Submerge Magazine: Issue 188 (May 25 - June 8, 2015)

Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas May 25 – June 8, 2015 •

#188

free

Coin-Op Game Room 8-Bit Nostalgia

Black Star Safari The Right Chemistry

Live Music EVERYWHERE • Hot Lunch

Starlite Hosts

Concert Series • TBD Fest • THIS • American River Music Festival

Moving onHikingUP!Trails That 8 are Close to Home

US Air Guitar Championships Qualifier

Dog Party The Kids Are Alright Grimey Turns 5

Still Dirty After All These Years

Blackalicious

Rarefied Air

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

9426 Greenback ln, Orangevale

tickets available at dimple records, armadillo records , or online at

theboardwalkpresents.com * unless noted all shows all ages

coming soon saturday june 13 supersuckers friday june 19 rOacH GiGZ saturday june 20 deVin tHe dude

june 23 kyLe

tuesday

end The FighT

wednesday

may 27

thursday

may 28

friday

m ay 29

saturday

may 30

wednesday june 24 MewitHOutyOu

june 25 i tHe MiGHty

tHursday

friday june 26 HOLLywOOd endinG

june 27 pOtLuck

saturday

june 30 Vic Mensa

tuesday

wednesday juLy 1 aarOn GiLLespie

of Underoath & the almost

tHursday juLy 2 tHe GriswOLds

wiTh sPecial guesT

Jahni denver sunday

m ay 31

wiTh sPecial guesT

david ramirez tuesday

june 2

BasTards oF Young, and The moans

friday juLy 10 snOw tHa prOduct

Two Peace

thursday

juLy 11 ces cru

saturday

june 4

friday

june 5

sunday juLy 12 tHe adOLescents / tHe weirdOs wednesday

juLy 15

frOM autuMn tO asHes friday juLy 17 stepHen pearcy

Voice of ratt

saturday

juLy 18

tHe BattLe fOr suMMer sLauGHter / aLL stars friday

juLy 24

tOO sHOrt saturday

mercedes avenue

saturday SubmergeMag.com

june 6

sunday

june 7

thursday

june 11

friday

oh! The horror

june 12

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

auG 15

OrGy

tHursday sept 17 BOwLinG fOr sOup

3

VOTED BEST COMEDY CLUB

BY THE SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW!

REST AURANT AURANT •• BA R CLUB •• REST COMEDY COMEDY CLUB BA R

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

188 2015

THURSDAY 6/4 - SATURDAY 6/6 WARNING: X-RATED SHOW!

may 25 – june 8

COLIN KANE GARY ANDERSON

THURSDAY 6/11 - SUNDAY 6/14 FROM LAST COMIC STANDING AND BET!

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NIKKI CARR KIRK MCHENRY, CHERYL ANDERSON

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FRIDAY 6/19 - SUNDAY 6/21 ALL-AGES FATHER’S DAY SHOW SUNDAY!

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This publication would not be possible without our wonderful advertisers.

Visit them and tell ‘em Submerge is the reason.

cofounder/ Editor in Chief/Art Director

Melissa Welliver melissa@submergemag.com cofounder/ Advertising Director

Jonathan Carabba jonathan@submergemag.com senior editor

James Barone Assistant Editor

Mandy Pearson, Daniel Taylor

04 06

The Stream

07

The Optimistic Pessimist

09 Submerge your senses 10

dog party

12

blackalicious

Submerge

Contributing Writers

Zach Ahern, Amber Amey, Joe Atkins, Robin Bacior, Andrew Bell, Bocephus Chigger, Ronnie Cline, Justin Cox, Alia Cruz, Josh Fernandez, Catherine Foss, Andy Garcia 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

1009 22 Street, Suite 3 Sacramento, California 95816 nd

916.441.3803 info@submergemag.com

Contributing photographers

David Adams, Wesley Davis, Evan E. Duran, Phill Mamula

Submergemag.com

Follow us on Twitter & Instagram! @SubmergeMag

4

Dive in

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

printed on recycled paper

star 14 black safari 18 Calendar 23 Samothrace 24 hikes 26 coin-op max: 28 mad fury road Live<<rewind

the grindhouse

30

the shallow end

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, California 95816. Or you can email us at info@submergemag.com.

dive in Memories for Days Melissa welliver melissa@submergemag.com Music, whether it be an entire album or just one song, has the ability to take you back in time and stir up old memories.

For example listening to The Ataris album Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits takes me back to being 19 years old, living in Chico and driving to Tacos de Acapulco in my friend Daniel Taylor’s old orange truck. (As of our last issue, Daniel is helping edit Submerge. Thank you old friend!) Recently when visiting the new bar and arcade, Coin-Op, in downtown Sacramento, it hit me like a ton of bricks that video games have those same sort of memory triggers. Video games have been a staple of my life as early as I can remember. Being at Coin-Op made me think back to when my parents dusted off and introduced me to their old Atari console. Centipede, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man were at my finger tips. Memories of my first Nintendo are stuck in my mind. I used all of my Christmas money to buy one at KB Toys. And the one of my parents miraculously going along with me calling in “sick” to school, because I obviously needed just one more day to play Super Mario Bros, along with my dad being just as obsessed to be player number 2.

