Words by Adam Saake – Photos by Nicholas Wray

Sacramento is home to a large community of artists that continue to thrive with the help of each other as well as the trailblazing efforts of people like Trisha Rhomberg and Olivia Coelho. The 30-something, young business owners partnered in November 2007 to open Bows and Arrows, a vintage fashion store that over the years evolved into a multi-use space. The 17th and L street location was home to many Second Saturday art openings, some of the most amazing yet quietly talked about music shows, Pearl Records vinyl shop, Thunderhorse Vintage, a moped shop, the Junkee shop and most importantly a meeting place for young creatives who had a place to congregate and share ideas. And as much as Rhomberg and Coelho loved their space that they had poured so much of themselves into over the years, these two entrepreneurs were still hungry to expand and do even more. So, on June 4, Rhomberg and Coelho will open an even more ambitious version of Bows and Arrows at a new location at 1815 19th Street in Sacramento.

“We had been enjoying our Second Saturdays, our arts shows and our music shows a lot at our old location. We thought that it would be nice to focus more on the art, have a different building, a nice focused area for an art gallery and be able to serve beer and wine,” says Coelho.

The two began what would be become a tedious, yet invaluable learning experience as they searched for the perfect space to carry out their new and improved vision. Coelho had experience finding buildings, but on a smaller scale, when she opened her first vintage boutique Olipom. She sought out a second building for Olipom after the first building suffered fire damage in 2006. But the amount of blood, sweat and paperwork that was required to get their new space, a charming ivy-covered building located in the R Street corridor, up and off the ground was eye-opening.

“What the problem is, is that there are all of these rules. If a building looks really cool, but it’s in an area where you need to provide parking to the public and there’s no parking then you can’t do it,” explains Coelho.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements along with city codes are very strict when it comes to opening a business like Rhomberg and Coelho’s. It’s not just parking but, for example, how many bathrooms are required and what size they need to be. Even something minute like a .5 percent shift in the grade of their concrete leading into an entrance was a huge expense to correct.

“We thought that people had been using that door for a long time. What’s the big deal? We had to tear out the whole front and re-pour that sidewalk,” says a frustrated Coelho.

It’s not that Rhomberg and Coelho are annoyed that they need to make their new business handicapped accessible, it’s that there are so many requirements; so many road blocks in the way and each one adds more and more money to their tight and dwindling budget.

“You just start burning through your money. You think 80 grand is a lot of money and it’s just not. It’s shit,” says Coelho.

The City of Sacramento has employees that Coelho says are “really sweet people,” it’s just the “rules that are devastating.” The new Bows and Arrows plans to have live shows as well, something they’d be continuing from their previous space. This time around, though, things will be a lot more legitimate and more in tune with how an actual live music venue operates. That means that Bows has applied for an entertainment permit since their occupancy is over 49. These permits aren’t easy to come by, if they are even able to acquire one at all, and they’re expensive: $1,400 a piece and non-refundable. On top of that, the permit requires that two security guards, approved by the Sacramento Police Department, be on duty for all the shows. Again, having security at shows isn’t the issue, it’s the cost associated with those requirements.

“If we have 30 people come, they each pay $3 and we make $90 off the door and we pay $250 out to security…we’re at a loss every time we try and have a show,” says Coelho.

But Rhomberg and Coelho aren’t here to bitch and moan and not do anything about what they don’t agree with. Both owners have made their presence known at Midtown Business Association mixers, Midtown Merchants meetings where Coelho is a board member, and they even sat down and had a beer with Councilman Steve Cohn. After an MBA mixer, Rhomberg and Coelho, along with a group of local movers and shakers all sat down with Cohn at Midtown’s Streets of London.

“He had no idea how hard of a time we’re having trying to showcase local musicians. We’re not busting windows out of places. We’re not these wild and crazy people, but there’s nowhere to have it,” says Rhomberg.

They’re both extremely passionate about not only making some real changes themselves, but also about empowering and inspiring the young artists and small business owners to do the same.

“There are sympathetic ears, but they can’t hear you screaming when you’re at a house party with all of your friends. How is anyone in power supposed to know that there are all these disgruntled young people in town who aren’t up to no good?” says Coelho.

Rhomberg says that things like being able to talk with Cohn, attending the MBA mixers and having their voices be heard are all great opportunities to take some steps forward in the right direction. She fears that if more spaces, like the new Bows and Arrows, which will have a gallery to feature local and emerging artists, don’t begin opening and flourishing more often, then our artists community will find homes elsewhere.

“How are we ever going to have our own creative class if everybody feels they need to leave and go to San Francisco or Portland or Los Angeles to make a living in an arts industry? We have to keep our creative class here. We have to provide them jobs and we have to provide them venues to showcase their talents so people know about them,” says Rhomberg who along with Coelho is also a working visual artist.

June 4 will also be the first gallery opening with a stunner of a show from San Francisco-based artist Hilary Pecis. Pecis recently had a spread in Juxtapoz Magazine, and she’s represented by the exciting Guerrero Gallery located in the San Francisco’s Mission District. Her work is collage constructed from found Internet images, piled and manipulated to form impossible landscapes and designs. Her work will fit in perfectly with everything going on in the new space that Coelho says will be based off of their taste and aesthetic.

“When it really comes down to it, it has to be something that we’re drawn to and inspired by,” says Coelho.

Part of that draw and inspiration is behind the partnership with Jaymes Luu of Fat Face, who will be taking over the café space to do her signature sandwiches and gourmet popsicles. Friend Becky Grunewald, local writer and foodie, took the Bows duo to Davis where Luu was operating inside a very small space. Grunewald wanted to show them what could be done without a hood inside a smaller kitchen, the one similar to the Bows and Arrows kitchen. It turned out to be a serendipitous meeting where the three hit it off immediately.

