Soon to be a headliner across the states, the mighty Vorlust crew is playing a rare weeknight show at Café Colonial tomorrow night.
The East Bay act is made up of Marcelle Marais, a.k.a. Cunnus on bass and lead vocals, Sonny Reinhardt on guitar and backing vocals, Dustin Ponko on guitar and Cody Stein on drums. Expect the band to draw heavily from its 2022 offering on Transylvanian Tapes, ‘Lick the Flesh,’ as well as a few surprises only those in attendance will know firsthand.
Fans of Reinhardt’s main band, Necrot – along with early Bulldozer, Venom and Possessed –will dig into standout tracks like “Venomous Scent” and “Tormenta.” This is crusty, blackened metal meant to be chased with shot of whiskey and some stinky weed – and possibly a hallucinogen or two.
For those who’ve never seen Cunnus perform live, prepare for a frontal vocal assault on the eyes and ears amidst a wall of down-tuned guitars.
Rounding out this bill is local headliner Solanum, as well as S.U.R.G.E., and Postnasal Drainage. Tickets can be purchased at the door only for $12. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts promptly at 7:30. This is an all-ages show. The venue has Taco Tuesday for those who get there early, made by a damn fine kitchen. Cafe Colonial is located at 3520 Stockton Blvd.
Philip Bailey and company have nothing to prove at this stage in their career: Since forming in 1969, Earth, Wind & Fire has sold a staggering 100 million-plus records and performed to capacity crowds all over the globe. That is causing plenty of anticipation for the band’s upcoming show at Hard Rock Live in Wheatland.
With eight double platinum records to its credit and nine Grammy awards, the members of the group have not been resting on their collective laurels. This year, they’re gearing up for an ambitious run of shows supporting Commodores’ frontman, Lionel Richie, set to play in arenas all over the U.S. And while Earth, Wind and Fire’s core member-count is down to three – Philip Bailey Sr. (lead vocals), Verdine White (bass guitar) and Ralph Johnson (percussion and backing vocals) – its supporting assemble has been touring with the group for a decade or more.
In terms of the upcoming Sacramento-area show, expect fan favorites “Reasons,” “Shining Star,” “September,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Let’s Groove” and other greats to be part a setlist that clocks in just under 25 songs. For fans, it won’t just be a dance party of epic proportions but also a chance to remember the band’s past members who left too early. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are scarce but, as always, there’s an abundance of resale tickets atwww.ticketmaster.com. The Hard Rock Live is located in Wheatland at 3317 Forty Mile Road.
Philip Bailey and company have nothing to prove at this stage in their career: Since forming in 1969, Earth, Wind & Fire has sold a staggering 100 million-plus records and performed to capacity crowds all over the globe. That is causing plenty of anticipation for the band’s upcoming show at Hard Rock Live in Wheatland.
With eight double platinum records to its credit and nine Grammy awards, the members of the group have not been resting on their collective laurels. This year, they’re gearing up for an ambitious run of shows supporting Commodores’ frontman, Lionel Richie, set to play in arenas all over the U.S. And while Earth, Wind and Fire’s core member-count is down to three – Philip Bailey Sr. (lead vocals), Verdine White (bass guitar) and Ralph Johnson (percussion and backing vocals) – its supporting assemble has been touring with the group for a decade or more.
In terms of the upcoming Sacramento-area show, expect fan favorites “Reasons,” “Shining Star,” “September,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Let’s Groove” and other greats to be part a setlist that clocks in just under 25 songs. For fans, it won’t just be a dance party of epic proportions but also a chance to remember the band’s past members who left too early. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are scarce but, as always, there’s an abundance of resale tickets atwww.ticketmaster.com. The Hard Rock Live is located in Wheatland at 3317 Forty Mile Road.
Although former IKEA call center worker Scott Seiss would probably rather forget his maddening experience working for the Swedish furniture behemoth, his conversations with customers of all backgrounds has given him great, unending material, which Sacramento will get a taste of June 14 at the Punchline.
