The music of Minus the Bear is a swirling eddy of brightly colored sound that subsumes and disguises the deeper darker currents of their sparse but poignant lyrics. Understanding their songs necessitates more than just casual attention; one must devote time, careful listening, concentration, and an almost literary mindset to their music. A Cinderella story … Continue reading
Listening to Imagine Dragons is like being inundated with a tide of ragged glory and post apocalyptic glee. The Las Vegas based band puts their finger on your pulse then gets impatient; grabs your wrist, then runs off with you into the sunset. Though just recently making it big on the music charts, Imagine Dragons … Continue reading
Mister Metaphor began in Sacramento in the early 2000s. The band dubbed as math rock made quite an impression on the local music scene in a rather short period of time. Made up of Mike Sparks (vocals and guitar), Ben Edrington (guitar), Ryan Rake (bass) and Justin Goings (drums) this talented foursome’s popularity has stood … Continue reading
Geographer creates their own space. Their music, when listened to carefully, wraps itself around you and cocoons your mind. Which is exactly the intention of the self-proclaimed creators of “soulful music from outer space”. “We think that [our music] creates a space you can get lost in, where you’re floating in the music your listening … Continue reading
CAVE ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM, THREACE, OUT OCTOBER 15TH ON DRAG CITY CAVE‘s new album, Threace, out October 15, 2013 on Drag City, might just bring an end to your party – no more dancing, no more talking, just people listening to every last clang, tweet and honk of a band really getting after it. Recorded on a 1″ 8-track Studer … Continue reading
NEW ALBUM, IDLE NO MORE, OUT SEP. 3, 2013 ON MERGE Though often called the “wildest show on earth” and known for their spectacle of a stage show, King Khan & The Shrines aren’t afraid to mix their velvety pop and soul-infused, psyched-out numbers with meaning and seriousness evident through album title, Idle No More, named after an indigenous-rights movement, and … Continue reading
When one considers the etymological history of the word rad, the reader’s mind probably arrives in a late ’70s/early ’80s Southern California skate park or beach front. Sacramento thrash punks RAD are certainly connected to that time and place, both stylistically and ideologically. The band’s minute-long songs are swollen with catchy guitar hooks (courtesy longtime … Continue reading
Unless you’ve caught Parquet Courts live in the past 5 months (which, let’s face it, considering the ferocity of their recent tour schedule, wouldn’t have been that difficult a task), it’s been a while since they’ve shared new tunes. Aside from the brief B-side burst of “Smart Aleck Kid,” people haven’t heard new “properly recorded” songs from … Continue reading
STREAM TY SEGALL’S SLEEPER, OUT NEXT WEEK ON DRAG CITY Since announcing the release of Sleeper, all’s been pretty quiet on the western (Ty Segall) front, relatively speaking, of course. We are talking Ty here! Without sharing any pre-release tracks or official videos (wha?!), we’ve been keeping the lid on nice and tight leading up to Sleeper‘s imminent release. … Continue reading
Maybe we were a little late as we entered the Ace of Spades, but as we crossed the threshold, the bass drum took hold of our heartbeats and rewrote our pulses. FFG, a local opening act number one was already on stage, but their brand of skater boy pop punk pulled us into the increasingly … Continue reading
Combining jazz, blues, folk, and something more, guitarist Ross Hammond has serenaded the Sacramento area for years. Though Hammond keeps a low profile for his talent, he certainly brings something unique to the stage, whether he’s playing alone or collaborating with another artist. Hammond’s music conveys his emotions fluidly and flawlessly to his audience, creating … Continue reading
Duk is an all instrumental band based out of Southern Ca. Their first album, Early Worm Gets The Bird, is the start of something very special. The album falls somewhere in-between gypsy punk, and Balkan folk with just a hint of dixieland. The band is proclaiming themselves “Gypsy Jazz”. Made up with … Continue reading
Living in San Francisco for the last year has had an undeniable impact on my taste in music. So when I heard an incredible folky harmony rising over the crowd on one of the most popular streets in Melbourne, Australia, the hipster alert went ping in my mind and I was drawn in. Among a … Continue reading
On the weekend of August 1-4, 2013, the Mateel Community Center will present the famous (and favorite!) Northern California music festival – The 29th Annual Reggae On The River, which, after five years of festival exile, will be making a highly-anticipated return to its original French’s Camp venue in southern Humboldt County, CA. What: 29th … Continue reading
With their debut release in 2010, Fitz and the Tantrums made a name for themselves for being the band with so much soul, it oozes out of their pores and into your eardrums. Pickin’ up the Pieces was received wholeheartedly by music critics, radio stations, and the like, that it quickly found its place in … Continue reading
The Moans’ music is a straightforward, high-energy brand of rock ‘n’ roll, supported by lyrical references to Mary Shelley, George Romero, and cloning. A recipe certain to attract both geeks and punks. This is a perfect combination for the Ramones-esque side project of Matt Bennett (West Memphis Trio, The Dumb Fox, Shitty Ramones), Danny Secretion … Continue reading
It’s early June in Sacramento and the signs of summer are plentiful. The days are warming up, kids are starting summer vacation, and the nights are getting louder. What would normally be considered a school night turned into a Rock n Roll (Dog) Party at Luigi’s this past Thursday where Kepi Ghoulie and Dog Party … Continue reading
Lagunitas sure knows how to throw a party. For the past 5 years they have opened their brewery to hundreds of festively dress people in order to help raise money to keep music in schools. The event is held every year in mid May at the Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma CA. The day consists of … Continue reading
I have been putting off writing this album review in spite of really liking this album. I didn’t want to wreck a perfectly good album by talking about it. And it’s not often (ever?) that I’m asked to write an album review for an album that came out thirteen, count ’em, THIRTEEN, years ago. Remember … Continue reading
The Where House was a short lived but delicious piece of the Sacramento music scene. Not only was there a ton of heart and friendship that floated throughout the artistically painted walls, there was a surplus of phenomenal bands, both local and touring that hit the stage. This Friday, May 31st, will be the very … Continue reading
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