Sparta: Intensely Evolved
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Sparta, has stepped through the looking glass and intricately laid out a new uncompromising sculpture of sound and film with their recent release “Threes” and the special edition 16-minute film “Eme Nakia.” The film chronicles the immigration of Sparta drummer Tony Hajjar from Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war of 1975-1990, and the death of Hajjar’s mother from cancer.
In April of 2005, when Sparta was plotting out its album, vocalist Jim Ward and Hajjar filmed while recording and combined demos from the “Threes” sessions along with Ward’s original scores to the movie. They set out to do something artistic and creative and succeeded, tenfold.
The film is extremely moving and delves deep into personal struggles, not unlike the music Sparta as a whole delivers.
The El Paso foursome’s first album “Wiretap Scars” delivered straight forward power and sheer sonic motion. Their second effort “Porcelain” is more of a arty-rock record, layered and atmospheric. The newest album “Threes” comes across as a song-focused album. Even with all three albums so diverse, listeners have no problem identifying them all with Sparta.
Front man Jim Ward describes the evolution, “We spent so much time agonizing over the songs on this record. Months of re-working until we felt the songs had reached their potential. This is very much a song record.
“I think that change happens whether you want it to or not. I will always be some version of me, I would like to explore the caves of music but also want to find my way out when I desire, if that makes any sense at all.”
Spartas songs are written from dark places in human experience. Fans can use the band’s music to help them cope with their own personal tragedies and loses. Could this lead to negative repercussions if the bands direction drastically changes from here?
Jim explains, “I think that we will have to see what happens. I know that fans do get upset when a band changes or whatever, but I would hate to think that I have to make music to make other people happy. That would blow me away. So I guess if people ride the ride, they can get on or get off whenever they choose.”
As for where the band is headed sonically Jim confesses, “Every time I try to sculpt it, it doesn’t work. I let the music go where it wants and follow it more so than the other way around.”
Tegan And Sara: The Con
These 26 year old, identical indie pop twins are clearly maturing, and so is their music.
Produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, this album has many different moods all wrapped up.
Melancholy in some parts, carefree in most and aggressive in others, the Con seems a predictable growth for the girls. When I say predictable, I mean that I got exactly what I wanted from this album, their fifth full length release.
Title track “The Con,” is multi layered and synthdriven and carries a hook that’s quite catchy. Track 5 “Are you ten years ago?” is a darker, 90’s inspired song with layered vocals and bone chilling beats.
My favorite track off this album is number 9, “Burn Your Life Down.” It’s well produced and the lyrics are emotionally moving.
Tegan and Sara are playing in San Francisco in a couple of weeks. Check our calendar page for the dates and info, and look for a future interview with the girls.
Mistah F.A.B: Da Baydestrian
Whether you’ve watched him host at Paid in Full, heard his songs blasting from car speakers, or watched his banned “Ghost Ride It” music video on YouTube, chances are, if you’re a Bay Area hip-hop fan, you know about Mistah F.A.B. For those wondering, his name stands for “Money is Something to Always Have Faeva Afta Bread.” This Oakland-based emcee is putting the Bay Area on the map with the rap world’s latest trend: Hyphy. The “Go Stupid-Go Dumb” movement has been taking over mainstream radio as of late. Songs about stunna shades and “ghost riding whips” receive national airplay, and are part of the reason the Bay Area is finally getting some long-overdue attention in the hip-hop world again.
The opening track reprises a line from the Bay Area anthem, “Super Sic” which was featured on F.A.B.’s 2005 album, Son of a Pimp. Like Son of a Pimp, the new album contains songs that will appeal both Hyphy fans and backpackers. For the Hyphy Kids out there, check out “Sideshow” which features Bay Area legend Too $hort and the raspy-voiced Keak da Sneak and “Dem Cars.”
Backpackers will appreciate the socially conscious lyrics of “My Deepest Thoughts” and the album’s impressive closer, “100 Bars.”
The album’s seventeen tracks do a perfect job of representing the various sides of F.A.B.’s talent. “Goin’ Crazy” which also features Too $hort and Fabo from D4L, who’s “Laffy Taffy” song was stuck in everyone’s head last year, does not do much more than focus on women’s posteriors. The chorus goes “shorty gotta big ol’ butt, baby gotta big ol’ butt, that girl gotta big ol’ butt, it’s so big…it’s so big.” You get the picture. Given the state of mainstream radio today, it will most likely be the album’s single. But on the other side of the scale, the lyrics of “My Deepest Thoughts” and “Life on Track” serve as a representation of his intellectual side.
