SacAlt Sept 2014 final by SacAlt Magazine

september 2014 PRICELESS

FREE

pg. 22

ALTBREWS: Blackbird

Budtender of the Month

ALTGEEK Chats with Anna Prosser

ALTSPORTS: Euro Summer

ALTMUSIC: Drummer Girls

SacAlternative | September 2014

STAFF Publication Editor Lovelle Harris Contributors & Photographers Joey Cline, Josh Burke, Lovelle Harris, Emile G. Janicot, missfitz, Ron Mullins, Steph Rodriguez, Dan Scott Design & Layout Kory & Steph for whiskey&sour info@whiskeyandsour.com SacAlternative 916.800.5884 www.SacAlt.com info@sacalternative.com

september 2014

CONTENTS 07 AltBrews

11 420ProductReviews

Corner

13 Budtender

26 AltSports

16 AltGeek

29 PatientProfile

32 AltMusic

Empowered by

Burlesque

Cannabis Community

Drummer Girls

CONTACT US We appreciate your feedback. Letters to the editor may be edited for length and clarity. Email us at letters@sacalt.com For advertising contact: Josh Burke 916.800.5884 Ext 503 josh@sacalternative.com

Mission Statement SacAlternative is a monthly news and arts magazine with a mission to inform, report and provide quality content to all individuals living in the Sacramento area. Our writers, editors and staff aim to present a variety of social and political topics, balanced with interest to the alternative arts, grassroots movements and green lifestyle representing the region. Advertising Information All advertising is subject to final approval from the advertiser. The advertiser provides SacAlternative with digital files when available. The advertiser, and not SacAlternative, accepts all responsibility for the content of the advertising. The advertiser accepts responsibility for concept, design, photography layout and content of the advertisement, not SacAlternative. Disclaimer You may not use, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, distribute, or modify the Marks in any way, including in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of materials in this Magazine or on accompanying Website, without SacAlternative prior written consent. The views expressed by the authors and writers in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of SacAlternative. Comments on this publication are the sole responsibility of their writers and the writer will take full responsibility, liability, and blame for any libel or litigation those results from something written in or as a direct result of something written in SacAlternative. The accuracy, completeness, veracity, honesty, exactitude, factuality and politeness of comments are not guaranteed.

SacAlternative | September 2014

ALTBREWS Blackbird Kitchen+ Beer Gallery by Dan Scott

Six weeks after opening, Blackbird Kitchen+Beer Gallery met the goal of marrying their celebrated seafood-centric menu to their selection of more than three dozen craft beers. Carina Lampkin, creative director at Blackbird admits to being a novice at pairing food and beer and worked for these six weeks to feel confident enough to publicly present these combinations. At first, her crew tried matching plates with beer, but discovered that the magic comes from letting the beer be the muse. With each project, the staff learns how styles work with certain ingredients and refines the technique. Lampkin explains her philosophy behind the pairings, hinting that one secret of her culinary success lies in synesthesia. “Sweet and mellow lagers? Bring the heat. IPAs that are more spice centric can handle bolder spices like cardamom and cumin,” she explains. “For saison, I bring in the green flavor.” She hopes that her food’s visual artistry translates into a multi-sensory experience, saying, “Contrast and colors are cool, but I want to see sunsets.” Lampkin further delves into her creative process with a delightful stream of consciousness. Her core philosophy is “form plus repetition equals success” and augments this formula with working by the seat of her pants. “Creativity works like that, it can be inspired in the moment of fruition. There is an element of surprise [and you say to yourself], ‘Whoa. That worked,’” she says. “The osmosis in the moment of creation forces the elements around you to define and guide the menu. Combine this with experience and have an orgasm in the moment.” She also prefers to work with Sacramento area breweries.

SacAlternative | September 2014

“Locally, we are talking about being ‘Farmto-Fork; I see this as Farm-to-Beer,” she says. Craft Curator Ron McGlumphy and Owner Tony Priley select the breweries, prioritizing our backyard before casting an eye to other regions. On a larger scale, they feel craft beer and California cuisine are natural matches considering our variety of food options and the accessibility of beer to most consumers. McGlumphy’s goal is to provide a food and beer experience that is unique to Sacramento and to be the best beer bar in town. This week there was a special dinner. It celebrated the Sierra Nevada 2014 Beer Camp Across America selections brewed with twelve of America’s most celebrated craft breweries. All 12 beers were on draught for sampling and five were selected for pairings. The amuse-bouche was a lightly poached octopus with tobiko, seagreens and a sesame Sriracha glaze paired with Oskar Blues CANfusion Rye Bock. The sauce and briny tobiko matched the spicy and deeply fruity rye on the front end while the light citrusy wheat and hops provided a counterpart to the octopus. An inspired pairing. Our first course was a seasonal golden beet salad accented with local honey and cardamom paired with Ballast Point Electric Ray India Pale Lager. The dish slightly improved the beer as the herbal, vegetal hops and sweet caramel malts matched the earthy beets and honey. The second course was the unanimous winner from our table, an ethereal marriage of two amazing creations. Spicy shrimp and creamed polenta joined Russian River Yvan the Great, a Belgianstyle blonde. The delicate heat tempered the grassy and lemony notes, the shrimp danced in grain and the polenta balanced the sweet yeast from Brasserie de la Senne.

Each taste added more depth to its counterpoint. As Lampkin and I enjoyed a few glasses of Yvan the next day, she described her inspiration. “The beer reminded me of golden wheat and creamy butter which called for white polenta. Wheat pairs with shrimp. Boom. Done.” As we marveled over the beer, she punctuated our contemplative silence, exclaiming “God I fucking love Russian River!” Next, crusted wild king salmon with coriander and corn was paired with Cigar City Yonder Bock Tropical Maibock. The beer was beautiful and bright, full of mango and passion fruit from Calypso hops. The beer garnished the salmon as a mango salsa does while the biscuity malts provided a foundation to highlight the sweet and rich fish. Lampkin also noted that the beer is the color of cooked salmon. The fourth dish was the brainchild of sous chef Matt Lozano. He paired a pulled pork slider with Mallard’s Odyssey Imperial Dark Ale from Bell’s. The sweet and spicy barbecue sauce helped draw more tang and zing from the beer while extending the mouthfeel, letting the roasted malt linger. Dessert was Jake Shockey’s coffee cake and cream on Stumptown coffee soil to add a bittersweet note to the rich and nutmeg-infused cake. This was accompanied, naturally, by the Double Latte Coffee Milk Stout Ale from Ninkasi. If this meal is any indication of future occasions, Blackbird’s Sunday nights should grow in popularity. Lampkin hopes to elicit even more innovation in the kitchen by bringing farmers and brewers into the process. As she takes another pull from her glass of the outstanding Firestone Walker Hoppy Pilsner, she expresses her feelings simply: “God, I love beer.” 7

