Unplugged Magazine December 2013 (#12)

Unplugged december 2013

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Juliana Lydell INside: - modern Baseball talks about touring - Scottish John wraps up with his final words - Alisha picks the top 5 christmas songs - Jorden continues sharing his legacy - reviews: eminem, Punk Goes Christmas and more

Letter from the staff:

Thanks to you

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always get asked, “How is your zine going?” and I never have a sufficient answer to that. I don’t really know how to measure the success of an online magazine. Sure, I can toss around numbers of views and “likes” and downloads, but does that really measure how well we’re doing?

I always thought that once we were successful we’d have an office space, a receptionist and a massive sign over our building that reads “Unplugged Magazine.”

Just recently we hit the biggest number of views we’ve ever had. I was so excited that I wouldn’t stop smiling and humming the whole night. After that day, I’ve been constantly spacing out, trying to think of explanations for our increase in views. I haven’t reached a conclusion yet but something did cross my mind: Maybe people just like what we’re doing.

I can wholeheartedly say that without the people on this staff, Unplugged Magazine would not be what it is now. I can also attest to the hard work that everyone puts into this project every month, week and day. When I started this magazine I wanted to find a group of people who were fun to work with and had a bigger passion for music than I do. I had no clue that all I had to do was actually show up to my journalism production class to find them.

But more importantly, I thought later, the biggest contributors to our “big number” is you. You are the reason we do what we do and you are the reason we are still around. I’ve met people who’ve heard of Unplugged and I’ve heard stories from other staffers about meeting some of our fans. It’s an exciting feeling when one of you tells us that you discovered music via Unplugged.

Even though it isn’t over just yet, I think a lot of us can agree that 2013 was a stellar year for music. As we say goodbye to it, we also say hello 2014 and say hello to another year with Unplugged Magazine.

Sincerely,

Steven Condemarin Correction In November’s issue, the review of Red City Radio’s “Titles” (page 18) was written

by Alisha Kirby, not Jorden Hales.

Top 5 Albums On Repeat “Talking Dreams” Echosmith

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“Punk Goes Christmas” Various Artists

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“Proper” three Into It. Over It.

“Suego Faults” Wolf Gang

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“Louder Now” Taking Back Sunday

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Table of contents

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Drop the needle again Alisha shares some of her favorite Carissa’s Wierd albums PG

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And the record halts

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Sharing My Legacy

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have mercy 16 After releasing their first full-length album this

polar bear club

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year, Have Mercy has big plans for the future

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My scene My Music

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Staff picks Alisha lists her top 5 favorite Christmas songs that you can listen to all year long

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Editors in chief

Copy editors

Writers

Photographers

Steven Condemarin alisha kirby Josh Jurss daniel Romandia Ian La Tondre (columnist)

Intern

Jorden Hales

Robert Aguilar Megan Houchin Allen Dubnikov

Contributors Kendra beltran Eric Delgado

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mccafferty

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Album reviews

Ohio’s McCafferty has had a busy first year and they don’t plan on slowing down for 2014

We ask: What is the biggest misconception ‘outsiders’ have about your music scene?

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artist spotlight

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Lead singer Jimmy Stadt talks about all the changes the band has seen in the past year PG

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Sacramento’s Elroy Jetson makes a name for himself with his own unique sound

Jorden shows his sister Ryleigh a new era of music: the early 2000s PG

modern baseball

The Philadelphia-based band wraps up a busy year of touring their debut album

Scottish John gives his final words after a year of exploring musicianship PG

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Big Baby Ghandi, Death Grips, Eminem, Punk Goes Christmas, Scallops Hotel, and Swearin’

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hose who know me personally know that I’m an awful speller, but the band Carissa’s Wierd really does spell its name that way, so don’t judge me please. Actually, don’t judge the band either, because the clear misspelling is easily forgotten once you put on any of their perfect records. This isn’t their full catalogue, but it’s all that’s been pressed aside from their last 7-inch “Tucson” (which is also very much worth your time).

by Alisha Kirby

Drop The Needle Again

"You Should Be at Home Here:" Brown marble This record is what kicked off my obsessive love for this band. I was about 10 or 11 years old when it was released and I knew I liked what I was hearing, I just didn’t know why.

This double LP (as well as the other two listed here, actually) was produced and mixed by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, who has one hell of an ear. Despite having heard these songs hundreds of times over the years, I still catch something a little different with each spin.

& "Ugly But Honest:" Blue marble This is another double LP. To call the art on and in the gatefold simple would be an understatement. It’s about as minimalist as it gets, but it’s alright because this is a record you stop and close your eyes to. It’s also incredibly sturdy and has survived its share of moves over the last few years.

& "Songs About Leaving:" Solid Coke bottle It’s a shame the band decided to call it quits after the release of this record, but what an album to go out on. This, much like the rest of their discography, is perfect for this cold, dreary time of year. The sound of the wind and rain outside blends perfectly into each track. If you decide to start listening to this band for the first time, this is a solid record to start with.

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And The Record Halts Scottish John’s last words

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his is going to sound immensely vague, but music is so interesting. Why is it that our ears, which were given function long ago for communication and to hear our surroundings, are so intrigued by sound?

For the life of me, I don’t know. I’m sure that there’s been research and someone could tell you the answer has to do with something like frequency resonation that sends pulses through our brain, blah blah blah.

I don’t really care. I like the mystery. I like viewing it as art. Art is supposed to be mysterious and have inexplicability.

