Submerge Magazine: Issue 177 (December 15, 2014 - January 5, 2015) by Submerge Magazine

Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas

December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

#177 Was the

Electric Christmas

Sequel as Good as the Original?

CHLLNGR Aqueous Forms Witch Room's Fond Farewell

Daniel Choe Strange Brew Gloriana Looking Good at Goldfield

Chuck Ragan

True Grit 15 Ways to Party Like It’s 2015! exodus

like moses went to modesto

Preservation & Co.

Jason Poole, Bloody Mary Mixmaster

free

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

new HoURS:

1400 ALHAMBRA SAcRAMento BLUeLAMPSAcRAMento.coM 916-455-3400 Dec. 16 • 8pm

tuesDAY

enter villiAn

smokeY brights, justin fArren, be brAve bolD robot weDnesDAY

Dec. 17 • 8pm

ghost town rebellion hot pAnDA, DeAth pArtY At the beAch

thursDAY

rock for tots 10

Dec. 20 • 8pm

mADison Ave

misAmore, the institution, re-existence

Dec. 21 • 8pm

sunDAY

murDerlicious

blAck mAgik AciD + more

coming soon

jan 13 The DicTaTors NYc, moTor666, secreTioNs, colD FeeliNgs

jan 14 YukmouTh, smoov-e, aND more

•

2708 J Street Sacramento 916.441.4693 HarlowS.com

4-7pm

hAppY hour

Dec. 23 • 8pm

Dj step rock

AnUhEA

kRS-onE

nEW YEAR’S EvE WiTh

lovEFool

s A t u r D A Y Dec. 27 • 8pm Anthem’s internAtionAl music festivAl

Dec. 30 • 8pm

evolution

ELECTRO•INDIE ROCK•BRIT-POP•BURLESQUE!

Dj’s DArk stAr & DAvie xAnDer

sAint solitAire, lonelY kings, the hArbor, fuDi, gene chowDer sAturDAY

DAilY

uglY sweAter pArtY!

tuesDAY

Dec. 18 • 8pm

M-SAt 4PM-2AM SUn 10AM-2AM

weDnesDAY

Dec. 31 • 8pm

D*A*s*h presents

n.Y.e. b*A*s*h

Dj’s pumAtron, xAshA ojo, cresenDo & x-gnvr sAturDAY

jAn. 3 • 8pm

spArks Across DArkness stevie nADer, boneY-jAY, vinnie guiDerA, plots

jan 15 Dirk Dig DirTY ThirTY ParTY: Dirk Dig, heNNessY, Task 1Ne, roTaTe, masYah, ZaYlee bussiN, J. Terrible, e-moe, Paco via, mouThPiece

jan 17 DesTroYer (kiss TribuTe)

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(Female möTleY crüe TribuTe)

jan 31 The ToasTers, rebel PuNk, The PhaNTom JeTs

everY monDAY 8-10pm • no cover

everY thursDAY 4-7pm • no cover

everY friDAY 10pm-2Am • $3 cover

open mic / spoken worD

blues jAm

Dj wokstAr & guests

SUnDAY

WEDnESDAY

9PM $20adv

12 /28 TUESDAY

12 /16

12 /31

6:30PM $18adv

Charlie hunter & SCott amendola kATiE RoTh’S UglY SWEATER XMAS PARTY W/

7PM $7

ThURSDAY

6PM $15adv

12 /18

1 /09

10PM $20adv

MikE Dillon BAnD

WEDnESDAY

12 /17

TUESDAY

9PM

olD ScREEn DooR, Big STickY MESS, MAc RUSS

CloSe to You

A cARPEnTERS TRiBUTE WiTh holiDAY SongS

ThURSDAY

10PM $15

DiEgo’S UMBREllA

FRiDAY

6PM $20adv all ages

haaS Kowert tiCe

FRiDAY

9:30PM $10

3RD AnnUAl non DRUMMER DRUM oFF

SATURDAY

9:30PM $12

SolSa

SUnDAY

5:30PM $15

12 /18 12 /19 12 /19 12 /20 12 /21 ThURSDAY

12 /25 FRiDAY

12 /26

8:30PM $10

arden ParK rootS ZUhg

ThE FUnkY SiXTEEnS ciTY oF TREES BRASS BAnD

8PM $10

*all

RAT PAck chRiSTMAS

STARRing FRAnk, DEAn AnD SAMMY

ThE DivA kingS | oUT oF PlAcE

times are d o or times*

COMING SOON 12/27 12/27 01/03 01/03 01/05 01/09 01/15 01/16 01/17

SubmergeMag.com

Brodi nicholas (early) Bahamadia cream of clapton(early) karega Bailey Brother’s keeper Midge Ure Al kooper Joy & Madness Whitey Morgan

01/22 Portland cello Project 01/24 The Ting Tings 01/28 new Mastersounds 01/29 Sage Francis 01/30 Will kimbrough 02/03 The Motet 02/04 nothing 02/05 Particle 02/07 Steelin’ Dan

02/10 The Dodos 02/12 Big Smo 02/14 Mumbo gumbo 02/17 Wild child 02/19 Alo 2/20-21 Tainted love 02/22 crystal Bowersox 02/28 nicholas David (early) 02/28 Petty Theft 03/02 David cook

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

saturday, February 7

sunday, december 21

saturday, January 3

The Windham hill WinTer SolSTice celebraTion

elvis’ 80th birthday Party

Friday, January 9

rescH ed date!uLed

an intimate solo/acoustic performance by

VeteranS MeMorial auditoriuM 255 S. auburn ST., GraSS Valley $38 members, $48 non-member, $58 premium

tHur, JuLy 16 - sun, JuLy 19

the chillbillies

blame sally

Will ackerman, barbara Higbie, Liz story with todd boston

Special Guests: lorraine Gervais, Kate haight, Peter Wilson & Frank maranzino

Special Guest: hannah Jane Kile

$25 members, $28 non-member

$12 members, $15 non-member

$18 members, $22 non-member

sunday, January 11

sunday, January 18

saturday, January 24

John mccutcheon annual KVmr Fundraiser

John Gorka

dan Hicks and the Hot Licks

$20 KVmr & center members, $23 non-member

$20 members, $22 non-member

$25 members, $28 non-member

saturday, January 31

tuesday, February 3

sunday, February 15

Jesse cook

royal southern brotherhood

Fred eaglesmith travelling show

$40 members, $45 non-member

$22 members, $25 non-member

Friday, February 20

sunday, February 22

Friday, February 27

aLO

an evening with the

Special Guests: T Sisters

taj mahal trio

Jefferson starship

$22 members, $25 non-member

$58 members, $68 non-member

$35 members, $40 non-member

cenTer For The arTS PreSenTS

8 staGes OF music

cHiLdren’s PrOGrams WOrKsHOPs • dance artiSanS • CaMPinG internatiOnaL FOOd

neVada County FairGroundS 11228 mccourTney rd., GraSS Valley Visit Worldfest.net camping & day tickets *holiday prices available until Jan. 10*

Performs & celebrates the music of Jefferson airplane 50th anniversary

530.274.8384 • 314 W. Main St., GraSS Valley all shows at our intimate main staGe tHeater unless otherwise noted

b e co m e a m e m b e r & SaV e

For a complete listing of events visit:

tHecenterFOrtHearts.OrG 4

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

*Ticket prices do not include applicable fees

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

dive in

Submerge: an independently owned entertainment/lifestyle publication available for free biweekly throughout the greater Sacramento area.

177 2014 2015 December 15 – January 5

14 05 06 09 10 11 12

Dive in Submerge your senses The Stream The Optimistic Pessimist the grindhouse

Exodus: Gods and Kings chllngr

cofounder/ Editor in Chief/Art Director

Melissa Welliver melissa@submergemag.com cofounder/ Advertising Director

Jonathan Carabba jonathan@submergemag.com senior editor

James Barone Assistant Editor

Mandy Pearson

14 18 20 23

chuck ragan daniel choe preservation & co. calendar

Live << rewind

the shallow end

electric christmas

Contributing Writers

Zach Ahern, Amber Amey, Joe Atkins, Robin Bacior, Corey Bloom, Bocephus Chigger, Justin Cox, Alia Cruz, Julie De La Torre, Josh Fernandez, Catherine Foss, Blake Gillespie, Fabian Garcia, Lovelle Harris, Niki Kangas, Nur Kausar, Ryan Prado, Steph Rodriguez, Andrew C. Russell, Amy Serna, Jacob Sprecher, Jenn Walker

Melissa welliver melissa@submergemag.com If you pick up Submerge on the reg, you know we’re a bi-weekly publication, aka we come out every two weeks. What you may not remember or know is that every year around the holidays we put out a three-week issue. HooRAH! We finally get to take a week off and spend some quality time with friends and family, celebrate the holidays, party it up on NYE, read, snowboard… Oh, can you tell? I am a little excited for this time off. Before I unplug, let me fill you in on our last issue of 2014. We have a feature on local artist Daniel Choe, whose work was supposed to run through the end of December at Temple on 9th Street but unfortunately got taken down just before we went to press. But you can still view his work in our pages and read about Choe and his creative process starting on page 18. Stay in the loop with future art shows and products by visiting his website, Limeflavorednoms.com. Are you looking for a party to ring in the New Year? I’d highly suggest checking out the TBD NYE Block Party on 20th Street in between J and K streets in Midtown. There are some great DJs and bands performing such as A-Trak, Gigamesh, Oliver, Sister Crayon and one of my all-time favorites, CHLLNGR (who played our 50th Issue Party at Marilyn’s on K in January 2010). CHLLNGR mastermind Steven Jess Borth II is once again gracing our cover so many years later in celebration of his NYE performance. And because he has a fantastic sophomore LP, Form of Release, that was just released Oct. 27. Check out our feature starting on page 12. Maybe you are looking for other options to celebrate New Year’s Eve? We got you covered! Check out page 7 for our comprehensive list, “15 Ways to Ring in ‘15” and also check out our calendar section for many other things to do on NYE. Did you know Jan. 1 is National Bloody Mary Day? Well, now you do. There’s a rad local company, Preservation and Co., that makes the best Bloody Mary Mix known to man (yes, I’m a Bloody Mary connoisseur, so I can say that) and it’s produced right here in Sacramento. Check out page 20 and read up on owner Jason Poole, his specialty food products and his retail space, all starting on page 20. Still looking for holiday gifts for that foodie in your life? Swing by Preservation and Co. at 1717 19th Street in Sacramento and pick up some handcrafted quality gifts. Think Sacramento-meets-that-Portlandia-pickling-skit... but this place is seriously no joke! Last but not least, our other cover story, Chuck Ragan. Possibly best known as the lead singer and guitarist for Hot Water Music, he’s also idolized for his folk rock solo material. Ragan will be returning to Sacramento to perform solo on Jan. 10 at Goldfield Trading Post. We caught up with him to discuss living in Grass Valley, working on the soundtrack to a video game called Flame in the Flood and collaborating with Paige Anderson and the Fearless Kin (who coincidentally had a writeup in "The Stream" in our last issue). Dive into our Q&A with Ragan starting on page 14. Enjoy issue #177! And be sure to pick up our next issue on Jan. 5, 2015! Melissa

Submerge

1009 22nd Street, Suite 3 Sacramento, Calif. 95816

916.441.3803 info@submergemag.com printed on recycled paper

Contributing photographers

Josh Corrigan, Wesley Davis, Adam Dillion, Phill Mamula, Liz Simpson, Nicholas Wray

Submergemag.com

last Hoorah of 2014

front Cover Photo of chuck ragan by Lisa Johnson

All content is property of Submerge and may not be reproduced without permission. Submerge is both owned and published by Submerge Media. All opinions expressed throughout Submerge are those of the author and do not necessarily mean we all share those opinions. Feel free to take a copy or two for free, but please don’t remove our papers or throw them away. Submerge welcomes letters of all kinds, whether they are full of love or hate. We want to know what is on your mind, so feel free to contact us via snail mail at 1009 22nd Street, Suite 3 Sacramento, Calif. 95816. Or you can e-mail us at info@submergemag.com. back Cover Photo of CHLLNGR by Flemming Bo Jensen

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Men, Women & Children Cuts • Color • Highlights • Blowouts • Wax

Your Senses SEE HEAR TASTE Touch

December 15, 2014 through january 31, 2015 *New clieNts oNly

30% off

29 $ 65 $ 89 $

TASTE

Three New Pizza Joints In the Sacramento Region! Sacramento’s pizza scene has been straight up killing it for

Normally $40

wash, cut, & Blow dry

years! Masullo? Ah-freaking-mazing! Hot Italian? Consistently mind-blowing! OneSpeed? Yes, please! So the question is, can the Sacramento region handle more pizza? The short answer is, duh, you dummy. There can never be too much pizza! On the grid, there are a couple new spots you’ll want to immediately check out: Federalist Public House and Beer Garden (2009 N Street, enter through the alley) recently opened in the heart of Midtown to much acclaim (don’t sleep on their amazing breakfast pizzas!) and Pieology (1020 16th Street) is now open and is more of a “Chipotle ordering style” pizza joint, offering up nearly endless combo options. In the ‘burbs, Blaze Pizza is celebrating the opening of two new locations, one in Gold River’s Town Centre and the other at Highland Reserve Shopping Center in Roseville. Blaze offers a similar “interactive assembly-line format” at a super affordable price point (under $8!). So get out there, pizza lovers, and experience some new pies!