SacAlternative | September 2014

ALT420 PRODUCT REVIEWS by Ron Mullins

Rasta Rooster Vape Pens Photo by Nicholas Lightford

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or a chemist. All product reviews I conduct are purely based on personal opinion and anecdotal evidence from fellow medical cannabis patients. Like a movie review. Vaporizing cannabis oils aka “vaping” appears to be the future of dosing your THC and CBD. There have been many methods of ingesting cannabis coming out of the woodwork in the past few years, but cannabis technology—mirroring that of the proliferation of vaporizing nicotine oil—has become increasingly popular. Vape pens are similar to dabbing wax in terms of dosage, but are sized for personal travel and convenience. They typically come in one thousand milligram doses of hash oil testing at up to 64.5 percent THC with strains including Jack Herer, Blue Dream, Black Berry Kush; all dependent oil availability. I’ve personally vaped off at least 30 different types of pens since my first experience using a vape pen on “420” in 2012. Generally they’re powered via some kind of battery and oil chamber, many are rechargeable and refillable, and others are designed to be completely disposable. The Rasta Rooster vape pens are in the latter category: fully charged and loaded. What makes them convenient is that there is no wax to smear on a skillet or liquid chambers to fill. It comes in a handy storage tube fully charged. To activate, you simply suck on the end. The tip glows red and you can feel that first rush of terpene-saturated flavor. I’m told a special process traps these terpenes in the oil. Terpenes are the chemicals that cause the perception of different smell and flavor in the cannabis plant. For example, a Lemon Haze actually contains a terpene called limonene, the same substance that makes lemons smell like lemons. SacAlternative | September 2014

On exhale you see very little cloud formation, but you can fully taste it on your tongue; this is because they do not add propylene glycol to the pens, which burns the throat a little bit, and isn’t quite as clean. Within two draws of the Blackberry Kush pen I could feel the effect of the cannabinoids. Upon taking my first draw I could feel the indica effect relaxing my muscles and immediately relieving my hand pain from carpal tunnel. Two more hits of it and I was ready for a sound sleep. The sativa pen I tried was the strain that is the namesake of our cannabis folk hero Jack Herer. With this pen I immediately tasted the spicy sativa flavor on my tongue. Having smoked a lot of Jack Herer, I recognized the flavor immediately. My head grew light and again I felt relief from everyday aches and pains, a slight quickening of my pulse, and an immediate need to get up and do something. Four hits and I was fully medicated, slightly spacey, but generally functional and definitely pain free. At $40 per 1000 milligrams, the dosage/price ratio is a better deal by the milligram than products like BHANG chocolate bars. I gotta admit, there is something within me that still needs an occasional smoke of good old-fashioned flower, but I find vaping to be a convenient and functional way to medicate on the go. Appearing to be an e-cigarette, they can be enjoyed anywhere e-cigs are allowed. Vaping can also be a safer way to get your dose of THC and/or CHB with far fewer carcinogens than smoking. You’re also skipping the butane from the lighter, as well as burn enhancers contained in rolling papers if you’re a joint smoker. As far as vaping goes, the Rasta Rooster vape pens are the easiest and most consistent product I have found so far. Rasta Rooster is carried at A Therapeutic Alternative and Horizon Holistic Collective.

SacAlternative | September 2014

BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH by Josh Burke

For September’s Budtender of the Month, SacAlt sat down with Walker “Wokstar” Townsend at Northstar Holistic Collective. He’s a gentle guy, friendly and optimistic, with an infectious enthusiasm for serving his patients. I was immediately struck by his outgoing personality, and warmth; and he’s been involved in the Sacramento medical cannabis community for over a decade, giving him plenty of experience and insight to guide you to the right flowers, extracts, or medibles to suit your needs. Check out his views on being a budtender, what pulls at his heart strings, the future of cannabis in California, and if you see him riding around Midtown on his old-school cruiser, say hi! How many years have you been working in the industry and why did you become a budtender? I had been deejaying at medical cannabis events, rallies and parties in and around Sacramento in the early 2000s at which time I met Aundre Speciale and Amanda Whittemore who were planning to open a collective. They asked me if I would be interested in working there, I said “Absolutely!” and after some months of hard work and permit red tape they opened Capitol Wellness Collective on 14th and X Street. It was their faith in me and their friendship that got me behind the counter. I currently work at Northstar Holistic Collective and have for over three years, first as a patient volunteer: deejaying on Sundays for patients in the dispensary. Is budtending a difficult job? As far as physically taxing, no. Nine out of 10 patients I see are friendly and trust my recommendations, yet there are times when I need to breathe deep and remember that the people who come to see us are patients and I’m there to recommend the best medicinal cannabis options Northstar has to offer. I must admit it’s hard to see a patient I have seen for years in the dispensary get very ill or pass away—tugs at my heart strings. Where do you see the medical cannabis industry in the next five years? I see it moving towards a more holistic and homeopathic industry as far as topicals, tinctures, raw and organic medibles. Socrates

SacAlternative | September 2014

said, “Let thy food be thy medicine.” There are medible companies doing it now, but they are few. For the farmers, I would like to see California free of federal and corporate agribusiness interference and Nor Cal farmers to continue to grow the best medical cannabis on the planet, like they have for generations. I see a revised way of how doctor recommendations are done, I see a one-time payment for terminally ill patients, a flat rate for first-time recommendations, and renewals every 3-5 years with fees based on income throughout the state. I also see a state holiday named after Jack Herer and Eddy Lepp. What sets Northstar Holistic Collective apart from the competition? I would have to say the simple fact that Northstar is a registered nonprofit collective and has never closed its doors in the five and a half years the collective has been open. That’s a record of consistency that not many collectives in the entire state can say. Northstar has hosted a bi-weekly community clean-up on Sundays for over two years. They have been official sponsors for Walk for the Cure. We offer free yoga and chiropractic services. As budtenders at Northstar we get perks besides employee discounts and free samples from our generous vendors, like discount membership at The Academy fitness. Any budtender can, and usually does, say their medicinals are the best. I say come check out Northstar, see why we’re known as a connoisseur’s collective. Talk to me, Aaron, Jen, Ike or our front desk staff, Paul and Bianca, and I’m positive we can recommend some flowers, concentrates or medibles that will have the effect or dosage that each individual patient needs for an affordable donation. What do you enjoy most working at Northstar Holistic Collective? The community. The patients, the vendors, the staff. It’s a huge community of people from all walks of life, some I see everyday. I know Patient D. is there for the daily special and a cone. Patient T. wants a gram of Dutch Crunch. Being able to make recommendations to patients that help them however they need it. Just knowing that I am helping someone move closer to their goal of

better health, peace of mind, pain relief or just getting really really medicated is the reason I do what I do. What’s hot in the industry right now? Cannabinoids. CBD strains, CBD medibles, Rick Simpson oil. Anything, everything CBD. I highly recommend CBD medibles for patients who don’t smoke but need relief. Cheeba Chews has a 50mg CBD and 2mg THC chew, non psychoactive but totally effective for pain, anxiety and depression relief. For patients who do smoke, I recommend CBD strains such as Cannatonic, Harlequin, Blue Tsunami that have lower Delta 9 THC content but higher CBD contents between 6 and 14 percent. Botanists from the Nation of Israel released a strain last December that is upwards of 42 percent CBD and 0 percent Delta 9 THC. That’s exciting news. Concentrates—shatter in particular—have, pardon the term, “literally exploded.” I’ve seen more extract companies pop up in the past few months than I have seen strain varieties. The knowledge to make a quality concentrate is out there and it shows in Northstar’s concentrated vended products and patients are really beginning to see the difference between real medicinal concentrates and concentrates made in a hurry with dollar signs in a vendor’s eye. I feel that shatter is a great way for instant relief. A dab for me is like two bong loads—a little goes a long way. What do you do on your free time? I’m a single father, so I spend a lot of my time with my children. We spend time cooking organic vegan food, riding bikes, river days, going to parks, libraries, playing, laughing, smiling, day trips, living in the moment. When I’m solo, I clean my home! I ride my old school cruiser, get tattooed at American Graffiti, be kind to people, deejay at the Blue Lamp on Friday nights, take bong rips, dance at Flower Vato’s Dance Party every Sunday at Press Club, eat medibles, check out the farmers markets around town, pack a friends bowl, support local, take a dab, downhill parking garages on my Zip Zinger while smoking a cone, eat Pieces pizza at two in the morning, easy Sacto living.

