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On a High NoteBy Cathy Cassinos-Carr, Elizabeth Marxen and Greg Sabin |
From May 2007
Terrence Duffy/521productions.com
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With the help of three writers tapped into the local contemporary music scene, we came up with a list of musicians and bands worthy of a closer look. Think of it as a smorgasbord of sounds, to whet your appetite and perhaps inspire you to check out these and other musicians on your own. (See our list of places to catch live music.) In addition, we take a look at area children’s musicians and local acts who have gone on to make it big, and pay homage to that Sacramento institution known as the Jazz Jubilee. Finally, local blues/rock legend Mick Martin takes us on a whirlwind tour of Sacramento’s prolific musical past. So sit back, tune in and enjoy the ride. Self Against CityBlake Abbey—bass; Justin Barnes—drums; Jeffrey LaTour—guitar, vocals; Jack Matranga—guitar, vocals; Jonathan Temkin—vocals, guitarStyle: Rock/pop Playing together since: 2004 Inspiration: “We are inspired by everything around us and what’s going on in our lives directly,” Temkin says. “We don’t write from metaphors. We write from our minds and hearts and the daily grind of living.” Catch them live at: The Underground Cafe and other all-ages venues Groovie GhouliesKepi—lead vocals, bass; Roach—guitar, backup vocals; Scampi—drumsStyle: Punk Playing together since: 2001 Catch them live: All around the world; next Sacramento show at Cesar Chavez Park May 25 as part of the Friday Night Concerts in the Park series Ghosts of CaliforniaBryce Gonzales—bass; Scott McChane—guitar, vocals; Jay Shaner—guitar, vocals; Tim Pratt—guitar, keyboardsStyle: Americana-style rock ’n’ roll Playing together since: 2005 Inspiration: “The music is a collaborative work. The inspiration comes from playing with one another and respecting each other’s playing styles,” Shaner says. Catch them live at: Fox & Goose, Old Ironsides, Blue Lamp, Marilyn’s on K Street and Fools Foundation—when they’re not on the road. The Spillit QuikkersJimbo Gilbert—five-string banjo, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, guitar; Steven Zdybel—fiddle; Jack Kemp—upright bass, mandolin; Jenny Turner—guitar, vocalsStyle: Old-time string music/bluegrass Playing together since: Here and there for 10 years, but as a quartet since 2005 Inspiration: “Traditional, high-energy, rural-American music,” Gilbert says. Catch them live at: Fox & Goose, Davis Farmers Market, Hoppy Brewing Company Brian RogersDrummer, percussionist, bassist for the band Isabella (formerly 4 Guys From Reno)Style: Jam band/folk/funk Playing since: 2001 Inspiration: “Like a lot of songwriters, I get inspiration from women troubles and my own daily life. But, as I’ve been listening to a lot of Bob Dylan, I realize that it’s important to be inspired by what’s happening in the lives of others, even others on the other side of the world.” Catch him live at: Marilyn’s on K Street, Old Ironsides (solo) and Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar (with other artists such as Justin Farren) Justin FarrenStyle: “I’d place my music in the folk-popcategory, though I’d cringe as I did it,” Farren says. Playing since: 2002 Inspiration: “The everyday human experience. Things happen that make me think, and sometimes they end up in a song.” Catch him live: Most frequently at Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar and Fox & Goose Alkali FlatsTim White—guitar, bass, vocals; Chris Harvey—guitar, bass, vocals; Mark Miller—drums; Keith Cary—mandolin, lap steel, harmonica; Erik DeKok—electric guitar; Andy Lentz—fiddleStyle: Old-timey country Playing together since: 2003 Inspiration: “A deep-rooted dislike for slick Nashville modern country music,” White says. Catch them live at: Old Ironsides, rural dives in Nevada or, White says, “on the street outside of whatever bar we’ve just been kicked out of.” Shelley Burns and Bill DendleHusband/wife duo and founders of the band Avalon Swing. Burns is a vocalist and vocal instructor. Dendle plays banjo and trombone and is director of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society’s