Norway’s Enslaved practically invented Viking metal with the release of the Vikingligr Veldi EP in 1994. With each successive release, however, the band reinvented itself to the point it could no longer be labeled so easily. In Times is Enslaved’s 12th full-length and it showcases the players’ ability to blend the best parts of death, black and progressive metal without sounding dated or derivative. The sometimes cold and dark atmospheric sounds on songs such as the nearly 11-minute title track show a band unafraid of letting the music guide them wherever they must go. Fans of earlier records might not enjoy the clean vocals of keyboard player Herbrand Larsen here, but they play into the band’s approach of bringing harmony to a genre mostly devoid of it. Founding members Grutle Kjellson (vocals, bass) and Ivar Bj&#;oslash;rnson (guitar, keys, vocals) certainly aren’t about to write any radio singles; each of the album’s six songs clock in at over eight minutes. From the bombastic opening track, “Thurisaz Dreaming,” through magnifcent closer, “Daylight,” In Times is one epic ride.
If you were going to shows in the East Bay or even the Sacramento valley from 2000 to 2007, chances are you heard of Persephone’s Bees. Russia-born Angelina Moysov and her husband Tom Ayres were the chief songwriters and eventually got signed to Columbia Records and released the fabulous Notes From The Underworld in 2006. And while the band received considerable accolades and the couple made some great publishing and sync licensing revenue from placement on The Sopranos, Weeds and many advertisements, it wasn’t enough for them to keep their record deal. If you’re a fan of well-crafted pop, you will enjoy Angelina’s solo material. 1111 H Street, www.persephonesbees.com.
Magickat, a tribute to Cat Stevens, a.k.a. Yusuf Islam, does great justice to his storied catalog without sounding coerced or tired. Singer George Papailias does more than an admirable job of delivering Stevens’ songs and is aided by a fine backing band. They’ve sold out venues such as Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub and Miner’s Foundry Cultural Center and have consequently grown their fan base organically. This is a seated dinner show and benefit for The Mustard Seed School. Food will be provided by T&R Taste of Texas BBQ, and Adrian Bellue and Joe Kye open the show. Hurry and grab tickets, since this one will most likely sell out. 1901 10th Street, www.facebook.com/catstevenstribute.
Doom merchants: If you ask any local talent buyer what days are hardest to draw crowds, chances are nine out of 10 of them will say it’s Sunday or Wednesday. Last Wednesday broke tradition.
Local bands Church and Will Haven supported the Eugene, Ore.-based Yob at the Press Club, and the place was at capacity from beginning to end, with nearly 200 in attendance.
Doom metal merchants Church kicked things off at 9 p.m. sharp and opened with “Dawning,” a near 15-minute opus, followed by just one more, equally lengthy song, the brand new “Stargazer.” During the band’s ferocious set, guitarist Chris Somel held court in front of his amp churning out some of the nastiest, down-tuned riffs heard in ages. Singer Eva Holland stood center stage and moved from haunting, tragic melodies to hate-filled, vitriolic screams as Church trudged along at a snail’s pace.
And while the band only formed during the cold winter of 2013, it has already landed many coveted slots opening for bands such as Dispirit, Jucifer, Eyehategod, the Atlas Moth, Black Cobra and more. Check out churchband.blogspot.com for more shows.
Meanwhile, longtime locals Will Haven were handpicked by Yob’s singer and guitarist Mike Scheidt to play the night’s show; the band performed a spirited set of older and newer tunes. Even original drummer Wayne Morse and the band’s second singer, Jeff Jaworski, made it out for the band’s all-too-rare appearance.
The band—which has been on the scene since the mid-’90s—sounded better than ever. Guitarist and bandleader Jeff Irwin still delivered up some of the most heady, nauseating riffs, and guitarist Anthony Paganelli perfectly complemented and juxtaposed his oft-repeating lines. Once more, the rhythm section of drummer Mitch Wheeler and bassist Chris Fehn was locked and loaded from start to finish. Singer Grady Avenell, who returned to the band years ago after a lengthy absence, still sounded as good if not better than he did on Will Haven’s self-titled debut 1996 EP.
