Submerge Magazine: Issue 181 (February 16-March 2, 2015)

Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas

february 16 – March 2, 2015

#181 Andrew Castro

It’s What’s on the Inside that Counts

Wild Ones The Sum of Their Parts

Riotmaker A New Lease on Life

Brandon Gastinell's

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Beer Week feat. Pangaea, Der Biergarten, Capitol Beer & Tap Room and More!

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

9426 Greenback ln, Orangevale Tickets Available at Dimple Records, Armadillo records , or online at theboardwalkpresents.com all shows all ages

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

may 21 oNe

thursday

a tribute to metallica

3

dive in

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

181 2015

February 16 – march 2

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The Optimistic Pessimist

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08 Submerge your senses 10 wild ones 12

trash talk

cofounder/ Editor in Chief/Art Director

Melissa Welliver melissa@submergemag.com cofounder/ Advertising Director

Jonathan Carabba jonathan@submergemag.com

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Contributing Writers

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

Melissa welliver melissa@submergemag.com This issue pretty much gave me a heart attack. The night before we sent this issue to our printer, after I was running around like crazy taking a few photos for our awesome beer story then I sat down to eat dinner, I thought I was dying. I clenched my chest. My husband thought he was going to have to rush me to the hospital. It was pretty intense. I’m way too young for that nonsense to happen to me, so I just tried to remain calm, tried to not think about all the work I still had to do to make my deadline and just chalked it up to a bizarre muscle cramp. It was like the longest 10 minutes of my life and felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. But hey, you're reading this issue, so I survived, so whatever.

Now, in all honesty I feel like if any issue was going to kill me it was going to be this one for sure. Don’t get me wrong, I love all our features in this issue, and I especially love our two cover stories, but they were damn stressful to have all come together. I think there’s a saying or two out there that go along the lines of good things are hard to come by.

Trash Talk is one of my favorite hardcore bands of all time. Their albums are straight up epic. So when I got the news in early January that they were finally playing their hometown (yes, Sacramento), I knew I had to try to line up an interview.

It took about a month to set up the interview, but after being persistent and not giving up (though I was pretty damn close), we were able to finally get on the phone with Lee Spielman.

Check out Josh Fernandez’s Q&A with Trash Talk’s frontman on page 12 where they discuss their latest album No Peace, how Odd Future opened up doors for them and to read up on all of their Sacramento talk. Hurry up and buy your tickets for this rare show at Harlow’s on March 16, because it’s sure to sell out.

Sacramento Beer Week is upon us once again. In the past around this time we have featured quite a few breweries and have done several write-ups on specific events. This year I brewed up a different take on the week, because really isn’t every week beer week with all the remarkable craft beer bars in Sacramento? I mean, good God man, we have some incredible places consistently offering good beer for your belly. So we crafted up a solid list of places, for every type of Sacramento beer lover, in hopes that you learn about a new place you can pony up to the bar to get a cold one, kick back and relax, and well… not have a heart attack.

Enjoy issue #181!

Cheers, Melissa

Submerge

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

916.441.3803 info@submergemag.com printed on recycled paper

Contributing photographers

David Adams, Wesley Davis, Evan E. Duran, Adam Dillion, Phill Mamula, Jenny Price, Liz Simpson, Nicholas Wray

Submergemag.com

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram! @SubmergeMag

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Heart attack, heart attack man

front Cover Photo of trash talk by Thursday Friday

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 Rob Archie by evan e. duran

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The stream Sacramento Singer/ Songwriter Andrew Castro Releases New EP Inside/Out at Shine Feb. 28

Local singer/ songwriter Andrew Castro only started playing live shows in the summer of 2013 and has already logged nearly 300 performances. He plays a lot here in town at coffee shops, open mics and things Photo by Walter Gálvez of that sort, but he’s also gigged in San Francisco, Los Angeles and even New York. His acoustic-based sound is pop-y and upbeat with heart-on-your-sleeve lyrics about falling in and out of love.

“Most of my songs are about relationships,” Castro recently told Submerge. “Not necessarily all love songs, but just analyzing certain aspects of failed relationships and long-distance relationships.”

His newest six-track EP out now on iTunes titled Inside/Out follows this subject matter. “‘Fall’ is my favorite song,” he said of the new EP. “It’s about seeing the person you are in love with fall in love with someone else and you know the relationship is finally over and can never be anything romantic ever again.”

Castro recorded the songs on the new EP with Casey Groat of Groatesque Studios in Sacramento over a period of three months from October to early January, where they created all their own beats from scratch and worked on a full production including strings, piano, harmonies, the whole nine. Castro is celebrating with fellow Sacramento singer/songwriter Xochitl (featured in our last issue of Submerge) at a dual EP release show at Shine on Saturday, Feb. 28. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m., is only $5 and will also feature openings sets by Ruby J and Meghan Bone. Shine is located at 1400 E Street. Learn more about Castro at Andrewcastromusic.com and for more on the venue, visit Shinesac.com.

Local Indie/Electronic Duo Eli and the Sound Cult to Release New EP March 7 at Starlite

15-Plus Local Bands to Play First Festival On May 23 in West Sac!

Jonathan Carabba

Photo by Nicholas Wray

Sacramento-based indie/electronic duo Eli and the Sound Cult are gearing up for a busy couple months with the release of their new EP So Much Yes, a celebratory “Spring Fling” show on March 7 at Starlite, and extensive touring starting in late March that will see them play everywhere from Southern California on up the coast to Seattle, Washington.

“In preparation for the longest tour of their young career, Eli and the Sound Cult has also revamped their live show,” the band writes in a press release. “What fans will enjoy coming March 7 and forward is a color drenched stage, and dancing visuals created by the new custom lighting rig. The show is non-stop sound, heart-breaking dance music, and electro-soul grooves.”

So Much Yes is the band’s follow up to their 2013 debut Best of Pop and it sees the band exploring new sounds and dynamics, adding new instruments and hardware during the writing/recording process.

“A new kind indie electronic sound,” they wrote of the new release. “A quasisoul album with blues riffs and 808 beats; a reckoning of new love and old injuries.”

The release show on Saturday, March 7 at Starlite kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and will feature support from San Francisco’s Paisano, Bakerfield’s Redadare, as well as vinyl dance hits spun by DJ Satapana. The cover is just $5 at the door, 21-and-over only. Starlite is located at 1517 21st Street in downtown Sacramento. Learn more at Eliandthesoundcult.com.

Send regional news tips to info@ submergemag.com When it comes to music festivals in Sacramento, you’ve of course got the big boys like Aftershock and TBD Fest, which draw tens of thousands of people over multiple days with household names headlining, then you’ve got the more laid back free-show-in-a-park type fests, like the Friday night Concerts in the Park series. The newest to add to that list is First Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at River Walk Park in West Sacramento and will feature over 15 top local bands, food trucks, local vendors, artists and more. The brainchild of young local business owners Danielle Vincent and Ashley Rastad, First Festival’s goal, according to their website (Firstfestivalsacramento.com), is to “kick off the local festival season by incorporating local artists, crafters, business owners, performers and musicians into a festival that offers all the latest in this season’s festival fashion and accessories. It’s a one stop shop for everyone’s festival needs.” And again, it’s a totally free event.

“We would rather have our attendees put their money in the pockets of our vendors because that’s what helping the community is all about.” The line-up of music announced thus far is super diverse and quite impressive with rock bands like A Mile Till Dawn, Slaves of Manhattan, Humble Wolf and Rebel Radio set to appear alongside blues-y/roots-y groups like Julie and the Jukes and Drop Dead Red (Carly DuHain’s new soulful project), with some indie-leaning bands too like Merdog and Stationary. Also on the bill is Be Brave Bold Robot, The Westwards, Whiskey and Stitches, Dream in Red, D.U.S.T., Thick Soup, Surviving the Era and Sydney Jones. There will also be three other bands announced in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on the festival’s website, Facebook page (Facebook. com/firstfestivalsacramento) or Instagram (@First_Festival) for further updates. In addition to the hours worth of solid live music and super sweet local vendors slanging their goods, at First Festival you can expect other fun activities like face painting, henna artists, fire dancers, a silent disco party and of course a beer/wine garden. So mark your calendars for May 23 (which happens to be my 30th birthday so I expect many gifts in the form of beers) and follow First Fest into festival season!

read often. your brain will thank you.

Bi-weekly + Free 6

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The Optimistic Pessimist That Old Timey Medicine There is a scourge spreading across this country, and it’s leaving our most vulnerable sick in its wake. People are actually getting the measles again and it seems that we have our own stupidity to thank. The vaccine for measles was invented in 1963 and quickly led to a precipitous drop in measles-related illnesses around the world. In fact, the vaccine worked so well, that the disease was nearly eradicated by 1997. Then an idiot came along and fucked it all up.

That idiot was a doctor from the UK named Andrew Wakefield and he decided that putting an end to a highly contagious disease was a bad idea. In 1998, Wakefield released a study wrongfully linking the recent increase in autism cases to vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, and the world collectively lost its shit.

Eventually, it was determined that the results of the study were made up and Wakefield was stripped of his license to practice medicine, but it was too late; the damage was already done.

Autism is rough. It’s hard for the kids who have it and for their families. What makes it even harder is that no one has figured out the root cause of the disorder. Distraught parents, understandably, want answers and science has failed them over and over again. It’s no wonder so many latched on to Wakefield’s nowdiscredited study. Finally someone was telling them something they wanted to hear!

So, when the study was discredited, the families of those with autism took it extra hard. They wanted to believe the culprit for all of their pain was a simple shot administered to the masses by Big Pharma, but it wasn’t.

The rational ones accepted that the search for a cure must go on, but others wouldn’t be swayed by the real science. For them, the connection between the shots and the disorder was real and they have continued to refuse vaccinations for themselves and their children despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Some of these anti-vaccination parents want to believe so bad that shots are the problem that they even listen to the likes of Jenny McCarthy, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen and Donald Trump. This celebrity brain trust has publicly spouted over and over about the links

Bocephus Chigger bocephus@submergemag.com between autism and vaccines, despite the lack of science to back up their claims. Instead, we get something more akin to a wishy-washy, “I just know it’s true” and we are expected to take it on faith.

I’m sorry, but I can’t take anything any of these morons say on faith. Who takes medical advice from Britney Spears? If you think you might, then I would suggest you Google that picture of her bald as a newborn baby with a crazed look in her eye while she attacks the paparazzi with her umbrella. Do you really want that to be your doctor?

Some parents claim that they have decided not to vaccinate their kids for other reasons.

They aren’t worried that the measles shot will give their kids autism per se, but they do believe that vaccinations are a poison that our children don’t need to survive. After all, vaccines are a relatively new thing and the world seemed to get along fine without them before. Only it didn’t. Prior to the introduction of vaccines, millions died of what are now considered preventable diseases. Where do you think Oregon Trail got all that shit from?

To these parents, I say, if you think old timey medicine can provide the cure to all that ails ya, then I have a big vat of snake oil to sell you. Just rub it on your aching joints and the pain will clear right up. Have a headache? Do some coke! Is your baby teething and crying all the time? Give Jr. a little morphine! You got asthma? Try heroin! It might sound crazy, but that’s what we used to do.

It is important for these parents to hear that their decision not to vaccinate their precious little snowflakes affects us all. Not everyone can have the vaccines and they are counting on herd immunity to stay healthy.

Your actions put them at danger. What you are doing (or failing to do) may someday lead to the death of someone else’s child. When that happens (and it will) their blood will be on your hands and on the hands of your kids. If you think you had trouble sleeping before because you were afraid of autism, try thinking about the innocent children you had a part in killing before you close your eyes at night. Now go get the goddamn shot already!

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

7

Your Senses TOUCH

Third Annual Steampunk Emporium and Bazaar • Feb 21 Presented by the Sacramento Steampunk Society, the Third Annual Steampunk Emporium and Bazaar is all set for Saturday, Feb. 21 at Great Escape Games (1250 Howe Avenue, Suite 3A). Although “steampunk” is the general theme of this swap meet, shoppers can find anything of a handmade, artsy, creative, vintage, antique, nostalgic, retro-future or retro nature. There will be over 40 vendors selling their unique, stylish goods, like hats and accessories from Lulu Deux Millinery, as well as really cool altered artwork and illustrations from Sacramento’s Denise Farinsky, and much more.

