Think you can shred like Yngwie Malmsteen? Have fingers as dextrous as Steve Vai? Looking to be Sacramento’s next Joe Satriani? As luck would have it, you don’t need a guitar, just a good imagination and an ability to make goofy faces and stage poses while rocking out to your favorite song selection. At press time, confirmed judges for this year’s Air Guitar Championship May 21 at Starlite Lounge include Ben Bradley (operations director at California Cannabis Industry Association and Mansion Flats Block Party Organizer), Jody Collins (who judged last year’s fiesta) and yours truly. The US Air Guitar Championship started in 2003, but last year was Sacramento’s first annual Air Guitar Championship Qualifier and the contestants were mind-boggling, to say the very least. The hosts for the night’s festivities are Ben “Rockus Airelius” Thomas along with the also ridiculously nicknamed Kyle “Sweetness” Payton. Along with cash prizes, the top two air guitarists can earn a spot at the US Air Guitar National Finals! Are you tough enough? Visit USairguitar.com to enter or come out to watch the madness starting at 9:30 p.m.
Having a photographer’s eye may seem easy with the advent of overused apps like Instagram and Snapchat. However, the real talent lies in knowing how to properly frame a picture and shoot with as little editing as possible. For those learning about photography, check out the upcoming photo installment at Sacramento City College featuring freelance photographers Jason Sinn and Kevin Fiscus (whose work often appears in Submerge) along with the equally talented and compelling works of Sandy Follett, Andrew Nixon, Nicole Zitzelberger (aka Blue Gate Photography) and Inga Arakelyan (aka VWP Photography). “I’ll have 12 of my photos shown at the show,” said Jason Sinn in a recent interview. “The photos were taken on a full-frame Canon 6D DSLR and are being shown on print. The subjects are fine art portraiture, music and ballet. I attended Sacramento City College for two years and earned my commercial and editorial photography certification. The SCC photography department chair, Paul Estabrook, is administrator of the gallery show. At the moment I am looking for an agent and want to become a world-traveling portrait photographer.” And while the staff at Submerge are a little biased, you can come see for yourself how professionally crafted pictures really make a difference. Find a link to the Facebook event page and RSVP to this free exhibit at Facebook.com/jasonsinnphotography. We will be here waiting for you.
While most people visit the Sacramento Zoo during the day to see the countless and curious creatures, this three-hour long event is sure to please on multiple fronts. Come partake in generous samples of local wine and beer from some of the area’s best wineries (Helwig Winery, Matchbook Wine Company, McConnell Estates Winery, Mount Aukum Winery, Renwood Winery, Shenandoah Vineyards, Soban Estate, Terra d’Oro Winery and more) and breweries (Bike Dog, Firestone Walker, Great Basin, Lagunitas, Lost Coast, Mendocino and much more) while taking in the landscape of the zoo. Of course, you’re going to be surrounded by exotic animals so you probably shouldn’t party so hard that you end up in the giraffe exhibit the next morning. Great food options will be available for an extra charge from some our city’s greatest food trucks (Drewski’s, La Mex Taqueria, GyroStop and The Sweet Spot) so hit the ATM beforehand. Early birds who get off their arse and buy tickets early (as opposed to at the door) will also save some bucks. If you needed any extra reason to go, proceeds from this event will go directly to animal care and maintenance of the zoo. Tickets are just $45 in advance or $55 at the door (with designated driver tickets available for just $15). Buy tickets or find out more at Saczoo.org/WineandBrew. -EJ
Supercross and motocross, although completely different beasts, both have their challenges. Whether a racer is competing in a supercross race under the lights in a stadium or in a motocross race outdoors at an equally well-groomed track, all competitors have their strong suits.
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson, arguably one of the fastest living racers, now finds himself poised to take third in a long and arduous Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series. And although his rise to fame and good fortune did not come without hard work, he has already proved himself a veritable force that not even top riders such as Ryan Dungey and Ken Roczen can dismiss. He handily won the 250cc AMA Supercross Lites West championship aboard a KTM motorcycle, a company that not-so-coincidentally owns the much smaller yet equally competitive Husqvarna.
