In a media landscape that’s riddled with “alternative facts” and reality stars who are famous simply because we revel in how dumb/mean/awful they can be, Neil deGrasse Tyson is a breath of fresh air.
For the past two decades, he has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, but his numerous television appearances, including guest spots on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show and many others have aided the charismatic astrophysicist’s elevation to household-name status. But as you’d imagine, stardom was the furthest thing from Tyson’s mind when he entered into science.
“The fame factor, I’m still in a little bit of disbelief of it,” he says in a phone interview with Submerge from his office at the Hayden Planetarium. “I want to turn around and face people and say, ‘You realize I’m an astrophysicist. Should I remind you of this? So you can still pull out, you can unfollow, you can redirect your energies.’”
However, there are positives Tyson takes from his fame, and maybe you can, too, especially if you’re of the mind that our country has been mired in a severe brain drain in recent years.
“I think the takeaway here is there’s an underserved appetite that the public has for the universe or for learning or for science, and that’s what I’m delivering to them,” he says. “I don’t twist their arm. I’m not trying to get them to create a cult. I’m just offering knowledge, wisdom, insight into the operations of nature, and people like it. That’s very powerful information, I should think. Some networks have figured this out. CBS has the No. 1 show on television, and it’s called The Big Bang Theory. Though they may be caricatures, they are Ph.D.-educated people, and you’re eavesdropping on their social and personal lives, and who would have thought you can make money on that?”
Part of Tyson’s appeal is that he’s able to communicate his knowledge without condescending. This trait will be on display in his upcoming book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, which is due out in early May 2017. Notably, the title is not Astrophysics for Dummies, as he’s quick to point out, because he knows you’re smarter than that.
“I’m very proud of the book, because it took a lot of my educational insights that I’ve gleaned over my lifetime to figure out what to put in there and how to present it so I could maintain your interest, not insult your intelligence,” he says. “The first sentence is a statement of the conditions of the early universe. It’s flat-out, ‘Oh my gosh, this is otherworldly. What is this place?’ Well, it’s our universe.”
Tyson will visit Sacramento on May 9, 2017, when he’ll give a sure-to-be sold out talk at the Community Center Theater. There he’ll no-doubt blow your mind with stuff about black holes and other secrets of the cosmos. In this interview, however, we delve into deeper mysteries such as Tyson’s playlist, Stonehenge and why would anyone pre-order anything.
Photo by David Gamble
The publication I write for is primarily focused on music. Do you listen to music while you’re working in the office?
I love music, but who doesn’t, right? I have the ability to—or at least I’ve convinced myself that I have the ability—to be no less productive even in deep-focused work with music blasting behind me. Some people need silence when they focus, but I can thrive in the presence of music—particularly music that I like. Back in the disco era, because that’s how old I am, I would play disco while working on certain projects, because the incessant beat would force [laughs] … the beat would never end, right? So if I linked my own body rhythms going to the beat, it kept me going, kept me awake, kept me moving forward on intractable projects. If I were to pick a genre that I would live with above all others, it would be the blues. That’s my favorite genre. I would say that a third of what I listen to is the blues, and the other two-thirds is a mixture of everything else, from classical to pop, but time-tested pop … I’m very pop-ularist when it comes to pop music [laughs]. I like the songs that have survived scrutiny … They are the ones that the oldies station would play. You forget when you listen to an oldies station, you say, “Oh boy, we really made good music back then,” but I say, “No, they’re not playing all the crap.” They’re filtering all the good stuff from the bad stuff, and you think somehow that era had better music than later eras. It’s a common misconception that we all have when we listen to music from our time.
So unlike science, for you some of the older ideas in music are better than the new ones as far as you’re concerned?
No, what I’m saying there’s good music coming out at any given time, but I rely on the filter of time to select the best ones, and those are the ones that I listen to. And I generally agree that they’re better.
Do you have any songs or bands that are your go-to when you’re looking for something to listen to?
OK, so, amid all the hit songs that I may like, there are some groups and performers who rise up above all the rest for me in terms of how they satisfy me. One of those is Simon and Garfunkel, and another is Enya—yes, I admit that.
Well, I’ve got it on tape, so you can’t take it back.
I admit it [laughs]. Enya. Those may be the only two performers where I own everything that they’ve ever done. There are others where I like some stuff, but not enough to own everything they’ve ever done.
I guess Enya is kind of space-y …
Yeah, kind of new age, space-y. It’s celtic, of course, but it comes from another place. It comes from space! If the Celts were aliens from space, this is the music they would make [laughs]. Right? That’s what it is.
I’m probably way wrong on this, but didn’t the Celts build Stonehenge? And that was a space-thing right?
Yeah, I don’t know who precisely built Stonehenge. I thought it may have been the druids, but maybe the scholarship has been modified on that, but yeah, it is an observatory. It tracks the moon and eclipses and does a lot of really fun things scientifically.
[Editor’s note: If you’re keeping a scorecard at home, radiocarbon dating suggests evidence that Stonehenge’s construction dates back to Neolithic times and precedes the arrival of the Celts. Regardless of who built it, it’s safe to say that it’s still a pretty bad-ass monument.]
Photo by Delvinhair Productions
Science changes all the time. In your time at the Planetarium, how has it changed for you? Has it altered any of the assumptions you had?
No, we were smarter than that. We wouldn’t commit large exhibit money—heavy duty exhibit money—to something that could be different a few years later. So what we did was, the exhibitry was split into three varieties. One was we would cut into metal content that was of a very high shelf life. Earth goes around the sun … that’s cut into metal. The next would be transparencies that communicate information that has medium-length shelf life. And then we have another place that’s just video, where as the frontier changes, we swap in a new video relative to the old one. That way we stay current, but we anchor what we know about the universe and what’s not going to change going forward.
You have a new book on the way, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. When does that come out?
Well it turns out, right now you can pre-order it, and I hadn’t fully appreciated why anyone would pre-order anything—but now I know. OK, you’re ready? Here’s why …
Why?