SacAlternative | September 2014

Tune in to Anna and the rest of the misscliks ladies Tuesdays 5:30 PM pst on twitch.tv/misscliks

ALTGEEK Women you should know in gaming: Anna Prosser Robinson by missfitz, photo by Neil Sharum 16

SacAlternative | September 2014

Meet Anna Prosser Robinson. She’s one of the badass women in the gaming community that is contributing to a more open and accepting environment for Geeks. Anna has a number of accolades tied to her name in and out of the industry and is sure to be one of the indivuduals to watch as eSports continues its world take-over.

the many times I have seen the coordinated power of the gaming community be an unstoppable force for positive change, and it is certainly one of many. Gathering around this pastime that allows people of all kinds, with or without physical limitations, and across all kinds of physical and social borders, gamers are a diverse and powerful group with a gift for problem-solving, speedy communication, and mass coordinated action. As someone who desires to make a positive impact on the world around me, I see being a part of the eSports community as a wonderful opportunity to lift my voice along with others toward that goal.

You have a pretty broad involvement in geek & gaming culture: from hosting events & video segments to direct involvement in eSports as a member of GoodGame Agency, which manages both Evil Geniuses and Alliance (evilgeniuses.gg, thealliance.gg). With eSports being so young, I wouldn’t imagine you were dreaming as a child about working for one of the most recognizable competitive gaming teams. How did you end up in this line of work?

Do you plan on working in eSports for the long term or do you have other extended goals?

Ever since I was young, video gaming has been a prominent way that I connect with important people in my life. My dad and brother gamed with me growing up, and even my grandmother and I used to play at her house on her vintage Intellivision console. You’re right, though, I never knew eSports existed until I met my now husband, Evil Geniuses’ Geoff “iNcontroL” Robinson, who, at the time was one of the best StarCraft: Broodwar players in the nation. At that time, being a “pro gamer” meant he got sponsors to pay for his flights to tournaments, and maybe a couple hundred dollars “salary” a month. Nobody was doing much in the way of creative media, and as someone with an education in speech communication and international studies, as well as someone who just loves video media, I couldn’t help but want to share some of their stories. I started making videos and producing interviews with professional gamers. Evil Geniuses liked them and wanted me to make more, and the rest is, as they say, history. What do you enjoy most about working in eSports? Once, in my early days of involvement with the eSports community, I committed to raise $350 through a website for charity. I posted that website on a gaming forum I was a part of, letting people know about the charity, and why it was so important to me. I expected maybe a few people might like the story and click to donate a few bucks. Instead, within 10 minutes, my forum community had crashed the prominent charity’s website with their eager attempts at generosity. That’s one example of

SacAlternative | July September / August 2014 2014

I’ve always wanted to use my skills as a performing artist to be a voice for positive change and a role model for young people, so I suppose if I was ever offered the opportunity to make a living with acting or singing in film or on stage, I may make a bit of a career change, but I don’t see myself ever leaving the eSports community completely. As of now, I’m here for the long haul, and I’m working on lots of things that, no matter what, I want to see through to fruition in hopes that I can leave a valuable legacy for the community that has given me so much. I feel—even as a gamer—sometimes the whole world of eSports can be a bit intimidating. For example, basic understanding of metas and game mechanics can make a world of difference in how enjoyable an event can be. Are there any games that make for great intros to eSports for people that don’t game at all? I may be the wrong person to ask this question, because my “gateway game” was StarCraft, which, many complain, is too complicated to understand well at first watch. I’ve always been enthralled by it, and of course recommend people watch it, but I’ve been told that games like Street Fighter, CounterStrike, or even League of Legends are a little friendlier to someone coming in fresh. As to the intimidation of not understanding games, I urge anyone interested in eSports to join in—either in person or online—and ask all the questions you like. I’ve been watching all of our divisions’ games for years now, and I still don’t always know exactly what’s going on in the meta game. One of the most fun things about eSports is asking questions and discussing the games with fans like [you]. It’s a wonderful way to make friends and share cool experiences. What’s your favorite game as a viewer? Is it also your favorite game to play as an individual?

As of right now, StarCraft 2 is still probably my favorite game to watch, but other honorable mentions go to DotA 2 and Street Fighter or Marvel vs. Capcom, in terms of eSports, and all manner of new releases or casual games when it comes to watching my favorite streamers on Twitch.tv. My favorite game to play just now is actually Heroes of the Storm, a new “hero brawler” that is currently in alpha from Blizzard. I’m hoping to learn the game well enough that, when it makes it to release and is played at tournaments, I might try my hand at commentating it. One of your projects that I didn’t mention previously is your community passion project, Misscliks. The mission statement that fuels the project is about bringing equality to–and doing away with discrimination—in the gaming community, but you’re presenting these concepts without hitting your viewers over the head with a gender studies rule book. Was there a key moment for you that inspired the Misscliks project? Misscliks was actually birthed out of a hybrid of concepts from each of the four “execs,” Stephanie Harvey, Genevieve Forget, Stephanie Powell, and me. All of us were burdened by the trend we saw in our female peers—a female pro gamer or professional would join the industry, not have enough support, receive too much discrimination, begin to feel she wasn’t worthy, and ultimately depart from the industry before very long. Ultimately, we identified the simple truth that there are not enough female role models in our industry to support and inspire newcomers to stay and put down roots. Gen and Stephanie Harvey were inspired to increase coverage of female personalities in eSports, and Stephanie Powell and I had been working on a pledge-based community that aimed to encourage members to interact with kindness and positivity. Combined with the fact that all four of us love to produce live show content and specifically, at that time, had a desire to play Dungeons & Dragons, those initial projects bloomed into what is now Misscliks. The current flagship of Misscliks is a live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons show that you are cast in along with the two other women that make up the faces of Misscliks. The show combats gender tropes at such a high rate it comes across as seamless and as if by accident. Are the subtle approaches of participation and demonstration a conscious strategy to educate your audience more effectively? I’m so honored to hear that our attempts to combat gender tropes have been successful. For the most part, our biggest intention at the inception of the show was to put three women on screen doing something traditionally “geeky”

