Tegan and Sara never planned on this…
 Photo by Autumn De Wilde |
A good musician doesn’t plan on getting rich and famous.
A good musician pours their passion into their music and their love into their albums. Sometimes the recognition and fame they deserve just happens to stumble onto them while they’re busy being good musicians.
Tegan And Sara Quin are good examples of this theory.
At fifteen, when the Calgary, Alberta twin sisters started playing music together, they never expected to be playing sold out shows all over the world in support of their fifth label album. They never expected to have a fan base so loyal and so devout that they could take a year and a half off and return like they never left, despite what the record labels tried to fill their heads with.
“I didn’t think about it, I really don’t even think about where we’re going to be in a year,” Tegan explained. “The only future projections and goals I always set are to learn as much as I possibly can, so that tomorrow I’m happier, more fulfilled and more satisfied, so that I am a better friend and a better person. I don’t look into the future and expect in five years that we’ve sold this many records. I don’t think that way. Sara and I never really projected that this is what we wanted to do as a career. So, when it happened, we really didn’t have another plan. So, in the last ten years it still remains very inspiring. So, in ten years if it still feels like this, then we’ll still be doing it. I’m always where I want to be.”
The new album “The Con” shows a difference and musical growth from their past albums. “There’s an obvious difference,” Tegan said. “It’s definitely more melancholy sounding and darker sounding; it’s still really heavy and still poppy in some places. It’s not as poppy sounding upon first listen. We did a lot of the keyboards and piano and guitar lines ourselves, where in the past we’ve relied on John Collins and David Carswell on the past two records, who produced and played a lot of the instruments. As well as Matt Sharp, and Matt came in on this record and played Bass.
“There was a different feel to this record,” Tegan added. “Sara and I spent a year demoing it. We put the demos together and sent them to Chris Walla to see if he wanted to do the album with us some of the songs were complete in some way. There wasn’t a lot of musical influence on this record, it was very much what came out of us, and then Chris brought an indie rougher production style. He let us be really loose. We recorded all of our parts first and then added drums and bass, which isn’t very typical. There are a lot of sonic differences. The big difference I hear in it is it sounds like us.
We’re singing on each other’s songs, and this is the first time we’ve ever really done that, usually it’s Sara on her songs and myself on mine. I hear our voices intermingling in a way I haven’t heard before.”
Writing separately using the internet and shipping hard drives back and forth, over the last year and a half, is how they accomplished this sonic growth, well that and life of course.
According to Tegan that’s how they’ve always done it.
“We’ve always written that way. We’ve been doing it since we were 14, even when we lived in the same house together. It’s a good thing.
Writing is very much an independent sport.
‘So Jealous’ was similar in the way we went back and forth over the internet.
I would buy a hard drive and put all the sessions on it, send it to Sara so she could record into my sessions. We’ve done the last two records that way.
Now, it’s kind of old hat.”
On tour for a year and a half now, after a year and a half break, they have numerous sold out shows on their schedule.
“It feels good to go away for a year and a half and just put dates up on the MySpace page and them sell out,” Tegan exuded. “It feels great.
Most of them sold out the first day. They’re small venues, but even in Portland and L.A., where there are 600 seat venues, we had to do double nights there. It felt really good.”
“You see and hear so many horror stories about bands who go away,” Tegan continued. “The record company would have you believe it’s doomed. We had an agent that once told us that, ‘Nobody cares in this business.’ But, I think we have the kind of fans who do care. I think it’s more than just music with us, it’s a culture maybe the personality with the band, and that we really are friends with our fans, we are really in a relationship in some way with the whole culture that’s happening around us. I am surprised and excited, but not surprised and excited. I thought, ‘Of course they’re excited, of course they’re going to come and visit and hang out.’ It made sense. I think that now that we’re out here and doing it, it feels really natural, like we were never gone.”
Experiencing their stage show for the first time, I definitely feel the personality and intimacy Tegan described.
Tegan and Sara aren’t just musicians; they’re friends with their fans.
They’ve built a relationship with their listeners unlike any I’ve witnessed before. Their stage shows are intimate and fun, with sisterly teasing and sharing of their life experiences. Attending their show on July 22 at the Brava Theater was like having a conversation with two friends, and getting to hear beautiful music as the soundtrack.
The other three musicians in their band also seem like close friends.
The sisters manipulate so many different instruments during their show, giving evidence to the many layers that make up ‘The Con.’
Acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and shakers were getting traded and tuned throughout the set.
They performed their entire new album to the tee, and delivered a great musical experience I won’t ever forget.
I don’t write about bands that I don’t love, So, take this as it is; a personal memoir of a musical experience I thoroughly enjoyed and felt the need to share.
Tegan wants you to take it in yourselves instead of listening to what the media tries to pour down your throat.
She expressed her concern with the media writing “the same five things” about the group, and how she’d rather people come to their own conclusions.
As good musicians do.
Perfect Strangers: Solomon’s Ashes
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Catching up with the guys from Solomon’s Ashes meant driving down the long driveway of a local storage shed rental company in Vacaville and meeting the band as they loaded equipment for a concert later that night.
Only a couple members of the four-piece band are there. Soon, the others come rolling in with no specific schedule in mind. They play at nine, maybe 10 or possibly 10:30 p.m. that night at a rare allages show in their hometown.
No one is concerned. They are too busy nursing hangovers from the night before and swapping stories with fellow Vacaville-based rockers Malcontent, who opened the show later in the night.
At first glance they fit the stereotypical “band” make-up. The lead singer and guitarist, Charlie Jacobs, 25, sports half-sleeve tattoos while his meticulously manicured hair hangs behind his gold sunglasses. Bassist Corey Groves, 29, shows off his vibrant arm artwork in a sleeveless shirt and hides his face behind some Eric Estrada shades and a black bandana fronting his low profile Mohawk.