30% off Normally $85 or more

cut, color, & style

30% off Normally $115 or more

highlights, cut, & Blow dry

appoiNtmeNts availaBle!

916.905.6725 621 Capitol Mall

{inside sola salon} saCraMento, California

1517 21st street sacramentO Open Daily at 4 pm

916.704.0711 starlitelOunge.net

events calendar wed. december 17 7pm

sat. january 3 8pm

acoustic niGht w/

the zombie club presents:

eriC piGeon | denver J MeGhan bone fri. december 19 8pm

paraSitiC eJaCuLation LeprouS divinity CoMpetinG the brotherhood of eLLipSiS sat. december 20 8pm

MindfLoWerS GhoStpLay drive thru MyStiCS SiLver SpoonS W/ Mad aLCheMy LiGht ShoW

sat. december 27 8pm

roSWeLL | eden vieW oStriCh theory wed. december 31 8pm $5

new years celebration dJ riGatony

(mainstream/mashup music)

Free champaGne toast at midnite

Happy HOur mOn - fri 4 tO 7 pm

every weDnesDay! 8 pm | free Open mic cOmeDy Jam

dead hooker’s ball tues. january 6 8pm

Chain and the GanG G Green | SCreature thurs. january 8 9pm

this Green city:

post-punk, Goth, new wave niGht

dJ dire deLorean dJ Chat noir fri. january 9 8pm

arChanGeL (MiSfitS tribute) SLeep no More the Left hand sat. january 10 8:30pm

defyant CirCLe CaSt the CLarity the hybrid CreepS trikoMe mon. january 12 8pm

inCantation | funeruS pLaGue WidoW + More

every friDay serving american style tO 5:30 7:30 pm Bill mylar’s Hippy HOur

quality cOmfOrt fOOD alOng witH fresH & HealtHy cHOices

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

SEE

Walking With Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular Jan. 1–4

After 65 million years since they first ruled the planet, the dinosaurs are back! Well, sort of. The Walking With Dinosaurs Arena Spectacular is the closest you’ll get to a real-life visit to Jurassic Park, and this massive show is stomping its way through Sacramento from Jan. 1 to 4 at Sleep Train Arena. Renowned designers worked with scientists to create 20 life-size dinosaurs and the result is a show that you have to see to believe! Watch them walk, hear them roar, audiences of any age will be blown away by this show. Some quick fun-facts: WWD has been performed in over 200 cities, seen by more than 7 million people, it takes three people to operate one dinosaur, and 27 trucks to move the production! Visit Dinosaurlive.com for a link to buy tickets (starting at $27.50) and to learn more about the show. Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

HEAR

15 Ways to Ring in ‘15!

Whether you’re on the grid or in the ‘burbs, the greater Sacramento area doesn’t lack in the “things to do on New Year’s Eve” category. Just check out this list of 15 ways to ring in 2015! We’ve got everything from rock shows with metal bands, to stand-up shows with the best local comics, to dance parties with big-name DJs and everything in between. Happy New Year’s, y’all, and remember to please be safe (and smart) out there!

1 Head bang till midnight at the “Sac of Stars” show at B oa r d wa l k featuring Korean Fire Drill,

Clockwork Hero, ForNever, Graveshadow and about a

dozen other locals! Doors at 7 p.m., no cover charge, 21-and-over, free champagne toast.

Enjoy New Year’s Eve in the foothills with slide guitar master

Take the Historic Folsom District by storm this New Year’s with a super-fun dance party at

Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings at M a i n

Pow e r ho u s e P u b

featuring local cover band Take Out ! Doors open at 9 p.m.,

S tag e Th e at e r

in Grass Valley! Tickets start at $40 for general admission, show starts at 9 p.m.

21-and-over. Bonus: stop into Samuel Horne’s Tavern before the show to check out their amazing beer list!

Dance the night away with a huge balloon drop and confetti galore at D i s t r i c t 3 0 with sounds by Well Groomed. $25 cover charge, party starts at 9 p.m., free champagne toast.

Bundle up for TBD Fest’s massive outdoor block party at 2 0 t h a n d

3 Dress your best for a party to remember at Pa r k U lt r a Lo u n g e with DJ Peeti V. Watch the ball drop on their LED Wall, get free party favors and enjoy a free champagne toast at midnight. $40 presale, $50 at the doors, event starts at 8 p.m.

K s t r e e t s i n M i d t ow n

featuring world class DJ and majorfestival-level headliner A-Trak ! Also performing is Gigamesh,

Oliver, Nick Catchdubs, Sister Crayon, CHLLNGR and

more! 21-and-over, multiple ticket levels available (general admission starts at $45), Tbdnye.com for details.

6 Love music from the ‘80s and ‘90s? Head to H a r l ow ’ s to kick it with cover band extraordinaire Lovefool ! Doors open at 9 p.m., $20 cover, 21-and-over.

8 Get down with some mainstream mashups from DJ Rigatony at S ta r l i t e ’s NYE Celebration! Two floors, pool table and the kitchen will be open until 10 p.m. Guest hosts Lori Love and Miss Lisa. $5 cover, 9 p.m., free champagne toast at midnight.

9 If you want to see some absolutely massive headliners and are not afraid of a little snow and possible sub-zero temps, definitely consider heading to S o u t h La k e Taho e for SnowGlobe, which runs Dec. 29 to 31! Acts like

Disclosure, Skrillex, Porter Robinson, Atmosphere, Phantogram and about a

million others will keep you warm with their dance-heavy sets! Single day tickets are $99.

Why not mix some gambling with your NYE party at Th u n d e r Va l l e y C as i n o ? Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is performing (7:30 p.m. in Pano Hall, $47.75), and there is also a grand opening celebration for their new nightclub, Illusions, where DJ Thomas will spin jams all night (9 p.m., $50).

Three of the best local party throwers (DJ Larry Rodriguez, MC Ham and DJ Wokstar) are getting together at Fox a n d G oos e to spin some soul, funk, reggae, disco and more! Smoke, lasers, party favors, the whole nine. Cover is only $10, party starts at 9 p.m.

11 If you’re looking for something different this New Year’s, check out P u n ch l i n e ’s “2014’s Last Laughs” comedy show! Two shows, one at 7:30 p.m. with local faves

Ngaio Bealum, Ray Molina, John Ross and more. The late show (10 p.m.) will have Johnny Taylor, Keith Lowell Jensen, DJ Mervin and others, as well as

a DJ playing dance music and a free champagne toast at midnight. 18-andover, $25.40 for early show, $31.80 for late show, Punchlinesac.com.

12 Not into DJs, electronic dance music and/or indie bands? More of a country guy or gal? Ain’t no shame! Grab your boots and cowboy hat and head to

Goldfield Tr ading Pos t for a “yee-haw” New

14 The annual Lipstick Presents NYE at O l d I r o n s i d e s features a live performance from Sunmonks this year, plus DJs Shaun Slaughter, Roger Carpio and Adam Jay. Complimentary champagne toast, midnight ball drop, tons of giveaways. $8 tickets available in advance at Cuffs Urban Apparel.

15 Enjoy a small, intimate gathering in Davis when the rootsy-yetdancey local group Mumbo Gumbo rocks a NYE bash to remember at the O d d F e l l ows H a l l . Limited to only 225 tickets! Check out Mumbogumbo.com for more info on where to snag those limited tickets.

Year's with the excellent Brodie Stewart Band ! The party starts at 9 p.m., and there is no cover charge, 21-and-over only.

TOUCH

Grab Some Toys and Head to Rock for Tots 10 • Dec. 18 Rock for Tots is an annual concert and toy drive that year after year, for 10 years now, has donated piles of toys to kids in the community, all while rocking out and celebrating local music! This year Rock for Tots is on Thursday, Dec. 18 at Blue lamp and will feature five rad local bands that all played Concerts in the Park this year: Saint Solitaire, Lonely Kings, FUDI, The Harbor and The Moans. The show will be hosted by Gene Chowder. Concertgoers bring a toy and receive a ticket for a chance to win a raffle prize from local vendors such as Getta Clue, LowBrau, Tank House, Spanish Fly Hair Garage, Article Consignment, Maverique Style House, American Graffiti Tattoo and others. All toys go to Salvation Army. $10 cover, 21-and-over.

SubmergeMag.com

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Sacramento’S neweSt country Bar, reStaurant, and live muSic venue Mondays

Open Mic night

hosted by James Cavern fri dec 19 21+ / 9Pm / free

sat dec 20

21+ / 8Pm / $20

fri dec 26 21+ / 9Pm / free

Free Line

Dancing

sen

pre

tuesdays

LessOns

manzanita

with special guest

chad BuShnell

thu dec 31 21+ / 9Pm / free

fri Jan 2 21+ / 9Pm / free

fri Jan 9 all ageS / 9Pm / free

Jackie lee

new years eve!

toree mcGee

wednesdays

Bar gaMes Beer pOng cOrnhOLe

Big Buck hunter 1st thursdays

with rodeo houSe

Live cOuntry BanD

karaOke

sat Jan 10

21+ / 9Pm / $20

thu Jan 15

21+ / 9Pm / $15

coMing soon:

Jan 17 the golden cadillacs

JOhnny cash cOver BanD

Jan 23 Michael Beck Band

saturdays

Jan 16

crossMan connection

Jan 24 westBound 50 Jan 30 kenny frye Band feB 6 JaMes otto

1630 J street (Corner of J & 17) SaCramento goldfieldtradingpost.coM

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

3rd thursdays

Live Music & cOuntry DJ Dancing Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The stream Midtown Venue Witch Room Goes Out In Style With “Sac Go Home Fest” Feat. 20+ Local Bands!