and loving it. In addition to that, though, role-playing fictional characters has the amazing benefit of helping us escape (even sometimes accidentally) the gender tropes that are engrained even in the minds of those who fight them. I can’t say every broken gender role is intentional, but I can say that we put a lot of thought into the standards to which we would hold ourselves and others associated with Misscliks. Early on, we made it a priority to provide promotion and exposure for female geek and gamer role models, without taking into our own hands any kind of judgment as to who is or isn’t worthy of that title. What I mean to say is it’s not our job to determine who is a good role model and who isn’t, it’s the community’s. Ours is simply to provide promotion, support, and encouragement to all as they express who they are. I guess that’s also kind of what we did for ourselves on Misscliks D&D. Role-playing has allowed us to go outside ourselves and mentally experience what life would be like if we were somebody completely different, unencumbered by gender roles, or even, necessarily, by our own values. We’re learning about ourselves by imagining being in the shoes of others. Can we expect more content to be rolling out from Misscliks in the near future? Will new additions always be centered on women to some capacity or do you have

plans to expand content into other areas of under-representation as well? Yes! I’m so glad you asked. All of us have been so busy this tournament season that new shows are long overdue, but there are a few in the works that, we hope, will be rolling out very soon. I will tell you here first that one of the shows I’m most excited about is planned to center around the aforementioned Heroes of the Storm, bringing a PC gaming element to our thus far mostly role-playing channel. As of right now, we’re being careful to make sure that every show has some element of showcasing female role models. However, that doesn’t at all mean that there won’t be men involved, and we’re always eager to include people who belong to any under-represented demographic. Ultimately, we’re excited to do anything that brings us closer to our ultimate goal to create a worldwide gaming community that is characterized by acceptance and equality. Right now, Misscliks shows are mostly comprised of the cast of Misscliks D&D, but you’ll soon be seeing some fresh faces, and the invitation is always open to other show producers to let us know if they would like to submit a show for broadcast on Misscliks!

I’m currently the producer of a live show for GoodGame Agency called “Intel’s Next Top Livestreamer’ which streams live at www. twitch.tv/onemoregametv every Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT. It’s a reality show-esque competition for livestreamers on Twitch hosted by cool personalities that I think are a ton of fun. I’m always there watching and hanging out in the show chat, if you want to come say hi! Other than that, just stay tuned on social media for some other cool upcoming things. You can find Anna on the following social networks: Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnnaProsser Facebook: www.facebook.com/AnnaProsser Instagram: www.instagram.com/AnnaProsser YouTube: www.youtube.com/AnnaProsserTV Twitch: www.twitch.tv/AnnaProsser

Interested in helping develop a more welcoming community as a gamer? Check out misscliks.com to take the pledge for gaming equality!

Do you have any other projects we should know about?

SacAlternative | September 2014

Empowered by Burlesque by Lovelle Harris

The lights slowly dim to a dusky haze. The music oozes seductively from the sound system as the audience is captivated by the bombshell on the dais. On stage, the woman slowly slides off a piece of her shimmering and feathered costume—right before blasting the crowd with a souped-up glitter gun. This is the modern era of burlesque—it’s sexy, campy and, some say, the new outlet for female liberation and empowerment.

SacAlternative | September 2014

“It comes from kind of a dark place,” explains Batty Bruleè, marketing director for the Bodacious Bombshells Burlesque Review. “In society, in general, women’s bodies are supposed to be shameful and hidden, and with sexual assault being so prevalent, too, it’s reinforced even stronger.” Recently, a flurry of burlesque troupes have shimmied onto the Sacramento entertainment scene. A new generation of women have rediscovered pasties, tassels and garter belts as a wave of renewed interest in classic burlesque landed on the shores of the American and Sacramento Rivers. “There’s a really vibrant burlesque scene here in Sacramento,” Bruleè explains. “There’re four troupes and they’re all doing their own thing, they’re all different enough that it’s worth going to every show.” While burlesque ended its reign over late-night clubs in the 1960s, it’s back. It’s everywhere. From TV and film to the theater and, inexplicably, the gym. “It’s empowering because we are women, here us roar, and watch us sparkle,” says Electra Heart, performer and talent manager of the Bombshells. For those unfamiliar with the burlesque scene, in general, there are three main categories of the genre: cabaret, striptease and traditional burlesque. Cabaret is much like a show you’d see at the Moulin Rouge, but you’d be hard pressed to find a striptease act in the lineup since most of the dancers appear topless pretty much as soon as the velvet curtains are raised. Dita Von Teese is the reigning queen of the striptease form—it’s all about luxurious costumes and over the top props, but its the style in which they’re incorporated into the tease that makes it so titilating, read: Von Teese bathing in gargantuan champagne glass filled with bubbles. Traditional burlesque is all about the wink and the nod. Often poking fun at social and political norms and using satire to draw inspiration for the act. Typically, each performer attaches a storyline to their routine; and if the performer drops trou, it is because it’s essential to the story—call it neo-burlesque. While the striptease is the grand dame of burlesque, the bump-andgrind scene also includes a comedic romp into the world of skits and variety-style performance. “The last prop I made, which was my favorite, was a giant lollipop that was a confetti cannon,” Heart says. “She is queen of the confetti cannon by the way,” says Raven LaRoux, founder, producer, artistic director and emcee of the Bombshells. “It’s kind of become her thing.”

[continued pg 31]

SacAlternative | September 2014

CANNABIS COMMUNITYCORNER Good News on the Ganja Front by Ron Mullins

Photo by Brett Levin

In bringing the latest cannabis news to the

in this class for over 30 years. If the Food

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District

Sacramento community, I share a lot of

and Drug Administration were to re-schedule

of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa,

horrific stories about bans, court cases and

cannabis, this wouldn’t legalize it; however, it

Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

discriminatory laws passed; it’s a bit of a

could ease attacks on researchers studying

Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,

downer at times. So, I decided to focus on

cannabis and force the DEA to back off in

Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New

only the good things that have been happening

states where it is legal as medicine.

Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont,

over the past month, because there actually has been quite a bit of good news since the

The FDA will examine the scientific evidence

Washington, and Wisconsin, to prevent such

legalization in Colorado and Washington.

of its pharmacological effect, if known; the

States from implementing their own State laws

state of current scientific knowledge regarding

that authorize the use, distribution, possession,

With a flurry of information flowing through

the drug or other substance; its history and

or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

social media, and now in the mainstream

current pattern of abuse; the scope, duration,

media, cannabis appears poised to be widely

and significance of abuse; what, if any, risk

Similar amendments have gone down in

accepted as medicine in almost half of the

there is to the public health; it’s psychic or

flames over the years, but this one passed

states in the union. And many are talking about

physiological dependence liability; and whether

the Congress 219 to 189. And now it is on its

why it is less harmful than cigarettes and

the substance is an immediate precursor of a

way to the Senate. “Recent developments, at

alcohol, which are legal.

substance already controlled under

the national and states level, are encouraging

this subchapter.

signs that the prohibition of cannabis is nearing its end,” said Marcia Blount, president of the

At the end of July, the New York Times ran a piece that criticized the drug war and

In July 2014, the DEA requested that the FDA

Brownie Mary Club of Sacramento County.

compared it to the prohibition of alcohol. The

review the medicinal evidence on cannabis.