Beyond the memories of home video games, arcade games were a huge deal growing up, too. Fridays for as long as I can remember were pizza parlor nights. After long work weeks for my parents and grueling school weeks for me, pizza and video games were definitely required. Growing up, the small Pizza Factory in Weed, California, had a game room with only six to eight games that rotated in and out, but they were games that had a major impact on me: Roadblasters, 720°, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and oh my God, we can’t forget Spy Hunter. And after visiting Coin-Op, where they actually have these vintage games that you can play for only a quarter, the memories just kept coming!

Playing Gauntlet reminded me of a trip my grandparents took me on to Reno as a kid. As they ate breakfast and played Keno, I was Valkyrie for as many minutes/quarters as they’d give me. Back at Coin-Op, challenging my husband to Daytona USA took me right back to a summer vacation I spent with my friend’s family in South Lake Tahoe, where my good friend Rosalynn and I teamed up to dominate the basement arcade in one of the casinos. Playing the Terminator pinball game at Coin-Op took me back to many evenings spent at the Mt. Shasta Ski Park after snowboarding all day.

With the amount of video games that I’ve played in my life, I realized this list could go on and on forever. Needless to say that I’m extremely excited this new place that just opened this May in Sacramento exists. We recently sent a writer to check it out and chat with one of the managing partners, Evan Louis. You can learn more about this establishment by flipping to page 26.

Memories. What would we be without ‘em?! I hope when you read Submerge it triggers good ones or encourages you to go out and create new memories—from discovering new music at album release shows to going out and hiking a new trail.

Enjoy issue #188!

Cheers, Melissa

back Cover Photo of Dog Party

by Macaulie Gabe

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

LittLe ReLics Boutique & Galleria

908 21st Street (between I & J) Midtown Sacramento 95811 916.716.2319 www.littlerelics.com

&

BOB PeTeR Herron Wedel ART SHOW Old friends with new ideas.

Bob photograph’s it, Peter paints it.

Show runS June 2 to June 28

Artists Receptions:

thursday

saturday

6-9 p.m.

6-9 p.m.

June June 11 13

BOB HerrOn PHOtOgraPHy

Peter Wedel fine art

1517 21st street sacramentO Open Daily at 4 pm

916.704.0711 starlitelOunge.net

events calendar fri. may 29 8pm

fri. june 12 8pm

Golden state drum & Bass launch party:

Deke Dickerson

suBMorphics

kB anD the slingtones

sat. may 30 8pm

the inversions sealegs siMple pigeon

sat. june 13

fri. june 5 8pm

wed. june 17

Jake nielsen’s triple threat cash cartell BanD rich corporation nothin special

giant squiD| aequorea shaDow liMB

sat. june 6 8pm

us air guitar coMpetition:

sacramento Qualifiers

thurs. june 11 8pm

king Magnetic

Feat. gq nothin pretty

the gas station charlie Muscle recorDeD FreeDoM riot craig + More

Happy HOur mOn - fri 4 tO 7 pm SubmergeMag.com

anD the ecco-Fonics

every weDnesDay! 8 pm | free Open mic cOmeDy Jam

8pm

super Mega everything ghost color

fri. june 19

8pm

8pm

Golden state drum & Bass presents: ivry (coMpression sF // coMpounD recorD)

sat. june 20

8pm

castle | kyntallah colD Blue Mountain criMson eye thurs. june 25

8pm

rhythM Dragons the Devil’s train

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

quality cOmfOrt fOOD alOng witH fresH & HealtHy cHOices Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

5

The stream Hot Italian and Jerry Perry’s Hot Lunch Concert Series Returns Thursdays Starting in June!

YOURAD HERE

03 ag.com 8 3 441 ergem ) 6 1 (9 bm u s @ info

Legendary Sacramento music promoter Jerry Perry has once again teamed up with the good folks at Hot Italian to bring us yet another awesome Hot Lunch Concert Series this summer. Starting on June 4 and continuing every Thursday afternoon until Aug. 27, Hot Lunch will offer great live tunes from local acts for free. Music runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and there’s no need to pack a lunch because some of the best pizza in town (plus salads, paninis and more) is literally steps away at Hot Italian. Hot Lunch takes place at Fremont Park (16th and Q streets) and we suggest walking or riding your bike, because street parking is usually limited. Don’t forget to bring a blanket or lawn chairs to relax in the grass! Check out the lineup below and visit Facebook. com/hotlunchconcertseries for more information.