If it’s all revealing, it’s all mundane. Even a song with vulnerable lyrics and feel is still mysterious. We don’t know that artist’s life. We don’t know how that song came about. All we know is the finished product. And even then, it’s just a threeminute window. I will say, though, that I believe you can know someone better through his or her three-minute musical window than most conversations. If their tracks are genuine that is, but even if

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they aren’t, you have now discovered that this person isn’t worth real time.

I really like the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” It sounds really cheesy and cliche, I know, but I still like it. I think as people we tend to use words too often (ironic that I have the lengthiest consistent piece in this magazine). We talk too much, and that’s what’s so cool about music or movies or paintings; they get us to shut the fuck up and observe something.

For a brief moment, everyone stops wondering what people are thinking about themselves, hones in on this one particular piece of artistic expression and just observes. In a perfect world, all the spectators observe and enjoy in a unified harmony. But perfection isn’t cool.

If we all liked the same things, there wouldn’t be art in the first place. Then, after all of that listening or looking or watching, people go into shitting out opinions like they knew exactly what the artist was feeling or attempting to interpret in this emotionally convoluted work.

We all do it. It’s human nature to want to figure things out – hell, I write for a music magazine, it’s my job to attempt to figure out and interpret what someone was doing, thinking and feeling. But before all of that unnecessary explanation, there’s this beautifully brief moment of observation. I just think the world would be a little cooler if there were a few more of those moments.

I want to ask some of you (well, I suppose I’m really asking you guys to ask yourself): Do you ever think artists will ever be insanely huge again? I’m not talking Rihanna huge. I’m talking Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain huge. I’m talking about the fact that Justin Bieber’s total album sales (not just one, but all of his records) multiplied by six is still less then the album sales for Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” album alone. Which is a good thing, in all honesty, but with where the future seems to be heading, will we ever get that sense of a unified musical god again? Will we ever see a social artist

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that breaks barriers and really, truly inspires young people to do something ever again?

I’m torn on this for two reasons. Number one: I believe music comes in cycles. For example, a lot of our pop music shares similarities with ‘80s pop music, and the same goes for lot of indie music of today. I can go more in depth, but I think that it’s accepted that a degree of musicality comes in waves with modern twists. So if music comes in cycles, so should socially huge artists, right? We’re just waiting for one groundbreaking artist to pop out of their little hole and hit the world with his or her undeniable presence and force.

My second reason is what really tears me, though, because of how technologically involved we are, because there are so many more artists to listen to than ever before (and that grows on a daily basis). Is there too big of a sea of mediocrity to find real treasure? We have so much content to sift through. Also, perspective from a record label’s standpoint has changed. Instead of putting an incredible amount of money, time and energy into something like Led Zeppelin, for example, they’ve found it more profitable to give less to a bigger number of artists. That way all of them can put out a record at the same time, instead of just being able to sell one or two bands’ records. Since there’s that lack of a machine pushing or getting behind that artist, artists don’t get to

spend as much time on things, like The Beatles spending every day for six months straight at Abbey Road Studios to make one record.

Whichever way music is directed in the future, I’m just happy to call myself a musician, because it makes me happy at the core of my soul. I’d be unfathomably lost, confused and have no sustaining outlet of expression if it wasn’t for music. Girls, friends, money -- all of this shit comes and goes, but at the end of the day I can put on a record and just feel better, no matter who or what floats in and out of my life. I consistently call it the one thing I’m good at, and I consistently feel as if I’m one of the worst songwriters to ever walk the planet. This is what artists struggle with, though, and you make do because you love it, even if you suck some days.

I really don’t know how many people have read my articles, or know how many people are going to read this one, but it’s just been really cool to have a place to say all these things.

With Peace and Love,

Scottish John.

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Sharing My Legacy Sharing music with younger loved ones can be a memorable bonding experience – or foster preclusion of them. In the case of me and my sister Ryleigh, it will at least make for some good light reading. Here’s part two.

Photo by Allen Dubnikov

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No matter how horrific and traumatizing some experiences may be, they often mold the character of our world’s greatest artists.

My sister Ryleigh recently developed a new appreciation for this fact, as she dove into the second era of music I wished to share: the early 2000s.

As with the gangsta rap era, it was necessary to understand the state of the world to fully appreciate the music’s cultural significance.

Clothed in a post-Clinton, pre9/11 complacence and a euphoric, absent-minded *NSYNC/Britney Spears bliss, Americans were generally at ease.

This apparent obstacle did not delay the next figure I wished to share with my sister: Eminem, who by his own account, “came to the world at a time when it needed a villain.” A welcome reception was

Part Two

neither the norm or a necessity.

“I was mad at first,” Ryleigh said of her experience with the controversial emcee’s work. “I was really put off by his music. I didn’t like it, I didn’t want to listen to it, but now I just feel bad for him and I really hope he’s gotten better.”

Having been born in 1999, just weeks after Eminem’s first major release, Ryleigh had no previous experience with his work but was not surprised to find that her reaction was similar to that of the general public’s.

Lance “DJ Elements” Soto, one of Northern California’s premier nightclub DJs, started his career around the time of Eminem’s debut and clearly remembers the industry’s initial response to the Detroit rapper.

“He made a real big first impression. It’s kind of poppy but his lyrics

By Jorden Hales

made him (hip-hop),” said Soto.

“He had the emcee flow, but he wrote those hooks the kids wanted to sing along to and their parents didn’t want them singing along to.

The old DJs savor it.”

Over time, Ryleigh came to appreciate the rapper’s disposition, as earlier generations did.

“I think I sort of developed a soft spot for him. Even though I might not like everything he does, or agree with his lyrics, I can appreciate (his feelings),” she said.