The publisher likes knowing how many books they have to print. They don’t want to print too many, and they don’t want to print too few. So if you pre-order it, that helps the publisher, but why would you want to help the publisher? Well, there’s also the fact that Amazon wants your money sooner than you want to give it to them, so if you pre-order, you order at this really low price. The book retails for $18, but they’re selling it right now for $12. Holy … How do they … What?! But that’s only in pre-order, and when the book comes out, who knows what will happen to the price? So I’m intrigued by this whole marketing dimension of what a pre-ordered book is. But it’s coming out in about six weeks … The first week of May, I think—May 2.
As a scientist, do you often find yourself breaking down things like this, like why would someone pre-order something?
Oh yeah! This is how you learn, right? You wonder why something is, and then you go investigate it, and then you learn it. If a day goes by when I don’t learn anything, that’s a wasted day.
Can you give us a preview of what the book is about?
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry … my goal for it is that all future headlines that come across from discoveries in the universe, you will be fluent in. So discoveries on exoplanets and black holes and Big Bang and the multiverse and the search for life and dark matter, dark energy, all of this is carefully curated so you get a maximum amount of information in a short amount of time, because you’re in a hurry … because that’s what the book says. You’re in a hurry. I found a way to ramp up all the really cool science so you can see it, read it, absorb it and take it with you wherever you go. I’d like to think of it as an occasion for you to consummate your relationship with the universe.
Recently NASA made headlines with the discovery of Earth-like planets in the Trappist-1 system. I heard about it from watching the press conference, but did you get a preview of that before the public did?
I used to chase the previews, but it turns out that it’s not necessary. I’ll read the press release like everyone else and then I’ll watch the press conference and then maybe I’ll get a phone call. But by the time I get a phone call, I’m already pre-briefed. I’m usually pre-briefed on these things.
When I heard about it, I was extremely excited. When you get a press release like that, are you like, “Yeah!” Is it like the Super Bowl or something like that?
Oh no, actually I lament that I’m going to get a zillion phone calls and my days no longer belong to me. I have to go into servant mode of the public’s curiosity, and I’d rather just stay home.
Join Neil deGrasse Tyson for a talk at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento (1301 L St.) on May 9 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, go to Sacramentocommunitycentertheater.com or call the box office at (916) 808-5181. Editor’s note: This show is now sold-out!
**This interview first appeared in print in issue #236 (March 27 – April 10, 2017)**
The Main Squeeze started as a party band at Indiana University back in 2010, but they’ve come a long way since then. The young band (which can be described as a blend of soul, hip-hop, funk and rock) got attention from mainstream audiences when they won the Rolling Stone/Volkswagen Super Band Contest back in 2013, which landed them the opportunity to perform at the Rolling Stone Super Bowl Party with acts such as The Roots and Jane’s Addiction. In addition, The Main Squeeze took home first place at the Venetian Macau International Jazz and Blues Competition in Macau, China, and their accomplishments also include putting out an album with well-known producer Randy Jackson. They have played at a growing list of music festivals, including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest and High Sierra. The Main Squeeze recently moved to Los Angeles and are currently on tour with their new album Without a Sound. On April 21, 2017, The Main Squeeze will be playing at the Goldfield Trading Post in Sacramento. The show starts at 7 p.m., and all ages are welcome to attend. Expect a vibrant blend of genres, and prepare for a thoroughly danceable and energetic set. Tickets are available on Goldfieldtradingpost.com.
I heard that comedian Grant Lyon grew up in Sacramento, but he clarified that he felt like he didn’t grow up anywhere, with portions of his formative years in different suburbs of Los Angeles, a move to Chicago, then a move to Sacramento in 10th grade where he attended Country Day School and graduated Class of 2002. Unlike many comedians who grew up with comedy idols, Lyon didn’t understand what stand-up comedy even was until he was in college. On a fateful day as a freshman, someone played him a copy of Mitch Hedberg’s first album, Strategic Grill Locations, and his life was changed forever.
“I just listened to it over and over and over as I walked around campus,” Lyon said. “I didn’t even seek out other stand-up CDs. I would do Hedberg jokes at parties. I could do the whole album.”
Before long, Lyon was performing the album for his college soccer team using the microphone on the tour bus. Unlikely encouragement from his coach to write his own material took him on a path to comedy he’s followed ever since.
Lyon is a funny, smart, insightful comedian who makes you laugh and learn at the same time. From his first open mic experience at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sac back in 2005, to his victory at Atlanta’s prestigious Laughing Skull Comedy Festival just nine years later, he’s come a long way. He’s been featured in the New Faces of Comedy at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival and is a contributing writer and content creator for Huffington Post, Funny or Die and several other outlets. Currently touring with fellow comic Carmen Morales on their “We’re a Fun Time” tour, we spoke with Lyon on the phone to talk about his origins and motivations.
Photo by Darren Rodgers
How did you hook up with Carmen and decide to do a tour together?
We’re both friends with each other in Los Angeles and we both respect each other. We actually got booked randomly to do a show in Idaho together. We thought we should do a whole tour around, and we have similar intelligent and silly styles that work well together.
We thought a lot about going places where people would enjoy our brand of comedy. We’re going to Chico, Portland and Salem. We wanted hip, fun cities.
When you’re a comedian that works with a more thoughtful and smart style and you sometimes end up at places with audiences that don’t expect that, do you ever find yourself adjusting because the crowd just isn’t digging that sort of stuff?
I’ll always say what I believe. I’ll never compromise that, but sometimes you do that thing where you’re just like, “Maybe I won’t tell that joke tonight!” because nothing good can come from it. But I also believe in what I’m saying. History proves that anyone who is a little bit liberal is always on the right side. The most frustrating thing to me about the fight over gay marriage or things like that, I just want to say, “You know this is going to happen, right?” There’s been so much time and resources to delay something that is inevitable. Just step aside and let it exist, because it’s not hurting anybody. I think that also keeps me pushing the envelope a little bit onstage, because I feel like I’m on the right side of history.