After four years of service, Seiss – now a 29-year-old venerable TikTok sensation – has already amassed nearly a million followers on social media and garnered 11-plus million likes across all platforms. His 30-second-or-less video reels depict himself as both the antagonist customer, as well as the underdog worker-protagonist, all the while showcasing his dry wit and awkward, pissed-off humor.
What Seiss is going to do for a full-headlining comedy bit in Sacramento remains to be seen, though he’s already held a Pacific Northwest tour in 2022 and opened for comedy heavyweights Bo Burnham, Roy Wood Jr., and Josh Wolf. For viewers who saw ‘Cocaine Bear’ in the theater, Mr. Seiss needs no introduction. Expect the unexpected and, of a course, a 2-drink minimum.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Standard tickets start at upper-tier for $35.25 and preferred seating at $45.25. The Punchline Sacramento is located at 2100 Arden Way in the Howe ‘Bout Arden shopping center.
Ever since the band’s first release ‘Walls of Jericho’ in 1985, Helloween has delivered top-tier heavy metal with a laser-like focus on speed, dynamics and harmony.
Today, the live band still features its core members, which include Michael Weikath (guitar), Markus Grosskopf (bass), Kai Hansen (guitar), and Michael Kiske (singer), along with Kiske’s replacement singer Andy Deris, drummer Daniel “Dani” Löble and guitarist Sascha Gerstner. The end result is a glorious cacophony of two lead singers amidst a solid, power metal background, which can be heard across the band’s 2021 self-titled release on Nuclear Blast Records.
Helloween’s 16th full-length record, featuring the special “Pumpkins United” line-up for the first time, has been winning over new fans while bringing back its hardcore original fanbase. The band’s Warfield Theatre show in San Francisco this Saturday marks the end of its major-market U.S. run and, if fans are lucky, the event may feature a couple of surprises from their storied catalog.
SN&R caught up with original singer, Michael Kiske, to reminisce, and get the lowdown, on one of this year’s most-talked about tours. Below is the conversation.
Michael Kiske: The size of the production does not affect our set list. Neither does it affect our joy of playing. Wherever we tour, we are ready to give 100% no matter if 1,500 or 15,000 fans show up. Although we are not travelling with our huge production from Europe, the stage is fully packed every night with our complete stage set up: the huge pumpkin, Dani’s drum kit, and everything else.
Sacramento News & Review: With yourself back in the fold, we almost have the full core of Helloween onstage. I can imagine you all miss drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg who passed in 1995. I remember meeting him at The Stone in San Francisco in the late 80’s. Any lost material from his time that could see light of day?
Kiske: I don’t think we´ll release anything with / from Ingo. Besides not knowing if there is anything available, it might turn out pretty difficult since it was a different time, different labels, different deals, etc. He left us almost 30 years ago, but his spirit is always with us. That’s why we did the virtual drum battle (live video) between him and Dani during the ‘Pumpkins United’ Tour. He’s one of the original “Pumpkins” and he will always be in our hearts.
SN&R: What are your favorite Helloween songs to play?
Kiske: Sure, I have some favorite songs, but in the end, I love to sing them all. I really like “Eagles Fly Free.” It is refreshing for me because I haven’t been doing that for a long time. “Future World” is another one because I love singing as a duet with Andi. I feel so natural doing it. And during the writing process, we all had voices for the songs to be sung. Like “Angels”- (guitarist) Sascha said right away that he wrote the song with my voice in his head and it was clear from the beginning that I would sing the majority of this song.
SN&R: You and singer Andy Deris seem to be having so much fun passing off vocal lines. I’m so ecstatic this became a full-time thing.
Kiske: We kicked off right from meeting each other the first time. I flew and spent 2 weeks with him in Tenerife. It was almost like we knew each other, we were really connected. And that’s one of the reasons we share the stage equally and enjoy so much what we are doing. Our fans can feel if it’s not fake or pretended – we really have a great time together.
SN&R: Will we see another solo Kiske record or is it Helloween United full-stop?
Kiske: I am very sure this will see the light of day at some point, but right now I don’t have the time to even think about it. I am 100% devoted to Helloween and we have a long tour in front of us.
