HEADBANGER Ernest Wuethrich is an architect by day and punk and metal promoter by night
North Bay fans of metal and hardcore may have noticed a resurgence in the genres since 2011. That’s the year Ernest Wuethrich took the reigns of the local metal scene as a music booker and promoter.
Wuethrich’s next major show is on Saturday, Jan. 23, at Annie O’s Music Hall in Santa Rosa, and features Mississippi rock and rollers Saving Abel sharing the bill with Petaluma’s Motogruv, who are celebrating a reunion after spending the last few years on hiatus.
The next week, Wuethrich hosts an album-release show on Jan. 29 at the Arlene Francis Center for Sonoma County doom-metal lords Oden Sun, lead by infamous North Bay metal icon, regurgitator and Skitzo frontman Lance Ozanix.
Wuethrich, a 36-year-old San Jose native, moved to Santa Rosa after getting a degree in landscape architecture from UC Davis. A passion for hardcore metal led him to booking live shows, though, with no previous experience in organizing concerts, he had to learn by trial and error.
“There was definitely some problems I had to overcome at first,” says Wuethrich. “I talked with [Phoenix Theater manager] Tom Gaffey at length about this. It seemed like the scene was very organic during the early and late ’90s, and everyone came out to concerts.”
Wuethrich wanted to recapture that spirit. Sonoma County didn’t have much of a local metal scene when he started in 2011, and aside from the occasional national act coming through, booking agents were largely passing on the market for shows in San Francisco and Sacramento.
By soliciting local bands and scouring the internet for national acts, Wuethrich soon started booking shows at underground Sonoma County venues like the Transient Lounge in Santa Rosa, a short-lived punk warehouse, under the name Gather Booking and Management, the moniker he still uses for his business.
In the last couple of years, Wuethrich has booked large-scale national, regional and local hardcore bands including Sacramento’s Conducting from the Grave, Santa Cruz’s Arsonists Get All the Girls, Los Angeles outfit Otep, Houston thrashers DRI, Baltimore’s Misery Index and many others.
Today, the bands are starting to come back to the North Bay because of Wuethrich’s efforts. Currently, he is booking events as Sonoma County Metal and Hardcore in an effort to bring some cohesion into a widely diverse music scene.
“There are kids who are starting to identify with a positive metal community,” Wuethrich says, “and that’s what I want to develop.”
Few can disagree that it’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks for fans of popular music. From David Bowie to Lemmy Kilmister, Glenn Frey to the lesser-known, but equally impressive, Mic Gillette (Tower Of Power, anyone?), we have lost a slew of musical greats.
Thankfully, at the ripe young age of 70, Irish singer / musician and Music Hall Of Fame inductee Van Morrison shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, playing three shows in Oakland directly following a successful run of dates in Southern California.
For the uninitiated, Morrison fronted Northern Irish band Them for a very brief period before launching his highly successful solo career. Morrison has won six Grammy Awards and spawned a number of hits, including “Gloria,” “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” “Here Comes the Night” and “Mystic Eyes.”
As evidenced by his spellbinding performance last night at Oakland’s Fox Theater – the second of a sold-out three-day residency at the venue – Morrison proved his staying power, yet again, to several different generations of new and older fans alike.
From the minute the opening notes of “Celtic Swing” – an odd, yet somehow fitting instrumental culled from his grossly overlooked 1983 album, Inarticulate Speech of the Heart – filled the Fox Theater, those in attendance immediately fixated on Morrison who drove the melody home with his alto saxophone. Aided by his able group – bassist Paul Moore, drummer Robbie Ruggiero, trumpet/keyboard player/ bandleader Paul Moran, singer Dana Masters, and guitarist Dave Keary – Morrison and company launched headlong into their set. Instead of spreading out across the vast Fox Theater stage, the group opted to play close together, with all musicians huddled closely around Morrison who barricaded himself among a handful of stage monitors.
Next, he played a wonderfully careless rendition of “Higher Than The World,” which kicked off the night in grandiose fashion with a hearty swing and swagger. Opting to avoid between-song banter, Morrison led his musicians through a 100-plus minute set that found the music, inevitably, doing much of the talking.