June 4: Musical Charis

(indie/pop/acoustic) June 11: Hans! and the Hot

Mess with Lauren

Wakefield (singer/

songwriter/soul) June 18: Century Got Bars

(hip-hop) June 25: Hot City

(jazz/swing/rumba) July 2: Brian Chris Rogers

with Adrian Bellue

(acoustic/pop/rock) July 9: Salt Wizard (folk/

indie/experimental) July 16: The Westwards

(folk/rock) July 23: The FreeBadge

Serenaders (jazz) July 30: Connor and Karlee

with Grant Chesin

(pop/alternative) Aug. 6: Kevin Seconds (singer/

songwriter/pop-punk) Aug. 13: The Delta 88s (blues) Aug. 20: Dog Party (pop-punk) Aug. 27: Joseph in the Well

(indie/pop)

6

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Free 2nd Saturday Midtown Block Party Series “THIS” Kicks Off June 13 If you’ve ever cruised around Midtown on a Second Saturday in the summertime, you know there is a lot of rad stuff going on. Art galleries keep their doors open late, bars are packed to the gills and there is live music everywhere. What was missing for years though was some sort of “anchor event” on Second Saturdays that could draw people in, keep them there for a while and create a real sense of community. Enter THIS, a free block party now in its third year that happens each Second Saturday on 20th Street (between J and K) from June through September. THIS features an expertly curated lineup of national and local bands/DJs, as well as local vendors, live art, food, craft beer, booze and more. The impressive lineup for 2015’s THIS just dropped last week and let us just say: it’s going to be a fun summer! It all kicks off on June 13 with electronic musician/producer Cherokee headlining, who hails all the way from Luxembourg! Local acts for the season opener include Exquisite Corps, Mr. Erik James and DJ Epik. July 11’s show features Kauf headlining, a Los Angeles-based electronic musician associated with Cut Copy’s label Cutters Records! Opening that show will be Casino Gold, a popular electro-duo that is also from Los Angeles, as well as local DJs Shaun Slaughter (one of the organizers of THIS) and Adam Jay. Aug. 8’s show will see Oakland-based four-piece indie/pop band Trails and Ways headlining alongside locals Sunmonks (whose 2014 EP In a Desert of Plenty was named Submerge’s favorite release of the year!) as well as Tiaras and a DJ set from Young Aundee.

THIS’ series-ender will be on Sept. 12 and will feature prolific Vancouver-based producer Pat Lok headlining with San Francisco singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist 8th Grader providing main support. Locals Joseph in the Well will open that show. All dates are free and start at 4 p.m. Visit Facebook. com/thismidtown for more details and to hear samples from upcoming THIS artists.

Jonathan Carabba

Send regional news tips to info@submergemag.com

9th Annual American River Music Festival Runs Sept. 18–21

TBD Fest’s Phase 1 Lineup Announcement Did Not Suck!

Ever since we here at Submerge first discovered American River Music Festival a few years back, we have been singing its praises to whoever will listen. Now in its ninth year and running from Sept. 18 to 21 in the beautiful foothills town of Coloma, California, American River Music Festival consistently presents world-class touring bands in the folk/Americana vein and also offers multiple camping packages at a number of different riverside sites, river walks (including live music!), after parties, jam sessions, kid-friendly activities and so much more. The main stage is located at Henningsen Lotus Park, a picturesque setting for a music festival that is literally right on the South Fork of the American River. If you get hot, you can just waddle over and take a dip, then get back to dancing! Set to appear on the main stage this year are The Infamous Stringdusters, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, Dangermuffin, Nora Jane Struthers and the Party Line, Shook Twins, David Luning, David Myles, Songs of the Fall, Spark and Whisper, and last but not least, Dennis Johnson and the Mississippi Ramblers. The main stage gates will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20. To see a full rundown of the scheduled performances for both the main stage as well as campground shows and after parties, visit Americanrivermusic.org, where you can also score early-bird ticket prices through July 15.

On Thursday, May 14, organizers of the super popular TBD Fest held a “lineup release party” at their bar, LowBrau. DJ Greg J spun tunes from artists performing at this year’s event (happening Sept. 18 to 20) while an animated screen behind him announced the names. It was really quite the unique spectacle to see a couple hundred TBD fanatics losing their shit as headliners like Cut Copy, Pretty Lights, Tears for Fears, Tyler The Creator, Death Grips, Madeon, RATATAT, Purity Ring, Twin Shadow, Tycho, Dr. Dog, Mobb Deep, A-Trak and others were announced live, right in front of us. The collective sense of, “No fucking way?!?” was palpable each time a popular band or DJ’s name popped up on the screen. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but for now, we feel obligated to point out that TBD’s undercard this year is no joke, either, boasting such acts as K Flay, Holy Ghost!, Black Lips, Coathangers, Ty Dolla $ign, A Place to Bury Strangers and so many others that we literally don’t have the space to list them all. Submerge was also very stoked to see a strong list of locally tied acts that will be playing TBD this year, including Chuuwee, Dusty Brown, Two Sheds, Jonah Matranga, Doombird, Sleeprockers, Tel Cairo and Dibiase. Visit Tbdfest.com to see all of the acts announced thus far and to buy early bird tickets through May 31 (three day general admission passes are a straight up steal at just $159 right now!). Also be sure to follow TBD on Twitter and Facebook (@tbdfest on both) to keep up to date.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The Optimistic Pessimist Some people just can’t catch a break… and then there is Lindsay Lohan. The former Disney starlet and current star of not a damn thing has been fucking up so long that some of you may know her best from her series of mug shots. Fans of those wonderful portraits may soon rejoice again as Lindsay might find herself “booked for another modeling gig” at the L.A. County Jail soon.