Witness Hilarity at the 3rd Annual NonDrummer Drum Off at Harlow’s on Dec. 19 Jonathan Carabba

Send regional news tips to info@submergemag.com Another one bites the dust. We hate to say it, but in case you haven’t already heard, the short-lived Midtown music venue Witch Room is set to close its doors for good at the end of December. If you’re keeping track (we sure are!) this is the fourth Sacramento venue to shut down in the last year. First Luigi’s Slice and Fungarden, then Marilyn’s on K, then Assembly Music Hall, now Witch Room. In a statement released by Witch Room co-founder Olivia Coelho, she said, “The simple fact is that we were not able to sustain enough revenue to cover our expenses and provide compensation to the founders that was sufficient to justify our efforts.” She went on to point out that they knew what they were doing (read: “fostering creativity”) was risky and difficult, but that they wanted to give it a good 10-month shot to see what happened. She also pointed out that she and Witch Room’s co-founders all “expect to maintain our intense interest in the cultural life of this city that we love, and hope to contribute to it in the future.” It was rumored that Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, owners of Ace of Spades and Goldfield, had shown interest in purchasing Witch Room and keeping it a live music venue, but when we hit them up Rushing told us that they “walked away from the deal.” (More on Rushing and Bair’s attempts to purchase a new venue will be in our next issue!) While we are incredibly sad to see Witch Room close (we’ve been to more than a few awesome shows there this year and have done quite a bit of editorial coverage on artists performing there), we are also excited to see that they will be going out in style with a super-rad two-day local music free-for-all (literally, it’s free) called “Sac Go Home Fest” on Saturday, Dec. 27 and Sunday, Dec. 28. Organizer Drew Walker (also Witch Room’s beloved sound guy and talented local musician) told Submerge that Sac Go Home Fest is “purely for the community,” and that “it’s gonna be all locals who were down to play for free to celebrate the place!” As of press time Walker had confirmed 20-plus solid locals for the weekend-long shindig. On Saturday, you’ve got bands such as Pregnant, Lite Brite, PETS, Removed, Carson McWhirter/Nick Reinhart Duo, Cove, Honyock, Musical Charis and a couple others. On Sunday, Walker has lined up Doofy Doo (his own project), along with Fine Steps, Appetite, Dad?, Dog Party, The Kelps, Squidz, an open jam with Instagon and much more. “Come help the WR staff, friends, fans and haters celebrate both the life and death of Sac’s coolest shortest lived venue,” Walker wrote on the event’s Facebook page. “Buy all of our beer and make us an offer on the refrigerators too. And then, Sacramento, go home.”

Drummers are arguably the most important members of any band. Think about it, if your drummer sucks and can’t play in time, you’re going to have a rough go of it trying to get people to come out to your shows. On the flipside, the 3rd Annual Non-Drummer Drum Off, going down on Friday, Dec. 19 at Harlow’s, actually thrives on bad drumming; in fact, that’s what it’s all about! Every year Bryan Nichols (from the local jam-band ZuhG) gathers a bunch of people from the Sacramento music community who are not percussionists and gets them to perform a drum solo in front of judges (actual drummers from local bands). The winner is the worst drummer. It’s always a lot of fun, the vibe is usually joke-y and lighthearted, nobody takes themselves too seriously. This year, just some of the non-drummers that will be banging the shit out of the kit are Clay Nutting (co-owner of LowBrau and co-organizer of TBD Fest), Xochitl Hermosillo (local singer/songwriter), Nick Miller (co-editor at SN&R), Kenny Buchanan (aka Kenny the Dancing Man), Joshua Dale Kräge (of local band The Pressure Lounge), Bob Poole (owner DOME Printing and bassist OH! THE BAND), Justin Butler (guitarist in local band Ideateam), and many others, including yours truly (this will be my second Non-Drummer Drum Off, and I don’t know how Nichols keeps talking me into this!). There will be a couple actual performances from locals as well: Joseph in the Well and Jeffry Valerio (of Riotmaker, who also will be playing in the drum-off), and then to top the night off, Nichols has booked an amazing soul/hip-hop/ jazz band from Santa Cruz called Joomanji that will be taking the stage to back-up vocalist Salami Rose. Doors open at 9:30 p.m., 21-and-over only, and the cover is just $10.

RESTAURANT •• BAR CLUB •• RESTAURANT COMEDY COMEDY CLUB BAR

THURSDAY 12/18 - SUNDAY 12/21 FROM E!’S CHELSEA LATELY AND TRUTV’S BARMAGEDDON!

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SANDY STEC, ROBERT BERRY FRIDAY 12/26 - SUNDAY 12/28

FROM THE OFFICE AND LOGO TV’S THE STRAIGHT OUT REPORT!

MIKE E. WINFIELD JASON RESLER, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

TUESDAY 12/30

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

The Optimistic Pessimist Physics is hard. Quantum physics is even more difficult. Quantum physics is the study of the extremely small and the weird things that seem to happen when things get that tiny. The field has many theories to explain how the universe works at the sub-atomic level, but not all have been tested. Part of the problem with physics is that physicists want to measure everything. For a long time, they happily occupied themselves with that, until Niels Bohr came along and crushed all the bean counters. To solve a problem in quantum physics, Niels theorized that not all things can be measured with certainty; so, for those un-measurable things, there can only be probabilities that the measurement will come out a certain way. If that sounds confusing as hell, it’s because it is. Hugh Everett also thought Niels Bohr’s idea lacked a certain amount of panache, so he came up with his own in 1957. As an alternative to Bohr’s theory, Everett hypothesized that when an event has different possible outcomes, the universe branches and each outcome plays out in a parallel universe. Those different universes

A Better Universe

are all part of the one multiverse, which grows with each new possibility. It’s called the Many-Worlds Interpretation and I can see your eyes starting to glaze over already, so I will cut to the chase. Every time you make a decision, the you in the universe next door goes another route and suffers the consequences/reaps the rewards of that move. That means that in one universe, the perfect version of you is handling shit like a pro, while in another, the worst possible version of you is on the loose, fucking everything up. So which one are you? Are you the good one or the rotten, no good, worthless son of a bitch version of yourself in this universe? If you are the asshole, you can at least take solace in knowing that you aren’t alone. This world certainly has its share of shitheads who seem to have drawn the multi-dimensional short stick. Take Donald Trump, for example. Seriously, do any other universes out there need another Donald Trump? Sure, he is wealthy and famous, but does that really change the fact that he is a complete and total douchebag? What does he have to offer to this world besides a

shitty attitude, a bad haircut and gold-covered everything? Our Donald Trump is a blathering, mindless, self-promoting orangutan and he got that way through the decisions he’s made. I bet the best Donald Trump in the multiverse is also rich, except that it’s because he is a doctor, a veterinarian, an entomologist and a retired soldier. He probably runs a homeless shelter that offers free vet care and healthcare for veterans. I bet he also invented a cure for malaria and a cheap portable water purification system for use in third world countries and during disasters and he gives both away for free! I’m sure he has a lush head of red hair and is married to a woman of modest looks and means. He’s probably declined requests to run for president more times than he can remember because he simply detests the spotlight. Speaking of the spotlight-weary, I used to think we had the best possible Bill Cosby in the multiverse when I was growing up. The Cosby Show was the shit, his stand-up had me dying and Fat Albert was my jam. Hell, I even liked Jell-O Pudding Pops. Now I find out Bill Cosby has been spending the last few decades dipping his pudding pop into women he’s drugged! He continues to

Bocephus Chigger bocephus@submergemag.com deny it, but the allegations are piling up. Methinks our Bill ain’t the best. The best Bill Cosby in the multiverse would be largely the same I bet, only without all the rapey bits. He’d still be funny as hell, but he wouldn’t roofie women that catch his eye. In fact, he probably uses his influence to help women with their careers. He’s been monogamous with his wife, Clair Huxtable since the early 80’s and they have five lovely children named, Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and Rudy. Our versions of Donald Trump and Bill Cosby are deeply flawed, but they don’t have to be. In a different universe they may both be upstanding members of the community and pillars of their respective societies. We can thank quantum physics and Hugh Everett’s Many-Worlds Interpretation for giving us hope that better versions of these awful people exist, even if it’s in universes running parallel to our own. Maybe someday physicists will find a way to peer into these other universes so that we can see these great versions of terrible people. Or maybe our Donald Trump and Bill Cosby can save us the time and money and just stop being assholes.

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Submerge Magazine Dec 8.indd 1

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas 12/4/14 6:12 PM

The grindhouse

Moses On Ketamine Exodus: Gods and Kings pg-13 Words Jacob Sprecher Bible stories. You know you’ve been waiting for them. And guess what? They’re here, and some of them star Russell Crowe! Let me just reassure you that there’s nothing wrong with fantasizing about Dwayne Johnson as Goliath in the next James Cameron film. David vs. Goliath is a Bible story, right? I don’t really remember. Like many, I went to Sunday school as a kid but was ultimately unaffected. I harbor no ill will toward Christianity, though no particular reverence either. I feel perfectly capable of looking at a movie like Exodus: Gods and Kings, and reviewing it without bias. Because when you get right down to it, the Bible is full of amazing stories (whether or not there’s any truth to them is a conversation for another time between people who actually care about such things). But at the very least, the Bible is a treasure trove of allegory and adventure, and it makes perfect sense that Hollywood would begin turning more and more of its tales into major motion pictures. Exodus: Gods and Kings is the story of Moses. Driven out of Egypt by Pharaoh Ramses after the revelation of his Hebrew roots, Moses defies exile by leading 600,000 Hebrew slaves from their collective shackles under the guise of Almighty God. Christian Bale portrays the man of the hour, leading a relatively star-studded cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul and of course (being that this is a Ridley Scott film) Sigourney Weaver. Seemingly all the necessary ingredients are at hand for a massive epic, and clocking in at 150 minutes, you’d have to believe that Scott felt the same. But, simply put, Exodus is boring. No. It’s a horse tranquilizer. Other words that might describe its aspect would be stale, milquetoast and overreaching. Let us now evaluate each word above and its applicable nature. Boring: Good Lord does this film plod. Long stretches of uninteresting dialogue wrapped in a cloak of Biblical history has a way of wearing SubmergeMag.com

one down after a while. And by “a while” I mean about three minutes. Stale: The acting is lifeless. Joel Edgerton’s portrayal of Pharaoh Ramses couldn’t possibly be less intriguing, and the same can pretty much be said for the lot of ‘em. (When John Turturro is flat-out invisible in a character role, you know there’s something wrong.) And you’d also think that recreating Egypt BCE would equal somewhat of a visual thrill, but again, you’d be wrong. It’s like Moses went to Modesto. Milquetoast: Difficulty catching five winks in your busy schedule? Try the Exodus action sequences on for size. They’re so spineless, at one point I actually thought the poor soul next to me was taking a nap with his eyes open. Overreaching: As someone who doesn’t know how many pages in the Bible are actually dedicated to the story of Moses, I can only reflect on what the film has to offer. And what it does offer is a setup far too grand for a payoff far too small. No Charlton Heston moment here. In other news, I’ve heard some criticism regarding the film’s casting and its general lack of Eastern faces. Moses certainly didn’t look anything like Christian Bale, that’s for sure. But this is par for the course, and follows a longstanding tradition of cinematic opuses that reads like the 11th Commandment: “When in doubt, cast white people and give them British accents.” You’re also sure to hear critiques on the film’s historical accuracy, which to me is laughable, as it is in all likelihood a made-up story in the first place. Though I suppose if you really do believe the Bible word for word, you’ll find something legitimate to take umbrage with, just as I do with, say, The Rum Diary. I feel comfortable saying that there are worse movies than Exodus: Gods and Kings. It’s not repellent, it’s just not any damn good. I kept thinking how much it reminded me of Kingdom of Heaven, which I later realized is also directed by Ridley Scott. It’s possible that if you’re a practicing Christian, you’ll find a smattering of interest here. But religion should not mask the fact that this is just a dull, forgettable film.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

The Global Village

Though he makes his home in Copenhagen, Steven Jess Borth II’s electronica project CHLLNGR has deep Sacramento roots Words Blake Gillespie photo Flemming Bo Jensen

he Red Bull Studios Copenhagen website is written entirely in Danish, but search “CHLLNGR” and you’ll likely land on a video mostly spoken in English, aside from a few locals in a bread store. The video features CHLLNGR (stylized, vowel-less Challenger), an experimental dub music project masterminded by Steven Jess Borth II, laying down tracks in the Red Bull Studio for its sophomore record, Form Of Release. The documentary mostly depicts scenery from Copenhagen and the studio, recording artists in indigenous garb from New York City and rappers from the United Kingdom, but in the midst of this global project is Sacramento. Oddly, our city has played a pivotal role in Borth’s project since its inception in 2010. CHLLNGR performed at the Submerge 50th Issue Party in 2010, having graced the magazine cover in anticipation of his then-untitled debut album. At the time CHLLNGR was in a larval state, still largely faithful to dub music traditions of instrumental reworkings of recordings that slug along at a reggae beat stripped to its “riddims,” which translates to bass and drums. It’s a genre pioneered by artists like Lee “Scratch” Perry, Errol Thompson and King Tubby. In those days CHLLNGR consisted of Borth, Andrew “Young Aundee” Southard and Dan “DJ Whores” Osterhoff in the live setup. But behind the scenes, the project relied on a troupe of local collaborators who continue to be influential cogs four years later on Form of Release, namely Dusty Brown and Justin “Dr. Echo” DeHart. Much like British outfit Unkle, CHLLNGR defies simplistic classification because Borth seemingly doesn’t have “no” in his vocabulary. It loosely takes the form of a collective, rather than a solo project, as each release hosts a revolving cast both credited as guest features and buried in the fine print of liner notes. The only consistency across CHLLNGR’s two LPs (Form of Release and 2011’s debut Haven), outtakes release Hidden Tracks, and the Datter EP are Borth and the mastering finesse of Dr. Echo. Well, perhaps one other: Sacramento.