Expect jewelry, clothes, scarves, and all sorts of cool trinkets, many of which are super affordable. Admission is free for shoppers, and all ages are welcome, so bring the whole family and bring home some treasures! Learn more and connect with other Sacramento-area steampunk enthusiasts by visiting Facebook.com/groups/SacramentoSteampunkSociety.

TASTE

The Dinner Detective Interactive Murder Mystery Show Feb. 28, March 14 & March 28

Popular all over the country, The Dinner Detective is a fun, award-winning interactive murder mystery dinner show where everyone is a suspect (even you!) and the killer might be sitting at your very own table.

The professional actors and producers that put on the show are masters of improvisation, creating unique one-of-a-kind experiences for all patrons. According to their website (Thedinnerdetective.com/ sacramento), The Dinner Detective was founded on three simple ideas: “We wanted to create a show with intriguing scenarios, challenging mysteries and trueto-life dialogue.” The event starts out with a reception and cash bar, followed by the meal (salad, entree and dessert with an extra large side of mystery). There are a few seats remaining for the Feb. 28 show and many still available for the March 14 and March 28 happenings. Tickets start at $59.95 per person and the shows are being hosted at Doubletree Hotel Sacramento, located at 2001 Point West Way (near Arden Fair Mall). Purchase your tickets online ahead of time, as the shows have been selling out left and right!

HEAR

Noise Pop Invades San Francisco!

Feb. 20 - March 1

SEE

Plush He Think By Brandon Gastinell at White Buffalo Gallery

Screaming Females

Through March 8

Ever since they opened up shop in late 2014 in East Sacramento, White Buffalo Gallery has been straight up killing it with their monthly art exhibits. The front half of the space serves as the hip and clean art gallery, and the back half, separated by a perfectly designed partition in the wall, is a spotless tattoo shop where owner Ryan “El Dugi” Lewis and fellow artists/tattooers John Laurent and Kenneth Villanueva do their thing. White Buffalo’s current exhibit, Plush He Think, by the talented 21-year-old local artist Brandon Gastinell, is a must-see for fans of streetinfluenced, graffiti style, grungy art. Gastinell has 10 original pieces in the show, all canvas, mixed media. They’re bright, bold, edgy and just plain rad. Although the Second Saturday reception has come and gone, the show will remain up through March 8. Prints and stickers will be available if you can’t fork out the dough for an original. White Buffalo is located at 3671 J Street. Visit them from noon to 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday, or check them out online at White-buffalo-gallery.com.

See more from artist Brandon Gastinell at his blog, Heyniceteapot.wordpress.com, or by following him on Instagram: @brandongastinell.

8

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Flight Facilities

The New Pornographers

If you’re heading to The City by the Bay any time between Feb. 20 and March 1, chances are you’ll encounter some of the radness that is Noise Pop! Easily one of the best festivals on the West Coast, Noise Pop throws amazing events all around San Francisco for over a week, bringing together eclectic musicians, artists, filmmakers and more. Some of the more sought-after shows are already sold out (Caribou for two nights at The Fillmore, Best Coast at Bottom of the Hill, Surfer Blood at Rickshaw Stop, Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World at Swedish American Hall, all sold out already), but tickets are still available for tons of rad stuff, like the official Noise Pop Pre-party on Thursday, Feb. 19 at California Academy of Sciences with a DJ set by Allan Wilson from Sacto faves !!! (Chk Chk Chk), as well as Dawn Golden and Awesome Tapes from Africa. If you act fast, you can also still get in to see the amazing New Brunswick, New Jersey rock band Screaming Females’ West Coast album release show at Hemlock Tavern on Saturday, Feb. 21; Flight Facilities and Touch Sensitive on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at The Regency Ballroom; Craft Spells on Feb. 25 at Great American Music Hall; Geographer and K Flay on Feb. 27 at Fox Theater; and The New Pornographers on Feb. 28, also at Fox Theater. Visit Noisepop.com/2015 to view all events, buy tickets ahead of time and plan your Noise Pop schedule.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

coMinG to GraSS Valley GeT TickeTs NOW! friday, feBruary 20

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Sunday, March 15

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B e co m e a m e m B e r & Sav e

For a complete listing of events visit:

thecenterfortheartS.orG SubmergeMag.com

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

*Ticket prices do not include applicable fees

9

Into the Wild (Ones)

The Dream Pop Quintet’s Journey, One Firm Step at a Time Words Robin Bacior photo heather hawke

W

e’re in an era when focus is hard to come by. Distractions and obstacles create these invisible piles in front of us, phantom mounds we can’t always figure out how to tackle. It’s challenging for anyone, especially when you’re an artist trying to pull your creation from that thin, blocked air. It doesn’t come easy, but if you’re determined, it’s there. Wild Ones seems to know this.

The Portland-based dream pop band has been making a name for themselves in the last couple years with their strong debut, Keep It Safe, but it wasn’t something that just came easily. Wild Ones didn’t even come together overnight. Members Danielle Sullivan

10

and Thomas Himes have been making music together for the last nine years in various projects, but Wild Ones took shape in 2010, with their EP, You’re a Winner, creating a bit of a Northwest stir. However, in 2012, as the group was getting ready to release their first full-length album, there were financial grapples, health issues and band member fluctuation. The phantom mounds. These huge, and unfortunately common issues for a young band are often enough to dissolve a project.

Despite all this, Wild Ones knew what they wanted and kept focus.

“We all have been playing in different types of scenes since we were teenagers, and I think

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

we all just want it so bad, and before Keep It Safe had never released anything that was truly our own work,” said Danielle Sullivan, vocalist of Wild Ones. “There was very little that could’ve come between us putting out our first project that we could truly own.

“Seve our drummer was in the hospital with a collapsed lung,” she continued. “And I think honestly part of his getting better was getting excited about what was coming next, and learning songs, and listening to songs and demos.”

So the group pushed, and health-wise and financially, things fell into place. Their debut, Keep It Safe, was released in 2013 by Party Damage Records and re-released in 2014

by Top Shelf Records. The record embodies dream pop at its sweetest—lush and light synth, simplistic drum beats and Sullivan’s harmonized vocals cutting through like beams of light.

“It’s super layered, and I think we did that because we enjoy that style, but also

because I don’t think we felt 100 percent confident in all the parts that we made, that they could really stand alone, so we would just layer five different parts on top of each other,” Sullivan said.

Wild Ones have begun work on their forthcoming, yet-to-be-named record. Though only their second record, Wild Ones have their rhythm down in all capacities, specifically with how songwriting is delegated. In their group, everyone gets a chance to have their say with new songs, regardless of who originates the idea. As a result, the band passes demos from hand to hand, going through a couple rounds until everyone’s given their input.

“Thomas and I have been playing in bands since we were about 18 or 19 years old,” Sullivan said. “We’ve been in other bands where there’s one primary songwriter and it’s more that person coming up with 95 percent of the parts. I think that model works really well for some bands, but I think in order for everyone to feel equally invested and excited Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

2708 J Street Sacramento 916.441.4693 HarlowS.com

“We’ve been in other bands where there’s one primary

Alo

songwriter and it’s more

GUTTErMoUTh

T SiSTErS

that person coming up

MAli MUSic

coUNTErPUNch | BoATS

kP PollArD

with 95 percent of the parts. I think that model works really well for some every time we come up with something new, everybody has to have their part in it. We’re each gonna write our parts, even if it takes 30 times longer to make a record.”

This demoing process has been going on for several months, with intermittent tour excursions. While some bands prefer to hunker down and finish a record in nearly one sitting, Wild Ones seem to thrive off the liveperformance test drive of each new song.

“We went on six tours and played I think 95 shows last year, and it informed so much of what works and what doesn’t work in a song.”

Sullivan said. “It’s the best sounding board when you’re playing the new song [live] that you think is the best thing you’ve ever done and you look at people’s faces and there’s a certain part of the song where they’re just not engaged and you lose them for a second, or parts where people fully feel in the moment because of some turn in the song. It’s a very good way of weeding out songs that are just not gonna be engaging.”

The level of strength that transpires through their live set is palpable. Aspects of the first record that feel more angelic and airy become more grounded in their live performances, and new songs show definite growth. The synths feel less forward and more textural, while the bass elements and drums seem to darken and drive the songs. Sullivan’s vocals feel less like a falsetto tiptoe and more projected and focused, a conscious choice in her lyrical approach to new songs as well.

“Of course putting out your first record, those were some of the first songs I’d ever written, so I kind of shrouded my meaning in more general themes that I felt like could be understood in many different ways, and on one hand was like, ‘I like that because it’s dream pop and it should apply to many different ideas,’ then realizing I was nervous to say something so clear and direct there was no way to misconstrue what I was trying to say,” Sullivan said. “Writing this record has been going in the opposite direction, thinking, ‘I’m going to do my best to be a good storyteller, and write stories that people can truly understand.’”

SubmergeMag.com

bands, but I think in order for everyone to feel equally invested and excited every time we come up with something new, everybody has to have their part in it. We’re each gonna write our parts, even if it takes 30 times longer to make

ThUrSDAY

2 /19

2 /17 WEDNESDAY

7PM

2 /18

– Danielle Sullivan, Wild Ones, on the band’s egalitarian approach to songwriting

3 /01

8PM $25adv

Wild Child

DESErT NoiSES | GooDNiGhT TExAS

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TUESDAY

6:30PM $15adv all ages

Tory lanez

FriDAY

9:30PM $15

2 /22 2 /24 2 /27

“This record has really been trying to make the simplest pop song, that doesn’t need a million different parts and strange key changes or weird 5/4 timing, that it can be direct and confident, and more simple,” Sullivan said.

The release date of the new record is yet to be determined, though you can hear a few live versions of songs floating around online, and catch them at LowBrau on March 10. Whatever form you hear them in, it’ll be a breath of fresh, focused air.

SUNDAY

7PM $12adv

2 /23

6PM $12adv all ages

TUESDAY

FriDAY

a record.”

MoNDAY

7PM $20adv

ThE PUrPlE oNES (PriNcE TriBUTE)

SATUrDAY

5:30PM $15adv

niCholas david

SATUrDAY

9:30PM $15

SAN FrANciSco TriBUTE To ToM PETTY & ThE hEArTBrEAkErS

2 /28

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PETTY ThEFT

MoNDAY

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ThUrSDAY

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ThE oUTlAWS/ BlAckhAWk

FriDAY

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FEMAlE zepparella All lED ZEPPEliN TriBUTE

3 /02 3/05

3 /06

*all

times are d o or times*

COMING SOON Check out Wild Ones live (for FREE) at LowBrau on March 10 as part of Le Twist Tuesdays. LowBrau is located in the MARRS Building at 1050 20th Street in Sacramento. To see what LowBrau has on tap and on their menu, go to Lowbrausacramento.com, and for more about Wild Ones, check out Wildonestheband.com.

03/07 03/08 03/10 03/11

03/13

Foreverland Fashawn hollow Wood DJ Premier and royce Da’ 5’9 country Battle of Bands Drop Dead red

03/14 03/14 03/15

cheryl Wheeler ZuhG (cD release) (late) Branches

03/12

(cD release)

03/16 03/17 03/18 03/19 03/21 03/22 03/24 03/26 03/27 03/27 03/28

Trash Talk/ratking kool keith kyle kinane Moon hooch Felipe Esparza hoNEYhoNEY !!! (chk chk chk) Tyrone Wells Ewan Dobson (early) Mustache harbor Stillwood Sages

03/29 03/30 04/02 04/03 04/04 04/12 04/19 04/21 05/20

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Metalachi Pete rock / Slum Village Johnny A Wonderbread 5 cream of clapton Black Milk Agent orange The Dead Milkmen Ex hex

11

Where the Wild Things Are

Trash Talk’s aggressive style bridges the gap between hardcore punk and hip-hop Words Josh Fernandez photo Thursday Friday

I

love Lee Spielman’s tweets. Sometimes you can tell he’s been smoking weed: “Antwon just showed me a photo of @JLo and said ‘Look @MelissaJoanHart got ass.’” Other times, you can tell he’s high out of his goddamn mind: “You ever stop and admire how nice someone’s front yard is?” And, on occasion, his tweets are downright frightening: “Talking to the Sacramento newspaper later today about playing our first show there in about 7 years. Might Marshawn Lynch the interview.” Ah, Lord. Do you know what is worse than an awkward interview? Nothing. So for the next day I was truly scared about talking with Spielman, the singer whose band Trash Talk I consider one of my favorites.

