The Sacramento Comedy Foundation, a local nonprofit organization, will be hosting the fifth annual Sacramento Comedy Festival and they’ve now expanded to a whopping nine different venues. The party kicks off on Oct. 2, 2015, and lasts until Oct. 10 and takes place at regular hot spots like Punch Line Comedy Club, Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club and the Sacramento Comedy Spot. But also the festival includes some non-traditional venues such as the Starlite Lounge, Ooley Theater, Luna’s Café and more. Expect some spirited sets by Myq Kaplan of Last Comic Standing, Mo Mandel from truTV’s Barmageddon, and Rick Overton (actor/writer Emmy Award-winning comedian). There will also be a special Lavender Lights—Gay and Proud show on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at Punch Line Sacramento featuring the hilarious Ronn Vigh (Last Comic Standing). Those who love improv will be delighted that Bay Area group 5 Play will perform two shows in two venues over the first weekend as well. If that weren’t enough, there’s even a Stand-Up Comedy Competition, which will have 60 comedians competing for a generous $2000 purse. Come for one show or buy a festival pass. You won’t be disappointed either way. Check out Saccomedyfest.ticketfly.com to get the lowdown.

Get ready for the greatest thing you’ve never seen! The US Air Guitar Championships are holding an official qualifier right here in Sacramento for the first time ever on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at Starlite Lounge. The top two air guitarists from the region will be sent to represent Sacramento at the USAG Regional Finals in San Francisco, not to mention there’s a $100 cash prize on the line. “US Air Guitar is devoted to taking our nation’s unofficial pastime out of the bedroom and putting it up on the world stage,” states Usairguitar.com. “Founded in 2003, the US Air Guitar Championships have grown into a major national event that reaches more cities, fans and competitors every year.” Tap into your inner rockstar for your chance at air guitar fame! Or, just show up at 8 p.m. on June 6 at Starlite for a good laugh or two. 1517 21st Street, 21-and-over, Starlitelounge.net for more info.

After forming in late 2003, releasing an EP in 2004, and touring the West Coast on and off for a few years after that, regional indie/punk/queercore duo Butch Vs Femme went on what they thought was going to be a permanent hiatus. Then in August 2014, drummer Kimberli Aparicio and keyboardist/vocalist Chavez D’Augustine decided to get the ol’ band back together for some shows and even more exciting, to finally release a full-length album titled Eat Yr Heart Out.

“It feels great to be back together,” the band recently told Submerge. “When we first started Butch Vs Femme we were both pretty young and probably didn’t make the best decisions for the band. We made some awesome music and knew that there was a strong connection between us. We always had a lot of fun playing together but we just kind of grew apart.”

Now that they are back together, the duo says they have a clear goal of what they want.

“Even though the songs for Eat Yr Heart Out were written eight to 13 years ago we still play them with the same amount of energy and passion. We love these songs and it’s about time they got recorded!”

Eat Yr Heart Out is 10 tracks total, one of which (“Down for Me”) is streaming for free on the band’s website Butchvsfemme.com. The album will be available for purchase on CD or by download card at the band’s Sacramento release party on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at Starlite Lounge (1517 21st Street). The show will also feature opening sets from two other solid local acts, PETS and Ghostplay. Doors open at 8 p.m., cover is just $7, 21-and-over only. Welcome back, Butch Vs Femme, the local scene has missed you!

Sacramento goth stalwarts Razorblade Monalisa look back at a more than decade-long career with their latest album, Ignition/Fade

Post-Punk/Goth OGs Razorblade Monalisa will celebrate more than a decade on the Sacramento music circuit this month with the release of their album Ignition/Fade. I met with two of the founding members, Jules Alcouffe and Bino Prassa, to discuss the intricate web of music and metaphors they continue to melt together, and their organic transformation as Sacramento’s original post-punk goth kids.

