Donell Jones cut his teeth writing music for other performers before releasing his debut in 1996. Bolstered by the single “In the Hood” and a well-received and thoughtful cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet,” his first record, ‘My Heart,’ made its mark. Jones then became both a national and international sensation with the release of his sophomore album, ‘Where I Wanna Be,’ which made it into the Billboard Top 100 and peaked at #40.
Sacramento has always been a huge market for Jones, as evidenced by his record sales and strong attendance at shows. With a voice that is instantly recognizable, and a back catalog that has stood the test of time, Jones is still very much a live force. SN&R caught up with him in preparation for his run of shows.
SN&R: You released your first record at the ripe young age of 23. Were you ready for the reception you’d soon receive?
Donell Jones: I was definitely ready for the opportunity and for the world to hear me as an artist. I was already writing songs for Usher and Jade.
SN&R: Any advice for new R&B artists?
Jones: I’ve learned that you gotta have a strong team. No one can do it alone and you have to never stop ‘cause all it takes is one record. For anyone trying to to get in the business, the only thing I would say is practice and learn from the legends that came before you
SN&R: You put out your seventh full-length record – ‘100% Free’ – on your website for nothing. What was your rationale?
Jones: I released that album during the pandemic to give the world something from my heart that was free for everyone who wanted to listen. And that’s exactly what I did.
SN&R: What’s 2024 look like beyond this Sacramento show?
Jones: I plan to stay busy in 2024. I have a live band, but this Sacramento show is a track (pre-taped backing music) date.
SN&R: I worked for your distributor, BMG, when you released ‘Where I Wanna Be’ and we could barely keep that record in stock around the Sacramento valley. What do you remember about that tour on a national level?
Jones: That tour was amazing ‘cause I went out with Alicia Keys and when that album came out, “U Know What’s Up” took off. Having Left Eye (from TLC fame) on that record made it blow up even more. It stayed at Billboard Number 1 (on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart) for 8 weeks, so that was huge for me and my future career.
SN&R: Do you have new material that will make it into your set? Can we expect a little from each of your LaFace releases?
Jones: I try to sing a little bit of everything, but my time is limited on this show and I’m only doing the hits.
Dwight Murphy Presents hosts ‘A Night For Lovers’ featuring Joe, Donell Jones, Jacquees, Pleasure P, Case, Suice Da Connect, J. Holiday, and Adrian Marcel on Friday, March 1st at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium located at 1515 J Street in Sacramento. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.
The Branford Marsalis Quartet is still a force on both in the studio and live front.
At present Marsalis is backed by pianist Joey Calderazzo, longtime bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner. As evidenced on recent songs, the quartet has become a well-oiled machine with a reverence for the jazz greats of yore. Anchored by the rhythm section of Revis and Faulker, it is equally at home playing covers as its own original jazz fare. With bandleader Marsalis leading, this is one dangerous group that knows how to play meticulously around the beat with grace and expertise.
“With us, it’s all about sound and the power it has to create emotion,” Marsalis has said of the quartet’s most recent studio work. “When you deal with sound, you don’t play the same thing twice in a row. You listen to each other, and every song is different.”
Pop culture fans who were introduced to Branford Marsalis by his association with Sting on the ‘Dream of The Blue Turtles’ should check out the jazz man’s body of work since the mid-80’s. Not only has Marsalis been prolific as a bandleader and musician, he’s been featured on myriad projects including Bela Fleck, Harry Connick Jr., Grateful Dead, James Taylor and Roy Hargrove.
Although Marsalis has been stylistically compared to saxophone giants such as Coltrane and Shorter, he’s forged his own identity. Now with a huge body of work and a ferocious quartet at his side, the upcoming Mondavi performance should prove rewarding to both newcomers and jazz aficionados alike. Whether you’re versed in jazz or not, the evening’s program may deliver a handful of aural surprises.
The Branford Marsalis Quartet plays Wednesday, February 28 at Jackson Hall inside U.C. Davis’ Mondavi Center. The venue is located at One Shields Avenue in Davis. Tickets start at just $25 with premier seating topping out at $69 and can be purchased in advance at www.mondaviarts.org. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. All ages are welcome.
King Crimson’s founding guitarist Robert Fripp and businessman/producer David Singleton have been hosting a number of live discussions – and one is slated for The Sofia Theatre on Saturday night. The topics each evening are both heady and heavy with few boundaries set. The time on stage will include untold King Crimson stories with Singleton acting as the perfect counterpoint.