While the brand hasn’t placed in any significant motocross standings—here in the United States, that is; Alessio Chiodi was crowned Motocross World Champion in the 125cc class in 1999—a new, energized Husqvarna team is now led by 450cc racer Anderson along with equally talented teammates Martin Davalos, Zach Osborne and Christophe Pourcel.
What separates the 23-year-old Anderson from other motocross racers consistently placing in the top five, however, is his choice of motorcycle: Husqvarna. The brand that started making racing machines in 1903 back in Huskvarna, Sweden has, consequently, come back in a big way in both 2015 and 2016 after a lengthy absence from outdoor motocross in the United States.
Now in its 48th year, the 2016 Hangtown Motocross Classic kicks off the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship May 21 at its usual Prairie City State Park location in Rancho Cordova. Although many have their eyes on reigning Supercross champ and KTM rider Ryan Dungey, Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac and Yamaha’s Weston Peick to name but a few, a closer look at the guy donning white plastics and Rockstar gear is fully warranted.
As luck would have it, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team—now in its second year—recently re-signed Anderson and gave fellow racer Christophe Pourcel his first full time 450cc contract in the United States. Additionally, the upcoming motocross series serves as a litmus test for the Husqvarna brand and showcases the company’s new FC450 machine.
Ahead of this month’s Hangtown Motocross Classic, Submerge recently caught up with Jason Anderson as he was driving to Las Vegas from his home in California for the Supercross 2016 season-ending race at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Where are you living these days? Your manager mentioned you were in the process of buying a new house. Yes. And I currently live both in California and Florida. I’m buying a new place in California.
What is your method for getting good starts aka holeshots? I’ve watched your clutch hand both live and on TV. You’ve got it down pat. Thanks. Good starts really come down to getting a good spot at the gate during timed practice and qualifying races. Of course, my team and I try to perfect the art of holeshots as much as we can. It makes it rather tough if you have a good gate pick but the track and ground pack is bumpy or clumpy. Also, you have to start with a consistent style. A good starting gate pick, like I said, always helps.
What setting does Jason Anderson find himself more antsy or nervous than usual? Supercross? Outdoor motocross? That’s a good one. It’s hard when you are on the line at a stadium and have all these nerves going through you. It really doesn’t matter if it’s at a supercross event or motocross track since we all want to place high and have great vibes at every race. I totally get nervous for both of them equally.
You’re always the first to try crazy jumps and were the first rider to try Hangtown’s 150-foot triple jump last year. Very few pros did it aside from front-runners and Justin Barcia, who made it look very easy like yourself. What goes through your head when trying anything of that size for the first time? Obviously, you have to pick the fastest line. You can’t launch without it. After figuring that out walking the track before practice and riding over it a couple of times, you either have to go for it or not. As far as being indicative and trying different lines, it’s a choice each rider makes on his own and the answer is never really obvious. I get nervous just like anyone else but I am pretty confident these days, at least in my riding abilities. Sure, there is a huge risk we play with every day, but pro motocross racers at this level and money stakes this high always play with fire.
How does one prepare for a faster-than-usual supercross track? For any supercross race, you always want to walk the whole track. That’s very very important. I look at triple jumps, rhythm sections, corners with quickest in and out and much more. The real difference with supercross as opposed to traditional outdoor tracks first is how steep the lifts on the jumps are. You need to look at all the lines, not just some as in outdoor motocross, and figure out your own pace and rhythm as well as coordinating when and where you pull the trigger. I won’t lie: it is very tough to figure out what you want to do each race.
Any bad crashes that you remember most? I got a really shitty start at the East Rutherford race and had to come through the pack and still placed sixth. Not my best but no crash. The last track I crashed was with Justin Bogle when he crashed on the first lap and I hit him. I had nowhere to go and that was in Toronto, Canada. At the end of the day, it’s not anyone’s fault as we’re all going for it.