The band recently signed to Artery Recordings and will release a new EP, Open The Mind To Discomfort, on May 19 before embarking on yet another headlining tour. Stay tuned at www.facebook.com/willhavenband.
In recent years, social media has played a significant role in how people think about celebrity death. Before Facebook, most B- and C-list actors’ passings went largely unnoticed—at least in the bigger pop culture arena. Of course, Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on the original Star Trek series, was top-shelf material. Still, while Nimoy’s February 27 death was big on Facebook and Twitter, hardcore Trekkies visited Trek Core. The website is a must-visit for all things Star Trek-related. Currently, there’s a special section devoted to rare and unseen photos of Nimoy—with and without his trademark pointed ears. www.trekcore.com. (SN&R)
Who wants to see Captain America motorcycle into Battleworld?PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVEL
If you’ve followed Marvel Comics and always wanted to see your favorite superheroes in action, this is the place to be. Expect no less than 25 different characters amid a flurry of spectacles including motorcycle action, breathtaking special effects, martial-arts displays and, of course, lots of things that blow up on site. And while the Marvel universe as we know it is soon ending, this two-hour long show will still keep fans entertained from beginning to end. Whether you’re a fan of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man or the Hulk makes little difference. Feld Entertainment—which has been responsible for Disney On Ice, the Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus, Monster Jam, Monster Energy AMA Supercross and more—is producing the event, so expect the unexpected, on a grand scale. Marvel Universe Live; 7 p.m. Thursday, March 12; 7 p.m. Friday, March 13; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 14; 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, March 15; $15-$185.75. Sleep Train Arena, 1 Sports Parkway; www.marveluniverselive.com. (SN&R)
For nearly eight years, the Central Valley’s WRVTH have been hoping to break through to a larger audience. Though the band’s new progressive death metal opus isn’t set to be released until June 16, WRVTH are playing the material on the road. WRVTH play Santa Rosa’s Arlene Francis Center on March 14.
“The tour has been going good and the shows have been fun,” says drummer Joseph Serrano, speaking while on tour driving through Denver. “We have been playing a whole new set, with each song being a new song from our new album. Looking forward to playing Santa Rosa, of course. Our show there last time was so awesome.”
The band’s new songs feature some serious guitar wizardry and double bass calisthenics amidst the usual flurry of calculated screaming and growls. Go see WRVTH now, since all indications say they’re headed in the right direction. Most importantly, buy a damn T-shirt! These guys gotta eat.
WRVTH play March 14 at the Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa with Inanimate Existence, Water into Blood, the Know Nothings, Damascus, Eyes of Mara, Aberration and Abominous. 8pm. $10 advance; $13 at the door. All ages. 99 Sixth St, Santa Rosa. 707.528.3009.
Artist Nate Page takes couch-surfing to a new level in his latest exhibit at Verge Center for the Arts
Sacramento has proven itself a thriving community for the arts, and there has been no shortage of artists wanting to showcase their wares at various galleries. And while most people equate art with the upper crust set and formal gatherings, many of the area’s hottest spots for seeing current pieces by emerging artists are, for the most part, lowbrow affairs.
One artist from Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights area, 39-year-old Nate Page, has made considerable headway across the country and even on an international level with his revelatory work and keen attention to nuance and detail.
Verge Center for the Arts, which is curated by the thoughtful Liv Moe, has opened its doors to Page’s Couchbleachers installation, which is literally a 55-foot-long bank of bleachers made up of wood and couches found in Sacramento. In turn, the installation has inspired a dedicated movie series—Friday Lunch Hour Movies—for those Sacramento workers who can enjoy a long lunch without any repercussions from his/her respective bosses.
Page, however, has earned himself considerable accolades and some tidy sums of money in the way of scholarships and grants through his efforts working outside the box.