And, unlike the set lists at his Southern California shows just days before (and even the night before at the same venue), Morrison surprised the audience with some unexpected additional songs, like “Did Ye Get Healed” from Poetic Champions Compose (1987) and “Cleaning Windows” from Beautiful Vision (1982).
Other highlights included a wonderful medley that included a revved-up version of Them’s “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” along with a heady take on a blues staple popularized by Mose Allison called “Parchman Farm.”
Hit medleys and songs aside, it was the inclusion of his daughter, Shana Morrison, (who also opened the show with a very brief set) that was met with great approval from longtime fans and newbies, alike. Watching and hearing the father / daughter combo for two mid-set numbers — “Sometimes We Cry” and Johnny Mercer’s “That Old Black Magic – showed concertgoers just how much love and respect the two have for another. (Shana even kissed her father on the cheek as she exited stage right.)
If there was ever a time to see our musical greats before they leave this dimension, it would be now. When all is said and done, no price tag — tickets for these shows started at $89.50 and went up to $249.50 – is too much to witness a rare live music experience that lasts a lifetime.
Word has it that a few tickets were released for tonight’s show on the Fox Theater’s Facebook site, the last of his local run.
Yes, it’s time to splurge. You only live once.
Critic’s Notebook:
• According to one bartender who works at several different venues for promoter Another Planet Entertainment, there was a big upgrade to the venue’s sometimes faltering sound system. Last night’s show was the second official night it was used in public. By all accounts, the move to satiate those with sensitive ears was a rousing success as everything sounded terrific and near stereo quality.
•Unfortunately, it’s customary at this venue to close most of the downstairs bar due to noise during certain shows and tonight’s show was certainly no exception. In an effort to keep the theater patrons quiet during a set laden with softer moments, many bars were closed before his daughter Shana opened the show. The Den, also located downstairs on the main level, thankfully, was open to patrons in addition to the bar upstairs.
•Unlike noisier, more raucous shows with younger crowds, cell phones were (for the most part) silenced. Because the floor was seated, few stood until Morrison’s set-closing song, “In The Garden.” Heaps of applause followed as Morrison walked offstage repeating the line, “ No guru, no method, no teacher,” only to return minutes later for the night-ending encore.
Sacramento’s own local quartet Sonder—Chance Taylor (vocals and guitar), Jimmy Haddan (rhythm guitar and vocals), Linda Walker (bass and bird sounds), Spence Haddan (drums)—describe their music as “Acoustic Folk Ska Punk” on their Facebook page. And while the pairing of such disparate musical styles and genres would normally make for a nauseating listen, the band’s musical output would suggest otherwise. This special Friday show will be a celebration of sorts for the band’s aptly titled Unfamiliar Phases EP. For less than the price of a crappy value meal at McDonald’s, you can satisfy your musical palete with music from Killah Wail (surf punk from Modesto), Utmärkt, and Ricky! (from New Orleans’ own Name Calling). The all-ages event kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and continues until the last Volvo-driving soccer mom or dad picks up their punker teen. For those who’ve never been to a show at the tiny Cafe Colonial, do make sure you park your car in the gated adjacent lot. Parking on the street can result in possible car break-ins, random tires missing, and more. With all the money you save parking in the right spot, you can surely afford to buy some food at the cafe and a few merch items (yes, they will have buttons and stickers). Like Sonder at Facebook.com/sonderfolkpunk, where you can also RSVP to the show and impress your friends (yet again).