In addition to the stark contrast between himself and his “candy pop” counterparts, Eminem also demonstrated a quality that made him unique to his hip-hop predecessors.

While the gangta rap era Ryleigh has become so fond of seemed to represent an entire culture, Eminem acted out of loneliness. She attributes her less favorable response to this apparent difference in sentiment.

“They [‘90s gangsta rappers] sounded calm and at peace [with their misfortunes],” she said. “The vibe of their music didn’t give me a reason to feel uncomfortable.

Eminem’s music sounded like all he was trying to do was make me feel uncomfortable.”

As a preteen, I admired Eminem’s ability to represent on a grander scale the things he felt internally. I learned from his music that “the real Slim Shady” was truly no different from any person’s perceived shortcomings.

Though Ryleigh and I were not able to share the same appreciation, she believes his career was timely and helped the industry maintain a sort of balance.

“It could have gone straight to pop music and rap could have been (forgotten),” she said. “Because of him, it stayed in the picture. He kind of picked it up like a rolling wheel and kept pushing it along.”

mixing it up

Stay posted to Polar Bear Club’s facebook for updates on shows, merch and more!

Polar Bear Club’s Jimmy Stadt talks about changing the sound of his voice and naming “Death Chorus”

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s soon as the first singles from Polar Bear Club’s new album, “Death Chorus,” came out people began wondering why singer Jimmy Stadt was changing up his signature, gravelly vocal sound. “My voice has changed a lot over the years,” Stadt said. “The change came about because it was really just what sounded the best.”

There you have it folks. Polar Bear Club, like every other band, has been trying to make the best music they can since forming in 2005. All things considered, a change in the amount of harsh vocals is a very minor change when you look at the number of past members in Polar Bear Club. Since their last album, 2011’s “Clash Battle Guilt Pride,” the band has seen several changes to their lineup, leaving only Stadt and guitarist/vocalist Chris Browne as the band’s original members.

“It’s a lot of work to get new members up to speed on old material,” Stadt said.

Story by Josh Jurss “However, for writing it’s really nice.

It’s just new energy in the room. Chris [Browne] and I have written a lot of the stuff already, so to hear our stuff played by new guys is definitely interesting. Seeing what they bring to the table is really cool.”

“Death Chorus” is the band’s fourth album to date. The cover once again features artwork done by artist and musician Richard Menino. It also features the tell-tale bugs in a jar image from the band’s first full-length. “The bugs in the jars just came from the song ‘Burned Out In a Jar’ from our first full-length,” said Stadt. “The imagery just took off. People fell in love with it and we really liked it, so we went with it.

We haven’t used it on every album but it works really well with ‘Death Chorus.’”

The album was recorded with Studio 4 owner Will Yip. The band was also featured on Yip’s “Off the Board Comp,” which Stadt helped name “It was a cool thing to be a part of,” said

Stadt. “The list of other bands is a list we’re really proud to be lumped in with.” Along with being a part of naming the compilation, Stadt named “Death Chorus” as well.

“There were a couple songs with the word ‘death’ or ‘dying’ in the chorus,” he said. “I remember saying to myself while I was writing, ‘Man, not another death chorus.’ It sort of just stuck.” Though, contrary to what the name suggests, the album doesn’t feature death as a major theme but rather “the idea of things dying to be reborn,” according to Stadt.

2013 certainly has been a busy year for Polar Bear Club. The band is currently finishing up their tour promoting their new album, but don’t expect the harsh vocals or old songs to die off. Stadt’s favorite song to play live is still “Pawner.” For him, it’s “because people who have no idea who we are don’t expect it, and it catches them off guard in a good way, I think.”

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My Scene, My Music

Kendra Beltran Los Angeles, CA Founder of Golden Mixtape goldenmixtape.com

Josh Jurss Chicago, IL Unplugged Mag. Staff Writer

@JoshJurss

Brad Dixon Abbeville, SC blessyerheart.com

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What is the biggest misconception ‘outsiders’ have about your music scene?

When your mind wanders to the Western region of the U.S. two things come to mind: Your thoughts land on “spoiled brats,” or they go blank because you assume our scene is a blinking, vibrant “vacant” sign. Yes, there are bands whose parentals have paid their way. Hell, I have encountered my fair share of trust-fund divas over the years, but for every rich kid with a guitar there are a dozen dudes and gals working their asses off.

They take morning shifts at Starbucks and go in with a forced smile because they’re just barely getting home from a show. Now for the other, we have a healthy amount of bands from our area, it’s just recently all the blogospheres like to pinpoint

acts from the beloved East Coast while we somehow always have to resort to, well, we have Blink, Green Day and Nirvana – we fall back on bands that started before a lot of members in recent bands were born.

I don’t know why we do this, because we have such a plethora of talent from the tip of San Diego up to the coffee aroma of Seattle and back through the deserts of our Southwestern confidants. Not only are the numbers strong, but the range is as well; from the intensity of Dose of Adolescence to the hipster fulfilling ways of Christopher Reyne to the overt popularity of The Maine – we’re like Ross; we’ve got it and they’re not all elitists with their parents’ cash.

I have an accent. I grew up in Wisconsin and spent several years living in Minnesota. It’s not nearly the accent from “Fargo,” but I do say “bayg” instead of “bahg” and I say “eh” more than a preteen uses the word “like.” I don’t mind it. It’s interesting to people. They enjoy my accent. They make fun of it. The thing is, I live in Chicago, Ill., which isn’t far from my hometown; it’s only about a two-hour drive north. How is my accent so noticeably different? Why am I even talking about this?