Mike Lundeen, 28, perfectly fits the bill as the soft-spoken, long-haired drummer. And Chris Hartzell, 23, lets his curly, jet black hair bounce while moving equipment and carrying a new pack of guitar strings, more focused the show than the interview.
They look, and later prove, like they belong together. Although they all wear the classic black clothes of rock music, there’s nothing uniform to how they got together.
After leaving Paredim Shift, a gut-wrenching split, Jacobs was in searchof a new project. He first came across Groves, his friend’s little brother, who had a base, but not a lot of skill.
“I was still pretty much a newbie,” Groves said. “I had the gear, but not really the experience. It took a while for the music to come along.”
Jacobs soon took him under his wing and the two began making music, but still needed a drummer to at least form a three-piece band. Lundeen, who was in a hotel room in Reno celebrating his birthday, got a call about wanting to play with some mutual friends. After playing with the two for a bit, Lundeen said he was sold on the idea of getting serious. “I knew right then I knew this was what I wanted to get into,” he said.
And Solomon’s Ashes was born. Jacobs said the name of the band came to him in a dream. After paying an artist $20 to create the logo, the band started creating music.
But it wasn’t long before they would add the fourth piece they had been looking for.
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Hartzell, who came out to California to start playing music, was playing in a band in Santa Rosa, where his aunt and uncle lived. Jacobs said he knew Hartzell was right for the group, but didn’t want to steal from another band.
Hartzell said his band started heading in a casual direction, while he was more focused on getting bigger and better.
“As time went on, it wasn’t what I was looking for,” he said.
Meanwhile, he was being courted by a new band with a similar desire to blow up. After seeing them play and jamming a few times, like Lundeen, Hartzell said he knew right away the group would click.
“I have to have a feeling with a band,” he said. “It was a good bond. We come from the same background.”
So, for the last two years Solomons Ashes have been plugging along. Using self-promotion as their main weapon, the group started playing impromptu acoustic shows outside large venues and passing out flyers to whomever would take one.
The fruits of those labors could be seen later that night. Outside of a local pizza joint, the band meets with fans while waiting for their set inside the packed restaurant.
They soon hit the stage and the mild-mannered quartet soon flip the switch and start their energy-filled show. While Lundeen sets the pace with the pedals, Jacobs belts out vocals while Hartzell and Groves jump, pose and grimmace while rattling off a guitar-heavy sound. Except for a semi-ballad to close the show, the group pounds out a heavy, yet clean, sound.
Currently they are working on a full-length album and are featured on Bodog.com, in a battle of the bands competition. They said that with a new album in the works and even more marketing, their time may soon come.Until then, the four continue to grow together and build upon the chemistry they have amassed in the past. “We’ll quit our jobs and go. We’ll do it,” Jacobs said.
High On Fire @ The Townhouse, 06/15/07
 Photo by Jose Montenegro
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June 15, 2007-Presented by what is quickly becoming the ‘infamous’ Royal Peacock Tattoo Parlor was a night to be remembered for any metal fan that stepped within feet of the Town House in Midtown Sacramento. Not often does this town get to experience the utter brutality of this kind of magnitude; metal of this brand is usually kept for the dungeons of Oakland or the southeast where sludgy-thrash metal is hugely recognized as a driving force in today’s metal scene.
High On Fire was not the only band that played for us all that evening, it was almost an all-star lineup as far as Sacramento is concerned. Four local bands opened the show to get everyone all nice and riled up-with local metal ‘Vomit’ opening up the night, which certainly did start to bring in the booze hounds. After that was local hard rock extraordinaire ‘Deconstruct’, which surprisingly didn’t pack the up stairs level as much as was anticipated-I’m going with the fact that their bigger crowds are the under 21 bunch that can get into places like the Boardwalk out in Orangevale.
Afterwards, ‘Red Tape’ (local signed punk-thrash band) took the stage with a much greeted crowd; this was no surprise to me seeing as lead guitarist Jesse Mitchell is quite well known in the downtown/ midtown area working at the Peacock, and Jeff Jaworski who is also vocals for local metallers Will Haven are fronting the band, and Red Tape has had a great following in Sacramento for quite some time now. Afterwards was a Psychobilly band by the name of the ‘Hellbillys’, who, to be quite honest, I didn’t stay in the upstairs for because I felt another beer calling my name before the main act came on.
Just before midnight I believe it was, suddenly I turned around at the bar and was surrounded by wall to wall people with long hair and black t-shirts. I quickly ran to the bathroom and witnessed a kid that obviously couldn’t hold his liquor hugging the urinal (not the toilet with walls around it, but the actual urinal), I then knew that tonight had only just begun and was about to get out of hand. I quickly went and grabbed two quick one dollar pints of Pabst that the Royal Peacock was kind enough to supply us with, and ran upstairs to get ready for the mayhem that was only minutes away from occurring.
I want to say it was right at midnight when the band entered onto the stage that has been nicely reconstructed in the upstairs of the club that has been resurrected. Not a thing was said to the crowd to start the set, and to be perfectly honest I can’t remember what song they opened with (if I had to guess-it was Sons of Thunder, off of Blessed Black Wings).
All that I know is that when the music began and the lights dimmed to a dull dark red color, the crowd pushed forward and instantly a circle pit began.
