8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28 with Giant Squid, Tera Melos and the Blue Letter; $12; all ages. The Boardwalk, 9426 Greenback Lane, in Orangevale.
Leave it to the quirky Mike Patton to team up with the Locust as his big middle finger to the record industry. Virtually the progenitors of the spaz-core scene, the Locust, whose stage attire resembles that of life-sized insects, have released a concept album that is essentially one song divided into four sections. If you loved Plague Soundscapes, you’ll find great pleasure knowing the quartet hasn’t let up. “Invented Organs/New Tongue Sweepstakes/Consenting Abscess” is both white noise and math rock, infused with irregular sonic threats. Fans of the Blood Brothers, Holy Molar, Fantomas, or even Hella will appreciate the sonic calisthenics herein. Perhaps the only thing missing from this nearly complete package is a healthy dose of Ritalin. Long live diet pills and caffeinated mints! Let the sleep deprivation begin! (SN&R)
Victims Family members Ralph Spight and Larry Boothroyd party in the parking lot.
It’s hard to believe that the Wright brothers—that is, Rob and John—have been around since the early 1980s. While most bands formed during the “punk boom” eventually lost notoriety and respect, NoMeansNo’s awkward mix of algorithm-based punk and lyrical sarcasm has led to well-attended U.S. tours and overseas jaunts, not to mention a devout legion of rabid fans. The Wrights’ latest release is a compilation of 15 songs aptly titled People’s Choice. It spans the group’s career and is a great introduction to one of Canada’s most complex and confusing punk bands. Make that introduction in person when NoMeansNo plays Harlow’s, located at 2708 J Street, on Monday at 9 p.m. Admission is $12. Also on the bill is Northern California’s greatest post-punk trio, Victims Family, whose first album, Voltage & Violets, should’ve earned them a punk Grammy. Visit www.harlows.com for more information. (SN&R)
The members of Mumbo Gumbo scoff at allergy season.
From Sonora to Lake Tahoe to Santa Cruz to Reno, Nev., Mumbo Gumbo has maintained a regular show regimen that keeps the surrounding areas quite content. Although the band’s sound is an amalgam of styles including world, blues, balladry, country and even rockabilly, these musicians know how to make it all work simultaneously in their two-hour-plus sets. The core members of the group—Chris Webster and Tracy Walton, the band’s mainstay singer-songwriters—are just two of the many reasons you should experience the band in a live setting. Drummer Rick Lotter, bassist Mike Palmer, saxophonist Reggy Marks, accordionist and pianist Steve Stizzo and guitar hero Jon Wood offer you five more. Still debating? Check out some awesome song samples at www.mumbogumbo.com. On Saturday at 8 p.m., the band will play songs from its last release, Seven, along with a plethora of Mumbo Gumbo favorites at the Palms Playhouse, located at 13 Main Street in Winters. Move those seats into the hallway. (SN&R)
This band’s two singers, Gustaf Norén and Björn Dixgard, deliver more hooks in 30 seconds than the Thrills or the Vines have on all of their releases combined. On Hurricane Bar, their sophomore release for Mute, one listen to “Cut The Rope” or the harmony-laden “God Knows” will bring back flashes of Eric Burdon’s Animals and easily should convert followers of Jet or the Libertines. Unlike the countless, one-word named, pseudo-retro garbage acts that preceded the band’s glorious first U.S. release, Bring ’Em In, Mando Diao’s songs are so infectious that a vaccine should be created. Songs like “Down In The Past” and “All My Senses” should be the new standard for rock ’n’ roll in the new millennium. Fans of the Strokes take note: There’s a new kid on the block. (SN&R)
The Radar Bros. caught in the midst of an unfinished symphony.
Los Angeles’ Radar Bros. have flown under the radar for more than 10 years, but they haven’t let that lack of attention hamper their creativity one iota. The band’s latest release, The Fallen Leaf Pages, hit the streets on March 22. While comparisons to the great Pink Floyd, Grandaddy, Neil Young, Earlimart and even the Beach Boys are inevitable, the group continues its rich tradition of fine harmonies and dense guitar wash without sounding derivative. If you’re a fan of slow-core, surreal pop or even the Merge Records roster, TheFallen Leaf Pages is one helluva catch.
So, why would a touring band with such critical acclaim book a Saturday night in Sacramento, a town that was once White Zombie’s top-selling market? The tour routing to the Blue Lamp might have been a mistake, but mistakes can be good. The Radar Bros. play the Blue Lamp, located at 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, with Carquinez Straits and the Randies on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $8. Embrace this chance; you might only get one. (SN&R)
With Passion, recently signed to Earache Records, is adjusting to life in a tour van
The boys of With Passion—Jacob Peete, Sam McLeod, Andrew Burt, Brandon Guadagnolo, Shaun Gier and Michael Nordeen—represent on the steps of the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.
