Pinback @ The Empire, Sacramento
Thanks for coming…. I mean… thanks for staying,” said a sheepish Rob Crow to his audience. An audience that showed up mostly for Louis XIV, and was quite vocal about it. An audience that would soon come to realize just exactly why Pinback was the headliner that night. Though that’s a point probably further confused by the fact that the rag-tag crew setting up the instruments actually turned out to be the ones playing them for us 20 minutes later. Not a common occurrence for radio-sponsored shows these days.
The realization would be slow. The requisite awkward banter between songs fell flat to an unreceptive crowd bent on one thing. “Just play your guitars!” The fans yelled.
And so they did.
With an almost infectious innocence, Zach Smith began wailing into his bass. The expression on his face would lead one to think he was just as curious about what sound the instrument hanging from his shoulders would make as we were. The rest of his body told a different story. In a deceptively effortless execution, his hands danced on the bass strings with a technical precision for which I have no worthy point of reference.
“Syracuse!” the fans yelled in the short space between songs. “Penelope!” But requests for old favorites fell on deaf ears. While the rest of the mostly radio-friendly audience kept their chatter to a low murmur, a slowly building wave of sound began to rise up on stage. It crept up to the edge, until it burst forth and flooded the crowd with a rush of beautiful, all encompassing rhythmn and hypnotic melody. You could only stop to think and ask yourself, were you drowning, or breathing for the first time? Rob and Zach’s vulnerable vocal harmonies danced in and out of unison with the subtle guitar tones, complementing one another where they weren’t building on each other’s tempo and volume. My words go blind when attempting to relay the rendition of their emotional epic, “Walters.” What starts in an afterthought of a bittersweet farewell melody, leaving you on the side of the road to watch it walk away, builds such thundering power that you can’t help but be pulled in as it blasts off into the horizon, taking everyone and everything with it. Llike all good things, the time you have with it is brief, and only leaves you coiled on the ground, wishing for more.
This is what live music is about. This is why we stand in line in the cold with strangers.
As each song quietly crept into your ears, and proceeded to pound you senseless with an unexpected rush of melody, the voices in the audience dropped off one by one. The house went from Rogue Wave’s sugary pop ballads, to the surge of Louis XIV’s arena-grade glamrock energy, to an almost uncomfortably intimate performance with Pinback. A performance that commanded silence. While their openers were intent on wowing the audience with polished production and stage theatrics, Pinback seemed more concerned with playing their instruments on stage for us. They came off uniquely genuine and honest. Perhaps a little too honest, toward the climax of the show. True music geeks at heart, Zach and Rob raised their guitars up vertically and shouted out “STAR POWER!!” before breaking into the final stretch of their show stopper. They may be Guitar Heroes playing to a virtual audience in their own heads, but they sure as hell weren’t playing their songs on medium.
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!
Impaler @ On The Y, 04/27/07
Impaler, a metal/shock rock band from Saint Paul, Minnesota, played at Sacramento’s underground metal bar On the Y. The band has been together for over 25 years, and even though it was my first time attending one of their shows, many Sacramento Impaler fans had been waiting for their return. Grant, who works at On the Y, had been very excited about this show and aimed for a bloody, zombie theme for the evening. Many beer-drinking fans began to fill the bar, wearing tattered clothing and lots of fake blood.
Between watching the opening bands play and socializing in different areas of the bar, I saw the band getting ready for the show. In addition to getting strapped into their spiky attire, I could see some of the members working on the stage props off in the distance. I was anticipating their show.
The band was very friendly and seemed quite relaxed. Members include Bill Lindsey on vocals, Commander Court Hawley on bass, Kyle Skogquist on guitar, Tom Croxton on drums, and Dr. Corpse, who is in charge of assisting the band with destruction and madness on stage.
When it was their turn to take the stage, everyone gathered around, anxious for the action to begin. They opened with “Angel of Misery”, which is from their latest release “Habeas Corpus”.
Songs from their many previous releases were also included in the 14-song set. They sounded amazing, and with years of experience, their show seemed effortless.