We caught up with David Singleton, who helped form the Discipline Global Mobile record label with Robert Fripp some 31 years ago.
News & Review: What are your current production projects outside of Robert Fripp and King Crimson?
David Singleton: After we first started the label, many artists were keen to join as we were perceived (rightly I would argue) as artist-friendly and ethical. So the roster swelled to about 20 artists. However, running a label of that kind took Robert Fripp and me away from our primary focus as artists and producers. So, in the early 2000s we took the decision to reduce the roster to just the work of King Crimson, Robert Fripp (including his various collaborations) and The Vicar (my own solo work). Since then, we have arguably had many of our most successful releases.
SN&R: The DGM label has produced myriad projects. Do you find that today’s business model of streaming, YouTube and the like, is more fruitful than simply releasing physical product as most labels did in the past?
Singleton: The digital and physical worlds are very different and we approach them differently. Every year we have released a substantial and lovingly curated boxed set based around each of the core albums in our catalog. These have been very well received and have arguably set a standard which others have sought to follow. For many years, while the majority of labels were complaining about falling sales, we had rising physical sales. The physical market remains very healthy if you make beautiful products which people wish to own. For us, the digital market divides into two camps. The first is the opportunity to make niche recordings available, which would never justify a physical release. A good example would be the DGMLive website where it is our intention to make available every recording we have of a King Crimson concert. This replaces the clandestine bootleg market. It is also at the bottom of a pyramid of releases. The website means that every recording is transferred. In so doing, we find the special moments which may justify wider circulation. Either as part of the King Crimson Collectors Club (the next step of the pyramid), or an individual release, or as part of a boxed set. The second part of the digital world are the mainstream streaming platforms such as Spotify. These do not make sense on a financial level. They do not generate sufficient income to justify creating a release just for the streaming platforms. In fact, we were one of the last artists to join them – waiting until 2019, the 50th anniversary of King Crimson. We made the catalog available on those services not due to the financial return, which remains tiny, but due to a responsibility to keep the music alive in the world – to present it to future generations who look to such places to find their music.
SN&R: What are your biggest concerns when releasing a new record?
Singleton: The world of physical distribution is changing rapidly as the market shrinks. We still have healthy physical sales, particularly in vinyl, but we are moving from a situation where we could justify manufacturing separately in Europe, the USA, and Japan to a period of consolidation. The high quality 200gm vinyl which we sell is, for example, only manufactured in Europe (one of the few places that still makes it) and then shipped all over the world. These changes should hopefully not affect music buyers (assuming that their local stores remain open), but there are changes within the systems that lie behind. And Amazon, of course, remains one of the main sellers.
SN&R: The latest ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ documentary is very somber in nature and seems purposely uneasy. Was that the intent?
Singleton: We have been approached many times over the years by broadcasters wishing to make a King Crimson documentary, and have always rejected these offers because they tend to make exactly the same cookie-cutter movie, just with different musicians – the musicians sitting in a studio talking about the old times, interspersed with comments from some journalists and some live clips. Robert Fripp knew Toby Amies was a fan of his first movie “The Man Whose Mind Exploded,” and we commissioned him to take the leap and make a brand new-style of music documentary. Beyond that, we gave him complete artistic freedom with no outside control. The movie was originally intended for release in 2019, which was the 50th anniversary of the band as, to misquote Robert Fripp “it seemed a good time to take stock of what it is that we have been doing for all these years.” If the film is uneasy, it is not purposely so, in the sense that this was not the intention. Perhaps that is simply a reflection of that fact, as mentioned by many of the protagonists, that being in King Crimson is not an easy experience. Hopefully, however, it is an artistically rewarding one.
SN&R: Your role as The Vicar releasing new music is multi-faceted. Will we see new music in 2024?
Singleton: You will see both a new Vicar Chronicle and new Vicar music in 2024. My only regret in recent years is that I have been unable to give sufficient focus to this – which is the key part of my work. Being a songwriter, as opposed to a singer-songwriter or a performer is a uniquely difficult and frustrating experience. You create music that no-one can hear until someone else gives it voice. I have wrestled with this conundrum my entire life. Some kind souls, such as Jeremy Stacey from King Crimson, are convinced that the solution is that I must sing the songs myself. That is one point of view. On the other hand, when I hear the right contribution from great singers such as Andy Yorke singing San Manuel on the first Vicar songbook, I know that I could never personally match that. So the songs are ready with many of the arrangements complete. I need to keep searching for the final piece of the puzzle, but there will be music!