Fortunately, this time she didn’t hit anything with her car or steal jewelry from anyone, though her current troubles are related. In 2012, Lindsay was ordered to complete 240 hours of community service, which she was supposed to finish by November 2014. That didn’t happen, and she’s since been granted several extensions by the court for reasons that remain unclear to anyone with a sense of logic. May 28 is her new deadline and Lindsay reportedly still has about 115 hours of community service left.

Lindsay thought she had less hours left,

but she doesn’t seem to understand how community service works. Lindsay tried to claim community service hours for starring in a play and attending a fan meet-and-greet, but in a shocking turn of events, the court ruled that those hours wouldn’t count. While Lindsay surely knows that those hours won’t count now, I’m still not sure she understands this whole “community service” thing.

Lindsay is running out of time and clearly needs my help. She cannot afford to make any more mistakes, so I want to go over a few other things that she may think will count as community service that actually won’t. After all, no one wants to see Lindsay go to jail; her hijinks in the outside world are just too great to lose!

Lindsay, you are clearly a menace on the road. You even did a Super Bowl commercial making fun of yourself. I think it’s safe to say that we are all better off without you behind the wheel of a car. Fortunately for you, you

Live May 29 May 30 May 31 June 5 June 6 June 7 June 12 June 14 June 19 June 20 June 21

Community Service: Lindsay Edition! are rich or bad enough with money that you are willing to pay for a car service. That’s great! You should keep doing that, but it won’t count as community service.

We all have our vices. Some of us drink too much or do too much coke, or just party too much in general. You happened to do all of those things, Lindsay, which can be fun to watch. That’s what makes you, you! And while those things also make you the danger to the public that you are, sadly, stopping the drinking, drugs and partying will not count as community service, though it probably should in your case.

Those are two big ones that come to mind, though we should probably make a few more clear as well. In similarity to plays and fan meetand-greets, doing low-budget movies, theater in the park, commercials, radio interviews, photo shoots, club and restaurant appearances or attending red carpet events all will not count as community service. Wearing clothes and jewelry given or loaned to you by designers will not

Bocephus Chigger bocephus@submergemag.com count as community service. Giving your personal assistant the weekend off doesn’t count either.

Basically, if you want to claim something is community service, it has to at least be done in service to the community. It’s right there in the name!

I hate to say it, Lindsay, but I think you might just have to bite the bullet and clean up garbage on the side of the highway with the rest of the criminals. I’m sure they can find the perfect job for you. I saw a video of you wielding a pair of hedge clippers and it looked crazy dangerous, so maybe you can sweep or something.

It won’t be so bad. Just think of it as research for your next big role. It’s about a former star that got so washed up that even Herbie the Love Bug wouldn’t fuck with her anymore. After her career tanks, she gets busted by the cops for a bunch of dumb shit and ends up on the side of the road in a prison cleanup detail sifting through garbage, searching for the meaning of life.

Music

The Spare parTS Band JoShua CaMBridge experienCe dylan Crawford * ChriSTian dewild dave adaMS proJeCT ruBy Jaye * Sandra doloreS Band alex vinCenT * SaTiSfi The Soul Shine Band andrew CaSTro *

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karaoke ThurSdayS 7:30pM

lunCh/dinner 7 dayS a week

27 BeerS on drafT 101 Main street, roseviLLe 916-774-0505

SubmergeMag.com

Facebook.coM/bar101roseviLLe

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

7

&

Ky-Mani Marley Don Carlos Bushman Kabaka Pyramid Stick Figure House of Shem

DOORS: 7:00PM • SHOW 8:30PM

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT TICKETS.COM

Sacramento Community Theater • Sacramento Convention Center Complex, 1400 J Street, Sacramento, CA

E.N Young Sister Carol Gonzo Feat. Beyond I Sight Blaze Mob Feat. Garth Dennis Mystic Roots Arden Park Roots Indubious Stranger E Honu iti EMegan Combs True Press Massive Delicious Reggae Angels Dewey and the Peoples Simple Creation Pasadena Black Salt Tone Da Mainland Andrew Blasy Cali Conscious Stay Positive Sound Mountain Lion Sound Squarefield Massive Hosted by: King Schascha & Cali-Kidd

Indoor Garden Supply

Stockton, CA

Cosmic Carnivale

HARRIS CENTER 10 COLLEGE PARKWAY, FOLSOM, CA 95630

HARRISCENTER.NET 8

13

THURSDAY AUGUST

SHOW 7:30 PM

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

For Tickets Go To

www.reggaeinthehills.com Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Your Senses

TOUCH

US Air Guitar Championships at Starlite Lounge!