“We liked her right off the bat and it just seemed like such a nice cohesion. It was like love at first sight,” says Coelho.

In no time Luu was on board and the vision for the new space was complete. The collaboration of Bows and Fat Face will be fruitful no doubt. Rhomberg and Coelho have been working, along with some trusted palates like sommelier Michele Hebert, on assembling a wine and beer list for the café. Delerium Tremens, West Coast IPA and others are among the beers being considered for the list along with four draft beers. With Luu’s food that is packed with unique flavors, you might see some interesting parings taking place.

“I want to do that, and I know Olivia and Trisha want that. I’m definitely going to work toward that,” says Luu.

It all seems like a lot going on: the café, the music venue, the gallery and of course the thing that started it all, the vintage fashion. If local fashionistas are concerned that Rhomberg and Coelho have lost their focus when it comes to the clothes, fear not, because they will be merely focusing their inventory so more shoppers can feel comfortable while browsing the racks.

“There’s a very specific breed of people that…want to see everything they can see. But the majority of people get very overwhelmed…and I feel like in order to make the shopping experience more enjoyable and more intimate, we had to edit the selection,” says Rhomberg.

Whether you’re a hardcore shopper or casual, a beer drinker or prefer wine, a lover of art and music or you’re creative juices flow from food, the new Bows and Arrows has something for you. And when it all boils down, it started with two young creative minds with a passion for all the things they love and a loyalty to the city they live in.

“I want everything. I want to literally, physically surround myself with amazing beer, good music. I want to be sewing and making handmade clothes, I want to look at vintage clothes for inspiration. And I want to show my art and show my friends’ art. I want it all and I want to share it all,” says Rhomberg.

The new Bows and Arrows, located at 1815 19th Street opened June 4, 2011 with an exhibit by Bay Area artist Hilary Pecis.

Davey Havok ponders the endless possibilities of Blaqk Audio’s forthcoming album, Bright Black Heaven

Submerge caught up with Blaqk Audio frontman Davey Havok (you may also know him as the singer for dark punk band AFI) at a strange time. At the moment, though he and his partner in Blaqk Audio Jade Puget (AFI’s guitarist) are very hard at work writing new songs for their forthcoming album, Bright Black Heaven, Havok doesn’t really have anything immediate to plug; which, as you’ve probably noticed, is the main reason why artists do interviews in the first place.

“It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to anybody,” Havok jokes as he tries to remember the name of a recent song (“Down Here” (song above)) the band had posted to the Internet. “It kind of catches you off guard, because you’re not used to talking about this stuff.”

Havok and Puget began working on Blaqk Audio’s Bright Black Heaven shortly after the dance-pop/electronica project’s first album, 2007’s CexCells, was put to bed. In fact, Bright Black Heaven was even completed, but disagreements with their former label Interscope left the album in a sort of limbo. Undeterred, Havok and Puget stuck to what they do best–making music–and an album’s worth of songs ballooned into what could be an entire catalog for some bands. The result is a murky future for Blaqk Audio, still searching for a label, but as we discuss in the following interview, an undefined path ahead doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

According to Havok, there are now 33 songs tracked and ready to go for Bright Black Heaven. On top of that, 10 to 15 more are written but remain, as of our interview, unrecorded. With the amount of material they’ve been working on, it’s easy to forgive Havok’s fumbling for a song title. Some of the songs that have been created for Bright Black Heaven are three years old, including the aforementioned “Down Here.”

“‘Down Here’” was the first song that we completed after CexCells,” Havok explains. “We were actually sound checking that song during the CexCells tour.”

Given the span of time over which these songs were created, there are certainly differences in the material. Havok says that Puget steers the direction of Blaqk Audio as far as the music is concerned; however, Havok has noticed that what he’s received from Puget over the past three years has run the gamut of the electronic music spectrum.

“We have a lot of very dramatic, dark, down-tempo songs; we have lots of very high-energy pop-y songs,” Havok says. “There’s some stuff that’s glitchy, big room stuff. There’s more traditional synth pop-sounding stuff. It’s really all over the place, which is going to make it difficult when it comes time to choose what’s going to be on Bright Black Heaven, because as I’ve said, there are so many options.”

While the variety may make it tough to choose which of the songs make the cut, Havok also acknowledges that it’s sort of exciting knowing Bright Black Heaven can go in a variety of directions.

“It is fun, because it really leaves the door open for us,” he says.

Though their future is unclear, it’s still possible to check out some of the music Blaqk Audio has been working on online. “Down Here” and “Bon Voyeurs” are available on the band’s Soundcloud page (Soundcloud.com/blaqkaudio). Also, Havok says he hopes the group will release “some 12-inch singles before summer is over.” He also hints that these singles may be available for download. In the meantime, Blaqk Audio fans will have to wait and see, but good things do come to those who wait.

Blaqk Audio, obviously, is so much different-sounding than AFI. Was that something that you thought about? Like when Dave Grohl went from Nirvana to the Foo Fighters, he was still doing a similar type of rock music, so his fans with Nirvana could make the jump to the Foo Fighters more easily.

What we were doing with Blaqk Audio, we really didn’t take AFI into consideration at all. It doesn’t really have–other than two of AFI’s members are in Blaqk Audio–they really don’t have anything to do with each other. It wasn’t a matter of what we do with Blaqk Audio wasn’t meant for AFI fans. Of course, we’d be happy to have AFI fans, and we’re always happy if AFI fans appreciate what we do, but it’s such a completely different kind of music, that wasn’t really taken into consideration.