SN&R: What do you feel is the sole purpose of these discussions you and Robert are holding?
Singleton: There is not a “sole” purpose behind the evenings with Robert Fripp and me. They are an open and exciting canvas, and I encourage people to come and help us paint. The evenings are worthwhile if we all leave feeling enriched – both the audience and Robert and me. In practice, the evenings tend to cover a number of different areas. Inevitably some fans want to hear Robert tell stories that he has told before. Which is fine. Or ask me about the workings of the industry. Which is also fine. But the excitement tends to start when we get beyond that often into territories I have never visited before. That can be mildly terrifying when you have several hundred people waiting to hear what you will say. I am personally fascinated by the whole question “what is music?” Why do so many of us dedicate our lives to its service, including the majority of those who attend these evenings, as they would not be there if it was not important to them. My own experience is that music is the language of the soul – but where does that lead? Perhaps we will all find out in the coming weeks. My own favorite comment about our evenings was from someone who went away saying that they “heard music” although they had been to an evening of talking. We are certainly not there to promote “new music.” This is a joint venture of exploration.
SN&R: On any given day, even without a new Robert Fripp or King Crimson, is there a lot of business to attend to?
Singleton: Sadly, there is endless business. Hence my problems in finding sufficient time for The Vicar. It has been reported in the press that we are currently in dispute with UMG over under-payment of streaming royalties. A case that is likely to go to court in May. In order to protect the catalog, and the income of the artists, we need to pay attention to such items, which are a constant irritation and really a distraction from our core purpose. So there is endless “stuff” seeking to fill the day. In fact, the various mis-dealings of the industry which have historically plagued my inbox were the genesis for The Vicar Chronicles – ‘Tales from the underbelly of the music industry,’ ‘Sherlock Holmes meets Spinal Tap’. I was working late one night in the studio with Robert Fripp when one such item hit our inboxes, and I asked Robert “why, given all the available material, has no-one written whodunits about the music industry?” His reply was “because you haven’t written them yet.” So now I have.
SN&R: Why don’t we see more King Crimson music licensed in movies and other like-minded media? Where have you licensed music in the past?
Singleton: We are certainly not against King Crimson music being licensed for movies. There have been standout examples, such as the use of “Starless” in Nicolas Cage’s movie Mandy. Or “In The Court of the Crimson King” in Pam and Tommy. There are some requests that we reject because the scenes seem unsuited to the music, but mostly we don’t get asked enough. I encourage more music editors to call.
‘An Evening with Robert Fripp & David Singleton: Englishmen Abroad’ happens at The Sofia located at 2700 Capitol Avenue in downtown Sacramento. Upper tier tickets are $45 while the much closer lower tier seats are $55. Both options can be purchased at www.bstreettheatre.org. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. All ages are welcome.
Since their inception nearly 13 years ago, The Aristocrats have defied categorization with each successive release. For those not in the know, The Aristocrats are comprised of superstar guitarist Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, Hans Zimmer, Asia, GPS), bassist Bryan Beller (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dethklok), and drummer Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani, Steve Hackett, Kreator).
As luck would have it, the band is celebrating a new record with just five live shows, all of which have sold out well in advance. True to the band’s comedic nature, their new and 6th full-length album – the confusingly and purposely inappropriately-named ‘Duck’ – carries on that spirit and then some. Instead of their concept album being some overtly serious affair, the band titled songs about a popular waterfowl while infusing the thoroughly confusing topics (see album closer “This Is Not My Scrotum” for good measure).
One part rock, one part jazz, one part improvisation, and the rest a head-scratching WTF combination of drum, bass, and guitar calisthenics, The Aristocrats have a loyal legion of followers (though mostly those of the male gender) that patiently awaits the group’s limited time between other musical endeavors with bated breath. It’s been five years since their last record, and as evidenced by songs such as “Sgt. Rockhopper,” their music is far more superior than just some guitar hero gobbledygook. Also, check out the standout tracks “Sitting With A Duck On A Bay” and the awe-inspiring “Slideshow” to see where the future of instrumental rock is headed.