youth and adult jazz camps.Style: Dixieland jazz/swing Playing since: Individually for more than 40 years; together for 10 years Inspiration: “Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald or really any musician who was truly unique, who really brought something new to the music that still is being felt today,” Dendle says. Catch them live at: Earl Grey Manor Tea Salon, Zigatos Bar & Grille, Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Mumbo GumboRick Lotter—drums; Reggy Marks—saxophone, vocals; Mike Palmer—bass; Steve Stizzo—keyboards, accordion; Tracy Walton—vocals, guitar; Chris Webster—vocals, guitar, saxophone, washboard; Jon Wood—lead guitarStyle: “Eclectic Americana roots music,” Lotter says. Playing together: For about 20 years Inspiration: “The band draws inspiration from all over the world,” Lotter says. “For us, music is a good way to find common ground among people and just explore and take some travels.” Catch them live at: PowerHouse Pub, The Palms Playhouse, local benefits and at Cesar Chavez Plaza as part of the Friday Night Concerts in the Park series Kevin SecondsLocal musician, co-owner of True Love CoffeehouseStyle: With his band 7 Seconds, punk; with his band Ghetto Moments, which includes his wife, Allyson, “soul-bearing, singer/songwriter folk rock” Playing since: 7 Seconds was formed 27 years ago, the softer stuff only about 15 years Inspiration: “Travel has always inspired me and led to diverse experiences. You really have to soak up what you can in life,” Seconds says. “I’ve been lucky or blessed that I’ve always found it easy to ‘expose’ myself through music.” Catch him live at: True Love Coffeehouse every Thursday night; Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar and the Java Lounge periodically Anton BarbeauStyle: Rock/pop/folk/psychedelicPlaying since: 1987 Inspiration: “I’m inspired by the Beatles, ’70s German rock, XTC. I’ve been listening to a lot of oldies lately. Bob Dylan is a big influence.” Catch him live at: Wednesdays at True Love Coffeehouse and the Java Lounge (when he’s not in England) Ross HammondStyle: Improvised jazzPlaying since: Hammond began playing guitar at age 12, at his mom’s suggestion; he wanted to play drums. Inspiration: “My wife. I like my wife a lot. She inspires me,” Hammond says. Catch him live at: Hammond hosts a jam session Wednesday nights at Fox & Goose and a live jazz series Thursday nights at the Java Lounge. Lara DownesStyle: Classical pianistPlaying since: Age 4 Inspiration: “I am interested in the context and larger picture behind what we hear,” she says. “I get interested in the larger picture of why that music came to be.” Catch her live: Downes is an artist-in-residence at the Mondavi Center. Rita Hosking and Cousin JackRita Hosking—vocals; Bill Dakin—bass, guitar, vocals; Sean Feder—banjo, guitar, bass, vocals; Andy Lentz—fiddleStyle: Mountain country “folk-grass” Playing together: For about three years Inspiration: “My childhood, people I know—pretty fascinating old mountain people,” Hosking says. Catch them live at: Delta of Venus, Marilyn’s on K Street, The Palms Playhouse Bright Light FeverEvan Ferro—vocals, guitar; Matt Ferro—guitar; Dan Sauve—bass; Robert Torres—drumsStyle: Rock Playing together since: With the current lineup, the band has been together about a year. Inspiration: “With our last album, we were going for an Alfred Hitchcock-kinda theme,” says Sauve, adding that inspiration is drawn from cults, schemes and other dark imagery. Catch them live at: Old Ironsides, The Underground Cafe Two ShedsCaitlin Gutenberger—vocals, guitar; John Gutenberger—bass, vocals; Sam Coe—drums; Robert Check—guitarStyle: Indie rock/blues Playing together: Two years Inspiration: “Most of my songs are about my family. They don’t stray too far from home,” says Caitlin Gutenberger. “I don’t write big, epic narratives about things I make up.” Catch them live at: Old Ironsides, Fox & Goose and Fools Foundation, although the band notes that they like to tour as much as possible Jackie GreeneStyle: Alternative, folk, bluesPlaying since: 1998 Inspiration: “In the form of the least expected: overheard conversations, advertising slogans, sitcoms, etc.,” Greene says. “Emotionally, listening