When you originally conceived Bright Black Heaven, there must have been a certain vibe to it. Now that you have so many different songs, is there any inclination to change the title and make it something completely different?
Not so much. When I think about it, and I think about the songs we have, I think we can put a group of songs to create an album that fits well with the title Bright Black Heaven. I’ve also fantasized about releasing three albums–creating Bright Black Heaven and creating sister albums that are more polarized, less balanced than the Bright Black Heaven album. I can envision doing a Bright Black Heaven album that has elements of our darker side and our pop-y side, and actually do another two where one would be all up-tempo pop, and the other would be all down-tempo, dark dramatic stuff. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Probably not…we don’t even have Bright Black Heaven coming out [laughs]. It’s a little ambitious to be looking for three when we don’t even have one.

You might as well aim high.
Right? Maybe one of the three will come out.

You said that Jade holds down the feel of the album musically. What have you been focusing on lyrically since the last album?
You know, it’s kind of an extension of the themes that were on CexCells–that hedonistic, sexual scenario/ethos that is running through that record, and it kind of goes further beyond that. For me, electronic music is so otherworldly, which is odd, because it’s so manmade. It’s a machine, but it’s very fantastic. It evokes these images of these endless possibilities of otherworldliness [laughs]. I’ve always loved electronic music for that reason. It has always inspired me in very different ways than acoustic instruments have. Bright Black Heaven is very similar thematically to CexCells. A lot of it is kind of biting–I wouldn’t say tongue-in-cheek, but there’s a lot of humor to it, dry humor, sometimes. It’s hard for me to talk about, again, because there are so many songs. I don’t even know what’s going to be on it.

Changing gears a bit, you played St. Jimmy in the Broadway cast of American Idiot this past March. I saw in an interview you had with Mark Hoppus before your run started that you’d always wanted to do something on Broadway. Now that the experience is passed, did it live up to your expectations?
It’s funny, because it really did. It’s funny you should ask that, because it sounds outrageous and trite to say, but it was very much a dream come true in every respect. As I said in that interview you saw, I grew up dreaming about doing something like that and thinking it would never possibly happen to me, and now that I’ve done it, it was exactly how I dreamt it would be–living right in the center of Manhattan, near Times Square, getting up every day and performing with a hugely talented cast who, as it was in my dream, were really welcoming. There was a huge solidarity between them and us. And of course, the actual performance and being in the show was so gratifying. It’s so fun and has such a purity to it and a precariousness to it and an energy to it that’s unlike anything I’ve ever really experienced, except for when I was doing it growing up, but that was at a completely different level than Broadway. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Is that something that you’re hoping to pursue further?
I would love to do more acting and more theater. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, and having just done it, it just reaffirmed how much I love doing it and how much it means to me. I seemed to get a pretty good reaction when I was out in New York, and I met some people, and I do hope they’ll call again. I’m sitting here and waiting for Broadway to call [laughs]… I wasn’t waiting before and it did, so maybe I should stop waiting and it will again.

I heard that you used to live in Sacramento.
I did. I lived in Sacramento from about 1980 to 1986.

So you were a kid at the time.
Yeah, I was a kid, but I wasn’t a baby. I have vivid memories of the city. I used to go to Go Skate, which was a skate shop, I think, on Fair Oaks… There were malls. I remember that I used to go to Sunrise and Birdcage, and they had midnight movies at both. They had Rocky Horror and The Wall. Frozen yogurt–the beginning of the frozen yogurt craze. Everyone thinks Pinkberry is a new thing, but in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s there was Honey Bear Yogurt, and there was a Vans store in Sunrise as well. I always coveted the Spicoli checkered slip-on Vans, but I was so young that I could never get them, because they didn’t make them in kids’ sizes back then, which is really sad. I’ve never had a pair to this day. I can get them now… I’ve often thought I should get those just to have them, because I’ve always wanted them.

Why do you think you haven’t gotten them yet?
I don’t know. I just can’t picture what I’m going to wear them with… But you can pretty much wear them with anything. It’s not like I don’t have a bunch of Vans, because I do. I suppose I eventually should.

See Blaqk Audio play Ace of Spades in Sacramento on June 4, 2011. Boggan and Hamm FM will open. The show gets underway at 7 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to Aceofspadessac.com. To keep abreast on Blaqk Audio’s new album and to check out some of the band’s new tracks, point your browsers to Blaqkaudio.com or peep Brightblackheaven.com.

Now in its fifth year, Shannapalooza is an annual all-day music festival held the first Saturday of June featuring many of Sacramento and Northern California’s most talented musicians. This year, the event is taking place on June 4 at Swabbie’s on the River (5871 Garden Highway), a fantastic setting for such an event with its outdoor stage, family-friendly environment and serene atmosphere. This year’s lineup includes the Nibblers, Walking Spanish, Indian from Pluto, Crossing the River and In the No. All ages are welcome, there’s a $5 cover charge and music will go from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., or “until the police shut us down!” as the event’s website, Shannapalooza.com, so elegantly put it. We like your style, Shannapalooza!
-J. Carabba

José Luis Villegas’ new exhibit Save the Music showcases an American art form

Words by Amy Serna

José Luis Villegas remembers the first moment he ever captured in a photograph. It was a self-portrait of him lying on his front yard at 16 years old. He set the self-timer on the Minolta 35mm camera that his father bought at a pawnshop, then posed with “a subtle smile” for his first photo op. That small interest he had in photography during high school later turned into a career that has lasted for 27 years, including his current job as a photojournalist for the Sacramento Bee. But one year before he started his job at the Bee, something caught his eye in the newsprint. He became moved by an article he read about an old blues musician that had passed away, and he got an idea.

“It kind of lit a light bulb in me, I started doing a little bit of research, back before we had access to computers, so a lot of it was going to the library,” Villegas said while sitting in the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in downtown Sacramento. The little “light bulb” in his head would soon lead him to photographing some of the most influential blues musicians in the world. During his off time from his day job at the newspaper, he would be in contact with representatives of musicians that were coming through California and tell them about his vision.

“Little by little the doors began to open,” Villegas said. “And outside of some of the concert pictures, my real goal was to get access to photograph some of the activity that took place backstage and just try to get a little slice of what life was like for an older musician.”