I guess it’s hard to find a comedian that’s too liberal to be funny.
Totally! And I think it’s important to say, “This is what I believe. You don’t have to agree with it, but I have a microphone so you have to listen to me.” I’m not ever trying to berate anybody or say, “I’m right and you’re wrong,” because that just makes you a jerk. But I will go on stage and say, “Here’s some things I’ve thought about and here is why I think this.” I think good comedy—and there’s always exceptions, I mean I love Mitch Hedberg, and you wouldn’t have left a Mitch Hedberg set knowing exactly who he was—but I love leaving a set where I think they are funny and that I know them. Someone like Tom Segura or Dana Gould is great at that.
When did you first become conscientious about stand-up comedy?
It was late for me. I grew up in a family that didn’t pay attention to comedy. We didn’t have any comedy records. I don’t even think I knew that stand-up as an art form existed. I loved The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. Those were my comedy outlets growing up. When I was in seventh grade, I watched one of my very first SNL episodes and Chris Rock was hosting it. He went up and did a monologue, and it’s one of the best monologues ever. He has a joke about why would you give blind people a dog, and a tank coming down New York, and I loved it so much, recorded it and watched it over and over again. It wasn’t until I was in college that I looked back and thought, “Oh, that was stand-up!” I didn’t even realize it was stand-up at the time. I just thought, “This monologue is so great, why don’t they just do all monologues?” The first time I ever stepped foot into a comedy club was when I was performing.
Do you remember what your first joke was?
If you see me on stage now, I’m absolutely nothing like Hedberg, he was a big influence, but my first six months, I didn’t have my own voice. I was writing jokes for Hedberg. I listened to him so much, I literally heard his voice in my head when I wrote those jokes. I was 20 and didn’t know much about the world, but now I do social commentary. I like to take personal experiences, talk about those, and reflect about how that personal experience is a comment on our society as a whole.
OK, I remember my first joke. “I don’t understand why we call blonde hair ‘blonde.’ It’s yellow hair. We say brown hair. We say red hair. I’ve never been like, ‘Man, Charles is a chicken. He’s such a blond belly. Wait! Slow down! That light is BLONDE!’” and I just had all of these examples of using blonde instead of yellow. That was a joke from my very first set.
How did you feel about your first set?
I have a theory about first sets. Anyone who is successful in comedy had a great first set. It doesn’t even have to be a great first set, but it has to be great in their own mind. Some people have the first set go terribly, and they never want to do it again. But if the first one goes great, then you know that it’s possible. It’s like a drug and you spend the rest of your career chasing that high again.
I was so excited and nervous. I probably practiced that five minutes for three hours that day. When I went on stage, I don’t think I said a single word that I didn’t rehearse. If I was to be an impartial observer, did it actually go that well? I don’t know. But in my head, people were laughing and I was so excited that I left my car there and ran all the way home!
It’s great to see someone do well their first time on the mic. It’s like they won a contest. There’s so much fear and joy going through what many would consider is one of the scariest things you can do.
Yeah. It has to go well in your mind. Did I crush it? I probably didn’t. But I was so nervous that at least a few people laughed, and that was enough to make me feel like I succeeded.
Those three people are the best people in the world when you’re struggling.
I started in Sacramento. That was my sophomore year of college. I performed six times, so I wasn’t a comedian yet. I never performed off campus. But that summer I wanted to try it more. Laughs Unlimited had a comedy class. Comedy classes have a stigma among comics, but I’ll never judge anyone for doing them because I didn’t know how to be a comedian. In almost anything else, you’ll take a class to learn how to do something. I signed up at their open mic and I didn’t get on. Someone said, “If you want to perform, you can take the class here and you’re guaranteed to get a spot on the open mic every week!” So I signed up.
Who was teaching that class?
It was Del Van Dyke, like 12 years ago. Did it make me a great comedian? No, but it provided me with a supportive environment to try comedy. So from that perspective, I was glad I did it. It was the first time and I performed once a week.
During my Junior year of college, I decided I really wanted to do comedy more, and that’s when I started taking it seriously.
I see a lot of impatience with newer comics where they want to be a feature or headliner so soon. What advice do you have for comedians that are frustrated with their progress?
I think I started letting go of that stuff is when I thought, “What is going to make me quit this?” I finally came to the conclusion that I will be doing this forever, even if I’m struggling and have to get a day job. I’m still going to be doing stand-up. I love it. Once I realized I’m in this forever, it takes away the impatience. If you’re in it for quick fixes, it’s going to get frustrating.
I’m a comedian. I don’t know who I’d be if I never got on stage again.
Grant Lyon is performing with Carmen Morales on April 2, 2017, at Punch Line Sacramento (2100 Arden Way). You can visit Punchlinesac.com to purchase tickets and for more details.
In general, lighting candles really does make a house a home. Soy candles allow you to do so even more responsibly. They’re environmentally friendly, and they even burn longer (which, in the long run, is great for your wallet). Mindy Jovanovic of Peace, Love, and Soy Wax will teach you how to make your own at a special workshop on Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 and participants will leave the workshop with two 4-ounce candles. As an added bonus, the workshop will take place at the beautiful HI–Sacramento Hostel (located at 925 H St.). Check out Facebook.com/peaceloveandsoywax to find a link to the event page, where you’ll be able to purchase a ticket. To peruse Jovanovic’s own creations, go to her online shop at Etsy.com/shop/mycreationsbymindy.
Only one year after creating Joyzu, Carson Willms and Quinton Pope have been making a name for themselves in the EDM scene by keeping their noses to the grindstone. It is instantly noticeable that both members are bursting with energy and anticipation of what the future has in store, and who could blame them?
Despite releasing only a handful of songs, Joyzu’s popularity is quickly starting to skyrocket. Their track, “Hear You Say,” featuring Olivia Reid, is nearing 800,000 plays on Spotify. The guys are now set to play their first international show in Mexico later this month, followed by a festival appearance in Chicago at year’s end.
