“We’re playing Messiah again? What about my arrangement of ‘Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’?”
Christmas is here and so is the inevitable run of interpretations of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. Fortunately, the American Bach Soloists more than do justice to the piece; they’ve even released a CD of their Mondavi Center performance from 2004. The group, under the direction of UC Davis music professor Jeffrey Thomas, will perform Messiah at the Mondavi Center’s lovely Jackson Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday. The two-hour live show is sure to please both the aficionado and the seasonal concertgoer. This year’s production features a staggering 32-member orchestra and 33-member choir. Ticket prices range from $29 to $39, with discounts for UC Davis students. The ultimate Christmas carol couldn’t be any more welcome to the Sacramento Valley. (SN&R)
Unfortunately, the overwhelming glut of new releases tends to overshadow the finer offerings by more obscure, experimental musicians. But Liars, the Berlin-via-New-York-based noise outfit, has proven itself a formidable sub-genre force in the international scene. On the evidence of the album’s cymbal-crashing opener, “Plaster Casts of Everything,” and its closer, “Protection,” and, actually, everything in between, the Liars’ latest sounds like an essential collectible. Whether it’s misguided genius or simply dumb luck, this energetic trio has stumbled upon a sound that lies somewhere between raucous punk and introspective rock. They’re just now finishing up a tour with fellow New Yorkers Interpol, and one can only wonder how the pairing has worked. Not that the Liars would even give a damn. (SN&R)
Jesu plays with These Arms Are Snakes at 8 p.m. on Monday, November 5 at Harlow’s, 2708 J Street; (916) 441-4693; www.harlows.com. Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door.
Justin Broadrick, former leader of the sadly defunct, industrial doom machine known as Godflesh, has never been one to rest on his laurels. Lifeline, his third release for Hydra Head Records, is a short but sweet offering with heaping piles of electronics. Like most of his projects, Broadrick’s voice is buried beneath a backdrop of melancholy and behind walls of despair. Like early Treponem Pal, the title track is magnificent in scope—and about as somber as they come. For the uninitiated, a well-focused listen to any Jesu release demands your intelligence and, more importantly, some musical fortitude. While “Storm Comin’ On” isn’t likely to break any Billboard records, it’ll easily make people turn their attention away from the drivel that incited Broadrick to write the way he does in the first place. (SN&R)
The Nevada City trio isn’t looking for greener pastures, just more space
See, kids, it’s only safe to stand in the middle of the road when you’re not actually there.
9 p.m. Saturday with Red Tape, $7. Old Ironsides, 1902 10th Street; (916) 443-9751; www.myspace.com/themhills.
Several years ago, the thought of Nevada City being home to a “formidable” music scene would have been met with skepticism and, perhaps, a little laughter. While there were indeed some great bands from up in the hills that frequented Sacramento’s downtown venues, their ventures were few and far between. More recently, however, thanks to Nevada City’s own Grass Roots Record Company, many bands and solo artists from around “the N.C.” have made considerable headway into the NorCal and greater Bay Area music scenes.
One act in particular, Them Hills—Dan Elkan (vocals/guitar), David Torch (drums), and Thaddeus Stoenner (bass)—has upped the ante not only for bands from their own high elevation town, but also for bands from around the entire Sacramento Valley, as well.
While many Sacramentans will know Elkan and Stoenner from their previous group, Pocket For Corduroy, drummer Torch is a relative newcomer to the local scene and a recent transplant from Reno.
Notes Torch: “I had recently moved to Nevada City for a job at the local newspaper, where I met Thad and began to play with him in one of his projects. Up until then, I had sort of quit playing for a while to focus on photography. To be honest, I’d grown tired of what I was working on and needed a change.”
Elkan had an idea of the sound he wanted and a clear reason for forming the band—he wanted a trio that was something larger than the sum of its parts. “[Thad and I] were into the idea of a trio as a means to approach music in a simpler way, one that would allow for more musical space. When I returned home from two months as a touring musician with Hella, I got together with Thad and David and we began to work on some of the demos that I had put down on the four-track. I left for tour again for another three months and when I returned around Christmas 2005, we dubbed ourselves Them Hills and began to focus.”
Though Them Hills had a song featured on Grass Roots Record Co.’s excellent Family Album compilation, this time ’round the band chose to keep its business closer to the vest, putting out the latest record independently.
“We have no distribution and no label,” explains Elkan. “This first pressing is small, so for now we’ll get it in some local record stores and have it available at shows, and it’ll be available through cdbaby.com and digitally through iTunes.”