 Photo by Jose Montenegro |
I waited back for only a moment to finish my two beers that had so graciously given my money for, but when the music picked up and the sludgy thrash sound that is High On Fire took over, I was only forced in by my dumb-founded sense of being young and kind of tipsy. The first few songs were the roughest with the crowd as it usually is at any show (because the crowd hasn’t tired yet from the heat and sweating), and then in the middle of a killer guitar solo by lead vocals/lead guitarist Matt Pike-the fury that was unleashed tripped a breaker and the power collapsed for a short period of time. When the power came back on, the crowd was fully re-energized and ready for more-so more is what we got.
Everything you’ve ever read, or ever heard about High On Fire is probably wrong or right depending on what you’ve heard. From start to finish the old-school metal heads in the crowd gave up a great mosh pit for every song, and from start to finish the power decided to cut off three separate times, and sadly enough the power going out the third time was also the end of this brutal show. I almost couldn’t figure out if it was how loud the band was, or how hot it was in the club, seeing as every time I step foot in that place it feel’s like it’s about a hundred degrees.
My night ended in the back room with High On Fire, Deconstruct, and Red Tape having a few more beers and talking music-that is until the cops decided to come and break up our party all because some stupid frat boys decided to get into a fight out in the street-probably over a girl.
This night was significant for the Sacramento downtown/midtown metal scene because bands of this magnitude that have such an underground presence don’t come our way very often; and when they do, they tend to come through on massive tours and go through the Boardwalk. Lets hope this is the beginning to something great forming in Sacramento, lets hope this isn’t the last show to bring the over 21 metal crowd out!
Kenneth Scott Mackrel
May 15th, 1971 - July 23rd, 2007
I was going to write an article on the local Sacramento band Col. Jimmy and the Black Fish for this month’s issue of Fringe. I wanted to tell the readers about a band that I had the privilege of singing for. About a group of guys that are not just near and dear to my heart but incredibly talented and individualistic. It greatly saddens me to instead have to relay the passing of Kenneth Scott Mackrel. Ken was the “Black Fish” the bass player and a contributing writer behind Col. Jimmy and the Black Fish. Kenny lifted my heart and drove me to lift my voice in ways I never had before. Ken took his own life on July 23rd,2007.
The following is an exert from the Obituary; Kenneth Scott Mackrel was born in Anchorage Alaska on May 15th, 1971 to Joy and Dennis Mackrel, Sr. He was the youngest if their five children.
As a child, ken established himself early on as a creative, independent and strong willed person. Kenny was very close o his parents and siblings and made friends easily. He was also very intelligent.
After the death of his mother in 1986 Ken moved to Sacramento where he lived with his father and step-mother. He graduated from Hiram Johnson High School in 1988.
Ken had a life long love of music and was a selftaught musician. He was the founding member and lead force in the bands “Firepie” and “Phibes Infernal Machine”. He was loved and well known in the musical community.
Kenny was well known for his since of humor, and loyalty. He was deeply loved by everyone who knew him and will be greatly missed. He died unexpectedly on July 23rd, 2007 and will live in our hearts forever.
After attending the viewing and the memorial service I had the opportunity to meet some of Ken’s other friends and his family. Each person I spoke to shared with me an experience they had with Ken at some point in his life. Every one of them expressed how touched they were to have known Ken. There were lots of stories about the mischievous and humorous things Ken had done while performing, he had a love for sharing distasteful jokes with the audience just before a performance. And lots of stories from his closest band-mates, the kind that make you drop your jaw and laugh at the same time, (stories I know I could never get past an editor and printed in this article). There was one underlying sentiment that came up time and time again, Ken’s ability to put aside his own problems to help others in need. Ken would without judgment lend an ear to anyone that needed someone to talk to. It didn’t matter if it was a drug addicted teenager on the street or the owner of a club he was performing at. His ability to relate to and understand humanity was nothing short of spiritual. It was this bond he had with people that built the droves of friends in his life, and that enabled him to help so many others.
I feel privileged to have known Ken on both a personal and professional level, not a day has gone by since his passing that I have not wished I still had my friend in my life. Every day I wonder if there was anything that I could have done differently, or any way I could have shown him how important he was to the world. Suicide is a particularly awful way to die: the mental suffering leading up to it is sadly prolonged and intense.
There is no morphine equivalent to ease the acute pain; death, not uncommonly, is violent and grisly. The suffering of the suicidal is private and inexpressible, leaving family members, friends, and colleagues to deal with an almost unfathomable kind of loss, as well as guilt. Suicide carries in its aftermath a level of confusion and devastation that is, for the most part, beyond description.
It is because of this I want to include the phone number for The National Suicide Prevention Line and urge those who feel like my friend did to give life another day. There is always someone to talk to and always someone who will listen without judgment, just like I know Ken would have done. 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
I would also like to thank everyone that came to the Distillery for the benefit show on Friday July 27th and most graciously showed their support for Ken’s family. The monies donated covered the unexpected costs of this tragedy and helped to ease the burden for his family. Most of all I would like to thank Ken for showing me the true beauty in humanity; I am a better person for having had his friendship.
For my wayward BlackFish with love, SaraJane
Defining Broken Iris
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The scene in Sacramento is not very big. Once you get to know the people and the bands, it all seems to mesh together in some big incestuous musical blob. Band members leave bands, join new ones, break up, then come together and form new ones. Broken Iris is a band that blossomed out of the musical mesh of Sacramento. The band has musical experience, a unique sound-track style, a great attitude and an interesting story. Steve, the bass player answered a few questions for me about the band.
FRINGE: I hear that you’ve been working on a new record for a while; it’s finally coming out September 1st. What took so long?
STEVE: The song writing process was a lot of trial and error. We felt it needed time to develop into what it has become. A majority of the record was written in my recording studio. Some songs were recorded five to six different ways before actually going in to the final recording studio. You can’t put a time limit on perfection.
