Pancake Circus in Sacto
If you and your friend/significant other/brother/sister/mother find yourselves on the outskirts of downtown near Broadway and 21st, don’t be scared! As a matter of fact, be stoked! Because you’ll be at the exact location of this cheap date, Pancake Circus! After a long work/school week nothing beats gianormus pancakes drowned in sweet maple syrup with a side of sourdough toast.
Ambience
Although not in a particularly friendly looking area Pancake Circus is a restaurant with absolutely its own unique charm, not to mention massive pancakes. Don’t judge the food by the restaurant’s exterior or even the rust and brown colored interior circa 1976. The room is filled with plenty of clowns (they even look back at you on the table as you eat), a few lions, tigers and even bears, oh my! Maybe a little creepy for some, bu that might add to the appeal.
The Food
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at all hours of operation. If you want to get an omlette and your buddy wants to get a hearty lunch of country fried steak and potatoes, this is definitely possible, all for well under 20 dollars. The food is tasty and, as mentioned earlier, the pancakes are huge. Most of the breakfasts come with a side of four pancakes and to be honest, the pancakes themselves are enough of a meal. The variation in the Pancake Circus menu is another great aspect of this place. They offer a special menu for kids and seniors as well as “Circus Specials.” And their huge regular menu full of sweet pancake concoctions, breakfast selections galore and classic diner staples like chicken fried steak and biscuits with gravy.
Service
The servers are busy especially on weekend mornings, but never fail to ask if you’d like your coffee refilled or if you have changed your mind and would like some coffee. Some weekends a line forms out the door, further evidence the place is offering up some good eats, Speedy service is pretty much standard and the waitresses tend to look like busy bees.
The Bill
It’s cheap! A full meal for two would probably run you around 12 - 15 dollars and it’s worth every penny. Here are the stats: 2101 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95818. To find out their hours (which occasionally change) call them at (916) 452-3322. It usually opens at 6 am so if you’re stumbling around the area after the bars have closed looking for a way to fight a potential hang over fill your belly for cheap.
“I’m not getting the sound I want out of this instrument, let’s put in new pickups.”
I probably hear that statement and request more than all the others combined. I don’t have any problem taking the business, but I just have this need to educate. Most musicians don’t really know about the dynamics of sound related to their instruments.
There are many things that will change the sound of a guitar or bass without spending more than 20 bucks.
Just installing NEW strings can do it. I am surprised how many times I hear the above statement and find that the strings haven’t been changed in six months. The strings that aren’t breaking are usually the wound strings. The wound strings are also the strings that are collecting the oil and dirt between the winding and killing your sound. Change your strings at least monthly if you are just practicing regularly. That will also allow you to try different styles and gauges.
You might try changing from a nickel-plated string (slightly mellow output) to a stainless steel string (bright output). You might try an iron core (high output) or even a flat wound string (allows for smooth fretting). The gauge of your string sets can change the sound you are getting. The heavier the string gauge you install, the better your tone will be. You will just need to toughen up your paws a bit. Most blues guitarists use heavy gauge strings for this reason. Stevie Ray Vaughn is mentioned routinely and he used a .013 set to get his sound.
Remember, if you are searching for that sound via strings, try changing string material (nickel, stainless, iron, etc.) before changing the string gauge. In most cases, changing string gauge will create additional tension on your neck and it may require an adjustment or full setup.
Another way to change the sound of your instrument is by simply making sure that your pickups are adjusted properly. It is an extremely simple thing to do, but I find that the majority of instruments I see are not even close. All pickups can be globally adjusted in relation to the bottom of the string set. Most humbuckers have at least one set of adjustable pole pieces to allow even more precise adjustments to the individual strings.
Rather than throwing out a bunch of numbers that you won’t remember, just remember this: Shoot for a distance of 3/32″ between the bottom of the strings and the top of the pickup, while you are holding the strings down against the uppermost fret. This is a good place to start. If you want a mellower sound, back off to 5/32″.
After you have the pickups in the ballpark, then you can adjust them for matching output levels. This is simply done by adjusting the global screws up or down one pickup at a time. Some like to leave the bridge pickup a little louder for solos, so it’s your call.