“I feel - especially since the recent New York

article sparked a discussion on talk shows

Hopefully this will lead to the downgrading of

Times recently-published articles calling for an

ranging from “Meet the Press” to “The View.”

cannabis’ current Schedule I rating; or better

end to prohibition (again) - that more and more

where Whoopi Goldberg came out as a patient

yet, remove it from the Controlled Substances

of the public are waking up and realizing that

and recreational user, and made the argument

Schedule altogether. Officials could not yet

they’ve been lied to by their government for

that marijuana is a safe substance. As it

inform us on how long the review process

decades. These lies started with the Marijuana

becomes safer for cannabis users to come

would take--and when it is done, it will have to

Tax Act of 1937, and have continued on

out, I hope to see more well-respected and

go through all the proper legal channels and

through Nixon’s ‘War on Drugs’ in 1970, and on

beloved celebrities admitting they use cannabis

the Congress.

through to present day. We feel we have finally reached the tipping point, and we are thankful

recreationally or as medicine. So, while the DEA plays the “hands are tied”

for any progress, however small, because we

Under federal law, marijuana is a Schedule

card, blaming Congress for marijuana’s

know this is all going to end within the next

I drug, a category shared with heroine..

Schedule I status –all the while raking in money

few years.”

Officials have indicated they will enforce the

hand-over-fist from asset forfeitures—some

law accordingly until Congress changes its

on Capitol Hill are looking to put a lock on the

In spite of all the adversity we are facing, we

schedule status. Well, it looks like the slow

candy jar. Representative Dana Rohrabacher,

are in a historic time in the United States—

cogs of government have just begun to turn in

a Republican from California, co-authored an

cannabis prohibition is slowly being eradicated

that direction.

amendment to a DEA funding bill that would

through bureaucracy. And the more the laws

prevent the DEA from using funds to target

change, the faster we will arrive at sensible

In the United States, there are five “drug

medical marijuana operations. The amendment

cannabis laws that allow access to both

schedules.” Schedule I describes drugs that

reads as follows: “None of the funds made

medicinal and recreational use.

the Drug Enforcement Administration considers

available in this Act to the Department of

to have the highest potential for abuse with

Justice may be used, with respect to the

zero medical applications. Cannabis has been

States of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California,

SacAlternative | September 2014

ALTSPORTS European Summer: Must Be Nice Tour Words by: Emile G. Janicot Photos by: Ian Fuenzalida and Virginia Fernandes

Some of my earliest memories of skateboarding were in Europe when I was 10 and my father took me to Paris. I saw skaters riding in the empty ponds under the Eiffel Tower for the first time, and I was instantly hooked. As an adult, I’m very fortunate to have parlayed this passion into a job. As a part of the Blood Wizard skateboard team I got to travel across Europe this summer with the International Skateboard Union crew to help put on some of the best events in the world. The tour schedule was fast, frenzied, and completely insane at times. After 24 hours of travel time from Sacramento, California, I awoke from a nap ready for the first stop—Marseille, France for the SOSH Festival in Parc du Prado, a five-day event complete with action sports, music, and gourmet French restaurants and bars. The annual event is right on the beach and has one of the best skate parks in the world. The event kicked off with a massive party sponsored by Corona Beer— the entire festival village looked like a Mexican resort on the beach. ¡Orajale! Between eating gourmet cheese, drinking Pastis and checking out topless girls on the beach, I did manage to fit in some skate time with my host, Stephane Andre,skate photographer and clothing designer, and Thomas Walks, the skate team manager for Board Spirit Marseille. I skated the park every day until my legs wouldn’t hold me up anymore, and then I would skate a little more. At the end of the week I was completely fried, sunburned, lost my voice and could barely walk, but it didn’t matter, I was on fire for the final night. It looked like a scene from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”—people were drinking, laughing, yelling and smashing bottles in the streets, while cars and scooters zoomed around at breakneck speeds. Next stop, five days later: Nimes, France. Nimes is a quaint historic city just inland from Montpellier that has a brand new action sports park—a twisted conglomerate of bowls and street obstacles—that played host to the second event of the tour, the Denim Cup, where 40 skateboard pros battled it out for 15,000 Euros, in cash money! The skating was incredible. Riders flew 8 feet out of the bowls and shredded the street course with technical and powerful tricks.

SacAlternative | September 2014

On the second day of the event, the mayor showed up, made a killer speech, and gave me 20 free tickets to the show at the Roman coliseum where ZZ Top was playing! It was an epic night for sure. The event went off without a hitch and the stoke level was at maximum on the final day. Emails, beers, and high fives were exchanged, and the last party of the event goes well into the night. When the glimmer of dawn approached, I made my way back to my little apartment. As I packed up my gear to make my way to the next stop, the Motörhead song “We Are the Road Crew” went though my head. Six days later: Prague, Czech Republic I cleared customs, walked outside and was so stoked to see one of the skaters from the last event holding up a sign with my name on it! We walked out to the van, and I was on my way to the very heart of Prague to get ready for the Mystic Sk8 Cup. This event has been going strong for 20 years, and the production crew spared no expense this year.

I made it back to the hotel at dawn and packed my gear. I only had a few hours to sleep before my journey back home. I woke up and left the hotel silently, without so much as a goodbye to anyone—we Wizards call it a “puff of smoke exit.” I headed to a small rock and roll bar on the northern end of Prague. As I sat quietly, going through all my notes and photos, I couldn’t help but get a little emotional. This was one of the best trips of my life. I saw things that you wouldn’t believe, did things that I will remember always, and met some of the best people a person could ever ask for. I drank my last beer, gathered my gear, and headed off to the airport for my 24-hour journey back to Sacramento. Merci, Danke, Deky, Gracias, Thank you to everyone who helped me out, I crossed paths with, skated with, and showed me a truly epic journey.

The weekend began with a huge welcome party for all the riders on a barge on the river with a mini ramp on it. Amazing! The level of skating was intense, every rider banged out trick, after switch trick, after gnarly trick. The street and bowl finals, as well as the Legends’ Bowl, went off like a roman candle! The Legends’ Bowl was the highlight of the event for me, as I got to announce legendary skaters Chris Senn, Christian Hosoi, Dave Hackett, and Sean Goff. The bowl finals were intense as the top 10 riders destroyed it. Sorgente emerged the winner after one of the craziest finals heats to have ever gone down. The street finals were right after the bowl finals and it was like a rock concert complete with lights, lasers, and heavy metal music.