While spending spring break helping college students make questionable decisions south of the border and jet-setting to the Windy City sound like a dream come true, Joyzu is staying focused and designing a plan to build a dedicated following through playing club dates whenever they can—which is a little tricky when one member lives in Sacramento and the other in Denver.
The distance issue will soon be a thing of the past since Pope and Willms are planning on living together in Southern California in the near future. Feeling the pull of the road and dance floors across the nation, the guys in Joyzu are gearing up to leave their day jobs behind and solely devote themselves to creating catchy dance music.
I recently got the duo on the phone to talk about how their love of dance music has kept them together through their high school days and into their college years.
Are you guys originally from California?
Carson Willms: We’re both actually from Sacramento, I currently live in Sacramento and Quinton moved to Denver for school. Quinton moved here when he was in middle school and I have lived here my whole life, but Quinton you were in Sac for how long?
Quinton Pope: Almost 10 years. I moved to Denver to go to college and pursue music industry stuff.
Are you planning on moving back to California?
QP: Yeah, we’re waiting on some things to come through so we can move to L.A., but if that doesn’t happen, I think I’m still going to end up back in California, in the Sacramento area until we can make the move down to Southern California.
Joyzu has been together for about a year now, but you’ve been creating music together for a lot longer right?
CW: We’ve been buds since middle school, and our love for dance music came about in freshmen or sophomore year of high school. We were getting into listening to dance music, and then we started DJing house parties in high school. That’s when we found the love for it. We weren’t really making music yet, and then eventually as we grew older, towards the end of our high school careers, we got into making music.
Did you guys have a name before Joyzu?
CW: We had a few names that never worked or that we fell in love with, and then we kind of grew apart at the beginning of college, you know, because life happens. But, we came back together and created Joyzu because we had a whole bunch of music that we saw something in and felt we could see a future with.
Have you decided if you are going to pursue Joyzu full-time?
QP: Yeah, kind of. I think like just now we might be transitioning into doing it full-time. But we currently both have day jobs and we were going to school last semester. This semester we are kind of doing online classes, but yeah, we are really quickly going from working and going to school full-time to possibly not even having to work or go to school anymore. It’s been really fast.
CW: Now we’re about to have the opportunity to fully live off music. Not a lot of people get that opportunity so we are very thankful and stoked about it. We still want to continue our education as much as we can, but music is the end all goal and dream. Putting school off for a semester or so and trying to grab at this while we have the opportunity makes more sense than sitting back and not taking it.
It seems like when the single “Hear You Say” came out, things took off really fast.
CW: Yeah and after we played the SnowGlobe music festival people started reaching out to us.
QP: Yeah, SnowGlobe was great.
And you guys now have a contract with Armada Music out of the Netherlands?
QP: Yeah, it’s a record deal. They’re mainly focused in Europe but they definitely have a couple bigger American artist on their label as well. I guess it’s not too common that a lot of people do recording deals now, but we got offered it super early on. We put out one song and they wanted to work with us. It’s helping us, and they’re curating us since we are still kind of small and growing. It’s great to have such a large platform and label to help us get music out.
Does that mean you guys will be traveling to Europe and playing shows and festivals over there?
QP: We’re hoping!
CW: Yeah, it’s in the works. We’ve only had three releases through them and we still have a two year contract and are hoping the more music comes out, the more we grow. Hopefully our fanbase grows over there and they can eventually get us out there. We’re more of a smaller artist on their label, so we’re trying to establish ourselves before we ask if we can head over and play. But there have been talks about us coming out there. They have a lot of artists playing all over Europe. That’s like the dream.
Are you excited to play spring break in Mexico later this month?
CW: Yeah, it’s our first international show! They handled all of the accommodations for us which is cool. They’re bringing us out there and giving us a whole bunch of guest passes, and we’re bringing some friends and are just going to have a good time.
How do you think playing in Mexico will be different than here in the United States?
QP: It’s all just a bunch of college kids so I don’t think it will be any different than any show we’d play here since we play a lot of college night clubs and shows around college areas.
CW: But it’s going to be one of our biggest shows yet.
It looks like you guys are starting to play pretty consistently, have you noticed a difference in your stage presence?
QP: Carson has played more shows than I have since I can’t always fly out from Denver, but I think my stage presence has gotten better, and together we’re starting to vibe with each other a little more. It gets better every time.
How does your creative process work since you live so far apart?
QP: It’s an ongoing calibration. Both of us are always creating, but yeah, there’s a lot of Skype calls, and FaceTime.
CW: That’s one of the main reasons we want to move in together. We would be able to motivate each other and feed off of each other so much more. It’s definitely challenging to take care of things over the internet, and it’s challenging to not have Quinton at shows all of the time.
March 23 you guys will be at District 30 right?
QP: Yeah we have a big show.
CW: The last time we played there we sold it out. We’re stoked to play District 30 again. I think it’s going to be bigger and better than the last time we played there.
Where do you see yourself in a year from now?
QP: Doing what we’re doing now. Hopefully we’ll have all this music out that we’re sitting on and getting into different cities. We have a good thing going right now, playing shows and festivals. Hopefully it gets bigger from here and we can meet some more awesome people on the road that appreciate our music.
Joyzu makes their return to Sacramento’s District 30 (1022 K St.) for a free show on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 10 p.m. RSVP for the 21-plus show or purchase VIP tickets at District30Sacramento.com. Find out more about Joyzu at Joyzumusic.com. Listen to their newest track “Running” via the player below.