June 6

HEAR

Grimey’s 5-Year Anniversary Party June 5 Daniel Osterhoff’s contemporary bass music night Grimey may have slowed down a bit over the last year (he had a kid, moved to Copenhagen, and recently moved back), but it is returning in a big, big way on Friday, June 5 at Midtown BarFly. To celebrate Grimey’s fifth anniversary, Osterhoff (best known as DJ Whores ‘round these parts) has lined up quite the epic party that will feature multiple rooms of music, 15 performers, crazy 3D mapped visuals with huge lighting and sound rigs to bring that low, low bass Grimey is known for. Performing in the main room will be Tiger Fresh from Portland’s We Got This crew, Boggan from Reno’s Future Strange crew and Mr. Kitt from San Francisco’s Ritual crew. In the kitchen spinning tunes will be DLRN’s Jon Reyes, and the front room will see the Requiem crew and friends bring the ruckus. Whores also alluded to a couple surprise guests that haven’t quite been locked in yet, but assured us that, “The secret guests will be the cherry on the cake.” Grimey is 18-and-over, and it runs from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Cover is $7 in advance or $10 at the door. Visit Facebook.com/grimeybass for more information and a link to buy advanced tickets.

Get ready for the greatest thing you’ve never seen! The US Air Guitar Championships are holding an official qualifier right here in Sacramento for the first time ever on Saturday, June 6 at Starlite Lounge. The top two air guitarists from the region will be sent to represent Sacramento at the USAG Regional Finals in San Francisco, not to mention there’s a $100 cash prize on the line. “US Air Guitar is devoted to taking our nation’s unofficial pastime out of the bedroom and putting it up on the world stage,” states Usairguitar. com. “Founded in 2003, the US Air Guitar Championships have grown into a major national event that reaches more cities, fans and competitors every year.” Tap into your inner rockstar for your chance at air guitar fame! Or, just show up at 8 p.m. on June 6 at Starlite for a good laugh or two. 1517 21st Street, 21-and-over, Starlitelounge.net for more info.

SEE

San Francisco’s Top Magician Ryan Kane Hosts Two Shows in Sacramento June 5 & 6

TASTE

Fantasy Food Truck Showdown Round 2 at New Glory Craft Brewery • June 4 Round 1 of Sacramento’s first-ever Fantasy Food Truck Showdown may already be in the books, but lucky for you this bracket points competition between six of the region’s best gourmet food trucks—including Cecil’s Taste, California Love, Brunch Boys, GyroStop Kebab G, The Culinerdy Cruzer and Mama Kim Eats—still has three rounds left: June 4 at New Glory Craft Brewery, July 2 at Out of Bounds Brewing and August 6 at Yolo Brewing (all events run from 5 to 8 p.m.). In each round of the Fantasy Food Truck Showdown, chefs are given a mystery box of ingredients and have 45 minutes to prepare a dish on their truck, which will then be voted on by a panel of expert judges. Event attendees can also cast their vote by purchasing a $25 pass, which comes with six small plates, a beer and a chance to vote. At Round 1, which took place on May 7 at Track 7 Brewing’s new Natomas location, the people’s choice award went to Cecil’s Taste with the judge’s award going to Mama Kim. So, which food truck will reign supreme? You’ll just have to show up to find out! For more information and for links to buy tickets ahead of time, visit Beersinsac.com/foodtruck.

SubmergeMag.com

When Ryan Kane was just 6 years old, he became transfixed with magic. Growing up in the Sacramento area, he spent his entire childhood immersing himself into learning the complex craft of magic. In his early teens he started gathering crowds with his sidewalk shows in Old Sacramento and he eventually went on to study theater in high school and college. All of this experience helped shaped Kane into the performer he is today: part comedian, part magician, full-on entertainer. In 2012 Kane finished first in the San Francisco Stage Magic Competition and he continues to make his living performing magic all over the country for Fortune 500 companies (Microsoft, Costco and Intel to name a few) as well as San Francisco tourists. On June 5 and 6, Kane is returning home to Sacramento for two shows at Green Valley Theatre, located at 3823 V Street. “Minds are read, whisky bottles appear from nowhere and a paintball gun is fired at the man responsible for it all. This is the magic of Ryan Kane. Please enjoy responsibly,” writes Sacmagicshow.com, which is where $20 tickets are available for the two shows, both of which start at 7:30 p.m. Visit Ryankanemagic.com for more information on this charasmatic performer.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

9

Dog Dog Party Party comes comes of age on their of age on their fourth fourth release release Words Words Steph Steph Rodriguez Rodriguez photo Macaulie photo Macaulie Gabe Gabe

I

nstead of kickin’ it poolside during the hot Sacramento summers, two sisters gladly choose to be on the road, sharing their music night after night with new audiences.