For example, Haven’s closer “Dusty” features vocals from Jessica Brown, a long-time contributor to her brother’s eponymous project Dusty Brown. The lyrics to “Dusty” were written by Young Aundee, while the title of the song is assumed to be a reference to Dusty, who opened his studio to Borth to create early Haven demos. “Dusty gave me access to all his vintage gear,” Borth said. “In that period Young Aundee was there in Dusty’s studio most of the time and he played a really big part. He did most of the arrangements for [“Dusty”], also he did the lead synth on ‘Ask For’ and quite a bit more.” In the initial Submerge interview, Borth mentioned a few particularly noisy recording sessions with Zach Hill of Death Grips, although it is unknown if they were utilized for Haven—given its nocturnal, downtempo qualities I’m inclined to think not. But in those early sessions Borth’s mindset was hinged upon experimentation. Whereas on Form of Release, CHLLNGR has evolved into a wish list come true of vocalists and co-producers. “Form of Release, I really wanted to have a vocal album,” he said. “I was comfortable with some instrumentals, but I definitely wanted something that was not necessarily traditional pop songs, but a weird pop music.” The detraction from having Red Bull’s insoluble budget was that Borth got his wish in the form of a curse. The album features JOSIAHWISE IS THE SERPENTWITHFEET from New York City, Dels from the United Kingdom, Grace Hall of Skin Town from Los Angeles, Blaqstarr from Maryland, and no possibility of uniting this group for a live set, particularly JOSIAHWISE, who contributes to five tracks. “It’s pretty much just been me,” Borth said. “I’ll sing the songs in their place. With JOSIAH’s songs it’s very tough because he’s an insanely talented vocalist and writes complicated melodies I can’t exactly pull off.” When I ask about his live setup for his New Year’s Eve performance at this year’s TBD’s New Year’s Eve Block Pary, Borth laughs at the thought as he mentions he’ll have to rely on Sacramento once again. “I need to start sending some emails around because I need to borrow some equipment,” he said. “But I want some old friends to join me on stage as well.”

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

If Borth is the captain of CHLLNGR, Dr. Echo is his first mate. Through emails he wrote that he and Borth never met properly in Sacramento, though he theorizes they were “probably in the same place at the same time on numerous occasions.” Though his connection to Sacramento has faded, Dr. Echo began as a drummer in dub band The Defendants with former !!! member Tyler Pope, and later ran Soundlab Studios in various Midtown locations before moving to Los Angeles in 2002. Having mixed “98 percent” of CHLLNGR’s output, Dr. Echo was flown out from his current home in Anaheim to Copenhagen on Red Bull’s dollar at Borth’s request. Dusty Brown was also flown to the studio in the last week for the task of “filling in the gaps,” according to Borth. “Dusty was crucial,” Borth said. “It’s always been in the back of my head to collaborate more with him. I just have a lot of respect for him, his stylings, how quick he is and how he can really bring his ideas to the table and they can be very well thought-out. He has so many years of experience with electronic music that he can just get in there and finish up any ideas that I had started. He tied up the loose ends in a huge way.” Borth is the captain of CHLLNGR, there’s no questioning it. In a Skype call we discussed the process “I really think of recording in the Red CHLLNGR’s music Bull Studio and he notes truly exists in the that the majority of the songwriting was cracks of today’s done on his laptop genres.” – Justin with a micro-Korg and “Dr. Echo” DeHart, spring reverb prior Steven Jess Borth II’s to their three-week frequent recording stint. He said collaborator the documentary just captures the focused grind of piecing an album together in three weeks. “Most of it was doing really nerdy stuff,” he said. “Just running the sounds I’d already made and having the other collaborators record their vocal parts. Dels came out and JOSIAH came out. Justin [Dr. Echo] was there pretty much the whole time with me.” As first mate, Dr. Echo has witnessed the evolution of CHLLNGR from dub homage to a spacious nocturnal metamorphosis on Haven, and into the Form of Release sessions, which reveal CHLLNGR at its most pop-y and universally catered state. He attributes the early alterations to Borth’s love of R&B as a heavy influence on the distinct sound, particularly in the melodies and harmonies, and the more recent growth to his prolific mind for collaboration. “I think it should be evident that dub music from the ‘70s to ‘80s is a major influence on his sound,” Dr. Echo wrote. “However, ‘dub’ can be a vague term these days. Qualities such as spaciousness, sonic subversiveness and otherworldliness seem Ring in the New Year with to remain appropriate CHLLNGR and an A-list lineup at to CHLLNGR’s sound this TBD’s New Year’s Eve Block throughout the years… I Party, which will take place Dec. 31 (duh) on 20th Street between really think CHLLNGR’s J and K streets. A-Trak, Sister music truly exists in the Crayon and Gigamesh (among cracks of today’s genres.” others) will also perform. Tickets start at $45. Check out Tbdnye. com for more info.

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Home Sweet Home

Chuck Ragan finds peace and tranquility on his latest album, Till Midnight Words James Barone • PHoto Lisa Johnson

huck Ragan’s gravelly voice sounds like the open road. The former lead singer for post-hardcore standard-bearers Hot Water Music turned folk rock troubadour has forged a loyal following by pounding the pavement and plying his earnest and emotionally stirring song craft in clubs and venues worldwide. He’s so in tune with the highways and byways of America and beyond that he even compiled a collection of his and various other touring musicians’ anecdotes and travel stories in The Road Most Traveled in 2012. However, for his latest album, Till Midnight (released in March 2014), Ragan took a break from his hectic touring life and immersed himself in familiar surroundings. Till Midnight was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by Blind Melon’s Christopher Thorn, and was tested live prior to recording during a European tour, but the project really started coming together in Ragan’s home in Grass Valley, California. After releasing the aforementioned book, reuniting with Hot Water Music, working on his own solo stuff and embarking on the Revival tour, a collaborative acoustic event, Ragan was in need of a break. “My problem is I have a lot of ideas,” he says with a laugh. “It always looks better on paper, you know what I mean? Once the calendar starts showing up, and you start committing to things and then when real life comes into play, the next thing you know you’re gone most of the time. It makes it harder for loved ones at home, for sure.” Luckily for Ragan, where he calls home is a “beautiful” and “healing place.” “You don’t have to go very far to be completely submerged in the outdoors,” he says. “That’s a big part of my life, being on the river fly-fishing. I take a lot of field walks with my dogs as well. We hunt and we fish, but there’s so much more to it than just harvesting game and eating food that we find. We find the peace and tranquility the outdoors have to offer. That’s what it’s all about for me, and I had a lot of time to do that.” It was a reflective time for Ragan, but also a time to just kick back and enjoy life at a slower pace. It was out of this headspace that the songs on Till Midnight were born. It’s an uplifting collection of catchy, yet still raw and rocking songs stamped with Ragan’s indelible vocals. “I was spending a lot of quality time with my wife and my dogs,” he says. “We were still working, but I wasn’t on the road, which was really nice to get grounded again.” It was so nice Ragan even invited his backing band, The Camaraderie, and other collaborators to his home for preproduction. He says their days would usually start with fishing before moving into the studio, then they’d cook and sit around the fire and talk. “We did a lot of work on the songs, but I wasn’t worried about the songs,” he says. “I knew that once we got into the studio, it would just come together. The structures were pretty much there, and those guys were so pro that everything fell into place. To me, it was more about finding that bond, just coming together.” Ragan is closing out 2014 on the road with The Camaraderie, and will play a series of solo shows (including a stop at Sacramento’s Goldfield Trading Post) in early 2015. He’ll also be heading back into the studio, this time to record music for The Flame in the Flood, a video game developed by some of the creative minds behind Rock Band, Halo and BioShock. We opened the following interview discussing this forthcoming soundtrack.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

I wanted to start off by talking about The Flame in the Flood. I checked out the trailer for this video game, and I was riveted by it. How did you get involved with this project? Scott Sinclair has been an old friend for years. He did the majority of the artwork for the Hot Water Music releases, and he’s a part of The Molasses Flood [game developers]. Scott, along with a lot of the other folks involved, thought that my music…would be fitting for their project. They came to me and showed me some of their work and what they were shooting for, and I just fell in love with the idea and the concept. And then we just started collaborating, trading ideas and finding out what they were looking for and what they wanted to hear—just getting the overall vibe of the message they wanted to convey with this project. I started writing and sending them tunes, and they loved them. I’m thrilled to be working on something like this. It’s exhilarating for me… I really enjoy…when people bring forth their ideas and want me more or less to translate them into music, it’s always a challenging but really exciting process to be a part of. I’d imagine it would be a lot different than writing for an album. What did you have to go on to write the songs? Did you have clips from the game? They sent me some clips. I asked them to send me anything they could to help me find some inspiration and find the right path. They sent me everything from clips to a breakdown of the game and the sequences and some of the experiences that the character in the game would encounter. They sent me word clouds, all kinds of stuff. It was pretty clear to me right off the bat that a lot of the points they wanted me to touch upon in the music was stuff I already write about, so that’s where we both found a strong connection. What did you find most inspiring about the game? The title song you wrote that’s featured in the trailer is beautiful. Thank you. Simply just the will to survive, no matter what. This is a game where a young girl and her dog are navigating through a broken world and running into situations where she gets sick, gets lost or has to build a fire, or has to find food. When all odds are against her, she has to find the will to survive. That’s where I found a lot of the inspiration. You worked with Paige Anderson and the Fearless Kin on “The Flame in the Flood.” They’re an upand-coming band out of Grass Valley… Yeah, I’m thrilled with them. I love that family so much. I found them when we first moved to the area. My wife and I…were walking through the county fair and we came across this tiny little stage with hay bales out, and we looked over and saw this family. And they were young… Daisy I think was 5 years old, and Paige was 13 at the time. They were just dressed to the nines. We were like, man, I don’t know what’s about to happen here, but it looked like it was going to be good. We just sat down and fell in love with that family. We laughed, we cried. It was so cool and moving. Ever since then, I’ve followed and supported them. I helped Paige write her first song and just SubmergeMag.com