BB King - Concord, California 1991

Throughout the years, starting in 1991, Jose has captured various moments in the world of blues music that isn’t just another concert image–it’s “appreciation” of blues music. For every photo displayed throughout the gallery, there is a moment frozen in time with an experience, an encounter or a performance with legendary musicians. “Some of them were very comfortable with where they were in their lives and were more interested in just playing the music,” he said. “And were more taken by the fact that people were still interested in their music, this many years down the line.”

Each memory and story that Villegas has about his blues experience can be clearly seen in each of his photographs. He vividly remembers that blues legend John Lee Hooker liked to have attractive young women at his side. He remembers the type of “aura” that B.B. King had when he was in his hotel room while surrounded by reporters or at a party where King was the center of attention. He recalls talking to Sunnyland Slim, a man in his 80s who was still performing a 45-minute set and remembers the way he was “slouching a little bit in his seat” at a night club.

Sunnyland Slim - Chicago, Illinois. 1992

“The image was already there,” Villegas said. “And [the moment] happened several times during the course of the night. It was just a question of whether I recognized the moment and was able to compose it the way I wanted to.”

All of these memories are now black and white and color photographs for the Save the Music exhibit at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center in Sacramento. The gallery of photos will give you a glimpse of the experiences of blues musicians with scenes from concerts, birthday parties and backstage chats. “I would hope that the photographs would speak for themselves,” Villegas added. “[People] get to see the artists more as people who enjoy what they’ve been doing for a long time.”

One photo in particular, of the more popular, Charles Brown–a blues singer in his 70s who was living in an elderly home then rediscovered by Bonnie Raitt–was taken in 1991 in Monterey, Calif. The photo has an up-close and personal feel; it almost feels as if you are sitting right next to Brown watching him play.

Charles Brown - Monterey, California 1991

“In journalism or in street photography, I think the idea is to try and get yourself in a position where you can document a moment in time that hopefully will translate to somebody else as if they were there,” Villegas said, standing in front of his photos. “A moment that is spontaneous, that has captured a little bit of emotion, a feeling, and if I can get someone to feel something from that imagery, then I think I’ve accomplished what I’d set out to trying to do.”

The 51 year-old man who captured these “spontaneous” moments in his photographs is no stranger to the world of art galleries. Although this is the first time Villegas will be showing at the Viewpoint, he isn’t going to sweat during the exhibit opening because of previous experience including The Oakland Museum, Museum of Modern Art in Texas, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. All of his photographs with the Sacramento Bee and from separate projects tell a story about the moments he has experienced during his life. “It’s been a really nice ride,” he said. “If anything I get real enjoyment of being able to share some of my work with other people who have interest in the subject matter.”

Save the Music is running now through June 4, 2011 at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center, located at 2015 J Street in Sacramento. Gallery hours are Tues. through Thurs. from 12 — 6 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. from 12 — 5 p.m.

Dev and The Cataracs Tour with Usher, Ready to Take the Pop World by Storm

Small town boy (or girl) makes good. It’s a familiar story–pretty much the basis for the American dream. Rising pop star Dev fits the mold. Raised in Manteca, Calif., she was working a 9-to-5 and attending junior college before her life changed forever. An Amy Winehouse cover recorded on her MacBook that she posted on her Myspace page–a diss track aimed at her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend–caught the attention of producing duo The Cataracs (comprised of Cyrano and Campa). Now just a few years later, she finds herself touring the country with Usher on his OMG Tour. It’s true that in the Information Age, things happen very quickly.

“My life has taken a complete 180,” Dev says. “It’s the gnarliest thing.”

Fear not, though; this isn’t the typical sad little rich girl tale. Dev isn’t crying about her normal life being turned on its ear. The luster of her burgeoning fame has yet to be tarnished, and during our interview, she expressed nothing but gratitude.

“I’m blessed and I couldn’t be happier,” Dev reports from the Rhode Island stop on the OMG Tour. “I’m getting opportunities to work hard and to travel, and it’s really fucking cool. I’d never even been on a plane like that before, and now I’m on one every day.”

Under The Cataracs’ guidance, Dev quickly became something of an Internet sensation. She sang the hook on the deliriously catchy electro-pop-infused hip-hop track “Like a G6” by Far East Movement. The single was released in April 2010 and its video has amassed well over 65 million views on YouTube. The hook from that song is also featured on Dev’s own single with The Cataracs, “Booty Bounce,” which came to light just four months later.

At the end of 2010, Dev and The Cataracs released a new single, “Bass Down Low,” a slickly produced and sexy party anthem. But the young singer/songwriter doesn’t want to be known simply for dropping it like it’s hot, as she’s hoping her upcoming album will attest. The Night the Sun Came Up, Dev’s anticipated debut, will be released on Sept. 20, 2011. On the album, you’ll get the club hits you’d expect; but according to Dev, you’ll also see her and The Cataracs moving their sound deeper, lyrically and musically.

“It’s really fun for me to write a lot of sassy lyrics and stuff like that,” she explains. “We’re young, but [the album] is my chance to show who I am and what I’ve been going through. It’s definitely a youthful album for sure. I grew up in Manteca for 20 years of my life and moved to Los Angeles and got to travel around as I turned 21. You get to feel all these little adventures, all these little journeys I’ve been going on.”

The music also takes Dev to her roots. Her latest single, “In the Dark,” noticeably diverges from the almost sci-fi sounds featured on “Bass Down Low,” showcasing horn samples and a Latin flavor.

“I’m Mexican and Portuguese, and I’m really close to my family,” she says. “The Cataracs knew that would be important. I wanted to somehow add that flavor in there and be really personal… It was important to me to do that on the album.”

Dev gave us more insights into The Night the Sun Came Up, her relationship with The Cataracs and how she and the duo are holding up on their arena tour with Usher.