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that there are a ton of differences throughout the areas of the Midwest and everybody has their own little stereotype within the stereotype, and not all of them are bad. For

example, people from Minnesota are truly some of the nicest people I’ve ever met and that goes for the musicians and venues as well. The kind of people you will bump in to at a bar and they will buy you a replacement drink for the one you spilled on them.

I mean, that’s not to say there aren’t a slew of traditionally passive aggressive, asshole Midwesterners -- because there are -- but the majority of us are nice.

But there’s one thing that I’ve heard people say about the Midwest, both outsiders and locals, that I don’t believe: “The Midwest doesn’t really have a music scene.”

If you have doubts, check out this column I write every month.

Brad Dixon is the lead vocalist of Bless Yer Heart, based out of South Carolina, and he’s agreed to fill in for Eric Delgado in this month’s issue to discuss misconceptions about the music in his region.

sume everything will fall into the stereotypes of what people think of Southerners.

However, not everything that comes out of the South is about chewing tobacco or big trucks (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The region has much more to offer than just country or folk. There’s a whole lot of really great music out here.

People just have to get past the fact that we aren’t all inbred, bumbling idiots. The region has so much to offer musically once you get past the way we have been perceived.

I think a lot of the misconceptions about music out of South Carolina are that it’s all mud and banjos, or like Hootie and The Blowfish. There are so many different genres of music here and so much talent, but they are often overshadowed by the fact that it’s out of the South. I think a lot of people overlook them because they as-

What did YOU say?

This is where we grab our favorite answers from Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr!

Behrad Ghomeshi @Behradsays (Bassist for This Farewell) Sacramento, CA

That Sacramento’s scene only plays screamo music.

NEXT MONTH: What are some tips for musicians looking to work with PR, management or promotors in your area?

Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #myscenemymusic and we’ll publish our favorite answers in next month’s issue! @sacunplugged fb.com/sacunplugged

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Stay up-to-date on releases, shows and more on our website!

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Top 5 christmas songs

Staff picks

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is the season for Christmas songs being drilled into your brain. It begins once you wake up from your afternoon Thanksgiving coma and doesn’t end until you quit accidentally humming the tunes mid-March. Luckily, there are some holiday-themed songs you won’t mind listening to year round.

by Alisha Kirby 5. The Wonder Years (ft. Laura Borucki) – “Christmas at 22” It’s hard not to relate to lines like “I’m visiting all the friends I haven’t seen since August to catch up on the things we missed while we’re in college,” or the notions of killing time watching Christmas specials on TV. If December had a theme song, this would be it.

4. Into It. Over It. – “Jingle Bell Broke” Christmas isn’t about how much you spend but about how you spend it, according to Evan Weiss. But we all know about going broke from buying gifts and having to hand-make the rest. This minute-and-a-half diddy is about all of that.

3. April Smith & The Great Picture Show – “Christmas Threw Up All Over You” It’s witty, it’s cynical and it’s everything you’ve ever wanted to tell your friends and/or family who overdo the red and green décor while forcing the holiday spirit down your throat.

So sit back and hum this beautifully upbeat, sarcastic tune during your awful family gatherings.

2. Fall Out Boy – “Yule Shoot Your Eye Out” Remember when Fall Out Boy was younger and a little angsty? This was released on the first volume of “A Santa Cause: It’s a Punk Rock Christmas” back in 2001, and it’s as fantastically catchy as you’d expect. This acoustic track with Patrick Stump’s lovely vocals is a gift in itself.

1. Jack’s Mannequin – “The Lights and Buzz” The driving piano, the mix of effected and clean vocals and the idea of feeling content; it’s all here. Andrew McMahon wrote one of the best Christmas songs when he wrote “The Lights and Buzz,” and if this isn’t what you’re waking up to on Christmas morning, then you’re doing it wrong.

enjoying the ride

Philadelphia-based Modern Baseball discuss multiple re-pressings of “Sports” and good luck while touring

Go to Modern baseball’s facebook to listen to (or buy) “Sports”

Story by Josh Jurss Modern Baseball’s origin story sounds like the way high school sweethearts would meet. Singer/guitarist Brendan Lukens was dating singer/guitarist Jake Ewald’s twin sister and the two became best friends. Together, they started Modern Baseball as a two-piece band with a name based off a book they found in a basement titled “Modern Baseball Techniques.” After a year apart, the two decided on different colleges that were both located in Philadelphia. In college, they met the two remaining members [Ian Farmer (bass) and Sean Huber (drums)] and they all became best friends.

Since late 2011, Modern Baseball has released a pair of EPs and a full-length, signed to two different record labels, toured the U.S. and garnered fans from all over the country. They have a distinct sound that they’ve decided fits under the “power-pop” sub-genre. “It took a long time to come to that conclusion,” said Lukens, “mostly because we didn’t know that sub-genres were a thing.”

More than anything, Modern Baseball seems to be enjoying the ride. Their newfound success with their album “Sports” was completely unexpected by the band. ”When we were talking about pressing the record with our friend and now-manager Eric Osman, he decided on a whim that he wanted to put it out and started Lame-O Records to do so,” Lukens said. “We didn’t think

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we would sell 300 [copies on vinyl]. Now we are on our third pressing and I think we have sold like 2,000 copies. That is just wild to us.”

In January of this year, the band signed to Run For Cover Records (RFC), which came as a surprise to some. This was a big deal for the band, as RFC is a label they had always wanted to be a part of.

“It’s funny, when they originally hit us up we were all so excited we screamed in the van,” Lukens said. “By the end of the day we were celebrating being part of the RFC family at Outback.”