“You don’t have to go very far to be completely submerged in the outdoors. That’s a big part of my life, being on the river fly-fishing. I do a lot of field walks with my dogs as well. We hunt and we fish, but there’s so much more to it than just harvesting game and eating food that we find. We find the peace and tranquility the outdoors have to offer. That’s what it’s all about for me, and I had a lot of time to do that.” – Chuck Ragan on life in the foothills did what I could to show them what I know, and what I thought they should be doing. They’re not kids anymore, but all they want to do is live and breathe music. They just put out a record called Foxes in June that I helped them out with a little bit. It’s pretty awesome to see what they’re doing and where they’re going with their music and how they believe in it. When you started out in music, did you have someone who played a similar role for you, like someone who showed you the ropes or gave you advice? For sure. I had a guy who showed me how to play simple chords when I was 12 years old…28 years ago [laughs]. He also told me I could do whatever I wanted to do. My grandfather was probably my biggest inspiration in those days. My father wanted me to follow sports. I was good at it, and that’s what he wanted. I loved skateboarding and everything, but he wanted me to stick with the games. When I wanted to start playing music, that was the last thing [my parents] wanted me to do. My grandfather, I’ll never forget it, I was playing a song for him. I could barely even play. Bless his heart, he was being patient listening to me fumble through a song, and he said, “Son, you love playing that thing?” I said, “yeah, granddad,” and he said, “Well then you’re a damn fool if you ever put it down, and don’t let anyone ever tell you any different—even if it’s your parents.” That just blew my mind. At that age, we always rebelled against our parents, but for some reason when granddad said something, you listened. That was a turning point in my life. You have a solo show coming up in the New Year at Goldfield Trading Post in Sacramento. Do you arrange your set list a lot differently when you’re performing solo? A lot of the times, I don’t even make a set list. People are always so kind to request songs, and if I can play them, I’ll play them. I play music for myself, but I’m playing shows for the folks who want to see them. I’ll be playing some new stuff and stuff from The Flame in the Flood as well as a lot of stuff off See Chuck Ragan play solo of Till Midnight, at Goldfield Trading Post which sounds a (1630 J Street, Sacramento) lot different than on Jan. 10. Tickets for when I’m playing the 9 p.m., 21-and-over alone as opposed show are $20 and can be purchased through to a full band. Goldfieldtradingpost.com.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

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Tickets Available @ dimple Records, Armadillo Online: AceOfSpadesSac.com By Phone: 1.877.GNd.CTRl OR 916.443.9202 Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

It’s All in the Details

Inside the Creative Mind of Local Artist Daniel Choe words Alia Cruz

rtist Daniel Choe lives in what he describes as “a more colorful neurological hemisphere.” His mind is constantly reaping the essence of overlooked beauty caught in the monotony of day to day life, only to let it seep in his brain and regurgitate it all via ink onto a blank canvas. Choe creates pieces with the blackest calligraphylike lines. You can see where he increases pressure on his utensil to create the marks that stain his canvas, spreading the ink darker and wider. The ink forms to create a topographic landscape with layers upon layers of varying depths that unite to make one entity, often splashed with a bit of watercolor. He has described his work as being “An evolving culmination of matter that stems from my creative and illogical outbursts.” You may have seen Daniel's work wrapped around the silver coffee thermos from Temple Coffee, which is reportedly almost sold out because it was so dang pretty. I recently met up with Choe (pronounced Choy), to find out where he is, and where he plans to be.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

may 3-31 How has your show at Temple been? It has been really good. I always work on art purely for self-gratification. Just to say my motivations with these things are usually me working on art because it feels good to me. Inquiries are never expected, but it has really been a pleasant after-effect of displaying my art in this show. I feel like I am being gifted with interests and opportunities right now. You also designed a special thermos for Temple. Yes, Temple asked me to help design a limited edition thermos for their artist series. I also manage one of the Temple locations, so I work closely with them on a daily basis. I chose to wrap a coffee plant around the thermos. It sold way better than I expected and was really successful. In fact, I think they are pretty much gone and sold out. Temple, however, has some more really cool things planned in terms of the thermos series. You also participated in the Pizza Rock pizza box design contest? I created this really intricate and detailed box for Pizza Rock in a competition they held a little while ago. I utilized every section of the box from front to back, and even did a bit of research on the owners and took some of those findings and included little personal trademarks for each one. Only they would be able to find the trademarks among my designs.

Do you come from artistic roots? My dad was a musician who drew on the side. At the time, I remember thinking he was really good. I mean, I still think he is really good, but it wasn’t his main artistic commitment. He was just a very creative person, and drawing was simply another avenue to express that. For me, it is my primary direction. The last few years, I have taken on a very serious relationship with it. Dad was a jazz percussionist who also played strings. I remember I would often bug my dad to draw me small things. Despite this, I actually didn’t grow up in a household where art was commended. I’ll accomplish something, yet, I’m not a doctor or lawyer so its not good enough. I can honestly say that I’m pretty good at not letting things get to me. I do something I love and enjoy, that can never be taken from me. I never had a clear and supportive path paved for me. I work for everything I have, despite it being a struggle sometimes. I just chill and drink coffee and say, “Well, OK!”

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How do you handle critics? Art is such a subjective thing. You’re going to get fans, and you are going to have critics who are not very happy with what you are producing. You kind of just have to roll with the punches. I’ve come to realize that I shouldn’t be trying to make anyone happy. Well, especially with me and art, because it has always been, like, this isn’t a job. I love this and it’s not turning into this thing I do to please others. If it upsets people, then that’s cool. It’s evoking some sort of emotion even if it’s not in my favor. Weighted opinions never really upset me, because it would limit me. It should leave people inspired to do something themselves and consider how they came to these feelings, and think back to initial contact with the piece.

Who are your subjects? You use a bunch of females. Are they friends or figments of your imagination? Sometimes some of the subjects I know. Some are just inspired by passersby. On your personal site, Limeflavorednoms.com, Most of the things you provide a list of intentions. What are I use are drawn from daily some up-to-date intentions? rituals and nature. I just These intentions still all hold look at physical life in-depth. I true. In essence, I just want to pay attention to things I see on do everything. I think that my daily routine and I naturally Sacramento has an art incorporate it into whatever I am scene that has so many working on. For example, have you great things going on. ever really picked up a leaf and examined Every time I hear of it? They are everywhere, but have you picked a project, I want to one up every once in a while and noticed how be a part of it. I beautiful and intricate they are? I like to take these little tidbits want to expand, and appreciate them. One thing I really love to do is hike. Whenever collaborate and I hike, I pay attention to texture and symmetry or lack thereof. I create as much incorporate all of these things into my work. as possible. I just want Is this why you like to use topographic lines? someone to My work has a lot of similarities to a topography map. Some people offer me a have even flirted with the idea of commissioning me to make an actual mural to paint topographic map for them. I use the lines to show texture, contours and I would be and depth. so happy. I recently read a book called Daily Rituals [by Mason Currey], and it explores the environments in which creative minds thrive. What sort of rituals do you have while working on your art? I’m actually pretty neutral and low key. I sit in my small one bedroom apartment in Carmichael, usually with my dog curled up at my feet and some odd background noise. I like to curl up on my couch, or sprawl out on my kitchen floor. Usually a strange documentary for ambience will be playing in the background. I work almost 100 percent from home because everywhere else is full of distractions. A lot of the time, I just need to go home and spill out what has been mentally brewing. SubmergeMag.com

If you missed Choe's show at the 9th Street Temple Coffee location (it came down just hours before press time), don't worry! His next show is scheduled to go up at Shine in the near future, located at 1400 E St. in Sacramento. Visit Choe's site at Limeflavorednoms.com/press for upcoming show dates.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

BLOODY MURDER

Preservation & Co. Destroys the Competition with its Famous Hair of the Dog Recipe words Niki Kangas • photos phill mamula

lthough its inventor and for whom it is named are disputed, the Bloody Mary has elevated from its basic tomato-juice-and-vodka origins and can be, in skilled hands, the most complex cocktail in the universe. Take, for instance, Preservation and Co.’s Bloody Mary Mix, an award-winner made right here in Sacramento, which contains the perfect balance of about 25 ingredients that provide its spicy, savory, salty and tart flavor profile. Preservation and Co., an LLC operated by Jason Poole, is a specialty foods, smallbatch production facility and retail space on 19th Street across from Safeway. It all started with his renowned Bloody Mary recipe that he served at Pour House when he worked there as general manager. Using his Bloody Mary Mix, lemon pepper vodka and Sriracha salt (with the usual assortment of pickled vegetables and lemon), he created a recipe that earned him first place in the state for the Absolut Bloody Mary Contest, then later second place at the national contest in New York. I cruised by Poole’s retail shop and warehouse to chat him up about Preservation and Co.’s backstory, the space, his product offerings and his goals for his company. The shop is well put-together, inviting, and—hint, hint—a great spot to score unique gifts for Christmas and other occasions (also, local restaurants like Pour House, Red Rabbit, Hook & Ladder, Hock Farm and over a dozen others pour his Bloody Mary recipe using Preservation and Co. products if you want to sample the goods without having to lift a finger).

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

After you placed second in the nation for the Absolut Bloody Mary Contest, is that when you decided to go into business producing your Bloody Mary Mix? Yes, that’s when we decided to start making the Bloody Mary Mix. I started out making jams and jellies in 2011, and that first company was called Bar in a Jar, because we were making jams and jellies based on cocktails. After that, I got into pickling more, just because of the space that I had—it was easy to produce pickles. I really just did farmers markets in my free time. Once the Bloody Mary came through and it was so popular, that’s when we decided to make it into a full production facility, and get our own space instead of using restaurants. And how did you choose this space? I was naive enough to think that I could probably run this and Pour House at the same time, which was completely and utterly false. So I saw a sign one day when I was walking to Safeway that said this space was available. I called the landlord and it was great for the retail because of the rollup door, and it also has a warehouse space in the back, and it was nice and close to Pour House. So the size seemed like it was pretty good, although now I already realize that it’s a little small—3,200 square feet got small really quickly.

How has business grown since you guys opened? Business has been good! We took a long time to open up, about 22 months to get through all the permits and construction, so that kind of set us behind, but in that time we were still able to get distribution. Now the Bloody Mary Mix is available in just about 200 places in California, and we just started shipping out samples to new distributors in Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, and hopefully we’re going to be in Oregon and Washington by the end of next year. I noticed in the shop that you carry a lot of other vendors’ products, not necessarily all local… We carry a lot of local products, and the other vendors are some small companies I found from across the nation that I really liked—small companies that go for the same values as we do of all handcrafted products. A lot of them I just heard about through social media, or they’ve had Kickstarter campaigns like I did, or they’ve been on Food Network or things like that. I wanted to make sure that we had that unique lineup that people can’t find in other stores in town. You mentioned a commonality in values with these other companies—can you tell me about what those values are? Basically just knowing where your ingredients come from, not just co-packing at some facility in Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

“It’s important to keep things in our area; it’s fresher when it gets to me, and the fresher you pickle it, the better the pickles will be. And people actually care about making it, as opposed to some of the larger farms that just crop dust it all and ship it out on a truck. Specialty foods are higher priced, for a good reason. We’re making sure that we’re using good quality ingredients.” – Jason Poole, Preservation & Co. Omaha or something and ordering by the pallet; actually making it yourself and standing behind your product instead of just shipping a recipe off… I wanted to make sure that we were part of it from beginning to end. With this retail, being able to show people the face of the company, I wanted them to be able to look back through the window at the kitchen and see where their food is being made. You do only small batch production on all the products here? Yes, it’s technically all small-batch production. Obviously we have had to increase the size of the batches we make—with the Bloody Mary Mix we used to only make 55 quarts at a time, and now we do a 35 gallon batch, but certainly still small in the world of specialty foods. With produce, obviously it can be difficult to ensure consistency. We only make the pickled asparagus when it’s Delta asparagus season, because I haven’t liked the crop that comes from anywhere else. Delta asparagus is really nice and sweet. So that’s only available certain times of the year. The furthest that we like to go [for produce] is the Bay Area, but we get it as local as possible whenever it is in season. Why is that important to you? It’s important to keep things in our area; it’s fresher when it gets to me, and the fresher you pickle it, the better the pickles will be. And people actually care about making it, as opposed to some of the larger farms that just crop dust it all and ship it out on a truck. SubmergeMag.com

Specialty foods are higher priced, for a good reason. We’re making sure that we’re using good quality ingredients. In what direction do you envision the business going? We’re hoping to expand next year. Right now there’s just a couple of us working here, we’re hoping to fill our staff up. As long as we’re getting into what I call the Left Coast “L”, which is Oregon, Washington, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona… that’s going to be a great starting point for us to build our company and get closer to national distribution. Next year we’re going to start doing classes, teach [people] how to do pickling and how to make jams and jellies; we’re going to have a Guest Chef Series to invite chefs from around town to talk about what they do best, and also we’re going to be doing events with an open-house feel where people can come in, take a look, try some stuff, and that will be a no-cost thing to have people in our community come together and talk about food.