Alcouffe and Prassa met more than a decade ago at a Sacramento goth dance party. Alcouffe was already making music but felt a little lyrically parched and was searching for a fresh set of lungs and a new mind to weave verses into his post-punk melodies. Prassa was that one goth dude at the club with the notably more dramatic dance moves than everyone else. Let’s just say that Gary Numan was blasting, and Prassa was totally and absolutely feeling it. That night, the two guys would discuss a mutual passion for all that is sci-fi, tastefully moody music like Joy Division and cyber-punk. Alcouffe knew Prassa was what he had been musically seeking and was pretty much like, “Beam Bino up, Scotty.”

When Alcouffe was 3 years old, he saw the first Star Wars movie in theaters; around this same time, his older sister exposed him to David Bowie’s delightfully twisted world of Ziggy Stardust. Before Alcouffe could even reach his teen years, he had already developed an intense interest in the galactically gnarly and musically dramatic.

“From an early age, I had been exposed to so many out-of-world things,” says Alcouffe. “Once I started to combine my literary and film interests with my desire to create music, it was very obvious to me that I wanted to create music with sci-fi and darker literary influences. My music endeavor, Razorblade Monalisa, wholeheartedly encompasses that.”

Razorblade Monalisa is in large part influenced by the ‘80s post-punk scene. They read as dark and mellow. Tinges of Joy Division, Gary Numan and early Duran Duran seep through keys and mumbling bass, with a surprising, awkward sense of melody that we see from bands like Sonic Youth.

Alcouffe semi-regretfully came up with the band name, one that honestly takes a little warming up to. It is a direct reference to the cyberpunk novels, Mona Lisa Overdrive and Neuromancer by William Gibson. The characters, Molly Millions from Neuromancer (a mercenary who has retractable razor blades beneath her fingernails), as well as Mona (a young prostitute and key character in Mona Lisa Overdrive), were specifically in mind while naming the band.

In addition to the Gibson novels, Jules said he “read an article in the ‘90s about painting over certain bits of the human anatomy with fig leaves, some of these paintings being hundreds of years old.

“I just found it so disgusting,” Alcouffe says. “There was a quote that said, ‘covering up the genitals of famous figures with fig leaves is like slicing out Mona Lisa’s smile.’ These paintings are OK for like 200 years, and suddenly they have to be covered up because of tourists… It’s sad.

“Razor blading the Mona Lisa because it offends you is idiocy,” Jules continues about the influences of his band name. “I guess that’s the point with our name. There has been some contention over the name and we recognize that. But its meaning certainly outweighs its initial response. Art is raw, and should remain raw.”

The new album, entitled Ignition/Fade, comprises mostly re-recorded songs that span the group’s labor of love as it stands.

“This almost counts as a best-of album, it covers nine years worth of work. The first track, ‘Eyes,’ is literally the first song we ever recorded together. We kind of wanted to go back and re-record some older songs properly, and we had an opportunity to with this album,” Prassa says.

The album starts off with quoting the iconic sci-fi film, Blade Runner, and is loaded with William Gibson and Paul Morrissey references, notably the Andy Warhol-produced Blood for Dracula film. The song title that was truly well thought out, however, was “Dolly.” “Dolly” is reminiscent of the opening song for Twin Peaks, but the actual title is directly influenced by the twin peaks that sit on the chest of Dolly Parton—get it? And of course, there are enough obvious Star Trek-inspired songs like “Red Shirts” and other outer space sonnets to make you feel momentarily untethered to planet Earth.

As far as playing such a unique blend of music in the Sacramento area over the past decade, Alcouffe and Prassa say that Sacramento has been extremely supportive, and that venues like Old Ironsides, The Colony and the Starlite Lounge continue to help maintain a supportive environment for musical expression.

