueapp.com, price goes up to $20 at the doors, which open at 10 p.m. Party goes all night till 3 a.m., and Leibold wants you to “Just come laugh and dance, and take your shirt off if you want to.” Facebook.com/requiemevents for more info.

Everyone loves a good day party. Sun is up, music is loud, drinks are flowing, life is good. The good folks at HOF (aka Hall of Fame) know this all too well and are planning their triumphant return to the party-throwing scene on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, with “Gametime: The Infamous #HOFDAYPARTY.” Going down at the beautiful and well-shaded River Walk Park in West Sacramento, this all-day rager will run from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature well over 20 performances from DJs, bands, producers and rappers.

“It’s been two years since we’ve descended on the streets of the Capital City to rage in the name of a good time,” the HOF team recently wrote on Hofisbetter.com. “Quite honestly, we’ve missed your crazy asses,” they went on to say. “We miss the excitement that leads up to a HOF party. We miss seeing everyone get hyped when they park their cars, finish their personal-sized bottle of whiskey and walk through the gates of a HOF party. We miss cleaning up the aftermath of a HOF Party and seeing exactly how hard you guys went the night before. Finally, it’s time for us to relive those emotions all over again.”

Just some of the artists tapped to perform so far are Jurts, Soosh*e!, DJ Whores, DJ Oasis, Roman Austin, Zyah Belle, DJ Cos the Kid, Lunaverse, J. Sirus and so many more. There will be two stages, multiple watering holes for those of legal drinking age, a water hydration station (remember to bring your own refillable bottle) and you’re also encouraged to bring blankets, umbrellas, lawn chairs, etc. to chill out in the shade to help keep your body temperature low ‘cause chances are it’ll be a scorcher that day. Tickets are available now at Gametime.queueapp.com and start at just $15 for early birds (price will go up to $20 soon!) and run all the way up to $50 for a VIP pass which gets you three drink tickets, VIP entry, backstage access, exclusive viewing areas and other perks.

This event is open to all ages. River Walk Park is located at 651 2nd Street in West Sacramento. For more information, hit up HOF’s website or follow them on Twitter: @HOFisbetter. They’ll be dropping the final lineup, set times and juicy other details as it gets closer. Pro Tip: check out HOF’s promotional video below featuring the ultimate party dude himself, Kenny the Dancing Man. Trust us, it’s freaking gold.

In the mid-1990s, Chris Hardwick began his career as a DJ on the Los Angeles radio station, KROQ. In 1998, he began acting and making appearances in horror films like House of 1000 Corpses and Halloween 2. Since then, he has been in countless movies, television shows and web series. Hardwick made regular appearances on Chelsea Handler’s late night E! television show, Chelsea Lately, and he now hosts his own popular late-night show on Comedy Central called @Midnight. His hilarious comedy and nerdy boy persona make him a force to be reckoned with and absolutely entertaining to watch. And come Friday, Aug. 14, you will be able to see him in person as he delivers his comedic genius at the Crest Theatre, located at 1013 K Street. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $37.50 and can be purchased at Crest Theatre or online at Axs.com.

WIN A PAIR OF FREE TICKETS TO THIS SHOW! FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM TO LEARN MORE!!!

You’ve probably encountered someone like the character Creed Bratton from The Office. He’s that guy you don’t really know but you see every day. He seems innocuous from a distance, but there’s something about him that keeps you from getting too close. Then maybe one day you’re at the snack machine, pushing up against the glass because that Snickers bar you just purchased got stuck on the spiraling metal wire that holds the candy in place. Suddenly you hear an unfamiliar voice from a very familiar face. Perhaps he’s trying to make bizarrely humorous quip about your plight … or maybe he’s equating your struggle with the candy machine to society’s battle with the covert forces of the Illuminati. Whatever he said, for a moment, you were time twisted from your mundane life to some dark, twisted form of Narnia.

The man Creed Bratton is only slightly like the famous character he portrayed on one of the past decade’s most defining sitcoms. However, in many ways, he’s way more fascinating.

Bratton, a former student at Sacramento State, backpacked overseas for a few years before returning to California to start a band with Warren Entner called The 13th Floor. By 1967, the band changed its name to The Grass Roots and went on to record a few popular radio hits including “Let’s Live for Today.”