The venues are a lot larger on the OMG Tour than what you’re accustomed to. Did you and The Cataracs do a lot of work on the stage show to translate your energy into a bigger room?
Yeah definitely. We spent a couple days just working on the set. Me and the Cataracs, it’s perfect when we perform together, because we’re featured on each other’s songs, and we work together almost every day, but it definitely is a little different doing it together this often. So yeah, we definitely spent time putting something special together, I guess you could say.

In an arena show, there’s not a lot of intimacy. It’s harder to make that connection with the audience. Is that something you’ve had to adapt to as a performer?
A little bit, yeah. The first day that we did this, I thought I was a lot more prepared than I really was mentally, I guess. Then I went out there, and I was like, “Holy shit, there’s all these people out here!” I love performing, though. It’s my favorite part, and usually I don’t get too nervous or shook up because it’s what I enjoy most about what I do. But these shows definitely woke my game up, that’s for sure.

I read that you used to compete as a swimmer. Does that kind of competitive mentality stick with you on stage?
It does. It’s so strange how much my tour life reflects my work ethic from being a swimmer for like 14 years. It’s real, and I guess I’m kind of grateful for dedicating so much of my life to something, even though it’s a totally different thing, because they relate in a lot of weird ways. So yeah, thank God for all those years of swimming.

I even read that you write songs at the same time you used to get up for swimming.
Yeah, it’s so weird that it worked out that way. It’s like my favorite time, it’s so strange.

So you’re an early bird then? I heard you like to write around 6 a.m.
Yeah, it’s so weird! You’d think I would be more of a late person, but 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. is my favorite time.

Is it difficult to keep that kind of schedule when you’re on the road?
For sure. It doesn’t always happen. But when I do get the time to enjoy the morning, it’s always really nice.

I wanted to talk about the album that’s coming out. You recorded the album in Costa Rica, and I was wondering if the experience of being there played into the sound of the album at all.
We were there the whole month of January, you know, setting up the skeleton of the album. We recorded roughly around 13 to 15 songs, I think. The whole Costa Rican vibe definitely influenced our flavor on the album. There are a lot of interesting sounds and references. You can definitely tell we were in another place. It was cool to go someplace where we could relax and be open-minded and channel into a different style than what we were all comfortable with being in the city all the time. I’m really excited for everyone to hear all the different sounds and textures on the album. I hope everyone likes it.

I saw an interview where you or one of the guys said that the album goes a lot deeper than what people might be accustomed to from the singles you’ve released so far. Is that a lyrical statement, or the music?
I think it’s a little bit of both. Me and the Cataracs grew up being influenced by a lot of different genres and musicians. We were really free when we started recording this album. I work with them every day. We lived together for two years. They know what I want to come across on this album, and we were finally in a place where nobody was bothering us and in our heads and we could finally just do that. We have a lot of really good dance tracks and hip-hop-influenced electronic pop music or whatever that we’ve recorded over the years, but I never thought that millions of people would listen to. I was like 19 years old and recording in my bedroom. And now, based on the millions of views on YouTube… And it’s great. I like that I can put out these fun and sassy songs, but it was important to me to show that I am a human being, you know? I’m not just a degenerate. I got to be a little bit more in touch with my feelings for once, which is great.

Did you work with any other producers on the upcoming album?
No, not right now. Right now it’s produced and featuring just The Cataracs. I might do something–I haven’t really told anyone this I don’t think–with Timbo [Timbaland]. Me and him got along really great in the studio. I spent a few days with him in Miami a couple months ago and we worked on a lot of tracks together. There was some really cool chemistry. I’m a really, really strange individual, but we got along really well. That might happen. We’ll see. Right now it’s just The Cataracs. That was important to me, to keep it just me and The Cataracs since they’ve helped me and taught me and guided me in figuring out who I am as a human being and an artist. Whether they know it or not, those two crazy boys have done a lot for me. It was important for me to keep it in our little indie pop squad.

In that regard, since you and The Cataracs work so closely together and have a tight bond, when you work with someone else do you feel a sort of separation anxiety?
Right? Like I start throwing up [laughs]. I guess it is, but I try not to look at it like that. I’m just glad I get to write with people who know me so well, so everything comes off really real, I guess. But I don’t usually freak out too bad. I try to take little bits and pieces from every artist that I’ve met… But I only like working with The Cataracs [laughs].

Dev and The Cataracs currently are on the road supporting Usher on his OMG Tour, which hits Sacramento’s Power Balance Pavilion on May 28, 2011. Akon is also performing. Tickets can be purchased through Usher’s official website, Ushernow.com. Dev and The Cataracs will also host the official after party at District 30. Go to District30sacramento.com or call
(916) 737-5770 for details.

Whether you ride low, got a Dyno with black mags, test your guts on a fixie or cruise casual, if you’ve got a bike and love art, we’ve got an afternoon activity with you in mind. In celebration of May Is Bike Month, Submerge rode through Midtown mapping out a mural tour with eight points of interest. It should be noted this is not a comprehensive listing of Midtown murals, as we could send you down J Street or through seedy alleys on a dangerous mission to enjoy art. Our mural tour is a list of staff favorites that can be viewed safely as you happen to cruise past local businesses we frequent. Please ride carefully, stay hydrated and respect Omri Casspi’s handsome face.

A fairly solid launch point to cruise past the history of Sacramento and some psychedelic butterflies of Laserium, then hang a sharp right before Macy’s to pass the parking garage as it transitions into Metamorphosis by Centro de Artistas Chicanos.

T Street / between 6th & 7th streets
Built in 1934, the Amphitheatre rests on the north side of the park and won’t look like much upon pulling up, but pedal around to the stage and bask in the Chicano-centric art by members of the Royal Chicano Air Force. It’s a great place to rest in the grass or on the stage and hydrate if needed.