Trash Talk has been playing hardcore music for the past 10 years and the band has seen a dizzying amount of success, especially for such an aggressive, not-pop-friendly band. They’ve played huge festivals, gotten to work with incredible producers—like Steve Albini (on the Trash Talk album) and Alchemist (on No Peace)—and they even signed to the Odd Future label, which still confuses hardcore and punk purists to this day.

The band, known for their chaotic live shows where the crowd tends to break limbs and destroy venues, is 100 percent chaotic energy. So, needless to say, the prospect of talking with Spielman was exciting, and I had a lot of questions for the Sacramento native. I wanted to know what he thinks about his old hometown and why he left; I wanted to ask him about his collaboration with Odd Future; I was dying to hear him discuss his band’s wild reputation and some of the trouble he’s gotten into with Trash Talk; and I was also wondering why his publicist said he was working construction.

So, I guess the question is: Did Lee Spielman Marshawn Lynch this interview? Well, that’s up to you to decide.

I was so stoked to see you still have a 916 number.

Yeah, I’ve had the same number since I’ve ever had a phone.

The publicist said you were doing construction.

No, I’m building something for us.

What are you building?

Just a bunch of shit for our tour. A bunch of crazy shit. I can’t really talk about it.

You’ll see eventually.

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12

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

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Do you work on a lot of other stuff that’s not music?

Yeah, we’re working on a lot of shit. That’s why I’ve been building all fucking day. Working on a lot more stuff that’s outside the box. The last couple months we’ve been having a lot of fun doing creative stuff, from, like, art and ‘zines to collaborating with other artists and brands that we like and not keeping it so cookie cutter on our side.

Oh, OK. Man, I love No Peace. It’s so good.

I appreciate that, man. We were trying to do something different from the demos to what we have now. I don’t even know what the next stuff is going to sound like, but it’s just kind of boring to make the same music over and over. We all know by this point we know how to make short, fast, aggressive punk songs. It’s kind of fun to test ourselves, and we try to do that every time.

When you think back to the beginning of Trash Talk is it odd to think that your little hardcore band ended up being successful and you’re getting to tour and travel and things like that?

Yeah, it is weird. But, then again, it’s something I’ve always loved and have been involved in forever. So it’s weird, but I don’t know what else I would want to do. I’ve been involved with this stuff since I was a little kid, so it almost makes sense. And it’s kind of rad that it turned out the way it did. But I think [our success is] because ever since we started we’ve been 100-percent all the way.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t in Trash Talk?

I have no idea. I’d probably would have went to college and shit like that.

Is it weird that we still kind of claim you as a Sacramento band?

I did a lot of things there as a kid. We started playing there when I was a little kid. I booked shows there for the better part of high school years. It was almost like I could say that I learned how to be in a band and how to tour through booking shows in Sacramento.

Was that at Westcoast Worldwide?

Yeah. [Mike Hood] would leave for tour and me and my friend Jason T. would legitimately go to every single show there. We didn’t care what kind of band it was, whether it was a thrash band, a punk band, whatever. I don’t even think they knew my name until the first year. We went so many times and…we kind of took over for a little while.

That taught me how to treat bands on tour—how to pay bands, how to book shows, how to promote shows. I kind of owe that whole area of us starting [to that period of time] because I booked all our first tours and it was like, “Hey, remember that time I booked you a show in Sacramento? Can you book me a show in New Jersey?” It was just kind of a tradeoff and punk and hardcore is cool for that. I met all my best friends like that.

Anthony Anzaldo from Ceremony was talking about Westcoast Worldwide and he remembers it being a huge pile of shit.

Yeah, it was a shithole. But it was our shithole, so it was OK. Do you ever miss Sacramento?

Yeah, my family still lives there. Some of my best friends still live there. I’ve just been going so hard doing other shit. I don’t know, the day I turned 18 I got in our bass player’s car and drove straight to Seattle, and then I haven’t moved back home since then. But it’s been fun because I’ve lived in London, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Richmond, Virginia. I feel like every kid should get out and see what’s up. Sacramento is a beautiful place and I’d be psyched to have a house there one day or some shit. I’m too young to be stuck there right now.

Do you think it was important for your band to get out of this place and just go?

I think we got to the point where it was like we were getting asked to play a lot of shows in Southern California and stuff and it was like, “Fuck it, let’s just go to Southern California.

We drive there every weekend, anyway.” We all kind of moved apart. Our bass player was living in Bakersfield, our drummer in Los Angeles, our guitar player in Seattle, so one of the main reasons of me moving out was so we could all move to one place and operate as a unit. That helped us get a lot of shit done.

What has Odd Future helped you do?

There’s just other opportunities. It’s more like a whole new set of eyes and ears to work with on the creative side. And just kids in general. I don’t feel that punk and hardcore should be stuck to punk and hardcore kids. [Music should be] projected to someone that can make their own opinion to whether or not they like it, but a lot of time people don’t get the chance. Some kid at an Odd Future show may never have heard of anything like this, but the second he sees it he’ll know it’s his favorite shit. So I think it’s really important to do shit like that in general. Like, we’re coming through Sacramento with Ratking.

We’re down to play with Wavves. Or a DJ. Or whatever. It doesn’t matter.

I never heard Ratking until I looked at your flyer and YouTube’d them. They’re really good.

That’s what it’s all about. Shit like that. And then vice-versa. There’s probably a kid in Sacramento who’s never heard of us and going to see Ratking and typed [Trash Talk] in and is like, “Damn, this is tight.”

Skateboarding has always had this connection between punk rock and hip-hop.

I’ve always said that forever. Like, Ratking, we’re going on tour with them. There may rap and stuff and we play a different genre or style of music, but at the same time we’re all the same kids. We got into music for a reason and we’re traveling with our friends, seeing the world, having fun— skating, tagging—doing whatever we want. At the end of the day, regardless of the genre, we’re kind of the same kids.

“Sacramento is a beautiful place and I’d be psyched to have a house there one day or some shit. I’m too young to be stuck there right now.” – Lee Spielman, Trash Talk

Since you guys are touring so much, do you ever just get tired out? Like you don’t even want to go on stage?

For sure. Sometimes I’m like, “This fucking sucks.

I can’t do this.” But then maybe like 10 seconds before the first note it’s like, “Alright, this is OK.” Then five minutes into the set it’s like, “This is fucking sick.” Halfway through it’s like you forgot how you’re feeling. But this next tour is like 30 days. It’s definitely going to take its toll.

Have you ever played Harlow’s before?

No, I’ve never been there. Is it on J Street or some shit?

Yeah, it has a weird ‘80s lounge vibe. And VIP booths.

That’s tight. We haven’t played Sacramento in hella long. I’m curious to see what’s going to happen.

Do you guys get in a lot of trouble at your shows?

Yeah, a lot. It’s a blessing and a curse. It’s one of those things, people book us to play and they’re like, “Oh, I want this crazy show!” and they get it and they’re super bummed. The crowd’s not bummed. It’s usually the owners or some shit.

But it’s not like we ever go out of our way to intentionally break anything. It’s usually not even us. It’s usually the crowd doing too much. We’ve been in trouble a shitload of times. We’ve had riots.

We’ve had police shut down our shows. It’s kind of weird now. Every time we pull up, they know we’re pulling up and they have a list of rules of shit we can’t do before we walk in the building.

Is there one rule that people always have for you guys?

Don’t climb on shit.

Well, good, man. I’m glad you didn’t Marshawn Lynch me.

I thought about it.

Who knows what will happen when Trash Talk plays Harlow’s.

That’s why you have to be there to find out. The show is March 16 and also features Ratking and Lee Bannon. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 in advance and can be purchased at Harlows.com.

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

13

The Dawn of a New Day

It’s been a long road, but Riotmaker’s Jeffry Valerio has put his demons in the rearview mirror Words Eddie Jorgensen

1400 ALHAMBRA SAcRAMento BLUeLAMPSAcRAMento.coM 916-455-3400 feb. 17 • 8pm

tuesDAY

cAncer slug

nAtionAl lines

since we were kiDs, the moAns, the strAnge pArtY, the left hAnD thursDAY

feb. 19 • 8pm

enAbler

cAll of the voiD, xtomhAnx, A citY Dissolving friDAY

feb. 20 • 8pm

cAge

sADistik, tAsk1ne

feb. 21 • 9pm the hormones (femAle rAmones tribute) mother of A girl (violent femmes tribute) sAturDAY

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feb. 22 • 8pm

figs vision, forebeAr, the enD of summer

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cherrY reD, b-willis, hennesseY, Jiles boi, tonY sAvo, reese, qb, kAos, Juke box AnD more

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everY monDAY 8-10pm • no cover

everY friDAY 10pm-2Am • $3 cover

open mic / spoken worD

DJ wokstAr & guests

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

W

hile some local bands seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter, perseverance and endurance has helped Jeffry Valerio, frontman for Riotmaker, get through the hardest of times.

The once fearless and seemingly invincible leader of Sacramento’s biggest reggae/rock band, Shakedown, found out he was anything but in 2005 when the band ousted him after serious bouts of hardcore drinking and drugs.

The band seemed destined for great things and were one of the few local headliners that had hardcore fans until their untimely demise three years later.

Said Valerio of that period during a recent telephone interview, “After leaving Shakedown, I was out of the music scene for about five years. Shakedown was a very big deal to me and was my whole world. I drank a lot and did a lot drugs and really messed things up for the band and myself. We missed a lot of opportunities because we partied so much and I also put partying before making the band work. During the last year, we had a lot of differences and there were some shows I wouldn’t even remember. Consequently, I ended up getting kicked out of my own band and later stopped drinking to be with my wife and daughter and become a family man.

“Things were really bad and I stepped away from music,” Valerio said as if apologetic and thoroughly disgusted with himself. “To make matters worse, my wife and I separated shortly thereafter and now I have full custody of my daughter who is now 10 years old. Eventually, I started to work on my career outside of music and I worked my way up through the ranks of TGI Fridays and became a regional trainer and, at the same time, became a real drunkard.

Eventually in November 2008, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore and put myself into rehab in Auburn.”

However, not all things were destined to go south in Valerio’s world as things started looking up. “Eventually, I moved in with a girl shortly after my stint at rehab and met two guys—one was my current guitarist Mat Venable who eventually married my roommate. We wrote and recorded for almost two and a half years and finally had some Riotmaker demos,” Valerio said.

After much heartache and deliberation, the band found itself finally doing its first show.

“On Feb. 23, 2013, we booked our first show at Marilyn’s on K,” the frontman reminisced.

“Almost everyone of the Shakedown members

showed up and supported, which made me feel wonderful. The very next day we got offered a show at Ace of Spades. Unfortunately, we didn’t understand when we were booked we were supposed to sell tickets, which we gave away to everyone for free. We showed up at the venue during sound check and the acting house manager, Thomas, almost didn’t let us play.

Thankfully, Eric Rushing [talent buyer of Ace of Spades and The Boardwalk] knew I was sincere and merely laughed it off since he already knew me and realized I had been out of the scene for so long I didn’t know that was how the club worked.”

In just a few short days however, Valerio’s reggae/rock band, Riotmaker, will take the stage at The Boardwalk as part of a two-day festival dubbed Soundcheck: REVIVAL, put together by the fine folks at SacShows Presents.

Once more, the band was responsible for handpicking all of the multi-talented opening and supporting acts such as MDSO, Heat of Damage, Brodi Nicholas and others.