Preservation & Co. is located at 1717 19th Street in Sacramento. The shop is open on Thursday and Friday from 3 – 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Visit Preservationandco.com or call 706-1044 for more info.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

m u s ic , c o m e dy & m i s c . C a l e n da r

Dec. 15, 2014 – Jan 5, 2015 submergemag.com/calendar

12.15 Monday

The Blue Lamp Acoustic/Spoken Open Mic, 8 p.m. The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m. Goldfield Open Mic Night hosted by James Cavern, 9 p.m. LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m. Old Ironsides Heath Williamson & Friends, 5 p.m. Press Club Work Your Soul, 9 p.m.

12.16 Tuesday

Ace of Spades Blood On The Dance Floor, Whitney Peyton, Sweet Ascent, Internet Friends, Lonely Avenue, 6 p.m. Arden Christian Church Jingle Bell Bach w/ Sacramento Valley Concert Choir, 7 p.m. The Blue Lamp Enter Villain, Be Brave Bold Robot, Smokey Brights, 8 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Dive Bar Swingxotica w/ Hot City & Emily Kollars, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola, Mike Dillon Band, 6:30 p.m. Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m. Shady Lady DJ Ezra, 9 p.m. Shine Open Jazz Jam hosted by Jason Galbraith, 8 p.m. Torch Club Sandra Dolores, 5 p.m.; Down North, 9 p.m. Witch Room Open Mic, 8 p.m.

12.17 Wednesday

Bar 101 Open Mic, 7:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Ghost Town Rebellion, Hot Panda, Death Party at the Beach, 8 p.m. The Boardwalk Potluck, Johnny Richter, Liquid Assassin, Black P & P Win, 7 p.m. Club Car The Double Shots, 7:30 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Dive Bar Hans & the Hot Mess, 9 p.m. El Dorado Saloon Open Mic, Showcase, 7:30 p.m. Harlow’s Ugly Sweater Xmas Party w/ The Old Screen Door, Big Sticky Mess, Mac Russ, 7 p.m. Laughs Unlimited Karaoke, 8 p.m. LowBrau A Very LowBrau Christmas w/ Holiday Tunes by Shaun Slaughter, 8 p.m. Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, DJ Peeti V, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m. Press Club Wolfhouse, Shoi, 9 p.m. Shady Lady Harley White Jr., 9 p.m. Shine Midtown Out Loud Open Mic, 7:30 p.m. Starlite Lounge Acoustic Night w/ Eric Pigeon, Meghan Bone, Denver J, 7 p.m.

Torch Club Acoustic Open Mic, 5:30 p.m.; Keri Carr, 9 p.m.

12.18 thursday

Ace of Spades The Grouch & Eligh, Cunninlynguists, DJ Abilities, DJ Fresh, 6:30 p.m. Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Rock for Tots 10 w/ Saint Solitaire, Moans, Lonely Kings, The Harbor, FUDI, Gene Chowder, 8 p.m. The Boardwalk Young Sam, The Cru, DMB Legends, Theory, $ick $pit Division, J Fresha, Nikki Nitrus, Hazmatic, SNFC, Keezy, Roy, J Styles, 8 p.m. Cafe Colonial Wayfarer, Plague Widow, xTom Hanx (Tape Release), Cross Class, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 10 p.m. Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m. The Coffee Garden Open Mic Night, 8 p.m. Delta King Riverboat Irish night w/ Cahersiveen, 6 p.m. Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Steve McLane and Laurali’s Christmas Party, 8 p.m. Goldfield Live Country Band Karaoke, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Close to You (Carpenters Tribute with Holiday Songs), 6 p.m.; Diego’s Umbrella, 10 p.m. The Hideaway Bar & Grill Trash Rock Thursdays, 9 p.m. Level Up Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. Mix DJ Eddie Edul, DJ Peeti V, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Blue Grass Open Jam, 8:30 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Gibson & Gray, 10 p.m. Press Club Heckarap w/ MC Ham, DJ Gourmet, 9 p.m. Shady Lady Hot City, 9 p.m. The Stoney Inn The Chris Gardner Band, 9 p.m. Torch Club Mind X Quartet, 5 p.m.; Island of Black and White, 9 p.m.

12.19 Friday

Ace of Spades E-40, 7 p.m. Bar 101 Heartbreak Time Machine, 9:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Free Up Fridays w/ DJ Wokstar & Special guests, 10 p.m. The Boardwalk Toys for Tots Benefit w/ Amongst Thieves, Decipher, In the Silence, We Went to the Moon, Blood Party, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage Fyah Fridays w/ DJ Jaytwo, 10 p.m. El Dorado Saloon RV Royalty, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Danny Secretion, Kenny Beasley, Bobby Jordan, Brian Hanover, 8 p.m. G Street WunderBar DJ Adrian G, 10 p.m. Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m. Goldfield Manzanita, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Haas Kowert Tice, 7 p.m.; 3rd Annual Non-Drummer Drum Off, 9:30 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Peekabo Blues, Boneyard Rattlers, Emily O’Neill, 8 p.m. Midtown BarFly That Thing On Friday, 10 p.m. Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Phantom Jets, Black Saddle Hookers, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Nunchuck Taylor, 10 p.m. Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Steel Breeze, 9:30 p.m. Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Rogue, 8 p.m. Shady Lady Crescent Katz, 9 p.m. Shine Salt Wizard, Merdog, An Ode to Be, 8 p.m.

continued on page 24

12.18 12.19 The Grouch & Eligh Cunninlynguists, DJ Abilities, DJ Fresh Ace of Spades 6:30 p.m.

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Starlite Lounge Leprous Divinity, Parasitic Ejaculation, Competing, The Brotherhood of Ellipsis, 8 p.m. Thunder Valley Casino Resort Clean Slate, 9:30 p.m. Toby Keith’s Caleche Ryder, 9 p.m. Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; Kyle Rowland, DC Power, Electric Company, 9 p.m.

12.20 Saturday

Ace of Spades Sacramento’s Latin Christmas Jam w/ Midnight Players, InnerSoul, Los Elegantes, Sacred Fire Band, Luv Taxi, 6 p.m. Bar 101 Island of Black and White, 9:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Madison Ave, Misamore, The Institution, ReExistence, 8 p.m. The Boardwalk One-Eyed Doll, White Knuckle Riot, Heat Damage, Nostalgic, Bri, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage Feel Good Saturday’s w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m. The Colony Rites of Winter: A Metal Gathering w/ Nan Elmoth, Valley of Thorns, Xenotaph, Wandern, 8 p.m. El Dorado Saloon Westbound 50, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Desario, 9 p.m. G Street WunderBar Infinite Vastness, Shu Lace, 10 p.m. Goldfield Chase Bryant, Jackie Lee, 8 p.m. Harlow’s Solsa, 9:30 p.m.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, 7:30 p.m. KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m. Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Stone Berry, Iron Hearts, Back Alley Buzzards, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Cheeseballs, 10 p.m. Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Frank Hannon, 10 p.m. Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Rogue, 8 p.m. Shady Lady Element Brass Band, 8 p.m. Shine Karate Mountain, Joseph In the Well, 8 p.m. Starlite Lounge MindFlowers, Ghostplay, Drive Thru Mystics, The Silver Spoons w/ Mad Alchemy Light Show, 8 p.m. Thunder Valley Casino Resort Tragically White, 9:30 p.m. Toby Keith’s Caleche Ryder, 9 p.m. Torch Club Chowder Hour, 5:30 p.m.; Mr. December, 9 p.m.

12.21 sunday

The Blue Lamp Murderlicious, Black Majik Acid, 8 p.m. Broderick Roadhouse Karaoke w/ DJ Jazcat, 9 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 9 p.m. The Colony Bears Among Men, Vagrant, She’s An Animal, The Know Nothings, Lost In Lights, 6 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m. Dive Bar ZuhG, 9 p.m. Harlow’s The Rat Pack Christmas Show w/ The Rio in Vegas, Marilyn Monroe, 5:30 p.m. Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Will Ackerman, Barbara Higbie, Liz Story and Todd Boston, 7 p.m. Mix DJ Shift’s Naughty List, 8:30 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Daniel Castro, 3 p.m. Press Club Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m. Rock Band University Second to Last, Seasons Change, The Boys After, Mariner, 7 p.m. Shady Lady Alex Jenkins, 9 p.m. Torch Club Blues Jam, 4 p.m.; Jeramy Norris and the Dangerous Mood, Patrick Contreras, 8 p.m.

12.22 Monday

Ace of Spades Acoustic/Spoken Open Mic, 8 p.m. The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m. Goldfield Open Mic Night hosted by James Cavern, 9 p.m. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m. Old Ironsides Heath Williamson & Friends, 5 p.m. Press Club Bubble Butt Dance Party, 9 p.m. Shady Lady 6th Annual “Snowfall Party” w/ Old Timey X-Mas Tunes by Shaun Slaughter, 9 p.m.

12.24 wednesday

Club Car The Double Shots, 7:30 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Another X-Mas Eve Show w/ Kevin & Allyson Seconds, David Houston, Jonah Matranga, Anton Barbeau, 8 p.m. Press Club X-Mas Eve Dance Party w/ MC Ham, Mario & Nic (of !!!), 9 p.m. Shady Lady Arlyn Anderson, 9 p.m.

.25 12 12.23 Thursday

Tuesday

The Blue Lamp 2nd Annual Ugly Sweater Party w/ DJ Step Rock, 8 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Dive Bar Todd Morgan, 9 p.m. Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m. Press Club Setting Sons, Suburban Threat, Fearection, Human Nature, 9 p.m. Shine Open Jazz Jam hosted by Jason Galbraith, 8 p.m. Torch Club Quinn Hedges, 5:30 p.m.; Sean Lehe and Friends, 8 p.m.

Harlow’s X-Mas Night w/ Arden Park Roots, ZuhG, 8:30 p.m. The Hideaway Bar & Grill Trash Rock Thursdays: Tiki Christmas, 9 p.m. Shady Lady Afterlife, 9 p.m.

12.26 FRIDAY

Bar 101 Brian Rogers, 9:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Free Up Fridays w/ DJ Wokstar & Special Guests, 10 p.m. Cafe Colonial Orden Mundial, Rat Damage, 7 p.m.

Capitol Garage Fyah Fridays w/ DJ Jaytwo, 10 p.m. El Dorado Saloon DJ ZR, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose The Golden Cadillacs, 9 p.m. G Street WunderBar DJK Mouf, 10 p.m. Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m. Goldfield Chad Bushnell, 9 p.m. Harlow’s The Funky Sixteens, City of Trees Brass Band, The Diva Kings, Out of Place, 8 p.m. Kupros Craft House Sea Legs, 9 p.m . Luna’s Cafe Red’s Blues Band, 8 p.m. Midtown BarFly That Thing On Friday, 10 p.m. Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Lights & Sirens, Leigh Guest, Swahili Passion, Parie Wood, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Pour House ZuhG, 10 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Thunder Cover, Hero’s Last Mission, 10 p.m. Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Maxx Cabello Jr., 9:30 p.m. Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Rockin’ Holiday Beach Party w/ The Deadlies, 8 p.m. Shine The Cosmopolitan Pirates, 8 p.m. Thunder Valley Casino Resort Disco Revolution, 9:30 p.m. Toby Keith’s Wanted feat. Gary Tackett, 9 p.m. Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; The Nibblers, 9 p.m.

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

South Lake Tahoe Community College SnowGlobe w/ Aeroplane, The Floozies, Skrillex, Le Youth, Disclosure, Bro Safari and More, 8:30 p.m.