Doors open at 6pm and the show kicks off with Hammerfall at 7:15pm. Advance tickets can be purchased at www.thewarfieldtheatre.com starting at $49.50 and $135. The Warfield is located at 982 Market Street in San Francisco. All ages are welcome.
No one can say it’s been easy for Queens-born Melanie Martinez. Between struggling to find friends while growing up and dealing with her sexuality, to ultimately being eliminated from two major music competitions – MSG Varsity Talent Show and The Voice – all the pieces eventually came together around the singer’s perseverance. Selling-out one of the Capital Region’s most active venues is proof.
After being signed to Atlantic Records, Martinez quickly found a fanbase by releasing her ‘Cry Baby’ debut in 2015. At this stage in Martinez’s career, she’s already had two full-length, Gold records, not to mention a handful of Platinum singles. Her latest 2023 release, ‘Portals,’ is on par to become her biggest if streams and viral TikTok videos are any indicator.
Martinez recently embarked on an ambitious 29-city tour that is taking her from Colorado to Montreal in just two months. With 12 billion streams to her credit, it seems there is no ceiling for her growth. Additionally, Martinez has plans to continue the momentum already sparked by her new album hype and recent overseas festival performances, particularly with some well-timed singles. Martinez will perform June 7 as a genderless, magical being she dubs Cry Baby. The persona is at the center of her previous two releases, ‘K-12’ and ‘Cry Baby.’ The show, which is already sold-out, goes down at the Hard Rock Live in Wheatland. Resale tickets may be available at www.ticketmaster.com. The Hard Rock Live is located in Wheatland at 3317 Forty Mile Road.
Never a band to sit idle, the Hammerfall quintet is finishing up its latest U.S. run. For fans who feel like the group’s opening set wasn’t enough, a handful of surprises could be in store for its upcoming Roseville show, including new material from the stellar 2022 release on Nuclear Blast records, ‘Hammer of Dawn.’
Besides celebrating a newer album, Nuclear Blast is also revisiting Hammerfall’s “Crimson Thunder” record from 2002. This 20th anniversary retrospective comes either as a glorious 3-CD box set, or as a 2 LP set in Platinum. It’s a “Crimson Thunder” edition replete with bonus tracks.
Anchored by vocalist Joacim Sans, Hammerfall is rounded-out by bassist Fredrik Larsson and guitarist Oscar Dronjak. Fans agree the trio hasn’t skipped a beat in its multi-decade existence. They currently have a new lyric video for the classic “Riders on the Storm.” Tuning in is a good idea for anyone on the fence about venturing out to the Goldfield Trading Post in Roseville on a lazy Sunday night.
Doors for the show open at 7 p.m. and the action kicks off with local openers, Niviane, at 7:45 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.goldfieldtradingpost.com for $25. Goldfield Trading Post is located at 238 Vernon Street in Roseville.
You don’t have to be a classic music afficionado to have heard the sounds of John Williams. His name is synonymous with iconic movie soundtracks, the credits being too numerous to mention. To date, there are more than 100 well-known scores that began in his imagination.
Two upcoming shows at Folsom’s Harris Center for the Arts will serve as a reminder of how influential Williams’ body of work is – and how well it has aged. Expect pieces from Hollywood favorites such as Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, E.T., Star Wars and more.
Concertmaster Anita Fetsch Felix will be the shows’ featured performer during Schindler’s List, as well as in John Williams’ arrangement of Jerry Bock’s Fiddler on the Roof, which includes Mr. Williams’ original violin cadenzas.
The John Williams Spectacular is a limited engagement and plays on two special days – Saturday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m. Although tickets are already sold-out, there is always a chance a limited amount of tickets will be released at www.harriscenter.net. The Harris Center is located at 10 College Parkway in Folsom. All ages are welcome.
Led by the ever-so-nasty vocalist Wattie Buchan, this Scottish punk rock four-piece has been firing on all cylinders while trotting across the globe this year. Although The Exploited’s ‘Disorder USA 2023’ tour is a short one – only 11 dates on this side of the Atlantic – one of the stops is in Roseville on May 31.