SacAlternative | September 2014

PATIENTPROFILE by Ron Mullins

Ed Black is a 39-year-old customer service agent in telecommunications who first moved to Sacramento from Oklahoma in 1990. In 1994, he came out as gay to his friends and family. He first tried cannabis at 13 and wasn’t impressed. He rarely smoked it as a teenager. After this mother died in 2003— and surviving a brutal attack in a hate crime—Black turned to methamphetamine to treat his anxiety and stress. “I tried to get clean, and even went through rehab,” he explains. “This continued for quite a while I went to a doctor and they told me I was selfmedicating. They prescribed everything from Zoloft and Paxil to Seroquel and Lexapro, and I still wasn’t getting better.” During his struggle with hard drugs, Black moved back and forth from Sacramento and other cities in and out of California. Eventually he moved into a house in Sacramento run by a gay group called “The Radical Faeries” known as the “hippies” of the LGBT community. This was a very different place than he had been before. It was alcohol and drug free, save for marijuana. “When I met Ed I had no idea he was struggling with amphetamines. He hid it very well because we told him we didn’t allow those substances in our home,” says “Phoenix,” who runs the Radical Faery house. “As he progressed, it became obvious [he was using] and we intervened. Like so many gay youth in our community he was trying to cope with the excruciating pain of isolation and rejection, compounded by the loss of his mother. We taught him about meditation, using art, and community for wellness, and the use of cannabis and other herbs SacAlternative | September 2014

to treat his illnesses. He eventually moved in with his father in Utah and managed to stay clean all these years.” Though it is highly controversial, and there are several schools of thought on cannabis and drug abatement, many people use cannabis for what is called “harm-reduction.” It’s not widely accepted in the groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, but there are some groups that consider cannabis patients as being clean. “I believe cannabis can benefit all humans who are trying to get off any drugs and even alcohol,” says Sioux (Lakota) Colombe, who sponsors several cannabis patients in recovery. “Having 17 years of sobriety and being an active, legal patient, I’m more educated now than just being in recovery alone. In fact, I take less prescription drugs now, [down] from 20 to 2.” In 2007, while living in Utah, Black was diagnosed with HIV. It was at this time he knew he needed to make a change. He moved back to California, got in touch with some friends in the medical cannabis community in Sacramento on Facebook, and started his process. “I became aware of the healing properties of marijuana around the same time I was kicking my meth addiction,” he says. “I am classified as a manic bipolar, which means I have episodes of mania, tremors, and hyperactivity. Since I have been smoking pot, I have very few manic episodes, my tremors have been reduced almost entirely, and I have become more relaxed without the harsh side effects that come with psych meds.” “Even years after my attack, I still feel an uncontrollable urge to look over my shoulder for fear of being attacked

or hurt,” he continues. “After being diagnosed with HIV, I realized that I was not freaking out, I wasn’t on psych meds either. I had been smoking weed for quite some time and that was helping me deal with the news.” It was also when he returned to the Golden State that Black was able to gain safe access to cannabis. “I moved back to California and went to a cannabis doctor where I explained how I use marijuana and why. He then wrote me a recommendation, and I am legal now,” he says. “I prefer to get my marijuana from a dispensary, as it is a safer way to get it for someone like me. What I mean by that is, if you were to go to someone off the street, you are bound to wind up getting it from someone who either sells it and other narcotics substances such as meth, or they may lace the marijuana with something I don’t want to take. Being a recovering addict and buying marijuana from someone you don’t know is way too unsafe.” Now, Black has a stable life in Sacramento. He has been dating regularly, and is about to be hired back into the telecommunications industry. Although he still takes lithium and Wellbutrin for his anxiety disorder, his symptoms have been more manageable using cannabis in conjunction with the prescription medication. His T cells are stable and, overall, he is thriving in good health. He has an optimistic attitude towards his new job and relationship. “Marijuana has helped me find balance in this crazy world, and given me the ability to cope with my illnesses and not have my nervous problems and tremors,” he says.“I truly believe without it I would be close to death.”

SacAlternative | September 2014

Some claim that burlesque isn’t just an outlet for celebrating their femininity through tassels, glitter and confetti, but it can be a source of empowerment to help women confront and recover from past emotional trauma in their lives. “So that was the case for me, being sexually assaulted when I was younger,” Bruleè says. “And burlesque allowed me to take my body back. And not only completely wield my own sexuality however I see fit, but turn into an art form. That’s not something you very often get to the ability to do.” But not everyone is buying the notion that this re-emergence of the burlesque mystique has any connection to the feminist movement. Just type in the words “Burlesque and feminism” in your favorite search engine and watch the internet trolls come out to play. Lili La Scala, a blogger, recently posted “Feminist burlesque? Don’t make

me laugh,” in response to a HuffPo article that made such an assertion. But there are several troupes that defy the stereotypes of what is sexy and beautiful. For instance, the California-based Fat-Bottom Revue that feature plus-sized gals shaking their tail feathers on stage. “Burlesque comes in all shapes and sizes. You don’t feel selfconscious up on that stage once you’re up there,” Heart says proudly. “You’re acting something out, you’re feeling it and you’ve created something, so it really does have the ability to be whatever you want it to be.” A valuable lesson for any woman to take note of, burlesque performer or not—enough of the body shaming and thigh-gap aspirations, embrace your curves!

2-for-1 Tuesdays! 2-for-1 admission and 2-for-1 VIP dances Retro Wednesday! Hiring Entertainers! Call for more info!

SacAlternative | September 2014

ALTMUSIC

Riotmaker by Joey Cline

SacAlt recently sat down with Jeffry Valerio, formerly of Shakedown, a Sacramento-based reggae roots band, and now currently fronting Riotmaker to talk about his musical, his current project Riotmaker and his efforts to bolster the live music scene here in the Sacramento area by promoting shows at the Back 9 Sports Bar & Grill, not to mention his long career in the local music scene—a career that allowed him opportunities to play on the same bills as Papa Roach, UB40, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Fishbone, Bargain Music, Voodoo Glow Skulls, G Love, Markey Ramone, Kottonmouth Kings, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Expendables, and The Ziggens to name but a few. You guys formed Shakedown in 1997 and it ran until like 2005?

Mic Pheedbak, he ran our rehearsal building for a few years and did a bunch of artwork in the building as well.

Tell me something about those days back in the late ’90s when you were recording at our studio. Didn’t you work with AJ Wilhelm for that first album? JV: Yes AJ and Jesse Mitchell both had a hand in our first release. It was mostly AJ but Jesse worked with us on a couple tracks as well. Now, AJ started as an intern with us [at Profound Sound] and Jesse Mitchell and I had a long history: I produced his first cassette release with Biscuit, he drew our comic strip

here’s our sticker.” It was ghetto looking, like a Kinko’s label sticker, but they were all so passionate about their project that I had to

He also did the cover art for our first CD release, “Walk The Plank” in 1999…there is a lot of history back then around Profound Sound, back then it was the spot.

go and check them out the next day. Thirty

I’ve seen it happen many times of bands spending a lot of time together before they actually play music together and that has its difficulties.

We did the Royer’s Park bash shortly thereafter

seconds into their first song, I was in. I felt it, they did as well and we just started rehearsing together.

with Papa Roach and Trapped in Suburbia, Cleanse, and a bunch of other acts and that really kicked us up another notch locally. We got a chance to get out in front of a lot of

That really wasn’t the case with us, since I didn’t really know any of the guys in the band that well until I joined. The name Shakedown actually came from turning another local band of that time’s name, The Steady Ups around. Shake being the opposite of Steady, and

Yeah, I joined the band in the latter part of 1997 and I left the band the end of 2004… the band stayed together for about a year and finally broke up at the end of 2005.

looking for. We have a band called Shakedown,

of course, Down being the reverse of up(s). Randy Brown, our bass player, is the brother of the bass player of the Steady Ups, Mike Brown I was singing with two bands at the time, 3 in a Hand and Snap Draggin with Jason Wisker and Chuck from Some Fear None, when I took a break at a house party. I went out to the garage and was playing acoustic and singing and there was this group of kids that always came to our practice sessions, and I never really acknowledged them. I was like 20 years old and they were all 16-17 years old: Mike, Dennis, Luke, Aaron Alzamora, Randy Brown and Mike Wilhelm.

people right away. So you were the ‘senior member’ at that point? Was the band complete at then? Did you add anybody after that? I know you had a sax player when you recorded with us, was he with the band at that point, or did you add him? Well see, it started without Damon on sax, and he came on board after that first major exposure. I was bartending at a bar in Rocklin, Marie’s Little Shack and the band had just talked about adding a horn player. Shakedowns’ first CD, “Walk The Plank” was in the jukebox, back in the days when bars actually had them. This guy comes in and he was kinda intimidating-looking black dude, gangster looking, but he sits down at the bar and just starts talking to me. Our CD started playing and he was humming along with it, and

They approached me that night and said, “The way that you sing is exactly what we are

then [says], “Man I could lay some sax down on these tracks all day.”