Da Baydestrian is being called the “album before the album.” As result of Hyphy’s recent success, Mistah F.A.B. signed a deal with major label, Atlantic Records, which serves as a huge boost for Bay Area hip-hop. Unfortunately, due to the legal issues surrounding his Atlantic single, “Ghost Ride It,” the label has pushed back F.A.B.’s album (entitled The Yellow Bus Rydah) until later this year. The single samples the Ghostbusters theme song and the music video features the Ghostbusters car. Though it should be noted that Atlantic did give F.A.B. permission to release an independent album, which became The Baydestrian.
Crossover. This word best represents the many aspects of Mistah F.A.B. He is one of the few emcees that can write an album and freestyle proficiently. He makes songs for the clubs, for the radio, for the sideshows, and for the socially conscious listener. He maintains his street credibility while making huge steps towards mainstream success. Hopefully, by next year, he’ll give us an entire set at Paid in Full, his songs will be blasting from car speakers worldwide, and his videos will be playing on MTV and BET and YouTube.
Rise Of New Audio: Rise Of New Audio
I never know what is better, hearing a band live or hearing the CD first. If the band is really amazing live and then you hear the CD and it sucks, it’s disappointing. If you hear a super bad ass CD then you see the band live and they suck, it’s disappointing too. So you’re pretty much screwed either way. I had seen Rise of New Audio (RONA) at Rebounds in Rocklin and they gave me a few copies of their new self titled EP. I had high enough expectations for the CD after seeing the band live, but I tried to stay as objective as possible.
The CD starts off with a Foo-fighter-ish track, Return to The Grand Estate, the chorus was a little shaky and despite the longer distorted bridge could use a little more diversity. Next on the CD is Ivy League, whose vocal melody is uncomfortably similar to the song before… so it made it kind of hard to listen to in the order it was in. After the first two songs, I feel like the EP gets a lot better.
The next track, Ferrera, has cool lyrics, good solid riffs that are catchy and is much more dynamic than the previous two songs. The next song, Watching this Life, has a moody type of chorus, and at almost four minutes seems to drone on a little bit, I think that if I was in the right state of mind I would have enjoyed this song a little more. I have no idea where Emergency, the next track comes from. It’s really out of nowhere and I wasn’t sure if it was the same band. I suppose it shows the band’s diversity to write different types of music, but it was much more Deftonesish than the rest of the pop/rock CD. It does however flow well into the last song, Never Been So Comfortable very well… whose vibe is harder than the rest of the CD, until you hit some piano part that again I say, what? They also threw in a “secret song” about 30 seconds after the end of the last song. You’ll just have to buy the CD if you are interested in knowing what it is.
I can see what RONA was doing with this CD, it starts off rockin, slows down a bit then rocks back out… and then ends slow. It’s definitely got a flow to it. The CD overall isn’t bad, you just have to pick which song you want to listen to depending on the mood you’re in.
Check out Rise Of New Audio at myspace.com/ronamusic
A Cure For The Common Carnivore
By now, you all know what vegans don’t eat. One of your biggest questions is probably, “Well what DO you eat?” In this month’s column, we would like to share our alternative to your run-of-the mill “Chicken Noodle Soup”.
Although soups are more common during the colder months, we feel that our “Chikken Noodle Soup” can be enjoyed year-round. It’s very delicious and it’s cruelty-free.
We came up with this recipe as an experiment and were very pleased at the end result. We don’t have any set measurements or cooking time, but if you put a little common sense and imagination into it, it will turn out just fine.
Ingredients:
Knorr Vegetable Bouillon Cubes (you can find them at any grocery store)
1 carrot
2 celery stalks (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
the juice of a whole lemon
1/2 white onion
1 chopped jalapeno
1 tablespoon of pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon of garlic salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon of olive oil bow-tie or spiral noodles (you can find vegan ones)
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Tabasco (optional)
extra firm tofu
Preparation:
You will want to use a large pot. Fill it half way with water and set it over medium heat. While you are waiting for it to boil, drop in one of those bouillon cubes. You can, then, add the carrots, garlic salt, and pepper. We prefer a lot of pepper in our soup, but of course you can season to your own liking. Let the soup simmer as you prepare the “chikken”.