FRINGE: Your whole band is a really diverse group. How the heck did you come together as a band?
STEVE: The band was together for about a year before Danny (guitar) and I joined. They were an acoustic rock band who played a few shows and then had some down time when Tony left the band.
Shortly after that I was told by my friend Jack that there was this amazing singer in town, so I checked it out and I was blown away. I immediately got on the phone to see if they would be interested in playing and now here we are.
FRINGE: Who is Tony?
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STEVE: Tony is the writer. He was the old guitar player and now he’s a huge part of the bands concept. He is writing the books on which all of the Broken Iris albums will be like a soundtrack to. He gives the lyrics and skeleton of the songs and then we take them and put our influences on them and give them the soundtrack feel.
FRINGE: Your style of music is really big epic sounding sounds with strong feeling behind the lyrics. Bands should always be progressing in some way, where do you see the band’s sound progressing?
STEVE: We will have to see, it’s one goal at a time one album at a time. If I were to take a guess I think it will have the same elements, but better. We just started doing the symphony and programming so I hope that’s what direction we will be headed on the next album
FRINGE: Because your music is so different from other bands out there do you have a hard time finding bands to play with?
STEVE: At first we thought we would, but you would be surprised on how many different styles of music people are into.
FRINGE: Can people get your CD before the CD release?
STEVE: September 1st is the earliest, but we are doing pre sales soon so you can ensure that you get one.
Their CD release is at the Boardwalk in Orangevale on September 1st. You can find more information about the band, and a link to pre-order the CD at www.myspace.com/brokeniris I would definitely recommend ordering a copy, before this band blows up and the CD is only going to be available on Ebay.
The Break Up, And The Way Back In
Recently surviving an anticipated and very emotional, yet very temporary break up from the one I’m truly in love with, I couldn’t help but to explore some new variety in the world of single and seeking young people.
Actually, let me rephrase that by admitting I bolted back into the safety zone of the free world, the tears on my face drying from the sheer velocity of the trip back in.
I learned that the single society I had previously been so devoted to was just the same way as I had left it those months ago when I decided to clip my wings and commit to monogamy. After returning with my pretty yellow tail in between my legs and a shiver of defeat in my cowering eyes, I quickly realized I was, in a great way, glad to be home. I was back to just me, and the me who loved to meet and date and dabble and dazzle, if only for a short week and a half.
The no-strings-attached men that I started hating back when I so craved emotional attention were thankfully still as simple, predictable and excitable as they had been before, only this time they seemed less desperate and even more attractive. Over my second Grey Goose Gibson Martini and surrounded by five young, energetic guys on a relaxed bar patio under twinkling lights, it was hard to pinpoint why I previously wanted them all to just casually drop off the face of the Earth and become extinct. Being single hadn’t really been that bad, right? Surely I was just being over-dramatic and needy, two characteristics that actively single women cannot posses.
This was the greatest group of humankind! I wanted to take them all home with me!
Of course I limited myself to just one, and I knew instantly he’d be my first fling on my rebound circuit. With boisterous energy, dreamy hazel eyes, and an exceptional tolerance to Captain and Cokes, we spent a Saturday night swooning each other in the modern way. This meaning he called me “sexy” while I saved his seat whenever he had to use the bathroom. Ahh, how romantic it was. And damnit, he made me laugh! His feeble spell was just what I needed to relax and forget about the horrible week I had cutting ties with the man I was so terribly addicted to.
I was soon to be reminded that irony is such an ugly bitch! While my cutie-pie fling and I had fun pre-flinging, flirting, touching, and smooching, the sex was almost as stimulating as a catnap in the early evening after a big dinner and a long day. I’ve been more turned on by a short bus ride across town! It was, in short, some of the most boring sex I’ve ever had. I didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or punch the idiot in the face! When my true love came gallivanting back into my life a week later I was completely ecstatic and couldn’t wait to get him in bed to relieve all of the sexual frustration that had built up in one lousy night. There’s nothing on Earth like having a best friend that you’re attracted to and is completely hot in bed. Yes, I say my prayers.
My rebound adventure was the worst of its kind and I couldn’t have felt even remotely guilty about it if I tried. Next time I’ll try rebounding with batteries, leaving those cutie-pie men on the patio at last call.
Catching Up With Soul Distortion
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No, they’re not Soul Asylum, and no, they’re not Social Distortion. They are Sacramento’s own Soul Distortion - a local band of old-school metal-heads that are popping up all over the place lately.
Mike Murray, the band’s drummer, was able to fill me in on some of the more important things regarding Soul Distortion. First all, trying to describe a band’s sound is always a challenge for a writer. I can easily just say that they’re a heavy metal band, or I can say that they sound like a cross between old Queensryche and Alice In Chains with a modern twist, but I would run the risk of getting it all wrong in the band’s point of view. So I asked Mike to describe their sound in three words.
“Chunky, progressive, and melodic,” says Mike. If you’re having difficulty getting those words to make sense, read the above paragraph again. He also added, “From the late 70s and early 80s we all kind of knew this would be our passion. Seeing and listening to acts like KISS, Judas Priest, UFO, Iron Maiden, Y&T, and so on created the inspiration that drove the passion. Everything heavy, theatrical, and melodic.” There. Add all of those bands to the ones listed above, and you’ll get a good idea of what the band sounds like, classic heavy metal with a modern sound.
“It’s not old school, and not mainstream, but a combination of both,” Mike explains. “Our music is getting more progressive and tasty. The neat thing is that, because we’re more of a hybrid band, we can play shows with more different types of bands.”
Soul Distortion has been busy playing around the Sacramento area, as well as San Francisco. I wanted to find out if they noticed a considerable difference between the Sac scene and the SF scene.