Dr. Corpse, who was dressed as a demented doctor, held his own as a sideshow to the music. Armed with fake blood, he made quite a mess on stage, much to the fans delight. I recall him spitting on the ceiling and letting a long, thick stream of it dangle down into his mouth. As disgusting as it was, everyone seemed to become even more excited! During one of the songs, he brought out two posts with fake human corpse heads on it. The crowd cheered them on and encouraged more madness! Bill Lindsey and Dr. Corpse began to gnaw at the neck area of the heads and more fake blood began to spew everywhere. They began to pull at fake veins and other stringy innards that were placed in the neck of the corpse head, chewing at them and causing even more of a mess! It was quite entertaining to watch, and my previous curiosity about the stage props had been answered.
They closed with “Shock Rock”, and their wild and crazy antics continued. Dr. Corpse proceeded to beat Bill Lindsey to the ground with a fold-up chair as the music continued to play. He, then, pulled Bills “intestines” out and paraded around stage. Soon afterward, Bill got up and also attacked Dr. Corpse with the chair, making sure to end the show with all the brutality, gore, and excitement that the Impaler fans had longed to see.
After the show, the band stayed around to socialize with the fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. They had a lot of great items at their merchandise table, including shirts, posters, and CDs.
Overall, I was very pleased with the show. They had amazing stage presence, they sounded awesome, and being that they are a bunch of really nice guys, I can see how they have attracted so many fans over their many years as a band. They definitely gave everyone there a night to remember and I am anxious to see them again!
Show Review: Morrissey
VENUE: John Ascuaga’s Nugget
CITY: Reno, NV
DATE: April 29, 2007
Every Day is Like Sunday
It’s not every day that the opportunity arises to see musical / cultural icon in the flesh.
Morrissey, the man famous for finding beauty in the morose and sharing it with countless souls across nations and generations, gave two sold-out performances at the Nugget in the Reno / Sparks area. I was excited to be lucky enough to see a very important part of musical history in person. Looking toward the general direction of the Celebrity Ballroom, I spotted many Morrissey clones and Bettie Paige haircuts, telling me I was in the right place.
Once the lights dimmed, the anticipation grew. After a lengthy intro, the band, all looking like waiters from the 1950s, walked out onto the stage and burst right into The Queen is Dead. The crowd erupted in cheer as their hero made his way to center stage. Morrissey quickly went right into two newer tracks, The Youngest Was the Most Loved and You Have Killed Me, shaking hands with those lucky enough to be in the front of the stage.
Although the years seem to be catching up to him, Morrissey still had his charm and charisma. To those in the audience, he was the same ol’ Morrissey, the one who made them feel okay for being different, the one who made the emptiness feel not so empty, the one who could relate to the weird. Even twenty years later, some of us still need that.
Morrissey, being the charming man that he is, thanked the audience every opportunity he got. The next songs performed were Disappointed, Girlfriend in a Coma, All You Need is Me and Lucky Lisp.
“People ask me if I need to do this for a living. I have two answers for them. First, it ain’t no living. Second, no, I don’t.”
In the Future When All is Well, came up next, giving his fans a glimpse of hope, followed by b-side track, Ganglord.
The crowd went crazy with The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, Every Day is Like Sunday, and I’ve Changed My Plea to Guilty. More tracks from his latest release, “Ringleader of the Tormentors,” I Will See You in Far Off Places, and the ever-so-beautiful Life Is a Pigsty. Two members of his five-piece ensemble (of waiters) were playing a neat variation of God Bless America on keyboard and guitar which went right into How Soon Is Now? - probably the most popular song of the evening. With this, Moz tore off his sweatsoaked shirt and tossed it into the audience, causing a complete frenzy on the floor.
Toward the end of the set, two hopeful fans attempted to get onto the stage to be closer to their champion. Alas, they failed and met a grim demise … being escorted out the door.
Morrissey sang two more songs before bidding the audience farewell, but we all knew he would be back. And of course, we were right. We were graced with one last song, You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side, and then one last declaration of gratitude, “thank you so much for listening for all these years. I will see you all in far off places.” With one final bow, he was gone.