Though he got his start in music, it was acting that Bratton actively tried to pursue while he was in college.
“I was always planning to be an actor,” says Bratton, who studied drama while at Sacramento State. “Music was just something I did. I didn’t know until I went to school that everyone didn’t know how to play music. I just thought everybody does this, you know?”

At a young age, Bratton (born William Charles Schneider, later changed to Chuck Ertmoed when his mother remarried) had an ear for music. He first took to the trumpet before picking up the guitar.

“My grandparents had a country-western band called The Happy Timers,” he remembers. “When I was a little kid, I’d sit down and watch them play. I used to go down to Long Beach from the mountains and be with them for two months in the summer … I’d listen to stuff on the radio and just figure it out by ear.”

By 17, he was working professionally as a musician, but after he left The Grass Roots in 1969, his artistic career hit a bit of a snag, or as he put it in our interview, “35 years of thinking I’m not going to get anything going.”
Over that time, though, he never gave up. He spent his time “working, writing, going to class,” he says until, eventually, he once again struck pop culture gold.

“Now I have my second wind as it were, and I’m off doing these shows again,” Bratton says, gearing up for a California tour that will bring him back to Sacramento. “I’m having a great time.” Submerge had the pleasure of speaking with Bratton about his surprising and remarkable career as an actor and musician.

It’s amazing what the music scene in the late ‘60s meant to American culture, and it still has an effect today. What was it like for you living through that time as a musician?
At the time, it was very innocent. The pot wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. It was very mild. We experimented with stuff. For musicians at that time, it wasn’t looked down upon. You were doing what you were supposed to do. You were going to the other side of the veil, finding little chestnuts and bringing them back and writing them down and playing them for people. That was the deal. Some people didn’t come back. I was one of the lucky ones who … What were we talking about?

Badda boom! Drum roll!

It was the ‘60s. It was the best bite of the apple. There was no AIDS. It was free love and pot and everyone was fucking each other and painting flowers on their faces. It was pretty cool. And then it got weird in the ‘70s, but from ‘66 to the early part of the ‘70s, it was just fantastic.

I saw a quote on IMDb that was attributed to you where you said how you did a lot of acid, but never had a flashback.
Exactly! I paid good money for that acid. I deserve a flashback [laughs]. That’s just a joke, though. I would be scared to death if I had one those! I don’t even need that. All I have to do is be locked in a room where they’re smoking that pot from nowadays, and I’ll be crawling the walls [laughs]. I think Louis C.K. says it best, the best way to do drugs is not do them for a while, because when you do them it’s really amazing.

I know, I’m waiting until I retire so I can smoke a joint one more time …
When I’m doing acting and trying to memorize lines, I just can’t do it. It messes with my memory too much. It’s nice to do when you’re on vacation and you’re hanging out with somebody on the beach. That would be great. When it comes to work and stuff, it just interferes.

I know a lot of people know you from The Office, so I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about that. I thought it was really cool that you pitched your character to the show’s creators.
I actually shot an audition tape. I recently found that audition tape, actually. I thought I had lost it. I was working on Bernie Mac, I met Ken Kwapis [director for both The Bernie Mac Show and The Office] and we became friends on the show. When I heard about The Office, I contacted him. He said that they were already cast, but he’d try. He talked to Greg Daniels and said I was a very interesting guy and a musician, and they put me in the background. I left Bernie Mac to take a shot at doing this. I was just starting to get lines on Bernie Mac, but my gut said do this [The Office]. Within one week, I knew there was so many talented people that I had to do something. I wrote an hour’s worth of stuff, like what would happen if someone had stayed on drugs and stuff and ended up at a paper company and created this character. I went to my buddy Joe Moore, who was an A.D. on Bernie Mac, and with his help, I adlibbed a bunch of stuff and picked the best out of what we did and gave it to Ken Kwapis, who was still directing on the first season, and Greg Daniels. The second season came in, and in the first or second week, they threw a script on my desk and said, well, everyone thinks you’re really funny, so here you go. It was a 6-and-a-half-page scene with Steve Carrell, and I was like, “Oh my God, this is it!” It was scary. After it aired, I came in on a Friday, and we aired on Thursday, I saw Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski and they gave me a big bro hug and said I’d knocked it out of the park. That meant so much to me. The next thing you know, I became a series regular. I tell actors all the time, if you’ve got strengths or weaknesses, use them. Make a video and use that as your audition.