to other artists and bands is a great source of inspiration and information.” Catch him live at: Marilyn’s on K Street and throughout the country AroarahChelsea Baker—bass, vocals; Lydia Gavin—vocals, rhythm guitar; Mackenzie Knoester—drums; Morgan Knoester—lead guitar, vocalsStyle: Melodic hard rock Playing together: 5 1/2 years Inspiration: Classic rock Catch them live at: The Boardwalk, Kennel Club, Club Retro, The Underground Cafe Capital Jazz ProjectJoe Gilman—piano; Rick Lotter—drums; Henry Robinett—guitar; Kerry Kashiwagi—bass; Mike McMullen—saxophonesStyle: Acoustic jazz, representing the past 70 years of the genre Playing together since: 1997 Inspiration: “Making jazz music accessible to the diverse populations of Sacramento, especially those who might never otherwise hear live jazz,” says Gilman, also a professor of music at American River College. Catch them live at: Savanna’s Lounge (at the Red Lion Hotel on Arden Way), American River College, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento State, Sierra College Devon GalleyStyle: Folkish, Americana-style music. He sometimes plays harmonica in addition to guitar (mostly acoustic) and vocals.Playing since: Singing since age 2, Galley picked up the guitar at 15 and gave his first solo performance—a charity benefit—in 1995 at the age of 18. After his popular local band, Victory Gin, broke up three years ago, Galley went solo. Inspiration: “Anything can spark a song, from seeing someone with a sad look on their face to playing with my kids . . . maybe really nice weather . . . maybe really s----- weather.” Catch him live at: The Java Cafe and Fox & Goose Larissa BryskiStyle: Bryski describes it as straight-ahead, guitar-crunching, big-voiced, vintage-inspired rockPlaying since: Age 14 professionally, but with her current project since 2002 Inspiration: “The simple emotions and situations that I feel and see every day. Sonically, I’m inspired by bands like Aerosmith, Foo Fighters and ELO, and singers like Annie Lennox, Ani DiFranco, Daryl Hall and Etta James—that’s my short, weird list.” Catch her live at: The Boardwalk, Fox & Goose, Marilyn’s on K Street and Old Ironsides Gerry PinedaStyle: Although jazz is his forte, Pineda plays all styles of music—“even polkas while wearinglederhosen.” Playing since: Age 8—if you count his early, bumpy start on piano, followed by experiments on the guitar and electric bass. At 18, Pineda got his first acoustic upright bass and has been playing the bass ever since. Inspiration: “People who are proficient and serious about their art but also are interested in more than their art. There’s nothing worse than a musician who can only talk about music.” Catch him live at: Any place where there’s food and drink, including restaurants (La Provence, Town Lounge, Fox & Goose, etc.), office cocktail parties and weddings Mike FarrellStyle: Everything from West Coast bossa nova to garage rock and European pop, depending on the band. Farrell currently performs in three—Daisy Spot, Th’ Losin’ Streaks and Persephone’s Bees.Playing since: A quick study, Farrell began guitar lessons at 11, joined his first junior-high school garage band at 13 and was playing in clubs soon after. Inspiration: “A lot of songs I’ve written have been inspired by adversities. I find if I’m dealing with a bad situation and can write about it, it’s not only therapeutic but artistically rewarding to be able to yield a product out of it.” Catch him live at: Old Ironsides, Blue Lamp and The Distillery U. Utah PhillipsStyle: Acoustic folk. “I’m not an ‘electric’ person. I’ve always been a solo act, on a chair with my guitar.”Playing since: “Around 1969, when I left Utah . . . I’ve been playing professionally pretty much nonstop since then.” Inspiration: “Walking around the community [Nevada City], seeing what’s going on and trying to help community causes. There is a great deal of negative thought and feeling going on in the world, but if you go into your community and do something useful, it’s inspiring and uplifting,” says Phillips, winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Folk Alliance. Catch him live at: Benefit concerts, plus an annual concert (typically in