So to answer the burning questions… Did he play any Smiths songs? Yes, four of them.
Does he look old now? Yeah, pretty much, but that didn’t seem to bother him any.
Does he have the same presence and appeal he did twenty years ago? Two back-to-back sold out performances. I’m thinking yeah.
Is Morrissey still a cultural icon? Absolutely! The crowd was still screaming when the house lights were raised. Shouts of “We love you, Morrissey!” were still echoing throughout the building. I hope Morrissey heard them. After all, he’s still human and he needs to be loved, just like everybody else does.
Show Review: Mastodon
VENUE: The Warfield
CITY: San Francisco, CA
DATE: May 2, 2007
While a crowd of impatient fans screamed and hollered for the band to appear on stage a black and white polka dotted drum set sat immersed in a cloud of smoke. On Brann Dailor’s bass drum’s front is an homage to late Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads.
Now, right here, I could enter this review with a cliché comparison of Mastodon’s heavy primitive music to their band being named after a prehistoric pachyderm. I looked it up and found that Mastodon means “nipple-teeth”, I really don’t think that’s a good description of their music.
As the Atlanta based band took its instruments and stood behind the mics, the crowd exploded with anticipation for the first song.
Like a nuclear blast their sludgy, bone crushingly metal riffs hit the crowd and “it” was on! The booming vocal melodies danced over the technical dual guitars and slamming bass. The energy on stage, and in the crowd, really seeped into my pores and made this show one of the best I’ve been to in a great while.
Mastodon headlined the show with support from Against Me, Cursive, and Planes Mistaken for Stars. A quite confusing line-up that filled the legendary Warfield with a very diverse crowd.
I noticed a majority of males in attendance, but the females who were there seemed to be there for a great show and weren’t shy or timid about being in the mosh pit.
Mastodon’s latest release “Blood Mountain” is a listening adventure and pretty far out there lyrically. Their website describes: “The disc tells the story of a quest to ascend Blood Mountain to find a crystal skull, reach the top and insert the skull inside the band members’ own heads in order to eradicate “reptile brain” and transport them to the next phase of human evolution.
Of course, the trek is far from simple.” Um,…yeah. Anyway, they do rock extremely hard .
Vocalist/Bassist Troy Sanders and Vocalist/Guitarist Brent Hinds took turns pummeling the crowd with their own raspy driving harmonies.
Brent’s flying V shot out heavy chunky rhythms while second guitarist Bill Kelliher played most of the harmonies. The backdrop to this monstrous tech/sludge experience was the intricate, demented, yet beautiful cover art of Blood Mountain. Equally beautiful art adorned the bands merch, which could be seen all over the concert goers.
As a musician I was in awe with the bands ability to perform the songs so perfectly and deliver a stage presence that made the technicality look easy.
Overall it was a FIVE Star performance, and one I definitely won’t miss when they return to town.
Show Review: Cattle Decapitation
VENUE: 924 Gilman
CITY: Berkeley, CA
DATE: March 30, 2007
Cattle Decapitation’s first full length album “Human Jerky” came out in 1999 LP-only by Nevada label Satan’s Pimp.
For the last decade the band has spread it’s wrenching gore-grind vastly into the underground metal scene.
Their 2006 release “Karma.Bloody.Karma” marks their third effort on MetalBlade Records. Right before their upcoming stint in Europe with Dying Fetus, Skinless, & War From A Harlots Mouth the band hit the legendary 924 Gilman Club in Berkeley on March 30th. They were on tour with The Locust and Daughters. I had seen The Locust before and enjoyed the show, but I am a fan of Cattle Decapitation. I’ve seen them four times and know that I can always expect a great show.
It was my first time going to this venue. After standing in a very long line for over an hour, I finally walked in to the club and was amazed at the “gutter-punk” look of the place. The walls were covered with various art and graffiti that captured the culture of the people that visit the venue. The size of the venue was quite comfortable, even though it was swarming with people.
The crowd that attended the concert that night was much different than the crowd I would usually see at a Cattle Decapitation show. While I was standing in line, I noticed many scene kids practicing their hardcore dancing moves; not something you’d normally see at a Cattle Decapitation show.