True craft beer aficionados in Sacramento know that the best local annual event is The Art of Beer Invitational. Now in its sixth year, going down on Jan. 27 at the McClellan Conference Center, this incredibly well curated and intimate event (we say “intimate” because there won’t be 20,000 drunk people stumbling around at this event like at other, larger, outdoor beer festivals) will offer unlimited pours from some of the best craft breweries out there, along with unlimited small bites of food from regional farm-to-fork restaurants and an art exhibit with a ton of awesome beer-related work on display from a number of regional artists. “We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the region’s excitement for this event,” said Jennifer Irwin, event director and co-owner, in a press release submitted to Submerge. “We’re looking forward to offering attendees an even more memorable experience by having a wider selection of food pairings, and also by inviting new or highly-coveted breweries and extending the duration of our VIP hour.” Many of the area’s favorite breweries will be on hand this year, including (but not limited to): Berryessa, New Glory, Bike Dog, Device, Moonraker, Track 7 and Sudwerk. A healthy number of out-of-towners will be pouring as well: Boneyard from Bend, Oregon; Modern Times from San Diego; The Rare Barrel from Berkeley; De Garde from Tillamook, Oregon; plus a bunch of others. Get your tickets ASAP because this event will sell out! Passes start at $50 and are available to purchase online at Artofbeerinvitational.com. Be sure to bid on your favorite pieces of artwork when you’re there, because 100 percent of the money raised from the silent art auction goes to a local charity. This year, the beneficiary is Sol Collective. Learn more and keep up to date at Facebook.com/AOBsacramento or follow them on Twitter (@ArtofbeerCA).
If you live in Sacramento, you know that “the grid” is kind of our thing. All the trendiest bars, clubs, coffee shops and wine bars are “on the grid” while Sacramento’s “off the grid” areas (such as Rancho Cordova and Folsom) are steadily growing as well. But what if I actually want to get “off the grid?” I’m talking no coffee shops, no cell service, no pollution. And, what if I want to do this in the dead of winter with the comforts of a home? Is that too much to ask?
I’m here to tell you it’s not.
Luckily the dead of winter in California consists of 60-degree days with a slight chance of rain rather than heavy snows along with blistering temperatures that freeze your beard when you step outside. We’re “lucky to live in California.”
In a lush, dark green forest there lies a not-so-well-known town to escape the busy-bee feeling of the big city. Dubbed “The Gateway to the Redwoods,” Willits is a small town just inland of Mendocino. I can’t say much of the character of the town as I traveled to Willits to escape the city, but I can tell you it is the hometown of Seabiscuit.
Sue Slaght, Dave Slaght and Kim Baker enjoy the greenery surrounding the homestead.
Thanks to Airbnb, you can pretty much take a vacation anywhere in the world now. Even places you have never heard of. Oh, and you can rent tree houses too—it’s on my list. My family and I found a homestead in Willits available on Airbnb, and it just so happened to be nestled on 388 acres of land. When we arrived in the town of Willits, the directions provided informed us to “turn right when you see a church, follow the road until you see a bridge then turn right to follow a windy dirt road that will eventually go through a locked gate.” Turns out, these were the directions for the homeowner’s driveway. After about 20 minutes on the windy dirt road, we arrived at the homestead. A beautiful house surrounded by streams, forests and wild animals.
This modern homestead relies on hydropower; flowing water for clean, sustainable electricity. The fireplace heats the entire home, and up the hill sits large containers catching rainwater which in turn flows back down the mountain to the house. Three ponds surround the house that are available to fish in year-round or swim in during the summer, and the oldest stove I have ever seen in my life resides in the kitchen. The microwave has a sign that reads, “Only use microwave for last resort. The power will likely go out.” We didn’t touch the microwave.
So what is one to do off the grid without cell service and WiFi? If you think this trip sounds boring, perhaps it’s not for you. If you’re looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city but you don’t want to deal with hotels or winter camping, this, I believe, is the absolute best option. Here are a few activities my family and I took part in on our homestead weekend. Depending on where you choose to stay, there are surely many other options.
Ryan Lentz plays catch in the front yard
Kyle Lockhart plays catch in the front yard
1) Get in the spa, look up and enjoy nature’s night light, the Milky Way. Is anything more healing than that?!
2) Jam sessions. My family and I sure as hell don’t make music professionally, but we can break out a jam session like no one’s ever heard (or possibly ever wants to hear). Bust out your old guitar, keyboard or egg shakers and get those vocal chords flowing.
3) If you like to crochet, knit, sew or watch your cat play with the yarn, bring all the goodies.
4) Coloring books are supposed to lower stress levels and create focus. I find they give me anxiety and make my hands tired, but whatever floats your boat.
5) Nap.
6) If you find a place with 388 acres like we did, hike. Go out and get lost on all the trails. No need for a GPS or map. Just start walking.
7) Fish in the pond, stream, ocean or lake.
8) Play cards.
9) Cook the good old fashioned way: without a microwave.
10) Test your fire-building skills to keep the house warm.
Compared to my usual outings, this one felt more like a weekend at the spa or meditation center; wake up to the subtle sound of birds chirping near the pond, make a fresh cup of coffee and hit the spa for one of the best mornings you’ve had in a while.
Dave Slaght shows the way around a fallen tree
I’m a comedian who loves talking to comedians, so when I had a chance to interview Jordan Rock, I was intrigued. With an eight-year career that started when he was 17, he’s already received notable roles in TV shows such as Love and Brooklyn Nine Nine and will be featured alongside Andy Samberg and Josh Peck in a film about three guys going to a hip-hop show called Take the 10, which debuts on Netflix on Jan. 20, 2017.
Rock’s stand-up credits are piling up. In January and February of this year he’s headlining major clubs in South Carolina, Washington DC and Sacramento. He’s appeared on Last Comic Standing, @midnight and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.
So bringing up the fact that he’s Chris Rock’s little brother feels like it makes me “that guy” who had to ask “that question,” but when I asked him who his biggest comedy influence was growing up, how could I not expect that it would be Chris? Twenty-five years his senior, Chris was already a superstar when Jordan was just a kid. His other brother, Tony Rock, is also a successful stand-up comedian and actor, as well.
But the comedy game is honest and as personal as it gets. Sure, some celebrities get into comedy already famous or with a connection, but after 30 seconds on stage, if you aren’t legitimately funny, you’re immediately exposed. It’s not genetic, and it’s certainly not easy. Jordan Rock will be headlining six shows at Punch Line Sacramento Jan. 19–22, 2017.
In anticipation of his upcoming, local stint, I talked with Jordan on the phone about his career, development and what it’s like to perform.