The show also is a momentous occasion for the band as it marks the release of Riotmaker’s official debut album. Their nine-song platter, recorded by the able hands of Joe Johnston at The Pus Cavern, is appropriately called Welcome to Calirock and features Hennessy, aka Jeffrey Harris (also in the Beatknocks hip-hop duo) on the reggae ditty “Everything Is Out” and Melissa McGregor from Once an Empire, whom the band met at Sacramento’s annual Concerts in the Park event, on “Ritalin Kid.” Valerio found great inspiration for the latter song from one local musician who’s made considerable waves in the Sacramento scene.

“The song ‘Ritalin Kid’ was written about Young Aundee when he was in a band called The Secret Six,” Valerio said. “He and I wrote a song together years ago and lifted a bit of lyrics to make this one.”

Currently, Riotmaker is a solid five-piece group with guests coming and going as needed for live shows. Valerio fronts the group, singing and playing acoustic guitar; Venable plays lead guitar, Scott Kennedy holds down rhythm guitar, Ben Lerch rocks the drums and bassist Justin Maddux handles the low-end frequencies.

The band’s name also has a story of its own that Valerio is quick to point out. “Mat and I would take breaks from writing and would listen to a lot of Avenged Sevenfold, Tech N9ne and more. There was one particular song that we loved called ‘Riot Maker’ by Tech N9ne and it just worked,” he said.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

“After leaving Shakedown, I was out of the music scene for about five years.

Shakedown was a very big deal to me and was my whole world. I drank a lot and did a lot drugs and really messed things up for the band and myself. We missed a lot of opportunities because we partied so much and I also put partying before making the band work.”

– Jeffry Valerio, Riotmaker, on his dismissal from Shakedown One of the band’s favorite Riotmaker songs to play live is a tune called “Girl Around the Way,” which is a tale about one of Valerio’s past loves, a woman who broke his heart and eventually led him to write the song. “This song was on our first, rather crude release and was written about her and our chance meeting. We made 1,000 copies of our first CD featuring the song and have since sold out of them but I still keep a handful with me as keepsakes.” he said.

Perhaps the album’s strongest cut is the groove-laden “The Busted Crown,” which is also the most personal. “I started writing the song during the end of Shakedown solo but then it got better and better when I added a full band.”

And while some would say the band is still in its infancy, Riotmaker has already supported some major national acts thanks to Valerio’s many connections and staying rooted in the scene while not actively playing. “We’ve played with Tesla, MC Rut, Oleander, Rome from Sublime with Rome, The Slackers, Fishbone, Yellowman, Authority Zero, and more,” he said.

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Not a man to jinx any opportunities, Valerio is quick to point out that this album will be self-released, though they do have some outside interest.

“We’re going to have compact discs made first and most likely have vinyl later. I know all bands say they have interest and stuff, but we’re just gonna keep quiet until we know certain things come together,” Valerio said.

“Right now we’re in a really good situation. We usually fund everything from our shows, but we had a backer that gave us $5000 for our recording. We were going to do the album ourselves and then Thomas Flowers [singer for Oleander] ended up recording ‘Are You There?’ with us and inspired us to record a full album.

This same anonymous backer, an acquaintance from high school days, also gave us another $10,000 for a touring vehicle as well.”

The band’s album will be available through the band’s shows and, ultimately, at CD Baby so they can take advantage of digital and physical distribution opportunities (as well as

synch licensing).

“We want to tour and eventually add some horns and a multi-instrumentalist who can play keys, percussion, and more,” said the enthusiastic bandleader. “We have our CD release and then will be playing the Unity Festival Arizona at Lake Havasu with headliners Fishbone and Anuhea on Saturday, March 14.

The day after we just got added to a bill with Common Kings and New Kingston at Ace of Spades. We are also playing on April 18 at The Powerhouse Pub in Folsom with Once An Empire.

Of course, we’ll be at Concerts in the Park in May and a plan to have a full U.S. Tour in June/ July if all goes well.”

It’s a new day for Valerio and his band and he’s proof positive that things can turn around in time.

“With Riotmaker, it really is about the music and being with each other and hanging out,” he said. “We’re not setting out to be famous, rich rock stars. There is no animosity since the other guys are into playing just to play. We

simply want to have a good time and we’re gonna tour as much as possible.”

Added Valerio in closing, “And while I don’t like the business part of music, Facebook and other social media have done wonders for us.

I’m a social media whore and started the page back in 2008. Shortly after I started blasting it Riotmaker out there it got over 1000 likes in the first year.”

With nearly 8,000 likes on Facebook alone, one can only assume it’s only up from here.

Well done.

Riotmaker play Friday, Feb. 20 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale (9426 Greenback Lane) with A Mile Till Dawn, MDSO, Brodi Nicholas, Heat of Damage, and Bennett Hannon (of Kayasun). The show starts at 7 p.m.

All ages are welcome. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through Theboardwalkpresents.com.

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

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TRibaL TheoRy • Mango TiMe • CRsb

F R i dAy

February 20

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

w E d N E S dAy

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Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

i The MighTy WiTh speCiaL guesT

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April 16

All Shows All Ages

May 20

Tickets Available @ dimple Records, Armadillo Online: AceOfSpadesSac.com

By Phone: 1.877.GNd.CTRL OR 916.443.9202

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

17

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Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

music, comedy & misc. Calendar

feb. 16 – march 2 submergemag.com/calendar

2.16 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.

Midtown BarFly Wonderful Union Launch Party w/ Broncho, The Croissants, So Stressed, 8 p.m.

Naked Lounge Downtown Jazz Session w/ Naked Lounge Quintet, 8:30 p.m.

Press Club Love Cryme, Mirrorgloss, DJ Jonah Paul, 8 p.m.

2.17 Tuesday

Ace of Spades Zion I, Los Rakas, Locksmith, Tel Cairo, 6:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Cancerslug, Since We Were Kids, The Moans, The Strange Party, The Left Hand, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Emily Kollars Band & Hot City, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar Karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Wild Child, Desert Noises, Goodnight Texas, 6 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m.

LowBrau Le Twist Tuesdays w/ Trails and Ways, Sam I Jam, Roger Carpio, Adam J, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Pour House Jam Session hosted by James Cavern, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Rock On! Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Press Club Youth Cult: Post Punk/ New Wave Dance Party, 9 p.m.

Shine Open Jazz Jam hosted by Jason Galbraith, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Mardi Gras Second Line Party w/ Elements Brass Band, 4:30 p.m.; Earles of Newtown, 8 p.m.

2.18 Wednesday

Ace of Spades Suicide Silence, Emmure, Within the Ruins, Fit For an Autopsy, Salythia, 5:30 p.m.

Bar 101 Open Mic, 7:30 p.m.

Club Car The Double Shots, 7:30 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Adrian Bellue, Joe Kye, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Open Mic Showcase, 7 p.m.

Fox & Goose British Pop Wednesdays w/ Roger Carpio, 8 p.m.

G Street WunderBar DJ Larry Rodriguez, 10 p.m.

Harlow’s Alex Vincent Band, CFR, 7 p.m.

Laughs Unlimited Karaoke w/ KJ Gingerbread, 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, DJ Peeti V, 9 p.m.

Naked Lounge Downtown Mac Russ, Martin Purtill, Juliet Company, 8:30 p.m.

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub The Three Way, Roswell, The Soul Shine Band, 8 p.m.

Press Club Pregnant, RGB, Epsilona, 8 p.m.

Sacramento State: Redwood Room Nooner feat. Humble Wolf, 12 p.m.

Shine Midtown Out Loud Open Mic, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Acoustic Open Mic, 5:30 p.m.; Delta City Ramblers, The California Stars, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Jackson Hall Brian Jagde, Craig Terry, 8 p.m.

2.19

Call of the Void Enabler, xTomhanx, A City Dissolving The Blue Lamp 8 p.m.

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2.19 thursday

Ace of Spades August Burns Red, Miss May I, Northlane, Fit For A King, Erra, 6 p.m.

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Enabler, Call of the Void, xTomhanx, A City Dissolving, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk The Garden, The Grandmothers, 7 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Open Mic Night w/ Carly DuHain, 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.

Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon DJ River, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose The Mike Justis Band, 8 p.m.

G Street WunderBar The Bumptet, 10 p.m.

Gold Lion Arts The Lost Trio, 8 p.m.

Goldfield Johnny Cash Tribute Band, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s ALO, The T Sisters, 7 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.

Naked Lounge Downtown Flight Mongoose, Headpop, 8:30 p.m.

Old Ironsides Bluegrass Open Jam, 8 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Blackwater, 10 p.m.

Shine Salt Wizard, The Polymers, 8 p.m.

The Stoney Inn Stephan Hogan, Chad Bushnell, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X Quartet, 5 p.m.; The Steepwater Band, 9 p.m.

2.20 Friday

Ace of Spades Nipsey Hussle, 6:30 p.m.

Back 9 Bar & Grill The Cheeseburger Boys, Sumpin Diffrnt, 8 p.m.

Bar 101 Island of Black & White, 9:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Cage, Sadistik, Task1ne, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Soundcheck w/ Riotmaker (Album Release), A Mile Till Dawn, MDSO, Brodi Nicholas, Heat Of Damage, Bennett Hannon, 7 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil, Points North, Stalking Distance, Justin Forcione, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Fyah Fridays w/ DJ Jaytwo, 10 p.m.

Club Car Bad Catz, 9 p.m.

The Colony Collude Noise Cult, Chopstick, Doel, Parousia, Machtkrieg, Leland Vandermeulen, 8 p.m.

continued on page 20

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19

Cooper’s Ale Works J*Ras, IrieFuse, Mendo Dope, Cali Kidd, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon UnWound Country Band, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose Massive Delicious, RGB, Strawberry Girls, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar DJ Mouf, 10 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Madison Hudson, Tyler Rich, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Tainted Love, 8:30 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Dylan Cal Trio, 9 p.m.

Lake Tahoe Golf Course Clubhouse FNCTN Winter Music Series w/ 40 Watt Hype, Eli Lieberman, 8 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Red’s Blues Band, 8 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) ALO, T Sisters, 8 p.m.

Midtown BarFly That Thing On Friday feat. The Originalz, 5th Bar Drop, Two Times, Heffe, 10 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m.

Naked Lounge Downtown Bad Outlets, Basket House, Holly L’Babe, Cove, 8:30 p.m.

Old Ironsides Blvd Park, Musical Charis, Orion Walsh, 9 p.m.

On The Y Bispora, Jack Ketch, Purification by Fire, ATA, 8 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pour House The Charleee Trio, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Skid Roses, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino The Spazmatics, 9:30 p.m.

Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Third Star West, 9:30 p.m.

Shine Spangler, Band of Lovers, Orange Morning, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Drop Heavy Drum & Bass w/ Crescendo, Evolve, Spacefunk, 59crime, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; Steven Roth, 9 p.m.

20

2.21 Saturday

Ace of Spades Bone Thugs-NHarmony, Souljah Snoop Loc, 7 p.m.

Back 9 Bar & Grill Terra Ferno, White Minorities, Zeroclient, 9 p.m.

Bar 101 Xochitl, 9:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp The Hormones (Female Ramones Tribute), Mother of a Girl (Violent Femmes Tribute), Chick Jagger (Female Rolling Stones Tribute), 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Soundcheck w/ With Wolves, Petroglyphs, Shorelines, Wrath Of Tides, Taking Fox Hollow, 7 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Engelbert Humperdinck, 8 p.m.

Cafe Colonial The Jim Kelly Kung Fu Orchestra, Slow Meth, Khaos Assault, Cross Class, ChumpxChange, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Feel Good Saturday’s w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m.

District 30 Well Groomed, 10 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Destroyer (KISS tribute), 9:30 p.m.

Folsom Lake College A Celebration of African-American Music feat.

The Broun Fellinis w/ Afro Cuban Funk, The FLC Urban Jazz Project, The Guardian Knights, MC Bernard Gibson, 7 p.m.

Fox & Goose Anton Barbeau, Jason McNiff, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar Total Recall, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Country DJ Dancing, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Tainted Love, 8:30 p.m.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Los Lobos, 7:30 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Casey Lipka Trio, 9 p.m.

Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, 2 p.m.