“The great thing about the Bay Area metal scene,” Mike began, “is that the area is so diverse and dense, culturally. You have no choice but to always find some kickass club or band to bang your head to. Sacramento is also diverse, but I think it fails to get the recognition for how many great bands and types of metal that exist here. Sacramento offers the same quality, if not better, of metal, but you’re limited to a handful of places that support the metal scene.”
To get to know the individual members of the band, I asked Mike to assign each member a role in the Village People.
“Andy (guitar) would be the construction worker because he sells bikes for a living. He would probably love to wear that outfit because he’s a fricken poser.
“Fogarty (guitar) would be the biker because he sometimes wears this Rob Halford looking leather hat. Deep down inside he totally wants to wear an all-leather outfit live on stage.
“Dave (bass) is definitely the Indian because he has the longest hair. Also, I think he used to be in a Village People tribute project.
“Mike (drums) - I would, without a doubt, be the cop. He is in the back, pounding on the drum kit, always wanting to be the front man. Besides, he’s the biggest poser we know and would probably wear that costume live without hesitation.
“Pat (vocals) would be the cowboy. He’s all of 120 pounds, skinny, and likes to shake his ass around. I think he wanted to be in that Village People tribute project with Dave.”
Soul Distortion is currently in the recording studio, wrapping up a new CD project. They are hoping for a release date sometime in September, with a California mini-tour in the works as well. Some parting words from Mike, “Our next show is September 8th at the Kennel Club, and we’re going to tear it up! Mention that you read this article and I, Mike the drummer, will buy you a beer.”
Well, dude, you better bring a lot of cash to the show, ’cause you never know what might happen. There you have it, folks, free beer! Check out Soul Distortion at www.souldistortion.com.
Aroarah: Girls That Rock Harder Than “Sissy Emo Bands”
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With the last of the four girls in Aroarah just turning 21, these workaholics have plenty of time to take over the local rock scene, but that doesn’t mean they’re taking it slow.
Since early 2004 these four women have certainly come into their own in the Sacramento scene; playing KWOD’s Twisted Christmas with the likes of Gnarls Barkely and Papa Roach, getting one of their songs on 98 rocks Sac Rocks compilation cd, gaining a full endorsement from ESP guitars, getting featured in a national running Converse commercial, and so much more.
With awards like “Best Out Of The Area Band” at The Southern California Music Awards (2006), and nominations like “Rock Artist of The Year” in the 16th Annual Los Angeles Music Awards, it looks like ALL of California has been taken by these rock vixens.
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A tight knit group of friends and good, solid music, they have worked out the right formula to sure stardom. It’s only a matter of time before these girls will be impossible to ignore. Their front woman Lydia shared with me a few things about the band after their latest Boardwalk show…
FRINGE: I’ve known your band for a while now and it’s been really cool to see the changes and how you’ve all progressed and become better songwriters.
What would you attribute to the knowledge that you’ve gained so far?
LYDIA: Practice, Practice, Practice. That is really the only true thing that will make you a better player. AROARAH is the first band all of us have ever been in, so over the six years of being a unit we have grown together and can almost communicate on a different level. There is no ego between players, so everyone is open to constructive criticism. At the end of the day it is all about doing what is best for the song.
FRINGE: I’ve heard Jack from Die Trying heckle you guys about groupies before… You’ve gotta have at least a few right?
LYDIA: Well, yes! We do have groupies of both sexes. We are super friendly people though, so ‘groupies’ usually end up becoming good friends. BUT, party rules always apply!! If you pass out with your shoes on, don’t be surprised if you get fucked with! We are big pranksters!
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FRINGE: You’re playing warped tour in august for a few dates, that’s great news! What are you looking forward to the most about those shows?
LYDIA: Yes! We are super stoked that we are on Warped Tour this year! We have seven dates and are going to be playing on the Kevin Says Hot Topic Stage! We have done a couple Warped dates in the past, but nothing like this! I think we are really looking forward to making new friends and ROCKIN new cities!
FRINGE: I know you guys are good friends with Breva, and you play a lot of shows together, how did that whole relationship start?
LYDIA: Well, Kenzie was bartending at The Boardwalk a couple years ago and she actually ran into Tim, one of BREVA’s Guitarist. She turned him onto Jack Knoester with Powerup Records/Management, who is also our booking agent, and BREVA ended up jumping on the PowerUp team. Since we share mutual companies and enjoy each others music we have been playing shows ever since!
FRINGE: Everyone has a different opinion on LA, especially when you ask bands..I’d like to know, what do you guys think of LA?
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LYDIA: We LOVE Los Angeles! It’s like an entire different world down there! After the last 3/4ths of us graduated high school in 2004 our management company, January Music Group, moved us down there for a year to record our EP ‘ Together life means so much more’. While there we partied like rockstars and met alot of amazing people!
FRINGE: When are you going to have new music out?! I have been waiting for a long time dangit!
LYDIA: I know! It has been forever since we have released a new record! We are planning on hitting the studio this fall when we return home from tour, so we’ll see how things go. If not a new EP we will definitely have new music on our SNOCAP account, which is available on our myspace page, for purchase! OUR FANS HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH!
FRINGE: Any last words??
LYDIA: Don’t judge something before you experience it. For if you do, you’ll miss out on alot of great things.
You can find more information on Aroarah at www.myspace.com/aroarah. Check out their upcoming shows or catch them on Warped Tour!
Chalk It Up!
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Every Labor Day weekend thousands of people brave the hot summer sun and travel to Sacramento’s Fremont Park to watch over a hundred artists transform the surrounding sidewalks into art masterpieces. 2007 marks the 17th anniversary of the Chalk It Up! to Sacramento art festival. The event, which takes place at Fremont Park, located at P and 15 St. in Sacramento, brings family-friendly live entertainment, food and craft vendors, and of course, a whole lot of art.