The character became such a cult figure, too.
It was amazing how people loved that character, that crazy guy. People still get disturbed when I’m talking to them, and they’re like, “You’re not that Creed guy,” and I’m like, no! It’s close to how I talk and stuff, but still not me, obviously.

I think part of it is that everyone knows someone like that in their lives, that peripheral character who you don’t know much about, but he says that weird thing that you can’t believe just came out of his mouth.
[Laughter] Well the writers took that thing … I would just laugh at the table reads seeing some of the stuff they came up with for me. They did a lot with a little with that guy.

It’s been a couple years now since The Office ended. How has it been winding down from that?
Oh man, I missed it. I remember after the hiatus period, like three months or so, I found myself one morning driving in my car and I was starting to head back to the studio where we shot. I was like a homing pigeon, you know? I’ve done some independent movies, like Band of Robbers, which turned out really well and it will be playing film festivals. I also did Grace and Frankie for Netflix and recorded some new stuff. And of course I’ll be coming to Sacramento. That starts off my California tour. … I want to give a big shout out to Duane Heglie, can you put that in there? He’s my buddy from college and high school. We went to Sac State together.

Your most recent album came out in 2011. Are you working on new material?
I have six solos and four with The Grass Roots. I think about the time I hit a dozen, I’ll make one that really clicks. But right now I’m working on a pilot called Feather Peak that we’re trying to get greenlit. I play a character who lives up in the mountains. He’s a caregiver, but he writes music too, so I’ve been writing songs for the show, and they’re really good! I’ve been doing three or four of them in the show now. They’re all brand new. I’m going to be recording them pretty soon in Los Angeles.

A character who lives in the mountains who plays music, that sounds pretty close to home.
He’s a caregiver who has this ability to realize that when people are dying they hold on to things that keep them from passing on to the other side in a tranquil way. He’s able to facilitate this. … It’s kind of like Northern Exposure meets Touched by an Angel meets the Creed character [laughs], which is kind of an interesting concept if you think about it.

Duane, if you’re out there, this one’s for you. Join Duane and surely many others when Creed Bratton plays live at Harlow’s in Sacramento on Aug. 11, 2015. Ngaio Bealum will take the stage to open the show. Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased through Harlows.com.

**This interview first appeared in print in issue #193 (August 3 – 17, 2015).

As the Sacramento summer heats up so does THIS Midtown! A Second Saturday block party series with music, art, beer, food and local vendors, THIS Midtown is returning on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, for the second-to-last show of the series. The lineup of live talent for this one is seriously incredible and we all should be thanking the organizers for throwing a party like this that is free to attend! Headlining will be Oakland-based indie-pop band Trails and Ways, whose new album Pathology came out recently on Barsuk Records. Regional groovers Sunmonks are also on the bill, so if you missed their set at Concerts In the Park recently, you can catch them at THIS. San Francisco rock outfit Tiaras, which features ex-members of Sacramento’s beloved garage rock band Ganglians, will also be on hand jamming out and Young Aundee will spin a DJ set. The party kicks off at 4 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m. Once things on the block wrap up, the after-party will be cracking off inside LowBrau with DJs Shaun Slaughter, Adam Jay and special guests playing nu-disco, tropical, house and funk tunes. THIS Midtown takes place on the MARRS Building Block on 20th Street in between J and K streets. Learn more at Facebook.com/thismidtown.

Actress, writer and solo performer Katie Rubin first premiered her one-woman comedic show Insides OUT! back in 2006 and she went on to perform the show at over 100 events and venues across the country. She’s since become a favorite in the local theater scene, especially at Capital Stage, where she has entertained audiences with her hilarious performances in The North Plan, In the Next Room, and Hunter Gatherers, as well as with her other solo shows My Spiritual Death, Amazing and Sage, and Why I Died: A Comedy. Rubin returns to Cap Stage on Saturday, Aug. 8 and Sunday, Aug. 9 for two nights only with Insides OUT!, “an emotionally charged and hilarious journey toward self-integration and peace of mind,” according to Capstage.org. Saturday’s show starts at 8 p.m. and Sunday’s at 7 p.m. Insides OUT! is intended for adult audiences. Capital Stage is located at 2215 J Street, Sacramento. Keep updated with Rubin by following her on Twitter: @KatieTheRubin

Alive and Well

Earlier this year, Gene Simmons of KISS proclaimed, “Rock is dead,” and a massive backlash ensued. Because of the headlines that failed to address the context of his quote, Simmons was consequently vilified by the media.