Midtown BarFly Louis the Child, Shlump, Tha Fruitbat, DJ Ynnam, Freddy Silva, Head Soar, Ike Iller, Stylus, Syncro, MC Ham, DJ Gourmet, 10 p.m.

Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

Naked Lounge Downtown Tao Tiriki, Shoi, Sleep No More, 8:30 p.m.

Old Ironsides Spirit Animal, Highway 12, Fair Struggle, Tarzandragon, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pour House Element of Soul, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub ZuhG, Good Samaritans, 9 p.m.

Press Club Graveshadow, Axiom, The Edge of Paradise, 5 p.m.; DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Big Bad Boogie Rock, 10 p.m.

Sacramento Convention Center Baby Bash, Kid Ink, St. Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band, and more, 8 p.m.

Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill The Banned, 9:30 p.m.

Shine Vinnie Guadera and the Dead Birds, Odame Sucks, Gabriel Aiello, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Stoneberry, Glug, Empire of Dirt, 8 p.m.

Torch Club AC Myles, 9 p.m.

2.22 sunday

Bar 101 Dylan Crawford, 2 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Husalah (of The Mob Figaz), 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Enuff Z’nuff, Paradox Drive, Evolution Eden, 6:30 p.m.

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Broderick Roadhouse Karaoke w/ DJ Jazcat, 9 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Engelbert Humperdinck, 4 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 9 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Dive Bar Brothers Gow, The Charleee Trio, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Crystal Bowersox, 6 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts International Guitar Night w/ Brian Gore, Andrew York, Diego Figuierido, Maneli Jamal, 7:30 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Taj Mahal Trio, 7:30 p.m. (Sold Out) Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 8:30 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Daniel Castro, 3 p.m.

Press Club Botanist, Foie Gras, Competing, (WANING), Ungulate, 5 p.m.; Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Sweet Revenge, 4 p.m.

Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Skips Music’s Weekend Warriors, 4 p.m.

Torch Club Blues Jam, 4 p.m.; Front the Band, 8 p.m.

2.23 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.

Harlow’s Guttermouth, Counterpunch, BOATS!, 7 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.

Naked Lounge Downtown Jazz Session w/ Naked Lounge Quintet, 8:30 p.m.

Press Club Bubble Butt Dance Party, 9 p.m.

2.24 Tuesday

The Blue Lamp National Lines, Figs Vision, ForeBear, The End of Summer, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Boondox, J Terrible, Deadkids, 2HK, Brutha Smith, 7 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar DUPLX, Blanco Canyon, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar Karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Tory Lanez, 6:30 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts The Swingle Singers, 7 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m.

LowBrau Le Twist Tuesdays w/ Young Aundee, Sam I Jam, Roger Carpio, Adam J, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Pour House Jam Session hosted by James Cavern, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Rock On! Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Press Club Open Tables feat.

Freddy Silva, Mettius Bremson, 8:30 p.m.

Shine Open Jazz Jam hosted by Jason Galbraith, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Orion, 5:30 p.m.; Kyle Rowland w/ John Atkinson, 9 p.m.

2.25 wednesday

Bar 101 Open Mic, 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Cherry Red, B-Willis, Hennessey, Jiles Boi, Tony Savo, Reese, QB, and more, 8 p.m.

Club Car The Double Shots, 7:30 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

District 30 GTA, Alexx Adam, 10 p.m.

Dive Bar Brian Rogers, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Open Mic Showcase, 7 p.m.

Fox & Goose British Pop Wednesdays w/ Roger Carpio, 8 p.m.

G Street WunderBar DJ Larry Rodriguez, 10 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Once An Empire EP Release Listening Party, 8 p.m.

Laughs Unlimited Karaoke w/ KJ Gingerbread, 8 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Irish/Celtic Night w/ The Glens of Smow, Sambandha, 7 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, DJ Peeti V, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Alex Gameson and Guests, 8 p.m.

Press Club Miss Massive Snowflake, SWIM, Removed, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Acoustic Open Mic, 5:30 p.m.; Red’s Blues, John Cocuzzi, 9 p.m.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Thunder Valley Casino Resort Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone, 7:30 p.m.

Tommy T’s Terry Sheets Band, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; Groove Session, Big Sticky Mess, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Young Artists Competition All-Stars, 8 p.m.

2.21 2.28 Saturday

Spirit Animal Highway 12, Fair Struggle, Tarzandragon Old Ironsides 9 p.m.

2.26 Thursday

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp One-Eyed Reilly, JD of Step Jayne, Adam of The SeaLegs, 8 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.

Crocker Art Museum Tom Rigney and Flambeau, 7 p.m.

District 30 Cosmic Gate, 10 p.m.

Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon DJ River, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose Chicken & Dumpling, 8 p.m.

G Street WunderBar Rock On! Live Band Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Kathy Koskins: Ladies of Cool, 7:30 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 Live Band Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Sweet Revenge, 10 p.m.

Sacramento Convention Center The 2nd Annual Mandela95 Concert w/ Xsample and The Atomic Banned, Jeanette Hawkins, Boatamo Mosupyoe, 7 p.m.

Shine Celebrate Life Fundraiser w/ Crow Canyon, Cedric Johnson, Tony Richards, 7 p.m.

The Stoney Inn The Buck Ford Pure Country Band, High Noon, 9 p.m.

Third Space Terror Pigeon, Calliope Musicals, Azeotropes, Ancient Aliens, 8:30 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X Quartet, 5 p.m.; Peter Petty & The Double P Review, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Jackson Hall Susan Graham, 8 p.m.

Veterans Memorial Auditorium (Grass Valley) Amy Grant, 8 p.m.

2.27 FRIDAY

Ace of Spades Black Veil Brides, Memphis May Fire, Ghost Town, 7 p.m.

Back 9 Bar & Grill Zombie Death Stench, California Medication, White Knuckle Riot, 8:30 p.m.

Bar 101 Whiskey Alley, The Chick P’s, 9:30 p.m.

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Black Dragon Brewery (Woodland) One-Eyed Reilly, 7 p.m.

The Blue Lamp The Quart of Blood Technique, 6 p.m.; Free Up Fridays w/ DJ Wokstar and special guests, 10 p.m.

The Boardwalk Honey Cocaine, 7 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Average League, Control, The Livelies, 7:30 p.m.

Capitol Garage Fyah Fridays w/ DJ Jaytwo, 10 p.m.

Club Car EZ Street Band, 9 p.m.

District 30 Slander, 10 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon The Blokes, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose The Stuff, The Uncovered, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar DJ Adrian G, 10 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Dave Russell Band, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s The Purple Ones (10 Piece Tribute to Prince), 9:30 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Kathy Koskins: Ladies of Cool, 7:30 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Trio Las Cruces, 9 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Jefferson Starship, 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Christian De Wild Band, Braden Scott Band, 4 Tel, Iron Hearts, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pour House Pointdexter, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Chris Gardner, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Cover Me Badd, 9:30 p.m.

Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Michael Beck Band, 9:30 p.m.

Shine Hollow Point Stumblers, Bomba Fried Rice, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Dream In Red, ForNever, Dedvolt, 8 p.m.

Ace of Spades Spice1, B Legit, Richie Rich, Celly Cel, San Quinn, RBL Posse Guce, Lee Majors, Rappin’ 4 Tay, Marvaless, T-Nutty, Cali Bear Gang, 7 p.m.

Back 9 Bar & Grill The Alpha Complex, Madison Ave, Surviving the Era, 8 p.m.

Bar 101 We Just Met, 9:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Lil AJ, Wizdom, Danny Barbosa, Autumn Nicole Costa, 7 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino MC Nam Loc, Chi Tam, Band Tam, Hong Ngoc and More, 6 p.m.

Capitol Garage Feel Good Saturday’s w/ DJ Epik, 10 p.m.

Club Car Private Criminals, 9 p.m.

District 30 Romeo Reyes, 10 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon RV Royalty, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose One Button Suit, Panmixia, F St. Stompers, 9 p.m.

Garden to Grill Jason Welt, Ryan Davidson, Liam Kyle Cahill, Carl Ogren, 7 p.m.

G Street WunderBar ADHD, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Buck Ford, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Nicholas David, 5:30 p.m.; Petty Theft (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers tribute), 9:30 p.m.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Bruce in the USA (Bruce Springsteen tribute), 7:30 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Kathy Koskins: Ladies of Cool, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe David Houston & String Theory, 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Cherry, Pocket Jones, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pour House Thundercover, 10 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Frank Hannon Band, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Steel Breeze, 10 p.m.

Sammy’s Island Bar and Grill Department of Rock, 9:30 p.m.

continued on page 23

>>

2.28

Spice1 B Legit, Richie Rich, Celly Cel, San Quinn, RBL Posse Guce, Lee Majors, Rappin’ 4 Tay, Marvaless, T-Nutty, Cali Bear Gang Ace of Spades 7 p.m.

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

21

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

Open Mic night

hosted by James Cavern fri feB 20 21+ / 9Pm / free

fri feB 27

21+ / 9Pm / free

sat feB 28

tuesdays 21+ / 9Pm / free

Free Line

Dancing LessOns

wednesdays with special guest

tyler rich

fri Mar 6

21+ / 9Pm / free

sat Mar 7 21+ / 9Pm / free

fri Mar 13

21+ / 9Pm / free

Bar gaMes Beer pOng cOrnhOLe

Big Buck hunter 1st thursdays

Live cOuntry BanD

karaOke

sat Mar 14

21+ / 9Pm / free

fri Mar 20

21+ / 9Pm / free

coMing soon: apr 3 apr 4

northern traditionz

apr 10 apr 11 apr 17 May 1 May 29 Jul 25

toree Mcgee the golden cadillacs terry sheets chad Bushnell westBound 50 Jackson Michelson steel rose gunner & the grizzly Boys

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

22

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

3rd thursdays

JOhnny cash cOver BanD saturdays

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

Shine Xochitl (EP Release), Andrew Castro (EP Release), Meghan Bone, Ruby Jaye, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Drive Thru Mystics, San Kasagaskar, Father Howl, Mindflowers, Mad Alchemy, DJ Tim Matranga, 8 p.m.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort John and Dee Price with the Rhythm Riders (Cash ‘n Cline Tribute), 8 p.m.

Torch Club The Responders, 5:30 p.m.; Nickel Slots, Miss Lonely Hearts, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Jackson Hall Young Artists Competition Finals, 10 a.m.

3.01 Sunday

Ace of Spades In Flames, All That Remains, Wovenwar, 6:30 p.m.

Bar 101 Dylan Crawford, 2 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Eyes of Mara, 8 p.m.

Broderick Roadhouse Karaoke w/ DJ Jazcat, 9 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Maria Cordero, Jimmy Yu-Chun Lin, 2 & 5 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 9 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Harlow’s Mali Music, KP Pollard, 9:30 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 8:30 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Mary Lou, 3 p.m.

Press Club Ultra Violent Rays, Dynamic Fuzz Bomb, DJ Missy Mark, 5 p.m.; Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Buck Ford, 1 p.m.

Torch Club SAMMIES Blues Nominees Showcase, 4 p.m.

The Urban Hive Singing the Great American Songbook: Vocal Jazz Jam, 7 p.m.

SubmergeMag.com

3.02 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.

Harlow’s David Cook, Dylan Gardner, 7 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Cassandra Wilson: A Celebration of Billie Holiday, 7:30 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.

Press Club Killdevil (Reunion), Ghost Town Rebellion, Wake the Sun, 8 p.m.

Comedy B Street Theatre 5 Songs by Jack Gallagher, through March 1 Crest Theatre Hannibal Buress, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.

Davis Senior High School: Brunelle Performing Arts Center Tim Lee, Feb. 20, 8 p.m.

Laughs Unlimited Best of Open Mic Showcase, Feb. 17, 8 p.m.

Say It Loud Comedy Presented by Michael Calvin Jr. w/ Chris Riggins, Ephrem Hardin, Mario Hodge, Jason Sohm, Dor Knows, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.

Tony Dijamco, Nat Baimel, Feb. 20 22, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

Four Shades of Funny w/ Daniel Dugar, Nema Williams, DJ Cooch, Kabir Singh, Feb. 26, 8 p.m.