SacAlternative | September 2014

So he is telling you this not knowing it’s yours and he can hear the horn arrangement in his head, as most good players do, and you asked him to come out? I remember that day very, very well, because I thought it was a joke, and [said], “You’re kidding me, right?” But he came out to our practice the next day, and the first time he played, we could tell that he kinda knew what he was doing, but it just wasn’t fluid, as he was trying to play off his nervousness by acting like he wasn’t. He came out the following day, our next practice, and boom, nails the part. We were like, “Oh my God!” He just nailed it and he instantly became that second voice I had been wanting. Mark didn’t come on board until a couple of years later, and Damon was like a second frontman, taking a bunch of pressure off of me to do some of the other things I wanted to explore. You know the thing with me and Shakedown towards the end was that I was literally out of control. I drank every single day, you know how much I used to party in those days. I kinda checked out. I wrote all of the songs, all of the lyrics, and there was a way I wanted the songs to come out, but I couldn’t get that with Shakedown, because I was a member, not the leader. Most of the members wanted to sound like other bands, while I wanted something different and unique. So you left the band and they hired another frontman and that didn’t work out? For the longest time, I wanted somebody to step up and share the responsibility of singing with me and covering vocal harmonies, because I am really into that. I grew up listening to Queen, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison and George Michael. I really love vocals and especially when there are layers of harmonies. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to take on the task of playing and singing. I was a big fan of [the] local band Daily Struggle, and their singer Mark was awesome. He played guitar and sang, and the opportunity came up to bring him into Shakedown, and he jumped at the chance.

because I remember the way that it should be done, and the way that it used to be done; a way that worked! I’m not going to drop any names, but some of the bands I have dealt with lately have really unrealistic expectations--it being all about the money. Passion is what I’m talking about, and if you’re an unsigned act, and thinking that you’re going to make a living in this town just playing clubs, applying a formula to art just doesn’t work especially for me as a listener. I want something real, something heartfelt; otherwise I just tune it out. That is all I ever really wanted, I want to affect others the way that I was affected my musical heroes. So, I’m gathering that passion has to be the critical ingredient to make that impression on you as well as what you want to convey in your music? That was why Shakedown ended for me; the band wanted to sound like every other band that was on the air at that time, and it wasn’t doing it for me personally. Following the example of many of the bands that have made an impression on me, I wanted to combine elements of different sounds and genres into Shakedown, and the rest of the band were content on sounding like Sublime and Blink 182. When I would present the song to the band prior to recording, I was in it, but by the time we rehearsed and rearranged it and the final recording was done, about 10 percent of my original heartfelt feeling was there. That’s how a band works, each member owns their part and that is fine, but I wasn’t getting what I personally wanted from the finished material. Those were some of the greatest years of my life; I had so much fun, met so many people, and have had experiences I will never forget.

Back then a lot of bands were doing things with dual singers, like Linkin Park and 311…and that was something I really liked. [I] wanted to able to play an instrument as well and not just sing, so his joining allowed me to explore that, and it was finally beginning to become the band I wanted to represent. Unfortunately, we are our own worst enemies and there was a lot of partying, drugs and alcohol. We were beginning to act like rock stars, and we really weren’t even close to that status. There was a point where I would just get plastered before going on, and there were times I would just walk off stage, not even knowing about it until the next day; a blackout period. Then when I left, we all went in separate directions, and I didn’t touch music for literally five years. I didn’t play music, sing a note, or even strum a guitar. I couldn’t get in to playing if it was just going to be a “job,” which is what it became by me compromising. Part of my experience playing over the years as well–If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, then why the hell are you doing it? Yes! What you just said is exactly where I was at. This last week has summed up a lot of that for me. I never asked to be a promoter; I just had it dropped in my lap by circumstance. I’ve put myself in the position where I am booking now on top of my current project Riotmaker, and what I’m doing with The Back 9. I’m doing the booking and promotion,

SacAlternative | September 2014

ALTMUSIC

Hit Like a Girl by Steph Rodriguez In Sacramento, there are hundreds of bands that cover a variety of genres. Some are heard outdoors during community festivals like Chalk it Up, or Concerts in the Park, while others entertain in the basements and backyards of the more underground, word-of-mouth venues from Midtown to Oak Park. No matter the size of stage—or sometimes lack thereof—musicians from all corners, whether it’s gospel and R&B, punk or indie rock, all continue to prove they’ll find a way to express themselves any day of the week. This notion not only holds true for all genres, but is also reinforced through the persistent and active careers of four particular musicians with at least one commonality: a drum set. Oh, and also that they’re women. Yet, say any of them are talented “for a girl,” or cheekily quiz them on their kit specifications, and they’ll simply let their instruments make all the noise. These women include I’m Dirty Too’s Jess Gowrie, Dog Party’s Lucy Giles, Knock Knock’s Christine Shelley and former drummer for The Tipsy Hustlers, Kristeena Alder. SacAlt chats with each musician and asks who continues to shape their style, what their bands are up to, and even finds out one rock goddess hand-built her throne.

PUNK

Lucy Giles, 16 Dog Party, Kepi Electric, PETS www.facebook.com/dogpartylive www.facebook.com/petstheband www.facebook.com/kepi.ghoulie GEAR: ’60s to ’70s-era Reuther kit with basic setup: hi-hat, crash, ride, snare, rack and floor tom, and of course, a kick drum; Paiste 2002 Series cymbals; Vic Firth American Classic 5A drumsticks With 100 bucks in hand, Sam Giles bought his 6-year-old daughter, Lucy, her first drum set at a garage sale. Fast forward 10 years, various albums and a month-long European tour later, Lucy still performs with the same kit. Whether she’s jamming with her sister Gwen in Dog Party, supporting husband and wife duo Derreck and Allison Fieth in PETS, or keeping a beat with Kepi Electric, this active teen sometimes finds herself performing three sets a night. In August, all three bands set out on their second, two-week U.S. tour this year where she challenged her drum skills threefold.