Their fans saw the benefits immediately, with the second pressing of “Sports” on vinyl released soon after. The band has also toured across the U.S. this year with bands such as Real Friends, Mixtapes, You Blew It! and Tiny Moving Parts.

With all of their touring from this year, it’s somewhat surprising the band doesn’t have a slew of tour horror stories to talk about. Most of their setbacks include easily solved problems such as locking the keys in the van or running out of gas. Though there’s nothing too extreme, Lukens mentioned that Huber seems to have the worst luck on tour. “In North Carolina, Ian slammed Sean’s finger in the van door, leaving a permanent scar, and in Florida Sean got so sunburned he couldn’t move for the better half of a week. It looked quite painful.”

Juliana Lydell

Interview by Alisha Kirby Photos by Allen Dubnikov Juliana Lydell has been a part of a number of bands throughout the years that have managed to leave their mark in one way or another.

Often times she has been the primary lyricist, a role she’s been more than happy to fill.

We sat down with Lydell to discuss songwriting, her stint living in Austin, Texas, and what she’s working on now.

Can you just state your name and the instruments you play?

Juliana Lydell, I play keyboards and guitar and I sing.

How did you start playing music?

My stepgrandfather was a piano mover. He convinced my parents to buy me a piano when I was four and he moved it into my house.

I started taking lessons with college students [so] it was kind of “budgety” – “budgety” teachers – and they would write in the notes. I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to do that. So over years and years I had several teachers and I would tell them, “This is the way I do things. You will write in the notes for me, and then I will play the piece.” And they’d be like, “OK.” And so I got up to playing, like, Bach, and it was just pencil all over the page. I finally got this teacher who was like, “What do you mean? How long have you been doing this?” He tried to get me to read music the right way with the pieces I was already playing and I just didn’t want to do it. I would stop showing up to lessons and come back a month later and he’d ask, “So did you do that assignment?” And I’m like, “I kind of hoped you’d forget so we could go back to the old way of doing things and it was fun.”

I stopped taking lessons altogether when I was about 14. But then I started playing in church, which is all chords, so I learned the

circle of fifths and chords. I just circumvented the whole system of real music. But I hear that people who are really adept to classical can’t write their own music as easily, so I guess you just have to pick which one you’re going to regret later.

How many bands have you actually been in and what’s your current focus as far as projects go?

There’s The Dreaded Diamond with my brother, I was in A Lot Like Birds for a minute, and then I was in Mansion Closets with Damien [Verrett] of The Speed of Sound In Seawater, and now I’m in Paper Pistols with Ira Skinner. Then I do my own stuff as Too Lucid, [which is] like folk stuff.

[Paper Pistols] is a two-piece, and I always do two-pieces, but Ira plays the drums and does samples [live]. We program the songs and I play keyboard and drums as well – like a tom. I don’t know what’s next because we just [released] an album called “Deliver Us From Chemicals” and that’s sort of all we talked about doing.

Both Paper Pistols and Mansion Closets are electronic collaborations with people who are primarily programmers and want someone to come in as a songwriter. I like lyrics and words, music is a vehicle for good songwriting and structure to me. I’m not as technologically savvy. I mostly sit at home reading and go to school.

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Do you just get restless sticking with the same project?

I think the project that was my own was The Dreaded Diamond and that’s something that’s kind of sacred between my brother and me. It’s like a 50/50 project, but the whole melodic side was mine. When he left it was kind of like, “What else?” and Mansion Closets was a side project to The Dreaded Diamond.

It’s just trying new things; trying to challenge myself, seeing how different people work and learning from them.

And different people that I’ve worked with have given me different elements of that.

You’re not from Sacramento, right?

I am, but I lived in Austin, Texas for a bit and just came back. My brother left [The Dreaded Diamond] – this was all in the same month by the way – I said yes to getting engaged to somebody and I lost all drive to finish pursuing an English major while working two jobs and going to school full-time. I didn’t know why I was doing any of it anymore.

And I have an aunt in Austin who I’d never met who was a library science major and the only non-religious person in my extended family. She was my friend on Facebook and her occupation was “librarian,” and I’m like, “That’s so cool.” I always thought she was so cool. And all of this tension was building where I wanted to not do anything that I was doing.

I ended up breaking off the engagement and then just drove out there. I emailed her this really embarrassing email that’s like, “Someone who appreciates new beginnings and books,” something about books, something stupid. I reread it and was so ashamed of myself.

But I drove out there, stayed with her for a week, then found room and board and stayed out there for a year.

Why’d you come back?

I moved back because Ira asked if I wanted to do Paper Pistols and I wasn’t really doing music out there.

I was basically palling around with a bunch of comedians. I was involved in the comedy scene out there and I lost interest in music. I don’t think music is my first love, I think it’s just written works in general. I was trying to build fodder for eventual memoirs that I’ll never write. I like music, it enriches my life, but I don’t feel like I have any one calling. I’ve always done music, I started playing piano when I was four, so it’s almost more like having a language that

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I can do something with.

If you had to guesstimate, how many songs would you say you’ve written?

Just counting finished ones, probably like 50.

How many unfinished ones?

That’s like 150. I have a lot of bits and pieces on tape recorders, or since I’ve gotten this [iPhone], a lot of voice memos and stuff.

Do you write about personal experiences or do you take from other people’s lives as well?

Usually it’s really personal but it’s coated. I try not to be very literal. A lot of times each song encapsulates a really vivid personal experience for me but I don’t know if that comes across for people who listen. It’s encapsulated almost to the point that it’s like a little movie.