With 25 states logged over the course of four U.S. tours, Gwendolyn and Lucy Giles of the rock ‘n’ roll duo Dog Party, say a typical evening for them on tour consists of two, sometimes three, sets per night. Still, this pair of die-hard musicians says tour is what they look forward to every year.

The music started as mini-jam sessions in their living room at ages 9 and 11 years old with both chords and lyrics scribbled on paper. As the sisters grew from girls to young women, so did their music. From the debut, self-released album Dog Party in 2009 with its more innocent, yet catchy punk rock attitude, to their Asian Man Records-backed third album Lost Control, Gwen and Lucy continue to evolve their garage and punk rock styles. Now, the sisters look forward to their latest release, Vol. 4, due June 16 on cassette through Burger Records, and LP and CD through Asian Man. On the cusp of her 17th birthday, Lucy says she can’t wait for Vol. 4’s album release show at Harlow’s with fellow Burger Records pals Pookie and The Poodlez on June 15. Gwen, now 19 years old, and away at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she majors in graphic communications with a minor in music echoes her sister’s excitement.

“We just took all the good stuff from Lost Control and we made it better,” says Gwen about Vol. 4 during an interview at a recent Dog Party show at 924 Gilman in Berkeley.

Lucy, with her signature bright pink locks and leather jacket adds, “It’s just like

10

real big sounding. The drums are loud, the guitar is super powerful, and we have the third [band] member, Jimmy, our Fuzz War pedal by Death

By Audio.”

The two sit in the back of their week-old, MercedesBenz Sprinter passenger van. A vehicle the two say will soon gain mileage this summer as Dog Party and Pets plan another U.S. tour.

Despite their time spent in more familiar territories, Gwen and Lucy have also traveled overseas to Italy and Berlin alongside Kepi Ghoulie to perform their music and reach new fans.

Still, with dozens of cities and a fair few countries checked off their musical bucket lists, the two have outgrown one thing: the age stigma. They both loathe to be called “cute” or even worse, to be told they’re so talented “for their age.”

“It’s both things, it’s the age gap and [gender],” says Lucy.

Gwen adds, “Teen show is also annoying or, oh you’re so cute. Or, that’s so great that you guys are doing this at such a young age, or you’re so good for your age.”

Lucy continues, “Basically, the last record we put out was really angled that we were young… Our age was put into everything. This record, we’re trying to not include our age as much. It doesn’t matter about anything: age, gender, race anything like that. Where you come from, none of that matters. It’s all about the music.”

On that note, Dog Party hop out of their van and onto the stage to support Burger label mates, Swimmers, at Gilman on a Friday night. The venue is packed. Swarms of music hungry fans, varying in age from 10 to 30-plus, all huddle around the stage as the sisters check their mics and respective instruments.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

The Music Matters Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

SubmergeMag.com

Welcome the Giles girls home when they play Harlow’s in Sacramento on June 15 with Pookie and The Poodlez. Doors open for this album release party at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are just $8 in advance. They can be purchased through Harlows.com.

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A bold “NO STAGE DIVING” sign clearly outlaws such live music antics, but once Lucy counts off Dog Party’s first song using her drum sticks, the crowd can’t help but to push and jump to the music and even crowd surf during their performance.

The first song, “Cry,” off Lost Control, kicks open the door to Dog Party’s set and leaves it wide open. Gwen’s fast-paced, jaunty guitar pairs with her Go-Go’s-like vocal talent and quickly sparks the crowd’s energy.

After the song ends, Lucy, from behind her kit says, “All this dancing is fine, but I just want people to be respectful to one another. So, that’s the message I have to say.”

Instantaneously, the sisters dive back into what they came to Berkeley to do: perform.

This night is simply one live performance versus the multiple sets they’re accustomed to, but Dog Party is out to make the most of their weekend. The next day the two were off to San Luis Obispo, Gwen’s new home away from home, to perform alongside Shannon and the Clams.

Since Gwen entered her first year of college, practices are understandably scarce, yet the two still find time to get together and play a few shows throughout the school year despite distance.

“We get along and every now and then there are few times where we squabble,” says Gwen between laughs as Lucy pretends to grow devil horns. “But we’re closer than most.”