Although a part-time teacher by day to make ends meet, his greatest love is creating inspirational works that are not only functional and thought-provoking but also can be of use.
From his humble beginnings in Wisconsin through his time spent in New York and California, art has afforded Page the ability to be a part of many spectacles in different countries and cities. During a recent phone interview, he seemed very enthusiastic about his future.
It’s no secret you’ve been doing art for most of your adult life. I love the art on your website and the different styles you’ve incorporated over the years. How did you get started? My family actually was really not that into it. I think it all began when I just started doing stuff and making things by myself when I was kid. My grandfather, who recently turned 95, was a sign painter, and he got me thinking about making big pictures and things of a bigger scale. Come to think of it, he was always interested in what I was doing and was a big supporter of me in general although he didn’t understand most of it.
Are you able to make a full-time living from your art? What is your other day job? I definitely need to work to pay bills. I teach a design class at Woodbury University in Burbank and am an adjunct professor in design. Right now I get anywhere from one to three days a week on the average, but it is my steadiest income source. Additionally, I love teaching and it’s totally another side of what I do. A lot of artists don’t teach since they can’t deal with students or don’t know how to interact on a personal level.
How did the Couchbleachers installation idea come about? In 2011 I had the first Couchbleachers exhibit in Cleveland with Machine Project, a loose network run by Mark Allen that does a lot of installation. It was at a venue called Spaces Gallery and I just wanted to make something unique that was usable. A general contractor was hired to help create the piece while I drew up the plans and worked everything out as well. We also found new solutions about doing things of a larger scale. Since I often collaborate with different people and get help from venue staff to help, it can be beneficial to both parties. Since they already have a system set up in advance to deal with civic-scale environments, I often work that way.
Have you ever thought about working in tandem with live musicians to create stage sets and costumes? It seems right up your alley given a lot of your specialized art [referring to his face art from Italy installation featured on his website]. Honestly, I’ve never done it. I’ve also never really had the opportunity to think about it since nobody has approached me for it. I’d definitely be interested in doing something, but I’d really need to get into the mindset of the band as a whole enterprise. Once more, it would be extremely important to understand and know the original intentions of the venue and artist and what they’re trying to emphasize and not.
Do you have any plans to include any other artists on current projects? I don’t have any plans to collaborate with anyone. I only work with people in the institutional sense since they help me create the bridge to reality and produce what’s in my mind or on paper. Although I have done a lot of collaborating in the past, I’m in the headspace now where I want to work solo only.
You’ve moved around quite a bit and have been anything but sedentary for most of your life, correct? True. However, I have been living in Los Angeles for nine years, New York for six years and grew up in the small town of Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is a suburb of nearby Milwaukee. I used to live in Milwaukee as well right across the street from Eagles Ballroom [the area’s most popular live music venue]. There is a restaurant named Steny’s Tavern and Grill where I was a cook. It was a full-on biker hangout. It was a great job since I got all my meals for free and got to hang out with lots of Harley riders. Since Harley was developed in Wisconsin, it was very commonplace around there (and still is) to see bikers everywhere.
Tell us about your Cooper Union Summer Residency Program in New York City? That was actually one where you needed to apply. It was much less personal than all the other residencies since it came with formalities and I was, ultimately, on a scholarship to go there. They gave me enough to get by but not to live on. At the time I was also dating a woman who was coincidentally from Milwaukee and lived there with her for roughly three years in the SoHo district. After we split up, I later moved into my own place in Bushwick [section of Brooklyn].
And what about your residencies abroad in Austria and Italy? This well-known Austrian artist Heimo Wallner was doing a show in Milwaukee and somehow we got introduced. For some reason, we ended up at both my studio and my apartment and he liked what he saw obviously. At the time, I was living in there with my girlfriend and she had turned everything in the house including furniture and fixtures upside down at my apartment. We were in a fight at the time, and I totally forgot the place was a wreck. It seemed like he was more impressed by that visual than anything else but my artwork ended up getting me the gig at Hotel Pupik, Austria. Heimo was a big supporter of my early art life, and I thank him immensely for the guidance. In 2006, I had another installation at O’Artoteca in Milan, Italy. That one happened through a woman friend of mine named Sara Serighelli who I knew from my previous residency in Austria. It was very organic and she simply asked me one day after months of continued contact.