12.30 Tuesday

12.26&12.27 Rockin’ Holiday Beach Party w/

The Deadlies Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill 8 p.m.

12.27 12.28 Saturday

Sunday

Bar 101 Ariel Jean, 9:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp Anthem’s International Music Festival, 8 p.m. The Boardwalk Mic, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage Feel Good Saturday’s w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m. El Dorado Saloon Jam Radio, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Mango & Foat, Drop Dead Red, 9 p.m. Goldfield Country DJ Dancing, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Brodi Nicholas, 5:30 p.m. Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, 7:30 p.m. KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m. Kupros Craft House Trio Las Cruses, 9 p.m. Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m. Luna’s Cafe David Houston & String Theory, Ricky Berger, 8 p.m. Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Riot Maker, A Mile Till Dawn, Heat of Damage, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Powerhouse Pub WonderBread 5, 10 p.m. Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino The Spazmatics, 10 p.m. Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Rockin’ Holiday Beach Party w/ The Deadlies, 8 p.m. Shady Lady Golden Cadillacs, 9 p.m. Shine Fulkerson & Clarke, 8 p.m. Starlite Lounge Roswell, Eden View, Ostrich Theory, 8 p.m. Thunder Valley Casino Resort Con Funk Shun, Rose Royce, 7:30 p.m.; Patton Leatha, 9:30 p.m. Toby Keith’s Sweet Revenge, 9 p.m. Torch Club Johnny Guitar Knox, 5:30 p.m.; Solsa, 8 p.m. Witch Room Sac Go Home Fest w/ Pregnant, Pets, Cove, Removed, Honyock, Chris Fairman, Musical Charis, Mom, Reinhart/McWhirter Duo and More, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp DJ Ace, Cherry Red, Juke Box, B-Willis, e$o, Shinto, 8 p.m. Broderick Roadhouse Karaoke w/ DJ Jazcat, 9 p.m. Cache Creek Casino Frances Yip, Johnny Yi, 2 & 5 p.m. Cafe Colonial Mysterious Skin, Crude Studs, Did is Dead, Jesus and the Dinosaurs, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 9 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m. Dive Bar Brian Rogers, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Anuhea, 9 p.m. Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 8:30 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Chris Cain, 3 p.m. Press Club Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Sweet Revenge, 7 p.m. Shady Lady Peter Petty, 9 p.m. Torch Club Blues Jam, 4 p.m.; Front the Band, 8 p.m. Witch Room Sac Go Home Fest w/ Doofy Doo, Art Lessing and The Flower Vato, Dad?, Kelps, Squidz, Nick Stanifer, Separate Spines, Dog Party and More, 3 p.m.

SubmergeMag.com

12.29 Monday

The Blue Lamp Acoustic/Spoken Open Mic, 8 p.m. The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m. Goldfield Open Mic Night hosted by James Cavern, 9 p.m. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Ranell Carpenter, 8 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Evolution Launch Party w/ DJ Dark Star, DJ Davie Xander, 8 p.m. The Colony PSO, The Blackheads, Rotten Bits, Vacant Youth, Ballistic Burnout, 7 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m. Press Club Youth Cult: ‘80s Post Punk/New Wave Dance Party, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Jackson Michelson, 8 p.m. Shine Open Jazz Jam hosted by Jason Galbraith, 8 p.m. South Lake Tahoe Community College SnowGlobe w/ Justin Martin, Odesza, Porter Robinson, J.Philip, Classixx, Flux Pavilion, Anna Lunde, Phantogram and More, 8:30 p.m. Torch Club Chris Twomey, 5 p.m.; Dippin Sauce, 8 p.m.

12.31 wednesday

20th & K Streets TBD NYE Block Party w/ A-Trak, Oliver, Gigamesh, Nick Catchdubs, Sister Crayon, CHLLNGR, DJ Sam I Jam, Greg J, Jurts and More, 6 p.m. Bar 101 Thunder Cover, 9:30 p.m. The Blue Lamp DJ’s Pumatron, Xasha Ojo, Cresendo, X-GNVR, 8 p.m. The Boardwalk Korean Fire Drill, Clockwork Hero, ForNever, Graveshadow, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage An Epik New Year w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m. Club Car The Double Shots, 7:30 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. District 30 Well Groomed, 9 p.m. El Dorado Saloon DJ Zac Rome, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose DJ Larry Rodriguez, MC Ham, DJ Wokstar, 9 p.m. Goldfield Brodie Stewart Band, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Lovefool, 9 p.m. Laughs Unlimited Four Barrel, 10 p.m. Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings, 9 p.m. Midtown BarFly TBD NYE Afterparty w/ Oliver, J-Kraken, Cue22, Druskee, Adam Jay and More, 9 p.m. Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m. MontBleu Resort Casino DJ Miles Medina, 8 p.m. Odd Fellows Hall (Davis) Mumbo Gumbo, 9 p.m. Old Ironsides Lipstick NYE w/ Sunmonks, DJ’s Shaun Slaughter, Roger Carpio, Adam Jay, 9 p.m. The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Peeti V, 8 p.m. Pine Cove NYE Karaoke Party, 9 p.m. Powerhouse Pub Take Out, 9 p.m. Press Club Ignorant, 9 p.m. Red Hawk Casino Jackson Michelson, 5 p.m.; Fresh, 10 p.m. Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Frank Hannon Band, 9 p.m. South Lake Tahoe Community College SnowGlobe w/ Justin Jay, Flume, Max Manie, What So Not, Atmosphere, Steezmonks and More, 8:30 p.m. Starlite Lounge DJ Rigatony, 9 p.m. The Stoney Inn 8th Annual New Years Eve Bash, 6 p.m. Thunder Valley Casino Resort Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, 7:30 p.m.; DJ Thomas, 9 p.m.; The Speakeasies, 9:30 p.m. Toby Keith’s Whiskey Row, 10 p.m. Torch Club New Years Eve Bash w/ JellyBread, Ideateam, 9 p.m.

1.01 Thursday

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m. Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 10 p.m. Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m. The Coffee Garden Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.

continued on page 27

12.28 peter petty Shady Lady 9 p.m.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Red Hawk Casino Chris Gardner, 9:30 p.m. Shine Sandra Dolores, Ruby Faye, 8 p.m. Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; Shane Dwight, 8 p.m.

1.03

Stevie Nader Sparks Across Darkness, Boney-Jay, Vinnie Guidera, Plots The Blue Lamp 8 p.m. Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Marty Cohen & The Sidekicks, 8 p.m. Goldfield Live Country Band Karaoke, 9 p.m. The Hideaway Bar & Grill Trash Rock Thursdays, 9 p.m. Level Up Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. Mix DJ Eddie Edul, DJ Peeti V, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Torch Club New Years Hangover Party Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Sandra Delores, 2 p.m.

1.02 FRIDAY

Ace of Spades The English Beat, 7 p.m. The Blue Lamp Free Up Fridays w/ DJ Wokstar & Special Guests, 10 p.m. Capitol Garage Fyah Fridays w/ DJ Jaytwo, 10 p.m. Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m. Goldfield Josh Budro Band, 9 p.m. Midtown BarFly That Thing On Friday, 10 p.m. Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

1.03 Saturday

Ace of Spades Sage the Gemini, Keak da Sneak, DJ Eddie Z in the Mix, 7 p.m. The Blue Lamp Sparks Across Darkness, Stevie Nader, Boney-Jay, Vinnie Guidera, Plots, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Feel Good Saturday’s w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m. El Dorado Saloon DJ ZR, 9 p.m. Goldfield Country DJ Dancing, 9 p.m. Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Mark Hummel’s Blues Harmonica Blowout, 7:30 p.m. KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m. Kupros Craft House Dogfish, 9 p.m. Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m. Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) The Chillbillies (Celebrating Elvis’ 80th Birthday Party), 8 p.m. Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m. Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m. Powerhouse Pub The Old Screen Door, 10 p.m. Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Chris Gardner, 10 p.m. Shine The Silent Game, Once An Empire, Rich Corporation, 8 p.m. Starlite Lounge The Zombie Club Presents: Dead Hooker’s Ball, 8 p.m. Torch Club The Stuff, 5:30 p.m.; The Mofo Party Band, 9 p.m.

1.04 Sunday

Broderick Roadhouse Karaoke w/ DJ Jazcat, 9 p.m. Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 9 p.m. The Colony The Howl, Soccer Babies, Mad Judy, Simpl3jack, 8 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m. Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Hot Tuna, 7:30 p.m. (Sold Out) Press Club Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m. Torch Club Blues Jam, 4 p.m.; Tubaluba, 8 p.m.

1.05 Sunday

The Blue Lamp Acoustic/Spoken Open Mic, 8 p.m.

continued on page 28

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

12.26-12.28 Cory & Chad “the Smash Brothers” Laughs Unlimited

The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m. Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m. Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m. Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m. Goldfield Open Mic Night hosted by James Cavern, 9 p.m. Harlow’s Brother’s Keeper, 8 p.m. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m. LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m.

Comedy Laughs Unlimited Best of Open Mic Showcase, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. The Ha Ha Holiday Show w/ Rene Garcia, Billy Galloway, Edrina Gibson, Lindsey Steiger, Natalie Paulson, Robert Omoto, Hosted by DJ Sandhu, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. Say It Loud Comedy w/ Diego Curiel, Anthony Medina, Emily Epstein White, Griffin Daley, Kaseem Bentley, Hosted by Michael Calvin Jr., Dec. 18, 8 p.m. Stand Up For A Cause: Fundraiser for Placer County Sheriff Detective Michael Davis Jr. feat. Lance Woods, Dorian Foster, Steph Garcia, Cheryl the Soccer Mom and More, Dec. 21, 7 p.m. Cory & Chad “the Smash Brothers,” Dec. 26 - 28, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. New Years Eve Comedy w/ Justin Worsham, Dec. 31, 6 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. Luna’s Cafe Open Mic Comedy, every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. STAB! Hosted by John Ross, Dec. 17, 8 p.m. Punchline Comedy Club Branded Funny Comedy Presents: Shaun Latham, Dec. 17, 8 p.m. Mo Mandel, Sandy Stec, Robert Berry, Dec. 18 - 21, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. Lance Woods, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. Mike E. Winfield, Jason Resler, Carlos Rodriguez, Dec. 26 - 28, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. Doug Benson’s Doug Loves Movies Live Podcast Taping, Dec. 30, 8 p.m.

2014’s Last Laughs w/ Ngaio Bealum, Ray Molina, Johnny Taylor, Keith Lowell Jensen, DJ Mervin and More, 7:30 & 10 p.m. Edwin San Juan, Jan. 2 - 4, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. Sacramento Comedy Spot Open Mic, Sunday’s and Monday’s, 8 p.m. Spot-On Trivia, Tuesday’s, 8 p.m. Improv Lab, Harold Night & Gordon Teams, Wednesday’s, 7 - 10 p.m. Gag Order & Improv Jam, Thursday’s, 8 - 10 p.m. Top 10 Podcast, Friday’s, 7 p.m. Anti-Cooperation League, Saturday’s, 9 p.m. Test Kitchen, Saturday’s, 10:30 p.m. Tommy T’s Holiday Comedy Bash feat. Kabir “Kabeezy” Singh, Dec. 18 - 19, 7 p.m. Bob-O & Friends, Dec. 20 - 21, 7 p.m. New Years Eve w/ Tony Roberts, 7 & 10 p.m. Tony Roberts, Jan. 2 - 3, 7 p.m.

Misc. 20th Street (Between J and K) Midtown Farmers Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m. Beatnik Studios Handmade Holidays: Craft Fair & Holiday Party, Dec. 20, 11 a.m. Blue Cue Bar Bingo, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m. The Blue Lamp Naughty Trivia!, every Wednesday, 8 p.m. Blue Line Gallery Saints & Heroes feat. prints by Charles Barth and constructions by David Gilhooly, Reception, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.; Show runs through Jan. 3 2nd Annual 30x30 Show, Reception, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.; Show runs through Jan. 3 The Boxing Donkey Trivia Night, every Tuesday, 8 p.m. Brickhouse Gallery The Souletics Experience, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. Reading w/ Abiodun Oyewole (of The Last Poets), Dec. 20, 8 p.m. Cal Expo Global Winter Wonderland, through Jan. 4 California State Capitol - West Steps Sacramento Santa Run, Dec. 20, 9 a.m.