Additionally, the band recorded the full-length album in two different studios: Brighton Sound and the newer Station To Station, both owned by the multitalented producer/musician Dana Gumbiner. Aided by Gumbiner and Hella’s Zach Hill, the band launched into the sessions that would make up this new album, Greener Grassing.
While the band’s influences are many, they agree that groups like Wire, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine and Brian Eno share a place in their collective hearts. Adds Torch, “We all love Soundgarden and we’re making our best effort to convince Thad to give reggae and dub a chance. I love John Fahey and hip-hop.”
One listen to the many intricate layers of sound and spatial placement of the overdubs on Greener Grassing is enough to grab anyone’s attention. While Them Hills’ brand of music may be hastily categorized as “emo” or “indie,” it relies solely on the listener to partake in their experience. Songs like “All Aboard” and “Grow Down” nearly dumbfound the senses with alarming melodies and keen arrangements.
With the release of its first full-length CD pending, the band will be celebrating the glorious event with two special shows: Saturday, August 11, at Old Ironsides, 1901 10th Street; and Friday, August 17, at the Miner’s Foundry in (where else?) Nevada City.
If you’ve been forced to prioritize your concert viewing, the Them Hills CD release show should be high on your list. Visit the band’s lovely MySpace page for music samples and you’ll see why.
Frank Jordan puts out one last album before saying ‘Goodnight’
Funny thing is: Not one of these guys is named Frank or Jordan.
To this day, I never understood how a band like Frank Jordan—Mike Visser (guitar/vocals), Matt Ontjes (bass) and Devin Hurley (drums)—could revel in obscurity while countless bands were given the red-carpet treatment to major label-dom. With the fervor of early Police coupled with the more frantic moments of Pavement, a sincere DIY ethic, and musicianship virtually unrivalled in the Sacramento Valley, the notion of this band going unnoticed caused considerable head scratching from more than a few fans.
Unfortunately, after a 12-year run that culminated in several EP and full-length releases, the band called it quits. “We toured ourselves into the ground,” says Hurley. “We went on six U.S. tours in five years for three months at a time, usually playing for little money in obscure venues. One tour we played college towns in the summer when no one was there. That was particularly frustrating.”
Adds Ontjes: “There are a lot of reasons why we quit. There were many years of struggling and sacrificing other parts of life to pursue a career in music. After a while, I think we all were curious what it would be like not to be in Frank Jordan. I’m sure there was a better way to approach the end, but hindsight is 20/20.”
In addition to a regular touring regimen, the band amassed a loyal legion of fans in such disparate places as Elko, Nev., Dallas, Texas, and Albuquerque, N.M. Even though they never secured proper U.S. distribution, and rarely had records available in the markets they toured, they still managed to convert a couple thousand fans along the way.
At the annual South by Southwest convention several years ago, I remember these guys knocking the city of Austin senseless with their high-energy and chaotic set. Though only a backyard party with free, lukewarm beer, it ranks as one of my favorite FJ shows to date.
Whether they were playing a label showcase, opening for Mike Watt, rocking a backyard barbeque or simply doing a local show, this trio was always firing on all cylinders.
Visser finally moved to the East Coast to get away from the Sacramento scene and start fresh. His new band, Rad Tan, is in the process of writing and hopes to record in the not-so-distant future.
He distinctly remembers the recording process in 2004 that ultimately led to Frank Jordan’s upcoming release, Ohio, on Park The Van records (run by longtime band friend and manager Chris Watson).
“We lived in a half-finished house in the forest of southern Ohio. We would go to the studio every weekday at noon and record until midnight for a month,” Visser says. “In the end, we just picked what we thought were the strongest of the fourteen [songs].”
Recording ended up costing a pretty penny. Instead of opting for traditional home recordings, they regularly recorded out-of-state with less than optimum conditions. As far as the Ohio sessions go, “We spent way more than we had,” notes Hurley. “The house was being renovated and we slept on his floor that was covered in sawdust. We spent our evenings playing Tiger Woods golf tournaments on Playstation 2.”
One listen to the songs on Frank Jordan’s latest reveals a maturity in both songwriting and, more importantly, on a personal level. The geographic distance from their singer hasn’t kept either Ontjes or Hurley from staying in touch on a regular basis.
So why even release Ohio, now a 2-year-old recording? As the overly enthusiastic Hurley responds, “I wanted to release this album for the past three years. … [It] was important because of all the things that led us to where we are now.” More importantly, the band believes in the new(er) material. “I feel it’s the best album we’ve ever made.”