Chris Storin, Michael Calvin Jr., Feb. 27 - March 1, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Open Mic Comedy, every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

STAB! Hosted by John Ross, Feb. 18, 8 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium Mike Epps, Gary Owen, Feb. 27, 8 p.m.

Punchline Comedy Club Michael Patten, Feb. 18, 8 p.m.

Margaret Cho, Feb. 19 - 21, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.

Branded Funny Comedy, Feb. 22, 7 p.m.

Going Up On A Tuesday Comedy Jam w/ Mike E. Winfield and Friends, Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

DJ Sandhu Presents: Highbrow Humour, Feb. 25, 8 p.m.

Godfrey, Marcella Arguello, Keon Polee, Feb. 26 - March 1, Thurs., 8 p.m.; 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.

Cage Match, Tuesday’s, 9 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.

Tommy T’s Luenell, Feb. 20 - 22, 7 p.m.

OJ “The Jokeman” Young, Feb. 26 28, 7 p.m.

Misc.

20th Street (Between J and K) Midtown Farmers Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m.

Arthouse Gallery & Studios Popstractions by Sid Wellman and Donine Wellman, through Feb. 28 Axis Gallery Loving the Noumenon

by Roma Devanbu, through March 1 Belle Cooledge Library Scriptorium Saturday Poetry & Words Presents: In the Times of Tony Francis, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.

Blue Cue Bar Bingo, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Naughty Trivia!, every Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Blue Line Gallery The CrockerKingsley Competition and Exhibition, through Feb. 21 Bon Vida Gallery Magic and Tragic, through Feb. 28 Bonney Field Sacramento Republic FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, Feb. 21, 5 p.m.

Sacramento Republic FC vs. New York Cosmos, Feb. 28, 7 p.m.

The Boxing Donkey Trivia Night, every Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Brickhouse Gallery Art In The Key Of Life by Keith Mikell, through Feb. 28 Cal Expo Color Fun Fest 5K, Feb. 28, 5 p.m.

California Automobile Museum Sacramento Fashion Week, through Feb. 21 Beer Week: Sacramento Brewers Showcase, Feb. 26, 5:30 p.m.

Capitol Garage Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

Crest Theatre The Vagina Monologues, Feb. 28, 8 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum Toulouse-Lautrec and La Vie Moderne: Paris 1880–1910, through - Apr. 26 Film Screening: Moulin Rouge, Feb. 22, 2 p.m.

Davis Senior High School - Brunelle Performing Arts Center An Evening with Laura Ling: Journey of Hope, Feb. 21, 5 p.m.

Dive Bar Coastal Carnival, Feb. 20 21, 9:30 & 11:30 p.m.

Elliott Fouts Gallery An Eclectic Grouping feat. Roland Petersen, Wayne Thiebaud, Michael Ramstead, Tony Natsoulas and More, through March 5 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.

Great Escape Games 3rd Annual Steampunk Emporium and Swap Meet, Feb. 21, 11 a.m.

Historic Old Folsom Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m.

Jill Solberg Performing Arts Theatre The Hawkins Classical and Contemporary Ballet Company Presents: Coppélia, Feb. 21 - 22 John Natsoulas Gallery Bark!: Sixth Annual Dog Art Group Exhibition, through Feb. 28 Little Relics Boutique & Galleria All New Sacred Heart and Surprise Works by Rob-O Sugar Skull Artist, through Feb. 28 Luna’s Cafe Poetry Unplugged, every Thursday, 8 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium 13th Annual Sacramento Invitational Taekwondo Championships, Feb. 28, 8 a.m.

Midtown BarFly Salsa Lessons, every Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Pine Cove Trivia Night, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

Press Club Flex Your Head Trivia, Tuesday’s, 8 p.m.

The Rink Sac City Rollers Season Opener: Capitol Punishers vs.

Undead Bettys and Folsom Prison Bruisers vs. Undead Bettys, Feb. 21, 6 p.m.

Sacramento Area Peace Action 4th Tuesday Film: Utopia, Feb. 24, 7 p.m.

Sacramento Fine Arts Center Remembering Jim Estey, through Feb. 28 Watercolors by Gloria Kincade, through Feb. 28 Sacramento State: University Union Ballroom Free Film Screening: Dear White People, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Hypnotist Tom Deluca, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.

Sacramento State: University Union Gallery Commune: Art by the Form Collective, Feb. 23 - March 9 Shimo Center for the Arts Different Times, Different Places by Mary Coldren, through Mar. 11 Union Hall Gallery The Contemporary Still Life by Judith Huth, through Feb. 28 White Buffalo Gallery Plush He Think by Brandon Gastinell, through March 8 Women’s Civic Improvement Center Black History Month Festival, Feb. 22, 2 p.m.

Verge Center for the Arts Current Exhibition: Couchbleachers

by Nate Page, through Mar. 14 8th Annual Winter French Short Films Screening, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

23

Photo by Evan E. Duran

The Shack 5201 Folsom Boulevard

11

downtown area bars where beer rules all

Words Alia Cruz and Blake Gillespie | intro Jonathan Carabba

Humphrey Bogart once said, “The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.”

The Shack is there to catch you up, East Sac. The Shack location originally opened in 1931 as one of the first drive-ins turned drivethrus in our area. It was home to the nickel hot dog and dubbed “The root beer king.” Owners Gary and Jen Slaeppy claim that “The Governor of California ‘Sunny Jim’ Rolph was said to have had his first beer after prohibition in our beer garden, which is now the kitchen.” Today, The Shack remains a prime destination for US-made craft beers as well as Belgian ales/ sours/lambics with over 100 options on draft and in bottle. The bright

green hut used to serve up some of the best breakfast in town, but sadly, they recently discontinued it because it was exhausting the dining quarters. However, their award-winning burgers are still available to devour with a nice Knee Deep IPA, or a Pliny the Elder, or a malty Belgian dubbel. If you are into the more exciting, foreign beers, they’ve got you covered with trappist specialties, diverse Belgians (from unfiltered whites to heavy quads) and even a couple of sour options. During Beer Week, the location will host the ticketed event, “Shack Fest,” an East Sac rager in celebration of all that is beer and food. In proper homage to their roots, “Shack Fest” (Sunday, March 1) is an event full of unlimited tastings and an abundance of food as a continuous middle finger to prohibition all these years later.

-AC

I

f there is one thing that’s for sure about Sacramento, it’s that we love our beer! The last few years have been an exciting time for regional hop-heads. New breweries and taprooms are opening left and right, it’s becoming the norm for restaurants and bars to up their beer list game, and our palates whole is growing with the rising popularity of sours, farmhouse ales and other interesting/experimental brews.

Another thing that’s for sure is there is no lack of great bars to enjoy craft beer in the Sacramento region.

Throw a rock in any direction and you’re bound to hit a spot with a killer beer list. With the return of Sacramento Beer Week, which runs from Feb. 28 to March 8, we figured it would be a perfect time to highlight a few of our favorite downtown-area beer bars. This is by no means a “best of” list, it’s simply an attempt to shine some light on bars in or near the heart of the city whose focus is on beer 365 days a year. Honorable mentions could of course include traditional pubs like Fox and Goose, Bonn Lair, and de Vere’s; or other downtown hot spots like Alley Katz, Burgers and Brew and The Rind; brewery taprooms like Track 7, Bike Dog and Berryessa; or even outlying spots like Sam Horne’s and Final Gravity, but then this list would never end… Read on to learn about 11 of Submerge’s favorite beer-focused downtown-area establishments and to get a hint of what to expect for their Beer Week events and offerings.

24

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

We have

129

cabs ready to serve you!

And they’re all just a click away!

Photo by Evan E. Duran

Hot City Pizza 5642 J Street

H

ot City Pizza is the tiny pizza joint inconspicuously cuddled between a few businesses in a strip mall in deep East Sac. While the Hot City location is visually unimpressive and void of decor, their food and drinks confidently make up for it. Owner Colby Pettenger opened the place more than seven years ago, with the dream of bringing this town the least boring pizza around. It quickly evolved into the natural marriage of good beer with good pizza. Their pizza and beer is literally so good, they can completely rely on it to keep customers loyal and plenty.

The pizza itself is damn good. Notable spicy options, like the spicy veggie and the angry pig pizza, will make a ‘za lover sweat. Also, their vegetarian options are plentiful, and they are generous with toppings. The variety of pizzas gives you

the feeling that its creator was somewhat of an evil genius, being completely liberated by the access of toppings and the power to execute them into what he’s always dreamt of.

An experience at this place is always full of unexpected delights. This small, laid-back pizza joint has some of the best beer options in town. The little 7-Up branded fridge in the main dining area has a beer selection that even the town’s most ritzy bottle shops can’t get a hold of. Yes, there are plenty of local offerings like Knee Deep IPAs, but they also have an exciting and unique option from more specialty breweries too. For example, they are bound to have something great from Mikkeller, Prairie Artisan Ales, and you never know who else. This place is the epitome of a hidden gem.

Aside from the bottle choices, they have 14 beers on tap that consistently rotate and keep options fresh and exciting.

Spicy meats and peppers on certain pizzas will find a friend in a dank IPA, and a fresh veggie pizza can shine with a pairing of a farmhouse ale or blossoming saison. I think that while pizza has rarely been seen as something culinarily complicated, the pairing of unique beers with pies is a no brainer. If you break down all of the ingredients of a pizza, and think about all of the spices and elements, certain beers can actually help accentuate those things. Hot City Pizza has such a variety of funky and unique brews, that with each bottle you pop or beer you have poured, there are so many flavors waiting to work together to give you a whole new experience.

While Pettenger says he has yet to plan anything for Beer Week, rest assured you can always find something here that consistently respects the craft of the draft.

-AC

Call or SMS text 24 hours

916-444-2222 Download the Yellow Cab Taxi App at www.yellowcabsacramento.com

University of Beer

1510 16 th Street, Suite 300

Photo by Jenny Price SubmergeMag.com

The original University of Beer in Davis rose to popularity with a 60-tap system, the sort of beer list undertaking few dare brave. For its Midtown location, University of Beer expanded its curriculum, installing a 100-tap system. We do not advise a latenight cram session of studying the beer list. With campus roots, the ambience follows suit, mixed with the hyperstimulation of a sports bar—seemingly as many flat screens as there are taps. Accommodation is supreme at U of B. The hundred taps are not squandered on appeasing the domestic big brothers of beer. Even the bottle list is home to specialty brews and manufactured in limited runs. Eleven of the taps are locals only, with the remaining flavor profile spanning Belgians, sours, nitros, pales and ciders. For Beer Week, U of B will have its Rare Beer Night on Sunday March 1 (the list still under lock and key), and Tuesday is hosted by Saint Archer Cellar Manager Greg Peters, serving flights and fielding your beer nerd and homebrewer inquiries. -BG

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

25

Capitol Beer and Tap Room

2222 Fair Oaks Boulevard

Photo by Melissa Welliver

The dogwoods are in bloom in the courtyard adjacent to Capitol Beer and Tap Room’s secluded patio, a picturesque setting for a post-shift pint. Tucked away from the commuter traffic of Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard, Capitol Beer exists as a quaint and folksy retreat.

Strip malls tend to stifle character (think four corners of taupe), but this nestled neighborhood watering hole created a lived-in look by building a brick arch behind the bar and mounting 20 chalk boards against a hop-print, painted backdrop to display its rotating taps.

The 20 boards are for the 20 taps that are ever-rotating with an emphasis on Pacific breweries, but a serious soft-spot for national breweries like Clown Shoes

in Massachusetts. The beer rotation is highly curated, but also democratic. Got an elusive brew in mind? Place it on the beer wish list and they’ll do the leg work.

With Beer Week days dedicated to locals only and the surrounding regions like the Bay Area, Oregon and San Diego, Capitol Beer has an inclusive mentality in its schedule. Friday, March 6 is of note though as Hops To Table magazine, a local brewer’s rag, will celebrate its second anniversary. “It’s not only a celebration of the magazine, but it’s a rare beer night,” bar manager Eric Newell said. “The idea [for the magazine] started here, talking about it one day about a love for Sacramento and its beer scene.”