To many of you this may be old hat. It should be. But, I see enough and get asked enough that I know it isn’t. So, before you spend a bunch on magical pickups that will make you sound like Satch, try some of these suggestions. We can look into tonal capacitor changes or wiring mods in future columns if you are interested. Email the editor at <a href=”mailto:charlie@fringemag.com”>charlie@fringemag.com</a> or Bob at <a href=”mailto:cs-rocinstruments@sbcglobal.net”>cs-rocinstruments@sbcglobal.net</a>
Lover Girl
Call me a big, fat love buff, because I fall in love with my girlfriends with the same emotional energy that I fall in love with my boyfriends. I would marry a couple of my girlfriends today if the sex was good, but I’m as straight as a flat line and only get naked with man kind.
True to this visa versa scenario, it is quite a big bitch breaking up with a girlfriend with whom you were once madly in love. But, it happens, just as wife and husband divorce, even with three young children to raise and splitting assets in a courtroom.
The bummer is that while you eventually get over an ex-boyfriend, somehow you never quite fully recover from losing a girlfriend who meant the world to you. This is because two women fighting against each other share the same genetic sensitivity and the hurt can devastate the friendship far beyond repair.
I’ve lost some of the best girls God’s ever created. Taking a look back, I wonder sometimes what exactly was the real reason for breaking up, or if there even was a legitimate one. Like romance and intimacy fizzling out in a lengthy, monotonous relationship, sometimes the blood bond between two lovely chicks does, too.
No. 1in my top five all-time greatest girlfriend loves then lost is Marisa. This girl was wild like a fire in the dry, August heat. She was the epitome of cool, leaving her mark on every single person she breathed on. Together we were toxic, a match that made others uncomfortable. I spent every day and night with this girl, drinking Coronas, cruising the lake, playing boys, dogging girls, and cracking up to the point where people would get irritated. A natural beauty, with her father’s Mexican skin and her mother’s Irish blue eyes, Marisa would smile and the whole world would light up. We shared the same witty, free-spirited attitudes, the same sleep schedule, and the same ambition to be at every party there ever was over six months straight in a 30-mile radius. My ex couldn’t stand her. He couldn’t compete with the obvious, intoxicating love we shared for each other, and I felt sorry for him.
She moved away and through those burning tears we promised to stay connected. I made one trip to Arizona a year later, and our love picked up right where we left it, our adventures including, for me, a one-night stand in a swimming pool at a remote hotel in Blythe (”where there’s no life”) California.
And that was it. Not one more phone call, kiss on the cheek, a shared Corona with the ass poured out for our homies. Not one more head-nod greeting with a Mexican accented “dude, whaaat’s up.” Marisa was gone.
Damn, sometimes I still get choked up thinking about that girl. I hope she honors us on occasion and knows how much my heart truly misses her.
That was years ago, nearly a decade, when I was a newborn with fragile, dragonfly wings, navigating against the strong winds of a crazy, free world, my skid marks left on the porch of my all-American, Catholic suburban family. Ask me whom I dated then and he was an idiot jerk mistake. But that girl was the One. The one best friend, soul mate, ’til death girlfriend you wished never got away.
Women are a crazy species. Sometimes it’s a personal catfight heard round the world, breaking two girlfriends apart like the aftermath of a pair of pit bulls with lock jaw, but not always. Sometimes it’s just a change in the wind.
Apocalyptica: Worlds Collide
Way back in the late ’80s, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) explained that you CANNOT play heavy metal on synthesizers. Of course, Maiden then released the guitar synth-ladden “Somewhere In Time” album. Funny, right? Now I want to ask him, “Okay, fair enough. No synthesizers. What about cellos? Can I play heavy metal on cellos?”
Yeah. Cellos. What, is that too heavy for you? You don’t think that headbanging and cellos go together? Don’t knock it until you hear it, because let me tell you, it’s absolutely amazing!
I’m talking about Apocalyptica. They play metal on cellos. Yeah, metal. If you think about it, it’s not really all that weird. After all, metal heads have been stealing classical licks for many years. All of your favorite guitar gods can blaze out a classical run so fast that it would make even Mozart drool. Remember Metallica’s S&M live album? That’s what metal can sound like when it is accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra. If anything, the addition of the classical instruments added to the intensity of the music.
Apocalyptica, however, does not have a guitarist in their line-up. Instead, there are four cellos and a drummer, with an occasional guest vocalist. Plug those cellos through a large amp, maybe put them through some guitar pedals, and you’ve got yourself a heavy sound that you haven’t heard before. Yeah, heavy. A cello has a larger range than a guitar; it can go lower and higher. And you can do more with a bow than you can with a pick.
Still not convinced? Okay, throw in some vocal work from Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), and even the singer of Rammstein. How ’bout that?