It isn’t March yet and it’s definitely nowhere near St. Patty’s Day. However, true Irish celebrations don’t operate by a strict calendar. This gathering of local Irish rock bands is sure to please on many fronts whether you enjoy the culture or not. Sacramento’s Whiskey and Stitches open this Friday night party and bring a wonderful concoction of nontraditional rock fare played with even more nontraditional instruments, such as the upright bass, accordion, banjo and mandolin. Also on the bill are Celtic/Americana act One Eyed Reilly, who will drop some green-colored science with their special brand of rock-infused folk. Closing out the night will be The Pikeys, who effectively mix punk, Celtic, Irish and rock into a mind-boggling stew. Fans of the fiddle and violin and such disparate acts as The Pogues, The Tossers, Tom Waits and Dropkick Murphys will find great reward in their set. The Irishpalooza party starts early (6 p.m.) and only lasts for three hours. When this party is over, you can roam the streets looking for another watering hole (preferably Irish in theme) to do even more damage to your liver and credit card. For the cost of one beer at most fine establishments, your $8 ticket secures you an early night you surely won’t remember. Buy your tickets now at Harlows.com
Whether you like it or not, nothing can prepare the world for the tidal wave of dollar store hairspray, synthetic lipstick, and nauseating color schemes that’s coming in 2016.
On February 26, Los Angeles mock-rock band Steel Panther will drop their acoustic record, Live From Lexxi’s Mom’s Garage. At its core, Steep Panther is Ralph Michael Saenz aka Michael Starr (vocals) who resembles a younger and much sassier David Lee Roth, Russ Parrish aka Satchel (guitar) whose tremolo has been known to make young girls cry and wet their panties, Darren Leader aka Stix Zadinia (drums) who plays to the beat of his own drum (and hands), and the ever-so important Lexxi Foxx aka Travis Haley (bass) who proves you can make loads of money playing a solid E or A string.
SF Weekly caught up with group’s singer, Starr, during his downtime from touring, while doing one of his many chores at his mother’s house. “My mom is making me clean the garage right now,” said Starr. “If I want to stay here, I gotta do my part.”
When pressed for song titles and a little more info (even though it’s readily available on the website unbeknownst to the band members), it was clear that the band’s new musical offering was being careful guarded like it was the Glam Bible. “It’s not because I hate you or anything like that,” Starr told me. “You actually sound pretty cool. But I can’t give you any more info since we’re not telling anyone anything. We’re looking to release the new record everywhere simultaneously.”
The secret to the band’s success, however, has been their image portrayed in their videos. And while many of the outlets that existed back in glam rock’s heyday are not playing much music these days, YouTube is still a great source for premiering and viewing the band’s larger-than life videos. Thankfully, despite the rising costs of stage outfits (of which Steel Panther has many), videos are now cheaper than ever to make. “Looking back, it’s crazy to see what we spent on videos, man,” Starr said. “It cost us $250,000 to make “Community Property,” and “Death to All But Metal” was another not-so-cool $180,000. Today, unless you’re selling million and millions of records, which we don’t just yet, that doesn’t work, does it? Now with technology, you can make videos on your Mac since the process is pretty simple…point and shoot.”
As funny (and cool) as Steel Panther is, the band still gets help making their videos. “We let our marketing guy know when we want to do a video,” said Starr. “After that, writers will submit treatments, and we just choose the best from those. We collaborate with all kinds of people since it’s the best way to expand ourselves and our stage personas.”
Costumes are important to Steel Panther and are as integral to their success as much as (if not more than) their own musical equipment. “Costumes are really, really, really, really, really really important for us. Once we got signed, we wore everything we had for years from our cover band (Metal Skool),” he said. “We’re getting our clothes now from Stephanie at Metal Threads in Australia who makes some really good, high quality stuff.”
Of course, these fancy and flashy wares don’t come cheap. “Clothes are probably one of our biggest expenses these days since pants can range from $100 to $600, and shirts cost anywhere from $80 to $300” said Starr. “It really depends on what you put on the clothes that makes them stand out, like tassels or sequins or whatever. It’s like guitar strings: You need ’em and you gotta have ’em.”
Here’s a list of some of Steel Panther’s best and most lavish, not to mention lewd, music videos for you to check out before their big soiree at the Regency Ballroom on Saturday, Jan. 16.
“Fat Girl” from Hole Patrol (2003)
“This was the video that got us signed” said Starr. “We were still called Metal Skool.” It’s also probably not the best video to play for your overweight friends who can’t stay on a diet for more than a week.
“Community Property” from Feel the Steel (2009)
Sharing is caring. Whether or not you have a venereal disease is not important. Steel Panther wants to share its love with anyone and everyone.