“I think our band and the genre we play kind of slips through the cracks in this area in the broader arena. We get pigeonholed as a ‘goth’ band a lot (mostly by and because of our fan base), but over the years we’ve received heaps of praise from punks, metal-heads, indie rockers, and more from some of the odder, crossover gigs we’ve done. I think we talked a little about our versatility or ability to defy categorization as a double-edged sword,” says Prassa. “ We can add a little variety to just about any kind of rock show without being completely out of place.”

Alcouffe is the reason this album really happened. “I figured if it wasn’t going to happen now, it will never ever happen,”
he says. A few years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. The illness has made his energy level plummet, making live performances and recording tasks exhausting.

“The ongoing battle he is facing lit a definite fire under his ass and as an extension, lit a fire under the band’s asses,” says Prassa.

Alcouffe breaks out in laughter, “Bino, c’mon! Considering I have colon cancer, I wouldn’t say that!”

Alcouffe has an incredibly respectable and calm outlook on his music and the way he currently conducts his artistic endeavor. It’s about taking it one day at a time, and truly plugging his heart and mind into his legacy of work. There’s a sadness to his music, an elaborate display of intelligence and a heavy dose of sardonic happiness that makes the goth genre so mischievous.

“I have a metaphorical gun pointed at my head, and I don’t know when it’s going to go off,” elaborates Alcouffe. “You gotta do stuff now, otherwise you might not have time. That goes for everybody, no matter what your situation is.”

Razorblade Monalisa will have their album release party for Ignition/Fade Nov. 14, 2014 at the Starlite Lounge. Also performing will be The Common Men and DJ sets from ChattNoir and Dire Delorean. You can preview and purchase Ignition/Fade for $8 at Razorblademonalisa.bandcamp.com.

Local singer/songwriter William Mylar first stepped on a stage to entertain fellow Sacramentans at the ripe age of 13. He just recently turned 60-years-young and is still doing the damn thing! We’re not too good at math, but that’s a really long time to be jammin’ out tunes for people to enjoy! He has performed all around the globe and has recorded for radio, television and on a number of albums. Mylar’s long-running weekly, unrehearsed, free-form jam sesh called Hippie Hour Fridays recently moved from Old Ironsides to Starlite Lounge. The shows are free for all ages, start at 5:30 p.m. every Friday and feature Mylar playing all sorts of different genres with a variety of frequent guests lending their musical talents here and there. Even after all these years and having performed with some of the biggest talents in the business, sharing his compositions all over the world, for Mylar the best part about his musical journey has been gigging right here in his hometown of Sacramento. “Whether I’m performing on the streets of Old Sacramento or in one of the many great venues we have,” Mylar wrote in a recent press release, “I can always find a place to play and sing my music. I look forward to performing for you all, as long as body and mind allow.” Check out Mylarville.com for all of Mylar’s upcoming show dates.

Metal stalwarts YOB ascends to greater heights on upcoming album

Hailing from the unique college town of Eugene, Oregon, YOB has continually redefined heavy metal music since the debut release Elaborations of Carbon in 2001. Whether branded as stoner rock or doom metal, there is no denying that YOB has built one of the sturdiest fortresses within the heavy music sphere. It is common for their songs to reach the 10-minute mark, or in some cases, above 20 minutes.

YOB’s music cannot be simply slotted and their sound is signature. Founding member and bandleader Mike Scheidt possesses the ability to blow listeners away with bone-crushing guitar riffs or enchant them with sedate, entranced melodies on every release. His trademark vocals range from almost ancient world-like, drawing visions of a wise, yet plotting wizard, to the roars and bellows of a determined Viking aiming to set a wicked precedent.

Defining track “Burning the Altar,” from 2009’s The Great Cessation, contains one of the most dominating and captivating guitar riffs ever put to tape; drummer Travis Foster pummels the drum kit and bassist Aaron Rieseberg controls the low end on an entrancing break solo before a burst of fury. YOB’s back catalog contains a plethora of impressive songs that go far beyond the standard fair of heavy metal music; “Catharsis” from 2003’s Catharsis is a mind blowing, nearly 24-minute masterpiece of craft and precision. The piece begins with a swirled guitar riff swelling with flange and delay effects. A slow but steady blossom builds to form a sedative trance, which evolves into a graceful wall of sound and ferocity. Their calculated yet precise formulas are undeniably engaging, leaving a lasting mark on record and demanding undivided attention during a live performance.