So how long were you performing in South Carolina before you moved to New York?
For a year and a half, but I wouldn’t count it. It doesn’t even count. I was in high school and I wasn’t able to move free, so I wouldn’t really count it. It really started in 2009 when I moved to New York.
How was that first year in New York?
It was the longest year of my life. It was horrible [laughs]. New York beats you up. The first year was very long, and the second year was cool. Everything else after that was fast. There’s not a lot of quality stage time. You just have to make the most of every set you have, and you have to really network because you don’t know anybody.
Do you have a really memorable bombing story that sticks out?
I followed Kevin Hart one time when Kevin Hart was … Kevin Hart! Two-hundred people walked out on me. They saw Kevin Hart and were like, “This can’t get any better.” Their checks came, I got on stage and then they were like, “Yeah, we were right!”
Who were some of your biggest influences in comedy growing up?
My brothers were my biggest influences, Chris and Tony. I really liked how they moved and how they lived life. I wanted to grow up and be like that. I want to work like that.
So as a kid, your brother Chris was already performing stand-up.
Yeah, he’s already becoming him.
Was there any consultation or advice from him when you were young that helped you decide to do that?
He told me to come to New York. Don’t go to Los Angeles, come to New York! He said you got to go to New York to actually develop, because in California, you go there with what you’ve got. They don’t really give you time to develop there, because everyone is coming out there. In New York, you can see someone bombing on Tuesday and killing on Thursday with the same exact jokes, because you can develop.
How would you describe your comedy?
My comedy right now is just straight up the middle. I’m trying to just observe all of these new things that are going on all around me and just be in the middle. I don’t really want to pick a side. I want to be in the middle of every argument. I don’t want to lean too much to the right, and I don’t want to lean too much to the left. I just want to be me. I talk about growing up. I talk about the little things that happen in society and my life experience.
Are you starting to get fans that are looking forward to you coming back, or seeking you out to go to your shows repeatedly?
It’s building slow and it’s happening, but it’s really a cool thing. I appreciate everyone that comes out, even if it’s at a small place. If only five people show up, I’ll still give five people the best show I can.
Yeah, I always feel bad when a comic performs down the crowd. Like they feel there’s not enough people here for a good show, and they treat the audience badly.
I’ll never forget when I was hosting a show for like 12 people. One of them walked out of the show and went to the bathroom and I asked them if they were enjoying it and they were like, “Yeah, we’re having a great time! We just wish the comics were having as much fun as us.”
On your Twitter page it says “The Solange of My Family” as your tagline. You’re doing your own thing, and your stage presence is really nothing like your brother’s, but it’s got to be weird having that connection. What’s it like having that bond as you’re following your own career?
It’s been interesting. People will put more emphasis on it than you will. I’m just like, “You are not going to make me feel weird for having a dope family.” Once I just got out of what everyone else was thinking and focused on myself, I feel like I’m doing alright.
How long have you been headlining?
About three years now. I did it a little bit with one-night gigs and when comics produce shows, but this is my first time coming to clubs and nice rooms where I’m headlining for a weekend.
Yeah, a Thursday-through-Sunday run at a club like Sacramento Punch Line is a pretty fun set of shows. Plus you get the whole gamut of a light Thursday to the dreaded late Friday show. Why do so many comics joke about the late Friday shows?
Some people just like to be miserable. Some people just like to complain. Or maybe they just want to get out and party. This is my first time doing it, so I haven’t worked hard enough to complain yet [laughs]. I feel like I have to do these shows and do them good so they’ll invite me back so I can do them over and over again.
Doing a run like this, I’m looking forward to people coming out, telling their friends about it, and they’ll have time to come, too, instead of it just being a one night thing.
And it’s a gift to do that many shows in a short amount of time because you can tweak and modify and every show is just a little bit different.
It’s great doing longer sets because when I’m in New York, I’m doing 15 minutes. I want to stretch and it’s time to stretch to show what I can do.
And that’s part of what you’re talking about with that first year in New York, because you’re basically starting with three-minute sets while you’re trying to make a name for yourself.
Yeah, it’s the craziest thing because you’re doing the shortest of sets and you’re trying to make it work. But you grow and fight to get five, then 10, then a nice 15 set. Then you’re ready to put together a project so you can really tell people something.
Is there a comedy album in the near future?
I think 2019 would be a good year for an album. I think I’m going to let everything I’m working on this year go through so people can get a bit more acquainted with me. Then go back out on the road, build on top of that and then put something out. Plus my brother has a special coming out so I want to make sure I’m out of his way.
Do you have a good relationship with him when you’re on the road where you encourage each other?
Oh yeah, I text him all the time.
It seems like there’s more comedians working right now then ever before. What advice would you give a new comic starting out trying to carve out their place?
Do not try and impress me [laughs]. Don’t try and impress other comics. Try to impress people that buy comedy. That’s the problem that comics have. They want to be the comic’s comic. If you want to be the comic’s comic, you’re not going to get far!
You’ll have six chances to see Jordan Rock live at Punch Line in Sacramento (2100 Arden Way) Jan. 19–22, 2017. Tickets range from $15–$20, depending on date and time of the performance, so check out Punchlinesac.com for more details.
Ricky Watts’ relationship with art can most accurately be described as a lifelong, full-fledged obsession. Watts’ mom claims that he was drawing before he was even able to walk, and by the time he was a teen, he was funding his weekly lunches by selling doodles to classmates.
Fast-forward to the present: Watts has shown his pieces at a laundry list of galleries all over the country, and has expanded his clientele to include Google and Mercedes-Benz, among others. While he has gained prominence with his accomplishments in the graffiti world, Watts has a unique diversity in his body of work. He is an illustrator, a realist and a graffiti artist all in one.
His spray painted pieces are bright with loud loops and textures that gracefully intertwine into a labyrinth and capture the forever-rebellious spirit of the graffiti artist, while other pieces include meticulous illustrations of Victorian architecture and landmarks that only the most disciplined penman could accomplish. Sometimes he combines these two styles and adds strong elements of fantasy, inspired by the world around him. His past series, Levitation, explored these two concepts by intertwining architecture with floating objects invented by Watts; it is an amazing culmination that exhibits his 20-plus years of experience as an artist.