“Death To All But Metal” from Feel the Steel (2009)
If you don’t like metal, you best steer clear of this one. One of Steel Panther’s heaviest songs features some thoughtful lyrics like “Kill those fucking fuckheads who program MTV. They can suck my ass with all the record companies.”
“If You Really Really Love Me” from Balls Out (2011)
“I think all the videos are great and exciting and everyone has all their personality. However, there’s some fan videos that have my belly sticking out that I’d rather not have out there.” said Starr when asked about the band’s show recording policy. This one’s a ballad about those who gave all for their partner with nothing in return.
“Pussywhipped” from All You Can Eat (2014)
While the content of this video may leave much to be desired by the male gender – scrotums getting beat with a baseball bat – this song resonated with many hot chicks and now-drummer Stix Zadinia needs two bodyguards to fend off the lines of backstage trollops at their shows.
“Gloryhole” from All You Can Eat (2014)
Offended easily? Never rubbed one out in the bathroom stall? This one would never have gotten played on MTV in its unedited format. Thanks to social media, we now know there are 3,613,654 perverts who’ve watched the video (and climbing).
Steel Panther plays with Magnetico at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Regency Ballroom. Tickets are $30 advance and $32 at the door. www.theregencyballroom.com.
January 15-17, California State Home & Garden Show
Time to dream big at the annual California State Home & Garden Show. Those looking to upgrade appliances, make home additions or landscape that yard that looks like death, this is the weekend destination. Expect lots of vendors and various demos from experts in the field. $6, noon-6 p.m., Friday January 15; 10 a.m-6 p.m., Saturday, January 16; 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, January 17; Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street; www.calstateshows.com.
Come on, guys. Time to hit the road.PHOTO BY GARY CALICOTT
Check out Jelly Bread at 10 p.m. Friday, January 15, at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J Street. Tickets are $10. Learn more at www.jellybread.net.
The five-piece Jelly Bread—just like its name connotes—crafts music with a sound that’s altogether sweet and sticky. Over the years, the Reno band’s hybrid of funk, soul, rock and country (and nearly everything in between) has garnered the band a devoted following.
For the last few years, the band has toured the greater United States playing virtually any venue that will host it—festivals, nightclubs, bars, etc.—becoming a veritable headliner in the process. Jelly Bread stops in Sacramento in support of its latest album on Friday night at Harlow’s Nightclub & Restaurant.
Guitarist-singer Dave Berry first started the group with drummer Cliff Porter about seven years ago, slowly adding more members into the mix. Today, the current roster also includes Sacramento native Sean Lehe on guitar, Jeremy Hunt on bass and Eric Matlock on keyboards and organ.
Over the years, Berry said in a recent interview, this ever-growing lineup has shaped its sound.
“When Cliff and I first played together, all the music we played was my stuff. Since Eric joined up, he’s been bringing in his own songs.”
While the band’s enjoyed the success that’s come with longevity and an exhausting road regimen, he adds, it hasn’t been easy. Booking and promotion takes up a big chunk of scheduling.
“It’s tough since we don’t have a publicist like many other acts our size,” said Berry.
At its CD release show in October, the band drew a capacity crowd in Reno at the Nugget Casino showroom, something Berry calls a “huge” moment for Jelly Bread.
“That was a huge hometown show for us since the room holds 700 and they ended up opening the upstairs [room],” Berry said.
Additionally, Jelly Bread’s been prolific on the road—not just when it comes to touring but also creativity.
The band started working on its latest album, 2015’s Here, There, and Everywhere, in December 2014—but so much came before and after that.
“This album was pretty much recorded on the road. Thus, [its] title,” Berry said.
“We’ve played nearly 200 shows over the last two years and did 12,000 miles in six weeks in 2015 before it came out,” he added.
They recorded songs last February at an Iowa studio during a break from shows; some vocals were done in Maryland.
The band is already thinking about its next recording—sort of. The days and nights needed are once again a big consideration.
“We have some ideas but, unfortunately, as much as we have been working, we don’t have much time to rehearse,” Berry said.