Cattle Decapitation is a grind/gore metal band. Despite their ironic name, they are well known by their fans as being proanimal rights, provegetarian, and antihuman.
One may not be able to decipher the lyrics by listening to the music. By reading the lyrics, you will see the main focus is to expose the scum of humanity.
The band members, Troy Oftedal (bass), Josh Elmore (guitar), Michael Laughlin (drums), and Travis Ryan (vocals) took to the stage in a frenzy.
They opened their set with “Unintelligent Design/ Success Is… (hanging by the neck)” This instantly got the audience pumped and focused on their performance. The thundering drums and bass teamed up with brutal riffs was the perfect foundation for Travis Ryan’s outbursts. Every time I’ve seen Travis perform on stage, it reminds me how a man would act if he were being tortured and then sewn into the belly of a large, rotting animal for a week. As grotesque as that may sound, it somehow describes his stage presence as he expresses himself through descriptive lyrics about human dysfunction and injustice to animal life forms. His vocals range from deep throaty growls to high pitched squeals. One might say he sounds possessed, but his vocal talent is undeniable.
It was hard for me to see a lot of their performance on stage because, as usual, a tall person would stand in front of me. From what I did get to see, Cattle Decapitation put on an amazing show, which is what I have learned to expect from them. They played a great set, including, “Diarrhea of the Mouth”, “Bereavement”, and another song about a particular type of tsunami. Some of the songs were from their most recent release, “Karma Bloody Karma”. I was quite pleased with their show and am looking forward to attending another when they return to Nor-Cal. For more information on Cattle Decapitation, visit them at www.myspace.com/cattledecapitation, or the bands web site at www.cattledecapitation.com
Show Review: Michael Franti & Spearhead
VENUE: Slims
CITY: San Francisco, CA
DATE: February 16, 2007
Clouds of colored smoke waft up towards the vaulted ceilings, past detailed paintings on the walls of San Francisco’s classic concert hall, The Warfield. The black stage decorated with arrangements of orange, red, pink, and yellow tropical flowers, mixed with jungle greenery. Suddenly, a large red backdrop unrolled, displaying a huge peace symbol. The crowd raised their hands, forming a sea of waving peace signs as Michael Franti and Spearhead took the stage. Spearhead, a legendary alternative hip-hop group from Oakland, is made up of five band members — Carl Young [bass], Dave Shul [guitar], Manas Itene [drums], Raleigh J. Neal [keyboards] and the group’s creator and lead singer, Michael Franti.
PHOTO: Courtesy
The band released its first album — “Home” — in 1994. The following 13 years brought four more albums, a label change, and even a name change.
Franti is well-known locally for producing San Francisco’s Power to the Peaceful Festival, an annual event which allows open discussion about world events, while featuring live music, yoga, holistic health education, and many informational booths on topics ranging from September 11 conspiracies to animal rights. Franti, an open peace supporter, is a driving force behind the Bay Area movement.
The crowd is made up of many races and ages with a stunning variety in clothing styles. Men in dress shirts stood shoulder-to-shoulder with young women whose hair has been crafted into dirty dreadlocks. Strangers danced with each other while passing around drinks, food, and smokes. Security had quite a job on their hands as there were hundreds of people forcing their way towards the stage.
The night saw performances from artists ranging from poets and spoken-word performers to a reggae-loving DJ, and even a self-taught musician whose influences range from The Grateful Dead to Bobby McFerrin.
The peace-themed event showcased two of the winners of Spearhead’s “Letter to the President” contest, which called on today’s concerned citizens to write to President Bush describing their feelings on the United States’ involvement in Iraq.
A local Vietnamese girl, Phuong Tran, told her horrifying tale of escaping Vietnam on a boat when she was a child and being separated from her father for 18 years. Other winning letters included a curse-filled demand for a return of our troops, and an 8-year-old’s suggestion that the war be fought with “water balloons. You know, the really big ones…”
A standout moment of the night came when the show’s opener, Keller Williams, the fore mentioned self-taught musician, performed one of his infamous cover songs, The Tokens’ 1961 hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Standing barefoot, just as Franti would do a few hours later, Williams belted his high-pitched tones, “Near the jungle, the mighty jungle…” Williams moved between his numerous guitars and his looping machine, and even created a hybrid jazzy-scat sound mixed with hip-hop beatboxing using only his mouth. As his set progressed, he performed a cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Brown-Eyed Women” and an impressive collection of his own songs.