You’ve got a very distinct voice or distinct sound. Are you ever worried that all of these projects will start to sound the same, or that you’ll become niche?

My only fear of becoming niche is becoming a constant collaborator. That’s what I’ve been afraid of lately, is that I would like to not just be supplemental.

As far as the sound of it though, yeah.

Especially because my primary goal is always the lyrics of a song, which has always been what inspires me.

The music I like is really unpolished.

Someone like Jenny Lewis, who I love.

Her songs aren’t some engineering feat in the music world but I’m moved by what she does. I would listen to music and… I would try and think of what the person was going through at the time they wrote it. I’d picture sitting down and asking them instead of just listening to the product. My relationship with music was very interpersonal. So as far as it sounding the same, I’d only worry about the music sounding the same because I don’t have as much of a passion for that side of it.

Have you thought seriously about starting a solo project?

Yes, that’s what Too Lucid is going to be.

It’s hard balancing work and school and any sort of creative endeavors. I go to three campuses, I work in midtown, so I can’t do a record this semester but that’s ultimately the goal.

Head over to Paper Pistols’ Facebook to listen to their latest release “Deliver Us From Chemicals”

e

y o lr on

Hip-hop producers are some of the unsung heroes of music. They will slave over one track for hours just to make sure that everything is at the right level and that the beat actually stays on-beat. It might seem unfair that all of this work gets done but the credit doesn’t always go to the right people. Sacramento native and hip-hop producer Elroy Jetson is making sure people know who he is and they know his music from having a plethora of instrumental releases.

He’s only been active since 2012, but Jetson has had a connection with music since childhood. “I think it was when I was 8, when I started paying attention to sounds,” said Jetson.

He initially took a liking to R&B, more specifically to artists such as Tevin Campbell and Sade. After being introduced to music, especially by his dad during Sunday drives, he decided he wanted to be a part of music in some way.

“I always knew I’d want to start up, I was always just too broke,” said Jetson.

It was after he started attending American River College and receiving financial aid that he went out and bought a MIDI keyboard and Logic Express 9. Then his music started taking up memory on his hard drive, with around 758 beats finished at the time of this publication.

Jetson has released more than 10 beat tapes since he started and says that he will release at least one more, following his longest gap between releases – he has not released anything since April – before 2013 is over. A majority of his production is very synth-heavy and spacious (which explains his stage name).

“I try to make my own sound, which is harder than people think,” said Jetson. “What I do is take sounds from whoever I like at the time and combine them, distort them, add to them, whatever [it takes] to make it sound good.”

Once the new year starts, Jetson is going to continue what he’s been doing since he began: Get his name out there and continue to refine his sound. Taking your instrumentals to various rappers and trying to sell your name and your sound to them is hard work, but nothing is too hard for your boy Elroy.

Photos & story by Daniel Romandia

Artist spotlight

s t e j

Head over to Elroy’s Bandcamp and listen to his latest release “CHILLaxin” Dec.2013.unplugged.15

Have mercy’s Vocalist Brian Swindle discusses the whirlwind success of the band’s debut “The Earth Pushed Back”

They can’t stop, they won’t stop

Story by Alisha Kirby There’s a lot that can be accomplished in 365 days. Just look at what Jack Bauer accomplished in 24 hours. While Baltimore, Md.’s Have Mercy haven’t saved the president or Los Angeles from terrorist attacks this year – they’re waiting until 2014 for all of that – they have managed to keep themselves quite busy “Every second of this year has been awesome,” said vocalist/guitarist Brian Swindle. “Releasing ‘The Earth Pushed Back’ was amazing. We never thought we’d see the response we did from people and never thought our fan base would grow as much as it did.”

The band released their debut fulllength, “The Earth Pushed Back,” in May on Topshelf Records and it immediately started garnering positive reviews from both old and new fans and critics. Despite only having a week in the studio to complete the record, the band made the most of their time.

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“It was a tad rushed but I will say I wouldn’t change a thing about it,” said Swindle. “It made us challenge ourselves with having such little time ... We want to keep our personal momentum up and keep working on new stuff. To quote Miley Cyrus, ‘We can’t stop, we won’t stop.’”

And stopping doesn’t seem to be a part of the plan. The band has already begun teasing fans with pictures from the studio where they’ve been writing and recording some new material.

“We didn’t plan to start writing another album, but every day I’m home I write,” Swindle said. “After I write, I take ideas to the rest of the guys so they can make sense of my nonsense. I was taking ideas to the rest of the guys so often that we decided to start focusing on another album.”

Don’t get too excited yet. Although they’ve been writing new songs, there aren’t any solidified plans to rush into recording a sophomore release. According to Swindle, that will happen “whenever the time feels right.” Instead of being saddled

down in the studio for too long, the band has been filling their time out on the road.

“Touring with Koji, Turnover, and Ivy League was probably my favorite part (of this year),” said Swindle. “We never toured the whole U.S. before, and we went to cities we’ve never even heard of and had people singing back our lyrics.”

And what’s a national tour without your friends and your phone?

“We have a constant group [text] message going on between us and if something funny needs to be said that can’t be said out loud, it’s done through there,” Swindle said. “Our lives are pretty much the band, WWE, movies, eating and going out to enjoy the nightlife. We hang out every day on tour and outside of tour.”

A lot has happened so far for Have Mercy this year, but as Swindle said, they can’t stop and they won’t stop. Their New Year’s resolutions are simple: “Ours is to tour nonstop and to put out a badass record,” said Swindle. “Oh, and hopefully have a chance to go to Europe.”

Head over to Have mercy’s facebook and listen to a few of their songs!