April) at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley A Local Tradition: The Sacramento Jazz JubileePut away those images of blue-haired, parasol-wielding ladies—things are about to get funky atthe Sacramento Jazz Jubilee! With its heavy brass/funk style, the Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans will headline the 34th annual Jubilee this Memorial Day weekend. The group has shared the stage with The Grateful Dead, George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, Dr. John and the Ohio Players. And in 2005, they joined other New Orleans musical legends for a benefit concert when Madison Square Garden hosted From the Big Apple to the Big Easy—New York City’s Concert for The Gulf Coast to aid relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The Jubilee also brings more blues and swing to Sacramento this time around, including the second-annual Lindy Hop Extravaganza at the Sacramento Convention Center’s main exhibit hall. Dancers from throughout the country will perform to live music and compete for a $1,000 prize. Preliminaries take place Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the finals on Sunday evening. Last year, more than 1,200 spectators filled the room shoulder-to-shoulder, so check the schedule and grab an early seat for this two-day acrobatic dancing fest. And if you like to party, do not miss the Zydeco bands at the Freeway Gardens during the Friday Night Parties (located beneath Interstate 5 at the east entrance of Old Sacramento near the tunnel). Several venues throughout this area will feature a different style of music for the evening, but with seating available for 1,400-plus and enough room to form what could very well be Sacramento’s largest conga line, the Freeway Gardens will be the place to jump-start the weekend. More than 100 bands from across the country (and for some, the ocean) will congregate May 25–28 in downtown Sacramento, Old Sacramento and (for the second year in a row) Raley Field. For more information on Jazz Jubilee schedules, venues and to purchase tickets online, swing on over to sacjazz.org. —Laura Martin Music Through the YearsLegendary local blues musician and writer Mick Martin free-associates on Sacramento’s recent musical past.From the time of surf bands and the British invasion, Sacramento garages have been filled with music. The first success of this era was the New Breed, who scored local hits with “Green-Eyed Woman,” “Want Ad Reader” and “I’ve Been Wrong Before.” A national release as Glad, which made them anything but, resulted in the band members going their separate ways. A stint with country-rock band Poco led to singer/bass player Timothy B. Schmit grabbing the brass ring with the Eagles. Tom Phillips, Ron Floegel and George Hullin went on to become the critically acclaimed Redwing. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, the Beau Brummels racked up hit after hit. Singer Sal Valentino is now part of our local music scene thanks, in part, to a 1974 reunion at Fair Oaks Village’s Shire Road Pub. Just the year before, Valentino’s second band, Stoneground, played its last gig live on Sacramento’s rock radio station, KZAP. Both shows are on CD. Founded by guitarist Tim Barnes, Stoneground put out four more LPs without Valentino. Barnes settled here, as did drummers Sammy Piazza, also known for Hot Tuna, and Steve Price, now reunited with Stoneground’s hit-making spinoff, Pablo Cruise. The Sound Factory, Sacramento’s answer to The Fillmore in San Francisco, brought together Mark Pearson of Sanpaku and Reed Nielsen of Big Foot. Joining forces to create The Nielsen-Pearson Band, they released three LPs. Guitar player Jeff Watson achieved heavy metal success with Night Ranger. Roger Voudouris became a teen idol with “Get Used to It” before starting his own label. Steelwind launched the career of Craig Chaquico who later joined Jefferson Starship. The Runners brought Henry Robinett into the spotlight. Both guitarists moved on to jazz, while Roger Smith, keyboardist for Tower of Power, topped the smooth-jazz charts. Jazz pianist Jessica Williams excelled in her field, a tradition being carried on by Joe Gilman of Capital Jazz Project. Blues guitarist Charlie Baty