As a long time Chalk It Up artist, I look forward to this event every year. I love the atmosphere, the people, and the fact that I am giving something back to the community.
Chalk It Up! To Sacramento is a non-profit organization dedicated to funding children’s art education in the Sacramento region. By 2004, the organization had already raised more than $50,000 in total arts grants given. This task has not been an easy one, as Chalk It Up! is run solely by volunteers, and relies on the community for its support. The musicians and performers donate their talents for free, as do the artists.
Local businesses and organizations sponsor each individual sidewalk square surrounding the park.
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Each artist creates a work of art, always including the sponsor’s name somewhere on the 5′ by 5’square.
The first festival was held in 1991 at Cesar Chavez park, moving to Fremont Park in 1993. Since then the event has grown considerably each year, offering more and more in grants for arts education.
December 2002 brought the passing of one of the original board members, Rick Best. His work and life were celebrated at the 2003 festival, including a special tree-planting ceremony as well as a group art show theme. In his memory, the organization started granting scholarships to individual students to attend the California State Summer School of the Arts.
Since the festival moved to Fremont Park, new playground equipment has been installed, as well as extra sidewalk paths crossing through the grass areas, giving artists even more opportunities to create! The artwork ranges from the simple to the complex. You may see anything from a Michaelangelo piece to comic book art, sports-related art, pretty much anything and everything. The artists themselves range from the professional to the part-time dabbler.
Chalk It Up! is always seeking artists, sponsors, craft and food vendors, and volunteers to help run the event.
If you are an artist, or want to be an artist, and want to participate, it’s easy. Simply visit the website at www.chalkitup.org and follow the links. You will be given a complimentary box of chalk pastels to get started, as well as a free t-shirt and a photograph of your masterpiece.
Remember to bring something to rest your knees on because the ground gets quite hot. You will also find yourself working in very uncomfortable positions for long periods of time. I always bring a pillow. Be sure to bring a lot of water as well.
Being in the sun can quickly dehydrate you.
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If you are a business or part of a local organization and you would like to see your name proudly displayed on the sidewalk for over eighteen thousand people to see, well, that’s easy too! The website has all the necessary information to get you signed up. Or you can call 916- 484-5710 and obtain information there as well.
The festival features over 200 sidewalk paintings for your enjoyment. Over the years we have enjoyed free entertainment by a variety of local musicians and comedians. The event begins on Saturday, September 1, 2007 and runs through Monday, September 3rd. Vendors are open each day from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. The artwork will stay until the end of the month, when the sidewalks will be power-washed.
Being part of an event like this is a wonderful, rewarding experience. Even if you are not an artist, bring the family down to have some fun.
Personal squares and community squares are available if you suddenly feel an artistic urge. Walk around the park and watch the artists at work. Ask them about their individual technique, or just say, “Wow! That’s really cool!” Trust me, the artists appreciate it.
Scott Reynolds
Living The Punk Rock Dream
Scott Reynolds is probably the world’s most under appreciated punk icon. Sure, you may not have heard of Reynolds’ lesser known bands Goodbye Harry, Pavers, or Bonesaw Romance, but it’s just plain ignorance for any self-respecting punk aficionado to be unaware of Reynolds’ tenure for Descendents offshoot, ALL. Reynolds recently released Livin’ The Dream - a collection of music he’s written with some of the aforementioned bands. It’s a great introduction to the music that has been such a huge part of many lives. So sell your Hinder records and use the money to buy Livin’ The Dream. Recently, I was fortunate enough to have been allowed access into the mind of one of my favorite songwriters, and here’s what he had to say…
FRINGE: What was the inspiration for releasing your compilation Livin’ The Dream?
SCOTT REYNOLDS: It’s an attempt to somewhat mitigate my complete inability to promote the stuff I’ve released over the years since I left ALL. I figured that putting out a record with a few choice tracks from each band I’ve been in; then offering it for sale at a reasonable price might entice a few people to check it out, and maybe I could let a few people in on the secret that is my music career. Plus, I’m frickin’ broke.
FRINGE: How did you decide which songs to include?
SR: First of all, each song had to be completely written by me. No co-writers. This was strictly for bookkeeping reasons. Keep it simple and make no enemies. Then I just went through and picked out songs I thought would make a complete record. It was fun.
FRINGE: How come you didn’t include any ALL songs on the album?
SR: See answer 1. Plus, those recordings have been released enough, and even if I wanted to, I could never get permission to include them on one of my little releases. You kiddin’ me?
FRINGE: Tell me a little about Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast. How’d you hook up with legendary producer/musician Dave Fridmann?
SR: Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast is an idea that came out of my inability to keep a band together. It’s hard to go out on tours or make multiple records under a single moniker if your band members keep changing. So, I decided I’d create a musical situation that could justifiably exist no matter who was in the band (besides me.) So, I’m Scott Reynolds (and always will be, unless I get a sex change operation or something) and the Steaming Beast is anybody who plays tunes with me. Pretty slick right? So far I’ve recorded with St e v e n Dr o z d f r om the Flaming Lips, Drag the River, some Pavers people, some of my old Buffalo friends, and Dave Fridmann. Plus, he recorded the whole first record at his place, Tarbox Road Studios, back in New York where I grew up. Dave and I are from the same area. He was the local live sound guy back when I was a local punker musician type. He and his wife Mary are old friends from back in the day. That’s how I hooked up with Steven, through Dave who produces all the Lips’ stuff. As for the first Beast record, it’s going to be called Adventure Boy. It’s completely recorded, and I think I’m just going to release it myself online at the end of the summer.