Lucy, sans horns, adds, “Yeah, we’re way closer than most siblings. Sometimes, I look at most siblings and I’m like, ‘Whoa, you guys are so far away from each other.’

We get along really easily and we know what we’re thinking.

It’s kind of like a psychic thing and we just play really well together. Sometimes, obviously, we get mad at each other because that’s what we do, we’re sistas.”

With Vol. 4’s release weeks away, Gwen and Lucy both agree that they’re eager to perform with more Burger Records bands, which also includes their affinity for Ty Segall. Through their new record partnership, the sisters aim to reach a wider age demographic that also includes the younger crowds.

It was eight years ago that the two first picked up a guitar and a pair of drum sticks, now they hope to check off all 50 states and even rock audiences in Japan.

The album’s single, “Peanut Butter Dream,” describes Lucy’s current relationship and how from an outsider’s perspective, the two appear to be a modernday odd couple.

“You see me, I’m like this little kid with pink hair and leather jacket and he just cruises around in normal clothes,” says Lucy jokingly.

“We don’t seem very compatible by just looking at us, but he made me see things differently. [The song’s] really catchy with the ‘Oh’ part and the harmonies, and Gwenny’s shredding guitar solo.”

Although Gwen and Lucy say the songwriting process has changed since the days they lived together, and practices are limited, the two remain professionals, and continue to adapt to growing up as women and as musicians.

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“It doesn’t matter about anything: age, gender, race anything like that. Where you come from, none of that matters. It’s all about the music.”

– Lucy Giles, Dog Party

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1217 21st street Midtown sacraMento 916.440.0401 kuproscrafthouse.com @kuprossacto Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

11

Chief Xcel dishes on the First Blackalicious Album in a Decade Words Andrew C. Russell

I

The Soul Survives So you’re in the studio today… What are you working on?

We just finished Vol. 1, so now I’m getting the soundscape together for Vol. 2.

What’s your process for creating a soundscape?

There’s really no one way. I mean, I pretty much create music every day… The way Blackalicious records work is, I just amass a certain amount of music and then I just shoot it all over to Gab. Case in point, I’ll make like 50 to 60 beats for him, and he may pick 10 to 15. I’ll give him some time to narrow it down. We’ll go in, lay down rough ideas and from there, pick out the ones that inspire us the most. So out of those 10 or 15, we may pick only three to five, and decide that these are definite keepers. And then we’ll go in and really zero-in on those and develop those ideas and concepts.

I heard you and Gab have something you call “The Goosebumps Theory.” How would you describe that?

That’s something that we really had explored while working on The Craft, our last record. I had actually learned it while reading Quincy Jones’ autobiography, and that was the approach that

12

he and Michael Jackson took when they were doing Thriller. With each song, they had to feel like the hairs on the back of their necks raising, like they were getting goosebumps. So we took that concept and really just meditated on it. We were really intrigued by it—just to be able to take things to that level—Does this music move you?

That’s the underlying theme. The aim was always to make something that is timeless, and in order for it to be timeless, it has to touch you; It has to strike that chord. It’s the kind of thing where you just know. Certain things you listen to and you know they move you. It comes to a point where it’s beyond you, really. You have to step out of the way of the creativity, and you just let it happen.

Ten years on from the last Blackalicious project, after several respective solo projects, do you feel you and Gab have brought some new styles and influences into the mix? Were there any new discoveries in that time/any soul-searching?

I wouldn’t really call it soul-searching so much as studying. Especially for me, as a producer, each time I go into a different creative environment with a different artist, or even a different producer, it’s always a learning process. I’ve just been blessed

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

t’s been more almost 30 years since Timothy Parker (aka Gift of Gab) and Xavier Mosley (aka Chief Xcel) started discussing the points of NorCal versus SoCal hip-hop at Sacramento’s John F. Kennedy High; it’s been more than 20 years since the then-freshly minted duo, Blackalicious, put out their propulsive and forward-thinking debut EP Melodica; and its been exactly 10 years since the third and last album from the duo, The Craft, appeared as their consummate statement on the art of hip-hop, a testament to their skills and experience. After a decade of strong solo efforts and collaborative work, 2015 is the year Blackalicious returns to the mothership, heading at light speed to the place they’ve always lived: the future.

2015 will bring us the first volume in a trilogy of releases collectively known as Imani (Swahili for “faith”), easily the most ambitious undertaking to date from the lyrical auteurs. The dense first installment functions as a fitting reintroduction to the group’s sound and mission statement. Xcel and Gab together form a highly melodic rhythm section, perhaps the most locked-in sonic relationship ever achieved between DJ and MC. Thematically, the material swarms with vibrant positivity, a message that’s conscious without sermonizing, an attitude that’s perceptive without being ironic.

Blackalicious could spend their time battling to keep their unique position in hip-hop, but they don’t have to. Their focus has always been on the craft of music, and after three years of preparation and one life-threatening situation (Gab underwent a kidney operation in 2012), the group seem to be heading toward another euphoric career high.