On many levels, however, he was completely correct. Bands growing up during these times are getting virtually killed by file sharing and the like, and the model for new acts to grow has been eroded.
Sacramento’s Some Fear None, however, have led the charge locally and in neighboring cities to prove Simmons and the many naysayers here dead wrong. Through hard work, perseverance and a lot of sweat and tears, they have shown other striving local acts that a great band can come together and rise above. Furthermore, they are proof positive that people will pay to hear and see quality music when it’s done with heart and gusto.

For the uninitiated, Some Fear None is a hard rock band featuring Nathan Giguiere (vocals/guitar), Charles Carrasco (guitar), Jason Weisker (drums), and Gina Salatino (bass/guitar). And while the current lineup took several years to find its stride, the band is now firing on all cylinders and making one of the most ambitious moves a local band can take: headlining the 900-capacity Ace of Spades.

While the band’s influences are far reaching—they love everything from Deftones to Foo Fighters, Far to Alice in Chains, Tool to Soundgarden, Tremonti to Helmet—their sound is definitely radio-friendly, harmony-driven hard rock fare that would work well in rotation on 98 Rock or any like-minded station across the United States.

Unlike the thousands of Sacramento bands who play far too often, Some Fear None practice the “less is more” mentality and know how to properly set up a local show for maximum effect. As evidenced at their selection of support slots for national acts and, of course, their own headlining shows, their live shows are major events.

Frontman Nathan Giguiere took some time out of his busy schedule to shed some light on the band’s new release To Live and to Die and their pending CD release show on Aug. 1, 2015.

How did you come to join the band? I had never heard your name previous to joining Some Fear None.
What’s interesting about me is that I really had no part of the music scene or industry before joining the band. I didn’t even have any music to send them for the audition. I simply said, “Look, I want to do this and, at the very least, trying out for the band is something that is very important to me.” The band advertised on Craigslist for a singer, and I went there to see what was going on in the scene and to be basically be a fly on the wall so I could learn the ins and outs of being with other guys in a band setting. I replied to their return message letting them know that writing was my strong suit and to send me three songs, and I will provide the vocals and lyrics. I guess it worked because here I am. I had no training formally but I sang in my church choir my entire life beforehand.

So when did the band Some Fear None come to fruition?
Some Fear None was originally formed in 2010 and played five or six shows. I auditioned in the summer of 2011 after the band had broken up since the bassist and second guitarist had just left. They called me back for what I thought was my second audition and then told me they were breaking up. “We want to be straight with you, we have no band and would love to play with you. If you’re in, all we need to do is find a space, find a bassist and guitarist.” I told them I could play guitar and we immediately started auditioning bassists and eventually found Sean Navine; who played around four shows but soon left due to personal issues. After we parted ways, we decided to let Gina, my sister-in-law and guitar tech, get a shot. She was friends with me for years and was actually a guitarist that knew how to play bass and became even better over time. She’s a monster player and ended up joining the band after filling in for a couple of shows. After she bought her own bass rig, it was obvious she was serious. She joined in November 2011 and has been here since.

What was the band called before that?
Snapdraggin. It had two of the members, Chuck and Jason, from Some Fear None. They previously had a singer that didn’t work out for whatever reason. I simply said I didn’t want to hear what he’s done before since I had my own ideas and needed to prove myself. Snapdraggin, believe it or not, was close to being signed but they had a massive falling out which I would rather not go into.

Exactly how long did To Live and to Die take to write and record?
It basically took two years. We released Break Fold and Elevate, our first CD in May [2013] and did a CD release show. 98 Rock put us on Local Licks and that eventually helped us land a slot on the Sac Town Rocks show in June 2014 at the Capitol Mall with Tesla and Oleander. We played third of five on the local band stage and had a great response. The new single is called “Wave,” and we’re pushing that right now.