In a little more than three years, With Passion has become one of the brightest (er, darkest?) lights in the local metal scene. The six members of With Passion came together in 2002 and played Northern California relentlessly. Recently, the band’s efforts paid off in the form of a worldwide deal with Earache Records.
The band’s technical, metal-hardcore hybrid sound deviates greatly from Earache’s best-known current and former acts: Morbid Angel, Deicide, Napalm Death, Nocturnus and Cathedral. That’s a good thing. Listening to With Passion, you might hear a hint of black metal only to have it juxtaposed by the band’s obvious nods to hardcore.
Vocalist Sam McLeod took some time out from the band’s first international tour to shed some light on With Passion’s quick rise from local to national status. “The signing has definitely brought us more attention from both European and U.S. markets,” he said. “We are still working on getting a U.K. agent, but for now, we are working with Earache for overseas tours.”
The band isn’t resting on its laurels and waiting for the accolades to pour in. Instead, With Passion has maintained a busy schedule on the touring circuit. “With Passion has played well over 200 total shows to date,” McLeod said. “The most standout show was with As I Lay Dying at The Boardwalk. With Passion was the main support band, and we played to a sold-out crowd of around 750 people. That was well over the capacity for the venue.”
When the band is not playing live, its members are busy writing and recording new material. “We are writing for the new album as we speak and are planning on recording at the end of the year,” McLeod said. However, the band’s first EP also is getting a second chance. “We are re-releasing In the Midst of Bloodied Soil because, although we signed with Earache Records, people still have no idea who With Passion is. We are going to support this album on the road and follow it up with the full-length release.”
Although it’s common for metal bands to get signed when the members are in their 30s and sometimes 40s, With Passion is an anomaly. “The median age of With Passion is 22. We feel our age is to our advantage because we still have the energy, drive and motivation to continue to pursue our dreams. At this age, we can focus on music only,” McLeod stated emphatically.
Although the band’s influences are far-reaching, as evidenced on its re-released EP and its bonus tracks, you’d never guess as much by the tracks currently playing in With Passion’s tour van. As McLeod described the van’s soundtrack, “We only have a tape converter and an iPod, but the main rotation is Necrophagist, Kalmah, Children of Bodom, Songs Ohia, Moving Units, Cryptopsy and Cattle Decapitation.” When asked which of his Earache labelmates he preferred, McLeod named several. “At the Gates, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Blood Red Throne, Cult of Luna and Callisto are all our favorites on the roster. We are familiar with the majority of the acts on Earache.”
With Passion is looking into the future already and plans to make its current vocation a lasting one. At the same time, McLeod is realistic about the uphill battle any new band faces in the race to sell records and keep up with an increasingly tough market. “Hopefully by the end of 2005, we will be in the studio recording for our full-length album and continue touring. We are planning on also having the opportunity to tour overseas. Some [of us] have more flexibility than others with time off from our jobs.”
The band’s manager, Eric Rushing (best known for his 720 Records dynasty), is working in tandem with its U.S. agent, John Finberg, to see that the six members don’t return to their day jobs anytime soon. With Passion already is set to tour the country with Deicide and Immolation in May and June, so it doesn’t look like these boys will have time for anything except hustling to the next show.
Hollis, Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, a stuffed monkey and Zak Sally share a cozy couch. (Hollis and the monkey are not technically in the band.)
It seems like yesterday that Duluth, Minn.-based Low put out its first release. After nearly 12 years off and on the club circuit, Low has garnered the kind of respect from both the industry and its fan base that other bands would kill for. On The Great Destroyer, Low’s latest LP and the first on Seattle’s legendary Sub Pop Records, the trio changes gears drastically—opting for dense sonic wash and up-tempo rhythms. Fans of earlier albums, such as Trust and the exceptional Things We Lost in the Fire, will be happy that Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk’s harmonies are still spot-on. Although the slow-core fan base may be put off by the obvious change at first, upon further inspection it all will make perfect sense. You’d be a fool to miss this show in your very own backyard. Low plays Harlow’s, located at 2708 J Street, with Pedro the Lion at 10 p.m. on Monday. Admission is $12. Visit www.harlows.com for tickets and information. (SN&R)
If you were one of the 10 people who saw this in the movie theater upon release, you already know that the members of Metallica have softened themselves beyond redemption. Once considered the kings of the Bay Area metal scene and perhaps the biggest metal band in the world, Lars Ulrich and company have reduced themselves to the lowest common denominator. Sure, it’s fascinating to see how much money gets thrown around the Metallica camp. From employing a full-time therapist for a five-figure monthly salary to new bassist Robert Trujillo’s $1 million signing bonus, we learn more than we need to about the Fab Three. Instead of live footage or rarities, Metallica fans have to watch Dave Mustaine’s breakdown during a therapy session. We all know James Hetfield is now clean and sober. Sadly, he was better drunk.