From the ground up

Go to mccafferty’s bandcamp to listen to their 2013 releases

McCafferty’s Nick Hartkop gives the run down on the building blocks of the band’s catalogue, and their upcoming full-length Story by Alisha Kirby

In 2013 alone, Medina, Ohio’s McCafferty has released three EPs, a split of live acoustic material and a number of singles. The band, formed by Nick Hartkop (vocals/guitar) and rounded out

by Evan Graham (drums) and Chris Joecken (bass), will celebrate their one-year anniversary on Dec. 25. McCafferty has released more material in one year than many bands do in two or three years and according to Hartkop, they aren’t planning on slowing down.

“We are currently working on our first full-length, ‘BeachBoy,’” he said. “Working on an album is awesome because it’s like a book. It explores so many things and I think fans will be in love with the full-length when it’s finished.”

“BeachBoy,” which is set to be finished by 2014 and released on vinyl through Soft Speak Records, will be the first release since Graham rejoined the band and Joecken was added to the mix.

“It was only me and Evan [on] the first two [EPs] we did,” said Hartkop. “After those, me and Evan took a break from playing and I teamed up with Wes Easterly, our producer, [who’s an] amazing drummer as well, and we recorded ‘I Hate This Body’ and ‘Forest Life.’”

Despite a love for the short story feel of an EP, Hartkop is excited to be working on a full-length with this current lineup.

“Chris has really helped the band come full circle. I feel like he’s been the missing piece,” Hartkop said. “My favorite song I’ve written is probably the last track from [“BeachBoy”] called ‘Blue

Eyes Like the Devils Water.’ It has this crazy ‘80s feel combined with a personal touch that I think people will find awesome.”

That personal touch can be attributed to the band’s “somewhat alternative and folky but still dancey” sound. Because of Hartkop’s distaste for the sound of an electric guitar, the band has formed around a core of an upbeat acoustic guitar and bleak, often narrative lyrics.

“The band is named after a personal friend by the name of Ryan McCafferty,” said Hartkop. “He told me about how he broke up with a girl he was dating when he moved away to college.

He realized how big of a mistake that was and seven years later he was still in love with [her], and I realized that everybody has stories like that. I wanted to… express those stories in a manner where people could lose themselves and dance and laugh and cry and have fun.”

Writing people’s stories has garnered the attention of not only kids at their computers, but of some of Hartkop’s favorite musicians as well.

“I’m a big fan of a band called The Front Bottoms and their lead singer, Brian Sella, has [messaged] me on Twitter saying how he thought some of our new stuff is awesome,” Hartkop said. “The people who follow us and enjoy our music are the reason I put this stuff out [and] as long as I have people who are as awesome and kind as the ones who follow us now, I will always release music.”

Dec.2013.unplugged.17

Album Reviews

Big baby Gandhi

Visit SacUnplugged.com for frequen

Death grips

Eminem “The Marshall mathers LP 2”

“big fucking baby”

“Government Plates”

All the news surrounding Big Baby Gandhi’s latest album is confusing and sudden. In May, he was quitting the rap game to finish up his time at St. John’s University to become a pharmacist, then he said he was going to release one more album. Then at the end of October he released “Debut” on his Bandcamp site for about 24 hours to download until the official Jan. 7 release date. Does this album deserve the early sneak peek and the hype? Mostly, but not entirely.

BBG’s first release “Big Fucking Baby” was an incredibly lo-fi and satisfying take on New York rap from the son of Southeast Asian parents. After a polished second release, the best thing about “Debut” is that it goes back to a more lo-fi sound. That’s BBG’s charm. His beats are reminiscent of ‘90s radio hits that are slowed down, spaced out and occasionally mixed with samples of Indian and Southeast Asian music to create an audible soundscape that is easily enjoyable. His flows aren’t anything new but will still get you rapping along.

Not everything here is good, mind you.

The beat in “My Maybach” is annoying, and the same goes for both “Native Sons” and “Tru 2 Da Game,” which sound like the boss levels of SNES games -- in a bad way.

There is no way to tell if this is the same album that will be released in January (you can’t put that past BBG) but I hope it is. The good outweighs the bad just enough to make the album worth more than a 24hour release.

I used to hate Death Grips. When I listened to their first EP “Exmilitary,” their punk sensibility, hip-hop vocals and some of the dirtiest electronic beats that have possibly ever been produced just didn’t resonate the way the group intended. Then I got angry one day and it all clicked. Death Grips is a group that creates the soundtrack to your aggression. Their latest album, “Government Plates,” keeps that sound going.

While not their best effort, the record is still true to their sound and can’t be confused with anyone else. The album starts off incredibly strong with the track “You Might Think He Loves You For Your Money But I Know What He Really Loves You For It’s Your Brand New Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat” and those strong tracks keep up until the midway point. That’s where filler tracks like “I’m Overflow” sort of lull on just to give this album some length (it’s only 35 minutes long).

The events leading up to this album are a little strange. The group was signed to a label, but randomly released their second album “No Love Deep Web” for free at the end of last year. They were dropped by their label and there were reports of a hiatus.

There were also reports of the group making a soundtrack to a short film, directed by member Zach Hill, about male prostitution in Brazil starring Robert Pattinson.

If you’re looking for some of the strongest bass accompanied by a man who may very well be insane screaming his raps about some very dark topics like drinking bleach with production that is probably making Kanye West very jealous, then check this out.

I had my doubts about this album. Having not enjoyed Eminem’s previous two releases, I figured he had lost touch and was simply too far removed from the life that inspired his best work.