Next, you will want to get your tofu. Use maybe a quarter of what’s in the package, unless you prefer more. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Get a cookie sheet or baking pan, and cover with a thin layer of olive oil so the tofu doesn’t stick. Dice the tofu up in cubes a little smaller than dice. Don’t cut them too small because they will shrink when they cook.
Place the cubes evenly into the baking pan. Splash a little soy sauce, Tabasco, garlic salt, and pepper over the cubed tofu and use a spoon to stir it around so it is evenly mixed. Arrange the cubes evenly on the tray. Leave them in the oven for at least 10 minutes, or until the cubes become somewhat dehydrated. It’s okay if they are a bit dry because they will soak up enough of the soup to have an awesome texture.
By this time, the water should be boiling and the carrots should be softer. You can add the chopped celery, bell pepper, jalapeno, and onion. Since our ingredient measurements were based on “guesstimates”, we felt that the soup needed more water. If you think there might not be enough water in the soup, add a bit more, but remember to add more salt and pepper because you don’t want to take from the taste.
After simmering for 10 more minutes, add the tofu cubes and throw in a handful or two of those noodles. You will know the soup is ready when the noodles soft. Taste the broth and add more salt or pepper, if needed. Also, add the lemon juice. It will add a tangy zest!
We really hope you enjoy this delicious vegan recipe. The amazing thing about soup is you can get really creative with it, adding different types of vegetables. If any of you think of an interesting twist to this recipe, please let us know!
Please send all correspondence to: herecomethevegans@yahoo.com
Peel Back The Layers…
A Profile Of Artist Bryan Freeny
“Enigmatic canvases layered with numbers and letters suggest faded signs painted on brick warehouses along The City’s waterfront.” -The San Francisco Examiner Magazine; May 1997
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In 1995… Bryan had just started painting at The Art Explosion studios in San Francisco. He was asked by a couple artists to share a 400 sq. ft space. “I studied graphic design at the Academy of Art - I had never really painted before. I was working as a graphic designer and print production artist. It seemed like a good opportunity to get into another creative circle,” Freeny remembers.
Bryan’s early works were no more than experimentation with materials and techniques on wooden doors salvaged from his parents house in Vacaville. “The folks decided to change all the original doors in their house and I asked if I could keep them.” He ended up cutting those doors into different size pieces and painting on them. The effects captured the textures and colors he was so used to seeing around The City. After he completed an eight piece series and nearly selling all of them at group shows, he asked himself, “Can I get the same effect on canvas?” 2 years later, Bryan’s new works on canvas were discovered and highlighted as the centerpiece artwork for one of San Francisco’s newest upscale restaurants, “Globe”. A 3 piece series was featured in The San Francisco Examiner Magazine in May, 1997.
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“I remember my friend Anthony calling me on a Sunday morning asking if I had seen the paper yet. He said my work was “all over the magazine”. I bought a paper at the neighborhood market, thumbed through the magazine and found myself speechless. That was a huge break for me back then”, Freeny says.
“His paintings gained more and more notoriety in the Bay Area after Joseph and Mary Manzare of Globe featured Bryan’s work”, says a friend. “It looked like Bryan was at the beginning of something special.”
For the next few years, Bryan continued working and growing as a visual artist. His interest in photography filled in the gaps when he wasn’t painting.
He has a black and white photo series that is still a work in progress. “I showed a few pieces at a small gallery on Russian Hill a while back, but that series is still a work in progress.”
In 2004 Bryan moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles for new employment in the print industry. “There’s always been this balance between the work I do on computers for print versus the work I do in my studio. It’s a technical, almost sterile environment in print yet when I get to the studio, I take my shoes off, put on some good music and paint.
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I make a mess. Working in the studio can be as simple as sitting in front of a piece for hours pondering about what my next move is or working so long that the next thing I know, the sun is coming up. I’ve forgotten about everything for hours and hours.”
Freeny’s work in Los Angeles is similar in style to the work created in San Francisco yet different. His color palette became brighter and his subject matter added some local flair. In a recently finished piece “Bronze”, Freeny added what looks like a mans face peeking from under the painting. “Friends that have seen that piece are at odds with it. They’re so used to my usual subject matter that it threw them off”. Bryan has been involved in many group and juried art shows in the last 10 years. His work has also been featured in an independent film called “Closer Than the Boy Next Door”. Most recently, Bryan was invited to create 2 pieces for the annual INCOGNITO show at The Santa Monica Museum of Art.