The band, hailing from Finland, made a stop at the Boardwalk one fine Sunday evening to show the crowd a new kind of heavy sound, touring in support of their brand new opus, “Worlds Collide.” Those of you who are already familiar with Apocalyptica know that the band’s first releases were mostly covers of Metallica tunes, which quickly kick-started their career. They have since moved on to writing original material, but still incorporate some ‘tallica and Slayer standards into their live show.
It is very rare for the Boardwalk to put on a one-band show, but on this fine evening, they did just that. The night belonged to Apocalyptica. They walked onto the stage with their cellos and sat themselves in front of some very large skulls, looking like a spooky string quartet performing in a dark Tim Burton flick. But, as soon as the drummer started pounding and the hair started flying, this was a full-on metal show. Seriously, I never thought you could headbang to cellos, but dang it, you really can! Thine eyes have seen the glory!
The band opened with the title track off of their new CD, “Worlds Collide,” which started off softly before going into some intense moments. Soon enough, the guys were on their feet, leaning over the audience, filling the entire club with energy.
While Cristina Scabbia and Corey Taylor could not make the tour, their songs were well represented. Cristina’s song, “S.O.S.,” was played as an instrumental. Corey’s song, “I’m Not Jesus” (yeah, you’ve heard it on the radio, and I’ll bet you didn’t even know it was cellos!), was sung by a guest vocalist.
The crowd really went crazy when the band went into Metallica’s “Fight Fire with Fire,” including a lead break that would make Kirk Hammet’s eyes melt.
After a few songs, it honestly felt and sounded natural to hear this music played this way. To all you budding wannabe guitar gods out there, you’re livin’ in the past. Get with the program! The cello is the new axe. Still don’t believe me? Go pick up Apocalyptica’s “Worlds Collide” CD and listen for yourself. You will find it intense and heavy, and most of all, unique, which is something that’s pretty rare these days. You can also find some great video footage of the band on YouTube to assist with your conversion.
I can’t wait for the day when I look into the car next to me at a stoplight and see the driver playing air-cello. That’s all we can do for now, since they haven’t come out with Cello Hero for the Playstation yet.
Breva: Into the Radar
Bands break up. A lot. However, one band with staying power is Breva. I write this knowing that in six months, the band will still be around. Which is worth taking a look into nowadays. I saw Breva perform at Over the Top Promotions’ big show at the Colonial Theater on May 31, and their performance was one of the best that I had seen in awhile. Something about their energy that night was different. I felt so proud of them to have stuck to their guns so long, continuing to define their sound through playing music essentially for themselves. The band has a strong rock sound that could be vaguely described as a mix between Deftones, Tool, Bear vs. Shark and Dredge. Check out the questions they answered for me; hopefully this will put Breva onto your musical radar.
Fringe: A lot of Sacramento bands bitch about Sacramento being a crappy place to call home. How do you guys feel?
Breva: Well, we like Sacramento but that would never stop us from moving where there’s a better opportunity for the band. It’s a really great base location for touring the West Coast.
Fringe: You’ve always stayed true to your musical style, not changing to the fads to please people, which is great! How do you do that when so many other groups are trying to mold themselves to “get signed”?
Breva: I think that the next CD we record will reflect a different attitude. We’ll still pursue what makes us happy, but we are really considering the perspective of the listener. And that attitude isn’t a pursuit to please people…I think it’s to please us, and make an attempt to take the feeling we get with certain parts or lyrics, and consider the listeners perspective so that the feeling isn’t lost in overindulgence, or hidden by other parts. It’s definitely a challenging way of writing and structuring songs, and we’ll be better musicians because of it…..whether we abandon that attitude or keep it.
Fringe: As a local band you’ve already released a few CDs, all of which have great production quality. Who do you go to for your recording and why?
Breva: I think one of the best decisions we made last year was to work with Robert Cheek at the Hanger Studios. He brought a new perspective to the production aspect of some of our songs…. and his role as band member and recording engineer with Quitter was why we sought him out. Jay Trammell of Fat Cat Studio mixed the CD. That was the other best decision we made last year.
Fringe: I like to get into motivation when it comes to music. I know your band is pretty diverse with influences, is there one thing that the whole band agrees on in making music?
Breva: We’re completely different people, and it’s hard to agree on anything! On top of that, we all frequently change, so things that we’ve agreed on in the past don’t hold true today. But we’ll play anything that makes us happy, whether it’s a seven minute song, or a two and a half minute pop song. If we dig it, we play it. We can agree on that.
Fringe: In the age where bands come and go so often, what keeps your band together?