915 S Street / between 9th & 10th streets
Painted in 2005 by Stephanie Taylor, the mural on the eastern wall of Beer’s depicts the grandfather of California literature Jack London along with several quotes from the author. Explore Sacramento’s history even further by perusing the stacks of local publications, or just stop in to pet Raffle the bookstore’s furball mascot.

1918 16th Street / between T & S streets
Bikes on 16th require self-assured riding, so if you have the chops for it, make a stop at Constantly Growing on 16th between S and T streets. The graffiti burner is well crafted and wraps around the establishment.

16th Street / between Q & R streets
Painted by Anthony Padilla, the Kings mural might be a bit dated given a few trades, but it’s always nice to cruise by either with hope for another year, to catch a glimpse for the last time ever or just to check on Omri Casspi’s face. Be sure to check out the biker friendly schwag and appetizers at Hot Italian across from Fremont Park.

between 167h & 18th streets
The tremendous 200-foot mural painted in 2009 by John Stuart Berger and Dolan Forcier means you are halfway finished, but given its length, taking it all in will slow you down. The good news: Old Soul Coffee Shop rests in the alley to caffeinate for the remaining trek.

Corner of N & 24th streets
Be mindful of pulling up to the American Market mural by Shaun Turner and Dan Osterhoff. The gorgeous woman stoically watching over the corner of 24th and N is liable to cause accidents. Oh, there’s a peacock too.

Bon Air Deli & Market and First Edition Murals
Corner of J & 26th streets
The corner of 26th and J is an active one for artists. Within a stone’s throw of one another is the graffiti mural by Sam Flores on the side of First Edition, formerly Upper Playground, the mural on the northeast corner of Bon Air Deli by Joshua Silveira and Gabriel Romo and University Art supply store should you be inspired to create your own.

May is Bike Month and with it comes the return of the Bicycle Film Festival from May 12—14, 2011 at various venues throughout town. One flick I’m particularly drawn to see is called Riding the Long White Cloud, which will screen on Thursday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at Crocker Art Museum just after the BFF Opening Party, which starts at 5 p.m. Riding the Long White Cloud is a stunning documentary from director Alex Craig that follows seven professional skateboarders (Rick McCrank, Silas Baxter Neal, Cairo Foster, John Rattray, Keegan Sauder, Chris Haslam and Kenny Anderson) as they attempt to cycle New Zealand’s North Island. “Twelve days of cycling across mountain and valley, through rain and shine, trying to skateboard along the way,” are the first words that scroll across the screen of the film’s trailer. Cycling, skating and incredible scenery–sounds like a recipe for cinematography greatness. Other BFF highlights include a Trick Competition powered by PedalHard on Saturday, May 14 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fremont Park (16th and Q streets); the BFF Classics screening on Friday, May 14 at 9 p.m. at Fremont Park; and the Friday night BFF After Party at Sol Collective (2574 21st Street) featuring DJ Riff Raff from the Red Bull Music Academy. That party kicks off at 10 p.m. and will feature custom bikes on display and Sierra Nevada on tap all night long. Learn all about the Bicycle Film Festival’s offerings at Bicyclefilmfestival.com/sacramento.
-J. Carabba

The Austin, Texas-based (by way of Sacramento) duo Agent Ribbons have embarked on a spring tour that will bring them through town a few times in the coming weeks. Catch them at Harlow’s on May 10, at Phono Select for an in-store performance on May 15, at Tin House in Grass Valley on May 17 and at Cesar Chavez Plaza on May 20 where they will headline an aforementioned Friday Night Concerts in the Park gig. It might be a while until the Ribbons girls make their way back to Sacramento, so don’t miss out!
-J. Carabba

J*Ras of SouLifted strikes out on his own with City of Trees

At first glance, J*Ras is a tall, friendly and relaxed looking guy with long brown dreadlocks. But after meeting him, you quickly learn he is a hardworking musician who takes on the roles of DJ, singer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, husband and father. The hip-hop and reggae lover from SouLifted who has been in the music industry for more than a decade is ready to unleash his first solo album, City of Trees.

Meeting up with him downtown at the ZuhG Life Store seemed like the perfect place to get to know J*Ras, since we were surrounded by music and art by local artists.

Your new album is City of Trees. I’m guessing that it’s about Sacramento?
Yeah, it’s a reference to Sacramento. That’s one of the tracks on the album… It just has to do with Sacramento kind of being overlooked and it’s really a good place to be. I don’t live in Sac right now. I moved to Grass Valley up in the hills. But I was born in Sac, went to Sacramento State, and I got to show love for Sacramento.

You are a very talented guy: a vocalist, a DJ, rapper, producer, basically everything. Did you have all of those roles with your new album?
Yeah, in the new album, I produced the whole album and I play the majority of instruments. There are guests from SouLifted: Brian Fleshman helped to produce some of the tunes, Steven Leonard played some of the guitar and bass. So, we did add some those elements from SouLifted. But I played pretty much everything on all of the tunes, even turntables. [I] do a lot of the vocals, besides some of the backing vocals. And there are some other guests on the album, including Prezident Brown, who is one of my favorite reggae artists, Soulmedic and Jahworks the Revolutionary. We do have a few guests on there but mainly this is just something that I’ve been working on for the last couple of years.

Do you have a certain theme that you are going for in the album, a certain meaning behind the lyrics?
We’ve always carried a positive message in the music. And with SouLifted, we’ve always had the music to lift you up. It’s conscious music with a message. It’s not just about the things that you normally hear in hip-hop music or even reggae. It’s things that you’re going through and how we struggle and how we overcome those things. One of the songs is called “Champ for Life,” and it’s really just a reflection of life and what’s got me here now. It kind of tells a story of where I’m at now. I guess the theme still would be conscious music that does have a message, a positive message for the people.