So you’ve been basically living and dying promoting the shit out of this show at Ace of Spades. Why such a big room and why not The Boardwalk or another smaller venue?
First off, I need to mention that Eric Rushing [Ace of Spades talent buyer] gave us our big break. What I most respect about him is that he has trusted me ever since we started working together. A couple of years ago Eric said, “You put a good lineup together, and we’ll do it” without really thinking twice. On May 4, 2013, we headlined Ace of Spades and drew over 700 people and definitely proved ourselves worthy of the room. Of course, now we have a new album and the pressure is even greater. However, we’ve been pushing this show for a bit. I work well on deadline and so does my band. Once you have a CD release show on the books, it makes everyone work to get the artwork done, the music produced, and have the show properly promoted.

Is everybody involved in the songwriting process these days or have you taken over?
Yeah, everybody contributes, and it’s definitely a group effort. Of course, I write all my own lyrics and tell the stories but the initial songwriting comes from who brings the riffs or songs in. I’ve made a point to remove myself and write lyrics alone after the music is pretty much done. Every lyric I write is the result of how the music makes me feel and is usually about an experience that I’ve personally had. I use the song as the backdrop.
We’ve been rather deliberate with the songs we chose for the new record. When we play live these days as well, we have dropped all the earlier songs in the band but one song called “Exit Wound,” which was reworked for greater effect.

Why use an expensive well known name like Howie Weinberg to master your album?
Only a year ago I recognized that as amazing as we’d like to think we are, there are a million other bands thinking the same. The only thing separating us from the others was what we put into the album to make it better. We had a band meeting and talked about where the band was at. We then signed a short-term management company contract to have someone help connect us with the right people. The Inner Light Agency suggested Howie and he did our album for only $200 a track. We had no relationships outside of here and had always been the red-headed stepchild in the Sacramento scene that had to earn everything. Simply put, we are the guys who have done our dirty work and it’s been a long, hard road to get where we are.

What are some of your favorite markets to play these days and why?
We have tried to trade shows with other bands in other markets, but they have always failed us and not delivered a return show. It’s so much work to set up a trade, and we don’t have the time nor energy to track down bands who owe us a show favor. We need to work on getting out of town. We religiously rehearse two times a week and for every one show in town we play three out of town. With the release of our sophomore album To Live and to Die, we have set our sights on the West Coast and expanding into new markets. These are places where our fanbase is small but notable but there are requests growing to play cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, Spokane, Portland and more. In 2016 we will be focused on the promotion of the new album by heading out on several mini-tours in support of it.

Do you have some outtakes that will be released on a later EP?
We recorded 14 songs. Eventually, the plan is to release a single for one of the extras called “Driver” that will have an accompanying video. The new album has 12 songs.

Is your end goal to get a record deal or is the band simply concentrating on building a fanbase?
A little of both. We’ve had a couple of indie label offers but my end goal is not to be signed. We’re not desperate to find anyone yet. We are constantly looking to diversify our portfolio and get ourselves seen by as many people as possible. The moment of musical euphoria is just as important to the audience member as it is to us and music is our vehicle to help deliver it.

See Some Fear None celebrate their new CD To Live and Die on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015, at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento. Also on the bill are Black Map, Sages, Control and Heat of Damage. Tickets are $12 in advance and can be purchased at Aceofspadessac.com. For more info on Some Fear None, visit Facebook.com/somefearnone.

Two of Sacramento’s most prominent stand-up comedians, Keith Lowell Jensen and Johnny Taylor, have teamed up to start a new monthly live comedy show called MASS. This is the same duo that for many years curated the popular but now-defunct comedy night on Wednesday’s at Luna’s Café. Appropriately, MASS will take place on the first Sunday of every month at Momo Sacramento (above Harlow’s), so mark your calendars for the kick-off party on Aug. 2. “Sacramento’s dynamic duo of comedy will be bringing their favorite comedians together for an intimate, laid back night of hilarious story telling, joke slinging, and envelope pushing,” they wrote on the event’s Facebook page. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. show, and the cover charge is just $10. Momo is located at 2708 J Street in downtown Sacramento. Check out Taylor’s latest album Tangled Up in Plaid and Jensen’s newest release Atheist Christmas, both available on iTunes.