“If all goes as planned, we’ll be visiting Sean’s family cabin on the North Coast to start recording again.”
Now in its fifth artery-clogging year, the annual Bacon Fest is back. Just when you thought you’d gotten a handle on your diet, the festival’s curators threw a curve ball of epic proportions your way. This year’s festivities include nearly 100 restaurants, bars, cafes, coffeehouses, gelato spots, supermarkets and anywhere else that’ll serve their salt-laden purpose. Some highlights this year include (but are most certainly not limited to) a Bacon and Beer Bus Tour (for those who like to go hard with their pork), a special opening night party at Empress Tavern replete with a special bacon and pork menu and a once-in-a-lifetime chef challenge and (gasp!) the first annual Bacon Fest Cocktail Competition at Bottle and Barlow. Hosts Nick Miller and Brian Guido have really outdone themselves this year and have already sold out their Bacon Fest Chefs Competition on Jan. 31 at Mulvaney’s B&L without much ado. Bacon lovers who want to get in on the action still have many opportunities across our fair city, so don’t fret just yet. Other cool official events include a multi-band tribute show at Old Ironsides dubbed the Kevin Bacon Tribute Night, a fabulous bacon paella at Selland’s Market, Bacon and Butter’s first dinner service, a very necessary Hook and Ladder Bacon Fest Brunch, Pangaea Bacon and Beer Night, The Golden Bear Bacon Fest Happy Hour and more. RSVP at cebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest and check out Baconfestsac.com in the interim.
Crest Theatre co-owner Yulya Borroum has fiercely devoted herself to keeping much of the venue’s original vibe and aesthetic while keeping a varied calendar. From live music events to guest speakers, comedy gatherings to one-off screenings of older film favorites, it would seem everyone’s favorite K Street destination is doing great justice to the former management’s legend. The upcoming Noir Nights Film Festival carries on the rich tradition of showing five classic films in special formats preceded by a very cool speakeasy gathering in the Empress Tavern (just below the main theater). For only $35, attendees will be treated to two special nights on the big screen. Friday night kicks off in grandiose fashion with Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil (1958) and Mildred Pierce (1945) in a rare 35mm film presentation starring the ever-so-beautiful Joan Crawford at the top of her game. Saturday’s offerings are equally impressive with Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing (1956) and Out of the Past (1947) featuring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas. As if that weren’t enough bang for your buck, the festival closes with a stunning 35mm Technicolor presentation of Leave Her to Heaven (1945) with Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde. Impress your significant other and reserve your seat at Crestsacramento.com
While en route to last night’s Tool show, I realized that the band and I have had a working relationship closing in on 25 years. The Tool I know and remember has grown considerably in size and scope from when I first encountered the band in college during the early ’90s.
While working as promotions director for my college radio station, KDVS 90.3FM, I received countless copies of Tool’s cassettes and CDs by Zoo Entertainment (the band’s first record label). The guerrilla tactic of overwhelming a college radio station (or any other, for that matter) with loads of free products to “get the word out” (while completely, wasteful, useless and wholly unnecessary) meant the station would end up with lots of extra goodies, which I was totally okay with.
I added Tool’s Opiate EP into rotation at the station, a strange debut release for a new band that oddly featured a small handful of live and studio tracks. Consequently, when the band finally started touring (playing virtually every little shithole in the country), the station was able to give away loads of free tickets to their show at a tiny pub called Mansion Cellars located within walking distance of my apartment and the station. The cover was $1 and Tool played for (maybe) 30 people.
In the early days for Tool, it was incessant touring in small clubs, word-of-mouth, the willingness of the group to give 110% playing near empty rooms across the country, and the group’s ferocious delivery onstage that made their live shows impossible to top. After supporting countless acts and finally releasing the blockbuster album Undertow in 1993, everything got bigger for the act and they became a veritable headliner seemingly overnight. Of course, having a gargantuan song called “Sober” take over radio airwaves the same year that the record was released certainly helped.
After years of working in record retail, I ended up becoming a sales rep for BMG Distribution which, coincidentally, sold and marketed the entire Tool catalog. By the time I had started selling their music for a living, they were already enjoying arena-size success and 1996’s Ænima was selling like mad.