Do you have a target audience?
What I’ve always liked is that at our shows we always get people dancing. Whether they’re little kids that are 2 years old or the 80-year-old grandmas. And that’s what it’s all about, is getting the people involved. I work with the Auburn Hip-hop Congress as well, and it’s all about trying to help with the youth and giving the youth positive music that they can listen to. Not just the hip-hop that they’re hearing on the radio or the things that are out there easily accessible for them. It’s about giving them something with a message. Mainly our majority of listeners and my majority of listeners are college aged, a little bit of older. But the music is for everyone for sure.

What were some of the challenges working on your solo album–going from a big band to just you?
One of the main challenges is doing it myself and being so critical of my own music. Instead of being able to have that input from everybody to make it that collected thing. But that’s also given me the freedom to make it exactly how I want it. So some of those challenges also become strengths of the album. Mixing and mastering, just some of those fine tuning things, were probably the hardest challenges. It was so hard for me to be happy for where the album was, making it perfect.

What made you want to work on your own album?
I’ve played in multiple bands from Heart Life and Soul to SouLifted. I’ve always written my own music, and I have so many songs that haven’t been recorded because I focus so much energy on the band… I love that collective energy of the people when we unite. It’s just stronger and I love it, so really just kind of realizing where I am now and seeing what I need to put some energy into this solo album so I could really get it out there. I’ve been doing a lot more solo shows myself touring more and just trying to get the music out there. I knew that this was the next logical step in the progression. And having the ability to work with some of these reggae artists and other artists that I aspire to work with on my solo stuff [has] kind helped me push it and get the album out.

Do you see more solo work for your future?
Absolutely, we have a lot of projects going on, which is great and we are doing a lot of collaborations. Right now, I’m working on an album with Soulmedic and a lot of music with him. He is a great reggae artist out of the Nevada City area and Hawaii–he is kind of half and half. I’m also doing a tour with some of the artists from Thizz Nation, which is kind of funny, because it’s totally anti what our music is about. But they’re trying to bring that consciousness and educate some of the people and their audience. We got to try and reach every target audience we can. So, I’ll definitely be pretty busy doing some solo work, but I also hope to include some more SouLifted shows. And doing a lot of collaborations with artists, a lot of hip-hop artists in Sacramento and working with the Auburn Hip-Hop Congress right now a lot too.

I’ve read that you have been performing since 1999… over 10 years!
Yeah, that’s when I actually threw my first show. I was 15 years old and I got approached because we had been doing parties, where we just pull out in the woods and set up our turntables and generator. And so the word got out. We had a little hip-hop crew when I was still in high school and one of the local bars actually asked us to throw a show and that was in May in 1999. That was the first show that I threw myself, made the flier and all that, cutting stuff out, old school. It’s come a long way since then and we put a lot into it. I’m real happy with where I’m at now and where it’s moving along.

What is the best part of performing live?
The energy from the people. Just the feeling that I get from performing, it’s not like anything else. I know I’m meant to be doing that when I’m up there… And I love getting the people involved and the energy and getting that love back from all of the love that you put into the music.

J*Ras will celebrate the release of his solo album City of Trees at Sol Collective on April 29, 2011. Lady Grace, Task1ne and many others will also be on-hand. Expect special guests and some big surprises. The show is all-ages and gets underway at 8 p.m.

Comedian Ellis Rodriguez takes a yeoman’s approach to standup

It’s 10 p.m. on a Sunday and I’m in a bowling alley bar with the hottest girl in Elk Grove (her claim) and local comedian Ellis Rodriguez. The topic of discussion: who has the best life ever? The 22-year old Elk Grove girl swears up and down it’s her, since she coined the phrase “best life ever,” but her mom has to drive her home for political reasons. I feel as though I’m disqualified from the competition because I’m drinking in a bowling alley bar in South Sacramento. But Rodriguez is the closest to actually living it because, as he puts it, “I draw comic books and I tell dick jokes. That is the best life ever.”

I meet up with Rodriguez the next day at the Stoney Inn a couple hours prior to its open mic night, which is complemented by country karaoke night in the adjacent room. What type of crowd attends this open mic, I ask? “Random assortment of mostly urban comedy goers,” is his reply. This is the trenches for a comedian. In a night’s time I receive a crash course in one comedian’s regimen for sharpening his jokes just to squeeze one funny minute out of the week.

His first night up was an open mic at Old Ironsides. He says with conviction that he became a full-time comic the day he got on stage, but at the time he did not have a job standing in the way. Rodriguez was living out of his car, working comedy at night for three months before a friend got him a job as a branch manager selling wholesale toilets.

“I was branch manager/trainer/operations recruiter for the number one wholesaling plumbing company in the world,” he says. “Great company. Great people. Couldn’t fucking stand it.”

He gave his days to toilets, but the nights were long drives to San Francisco to wait around at open mics for opportunities to do five minutes on stage. Keep in mind it is comedy courtesy to stay until the end.

“Once I drove to Pleasanton for an open mic,” Rodriguez says. “Another comedian told me about it, and I looked forward to it all 12 hours of my shift that day. I got into work at 4:30 [a.m.] that day. At 5 [p.m.] I headed straight there after work only to arrive to an empty bar that wasn’t even open. I heard there was some stage time in San Francisco so I went to get some time only to arrive and be told that I ‘might be able’ to get some stage time. I stayed until the end that night, desperate for time. I was the last one called up at 11:14 p.m. I got home at 1 a.m. and it was inventory week. I had to pull a 12-hour shift again the next day. Par for the course.”