“Usually, I do two [sets] and two is hard, but three is over the top and a little bit too much. But, I survived and conquered that,” she explains. “It was a really great experience. I’m a little bit older now, so I view the world differently and it was great to be able to go.” Some of her early musical influences she credits to her father, like the White Stripes, Ramones and LCD Soundsystem. But lately, Giles finds herself submerged in the Descendents’ album “Milo Goes to College” and admires drummer Bill Stevenson’s style. With Tommy Ramone as her favorite Ramone, Giles describes her style simply, “I feel like I’m pretty Ramones-y with a little bit of flair.” And adds, “I noticed since I play punk drums really fast like the Ramones, lots of people are just like, ‘Wow! You’re like a machine. You’re like a Ramone.’ And, that makes me really happy.” As one of the youngest female drummers in the Sacramento music scene, Giles says she’s been well-received and supported, but also doesn’t really care if audience members think negatively. This young woman just wants to play drums. “I’m proud of myself that I just go out and do it. I’m not afraid of anything because I don’t really care what other people think, or I just don’t really listen to what other people say if they’re rude,” she says. “I just go out and do things that I want to do. I’m a go-getter.”

Although her older sister, Gwen, begins college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo this fall, Dog Party is set to record their fourth, full-length album in September with former Hangar engineer/ producer, Chris Woodhouse, at his new music digs called The Dock. Giles also looks forward to writing new material, booking shows near Gwen’s school and supporting PETS and Kepi Electric throughout the year. Two sets a night should be a nice break for her.

ROCK

Jess Gowrie, 32 I’m Dirty Too, Happy Fangs www.facebook.com/imdirtytoo www.facebook.com/happyfangs GEAR: Black and red sparkled Rocket Shells carbon fiber kit with four-piece setup: kick, snare, rack tom and floor tom; Zildjian cymbals; Vater 5B wood-tip drumsticks Not only does Jess Gowrie beat the hell out of her carbon fiber kit with I’m Dirty Too, she also built it. No, seriously. She didn’t just assemble a fresh drum set out of a box simply ordered online. For the past 12 years, Gowrie’s been crafting carbon fiber drum sets for Rocket Shells, a Sacramento-based company formed in ’94 by owner and founder Paul Hewitt. “If you gave me a slab of wood, it’s not like I would necessarily know what I’m doing, but when it comes to carbon fiber, and the way that Rocket Shells does it, I’m a huge part in creating over there,” she explains. “I’ve had my kit for 10 years now. There are two of us [at Rocket Shells] so, I had a part in it. My hands definitely went on that kit and assembled and did a bunch of stuff.” Although I’m Dirty Too is on a brief pause as bandmate and guitarist Zac Brown is on tour with Tycho, Gowrie keeps busy with her new music venture in the band Happy Fangs based in San Francisco. Still, both bands highly differ in genre and style. For example, I’m Dirty Too draw from the more rock and stoner metal aspects of music, whereas Happy Fangs is more dance heavy and upbeat.

SacAlternative | September 2014

“I live like these two opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to being judged as a female musician,” Gowrie says. “I’m Dirty Too is a lot harder of a band, so I would never see women playing in the bands that we would normally play with. I was definitely on an island alone by myself.” Gowrie goes on to say that her time spent with Happy Fangs, which also includes a female vocalist, is mostly surrounded by other women in the variety of bands they perform with at venues. “I don’t feel alone at all. It’s almost like the girls rule on that spectrum and the guys are the minorities,” she explains. Despite the different experiences from genre to genre, Gowrie says she chooses to simply harness her confidence and lets her talent behind the kit make all the noise. Her influences include Matt Cameron of Soundgarden and Patty Schemel of Hole, but she also takes time to pay respect to jazz, a genre she says makes for more interesting beats. “I’m definitely not a jazz drummer, but I try to think about spicing up normal rock beats that one would gravitate towards. I try to put a little spin on it. It’s very syncopated. I definitely love like the stoner rock [style], that’s where I’m Dirty Too has more influence.”

GOSPEL/R&B

auditioned Kristeena Alder last summer. Alder, a then 22-year-old, who once thought she was too uncoordinated to ever pick up a pair of drumsticks, was chosen. She continued to perform with the Hustlers for the next year. As the youngest member of a band made up of seasoned, male musicians, Alder says she often experienced the surprised look sound engineers adorned on their faces when she took to the stage for sound check. “When I was playing with the Tipsy Hustlers, my friend Patrick Anderson would help me as a drum tech. When we would come in through the musicians’ entrance, the sound guy would be talking to him, but I would answer as the drummer, and the look on his face is like, ‘Why are you talking?’” Still, Alder says attitudes shifted once the performance was over. “There’s this stigma that women can’t hit very hard. I used to not have a really powerful hit to my kick drum, or when I would hit the snare or the toms. I would just play really soft. But, I worked at it and now, my kick drum sounds, in my opinion, better than some guys’ that I hear,” she laughs. Alder recently ended her time with the band in July to focus on her roots in gospel and R&B through her parents’ church, Cloud of Glory Worship Center Ministries in Rancho Cordova. Here, Alder plays the drums alongside her father, a multi-instrumentalist, and says she wants to form an all-girl band in the future. “When I sit down and I play at practice or at service at my church, it’s just amazing. There’s a freedom when I play at a certain point, where it’s just happening. I’m killing it. I’m just playing and not thinking about it. The music just speaks to me,” Alder says.

INDIE

GEAR: ’70s-era bare wood Ludwig kit with bare necessities set up: snare, hi-hat, ride, two crash cymbals, floor tom and kick drum; Zildjian cymbals; Vic Firth 5A, 5B drumsticks When you ask Christine Shelley about her first memories behind a drum kit, she nails it down to the exact year: 1997. It was Christmas when she received her first drum set. Shelley says once she started, she never stopped. “I’m more of a meat and potatoes type of drummer,” she laughs. “I’m very simple. Some bands I play more punk and some bands are a little more indie with a lighter touch. [My style] really depends on what bands I’m playing with.” These days, Shelley finds herself surrounded by music in all aspects of life. She splits her time between indie rock group Knock Knock and punk band Sneeze Attack. Her brother Patrick also plays drums in the music scene, with Sacramento bands like Union Hearts, Final Summation and also with her fiancé’s band, Charles Albright. She lists the Beatles as an influence during her childhood, and openly admits to her admiration for Ringo Starr’s style of percussion. Shelley also draws inspiration from the likes of Karen Carpenter. Yes, she was a drummer, too. “I do really like Karen Carpenter probably more because she’s more famous for her singing, not for her drumming,” Shelley says. “She’s really good. I remember thinking, ‘That girl can play.’ And, she’s not rubbing it in everyone’s face.” As far as female stigmas go in rock music, Shelley does not subscribe. “People, oftentimes, are more forgiving and more impressed because I’m a girl. That really bothers me more than not being represented,” she says. “I feel like I’m a good musician because I’m a good musician and not because I’m good for a woman.”

Kristeena Alder, 23 The Tipsy Hustlers, Aug. 2013 to July 2014 Cloud of Glory Worship Center Ministries, in Rancho Cordova Kladrums@gmail.com GEAR: Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute kit with five-piece setup: snare, kick drum, rack and floor toms; Vater Fatback 3A, West Side, or 5B drumsticks; Trexist-sponsored cymbals Funk and rock band, The Tipsy Hustlers, fronted by CBS “Good Day Sacramento” anchor and reporter Kenneth Rudulph,

SacAlternative | September 2014

Christine Shelley, 27 Knock Knock, Sneeze Attack www.facebook.com/sneezeattack

SacAlternative | September 2014