John Sykes pretty much wrote Whitesnake’s 1987 self-titled album, along with David Coverdale. Although he was unceremoniously ousted from the group before videos and touring would commence, real Whitesnake fans knew of his enormous talent. Although Blue Murder, Sykes’ first post-Whitesnake group, disbanded after only two proper U.S. releases, he’s made a living with his own Y2K-compliant version of Thin Lizzy. Bad Boy Live!, available only at www.johnsykes.com, features Sykes playing songs from all of the aforementioned groups, in addition to his solo works. Marco Mendoza (Ted Nugent and Whitesnake), Tommy Aldridge (Pat Travers, Ozzy Osbourne and Whitesnake) and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater) round out the able quartet with a live collection culled from their latest trek to (where else?) Japan. 10 out of 10 studded belts.
Drummer Zach Hill plays for more record labels than he can count, but he really just wants to make burritos
Hella’s Zach Hill and Spencer Seim face off.
Hella, a Sacramento-based duo formed out of theashes of the now-legendary band Legs on Earth, has been wreaking considerable havoc in just about any establishment its agent can hustle it into. However, in contrast to its earlier years, the band is now enjoying success both at home and abroad.
Zach Hill, Hella’s drummer extraordinaire, is a master of multi-tasking. Aside from Hella, Hill has played or plays with Tough Guy Fantasy, Arctic Boys, Crime In Choir, Nervous Cop, Flossin’, Onibaba (featuring Mike Patton and Kid 606), Les Claypool, Team Sleep (featuring Chino Moreno of the Deftones), John Zorn, and the Holy Smokes. Last year, he even played a benefit at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre—as a solo performer, no less. The show, which featured System of a Down, was held on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Although Hill currently is signed to multiple label deals with several different acts, he still remembers Hella’s early days with great pride. “Our first tour was pretty slow-motion,” Hill recalled. “We booked it ourselves with the help of Ben McOsker [of Load Records]. It was a lot of laughing, and we broke even [financially], but it was scattered. Lots of, ‘Call Benjamin Franklin tomorrow ’cause he knows blah blah.’ Dude! I remember we played Chicago, like, five times in one week. It was mostly all-ages clubs, houses and art spaces; very crumbs and pennies.”
Besides recently signing a one-album deal with Patton’s Ipecac Recordings, Hella will release an ambitious double-CD project on March 22 via Suicide Squeeze Records. Church Gone Wild/Chirpin Hard features guitarist Spencer Seim’s music on one disc and Hill’s music on the other. “It was an exercise in trust of each other musically,” said Hill. “We didn’t hear a peep of the other’s until it was turned in. It was probably the healthiest thing we’ve ever done for our friendship. It’s both sides of the brain, assuming our group has brains … and it’s my favorite Hella record.”
What started as merely a hobby and a new form of experimental expression for the members of Hella has now turned into a business and, more importantly, their livelihood. “I’ve been very fortunate to pay rent with sound, but any day I could be back to washing dishes,” said the humble drummer. “I’ve thought about getting a job at Taco Bell, just for the daydreams you get in those environments,” Hill continued. “I think fast-food and dishwasher jobs are actually gold mines for personal epiphany. It’s valuable to be uncomfortable.”
Hella records for multiple record labels simultaneously with almost concurrent release schedules. “We’re on probably about six or seven … it’s hard to exact,” Hill admitted. “Up until the present, we had never held a paper to pen for music. It’s all been high-fives. All of the labels are on good terms with each other. When we signed to Ipecac a month ago, that was our first experience of actual signatures. That doesn’t suggest less trust. We just thought we should start getting a little organized and futurist about things. It’s still high-fives, and we are vibrant about the situation.”
As if they weren’t already busy enough writing, playing and recording separate solo albums, the guys in Hella plan to tour for the better part of 2005. “We’ve played all over Europe, the Eastern bloc, all over Canada, Texas,” Hill said. “We leave in a week to do the States twice, Japan, Canada, Europe, U.K., and then Australia later on. Then we do the same thing in the fall when our full-length, Concentration Face, comes out on 5RC/Kill Rock Stars.”
Oh yeah. Team Sleep’s long-awaited new opus, also featuring Hill, finally will see the light of day on April 26 via Maverick Records. It’s tiring just thinking about it. With all that touring, Hill probably won’t have time to make quesadillas and burritos. Maybe next year?
Eddie
