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.
Sun., Jan. 10, Mondavi Center, 2 and 7 p.m., $27.50-$55
Classical gatherings have long been considered a high-brow affair. However, the insinuation couldn’t be any more insulting to the performers and their fans. Patience and listening skills—and, of course, a ticket—are all one needs to experience San Francisco’s talented quartet. They’ll be playing two shows featuring an original work titled “Adaptive Species,” Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80; Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor, Op. 95; and Beethoven’s Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Major with pianist Roger Woodward joining the fray. One Shields Avenue in Davis, www.asq4.com.
Cultural, political, spiritual: Sacramento shows are a homecoming of sorts for Karega Bailey, an emcee who previously lived in town and then spent many years teaching in Washington, D.C. And while he recently relocated to Oakland with his wife, Bailey still manages to get around the country touring. On Sunday he brought his amazing Sol Development troupe to Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub.
For the uninitiated, Bailey’s hip-hop fare is steeped heavily in cultural and highly spiritual beliefs with topics that include accountability and humility as well as unnecessary police aggression, seasonal depression and much more. Unlike other emcees who seem to have a limited vocabulary or a band to provide emotive musical swells, Bailey knows how to use his countless years of education—he was also a teacher at a public charter school—with great effect.
Bailey was in particularly good spirits and brought out more than 100 people—no small feat for a show booked less than two weeks beforehand. Then again, as he roamed the stage, it was wholly evident he likely knew at least 99 percent of those in attendance.
After a short intermission, Bailey returned with his band for a more somber and faith-based set. The night culminated in a group circle including nearly everyone in the entire club.
Aided by a rotating cast of wonderful female background singers, a small horn section, guitar, bass, keys, violin and live deejay, Bailey’s set showcased a band ready for anything.
Tired of buying crappy sushi at your local supermarket? Can’t afford to dine out every night? Have a sushi addiction that you just can’t kick? Even if you’re just looking for bragging rights for your next Facebook status update, the “Sensational Sushi” class will cover all the bases. Depending on how quickly you can pick up sushi-making, this upcoming class could be a very cost prohibitive exercise for the Sac Food Co-op. For only $49, one will learn the fine art of preparing sushi using a variety of common and not-so-common ingredients. This class will be led by instructor Dionisio Esperas and all the different pieces you need to make some tasty fare will be at your disposal. Learn how to make nigiri, hand rolls and maki sushi rolls with no pressure from your peers. Additionally, everyone will make a seasonal veggie roll, a spicy California roll with avocado and a smoked-salmon hand roll with pickled red onions. They’re allowing you to eat everything you roll so pay attention in this short class and leave your cell phone in your car. Make sure you enroll in advance as limited space is available. For sign-up details visit Sacfoodcoop.com
Eddie