Perhaps some of the most talented musicians on the planet, these three humble and very funny dudes aren’t limiting their musical song styles either. After being the most talked about showcase at the 2011 installment of the NAMM convention, it only seemed proper the union of these three musicians would carry on with even more new music and live shows.
And while catching the band is a rarity these days, their rabid fanbase is proof positive the music is doing the talking regardless of this aquatic bird’s propensity to get itself into all kinds of deep shit drinking backstage (see album opener and first single, “Hey, Where’s My Drink Package?”). Being silly never sounded so good.
The Aristocrats play a special evening show at 8 pm Thursday, Feb. 22, at Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Avenue in Mill Valley. Visit www.sweetwatermusichall.com for more info and possibly for a small batch of tickets to be released day of show. All ages are welcome.
It’s been 46 years since Marc Bell – better known as Marky Ramone – landed a job drumming for one of the greatest punk icons of all time. He’d already been playing around with Dust in the early 70s, which is now considered one of heavy metal’s most influential bands. But it wasn’t until a handful of years later that he joined with Richard Hell & the Voidoids to release the fabulous punk classic ‘Blank Generation’ on Sire Records. Then, in 1978, through a happenstance meeting at legendary punk club CBGBs, Marc would find himself joining The Ramones, changing his name to Marky, and eventually recording on the band’s ‘Road To Ruin’ album.
Later that same year, he would also team up with producer Phil Spector to track yet even more drum parts on The Ramones’ ‘End of The Century.’
Marky Ramone was with the group, on and off, until its demise in 1996. At that point, he’d performed more than 1,700 shows with The Ramones and was featured on more than 15 of their releases.
It wasn’t until 2000 that he would record yet again with one of his Ramone handmates, this time putting down drum tracks for singer Joey Ramone’s solo album ‘Don’t Worry About Me.’
On Feb. 16, Roseville’s Goldfield Trading Post will host Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg band. The ensemble will play some of their own material, along with vintage Ramones tracks and pieces from Marky’s solo records with The Intruders project. SN&R caught up with Marky while preparing for his run of California shows.
SN&R: That was quite a long run with The Ramones: Any particular tour that you liked more than the others?
Marky Ramone: The first time we went to Japan and Australia was a unique experience. We especially enjoyed our time in Tokyo. One of things that makes it memorable is there was an earthquake while we were on stage playing
SN&R: The Ramones have won a handful of accolades, including being put in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a lifetime achievement award and more. What do these mean to you as an artist?
MR: I was happy that the punk rock genre was finally being recognized and appreciated like other genres of music. Even though we had always received such strong support from our amazing fans, we were still grateful that we were the first in our genre to receive these awards.
SN&R: Did your former band, Dust, get to tour much outside of the New York City area? Do you still encounter fans of the band when you’re on the road?
MR: When Dust was touring, we actually did some routed dates with Alice Cooper, John Mayall, and Uriah Heep in the Mid-West but the majority of our shows were in the New York area. Over the years there has been renewed interest in the band which is why Sony re-issued and remastered both of our albums. I think the band has developed a bit of a cult following because we were one of the first American heavy metal bands. I do often get asked if we will ever do a reunion but, at this point, it’s not very likely.
SN&R: Every musician has a couple of songs they like more than the others. What are your favorite Ramones songs to play live?
MR: Mine are “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker,” “Rock N’ Roll High School,” “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and “KKK Took My Baby Away,” to name a few. While those songs really represent the band’s musical output, there are so many others I also enjoy performing.
SN&R: What do you remember about the recording of your last record, “Adios Amigos!” when compared to earlier releases?
MR: The Ramones had a regular process where each member would focus on their part in the studio, and then later, we’d listen to the mix together and all give our input. So, in that sense, it was similar to how we recorded our other albums.
SN&R: Who are the current members of your touring and recording ‘Blitzkrieg’ band?
MR: The band members are Iñaki “Pela” Urbizu (vocals), Martin Blitz (bass), and Marcelo Gallo (guitar). They’re great guys and we always have a lot of fun. Our show is high-energy and it’s great to see a whole new generation discover punk rock music.
SN&R: Will we see a new record anytime soon?
MR: We are working on some new material that should be released in 2024, which I think our fans will enjoy.