FRINGE: You’re also recording music with your former ALL bandmate Stephen Eggerton in a band called 40Engine. From the song “Sunny Disposition” on your MySpace profile, it sounds like this collaboration is going to be pretty fierce. Can we expect an album anytime soon?
SR: “Fierce?” Tyra Banks uses that word a lot. Did you see the “Tyra Banks Show” episode where she dressed up in a fat suit and started crying because people were mean to her? That was riveting television. So much empathy. She really cares a lot. Anyway, Stephen and I have been sending files back and forth for a while now. But family issues have gotten in the way of completing anything that even remotely resembles a full length CD. It’s been a rough patch for both of us, but we’re finally making some headway and hope to record, at his studio, in like August.
FRINGE: What bands inspire you?
SR: Too many to mention. I’m listening to Frank Zappa Shut Up and Play your Guitar right now. I love Stevie Wonder, the Minutemen, Bad Brains, Dave Brubeck, Glen Campbell, the Cure, Black Sabbath, Roger Miller, Hank Williams Sr, etc. Impossible question to answer.
FRINGE: I’m going to go back to your past now. You were the singer for ALL from ‘89 - ‘92. If you can talk about it, what led to you parting ways with the band during what most fans consider their heyday?
SR: The truth is that the music was headed in a direction I no longer felt any connection to. I mean, there were differences in our musical approaches from the day I joined the band. But I think that’s what made us interesting. It was kind of a “Stone Soup” philosophy. Lots of different ideas make for interesting art, if you can keep it together. But, after Percolator, those differences became too great. I remember when we went to L.A. to make the “Dot” video. Bill had originally told us that his plan was to make a video for a song called “Hot Plate.” And that it would be the single for the Percolator CD. He had Karl working on the cover art and everything. But someone, somewhere, must have intervened because as we were leaving I found out that we were going to make a video for “Dot” (one of my tunes) instead. Anyway, we were shooting the video, and every time the song (”Dot”) came out of the speakers Bill would complain that it was pop music, and that he hated being in a pop band, and that all he had ever wanted to do was play rock music. He seemed pretty disgusted by the whole thing. That’s when I really started feeling like maybe he and I had some insurmountably different ideas about where the band should be headed. Then, after we got back from the first leg of the Percolator tour, we started working on stuff for the new record, and it quickly became very apparent to me that I was on a completely different page than the rest of the band. I got pretty freaked out and stopped going to practice. Not the best way to handle things. It really pissed Karl off in particular, and we started fighting pretty regularly. So that’s when Bill and I decided, mutually, that maybe I should try something else.
Here’s the deal. When you’re in a band that you feel has a lot of potential to make a real mark on music there is a lot of satisfaction in just existing as a band. And you are much more willing to compromise in an effort to push everything forward. A little musical compromise here and there is a small price to pay for the gratification of being a part something so worthwhile. But, as soon as those compromises become more significant to you than any potential for artistic accomplishment, it becomes pretty soul sapping to show up for practice everyday or learn a bunch of new songs. So things got ugly, and I quit. And I think Bill was very relieved. I loved being in ALL. Some of my greatest most favorite memories came out of those years. And I loved singing “Carnage,” and “Fool,” and “Breathe,” and “Scary Sad,” and “Copping Z.” We were a really interesting band for a while and I wish we had made a bigger dent. But, at the end, I felt no connection whatsoever to songs like “She’s Right” or “Shreen” or “Horizontal,” and I didn’t feel I could legitimately sing them. I felt like a fraud even trying, and it was a pretty sticky place to be. Luckily however, I think Bill wasn’t even remotely interested in playing any more of my silly circus music either. So we just quit each other, simple as that. Made sense to me then. Makes sense to me now. There was talk at the time (and still today for that matter) that I quit because I didn’t want to tour so much anymore. But that was NEVER true. ALL was the only band I’ve ever been in that had a large enough fan base to make that much touring monetarily practical. And I missed it like crazy the moment I quit. It has always really bothered me that people were being told that. So I’m glad I got the chance to say otherwise. Thanks!
FRINGE: ALL seems to be on an indefinite hiatus while their label sits on their latest records and while singer Chad Price focuses mainly on his country project Drag the River, and Stevenson tours with Only Crime. If the situation ever arose, would you consider an ALL reunion?
SR: We’ve talked about it a few times. Then decided against it. I can’t really think of a single compelling reason for us to do that. Bill’s a busy big time record producer nowadays. He records Rise Against, and like a billion other bands. He’s even found some success in the mainstream, from what I’ve heard. He produced the new Puddle of Mudd record. Stephen, besides being a doting daddy, is trying to start up a studio himself in Tulsa (armstrongrecording.com.) So he doesn’t have any time to spare. I don’t really know what Karl is up to. Maybe he can make it. We could do a tour with just bass and vocals. Then beat the crap out of each other after every show. I don’t know, I guess if the situation ever arose I’d consider it. It might be fun. Might suck too. Wow, hard question.
FRINGE: As sad as it is, your music has largely gone unnoticed by the general public, yet your fans are insanely loyal, and most consider you one of the most prolific songwriters of our time. Why do you think fame and success has eluded you? A lot of your songs are catchier and more meaningful that 99.9% of the garbage on radio and MTV, yet horrible bands get all the fame.