After hearing the initial tracks, I couldn’t agree more.
With a limited release of only 300 copies, you’d best get out to this Saturday’s show early. Unfortunately, aside from an October showcase at 2007’s CMJ convention, this may be the last you’ll see of them.
Sacramento rock giants Kai Kln reunite after a nine-year hiatus
If you lived in the Sacramento Valley during the early ’90s, chances are you’ve heard of Kai Kln. Legend has it they were the first unsigned local band to sell out the Crest Theatre’s 975-seat main theater. Vocalist and guitarist Gene Smith, guitarist Sherman Loper, bassist Scott Anderson and drummer Neil Franklin channeled powerful classic-rock bands like Nazareth and Trapeze, while managing to appeal to an alternative crowd. It seemed the band was on the verge of becoming a national sensation.
In an ironic turn that’s almost become a rock cliché, Kai Kln broke up just as the band’s stars started to align in 1994—much to the chagrin of a few thousand dedicated fans. Family responsibilities and differing priorities made it impossible to sign with one of the many labels courting them. The band sporadically played shows and recorded songs for the next four years, before lapsing into nearly a decade of silence.
Now Kai Kln is ready to reunite.
Marc Malakie, the band’s longtime manager and honorary fifth member, was largely responsible for negotiating the band’s upcoming reunion show at Harlow’s this Friday. On the phone from his home in the Bay Area, Malakie was his usual overly enthusiastic self.
“It was an exciting and interesting time for all of us back then,” he said of Kai Kln’s peak in popularity. “We were regularly contacted by record labels, which, in turn, also opened the door and gave other Sacramento bands the opportunity to be recognized, as well. The interest level grew enormously, yet, unfortunately, it was also the beginning of the end for us.”
“Our last official gig was opening for [Who bassist] John Entwistle in October ’98, so we thought a nine-year hiatus was enough,” drummer Franklin said.
Sometimes it just takes that long to get everyone on board. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in this band, it’s that nothing is for sure, except no one will ever be replaced,” Franklin said definitively.
“Except if [Black Sabbath’s] Geezer Butler were interested,” he added. “Then Scott would be fired immediately.”
Today, the band’s old CDs sell for as much as $49.99 on Amazon.com, and a recent sold-out show at San Francisco’s Bottom Of The Hill proved the quartet still has a ravenous fan base. So what’s the secret to writing songs people crave 10 years later?
“Writing has always been the same,” Franklin said. “Sometimes someone has a song more or less finished and we learn it, or someone has a bucketful of riffs and licks. Then we carefully place them together. Then we overanalyze it, change it, rearrange it, get pissed and break up for nine years.”
Tickets are already on sale for the band’s local reunion, scheduled for April 20 at Harlow’s. And, like any well-planned event, its organizers have an agenda. The Ricky and Del Connection, a band formed by Franklin and Smith after the dissolution of Kai Kln, will open the show as a release party for their now 2-year-old CD Stream of Unconsciousness.
“This is our best chance to be seen in front of more than our usual 10 or so fans,” Franklin said. “It seemed like a good idea because Larry Boothroyd [bassist for opening band Triclops!] and Scott both played bass on the album. They will both play with Ricky and Del, as well.”
If you can’t get to Harlow’s this Friday, you might have to wait until Kai Kln plays the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Friday Night Concerts in the Park series at Cesar Chavez Plaza on July 13. (Later that night, the band plans to perform a special set of the members’ favorite songs, appropriately dubbed “Kai Kovers.”)
“Things work a lil’ slow ’round here,” Franklin said.
The guys in Shakedown aren’t afraid of a little high voltage.
Many bands change their style and image to keep up with current trends, but Shakedown hasn’t denied its roots in reggae, hip-hop and dub. Formed in the mid-’90s, Shakedown flies the flag for those who enjoy the sounds of Sublime, Filibuster, and Slightly Stoopid. If you like music that recalls sunny beaches, a bucketful of Coronas and the warmth of good friends, Shakedown is your ticket. Judging by the band’s latest long-player, New Sound Delivery, 2007 should be a great year for the Sacramento natives. Before touring around the West Coast, the band will play a hometown show this Friday at the Blue Lamp, located at 1400 Alhambra Boulevard. Also on the bill are Radioactive and the Down Low. Tickets are $8 and the 21-and-over show starts at 10 p.m. (SN&R)
Perhaps Eek-A-Mouse spent his hiatus at Tres Hermanas?