Music fans who are easily offended, or have a great aversion to heaps of spit coming from both the crowd and stage, may want to dress inappropriately – or hide in the back of the room.
The last time this writer saw the band live was at the now-defunct San Francisco club, The Stone: It was the late 1980s and the show was an absolute zoo from beginning to end. And that had partly to do with lead antagonist Wattie Buchan being on an absolute tear. Political in nature and ferociously outrageous, Buchan and his cohorts-in-crime have an extensive catalog to draw from in their chaotic shows. And while The Exploited’s last proper record was 2003’s aptly titled “Fuck the System,” it’s the probably the 80’s releases that fans will inevitably be clamoring for.
Doors to their show at Goldfield’s Trading post in Roseville open at 7 p.m. before the show kicks off with Southern California openers Total Chaos at 7:45 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.goldfieldtradingpost.com for $29.50. Goldfield Trading Post is located at 238 Vernon Street in Roseville. All ages are welcome. “Don’t like the music? Don’t like the words? You can all piss off you’re a bunch of turds!”
For music-lovers who grew up in the region during the late 1980s, chances are they knew of a band from Eureka called Mr. Bungle – a group that garnered a large following through word of mouth and eventually headlined sell-out shows all around California. What separated Mr. Bungle from other funk bands that were crowding the scene was its intelligent arrangements, awkward lyrics and a live, unrivalled energy at the time.
While the band’s line-up has changed from its earliest recordings, its core members – Mike Patton (vocals), Trevor Dunn (bass), and Trey Spruance (guitar) – still comprise the majority of the quintet. Today’s incarnation is rounded out by two well-known heavy metal legends: Drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Fantomas, Dead Cross) and guitarist Scott Ian (Anthrax, Stormtroopers Of Death).
Mr. Bungle released ‘The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny Demo” during the pandemic – October 2020 – on boutique label, Ipecac Recordings. It was basically a re-recording and revved-up version of the group’s first demo tape. It included a spirited cover of Corrosion of Conformity’s “Loss for Words,” as well as a Spanish-named version of Stormtroopers Of Death’s “Speak English Or Die.”
SN&R caught up with bassist Trevor Dunn before Mr. Bungle’s upcoming West Coast shows got underway. We wanted to understand the origins of the band and where they are today.
SN&R: Mr. Bungle’s rise to fame in the North Bay seemingly came from the ‘Goddammit I Love America!!!$ɫ!!’ EP, which was sold as a crudely photo-copied demo tape. I saw the band open a bill in Petaluma at the Palace Theatre with Victims Family, fIREHOSE, and The Doughboys, and it seemed much of the draw was your own. What do you attribute to your inevitable frenzy all over California?
Dunn: Back in the day we were fairly involved in the tape trading scene. I still have friends worldwide to this day who I met through snail mail. Honestly, I think the hype started a bit later — more around the ‘OU818’ demo. Either way, ‘Goddammit’ was our first demo recorded in an actual studio, our song writing was starting to mature, and we were taking the band more seriously; trying to get out of town to play shows, find management, etc.
SN&R: What’s the reason Mr. Bungle rarely played songs the same way live? Boredom?
Dunn: We played them a lot the same way live, so at a certain point, mostly in order to keep ourselves entertained, we started messing with the arrangements. There’s a lot you can do to a song to keep it familiar and interesting at the same time.
SN&R: Getting signed out of the gates to Warner Bros. was quite a feat for a band hailing from Eureka. What other labels were interested and what were the terms of the deal? Was the advance quite large given Patton’s status with Faith No More?
Dunn: After being more or less a garage band for several years we started taking the band more seriously – recording ‘OU818’ – and shopping that demo around. In Effect records (whose biggest band at the time was 24-7 Spyz) showed some interest. Their A&R guy actually flew up to Eureka to take us out to lunch. But ultimately, Patton couldn’t leave the Warner family. We, in turn, gave them an ultimatum they couldn’t refuse and ended up on WB proper. If I remember correctly, the contract was a seven-album deal with each one being “on option,” which meant that after each record they would decide if they wanted to pick us up again. It was all a matter of record sales and the potential for us to write some MTV hit which, of course, we knew would never happen. It was a very non-committal relationship, but they took us to dinner and we fucked them, haha. I think they gave us 100k for that first record, most of which we spent in the studio doing what we wanted. With a bit of leftover money we bought some gear.