SR: Well, first of all, thank you…. a lot! But there are a lot of really interesting musicians in the world that virtually no one has ever heard of. The chances of failing miserably at music are incalculably greater than succeeding even modestly, and yet I’ve gotten to do some pretty frickin’ amazing things, and play music all over the world. So I’d be kind of an ass to whine about it. Right? I’m not gonna say that there isn’t a part (a pretty big part) of me that’s more than a little disappointed by the way things are going. But I didn’t start playing music to get famous or rich. I started because I loved the Kinks, and wanted to be Ray Davies (except with a different haircut.) I still really love coming up with new music. Actually I love it much more now than when I was young and trying to get laid and/or wasted every night. It’s like an old friend to me nowadays. So I try to keep the music in mind, let it be its own reward, and hope something good happens so I can quit making pizza for a living.
Musicians are a ferociously arrogant self-absorbed bunch. We claim to hate popular culture, then piss and moan when it doesn’t embrace us. I think there are two basic reasons that good musicians wallow in obscurity while the most absolutely mediocre soar like frickin’ eagles. First, great artists are mostly right brained. They have no ability to organize. They can’t sell themselves or their product. Further, they hate even trying. It gives them headaches and diarrhea. So they make beautiful paintings, cut their ears off and mail them to girls that don’t care about them, and die penniless in mental institutions; while motivated mediocre artists with excellent managerial skills become wealthy beyond reason. Look at Madonna, for example. She can’t sing. She’s the worst dancer on stage at any given moment. She can’t act at all. She’s never really been all that good looking. And all her songs suck ass (except “Material Girl”) Yet she is a pop culture icon. The entire world knows her by her first name solely because she’s organized and knows how to sell stuff. Because she is left brained. That’s my theory anyway.
The second reason good musicians fail is because really creative people don’t write accessible stuff. They write stuff only musicians and music aficionados can/or even want to appreciate. The vast majority of music buyers don’t want to be challenged by music. They want it to flow over them like a warm shower. They are students, and teachers, and truckers, and plumbers, and frickin’ tube sock packagers. And they don’t want to have to work at it. They just want music that makes them tap their toes. Functional music, not art. Which is as it should be.
I hate when musicians talk about how offended they are by the dumbness of popular music. It’s so pretentious. I mean, why would my mom, the retired middle school teacher who likes to dance around her kitchen listening to Lionel Richie, go to the effort of trying to figure out your diminished seventh scaled, syncopated, bebop jazz influenced, blugrass oompah crossover punk when she can simply put on “Dancin’ On the Ceiling” and cavort and frolic to her heart’s delight? A musician who resents the success of the unexceptional is like an architect who is offended by fact that the whole world is doing their business in architecturally uninteresting buildings. People just want to shop and bank and buy tube socks in warm, dry, not outside, places. You know? So screw you, whiny pretentious architect! Wow, I’m rambling huh? I do that.
I’ll tell you what does get my goat about popular music, though. It’s the multitude of undeserved accolades constantly bestowed upon only the most successful artists by the music industry itself. As I said before, I don’t begrudge any of the mediocre insipid musicians their zillion dollars and throngs of adoring fans. But do you have to paint them as the best of the best all the time too? Isn’t it enough that they have a zillion dollars? I saw a commercial for the John Lennon compilation for Darfur. An excellent cause, and I think it’s wonderful that somebody organized it. But the commercial says, basically, that the most amazingly awesomely kickass musicians of a generation are all on this record. And I think everyone involved actually believes that’s true. U2? The frickin’ Black Eyed Peas?!! (Though Fergie does have some lovely lady lumps.)
Green Day?! The best of the best?! Gimme a frickin’ break! God I’m sick of Green Day. Look, I think they deserve all their success. They have never strayed from their formula, never taken any chances (though I’m not sure that’s by choice since I don’t think they’re musically accomplished enough to write anything truly ugly,) never written one second of original music, and thus have never let their fans down. And that’s a flawless formula for success. Great! But now they have somehow morphed into the elder statesmen for the entire punk and post punk movement. They’ve gained this vast credibility simply by never going away, and it drives me out of my frickin’ tree! How can they be taken soooo seriously as punk rock royalty and musical innovators when a band like NOMEANSNO exists on the same planet?!! Huh? Answer me that one, Ryan! Boy, I’ve worked myself into quite a lather. I believe I may have shat a little.
FRINGE: I’m a huge Treepeople fan (Doug Martsch being one of my other favorite songwriters). How’d you hookup with one-time Treepeople drummer T. Dallas Reed for the 1st incarnation of Goodbye Harry?
SR: He was just a musician guy in Bremerton Wa. That’s where I lived at the time. I saw him playing drums in a band that opened for Big Drill Car and thought he was good. So I asked him if he wanted to be in the band. To be totally honest, I know nothing about the Treepeople. I’ve never heard them. What’s a good record to check out?
FRINGE: Do your kids have any interest in being musicians?
SR: My older daughter (16 years old) writes songs on guitar. They are pretty cool. My younger daughter (9) sings all the time. I think she’s very interested in doing music.
FRINGE: When I was living in Las Vegas, I emailed you about possibly playing a gig there, although I was hesitant because the last line in your song “Halfway to Vegas” says “go away you evil desert town, won’t play Las Vegas.” You told me “nah, that’s just a song.” Have you ever been to Vegas? And do you really hate it? Because I do.
SR: I played in Las Vegas only once. Like a hundred years ago. It was with ALL and Primus opened for us. Frickin’ weird right? You’d be surprised at all the future rockstars that opened for us. Anyway, no one came to the show, but in the club they were playing Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels on the TV. So I got to watch Primus and 200 Motels. Plus I probably had a bourbon or two. So Vegas is ok by me.
FRINGE: Thanks a lot, Scott. It’s been great chatting with you.
SR: Thank you, Ryan. You had some great questions, and you gave me a chance to get some things off my chest.
To learn more about Scott Reynolds, please visit www.myspace.com/scottreynoldsmusic.