Because of Tool’s massive success and their ability to deliver musical fare that lived up to its hype, their label liaison would now fly in just to play their record and not give anyone advance copies (as customary at the time). The record label rep would bring only his one copy, play it once in a conference room at our branch office for the reps, and leave with it tucked securely away in his travel bag.
This was proof positive that Tool now controlled the record industry. From the artwork that we (sales and marketing staff for BMG) placed in print ads, to the signs hung at Tower Records, Tool and their management made certain everyone played by their rules. Even ad dollars were sparingly spent and getting approval for any extra-curricular activities (like listening parties and in-store listening events) became a royal pain the ass.
No other artist that I’ve dealt with has (or ever was) solicited this way to date.
Likewise, procuring press credentials for last night’s Tool show was equally daunting. Rather than submitting a request to the local promoter (in this case, Another Planet), all requests were approved by the band and collated through their current label, RCA Records. Unfortunately, this meant waiting until the day of the show to find out if I could even get a press pass. Furthermore, live camera work was only allowed during the first song as opposed to the customary three songs allowed at nearly 99% of live shows by other artists.
In the end, only four photo credentials were issued. Much less than the amount usually issued for shows of this size.
Aided by merely a black curtain, a handful of panels of expensive video wall, and a lit up symbol placed center-stage above the drum kit (which oddly resembled the Star Of David), Tool started off their show at 9 PM. After a short interlude, the band launched headlong into their set with a slow, droning cover of Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter” followed by longtime crowd favorite, “The Grudge.” from the 2001 album Lateralus.
Singer Maynard Keenan, as customary, stood atop a drum riser adjacent to drummer Danny Carey, often in the dark and with little light. Likewise, guitarist Adam Jones stood stage right with his varied effects and offered few gestures to the crowd outside of an occasional smile. Bassist Justin Chancellor, who held court stage left, delivered the low-end and also stayed mostly in his confined area.
And while Maynard donned a costume very akin to RoboCop, most of the attention was focused at the screens overhead which played visuals (most from the band’s previous shows or recent tour reels). Tool did throw the audience a few bones, though. Even though they haven’t dropped a new album since 2006’s 10,000 Days, they played new versions of older songs like “Schism” and “Opiate.”
Sans the inclusion of “Descending,” a brooding and dark instrumental piece, older material ruled the night. From a trippy, fusion-laden drum solo by Danny Carey to stellar live versions of both “Vicarious” and “Stinkfist,” it was nearly impossible to not be transfixed by the group’s psychedelic yet oppressing visuals.
Other highlights included the groove-laden “Vicarious,” which featured some mind-numbing visuals of oddly-shaped creatures entering and leaving various orifices (you have to see the video to fully understand it), along with a skeleton that morphed and disfigured and eventually became overwhelmed by everything it came into contact with.
Judging by the amount of fans who stayed until the house lights went on, nobody in the crowd seemed like they felt duped in any way. If anything, furious rounds of applause and chants of “fuck yeah” carried on long after the night’s closing song.
Critic’s Notebook:
Even though Tool has been anything but prolific – their last full-length release was released just under 10 years ago – Tool fans still came out en mass. The two mid-week shows sold out at the 7,000 capacity Bill Graham Civic Center in just under a day leaving many fans furious. Sadly, loads of third party sites like StubHub, Vivid Seats, and the like overflowed with tickets going at obnoxiously high prices. Tonight’s show precedes a tour with Primus starting January 9th and ending on the 31st. Bigger venues next time, please
Throngs of Another Planet and NES security staff employees roamed nearly every crevice of the venue in an effort to stop fans from taking video and/or pictures. Unlike other shows I’ve attended at this venue, it was the tightest yet most efficient crew. In turn, very few attendees used their phones for fear of getting them taken away or, more importantly, ejected from the show.
For those coming to the venue for the first time, the parking situation couldn’t have been easier. Aside from being near many monitored and/or enclosed parking lots, there was ample street parking even for folks arriving as late as 8 PM.
Eddie