The night moved steadily on and it was now time for the main-event.
The lights dimmed. The symbolic backdrop was raised. The crowd cheered. Young’s bass line began and the rest of the group followed suit. The lights shifted rapidly from bright yellows to greens to reds. The capacity audience screamed their heads off while singing along with Franti’s politically charged and socially conscious lyrics. Playing songs from their newest album, “Yell Fire!”, along with classics from their previous releases; Spearhead kept a hold of its’ audience up until the very last note.
Show Review: Will Haven
VENUE: The Blue Lamp
CITY: Sacramento, CA
DATE: March 15, 2007
Will Haven returned in full force to its loyal fans after approximately three years from its last show at the Capitol Garage where singer Grady said farewell to the scene. The band announced its triumphant return with the first show back at the Boardwalk in Jan. 2006. Jeff Irwin (guitar) Mike Martin (bass) Mitch Wheeler (drums) and Grady proved they were back with a vengeance.
Photo by Brian Hanks
After that show the band received acclaim from the Metal world with articles in Kerrang, The Sac Bee, and more. After a stint in Europe, seeing sold-out crowds, the band quickly announced that it signed with Bieler Bros Records and would be heading into the studio to record its fourth album.
After just one year back, fans were amped up for what the future held for one of the most popular, and underrated, underground metal bands out of Sacramento.
In the midst of recording its album, the band announced it would be heading to Europe once again. However, soon after this announcement came an even bigger bout of news.
“The big announcement in the Will Haven camp is that Grady has had to limit his time with Will Haven to concentrate on his family and career.
There are always rumors about band members leaving so we want to set the record straight,” the band posted on its MySpace page.
Photo by Brian Hanks
“Grady had originally left the band three years ago because he was just burned out, as we all were at the time. After a few years we decided to get together and do some shows, and perhaps put out a new record. Everything came together quickly and we began doing a UK tour and writing some of the most amazing music we have ever done. Most people think that Will Haven is our only job, that is so far from the truth. This band is a creative outlet for us, it doesn’t pay our bills to support our families. Touring for us is merely vacations at this point, but being creative is the most important thing to us. So keeping this band together has been a hard struggle sometimes due to financial strains on us personally… Grady has had to take a job opportunity to make sure his wife and two beautiful children are very well taken care of… He is our brother, our best friend and is continuing helping with the band… He is helping with the new record and if he has time will sing on a few songs.”
To replace Grady, the band turned to its friend Red Tape frontman Jeff Jaworski. When the UK promoters found out Grady was no longer in the band they canceled most of its shows. However, Will Haven still had some dates planned to tour with its friends the Deftones in Europe.
Before it hit the road with the new singer in tow, the band played an impromptu show at Sacramento’s Blue Lamp, kind of a test to the hometown fans that Jeff was the right man for the job. It was also another farewell to Grady.
People came from all over California to pack the small, dark venue. The anticipation mounted as the band prepared for its set. Before the crowd could brace itself, the band exploded into their first song. With the first few screams, Jeff Jaworski proved his place on stage. Another addition was a second guitarist — Lance Jackman of EIGHTFOURSEVEN. The group played a barrage of songs with enough energy to power the entire state.
Photo by Brian Hanks
The crowd was hyped and security was called in to attempt at containing the pit, but as soon as Grady stepped on stage alongside Jeff there was no use trying.
Grady held the mic and the crowd for the last few songs of the set and then disappeared into the darkness.
It was an amazing sight, seeing the two scream those songs together. A whole new phase has taken shape in the Will Haven machine, and it promises to be just as strong as it ever was.
With the new album being released this summer, and currently on tour in Europe, the band seems to have a lot in store for its fans.
So be prepared.