Breva: It’s the music, the constant gratification of creation and expression, changing and experimenting amongst five people who respect each other. It’s very rewarding.
Fringe: If your band could play a show with any five groups, alive or dead, who would they be?
Breva: I’m speaking for the team here, so I’ll do my best. I’d say Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Led Zeppelin, and Waylon Jennings, just so we could see him play.
Fringe: You guys going for Obama or Clinton?
Breva: We don’t talk about that.
Fringe: How do you feel about myspace and promoting?
Breva: It’s a great tool to keep in contact with fans and promote, but bands and people get lost in the popularity contest of friend numbers, and music plays, and the cyber world ends up replacing the reality of live shows and live entertainment. Personally, I feel that it’s done our band a lot of good, but we won’t drown in it.
Fringe: What’s coming up next?
Breva: We’re doing a string of Warped Tour dates at the end of June and July, and will be touring up California to get home for a couple months’ block of songwriting.
Find Breva on the ever-popular MySpace at www.myspace.com/breva
Death Angel Interview with Mark Osegueda
In 2000, the legendary Bay Area thrash band Death Angel took the stage once again at The Pound in San Francisco after a nine-year hiatus, in support of their good friend Chuck Billy’s (vocalist for Testament) fight against cancer. After this, they saw that the chemistry was still alive in the band and that fans were not just pushing, but screaming and yelling for a new Death Angel album and tour. With that said, in 2004 the band released their fifth studio album, “The Art of Dying” and found that their fan base was still alive and well.
Just a few months ago Death Angel released their sixth album, “Killing Season,” which seemed to culminate the last 20 years of Bay Area thrash into one mind blowing insanely riff-packed album. With also the new “Testament” album out only a few weeks apart from Death Angel’s release, thrashers are definitely getting a good healthy dose of old school thrash all at once, but when listening to “Killing Season” I get to reminisce a little bit and feel like I’m 12 years old again, listening to classic Death Angel and Metallica.
Now, with the new Death Angel album out and packing great press wherever it’s heard, they hit the road with God Forbid, Soilent Green, and fellow Bay Area thrashers Light This City on the “In Thrash We Trust” tour. Before seeing a show I had been waiting my entire life for, I was able to sit down with lead singer and thrash legend Mark Osegueda to chat a bit (and I have to admit, I was actually nervous for the first time in a long while):
Fringe: How’s the tour going so far?
Mark: Oh, it’s been a blast. We did a month in Europe, then we were back home for a day and a half. And now we’re four weeks into it, then we’re back home for five days, and then back to Europe for another month.
F: How was the San Francisco show you just played?
M: It was mad, all the bands were like “Oh my god.” It was mad.
F: You just played two shows in a row at Slims in San Francisco with Forbidden. How’d that go?
M: That was crazy, that was crazy, that’s why we were kind of wondering about this show Sunday. But, this one was packed, and the crowd was going mad.
F: Any crazy drunken stories yet?
M: I’ve been a good boy, I came back from Europe with bronchitis. Usually I’m the big drinker in the band, but I’ve been pretty tame so far. I’ve had my drunk nights, but no intense stories just yet. I’m sure when I get back from Europe I’ll have some for you.
F: You’re also in “All Time High’s,” another Bay Area sleaze rock band. Is that going to stay a side project or take a front seat for you in the near future?
M: When we first started the ultimate goal was to attack it as hard as we could, and then when Death Angel started going again, it kind of took a back seat to the bigger of the two monsters. Death Angel had a two-year hiatus, and God had a four-year hiatus in between albums. Most people can sit still for that long, but I can’t.
F: Do you have any favorite Bay Area bands that are unsigned?
M: Hmm. That’s a tough one, there’s a lot of ‘em, and a lot of them are starting to get signed.
F: Over all the years of touring, what’s your favorite country/city to play in?
M: Always be home. Anywhere in Italy, Holland, New York, Japan. There’s just some that stand out always. There’s Germany, it’s hard to pick one.
F: The Japanese are crazy about metal…
M: In their own way, over the top, yeah they are.
F: Why did you choose to work with Nick from 606 studios (who has produced Foo Fighters and the new Rush)?
M: We all listen to different types of music. Like the sounds he did on Foo Fighters, he did the latest Rush record, Shadows Fall, it’s pretty incredible. We always wanted to work with someone who was a little more rock oriented to get bigger tones and less metal tones of the moment. He got ‘em, and that’s why we decided on him. We asked if he would consider producing us, we fedex’d our stuff down, Nick heard the demos we were writing and said let’s make this happen.