School is expensive and you’ve attended three different ones in three different states. Explain how it all worked out. My parents helped me for undergraduate work but, unfortunately, I still have a decent amount of debt. I stay in contact with collectors, but, honestly, I simply tell them I don’t have it. I don’t have the extra money and they’re not going to get it while I need money for supplies and living expenses. Art school is ridiculous when you look at the money you pay and then the money you’re projected to get paid with that degree. You usually have to do a couple of different jobs to make ends meet and some people give up altogether. I’ve managed to make it work so far. I got the California Community Foundation Emerging Artist Fellowship grant for $15,000 a while back and have gotten others which have helped but were much smaller.
You’ve mentioned you like working solo. Is there any chance you’ll date again given your experience with furniture-arranging ex-girlfriends? Right now I don’t have a girlfriend but you could say something is brewing. I’ll give it to you off the record, though.
Nate Page’s Couchbleachers runs Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. He’ll also be a featured speaker at Verge Center For The Arts’ In Conversation series on Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and the event is free (although a $5 donation is suggested). For a full list of events, including a schedule of the remaining Friday Lunch Hour Movies and the upcoming Verge All Nighter slumber party/film festival, go to Vergeart.com. Verge Center for the Arts is located at 625 S Street, Sacramento.
San Francisco’s Fallujah has certainly not been sitting idle since the release of its latest record, The Flesh Prevails, on Unique Leader records. The quintet’s been touring incessantly over the winter and looks to finish up its run near the close of March. Fans of technical, atmospheric death metal should enjoy the many tempo changes and attention to detail found on standout tracks like “Starlit Path” and “Levitation.” Unlike many of the bands on Unique Leader that sound similar to Deeds Of Flesh (the label’s most popular catalog seller), this group finds itself in league with such company as Nocturnus, Pestilence and other progressive-leaning metal bands. 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale, www.facebook.com/fallujahofficial. (SN&R)
Royal treatment: Last Thursday’s opera recital at the Mondavi Center was probably unlike any performance that its audience members had seen to date. Instead of the crowd watching from the seats, those fortunate to snag one of the $125 or $250 tickets sat at tables on stage with the artist mere feet away—a “stage cabaret” style of seating inside Jackson Hall.
The artist? Internationally renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Dressed in a beautiful multicolored dress, the opera singer looked like true royalty the minute she set foot on stage, adorned in elaborate jewelry that worked wonders with her curvy figure.
Graham gave herself a vocal workout singing more than 30 compositions in over eight different languages. From Poulenc to Tchaikovsky, Schumann to Berlioz, the themes explored love and misfortune.
Meanwhile, the audience enjoyed wine, coffee, tea, fruits, hors d’oeuvres, pastries and desserts—all on the custom drapery-accented stage.
A five-star performance, indeed.
Swedish metal: Even with its 11 p.m. curfew, there was no shortage of enthusiasm and unbridled mayhem at last Sunday’s Ace of Spades show. The capacity bill included All That Remains, Wovenwar and In Flames.
Unlike most Ace Of Spades national shows that feature a bevy of opening acts, this was a well-oiled package tour with three touring bands. Gothenburg, Sweden’s In Flames hit the stage right on time without any intro tape or additional fanfare.
Frontman Anders Fridén immediately got the crowd going berserk with the opening number, “Embody the Invisible,” from the band’s 1999 breakthrough record Colony. The group followed up with the title track from its following record Clayman, which had everyone headbanging in unison.
In Flames played straight through to the last number, “My Sweet Shadow,” sans an encore, yet even the most hardcore metal fans left with smiles on their faces. (SN&R)
Eddie