and singer/songwriter Rick Estrin are known worldwide as Little Charlie and The Nightcats. Johnny Heartsman was our “Godfather of the Blues” when he wasn’t touring Europe. Sacramentans first learned of Hammond B-3 jazz giant Jimmy Smith’s residency when he sat in on a Heartsman set, and soul singer Frankie Lee, another Heartsman collaborator, also moved here. Jimmy Witherspoon’s family calls our city home; daughter Angila records and performs with husband, Rusty Zinn, locally and abroad. And, when Mark St. Mary plays zydeco, the house rocks. The groundbreaking Sly and the Family Stone, with Sacramento trumpeter Cynthia Robinson and sax man Jerry Martini, made us “Dance to the Music.” Club Nouveau’s “Lean on Me” put producer Jay King on the charts and a gold record on the wall of singer/songwriter David Houston’s studio, where demos were recorded by Bob Cheevers, Brent Bourgeois and Charlie Peacock (a Christian-music icon). It was Bourgeois Tagg who caught the ears of Ian Samwell, credited with writing the first British rocker, “Move It,” for Cliff Richard in the pre-Beatles days. His last projects included two CDs for the Beer Dawgs. Several local country artists have crossed over to major pop success, including Lynn Anderson (“Rose Garden”) and Lee Greenwood (“God Bless the USA”). Perhaps it all goes back to 1947, when country swing giant Bob Wills built the Wills Point nightclub here. Featured in Wills’ Texas Playboys was mandolin great Tiny Moore. The man who carried on the swing tradition, the late Bill Rase, had a studio whose vaults yielded up “The Sound of Young Sacramento” CD compilation. Check it out, along with more local music memorabilia, at The Sacramento Rock and Radio Museum, located inside Nakamoto Productions, 20th and I streets, during Second Saturday Art Walks. —Mick Martin Just for KidsIf your toddler’s music collection consists solely of hits by a large purple dinosaur, you are undoubtedly spending way too much money on Motrin. It’s time to broaden her (and your) musical horizons. This is a surprisingly easy task in Sacramento: The local music scene includes a variety of performers who specialize in music for children—musicians who are not only fun to see live, but sell CDs of their catchy, original songs that both you and your kids will enjoy. In fact, Piano Man, a performer from Roseville with three children of his own, bills his recordings as “music the kids will love but won’t make you drive the minivan off the road.” Here are a few suggestions that fit these (refreshing) parameters:• Francie Dillon is a regular at Borders bookstores and other local venues. Her most recent CD, The Toy Box, won the National Parents’ Choice Approval Award. She appears with the Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Academic Youth Orchestra—which will be accompanying Dillon in her performance of The Toy Box—at both its spring concert May 5 and again at the Sacramento County Fair May 26. • Piano Man, aka Tim Williams, performs regularly at area preschools and has three locally produced CDs. His single “Flat Stanley” recently became the official song for the Flat Stanley website. See him perform in June and August at Pottery Barn Kids stores in the Roseville Galleria and Arden Fair mall. • Music Matt’s hit CD is titled Good Day, and he performs live at the US Bank AAA School Days for the River Cats May 23 and June 5, and at Fairytale Town Aug. 6–10. • Music Mike (not to be confused with Music Matt), billed as the “Raffi of Sacramento,” has released two CDs and performs sell-out family concerts. Catch him at the Folsom Community Center July 24. • Felipe Ferraz, a local kindergarten teacher, released the CD Alphabet Party, sung in English to Latin rhythms. He will perform throughout the summer at various branches of the Sacramento Public Library. • Bev Bos, an educator and speaker, has several CDs available, and teaches parents how to use music with their kids. She will be presenting a seminar, Good Stuff for Kids, in Roseville July 31–Aug. 5.—Thea Marie Rood
When people across the country think of cities that spawn great musicians, Sacramento is not usually the first place that comes to mind. |
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