In the following interview ahead of their July 25, 2014 show at Starlite Lounge in Sacramento, Scheidt delves into the Internet, spirituality and what fans can expect from the band’s latest release, Clearing the Path to Ascend.

When did you first realize you wanted to play heavy metal?
Probably when I was 12 years old, the first time I heard Judas Priest. I was turned on to punk rock and metal around the same time. From 1982 to 1986 I was turned on to bands like Dead Kennedys, Cro-Mags and Motorhead. Being into punk rock gave me the courage to pick up a guitar and play. Listening to Greg Ginn [Black Flag] construct and deconstruct his guitar made me realize I didn’t have to be a shredder like Dave Mustaine [Megadeth].

How has the landscape changed for YOB in the dozen years since your debut Elaborations of Carbon was released?
It has changed quite a bit for underground heavy music in general. There seems to be a lot more visibility and people who care and listen. Before we first disbanded, touring was very difficult and we always lost money. Nowadays, the crowds are bigger in part from establishing ourselves and having the opportunity to share the stage with bands like Sleep, Slayer, Tool and The Melvins.

What role has the Internet played for YOB?
The Internet facilitates bands and helps get the word out about letting people know we’re playing in their town, but causes attention deficit disorders where anyone can check out 30 new bands in an hour. It can also make it more difficult and threaten the existence for a living, breathing band to operate because there is so much access. As we all grow as music lovers and musicians, we have to be careful and take care of our baby, making sure that bands can continue to be on the road and that the community and support can exist.

Does spirituality factor into your songwriting and stage performances?
Yes, it’s everything, although that term is an abused term and is a turnoff to some people; I like to consider it my “path.” I’m pretty dedicated to becoming a better person, but not become too hardened or jaded by what the world presents by keeping a sense of wonder, openness and availability. There’s something about the vibe of being in a room where all the hearts and minds connect together at once, being rooted in the moment. I’m a big fan of being able to passionately lay it all out on the line; that’s the biggest turn on for me as a spectator and what I aim to do, but it’s more of a lifestyle and a way of living.

Can you further elaborate on how live performances and the Internet have contributed to your successes?
We’ve always been very serious about our live performances by having a mutual connection with the audience and creating the most authentic, live experience that takes you out of yourself and into the universe by creating a living organic entity. If a band blows your mind live, that experience will last a lifetime.

How is being from a smaller city like Eugene helped or hindered your progress?
We have been spread out since 2002. Aaron lives in Portland and Travis is in Albany. I make weekly trips to Portland from Eugene to rehearse, which equates to about 800 miles a month, but playing with the people I resonate with best makes it worth the trip. When you’re from a small town, there are fewer pressures as far as what the scene demands or supports. It’s also nice to cut your teeth in a smaller town with playing a lot of shows, so finally when you do hit cities like Portland or Seattle you have some experience under your belt.

How has the transition to Neurot Recordings been?
Our previous label, Profound Lore, was great to us. Reasons for switching to Neurot were due to the opportunity presenting itself and having a great relationship and friendship with the guys in Neurosis. They’re collectively one of our favorite bands and we respect what they do aesthetically. They know what it’s like to sit in a van, so they’re understanding of what a band goes through to support a record. They’re also pushing us to operate and perform at a high level and learning a lot from them. We’re punks in the sense that we don’t have management or tour managers, so each piece we work through is done in our way. Sometimes it works out well and sometimes we go through growing pains and realize we have more to learn. We may look at improving these mechanisms, but until then we’re an army of three.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming release, Clearing the Path to Ascend?
It’s definitely the most epic, slower record we’ve done in quite a while. Some of it will be instantly recognizable as us; we hit some magic moments where we were aiming for the stratosphere and we hit it. The lyrics are less overtly in spiritual language and more human. We went farther down the road of creating depth. On this record, we have one of the most beautiful tracks we’ve ever done; we have one entire song that has six to eight layered vocal tracks inspired by having listened to a lot of Queen. Someday we’ll be dead, but the record will still be here.