It’s February, the month of Bob Marley’s birth, and that puts us in the mood for some reggae and dancehall music. Co-headliners Eek-A-Mouse and Steel Pulse are paired up for a Sacramento stop that is sure to please. Catch reggae’s oddest (and tallest) crooner, fresh from a two-year musical hiatus, along with one of Britain’s favorite bands for the price of one ticket. The show takes place on Wednesday, February 21, at the Radisson Hotel Ballroom, located at 500 Leisure Lane. The all-ages event starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are just $30. Visit www.renegadeshows.com for more info. (SN&R)
Why must the mere mention of Valentine’s Day send chills up and down our spines? Perhaps Americans have put too much emphasis on the pseudo-holiday in an effort to bolster the spirits of those in love, thereby messing with the collective psyches of those who’ve yet to find their partners in crime. Whatever the reason, the annual Crooning Couples Valentine’s Day soiree is one of the best ways to get through what could be a difficult day. This year’s lineup represents the cream of the crop of Sacramento’s music talent pool. Members of Two Sheds, Spider Silk Dress, the Skirts, Daycare, Baby Grand, the Devastates and many more will play songs until last call. Catch all the action on Wednesday at Old Ironsides, located at 1901 10th Street. Tickets are $8 and the show starts at 9 p.m. Sorry teenagers in love, the show is 21 and over. (SN&R)
Hella has three new members, one new album and an international tour schedule. Too bad Sacramento’s not on it.
When the Beatles posed with raw meat and doll heads for 1966’s Yesterday and Today, the album cover was recalled. Can Hella succeed where the Fab Four failed?
Hella couldn’t be a more ridiculous yet apropos moniker for the duo featuring drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Spencer Seim. When something is really cool, it’s hella cool, and Hella’s songs, an indescribable hodgepodge of musical calisthenics juxtaposed by memorable melodic sequences, exude everything that could be considered cool in experimental music and then some.
On its new album, There’s No 666 in Outer Space, out this week on Ipecac Recordings, Hella actively de-categorizes music with head-scratching tunes like “Anarchists Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Friends Don’t Let Friends Win.” If we have to label it, let’s call it “ritalin rock” for its multiple time signatures and over-the-top arrangements. Although the music has changed drastically since Hella’s initial, self-released demo CD—which came crudely packaged in duct tape—the progression has been for the better.
Uninhibited by binding, long-term contracts and record-label intervention, Hella has done things its own way. The band has left a trail of releases on indie-boutique labels such as Suicide Squeeze, the 5 Rue Christine imprint on the Kill Rock Stars label, and its current home at Ipecac—Mike Patton’s self-indulgent yet highly successful label. Hill and Seim also have collaborated, separately and together, with other projects, including Tough Guy Fantasy, Team Sleep, the Holy Smokes, the Advantage, and Orthrelm guitarist Mick Barr.
Hella already has started promoting the new record. A preliminary run of shows included Visalia and Los Angeles, but the tour grind really starts in late February and will last for the better part of 2007.
After years of touring as a duo, the band has morphed into a quintet. Hella integrated three new faces into the fold and holed up at Retrofit Studios writing and recording the new album for the better part of 2006. Josh Hill, Zach’s cousin and former leader of Playing to the Grandstand, has assumed guitar and various other musical duties. Grass Valley native Aaron Ross joins the fray as the band’s first full-time vocalist. Carson McWhirter, former member of Ent and current bassist for the Advantage also makes his presence known.
“We always had this manifestation in our mind for a long time, but the timing was never right until now,” Seim said.
While the members of Hella have managed to revel in semi-obscurity in their native Sacramento, the band already has developed a fan base in countries as far-reaching as Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Holland and even Slovenia.
“It would be nice to play Germany and Australia this year,” Seim said.
Sure, but what about local gigs?
“We actually play here [in Sacramento] all the time … four days a week to be exact, just not in front of people,” Seim said. “It hasn’t seemed like the hometown really gives a shit. The last few times we have, it seems like we are the afterthought. It’s weird to go to Oklahoma or Florida, the East Coast or random cities all over the world and people are fucking psyched you’re there. Then you play back home and people just yawn and would rather be on Myspace or some silly shit. Maybe we’re not good enough for this place anymore.”
As yet, there’s no Sacramento stop on Hella’s tour, although word has it a guerilla-style show may happen before the end of February.
Not a band to sit idle, Hella already has “a stockpile of songs and parts that we will be saving for the next record,” according to Seim. “We all love [our] songs equally and kind of think the [current] record is one entire song.”
Whether you believe the new album is hella cool is your decision. As for there being no 666 in outer space, that’s thoroughly debatable.
Eddie