During the month of January, Watts will be exhibiting his work at graffiti/art/clothing mecca, Leave Your Mark Sacramento. All pieces will be in aerosol spray paint and will be up for display for the entirety of the month.
{Withering Prisms, Acrylic Paint, 2016}
Tell me about your exhibition at Leave Your Mark Sacramento.
I’ll be showing some of my studio work in January at Leave Your Mark in Midtown Sacramento. The exhibit will be paintings in aerosol spray paint, a favorite medium of mine. I’m a big supporter of Leave Your Mark so this is really exciting for me. This will be my first solo exhibit in Sacramento, although I’ve shown in group shows here a handful of times.
I’ve never physically lived in Sacramento, but I have spent a lot of time here and shown work here in six exhibitions. My very first showing in Sacramento was with Cool Cat Gallery back in 2007. I’ve also had recent exhibits at Sacramento State University and Lux Quaubas Gallery.
{Metamorphic Decay, Mixed Media, 2016}
I am so intrigued by the way you go from painting brain-meltingly colorful pieces to detailed illustrations and transporting images like those in Levitation; It’s crazy how diverse your art is. Are you self-taught for the most part? How did you become someone who can create with such variety?
My fine art is all self-taught. I did go to art school, but I focused on graphic design. Drawing is something I’ve always done. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been drawing something. I draw things that interest me and that’s how it’s always been. As a kid I drew army men and nuclear dinosaurs. As a teenager, I was drawing biotechnical, H.R. Giger-looking art. As an adult, I’m intrigued by architecture and urban decay. The illustration work that I produce today is very challenging and rewarding for me. Every piece is like a marathon: physically taxing on my back and mentally exhausting. When I finish a drawing, though, it’s a very special moment. Spray painting is something that I love to do, and I have fun doing it, but it’s a different feeling I get when finished than I do completing an illustration.
What have some of your milestones as an artist been so far?
That’s hard to answer as a working artist. I think it’s easier for people on the outside to say “He’s accomplished this,” or “She’s accomplished that.” It’s challenging for an artist to really value and appreciate their achievements while in the trenches. I’ve done a lot of projects and it’s gotten me to where I am today, but I feel like it’s still just the beginning and there’s so much more I want to do in my career. I see accomplishments more as stepping stones. For me, it’s always been, “OK, that’s done, on to the next.” If I had to go back and think about what’s really stood out, there are three moments that have been instrumental to my path. The first was my very first art show in 2004 because it was such an adrenaline rush of emotion. It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time. All I wanted to do was get back in the studio so I could make more work to show in galleries and get back to that adrenaline rush of an opening reception. The second was my first “really big” mural that required a swing-stage to reach the top (what window washers use on skyscrapers). It was approximately 3000 square feet about 5 five stories tall. It’s special for me because I raised most of the funding through Kickstarter and it was the first time I really felt the community embrace what I was doing. There’s such a high from that feeling. I never wanted the project to end. The third would have to be the stage banner designs I did for the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco. That exposure opened doors to commissions for Google, Mercedes-Benz and Anchor Brewing Company, among others.
What is your state of mind when you are making these massive and colorful murals or creating in general? Do you have any artist rituals?
I’m pretty clear headed when I’m working. I have a painting process and a bag of tricks, but there’s very little sketching that goes into it. My wife calls me a human typewriter because I’m very methodical while I work; left to right, back and forth like a typewriter. I like to listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts while I’m working; only when alone though. If I’m painting with friends or a group, I’ll never wear headphones. I enjoy interacting with other artists while painting. Artists have great stories. I’m not a very superstitious person, so there aren’t many rituals, although I do find myself stretching more before and after painting the older I get.
Tell me a little about artists who paint with spray. What sets them apart? Why is it a medium that you are drawn to?
I started using spray paint as a medium in my early teenage years. Back then it was exciting and rebellious. It was something I did with my friends. Almost like a secret language that we spoke. But I really fell in love with the process of spray painting. The techniques to get certain effects, the challenge to paint straight lines with no drips and the ability to work really big in a short amount of time. When I started to focus more on gallery work, I wanted to incorporate spray paint into my work. For a long time it was painting on canvas what I would typically paint on a wall, but I wasn’t getting the response I was looking for. So in 2010, I started to transition away from letter shapes and break it down to simple forms and movements using a wide assortment of colors. Eventually this style of work that I paint today developed. It’s spontaneous and free flowing. Very little planning ever goes into these paintings. I have my color palette and a painting process. I start at one location of the surface and it builds as I go. While I’m working, I’m thinking a step or two ahead but there’s rarely a sketch of the final outcome that I’m following.
What’s next for 2017?
You know, there’s not a lot in the pipe for 2017 yet. I’ll have work in a couple of shows around the country but that’s about it. Subconsciously, I think this is intentional. The past few years have been filled with traveling but I’ve started to feel artistically stagnant and I’ve craved that quiet studio time to push the boundaries of new work. 2017 will be time to realign the ideas in my head with the work being produced.
{Outerspace Project, Atlanta, GA, 2015}
Ricky Watts’ art will be on display throughout the month of January at Leave Your Mark Sacramento, located at 2627 J St. in Sacramento. The opening reception for the show goes down Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 from 6–9 p.m. Find out more about Ricky Watts at his website, Rickywatts.com.
Six months before Brian Posehn turned 21, he rang Laughs Unlimited in Old Sacramento to ask how he should go about getting into stand-up comedy. They told him he needed to be of drinking age, so he spent the next half-year preparing a five-minute set. They suggested the open mic at the old Metro Bar and Grill next to The Crest.
“The week I turned 21 I went on stage my first time and completely destroyed,” Posehn told Submerge during a recent phone interview. “And then I went on the week after at the same open mic and tried all new material. I ate it so hard, but still loved it.”