-BG

Firestone Public House

1132 16 th Street

Firestone is a great option for the more casual craft beer drinker. It is loud, it is busy, it is haunted with televisions for sports enthusiasts (exactly their targeted audience), but it also has almost 60 draft beers to stumble through with uniquely large-sized pour options on considerably high-alcohol ales. Before Firestone was a restaurant, it was the huge tire company sticking out on the bustling corner of 16th and L streets. When I was a kid, I remember driving with my dad to the Downtown Plaza and always turning my head to watch the Firestone guys rolling and bouncing tires on the grease-stained pavement. About five years ago, The Firestone Tire Co. was gutted and made into the Firestone Restaurant. The restaurant retained the moniker as homage to its shared roots with the Firestone empire. A consistent draft list of everything from IPAs to heavy stouts and refreshing ciders is an option, along with about six handles that are constantly being rehydrated with a fresh option. If you are a hop head, I suggest the IPA flight, which usually includes five four-ounce pours of California style IPA varieties. Though they have very little planned as official Beer Week festivities, they do have a keg of 805 Firestone to offer around that time. -AC

Photo by Mallory Moullay

Dad’s Kitchen

2968 Freeport Boulevard

Photo by Evan E. Duran

Lowbrau

1050 20 th Street

Photo by Nicholas Wray

26

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Much like craft beer wasn’t synonymous with Sacramento until the past five years, the Northwest corner of 20th and K was not perceived as a destination stop in Midtown. That is until it transformed in 2012 with the opening of Lowbrau Bierhall, widely regarded as one of the most popular hangouts in town—no matter the day of the week. Pioneered by Clay Nutting and Michael Hargis, the traditional name is not an affront. The bier menu at Lowbrau will challenge your comfort with the German language, always pouring Trappists, Dunkels, Doppelbocks and Hefeweissbiers. Tradition is cool, but this is California. To wit, Lowbrau keeps a steady rotation of experimental breweries both regional and worldwide.

While a debut of a barrel-aged, peanut butter infused variation on Ballast Point’s Victory At Sea cannot be missed on Friday February 27, Thursday is Heretic For Homebrewers night, a chance for homebatch hopefuls to pick the brain of Heretic head brewer Jamil Zainasheff.

-BG

Dad’s Kitchen is known for their commitment to showcasing mostly California beers. They designate their 27-draft lineup to these state-proud brews, especially those created here in Sacramento. What makes Dad’s so awesome is that it is a laid-back, totally unpretentious place with a knowledgeable and down to earth staff. This place is beaming with local pride and a reformed surfer dude feel. Year-round beer coordinator Tyson Herzog (who also runs Sac Brew Bus tours) completely submerges himself in the local beer culture, and that definitely reflects in the Dad’s draft list. Yes, they offer brews from local hard-hitters like Track 7 and Bike Dog, but this place also gives the spotlight to smaller breweries like Yolo Brewing Co., Auburn Alehouse and Mraz. One thing that is acceptable here, as should be in most professional beer places, is the right to taste.

A place that lets you take a swig of something you are unsure about before you commit is highly appreciated. Not only does this allow you to ensure you like what you get, but it opens up the possibility for beer conversation and enhances the overall drinking experience. This year, Dad’s anticipates a packed Beer Week schedule. They will pay homage to Sacramento beers on Saturday, Feb 28. Other events for the week will include a Lagunitas brunch and Drake’s tap takeover. The one unmissable event is on Wednesday, March 4. This location will be hosting a local IPA tasting competition. Breweries will have guests drink up to determine who has the more superior hopped concoction.

-AC

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

B e e r W e e k AT k u p r o s !

Fri, Feb 27 Feb 28-Mar 1 Mon, Mar 2 Wed, Mar 4 Thurs, Mar 5 Fri, Mar 6 Photo by Melissa Welliver

sat, Mar 7 sun, Mar 8

kupros free music series

Drakes Brewing Beer week CollaBoration Premier feat. the Upside Brown oregon vs san Diego Brewery ComPetition! winner Based on sales and cUstomer votes. specials from oregon vs san Diego ComPetition winner! plUs a visit from owner of ninkasi Brewing! loCals only night! all loCal hanDles. specials with an id that reads 95811 throUgh 95818 zip code!

CeleBrate the DeCaDes feat. Breweries started in the 80’s, 90’s & early 00’s come dressed in yoUr favorite decade!

Fng (FuCking new guy) FriDay feat. Breweries that have Been aroUnd 3 years or less!

Dust Bowl Brewing night small plate pairings w/ dUst Bowl Brews. kill the keg/sPring Cleaning Day! everything mUst go! deep discoUnts on all oUr wonderfUl Beer from Beer week!

f r i f e b 2 0 • 9 p m s at f e b 2 1 • 9 p m f r i f e b 2 7 • 9 p m

Dylan Cal Trio

Casey lipka Trio

Trio lasCruCes

1217 21sT sTreeT MiDToWn saCraMenTo 916.440.0401 kuproscrafthouse.com @kuprossacto

Der Biergarten 2332 K Street

D

er Biergarten has some prime offerings in deep pours and a ping pong table, so naturally, I am a fan. Biergarten owner Sean Derfield was one of the first people in our area to put a business in a cargo unit, “an idea that was initially meant to make it so we can literally pick the whole place up and move it to different locations every few weeks,” he said. This idea was immediately shot down by the city, but that’s cool, because Midtown has made Sean feel more than welcome in his little lot on the corner of 23rd and K. Derfield came from a proud German heritage and wanted to give Sacramento a feel for a more casual outdoor environment where one can drink heavy pours of quality German beers and other ales. He wanted to bring the bar (and its patrons) out into the fresh air. “When looking for what to serve, I’m constantly tasting, doing research and listening to beer lovers,” said Derfield. “I’m always talking to beer reps and religiously on Beer Advocate. Being educated in beers seems to be key.” Initially, he came from a traditional bar background (he also owns The River City Saloon in Old Sac), where he says beer was not quite in the spotlight.

Then, he became intrigued by the laid-back nature of the traditional biergarten and the beer boom. “I was aiming for a place to feel completely casual and fun, with the quality product to back it up. I want people to drink and be merry.”

SubmergeMag.com

The Biergarten is void of TVs, music and antics. Instead, they have corn hole, foosball, ping pong and community tables to meet new friends. Beer also helps with that latter part. In fact, these community tables were even shipped here from the owner’s German relatives to support those hefty steins of beer.

The cargo-unit kitchen also serves up some light German grub like sausages, pretzels and salads. The few times that Sacramento’s weather is unsavory is when the business hours for Der Biergarten become murky. If it is raining, they have no choice but to be closed. If it is too hot, business tends to be slow. Sean has been tirelessly working on ways to keep patrons more comfortable in changing conditions. “We are putting in awesome misters for the summer and looking at electric heaters for the winter. We are also looking forward to possibly extending our hours through midnight.” Der Biergarten is a completely unpretentious, fun place to get your money’s worth for quality German beers and beyond. They implement an idea that community is built through drinking beer, as the Germans have religiously believed for years and years. Every week truly is Beer Week at Der Biergarten.... Well, weather permitting. -AC Tagline

Mon through Fri: 11am–2am | Sat & Sun: 10am–2am

1050 20th Street, Sacramento, CA facebook.com/lowbrausacramento Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

27

Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery 1015 9 th Street

Photo by Evan E. Duran

Pangaea Bier Cafe 2743 Franklin Boulevard

R

ob Archie recognizes that a craft beer cafe is an imperfect business model. As the owner of Pangaea Cafe on the Northeast corner of Franklin Boulevard and 3rd Avenue, he is aware the American way of business is control and consistency; the customer expects experiential repetition and a business is at the mercy of their needs. The American way of service, that “customer is always right” adage, does not translate to craft beer. The customer is at liberty to participate, explore, and if all goes well, enjoy at Pangaea Cafe.

“What’s humbling about beer is you practice a lot of impermanence,” Archie says. His statement applies to the challenge of replicating a recipe with consistency, the ever-looming possibility of a beloved brewery shuttering, and shortages, be it ingredients or competitive batch availability. “One day you have it [on tap], the next day it’s gone,” he says.

We are on the shaded patio at the Curtis Park location on an uncharacteristically warm February afternoon. It’s 4 p.m. and the patronage is steady from retirees with little better to do and businessmen enjoying a late liquid lunch, or perhaps an early day out of the office.

Once an unassuming cafe for coffee and beer experts alike, it is now a pillar in the connoisseurial community of beer lovers. Tastings, judgings, and club meetings are a regular occurrence. Now in its sixth, nearly seventh, year of business the Pangaea identity is defined, unified like the supercontinent origin, and like the prehistoric Pangaea it was here before Sacramento became a craft beer city.

Back then, Archie was simply an

28

ex European-basketball player who’d gotten a whiff of the Belgian beers and started plotting ways to bring them back to California. It began with five taps, pouring Birra Moretti (first tasted while playing in Italy), Affligem Blonde, St. Bernardus Belgian Quad, Lagunitas IPA and Blanche De Bruxelles. Bare bones compared to the 20 options now that include a sour-specific section.

“I tell brewers and people that open, to be a part of the culture you have to ask yourself ‘what am I bringing to the culture?’” he says.

“In any small business it should be sharing your story and having a soul behind whatever it is you’re doing.”

Archie’s identity is education.

First came his own. From traveling as a professional athlete, and then going back to learn more, he got his entry into Belgian beers. As the West Coast movement began to blossom, his travel distance shortened to the outlying brewers of Northern California, brief visits and bottle trades, just to absorb as much as possible. In opening Pangaea, Archie employed his knowledge to accrue customers who became regulars. First comes the flavored hook: “the first time they taste a Belgian quad and they think there’s fruit in there.” He’s got your interest and he counters with “then you tell them it’s all yeast and you get to talking about the magic of yeast.”

From there he’s got you deep into the nuances of the process; some brewers refer to yeast as a woman, other brewers discount yeast as merely a fermenting agent and focus on hops, and on and on.

Craft brewing is still an emerging market; the craze is real, and yet, this is its cowboys and pioneers phase.

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

Archie notes Bud Light alone out-sells craft beer. He sees it as millions of people yet to be converted that don’t drink good beer out of being domesticated on flavorless beer. “The people that are in it right now are still pioneers in the grand scheme of enjoying better beer. I just think that riding this wave from 13 percent to 21 percent to 30 percent will be insane.

By then it’s like Pliny [the Elder] on tap at your house.”

Archie recalls the early days when most distributors didn’t know their stock beyond the Budweisers, Millers, Coronas and Heinekens.

“We’d have to call them and say ‘there’s this beer, I know you guys have it. It’s in your catalog,” Archie says. “They’d have to send a supervisor out here and it’d become this huge ordeal.” Companies like DBI grew alongside Pangaea, “simply because they were on the forefront of being a craft beer distribution and we were buying up the supply. What’s cool is you see the same thing in customers right now. They’re going out and they are chasing the way we did years back.”

For those deep in the chase, Pangaea’s Beer Week events will include a stouts and oysters day with a specialty Imperial Porter brewed in collaboration with his wife and the wives of Track 7 Brewing; a collaboration with Knee Deep and Altamont called “Hella Deep” and a special visit by David Walker of Firestone Walker Brewing Co. to handdeliver a special batch sour keg.

“I like the collaborative thing,” Archie says. “Right now, you have to be appreciative of what’s out there.

We have really good beers that are readily available that are right here.

Everyone is looking for the newest thing, but the newest thing isn’t always the best thing.” -BG

Based downtown, Blackbird Kitchen + Beer Gallery has an urbanite cool, slightly posh feel, acting as an art gallery, but not above the Portlandia-esque irony of “Put a bird on it.” Marginally upscale, yes, but Blackbird is not stuffy or bougie.