Marky Ramones’ Blitzkrieg will play Goldfield Trading Post on Feb. 16. Jerk!, Screaming Bloody Marys and Pure Trash are also on the bill. Doors for the all-age show open at 7 p.m. and the performances start at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 at https://goldfieldtradingpost.com. Roseville’s Goldfield is located at 238 Vernon Street.
Since 1982, Billy Idol has proven a prolific and successful pop music entity. And while it seems like he and Stevie Stevens are never off the road, the two still managed to release “The Roadside” EPin 2021 and “The Cage” EPin 2022. Each album came out on the boutique label Dark Horse Records. Idol’s seminal “Rebel Yell” also just turned 40 last year and will be celebrated with an expanded edition.
Now approaching five decades as a recording and touring musician, Idol remains a tour-de-force with whatever band configuration he chooses. Case in point: Idol launched the highly successful and first-ever Generation Sex tour in the U.K. and E.U. in 2023 aided by Tony James of Generation X, along with Steve Jones and Paul Cook of Sex Pistols fame.
Last year, Idol and Stevens chose one of the oddest spots to stage a live online event, issuing limited tickets to only 250 lucky concertgoers as they gave their superlative performance in front of the Hoover Dam. Part history lesson and part live performance class, “Billy Idol: State Line” raised the bar for concert films when it premiered in November.The set list revealed a singer who loves to play around with song structures as much as his band. The extended live show, preceded by a short acoustic set with just Idol and Stevens, also featured cameos by singer Allison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), guitarist Steve Jones(Sex Pistols, Generation Sex) and bassist Tony Kanal (No Doubt).
Meanwhile, guitarist Stevens is also known for playing on the “Dirty Diana” single by the late Michael Jackson and with Ric Ocasek of The Cars, Robert Palmer, and Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe. Additionally, Stevens released three solo records to great acclaim and played in the highly revered Bozzio Levin Stevens project with bassist Tony Levin (King Crimson/Peter Gabriel) and drummer Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa/Missing Persons/U.K.).
Locals who attended the Aftershock Festival in 2019 may have seen Stevens playing on one of its side-stages with his Deadland Ritual project with Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Matt Sorum (The Cult/Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver).
Idol and Stevens will take the stage at The Venue, located inside Thunder Valley Casino, on Feb. 9. Tickets start at $64.95 and can be purchased at www.thundervalleyresort.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.This is a 21 and over show only. Thunder Valley Casino is at 1200 Athens Avenue in Lincoln.
For over 45 years, singer Dave Dictor has been flying the flag for MDC, a band whose moniker can change whenever the band finds a suitable acronym. Past records have included titles and songs such as Multi-Death Corporations, Millions of Dead Children, Millions of Dead Cowboys, Magnus Dominus Corpus, Missile-Destroyed Civilization, Metal Devil Cokes, and Millions of Dead Cops: The band’s most widely used name.
Photo by David Ensminger
‘War Is A Racket’ is the band’s tenth and latest full-length offering which stands up nicely in their catalog against fan favorites ‘Millions of Dead Cops’ (1982), ‘Smoke Signals’ (1986), ‘This Blood’s for You’ (1987), and ‘Metal Devil Cokes’ (1989). For those haven’t listened to the new album, check out the title track, “Demagogue,” “The Big Lie,” and the record’s standout track, “Government Cheese.”
While the band has always been considered left-leaning or even apolitical at times, the majority of Dictor’s lyrics still deal with myriad topics from homophobia to the vegan lifestyle, anti-capitalism to homelessness, the plight of veterans to anti-organized religion stances.
Originally formed in Austin, Texas, MDC have also been included on numerous compilations and split releases and still have a large pool of songs to pull from that includes 7” singles, live offerings, and more. Even though the group eventually moved to San Francisco, Dictor has been living in Oregon for quite some time and has been regularly touring up and down the West Coast.
MDC’s upcoming run of California dates starts in Chico on February 7th and ends February 10th at The Ivy Room. At present, the band is rounded out by guitarist Barry d’live Ward, bassist Erica Liss, and drummer Adam Crisis.
MDC play Cafe Colonial located at 3520 Stockton Blvd. in Sacramento. Rounding out this punk-leaning bill is Riotgun, Mob Rule, and Class of ‘77. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 here at cafecolonial916.com. Cafe Colonial is located at 3520 Stockton Blvd.. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts promptly at 7:30pm. As always, all ages are welcome.