Those Sacramento open mics laid the first bricks on a path toward a sprawling career that led Posehn at first to San Francisco and later to Los Angeles. If you don’t know him by name, it’s likely you recognize him, whether it be from The Sarah Silverman Program, Rob Zombie’s horror movies or one of the dozens of sitcoms and shows he’s guested on.
Posehn was raised in Sonoma, but moved to Sacramento when he was 17 to attend American River College and live with his grandpa. The initial plan was to become a rock journalist or a DJ, but his foray into stand-up comedy rerouted that course.
He’s written and acted for dozens of shows and movies, recorded comedy albums, written comic books, hosts a podcast and is currently authoring a book about his life and career.
On Jan. 5–7, he’ll circle back to Sacramento for a string of shows at the Punch Line.
“I usually wind up seeing people I haven’t seen in 20 years,” he said of the homecoming. “There are people I worked with at the Tower Records up in Citrus Heights that still live up here and I’ll hang out with some of those dudes.”
Posehn has also stacked the shows with some of his favorite locals, including Ngaio Bealum, a local comedian who writes a popular weed column for Sacramento News & Review and is active in the marijuana-legalization movement.
When did the stand-up comedy segue into an acting career?
In ‘94 I moved to L.A. with the intention of getting writing jobs. I didn’t move there to act at all. I wanted to write sketch comedy and late night stuff. It must be so frustrating to anybody who wants to act, but I just happened to do a set in L.A. and a casting woman saw me and brought me in the very next day to audition for my first sitcom and I got it. It was a show called Empty Nest that’s gone forever. That was the first thing I did and it was such a fluke.
When you got on board with Mr. Show, could you tell it was something special?
Absolutely. I knew David Cross first through San Francisco because he was coming up to the city a lot. Through David I met Bob [Odenkirk]. They were just writing these hilarious sketches and they’d go and perform them at night. By the time it turned into Mr. Show, I was such a fan of those two guys. The first four episodes of season one I acted in, but they wrote all of those by themselves. By the time I was hired as a writer I already knew it was going to be the ‘90s generation’s SCTV.
You were in episodes of Friends and Seinfeld. Which show is better?
Which one did I have a better experience with or which one makes me laugh? Well, actually, it would be the same! I had a better experience with Seinfeld—and the show is better. That said, I was happy to be a part of Friends and it did help at the time and got me other work. Just my sensibility was more Seinfeld made me laugh and still does.
When did the love for metal music start?
KISS was the first band that I obsessed over. I wasn’t just a casual fan of anything. Whether it’s movies or music or comic books. I would just get into something and completely obsess over it. In the late ‘70s I got into Van Halen and Black Sabbath and AC/DC and all of that stuff. I just sought out heavier and heavier music, and then in the early ‘80s, by the time I was in high school, bands like Iron Maiden and thrash metal was starting. I went from Iron Maiden to Metallica and here I am as a 50-year-old man still into the same music I’ve liked since I was a kid.
What album did you latch onto early that’s still just as strong?
Oh, there are a lot of them. If I had to pick, it’d probably Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast and then Metallica’s Ride the Lighting. Those are the ones I loved the most.
How did the Rob Zombie connection happen?
I’ve known Chris Hardwick since he was like 19 I think. I met him at UCLA for a comic book thing. He was in the first Rob Zombie movie House of a Thousand Corpses and I was a little jealous so I said to Chris, “How the fuck?” He said, “Oh I know Rob. He’s a cool guy. You should meet him.” I was like, “All right! Let’s make that happen.” I went to a party at Rob’s and talked to him and he said, “You’re really funny on Everybody Loves Raymond,” and I’m like, “Rob Zombie watches Everybody Loves Raymond?” That was kind of funny to me. Something about picturing him in those boots just sitting around watching Raymond.
Through that we became friends and then he wrote me into The Devil’s Rejects. He asked, “Do you want to be a roadie and you get shot in the face?” I’m like, “Yeah man. Whatever you want me to do.” I was there for five days. I acted two days, got shot the third day and played dead the next two. It was a fun experience. 10 years later it’s still one of those things I’m most recognized for, among that group of horror fans and metalheads.
You performed at the Insane Clown Posse’s Gathering of the Juggalos. How was that?
I was working at Metalocalypse with a good buddy of mine, Brendon Small, the head writer of the show, and I got a text from my agent asking if I’ve ever heard of the Gathering of the Juggalos. I’m like, “Yeah, yeah I have.” He told me what the money was and I walked back into the writing room and said to Brendon, “Dude, I just got asked to do the Gathering of the Juggalos and the money is this.” He goes, “You gotta do it!” I probably would have done it for one-third of the money just for the experience.
It was crazy. Performing at four in the morning in a field out in the middle of nowhere to people wearing face paint and baggy clothing. There was blood on the stage because they had backyard wrestling before. We were being taken around in a golf cart by a clown. I think his name was Fartso the Clown or Yukko the Clown. You’d think it would have stuck with me.
Why do you keep your Twitter feed private?
I don’t go on there to share jokes with people because I got kind of burnt out on the whole thing. Sorry to get negative, but that’s just how I feel at this point. I feel like it’s important to advertise myself, but other than that I kind of hate what a time suck it is.
You’re a comedian, actor, writer, podcaster and more, while also closely associated with metal, nerd culture and horror movies. What drives you to so many pursuits and passions?
I’m super lucky that I’ve been able to carve a career out of doing all of these things that I love. There’s not one thing I do that I don’t want to do. I have fun at all of it—voiceovers, writing coming books, being in horror films, telling fart jokes into a microphone. Not that I just tell fart jokes, though. I never went “Hey I’m going to move to L.A. and do 20 different things.” I just moved here to make a living and that’s the way I still look at it.
Catch Brian Posehn live Jan. 5–7, 2017, at Punch Line Sacramento, located at 2100 Arden Way. Shows start at 8 p.m. all three nights, with additional 10 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday. For tickets and more info check out Punchlinesac.com
**This interview first appeared in print in issue #229 (December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017).