Is it ever surprising how you cover spectrums from beauty to brutality?
I’ll never hear our records like someone else does. I don’t spend a lot of time listening to our music, so it’s hard to say, it makes our back catalog more potent live as we dig deeper because we’re able to create more depth with the songs. If people are connecting with us on a high emotional level, that’s the best thing we can ask for. When we toured more frequently I backed myself in a corner and struggled by trying to include different vocal ranges and colors. I then started taking vocal lessons from Wolf Carr up in Portland, who taught me to do vocal warm ups before shows and my recovery time got quicker.

What are the biggest challenges in writing 20-plus minute songs?
The hardest part is with the logistics of having to rehearse and eventually record those songs. We like to record guitar, bass and drums all at once in a live take, so if we’re recording a 20-minute song, we play those songs as many times until we’re satisfied without using any Pro Tools. We want nearly everything we put on an album to be performed live. Plus, if we’re playing at a venue that allots us 30 minutes, it makes it pretty difficult to come up with our sets, even though they’re never pre-planned unless we’re performing a full album at Roadburn.

On the new song “In Our Blood,” there is a sample that says “Time to Wake Up.” What do you think our society needs to do to rise and shine?
We need a growing realization of our inner connectedness. On a personal level, I’m trying to act with as much care and kindness as I can muster. I don’t know what it’s like to live in other places or be anyone else, but when I meet someone from far away and we can both say “The Wipers rule,” you realize how much you can have in common with people across the globe.

Any fan of creative, heavy or experimental music will not want to miss YOB perform at the Starlite Lounge Friday, July 25, 2014 with Oakland’s Giant Squid and Sacramento’s own Horseneck. Show starts at 8 p.m., tickets are $15.

Supergiant Productions’ Gina Azzarello is celebrating her 30th birthday surrounding herself with what she loves most: local music and art. On Saturday, July 12, 2014, Azzarello is throwing a huge party at Starlite Lounge (1517 21st Street) that includes a Second Saturday art exhibit from 6 to 9 p.m. including work from artists Sarah Marie Hawkins, Kyle Mitzel, Lydia Gavin, Lucas Nissen, Sierra Mallo and others. DJ Blackheart will also be spinning jams during the art show. After 9 p.m., things get louder with live music from local acts Cemetery Sun, Hero’s Last Mission, Alex Vincent Band and other special guests. Admission is just $5 (or hook Gina up with a “present and/or lottery ticket”). On arrival you’ll receive a copy of a compilation CD that Supergiant just put out featuring 13 tracks from rad local bands like Joseph in the Well, Color the Sound, Life in 24 Frames, Broken Iris and others, as well as two drink tickets (limited supplies). “The purpose of the party is to celebrate Sacramento’s role in my life,” Azzarello tells Submerge. “I moved out when I was 15 and when I came to Sacramento I didn’t really have a stable environment, so the scene sort of raised me. I turned all of my important ages at different shows around Sacramento. I turned 16, 18, 21, all at local venues, and the music community became my family.” So there you have it, come on out and join the fam! Whether you know Gina or not, this will be a great summer Sacramento party for anyone and everyone who’s into quality music and art. Happy birthday, Gina. Thanks for your mega-support of Sacramento’s creative culture! To learn more visit Facebook.com/supergiantproductions.