F: With metal coming back the way that it has as of recent, do you feel that it’s a perfect time for Death Angel to make a comeback?
M: I think the time’s better now than ever. It was fortunate we did “Art of Dying” when we did, if this would have been the first album we might have been a little off step. It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Chuck (Billy) and the “Thrash of the Titans” show (2000, The Pound). I think it’s the reason why there’s this whole resurgence of thrash or general interest in it again.
F: “Killing Season” is being hailed as a return to true thrash, how do you feel about being back at the forefront of the scene?
M: We’re happy as hell, there was something that was so magical about us at the time. We have the same excitement now, but have a better vision of what we want to do, but with all the other albums we were trying to push the envelope and bring as much sound and different influences to the thrash sound.
F: Light This City is a Bay Area thrash band as well, prior to this were you friends at all?
M: Prior to this, no. We’ve become great friends now.
F: I’ve always wondered, where did the name for “Frolic in the Park” (1988) come from?
M: Rob wrote a song called “Frolic Through the Park” which never made it on the album. It’s just basically elementary lyrics about a person walking through the park at night and a mugger killing him. We used a lot of metaphors like the ‘Park’ is life, and frolicking through the park is like life.
F: When the band broke up, you left for New York. Why there?
M: Whenever we toured, I always had a fondness for it, and made a lot of friends there. I love the energy and the city. I was 16 to 20 and whenever we would tour out there and it was a manic city.
F: Back in 2000, you guys actually opened for the Deftones here in Sacramento. How was that experience (I never thought I would see Death Angel opening for them)?
M: Yeah, that was insane. Deftones guys’ are big Death Angel fans, and they were playing a hometown show and heard we had reformed.
F: How does it feel knowing that after 20 years Death Angel has such a great presence in the metal community again?
M: We have more respect for it now than we did originally, because it was the only thing we knew the first time around. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.
F: How are the crowds different now than they were in the ’80s?
M: I think the biggest thing now is the generations that come out. Now there are young kids and older people. But back in the day there was just a magic about it you can’t deny. It was the era of tape trading. You’d be playing and see Cliff Burton out in the crowd head banging. You can’t replace things like that.
F: What do you think of the rumors of Metallica’s new album being more of a return to thrash?
M: I’ve got my fingers crossed, I want it to be. They have as good if not a better chance to do that than anyone. No one else in this genre, no one else has written Ride The Lightning, Master of Puppets, or Kill ‘Em All… . They have, and plenty of people who have put them down…haven’t.
F: Any newer albums out that you’re digging?
M: The new Hellacopters, Cavalera Conspiracy, other than that I tend to listen to earlier nostalgic things.
F: What are some of your vocal influences?
M: Bon Scott, Ozzy, Dio, Steven Tyler- it’s rock ‘n roll, and as far as front men are concerned Steven’s the best.
F: For anyone that hasn’t heard the new album, or for some bizarre reason haven’t ever heard of Death Angel, what would you say to them to go out and listen?
M: This new album is a perfect marriage of contemporary metal and what influenced metal, it’s the perfect one, it’s got power and it’s got melody and is technically there and is a great metal album.
Pets: Accidental Duo
On a chilly Friday in February I found myself walking into Old Ironsides. I had just moved into the area, but “Old I” had quickly become my home away from home. Immediately I ask the bouncer about the band blaring inside. “Who’s playing right now?!?!” I yelled over the music. “Pets!!!” he responds. “How much longer is their set?!?!?” I ask. “This is their last song!!!” he yells to me, in turn crushing my spirit. This was my first encounter with Pets.
Fast forward to a month later. I am meeting Derek and Alison of the Pets at Press Club before their show with The New Humans. Some are here for the show, others scan the windows outside for tonight’s flyer, and a few just stroll in looking for a place to hang on a Wednesday night. Either way, the crowd at the Press Club was about to be introduced to Pets, the creators of danceable, electronic, pulsating, distortion. With the help of a drum machine, the duo is able to turn simple guitar chords and even simpler bass lines into a roaring party, literally. The crowd was instantly drawn to the stage as soon as the floor rattling distortion, danceable beats, and catchy lyrics began. This is indie on steroids.
Allison Jones and Derek Fieth are just like you and I. Alison works at a coffee shop, Derek works as a substitute teacher, they share a house together, and are in a rock band.
