Fans of Marilyn Manson and John 5’s current band, Rob Zombie, need no introduction to one of the most innovative guitarists to ever take over mainstream rock radio. For the uninitiated, John 5, a.k.a. John William Lowery, has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including such disparate artists as k.d. Lang, Garbage, Meat Loaf, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash and Lynyrd Skynyrd. His most recent offering, Careful with That Axe, finds Lowery showcasing his skill at playing multiple genres of music like country, rock, jazz, classical and more. 9426 Greenback Lane, www.facebook.com/John5official.
Bay Area classical fans have been spoiled for over two decades with renowned director Michael Tilson Thomas performing in their backyard. In the classical world, he is a household name who regularly performs at Davies Symphony Hall and draws capacity crowds. Thomas has been featured on numerous recordings on RCA Red Seal, among others. Whether or not you’re a fan of Jean Sibelius or Robert Schumann’s works makes little difference as MTT’s mere presence will command your attention. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins him for what could be one of the greatest performances of the 2015 season. Bravo, Mondavi! 1 Shields Avenue in Davis, http://michaeltilsonthomas.com.
For those who’ve been looking for a heady challenge, you are hereby summoned to a dance class with Irish dance instructor Nicole McKeever. If you can master the correct toe steps and kicks needed to perform the simplest dance in one lesson, you are already way ahead of the curve. However, Irish dance is a complicated form that, upon further inspection, will prove much more daunting and difficult than anything you’re doing currently. And while the steps involved in the form may seem purposely impossible at times, McKeever has proven herself to be one patient teacher who finds great solace in helping people master the form. Her dance studios—of which there are two—are located in Midtown and she offers a multitude of classes for adults, teens and little children alike. McKeever’s love for dance and Celtic music is wholly evident as she performs with her students at area events including Grass Valley’s annual KVMR Celtic Festival.
SN&R caught up with her in between classes to ask her about Riverdance, teaching kids to dance and whether all of those kicks ever accidentally connect with a face. No overly complicated dance steps were performed during the writing of this piece.
What is the most challenging part of teaching different ages?
The little ones are just learning how to follow directions and stand on one toe while the older kids are all about confidence and building up their character. The adults, however, have such high expectations of themselves. Learning material and remembering gets much harder and people expect to get it right away. You have to work and build
Any age group you find particularly challenging?
The really little ones, starting at age 2, have been a real learning curve for me. I taught the last couple of years at St. Robert Catholic School and was already somewhat prepared since it was virtually all grades. You don’t know what the kids’ backgrounds are who are coming in to class and you have to be extra gentle so they love what they’re doing.
Any response to folks who say Irish step dancing looks funny?
I get it. It’s a different kind of dance form. Audiences all around the world seem to love it and there’s competitions all over the globe for the enthusiasts. It’s an intense and challenging dance form. I toured with Riverdance for five years across the country and hit all the states but Alaska as well as performing in 26 different countries and four continents. We even danced at the Kremlin Palace which was quite amazing.
How do you respond to a parent who gives up on their child after only a couple of lessons?
That’s a tough one. It’s difficult since I rarely have much communication or interaction going on with most parents. What many don’t understand about this form of dancing, in particular, is that it takes commitment and it’s not easy. There’s a level of dedication, that can be a hard sell to many parents.
Did your parents force you to dance?
My parents loved Irish music and supported me. It was me who chose to do it. It was the year Riverdance came out on a grand scale, and immediately I knew what I wanted to do. I attended dance class and started dancing at age 12, and competed internationally until I was 25. Later, I went to Ireland to get my Masters in Irish Dance. My teacher gave me highest honors.
How does Irish dance stack up against ballet?
Irish dancing is always challenging, joyful and you get to make rhythm with your feet. It’s a jubilant form which gives anyone such a high when you’re pushing yourself. Unlike ballet and its constricting boundaries, Irish dancing gives you the option of being unique where you can put your own spin and character into your dance.
Ever accidentally kicked someone doing your routine?
Oh, yeah. When I toured with Riverdance, during the big lineup our legs come up so high that many of us would end up with blood on our thighs from being hit so many times. It was inevitable since we were dancing so close to one another.
How intense is the training?
If there’s any kind of pressure, I think my performing students bring it on themselves. I certainly don’t put any on my kids. I know firsthand you can be a lead in Riverdance and slip. We are human. I have very professional kids who compete that know what they need to do and, thankfully, I have parents that are very levelheaded as well.
Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated to correct an inaccuracy about the subject’s time in international competitions.