From what I hear, Eminem has similar thoughts. “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” is the perfect compliment to its prequel and a harmonic conclusion to one of the most brilliant and influential careers in music history.

As disturbing as the content in the original “Marshall Mathers LP” was, it has drawn its power from reality. This project holds a similar quality.

If the opening doesn’t put you back in a “Y2K” state of mind, the skit that follows will surely do the trick. “Parking Lot” follows Mr. Mathers outside after the robbery and murder portrayed in “Criminal,” a controversial track from the original “Marshall Mathers LP” that’s immediately recognized by his fans.

The rapper seems immersed, not only in himself as a rapper breaking through, but in his impact and experience through eight albums and 13 years. Though totally original in sentiment, it is riddled with lyrics from previous works.

“I came to the world at a time when it needed a villain,” he boldly states on a collaboration with songstress Skylar Grey. Even if you’re not familiar with his earlier work, the timeless references and film-like story arc of this project will draw your interest and likely develop a curiosity that leads you back to them.

Before hearing this album, one may have ideas of how much the world and its music has changed in the past 13 years. But only after listening to “The Marshall Mathers LP 2” will they appreciate just how much of that change can be attributed to this self-proclaimed “Rap God.”

By Daniel Romandia

By Daniel Romandia

By Jorden Hales

18.unplugged.Dec.2013

ent reviews throughout the month!

Various Artists “Punk goes christmas” Every year there’s always an artist (or a group of them) that makes an album stacked with some of your favorite Christmas songs.

That’s what Fearless Records released with “Punk Goes Christmas.”

What’s better than listening to a few poppunk bands covering Christmas songs during the holidays? Damn-near nothing, except pop-punk bands writing their own Christmas songs. The compilation includes originals by New Found Glory, All Time Low, Set It Off and more.

The bands bring a great deal of their personalities to the songs while maintaining a sort of cohesiveness.

On the first half of the album, All Time Low and The Summer Set keep it very poppy and fun to listen to, while Real Friends and Crown The Empire hold down the acoustics and melodies for awesome “ugly sweater party” background music.

On the second half of this compilation, Issues brings awesome, poppy harmonies combined with hardcore chugs that bring smiles to faces. Former Go Radio frontman Jason Lancaster brings an amazing piano and vocal combination (as usual) and Set It Off plays a very interesting “grinchy” song that might make holidays with the in-laws just a tiny bit better.

The compilation ends with William Beckett giving a wonderful and modern rendition of 1962’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Overall, if you’re a fan of a little Christmas spirit in the house as well as some poppunk goodness, this just might be the holiday compilation for you.

By Steven Condemarin

Album Reviews

Scallops Hotel

Swearin’

“Poplar grove”

“Surfing Strange”

For casual listeners, Scallops Hotel may be an entirely new artist. That’s not exactly true. Scallops Hotel is just the name that rapper Milo uses when he produces. “Poplar Grove (or How to Rap with a Hammer)” gives us some insight into Milo’s eclectic musical influences and how growing up in Maine affects people who are into hip-hop.

This is a rap project that would be a good soundtrack to a cabin scene during light snowfall, with a lone man chopping wood to use for a night’s warmth. However, does this work? Not always, but it’s incredibly satisfying when it does.

“Poplar Grove” is an introduction and tutorial to a genre that will probably be called folk rap. Every beat on this tape is very spacious, melancholic and mellow.

Most songs are given some vinyl static to create an aged feeling that is almost pivotal to the tape. It creates a sense of warmth that balances out the coldness the rest of the music has.

Not everything here succeeds the way it tries to, though. The song “My Granddad’s Soul With Thanks to Will For Helping Me Find It” becomes monotonous in about 35 seconds. Scallops, or Milo, is new to the art of beat-making and is still in the learning process of it all. Hopefully he’s learned now that a completely instrumental song needs more substance than what is on this track.

This project still has Milo’s lyrics and flow on most songs to help keep it all afloat.

He proves that he’s more than just esoteric references and scholarly vocabulary, especially by talking about Hot Cheetos. He has many more talents in music, he just needs to fine-tune small parts of them.

It’s not often that singers can pull off the whole “it-sounds-like-I-can’t-sing-butI-actually-can” thing. Singers and guitarists Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gillbride are definitely ones who pull that off, and do it well.

With their second release, one might say that the Brooklyn-based quartet Swearin’ are an awesome mixture of Glassjaw, Built To Split and Liz Phair.

Their fuzzy, mid-’90s sound combined with the wonderful voices of Crutchfield and Gillbride and powerful bridges and choruses put “Surfing Strange” in the mustlisten-to area if you like softer punk.

The album opens with the mid-paced “Dust in the Gold Sack.” Although Crutchfield’s voice is a little muffled under the fuzz, the track proves to be a nice flashback to their self-titled debut.

From here, the songs slow down, bringing to mind the sort of “emo-revival” sound while maintaining their fuzz and powerful bridges.

“Parts of Speech” may be the highlight of this album. The interesting melodies and powerful chorus are the keys to holding a new listener’s attention.

The album starts to pick up again and ends with that mid-pace feel that it started with, leaving a listener in the same state in which they began the album. Although some of the lyrics are direct and emotional (“When you get older you’ll realize this wasn’t love/ Or you won’t/ and you’ll remain ignored and in pain” - “Loretta’s Flowers”), this album lacks a certain aggressiveness that their debut had. This album might be one to fall asleep to.

By Daniel Romandia

By Steven Condemarin

Dec.2013.unplugged.19

Feature Photos

By Allen Dubnikov of Allen Daniel Photography Go check out his work!