Unlike other bands who prospered only during the early to mid-’80s, Duran Duran continued to release quality albums on a consistent basis. While the band was not as prolific as its adoring fans might have wished in the past, the group today is releasing loads of new material regularly and still manages to tour and fill capacity venues across the United States and abroad.
Propelled by their biggest hits – “Rio,” “Hungry Like The Wolf,” “Come Undone,” “The Reflex,” “Save A Prayer,” “The Wild Boys,” “Girls On Film,” “Ordinary World,” and more – there is also no shortage of lesser-known songs in their older repertoire to please their longtime fans.
Duran Duran’s ‘Danse Macabre’
‘Danse Macabre,’ the band’s latest record released on BMG / Tape Modern records, is a fun collection of cover songs the group has come to know and love as well as a couple of re-imagined songs of their own that sees the band taking a much deeper dive into their early musical history. Fans expecting the next ‘Notorious’ (1986) or ‘Rio’ (1982) will be sorely disappointed. Instead of a musical repeat matching tone and cadence, the band’s ever-evolving sound has kept its members playing at a much higher level than their musical peers from the same period and delving even more into electronic and dance.
Thankfully, Rock & Roll Hall Of Famers Duran Duran is still core members Simon LeBon (vocals), John Taylor (bass and backing vocals), Nick Rhodes (keyboards and vocal effects), and Roger Taylor (drums) along with Dom Brown (guitarist) who’s now been with the band since 2006. Now 16 albums into their career, Duran Duran has defied the odds by consistently growing a new fan base while retaining their voracious and rabid followers.
It’s been a whirlwind 2023 and more for the band with sold-out performances all across the globe including Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl, London’s Hyde Park, and playing a special live set at The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. Also on the live docket this year is a set at the already sold-out Cruel World Festival in Pasadena and appearances at the Release Athens (Greece) and Latitude (Southwold, UK) festivals. Duran Duran plays The Venue located inside Thunder Valley Resort at 1200 Athens Avenue in Lincoln.
Tickets start at $169.95 and top out at $279.95 and can be purchased at www.thundervalleyresort.com. Doors open at 7pm and the show starts promptly at 8pm. 21 and over only. Attendees aged 13 to 20 must be accompanied by adult 21 and over.
“No Steps Left To Trace” is the album title of super-group PAKT’s latest musical offering and showcases the instrumental quartet further defying simple classification. With one part jazz, one part ambient, one part progressive rock fare, and the remainder wholly unidentifiable, this may be the sleeper critic’s choice of 2024.
For those not privy just yet, the PACT musical collective features bassist Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega), guitarist Alex Skolnick (Testament, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), drummer Kenny Grohowski (John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3, Imperial Triumphant), and guitarist Tim Motzer (Bandit65, Jaki Liebezeit, Ursula Rucker, Jamaaladeen Tacuma).
And while their brand new album doesn’t technically come out on all formats (CD, vinyl, digital) until March 1, the band is dishing out some heady streams on their Bandcamp page. The group also released a spectacular self-titled album back in July 2021, in addition to making numerous recordings of different live shows on the East Coast and more via MoonJune Records.
With songs like the fabulous “Solar Myth” clocking in at over 22 minutes in length, it would appear the quartet’s members clearly aren’t limiting themselves by time constraints in order to bring the listener in. Highlights of the forthcoming album also include “The Ghost Mills,” “Spontaneous Combustion,” and “On The Other Side, Part 1,” all of which clock in at 9 minutes and up without sounding dated or derivative when compared to other specialty jazz groups.
Given the busier-than-normal touring schedules of Grohowski and Bay Area metal guitar great Skolnick, PAKT shows are far fewer these days. Thankfully, the group’s current run of shows started on February 1 in Seattle and will stop in Mill Valley before finally ending in Phoenix on February 13. Expect to see a hodgepodge of fans wearing heavy metal t-shirts and an older and sophisticated contingent who follow Jones and Motzer’s other projects. You only get one chance to see this configuration at this Mill Valley venue, so make your travel plans now and get a ticket before it’s ultimately too late.
PAKT and Mongolian sextet Tsadig will perform together on Thursday, February 8, at the Sweetwater Music Hall located at 19 Corte Madera Avenue in Mill Valley. Doors open at 7 pm, and the show kicks off at 8 pm. Tickets are $25 in advance and can be purchased at www.sweetwatermusichall.com. All ages are welcome.
Eddie