Now a full-time comic, Rodriguez employs a strict regimen that includes open mics Mondays through Wednesdays and paid gigs at clubs on the weekends. The drive I ride along for begins on Del Paso Boulevard, treks up to Folsom and then over to Roseville. He’s never alone, though. His 2-year old Italian Greyhound named Muñeca rides along. “Tonight I’ll do three [open mics], tomorrow I’ll do two, Wednesday I’ll do four or five and then work the weekend,” he says. “It’s one of the few things I’m actually regimented about. There’s no excuse. None of the mics start before 8 [p.m.]… you can get up by 8.”

Rodriguez goes up around 8:30 p.m. at Stoney Inn to the crowd he predicted. Minutes before he goes up, he’s in my ear scrolling through his cell phone notes, running jokes by me that he might try out. It’s a fleeting moment of meekness. The related fragments have potential, but it’s when he takes the stage, assuming a confident persona, that Rodriguez discovers exactly what it is about “testing out white slavery for a month” that makes people laugh. Rodriguez just secured another minute toward his full hour set.

“I write around five to 10 minutes every week,” he says. “If you write 10 minutes, then one minute is going to be good. You keep that minute. At the end of the year I’ve got another 52 minutes.”

Rodriguez is in his fifth year of standup, tirelessly logging hours and pages of notes. He records all his sets, reviewing the tape like a scouting coach hoping to find flaws and room for improvement. “I do black rooms, white rooms, alternative rooms,” he says. “I do every room I possibly can to get as good as I can be in that room. You have to be able to read an audience and know how to react to it, but not necessarily think that once you crush it for 10 minutes that you’ve conquered that room. Can you do it again with different material?”

An hour later we’re at Po Boyz Sports Bar & Grill in Folsom and, save for three 20-somethings having a night out and the owner’s friends, the room is littered with comedians waiting to get up. Cheryl the Soccer Mom from the Real Funny Housewives of Rio Linda is hosting, and a young comedian is on stage venting about being excluded from the News & Review’s comedian feature. It’s a hostage situation.

Unfortunately it creates discomfort in the room that seems impenetrable as several comedians to follow struggle with the sound of silence. Rodriguez embraces the awkwardness and begins riffing hard on his friend Samm Hickey, who’s in the room. He tries out an AIDS joke we’ve discussed a few times that has yet to reach its full potential. We step outside to smoke a cigarette after his set and casually discuss the dos and don’ts of STD jokes. To him there’s something undeniably funny about saying his friend, who was recently diagnosed with AIDS, having “double AIDS,” even if it didn’t go over well the previous night in Elk Grove.

“I think I did all the herpes things,” he says. “I did most of the crabs thing, but they were really uncomfortable. I think there were a couple people that had that shit. I wanted to write another STD joke, but I’ve found that nobody knows enough about gonorrhea or syphilis for it to be funny. It’s just gross.”

Throughout the night I gather insider knowledge about the ideal crowd from Rodriguez and overhearing other comedians relate stories. Rodriguez tells me it was not the crowd itself, and never should be blamed, that made his Elk Grove show difficult, nor is it the presence of a bowling alley in the next room. An ideal room is dark, slightly chilly and compact. One comedian stressed the importance of seating the audience in order to prevent a scattered crowd.

“The crowd was too spread out so they are able to form a consensus of what’s funny within their little groups,” Rodriguez says of the Elk Grove gig. “They didn’t have to worry about what the people around them were feeling. That contagiousness of laughter is what makes it easy. But, if you can kill that crowd, then you’re going to destroy whatever show is set up properly.”

It is nearing midnight and we’ve arrived at the Boxing Donkey, a narrow Irish Pub in Roseville, for our final open mic. The bouncer asks that Rodriguez, a former Marine, tuck in his tags and Jesus piece–apparently they’ve had chain issues previously.

I ask Rodriguez about his time in the military, considering he was always a jokester growing up. “I was not a good Marine, at first,” he says. He was 19 and distracted with partying instead of attending his college courses when he decided to join the military.

“I’ll join the Marine Corps because they’ll make a man out of me,” he says. “I realized very quickly that Marine Corps does not make a man out of you. It gives you the opportunity to be a man. It puts you in situations where you’re pushed and strained. You’re constantly being tested and the choices you make, make you a man or a Marine.”

The Marine Corps wasn’t all precision posture, firm salutes and combat training, though. Rodriguez says there was still room for humor. “One of the things we did was send a person to retrieve an ID10Tango form on the other side of the base. They’d show up and the people there would say, ‘what are you doing here, you get that from ADMIN first, then ADMIN would say, ‘you need an ID10Tango release from your unit.’ They would come back and someone would finally tell them to write down ID10Tango. I. D. 10. T.”

It is nearing 1 a.m. when Rodriguez seizes the mic at Boxing Donkey. The room is brightly lit, less than ideal, but it gives him a visual on the room’s reaction. By now he’s told the bit about being so drunk at a Halloween party that he actually thought he was Superman for the third time in the night, but he is orating with the proper emphasis and pauses to make absurd glances to pull the most laughter. He takes notice of a group of black men not laughing much by the bar. “I’ve got one for you guys,” he says and launches into the white slavery bit, winning over the doubters with a blindside punch line.

I don’t get back to my Malibu parked on Del Paso Boulevard until 1:40 a.m. The Stoney Inn is long closed, I’ve got a burger in my hand from Jack in the Box and a guy on a bicycle is circling Rodriguez’s car giving us weird looks before pedaling off. He tells me he’ll wait until I get in my car before he drives off. It’s par for the course for Rodriguez, but for me it’s damn exhausting.

“I’ve got hours to log,” he says. “You keep coming back until you get a nice easy room at The Improv opening for Bruce Bruce and you’ve only got to do 25 minutes, but you’re going to kill because you did all these gigs at crappy open mics working out new material in bars and bowling alleys.”

Ellis Rodriguez will perform at Tommy T’s in Rancho Cordova on April 28, 2011. This will be a live DVD taping. Also performing are Dennis Martinez and Hunter Hill. This 17-and-over show starts at 8 p.m.