Capital Christian Center You Are What You Speak Open Mic, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. Capitol Garage Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m. Community Center Theatre Sacramento Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Dec. 19 - 21 Sacramento Ballet’s A Trip to Dr. Drosselmeyer’s Toyshop, Dec. 20, 2 p.m. Crocker Art Museum Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, through Jan. 11 Arte Mexicano: Legacy of the Masters, through Feb. 1 The Provoke Era: Japanese Photography from the Collection of SFMOMA, through Feb. 1 Crocker Park 5K Resolution Run, Jan. 3, 9 a.m. Fox & Goose Pub Quiz, Tuesday’s, 7 p.m. Goldfield Free Line Dance Lessons, Tuesday’s, 8:30 p.m. Bar Games Night: Beer Pong, Corn Hole and More, Wednesday’s, 8 p.m. Historic Old Folsom Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m. Jackson Sports Academy Indoor Soccer: Sacramento Surge vs. Turlock Express, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. Indoor Soccer: Sacramento Surge vs. Ontario Fury, Dec. 28, 3 p.m. La Raza Galeria Posada La Pastorela de Sacramento: A Holiday Tradition, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. Little Relics Boutique & Galleria Early Works by Pete Wedel, Jan. 3 - 31 Luna’s Cafe Poetry Unplugged, every Thursday, 8 p.m. Midtown BarFly Salsa Lessons, every Wednesday, 8 p.m. Old Sacramento 15th Annual New Year’s Eve Sky Spectacular, Dec. 31, 6 p.m. Pine Cove Trivia Night, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m. Press Club Flex Your Head Trivia, Tuesday’s, 8 p.m. Sacramento Poetry Center Twisted Holidays Poetry Reading, Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. Sacramento Zoo Christmas Eve PJ Party!, Dec. 24, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Shine Indie Craft Fair Presents: Merry Market feat. 12 Local Vendors, Vegan Eats by The Roaming Spoon and More, Dec. 21, 12 p.m. St. Rose of Lima Park Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Holiday Ice Rink, through Jan. 19 Sunrise Mall Saturday Morning Farmers’ Market, through Dec. 20, 8 a.m. Time Tested Books Reading & Signing w/ Kristian Williams, Dec. 15, 7 p.m. White Buffalo Gallery Under Layers by Kinzie Davis, through Jan. 3

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Live<< rewind

Changing of the Guard 94.7’s Electric Christmas

(feat. Bush, Young the Giant and others)

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014

Words Andrew C. Russell • Photos phill mamula

Joywave

Vance Joy

Fitz and the Tantrums

Big Data

Joywave Upstate New York upand-comers Joywave have made a splash of late with unconventional music videos and a spot on the Earth to Echo soundtrack (a collaboration with Big Data, also sharing the stage). Tonight they hit all the right hooks, showing a natural gift for pop song craft embellished with retro-leaning electronic production. Something about them suggested a younger, mass-appeal Hot Chip. It might have been the insane catchiness of their tracks, or the oddball appeal of frontman Daniel Armbruster (whose narrow mustache became a compulsive focal point when blown up on the Jumbotron).

Young the Giant

Bush SubmergeMag.com

Wednesday, Dec. 10: The night sky overhead is becoming pea soup as I pull into the parking lot of the Sleep Train Arena (formerly PowerBalance, forever ARCO to locals). Everyone expects an apocalyptic typhoon to hit town sometime toward the end of tonight’s show, and a streak of giddiness runs through the concertgoers as they straggle toward the entrance; there are worse fates than being stranded in a storm with a collection of their favorite performers. Once inside the arena, I take a few moments to mill through the crowd and assess the demographic that Sacramento’s favorite alt-rock station, 94.7, has brought forth. The population here skews rather young, from college-age couples to ‘tween wolf packs far too young to enjoy the fruits of the event sponsors, Bud Light. Scattered here and there among the budding hip crowd and a handful of parents are slightly older holdouts from the KWOD era that can only have come to rock out to Bush (a prediction that reveals itself to be correct at the end of the night). I move down into my arena seat and prepare to take in Sactown’s largest holiday rock party; the bar has been set high for this event, riding off last year’s performances by Cage the Elephant, Joan Jett and Grouplove. The second annual Electric Christmas has arguably improved the diversity of their lineup, showcasing the acoustic pop of Vance Joy and the more frenetic, multi-instrument styling of Fitz and the Tantrums. Here we break down EC 2014 set by set, to see if 94.7 was once again able to deliver the goods.

Vance Joy The proceedings quickly took a turn for the intimate with the night’s second performance. Melbourne, Australia,-native Joy repped the folk flag, particularly the brand of bouncy, coming-ofage folk-pop that has become the pre-eminent flavor in millennial music tastes. His set was marked by sincerity and professionalism, briefly turning the spacious arena into a personal venue for the singersongwriter’s acoustic musings. Despite one small power glitch involving a ukulele during his signature hit, “Riptide,” Joy breezed through his set with grace and left his audience feeling refreshed and relaxed (perhaps too relaxed).

Big Data The character of this group asserted itself in charismatic frontman Alan Wilkis (the only permanent member), a high concept (the creeping surveillance of the Internet age) and a talented revolving cast of musicians that managed to complete Wilkis’ vision with their ominous yet party-friendly grooves. Two highlights of the night went to Big Data for the crowdpleasing single “Dangerous” (featuring Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster) and a high quality cover version of Hall and Oates’ classic “Private Eyes,” its paranoid themes played up for theatrical effect. Fitz and the Tantrums Energy levels spiked somewhere in the middle of Tantrums’ set, their eclectic vibe meshing with every key demographic in the audience. As far as pop acts go, this one had it all, from new wave covers (Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams”), baritone sax solos and dirty dancing from front-people Noelle Scaggs and Michael Fitzpatrick. The showmanship on stage primed the audience for a mid-set command for everyone to “get low.” It wasn’t too difficult to get people to comply.

Young the Giant Judging from the intermittent displays of crowd tweets on the Jumbotron, the majority of concertgoers were amped for the penultimate group, whose plaintive, anthemic brand of indie rock had one super-fan behind me belting every lyric. Although the choruses of “My Body” and “Cough Syrup” were undeniably infectious, this set found itself in uncomfortable territory between the comedown from Fitz and the Tantrums’ show-stopping performance and the gradual buildup to the night’s finale Bush There was an unmistakable changing of the guard at the end of 2014’s Electric Christmas, the crowd in front of the stage becoming densely concentrated while the outer limits of the stands emptied out. Much of this shifting seemed fabricated along generational lines and two distinct interpretations of “alternative.” As the younger, pop-crazed fans appeared to make their way toward the exits, a large minority remained, one who attested to a more abrasive, riff-heavy time for alternative airwaves. In this respect, Bush did not disappoint, introducing old fans to material from their new album Man on the Run while rewarding the grunge-specific pleasure-centers of the brain with buzz anthems “Glycerine” and “Machinehead.” It was the alt way to end the night.

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

tuesday

apr 21

harlow’s • 2708 J street • saCto • 21 & oVer • 8:00pm wednesday

june 10

Crest theatre • 1013 K street • saCto • all aGes • 8:00pm

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Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

the shallow end Kim Jong-un, Angelina Jolie and Poxgate James Barone jb@submergemag.com In 1995, MGM released a movie called Hackers. I’ve never seen it. But it did star a young Angelina Jolie, who, thanks to hackers, was forced to post a video to YouTube this past week, letting the world know she has chicken pox. Personally, I can’t imagine a better bit of news to close out the wild and wacky year that was 2014. Back in November, Sony Pictures got hacked and nearly 40 gigabytes of revealing data was leaked for the world to see. Among the pilfered data was employee social security numbers and salary information (17 Sony Pictures employees make at least $1 million annually…so much for a down economy) with the highest salaried employees being almost exclusively white dudes (huge shocker, I know). Also revealed were numerous employee complaints, which basically amounted to anonymous bitching about how the studio churned out “mundane, formulaic Adam Sandler movies” instead of coming up with fresh, exciting ideas. Other fruits of the Sony hack included email exchanges between studio exec Amy Pascal, the only woman in Sony’s millionaire club, and film producer Scott Rudin, whose numerous credits include Captain Phillips, The Social Network and most recently Chris Rock’s Top Five. In the emails, Rudin is all pissed about some proposed movie about Cleopatra and how Jolie wants David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl) to direct her in it. “There is no movie of Cleopatra to be made (and how that is a bad thing given the insanity and rampaging ego of this woman and the cost of the movie is beyond me),” Rudin wrote, adding that he wasn’t going to ruin his career “over a minimally talented spoiled brat.” So now Jolie isn’t only a home-wrecker, I guess; she’s also a brat, at least according to some bigwig, douchebag Hollywood producer. That’s got to be bad for PR. I mean, I’ve watched and re-watched the whole series of Entourage at least four times, so I'm very familiar with the inner workings of the film industry. I bet Ari would’ve never let shit like this make it into the papers if it was about Vince. Ari’s a true bro. This couldn’t come at a worse time for Jolie. On Christmas 2014, she’s set to release Unbroken, a film she directed that was written by the Coen Brothers (who are usually pretty awesome). It’s about an Olympic runner who

was held prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II. I’m guessing since it’s being released on Christmas and is about WWII, some industry honcho thinks it might win an Oscar. As you’d imagine, being one of the biggest movie stars in the world with a high-profile holiday weekend movie ready to be released, you’d have a lot of shit to do, babies to kiss, reporters to schmooze. However, Jolie won’t be able to attend any of the upcoming Unbroken events. BUT it’s got nothing to do with hackers (or Hackers for that matter). She’s got the chicken pox. For serious. I saw it on YouTube. On Dec. 12, a video of Jolie explaining the situation was posted on the Universal Studios YouTube page. During the 40-seconds-long clip, the actress/director said that while everyone else was having fun at Unbroken premier events, she’d be home “itching and missing everyone,” which is sort of cute. She never said, “I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to think I’m playing hooky so I won’t have to answer questions about the Sony thing,” but, like, that’s why she was telling us. I don’t know why it made me chuckle so much to see a big-ass movie star confess she had a disease that 8-year-olds get, but it did. But that’s not even the best part of all this. Though a group calling themselves Guardians of Peace took credit for the hack, the cyber crime has been linked to North Korea. You see, Sony Pictures plans to release The Interview, also opening Christmas 2014, in which the U.S. government charges James Franco and Seth Rogen with assassinating Kim Jong-un. Perhaps I should be concerned. Like, maybe this is the opening salvo to some destructive sort of cyber war, but I’ve also watched the entire run of LOST three times and the level of causality and connectivity here is off the charts. So, like, in some bongsmoke-filled room somewhere, Seth Rogen gets together with Dan Sterling and Evan Goldberg and they come up with this cockamamie story that somehow turns into an actual movie. North Korea gets pissed, sics hackers on Sony Pictures in retaliation, shit goes insane, Angelina Jolie gets chicken pox and posts a vlog about it on YouTube. Dude, both movies open on Christmas. Dude, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler…Cleopatra! How deep does this go? I guess it’s about time I watched Hackers.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

SubmergeMag.com

Issue 177 • December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas

December 15, 2014 – January 5, 2015

#177 Was the

Electric Christmas

Sequel as Good as the Original?

CHuck ragan true grit Witch Room's Fond Farewell

Daniel Choe Strange Brew Gloriana Looking Good at Goldfield

chllngr Aqueous Forms

15 Ways to Party Like It’s 2015! exodus

like moses went to modesto

Preservation & Co.

Jason Poole, Bloody Mary Mixmaster

free