Just like Budweiser would like you to believe craft beer drinkers are hipster caricatures, do not mistake Blackbird as too chic for the real and rugged of the craft community. The list is extensive and intelligently grouped by house-coined flavor profiles like “utmost drinkability,” “devilishly dark,” “pucker up,” “pales in comparison” and our favorite, “barley there.” For Beer Week, Blackbird is keeping it minimal with a locals night featuring Mraz, Bike Dog and Device on Tuesday, March 3. The following night is dedicated to barrel-aged brews and Thursday is a competition between Socal, Ninkasi, and Green Flash. The winner will be chosen by attendees, so be there, and be heard. -BG

Photo by Melissa Welliver

Kupros Craft House

1217 21 st Street

Kupros Craft House is located in the renovated Victorian house that used to be Cheap Thrills. The restaurant environment feels like the casual dining quarters of a luxury cruise ship, or maybe dinner at your fancy aunt’s house. I always feel like I am in such a different place. Its full bar is absolutely gorgeous because of the signature stained glass ceiling, and the cool second story patio is top-notch to perch and people watch. Kupros often has a diverse draft list, usually consisting of Sculpin, Allagash and Anderson Valley as a few staples, and every now and then they will catch a rare keg. One amazing thing that must absolutely be highlighted here is a little thing called Can Roulette. Can Roulette is when you pay $2.50 for a can of beer that the server randomly and blindly picks out of an ice chest. Craft beer out of a can almost always tastes better and you can fill up on beer for really, really cheap. For Beer Week, Kupros will be hosting many events, including a Drake’s Brewing kickoff party on Friday, Feb. 27 with rare releases and classics on draft. The restaurant will also host breweries from San Diego and Oregon (the home of the country’s more wellknown craft beer breweries) in a weekend-long battle to see who blows their kegs quicker. Winner gets bragging rights! -AC Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The grindhouse

Charades of Grey Fifty Shades of Grey Rated r Words Andrew C. Russell Have you ever been to a Hell House? That unique American phenomenon in which certain churches organize lurid walkthroughs geared toward teenagers prior to Halloween?

Depictions of abortions, car accidents, rape and suicides assault the senses of horrified attendees who all end up in the climactic “Hell” room, where the wails of the tortured and the taunts of demons press in on you in the dark! If that isn’t exciting, I don’t know what is. But alas, the real conceit of the Hell House lies in the big reveal: the lights come back on and the proselytizing begins. Visitors are preached to, given their “Get out of Hell Free” cards, and then they leave, getting to keep the residual effect of their thrill without having to feel tainted by it.

I was surprised to find myself thinking about hell houses toward the last half of Fifty Shades of Grey. Here, after all, is the sexual pop-culture event of the decade on the big screen, a diving point into the fascinating world of kink for curious mommies and former Twi-hards everywhere. And, up until this point, they’ve actually done a decent a job of sprucing up the source material.

Naïve-beyond-belief college senior Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) drives out of her comfort zone and into Seattle to interview mysterious young billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for her school newspaper. Her initial fumbling draws out Grey’s steely-eyed fascination, whose behavior toward her seems equal parts paternal and predatorial. After a few subsequent and “coincidental” run-ins, the central affair begins, with Grey presiding over Anastasia’s sexual awakening and skirting ever-so-tentatively around his final aims. These aims take the form of the film’s third most important character, a curious bedroom contract which will define the “limits” and “restraints” of a new stage in the couple’s relationship. Anastasia’s future with Grey (and the fulfillment of the audience’s curiosity) depends upon her signing this contract. A

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traditional kind of love, it seems, is out of the question.

In the first half, the film is surprisingly atmospheric in its use of austere (but often steamy) Northwestern cityscapes and dim, intimate interiors. Anastasia begins to dip her toes in the particulars of Christian’s power play, but save for some fashion-shoot grade nudity (think Abercrombie and Fitch) and some “naughty” elements (blindfolding, riding crops) the story proceeds as a traditional romance. Scenes of Grey driving Anastasia around the countryside or whisking her away in his helicopter seem almost quaint for a film that campaigned specifically on its scandal factor. But up until now, one can’t really judge— Fifty Shades is catering to a general, not a jaded audience—this is kink for the matinee crowd.

But somewhere along the line, the film begins to lose its nerve, which brings me to the disappointing Hell House moment. It does not come on suddenly, but as a gradual, cruel realization. Anastasia is infatuated with every aspect of Grey—his wealth, his prowess, his attentiveness—except the one that defines him. She probes at the source of his unusual proclivities with a good deal more concern than acceptance. Instead of venturing into “the dark side” (and taking the audience along), she begins to play amateur psychologist.

Perhaps there’s something wrong with Grey that she can “fix”; perhaps something childhood-related (hint: there is)! So much for Anastasia being the victim, as many critics have claimed.

So there it is, the true offense of this so-called daring film.

Dominance/submissiveness is portrayed as an intriguing yet mostly unnatural disorder representing a roadblock to true love. While the road we’ve gone down in the film is nowhere near as shocking as a Hell House, the basics are the same. Fifty Shades peeks behind the curtain at a sexual subculture, flirts with the daring aspects, paints a romantic portrait, and when the time comes, turns on the cold shower and points a finger at the participants. We end on the most embarrassing emotional cliffhanger since the end of Atlas Shrugged Part 1: Will Anastasia be able to salvage Grey’s damaged goods? Will Grey finally clean up his act and become dad material for Anastasia?

Will the “Red Room of Pain” get a new pastel paint job and become the baby’s room? Frankly, at this point, I don’t care. I’ve got to get the taste of vanilla out of my mouth.

At least we can enjoy the unique light Fifty Shades is shedding on current American society. Who would have thought we’d have a film in 2015 that has both evangelicals AND progressives whipped up in an indignant furor! If only the material was as worthily outrageous—then we’d have something to talk about.

for sacraM E bEEr WE nto fEb 26 - M Ek ar 8

& Live Tuesday saTurday Music NighTs!

d e t c e n n Stay hCoSubmerge wit

March 14-17 The Largest St. Patrick’s Day Party!

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w ergeMag o l l o f ubm @S Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

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the shallow end The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea James Barone jb@submergemag.com

harLow’s • 2708 J street • sacto • 21 & over • 8:00pM

Wild Child

Harlow’s

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Desert Noises • GooDNiGht texas 2708

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sacr amento

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8:00pm

aLo

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The T SiSTerS

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sacr amento

thursday

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ZeppareLLa [all female led Zeppelin tribute]

Harlow’s

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the twiLiGht saD

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kyLe kiNaNe [from comedy central]

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MooN hooch / scott peMbertoN trio [cd release]

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tickets avaiLabLe at: abstractpreseNts.coM ticketfLy.coM tickets for harLow’s shows aLso avaiLabLe at harLows.coM

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mar 17 wednesday

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[members of wild flag / Helium]

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a c e o f s p a d e s • 1417 r s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • a l l a g e s • 8 : 0 0 p m

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DJ set by NashviLLe’s eLectric westerN

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Com & 916.443.9202

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

A little while back, NASA announced it was ditching its space shuttle program. This more or less squashed whatever meager hope I had of ever going into outer space. I was bummed.

But NASA hasn’t gone quietly into the deep, dark night of space where no one can hear you scream. No, they’re still kicking, with one eye on the sky, and the other focused on the Big Blue Marble we all call home—for now.

The space shuttle might be dead, but how about a space sub? No, not an intergalactic sandwich, but a submarine that explores the seas of spaaaaaaaaace. NASA just released plans to create a nuclear-powered, robotic submersible craft that could explore bodies of water on far-off moons and planets. Currently, NASA is targeting Kraken Mare on Saturn’s moon Titan as a possible place for Space Sub’s first mission.

Kraken Mare is roughly the size of one of the Great Lakes and made up of super-cold liquefied gas, kind of like the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Santa Cruz. Space Sub will be outfitted with a seafloor camera and sampling doo-dads that will check out tides, weather, explore the shoreline and, of course, search for signs of life, because that’s all we’re really looking for.

Let’s be honest, it’s kind of lonely floating around two planets away from the sun. We’ve been here as a species for, like, a million years or something, making war and iPhones and all kinds of shit and no one out there has taken notice, or if they have, they haven’t shown up in giant mother ships and been all, “Hey everyone, what’s up?”

What could possibly be floating in the “waters” of Kraken Mare is anyone’s guess, but the concept video NASA posted to YouTube looks like just about the coolest video game ever. It shows a hazy, orange seascape with mountain peaks in the distance and the ghostly rings of Saturn hanging ominously in the sky.

Then Space Sub submerges and we get its POV through its seafloor camera. You keep hoping something will pop up and scare you, but nothing does. It’s just dirt or rocks or whatever.

I guess we’ll just have to wait until Space Sub makes its maiden voyage, which won’t be until at least 2047. I’ll be 71, hopefully retired and piloting a Winnebago (or a Hover Winnebago, perhaps). No Space Sub captaining for me—sigh.

Meanwhile, on Earth, we may not have that much time. In a study authored by Benjamin Cook, a climate scientist for NASA’s Goddard

Institute of Space Studies, western America may be on the cusp of the worst drought we’ve ever seen in modern times.

It’s not just any drought, but a MEGADROUGHT (caps mine), which is a prolonged dry spell that could last for decades.

Greenhouse gases are contributing to rising temperatures that may cause northern areas to become wetter and southern areas to become drier. However, the rising temperatures will lead to faster evaporation, which means even if you’re getting more rain and snow, it’s going to shrivel up a lot faster, which basically means… like, we’re fucked.

That seems to be the gist of every study lately. This is a thing, this global warming, whether some of us want to believe it or not.

Let’s just agree, for argument’s sake, that it’s a thing. But like even if we all buy Priuses and bike everywhere for the rest of our lives, it seems like we’re still going to be fucked. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy a Prius and/ or bike everywhere. Go ahead and do it. It won’t hurt, I guess, and hey, maybe it will even delay our impending fuckage, but just be aware that no matter what we do, we’re still going to be fucked. If you don’t think droughts are that big a deal because you can always run to Costco and buy cases of Poland Spring, then think of the Ancestral Pueblo people, whose civilization crumbled thanks to drought. And they walked everywhere. They never even heard of Hummers.

Maybe it’s all the allusions to mythology or awesome sci-fi hyperbole of attaching “mega” to things, but these kinds of stories always make me think back to the movies I loved as a kid, like Clash of the Titans in the case of Space Sub or the Godzilla franchise in the case of us all dying in some kind of environmental cataclysm. As far as the latter is concerned, I’m thinking specifically of Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, which sort of took Big G back to his roots as a cautionary tale of why humans shouldn’t mess with Mother Nature.

Whereas Godzilla was a result of the nuclear arms race, the Smog Monster was born of the pollution that’s choking our cities. Godzilla defeated the Smog Monster thanks to his awesome breath weapon and a kick-ass, trippy J-pop song. I’m not sure if Godzilla would be able to rescue humanity from drought, though.

With any luck, we’ll all be kicking it on the shores of Kraken Mare by 2050, so we won’t have to worry about it.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Presenting the best in music, dance and speakers

Robot Planet Rising

An Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel WED, MAR 4 • 8PM

Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center Three actors voice dozens of characters, a Foley artist creates all the sound effects and a pianist plays a cinematic score while more than 1,250 individual full-color, hi-resolution comic book panels tell a hilarious sci-fi adventure visually on an enormous movie screen. And it is all done live in front of your eyes. No previous Intergalactic experience necessary.

Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela TUE, MAR 10 • 8PM

South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and vocalist Vusi Mahlasela offer a musical celebration of freedom and the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Donny McCaslin Group WED–SAT. MAR 25–28 • 8PM

Saxophonist Donny McCaslin fuses his trademark hard-charging improvisation with funk-inflected electronica elements and arena-rock power to come up with a powerful new modern jazz sound.

Buddy Guy

WED, APR 8 • 8PM

ADDED!

A pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues.

A full list of the 2014–15 season is available at mondaviarts.org SubmergeMag.com

Issue 181 • February 16 – March 2, 2015

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Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas

february 16 – march 2, 2015

#181

TrashBeastTalk Mode

First Fest

Kicks Off the Local Festival Season

Andrew Castro

Wild Ones The Sum of Their Parts

It’s What’s on the Inside that Counts

Riotmaker A New Lease on Life

Brandon Gastinell's

New Exhibit at White Buffalo Gallery

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sacramento spots Where It's Always

Beer Week feat. Pangaea, Der Biergarten, Capitol Beer & Tap Room and More!

free