Currently, you can view a selection of Bryan’s work at Globe Restaurant (www.globerestaurant. com), Pescheria Restaurant (www.pescheria-sf.com) and Zuppa Restaurant (www.zuppasf.com) in San Francisco.
For more information or to be included on Bryan Freeny’s mailing list for future shows, please email him at: heypicasso@gmail. com or bfreeny@insyncmedia. com.
All American Tattoo Festival In Sacramento
The gnawing sound of tattoo guns buzzing, ears stretched in all sizes, colorful flesh adorned in beautiful art and freshly tattooed, bloody skin wrapped in plastic wrap filled the Sacramento convention center June 16- June 18.
For the last six years the fellas at Forever Tattoo have brought the All American Tattoo Festival to Sacramento.
This year was my first year attending, and boy was I missing out the last five years! Some artists came all the way from New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Tokyo, Italy, Spain, Japan and Samoa.
The list of 150 artists included Rick Walters, Catfish Carl, Bill Salmon, Cris Trevino, Scott Silva, Mike Wilson, Mike Rubendall, Hori Taka representing the Hori Yoshi Family, and Tokyo Hardcore.
Along with 25 other vendors, art displays, tattoo contests, sideshow entertainment and attendees from all over the world the festival was a tattoo junkie’s dream. Forever Tattoo’s co-owner Eiland explained that he and the crew took multiple trips to Europe and Asia seeking out these artists and building a passionate repertoire with them and their art.
The highlight of this festival is the vast collection of tattooing styles from all over the world at Sacramento’s fingertips for a whole weekend.
Tattoo artist Pili Mo’o was using the traditional Polynesian tribal style of Tautua to ink a woman’s back. The sound of the wood being smacked echoed throughout the center, and drew quite a few onlookers.
From tattoo culture books and clothes, original art to local band merchandise, the shopping selection wasn’t bad either.
Overall the All-American Tattoo festival has become an event not to miss for tattoo collectors, voyeurs and artists alike.
I can’t wait till next year.
How Not To Sell A Vacuum…
One downside of living in a house and not in a van down by the river, is solicitors. We get Mormons, Witnesses, children selling candy, but recently we got quite the anomalous visitor.
At 8:30pm on a Saturday my husband answered the door and failed at shooing away a door-to-door vacuum salesman. He tried to tell the guy to get lost, but after offering him a deep carpet cleaning of any room, my husband crumbled handing over the torch to me the “lady of the house”.
I thought door-to-door vacuum salesmen were extinct. Apparently, these relentless beasts only come out when you’re cooking a late dinner and trying to play video games as your 10-month-old son is finally asleep.
They sneak in offering deep cleaning but wreak havoc trying to convince you to buy an $1800 vacuum and making you feel like the filthiest person alive with their special filters and transmission powered shiny metal suckers.
The poor 20-year-old kid offered to clean one room for only an hour of his sales pitch. We agreed out of pity (and wanting our carpet cleaned for free).
Now, I understand the young man trying to sell us a vacuum was only doing his job, and even though we greeted him at the door with a “No WAY can we afford that,” he tried his damnedest to convince us otherwise.
He vacuumed the carpet with our own trusty affordable vacuum first, then set up his machine of humiliation. Vacuuming over the same area, he pulled out a filter and showed us what looked like a 8-pound hairball made out of dirt and dust.
He then said 10 words, “Do you really want your son crawling around on this?” as he looked at me I could have chopped off his head and buried him in the dust and dirt the vacuum had just picked up.
My glare probably convinced him of his utter doom and he then tried another approach. “But it’s not your fault, you’re only as good as the tools you use, and your current vacuum is at fault.”
Little did he know I was still plotting his demise and wondering what type of flowers I could plant in the soil he’d be six feet under.
He continued to fill up filters and show us how great the machine he was peddling really was. He told a story about how NASA had developed the shiny metal motorized vacuum head that was powered by a real transmission.
He then used an the upholstery attachment on our 4 year old couch, and got a small amount of dust and dirt and claimed it was “Fart Dust.”
Once again I was plotting his burial under my garden.
He tried and tried, but we had warned him before he took his first step into our threshold. “We cannot afford an $1800 vacuum, no matter how great it works.”
He offered us a payment plan and I assured him, “Unless it’s free, no way.”
By this time, over an hour had passed and my dinner was cold. He wrapped up his pitch with “When you can afford it gives us a call.”
I almost kicked his poorly dressed butt out the door but refrained out of pity.