Thanks to the efforts of local musician Danny Secretion, another round of awesome FUK CNCR shows—also dubbed as his “lame-ass birthday benefits”—are heading your way. For many years, Danny has been donating proceeds from his shows to the American Cancer Society and the feedback from bands and attendees alike has been nothing short of stupendous. The event kicks off on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015 at The Press Club where a measly $5 donation lets you see and hear Gene Chowder (Secretion’s alter-ego act), Blame the Bishop, Little Tents, MAU and Scratch Outs. The party continues the next night at Blue Lamp, followed by Old Ironsides on Friday and then Saturday’s big blowout event at The Colonial Theater. Saturday’s soiree will feature three, totally different stages at three neighboring venues with Supreme Pro Wrestling (yes, wrestling), Kill the Precedent, Rat Stomp, Bastards of Young, The Enlows, Rebel Radio, The Secretions, Pilgrim, The O’Mulligans, The Hybrid Creeps, Crude Studs and Red Devil Lie. Buy special wristband tickets from Danny that will get you in to all four shows for a cheaper price. All shows are 21-and-over with the exception of the final blowout party. To find out more click here
Coffee geeks rejoice. Local coffee roaster Seasons have found a new way to get quality coffee into your hands without you even leaving the house. And while $19 for a 64-ounce bottle may seem on the pricey side at first glance, do remember you pay close to $5 for a subpar macchiato or blended shit drink at Starbucks. Seasons’ talented team of Benza Cox Lance and Greg Cotta understand there’s a void in the coffee industry and one of the best ways to fill it is to bring it straight to their customers’ hands. The concept is simple: they deliver a 64-ounce growler filled with their delicious Bold Crew (a cold brewed coffee made from an Ethiopian Aricha blend) on any given Monday and you order when you need more. Additionally, they ship coffee all over the country (and to Canada) using only the best beans and slow roasting them into a heady, tantalizing batch few can match. Already creating a buzz at Sacramento’s Specialty Coffee Week and soon to be a staple in everyone’s fridge (if you know what’s good for you), the folks at Submerge couldn’t recommend Seasons any higher.
If you really want to look cool drinking your cold brew around your friends, get one of Seasons’ many accessories including T-shirts, caps, coffee cups and more. Want get get started? Of course you do! Sign up now at Seasonscoffee.us/bold-crew
If you listened to modern-rock radio during the ’90s, there is no chance you haven’t heard of Stone Temple Pilots. And while the band just came through town last weekend at the Aftershock Festival, this weekend’s show features the group’s original frontman. Expect to hear many STP staples as well as his solo material, which holds up nicely against his better-known body of work. The show lands on Halloween night and only has two possible outcomes: It will rule your world and Weiland will make your panties wet, or it will be a catastrophe of epic proportions. 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale, www.scottweiland.com.
Need to get the children out of the house? The Franklin Community Library will host a giant Candy Land game in which—get this—kids are the playing pieces. On the quest to find King Candy, children ages 6-12 will ultimately get the chance to experience Candy Cane Forest and Gumdrop Mountain. Free,4 p.m. Friday, October 30; 10055 Franklin High Road in Elk Grove; www.saclibrary.org/locations/franklin.
Venue fail: This year’s Aftershock Festival marked its first time at Elverta’s Gibson Ranch, the same spot that held August’s City of Trees Festival. And once again, while the location may have looked good on paper, most attendees will readily agree the dust-laden site at Discovery Park—the festival’s previous and very successful site—was better on many fronts.
Those who made the trek on Saturday, which featured a sold-out crowd of 30,000 strong, experienced wait times of up to two and three hours just to get there, sitting in dead-stopped traffic on the venue’s side-street entrances. Sunday’s attendance, however, dropped considerably and appeared to be half that number.
Once inside the festival, the layout was quite impressive with four stages, local and regional food vendors, a Marlboro tent (target audience?), more Monster Energy drink paraphernalia than should be allowed and even an indoor ring with live wrestling.
In addition to logistical issues that desperately need to be addressed by organizers next year, many music fans were unhappy to find that bands that played concurrently at different stages experienced lots of sonic bleed. Each time a song ended, it sounded like someone’s boombox had been left on at a competing stage.
RavenEye opened the festival. Singer and guitarist Oli Brown roamed the stage like a madman, dragging his guitar behind him and standing on nearly every side-fill speaker whenever possible. The band played songs from its new Breaking Out EP and garnered the kind of applause some later midday acts didn’t even receive.
Those who caught Helmet’s Saturday set were either caught in a whirlpool of dust from a rowdy pit or pierced by the direct sun overhead. Thankfully, these seasoned New Yorkers didn’t let either of the two potential problems keep them from delivering crushing interpretations of their classics, which included “Unsung,” “Turned Out” and the always fantastic “Ironhead.”
On Sunday, Los Angeles’ Failure, the kings of cerebral rock fare, played lots of material from the fabulous new release The Heart Is A Monster.
Sunday’s lineup also featured Jane’s Addiction, which found singer Perry Farrell struggling to stay in key and hit his own, often-complicated high notes. Fans yelled expletives whenever Farrell pointed the mic to the crowd or backed down from important vocal lines.
With any luck, Aftershock will get its many kinks worked out before the next one is staged.
The quest to find a really scary haunted house is finally over. The band Slipknot will be presenting a limited run of dates for their Scream Park that are sure to scare the living crap out of anyone. Although it’s highly unlikely Slipknot’s members will be on hand each day of the attraction’s installment, word has it there may be a surprise appearance by a few of the guys (most likely around the Aftershock Festival on Oct. 24 and 25, 2015). The three featured haunted houses this year are Prepare for Hell, Clown’s Playhouse and Skin Ticket. The latter is a flashlight only event that is not recommended for the faint of heart or easily scared attendee, however. If fluorescent lights are your thing, you might want to check out Clown’s Playhouse for a dose of pure, unadulterated insanity inside a labyrinth sure to get your blood pumping. Unlike other haunted houses in the area, no expense has been spared to make your first visit a living, breathing nightmare. You are allowed to don a costume as long as it’s not oversized and you’re not brandishing any fake or real weapons. For those who hate long lines, you are encouraged to buy Scream Park’s special Fast Pass and forgo possible long wait times. Advance tickets can be bought at Screamparkcalifornia.com –EJ
Eddie