Have you ever been punched or punched someone, Weston Peick-style? Ha! I have never been hit and hopefully will not. That situation was kinda funny, though. He’s huge. That kind of situation can get get you fined. [Note: Weston Peick punched Vince Friese during a race earlier in 2016 in Anaheim, California which Jason Anderson won. Peick was disqualified, issued a suspension and fined $5000 fine by the AMA.] I think Peick got banned for two races. That kinda sucks. AMA will fine you $5000 or your purse money depending on what you do. There’s different deals but the next $5000 you make from purse money is theirs.
Speaking of a penalization, you got screwed by missing a mandatory joker lane [a portion of the track that can add five seconds to any given rider’s lap time] last October in Las Vegas. Were you pissed off? Yes, I remember that well. There are some things I have screwed up in the rule book and that was one of them. That incident was at the Monster Energy Cup race. Later on, I won a race as Ryan Dungey lost two positions to me for not paying attention to a medical flag. That was at Ford Field in Detroit earlier in March. I don’t ever want to win that way but, of course, I will always take the win.
Zach Osborne’s mechanic told me last year a Husqvarna chassis is completely different from a KTM. Is that entirely true? Yes. Obviously they are very similar, made in the same area and have the same owner. However, the bikes do have differences that my mechanic Chris Loredo would gladly explain. The price for a stock Husqvarna when compared to a KTM is very similar.
What about your own 450cc factory bike as opposed to the average Joe’s showroom model? We have different things on our factory bikes like specialized titanium bolts and different foam on our seats to bring down the weight. From different forks to motors and suspension, a factory bike needs to be different and better. And we do weigh our bikes. I just tell my mechanic and crew if the bike feels good. I will say factory bikes have the same frame and brakes as well as some other things. [My mechanic] Chris knows a lot more than I do.
You changed to the larger 450cc class rather quickly. Why? If you win a championship within your first three pro years, the AMA automatically makes you.
What other sponsors do you have aside from Rockstar and Husqvarna who pay the bulk of your yearly salary? We probably have 20 of them right now. It’s really a team effort to get ‘em with my manager Kenny and others helping point the way as well.
Did you want to stay with KTM or was Husqvarna a better deal for exclusivity? This deal was my first choice after leaving the 250cc class. I’d rather stay at Husky now that I have the deal signed. There is a great group here and the bikes are fast and comfortable. I’m staying put.
Training regimen? It depends really on the time of the year. We ride bicycles four to five hours a week, use the rowing machine, do some recovery rides and more. Basically, we never stop training or working out. You have to if you want to land on the top three podium and race competitively. I train on my bike with Aldon Baker who also works with Marvin Musquin and Ryan Dungey. There is a private Husqvarna track in Florida and California.
You’re already a top three rider in the 450cc class for the 2016 Supercross season. Congrats. Did you expect that? Actually, I did. I signed an extension on my Husqvarna deal that lasts until 2018. I planned on being a top three rider as I am paid to be top three. Confidence is very important in this sport. On that note, I’d like to race for as long as I can. It is hard to know when to quit, but I am young and it’s still fun to race dirt bikes.
See Jason Anderson and the top names in professional motocross May 21 at the 48th Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic at Prairie City State Park located at 13300 White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova. Class practices starts at 8:30 a.m. and races commence at 2 p.m. General admission tickets start at $45 and go up to $325 (plus service charges). For info and tickets go to Hangtownmx.com.
Something in the water: For those who rarely catch local bands unless they happen to be opening for a national act, make Nevada City’s Pinnacles an exception.
Regular concertgoers know there’s already something special in this region and its surrounding areas: Dan Elkan from Broken Bells once played in the now-defunct Them Hills; Zach Hill from Death Grips started Legs On Earth; Joanna Newsom got her start playing tiny cafes and local venues; and let’s not forget about power trio E V Kain and Jonathan Hischke.
And while there are countless other lesser-known examples we could cite without referencing Wikipedia, the best way to find out about them is to get out more often.
Pinnacles are a professional-sounding yet unsigned quartet who have practiced and perfected their craft well before ever stepping onto a stage. Now with multiple albums under their collective belt, they’re a huge draw in Nevada City and its immediate area.