It will be a night of sevens when local rock duo Blue Oaks release their debut single on 7-inch vinyl on Dec. 7, 2013 at Starlite Lounge. There are seven total bands, it’s on Dec. 7, celebrating Blue Oaks’ 7-inch release, all for a $7 cover with a door time of, you guessed it, 7 p.m. Blue Oaks’ vinyl single, which is limited to 300 unique random colored copies (no boring black records here!), features the song “Hit by a Train from New York City Blues” on the A-side with the track “Skeleton Key” on the B-side. You can hear “Skeleton Key” at Facebook.com/blueoaksmusic. We’re really digging Blue Oaks’ gritty, bluesy vibe and can’t wait to hear more from this promising up-and-coming local act. Their release show also features bands like The Kelps, Drive-Thru Mystics, Autumn Sky and more. Get there early, as they will have giveaways for the first 50 people to arrive.

-Photos by Dennis Scott

It’s been a long time coming but the gritty, run down building located at 1517 21st Street that for many years has been known as TownHouse Lounge has finally been sold and is being remodeled and re-branded. The new name: Starlite Lounge. New owner Shannon Cannon (her partner is Charlie Coyne, part owner of The Delta King), who previously helped open up and acted as bar manager for establishments such as Park Ultra Lounge, Mix Downtown and Firestone Public House, told Submerge that the downstairs portion of Starlite will have a “classic mid-century vibe” and will be a “hangout spot with a pool table, photo booth and several other large vintage items, like a ‘37 Harley Knucklehead.”

“I say ‘mid-century’ meaning an early-to-mid ‘50s vibe, but not in a ‘Mel’s Diner’ hokey way,” Cannon clarified. “It’ll be more true to the era,” she said.

Besides having plenty of oddities to look at, Starlite’s downstairs area will also serve what Cannon calls, “Classic American comfort food.” As for the upstairs portion? She says it will have more of an “early ‘60s, old Vegas lounge vibe” and she also pointed out, much to Submerge’s delight, that’s where live bands and DJs will continue to play. “We’ll do everything from live, local bands to DJs, local and not. It’ll be pretty eclectic,” she said. No word was given as to who will book and/or promote the shows.

It should come as no surprise to Submerge readers that had visited TownHouse anytime in recent months or years that the place needed a ton of work. We’ll just say it, we’re all thinking it: it was a dump. Love it or hate it (we were always sort of in the middle) you can’t deny TownHouse was a borderline health hazard. Remember those bathrooms? Yeah, we’ll just leave it at that. Cannon went as far as to point out that the building had been running without gas or hot water.

“That’s why the health department shut it down,” she said. “My goal is to spruce it up and restore back to its better days,” Cannon said of the bar/restaurant/venue. “We have been working on the remodel nonstop for months, six days a week.” She says they hope to be done working on it by the end of July and will then look to do a soft opening event for charity.

Two other points that need to be addressed, as they seem to be very important to plenty of locals who took to Facebook ranting and raving last week when the news of Starlite first hit the Internet: the name change and the old neon sign coming down. Cannon says she did struggle with whether or not to keep the TownHouse name, admitting that it was a “Sacramento staple.” But because of liens the previous tenant had on the name, she said they “couldn’t come to an agreement on my buying the rights to the TownHouse name.” As for the classic neon TownHouse sign that has already been taken down from the front of the building, Cannon says they are not selling it or destroying it, which should hopefully chill out some local history buffs.

“I have spoken with the Downtown Preservation Society, and we are considering donating it or displaying it,” Cannon said, pointing out once again that she doesn’t own the rights to the name “TownHouse” so it cannot be displayed in her business in that manner. “I’m considering keeping a few of the letters in the upstairs portion of the bar as decor but again, it can’t read ‘TownHouse.’”

Sometimes change is good. Yes, it’s a bummer the old neon sign is down, but hopefully it’ll find a new home (all of the letters!). The building is finally getting some much-needed TLC and the upstairs will still host live music and DJs, which for Submerge at least, was one of our main concerns. We all know this town can use as many venues as possible for local and touring talent to play. So we say, “bring on the Starlite!”