SN&R: Do you own your Warner Bros. masters? Any plans for special re-issues?
Dunn: At the time, the label didn’t bother us, which was great. We made the records we wanted to make without anyone breathing down our necks trying to tell us how to write a hit. As with most deals of this sort, the label owns the masters although I’m pretty sure we ended up with all of the multi-track tapes ourselves. There are plans.
SN&R: I was present at the first shows at the Fonda Theatre in Southern California, and the band seemed to be having a blast and didn’t adorn any costumes as previous Mr. Bungle shows did. Did you get any feedback from fans wanting the funk/disco years revisited?
Dunn: We are constantly getting that sort of feedback. No one is ever satisfied, which is why we have to focus on satisfying ourselves. And yes, we were having a blast!
SN&R: What places had the most voracious fans during your recent touring cycles?
Dunn: Chile is notorious for its Beatlemania style support. I feel that in the states it varies from town to town, but smaller towns are often the most hungry. I can relate coming from a small town myself. Of course, we have mostly focused on bigger cities in the last couple years as we are old and get tired very easily.
SN&R: How many times does the band rehearse for a tour and where given how members all live in different zip-codes and states in some instances? How did you go about song selection including Mr. Bungle material and covers?
Dunn: Rehearsing depends on how recent our last tour was. We were just in South America in December so for this next run of shows we booked a whopping two days of rehearsal. Everyone is feeling good about the material being under our fingers. As always, Mr. Bungle has never been “Patton’s other band” or however the media spins it. It has always been a collective but the ideas in the band, covers or otherwise, come from all the individuals involved.
Mr. Bungle. Photograph by Buzz Osborne
SN&R: Will we ever see Trio-Convulsant live anytime soon? How many shows did that configuration play and where? Anymore music left to record?
Dunn: In October of 2022, I released the third Trio-Convulsant recording on Pyroclastic Records. It’s called ‘Séances’ and is configured by the trio expanded with a quartet. We did a record release show that month in NYC. I’m currently working on more new music for that line-up and hope to be more active with it next year. The previous configuration as simply a trio toured quite extensively in the U.S. at least in respect to bands that play that type of music. We opened for Fantômas and (the) Melvins back in 2004/2005. We played a handful of one-off gigs after that but it took me a long time to figure out where I wanted to take the idea of new music with that band.’
SN&R: The upcoming U.S. show schedule is very limited. Now that drummer Dave Lombardo has left Testament, Anthrax is on hold due to Charlie Benante’s Pantera involvement, and Mike Patton has no Faith No More plans, do you see more being added in 2023 and 2024?
Dunn: We recently announced another short run on the East Coast in September of this year. There’s a chance we’ll go to Europe next year, but it remains to be seen. We are taking things slowly and aren’t really interested in being in a bus for more than a couple weeks at a time. Everyone in the band has a particular schedule to work around, and for Bungle, that has always been the case, and totally fine.
SN&R: Will you ever re-issue ‘Goddammit I Love America!!!$ɫ!!’ and ‘OU818’ and revisit these songs live or is ‘The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny’ pretty much it for demos?
Dunn: I can’t imagine ever re-issuing those other old demos or re-recording any of those songs. We moved on from that music in the early ‘90s. ‘The Raging Wrath…’ is a different story in terms of the band’s history which is why we felt the need to revisit it. Any of the songs from “Goddammit’ or ‘OU818’ that we felt strongly about ended up on our first WB record so that has all been played out.
Mr. Bungle plays two nights – May 23rd (sold out) and 24th – at the Fox Theater located at 1807 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 8pm. All ages are welcome. Support comes from (the) Melvins and Spotlight. Tickets start at $55 and top out at $135 for Platinum.
Eddie
Photograph by Jabari Jacob
Scott Seiss, Courtesy photograph
Hammerfall. Photograph by Tallee Savage
Mr. Bungle. Photograph by Buzz Osborne