Still, they’re assigned the early slots in Sacramento. Led by vocalist-guitarist Justin Hunt and guitarist-vocalist Robbie Landsburg, the band played a short but sweet opening set on Sunday at Starlite Lounge, ending with a track called “Better than the Enemy.”
Aided by the rhythm section of bassist Jesse Kinseth and drummer Zach Peach, Pinnacles’ post-rock and progressive sound works wonders in a live setting. They displayed a keen sense of dynamics and musical fortitude without sounding dated—like an early Police before that band became a stadium-sized phenomenon.
Although the duo of Harrison Mills (a.k.a. Catacomb Kid) and fellow electronic musician Clayton Knight (a.k.a. BeachesBeaches) has garnered the kind of fervent following other like-minded artists would kill for, don’t hold that against them. Since forming after college, this Seattle-based duo has released a steady stream of catchy electropop fare and with great effect. One listen to “Say My Name” or any of the other tracks on In Return, released in September 2015, should be more than ample reason to boogie on over to what will may be one of the oddest Sacramento venues of 2016. 5225 Luce Avenue, http://odesza.com.
As luck would have it, Portland-based Americana/rockgrass act Scratchdog Stringband are releasing their first full-length album and are doing a two-week tour that includes a stop in Roseville’s Bar 101 on May 13. Submerge caught up with James Rossi (fiddle, vocals) to learn more about the show and Three Times Fast, the band’s new album. “We’ve played in Sacramento only once, back in January during a weekend tour through Lake Tahoe, which was massively successful,” said Rossi. “We played Shine cafe to a full and enthusiastic house. So yes, we are fairly new in the area and looking forward to coming back. It took us the first five days of February to record the album at The Hallowed Halls, Portland’s newest top of the line recording studio. We lucked out and recorded with a freelance engineer named Hawkins Wright, who we all quickly came to regard as our very own George Martin. We’ve been together for a little more than a year and recorded all the instruments live and overdubbed all the vocals live, with no additional overdubs, to keep the album true to our developed stage sound, which is what we feel we ended up with on Three Times Fast.” Sound cool enough? This show gets started at 9:30 p.m. and is free as well. Take a listen at Scratchdogstringband.com.
Photo by Richard Just | 2015 Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. ‘Operation’ act!
The lovely ladies of Sizzling Sirens will celebrate their eighth anniversary with a show that will more than likely be remembered for years. Without getting too effusive (yeah, right), this soiree to end all soirees will have many brand new acts on their tantalizing menu. Included on the night’s ticket are such notable names as Georgia Fire, Alijah Dresden, Sass Herass, Salacious Kay, Meowie Wowie, Katy Karma, Vala Marv’elle, Ginger Snatch, Shauni Fatale, Ophelia Coeur de Noir, Laika Fox and Jessica Will. For those who’ve never attended a show, expect a lively event replete with outrageous outfits, scantily clad women and more eye candy than should be allowed in the J Street district. The party kicks off at 8 p.m. and is hosted by both Jay Siren and Kingfish (from San Francisco’s Hubba Hubba Revue). Advance tickets are $15 for general admission, $25 for cabaret seating (buy at the club to avoid service charge before the day of the show). Even if you’re not hungry for Harlow’s food fare, chances are you’ll need to cool off with some drinks. Maker’s Mark and ginger beer for me, please. More info at Houseofsizzle.com/anniversary.
Sat., May 7, 2:45 p.m., El Dorado Hills Town Center Amphitheater, no cover
While there are a number of good reasons you should attend the 13th annual El Dorado Hills Art, Beer & Wine Festival, the inclusion of Blind Pig artist Albert Cummings should top the list. For the uninitiated, this Massachusetts guitar slinger has released a handful of records since 1999 under the Swamp Yankee moniker and, of course, his own name. On his 2015 release Someone Like You, Cummings shows a mastery of the blues without sounding exactly like his influences. 4364 Town Center Boulevard in El Dorado Hills, http://albertcummings.com.
Eddie