The pair first met at the Boardwalk in Orangevale in 2001. “‘Can I buy you a drink?’ wasn’t the first thing I asked her,” Derek joked, a loving grin on his face as he remembers the day they first met. “‘Can I buy you a drink/’ came later after I started talking to her, he said no anyways. But it still worked out.”
At the time Alison was playing with the Riff Randles and although it was fun, it wasn’t the right fit for her. Five months into their relationship they bought guitars together and started jamming. About a year later they had their first live show at an ex-band mate’s (from Sunshine Smile) backyard party. Shortly after their first (backyard) public appearance, the same ex-band mate invited Pets to play a show with them at The Distillery. The drumless lovebirds started playing shows wherever and whenever. By playing made-up power chords and by networking with the right people, Pets seemed to effortlessly become a favorite among many Sacramento clubs.
“There was really no goal when we first started out,” Derek said. “We just wanted to see if we could make the kind of songs we wanted to hear.”
“People used to come up to us and ask us why we didn’t have a drummer, and drummers would come up to us asking to be our drummer… but we like the drum machine,” he said. “We’d get equal responses from people who like the drum machine and those who didn’t.”
The drum machine, playing funky pop beats in the background, paired with Alison’s “Yeah Yeah Yeahs” vocals and Dereks “Sonic Youth” vocals, and extremely loud and manipulated punk riffs, provides Pets with the perfect formula to demand action… any action.
“Our songs are about action,” Derek said. “Like, being told you can’t do something… like freedom… words that sound good together.” Alison starts to laugh as Derek tries to explain what their songs are about. “Ok, well we treat our voices like another instrument. And we like to use them that way, especially Alison’s,” he said. Which explains why some songs make more sense than others, but that makes no difference.
Imagine, a small midtown living room stuffed with all the living room essentials: sofa, bookshelf, television, pictures… maps, concert posters, a skeleton hanging on the wall, amps, foot peddles, a keyboard, guitars, a bass… and a house cat. This is Pets’ practice space.
Derek pulls the guitar out from the corner and places a mic stand in the middle of the living room floor. Their cat races towards the door. “The cat knows when it is time to leave!” Alison jokes as she opens the screen door, letting the cat out. As they set up their gear for an afternoon Sunday practice, Beck’s cover of “Hot in Here,” by Nelly, plays in the background. They practice old, new and cover songs. They mess up a few lines, miss a few chords, and have a lot of redo’s… time for a breather.
“Having someone here makes us practice better… at least for me,” Alison said taking a drink of her Corona.
“Why? ‘Cause you take it more seriously?” Derek asked… knowing the answer.
Their practices are far from structured. And when Alison says practice is over, practice is over. “Practice is separate from our relationship. There is Derek and Alison, Pets. And Derek and Alison the relationship,” Derek said. In the practice room they have permission to be band mates and all that entails from the good and the bad. “If we have an issue outside the band, we have to be careful not to bring that up (during a band argument) during our practice session,” he said. And visa versa, or else a simple missed note could get personal.
Most may think that being in a band with your partner would add something to a relationship. Something both parties can share together. Wrong. According to Alison, it is quite the opposite. “Pets give us something outside our relationship,” she said. “It’s something bigger than us.” They view the band as a way to get out of their relationship, while having fun doing it.
“We’re just here to having fun,” she said. “We’re playing with bands that we would have bought tickets to go see!”
While Pets do not have the most structured practice sessions and are not out there pounding the pavement begging for listeners, they do have bigger dreams than being a few local club’s favorite. They have put out a full-length album, “Pick Up Your Feet;” a remixed single, “Cold House;” have a full summer schedule this year; and they are nominated for a Sammie Award under the Indie Category this year. But they still dream of breaking out of Sacramento’s music scene.
“We need to make more of an effort on our part,” Derek said. “We need to make Pets more of a priority. It’s hard to think of it as a business.
“When we started we just decided to do it. To listen to it and enjoy it,” he said. “We just wanted to be into the music we were playing.”
Having already succeeded in their initial goals: have fun, create “action” music, and be into their music, by their standards, they are a success story. But Pets are far from done. They plan on continuing as a couple and as a band for as long as possible, without any real vision of where either will take them.
“As long as we’re together,” he said, they will continue.
“As long as it lasts,” Alison corrects.
“We’ll do Pets forever!” exclaimed Derek.
“Yeah, the fun hasn’t stopped yet,” she said laughing.
You can find more information about Pets at www.myspace.com/petsmusic.
Or check out a live show: 6/23 Old Ironsides, 8/1 Caesar Chavez Park.
For ARAB, Music Defines Life