Recently we were able to speak with Chief Xcel, the sonic sorcerer of the partnership, and learn about this bold new era being forged by Imani. We learned a little about faith, the benefits of musical immersion, and how important it is to be moved by the music you make.

and fortunate in terms of the people that I’ve been able to learn from, whether it was working with Gil Scott-Heron, or George Clinton, or Harley White.

Each one has a unique way of tapping in to their creative process, so for me, it’s been a career of synthesizing all of these influences into a distinct sound. For us, making a Blackalicious record is just a period of absorption. It’s almost like data selection, you know what I mean? We have this specific approach to making records, but each time, it becomes a little bit sharper.

There seems to be a pretty sharp concept to the new record. I noticed the last track, “Imani” segues perfectly into the first track, “Faith.” What was the idea behind that?

It’s designed to really come full circle. That’s the simplest way I can sum it up. It’s designed to feel infinite. The concept for this album is really a reflection of who we are, and where we are.

Is there a similar vision for the next two volumes?

You’ll have to hear them! I don’t want to give out too much—everything builds upon what came prior. There will definitely be more collaborations on the second one—some will be surprising. It’s like a story that keeps building and developing.

You’ve both mentioned that this feels like a new beginning for the group. How so?

It’s another chapter. I mean, Gab’s in a place where he’s probably in the most prolific state he’s ever been in, in the entire course of his career, which is exciting. It’s exciting for me as a producer, because I never know what any given day in the lab is going to produce. There are very few artists that you work with where, no matter what I create, I know he is going to become an instrument within that given song. And take it to a level I hadn’t even thought about. I think that’s one of the key ingredients to our longevity over the past two decades.

Where do you think hip-hop is now after the past two decades?

Hip-hop tends to have a self-correcting mechanism.

So whenever things tend to go too far in one direction, there always tends to be artists that can kind of ground it and bring it back on track, you know? And it happens maybe every five, six years? But I think the artistry is coming back. From my perspective, music is a continuum. There’s no beginning, no end, it’s all part of one continuum.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

How do you and Gab achieve such a tight connection between the production and the rhymes?

Sometimes there’s an effortlessness that comes, just because we’ve been working together for more than half of our lives. We know each other, kind of like two people that have been on the basketball court for years, since they were in grade school, and now they’re in the NBA. They can do certain things because they know how the other person thinks. We’re at a point in our career now where we’ve really just hit that stride, creatively. Now we’re both just trying to hit that point of creative, rarefied air, you know?

There’s only a certain amount of notes and a certain amount of chords, but at the same time never ever, stop learning. When you stop learning, that’s when people—to use a phrase that they used way back in the day—fall off.

You always want to be students.

You’re well known as a big time crate-digger/ record collector. Has your taste in music/sound palate shifted significantly since you worked with Gab on The Craft?

I don’t know if it changes so much as it develops.

You’re into something one day and something different the next. It’s more about continuing to learn. I may go back and revisit things, records that I’ve listened to just one or two times, 10 to 15 years ago, and go, “Wow! I never realized that was in there.” I think your ear for music develops all the time, so you start hearing things differently. As a result, you start to take different approaches to things.

What can the park crowd expect?

Well the people that are planning to come out, who’ve seen us before, they all know we do a great show. We work to always make it an experience, and whether there are five thousand people in the crowd or just five, our aim is always to connect those different energies into one energy. That’s what I think people enjoy about coming to see us live is that interaction.

What does it mean to be a musical scholar?

It’s important to study, man. And not just studying, I mean really listening and submerging yourself—no pun intended—into music. Dive as deep into it as you possibly can.

“I’ve just been blessed and fortunate in terms of the people that I’ve been able to learn from, whether it was working with Gil Scott-Heron, or George Clinton, or Harley White. Each one has a unique way of tapping in to their creative process, so for me, it’s been a career of synthesizing all of these inf luences into a distinct sound.

For us, making a Blackalicious record is just a period of absorption. It’s almost like data selection, you know what I mean? We have this specific approach to making records, but each time, it becomes a little bit sharper.”

– Chief Xcel, Blackalicious SubmergeMag.com

How was the TBD experience?

I always love playing in Sacramento. I tell people all the time, Oakland and the Bay is home, but Sacramento is the genesis for us. So each time we play here, we feel it’s the place where it all began for us. And we’re really looking forward to the Concert in the Park on the 29th as well.

You can catch Blackalicious along with DLRN, Element Brass Band and more at Cesar Chavez Plaza this Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m. as part of this summer’s Concerts in the Park series. Like all concerts in the series, the price for admission is FREE for all ages. For a full list of remaining shows, go to Godowntownsac.com.

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

13

The Odd Couple

Though they didn’t set out to become a rock duo, two is the magic number for Black Star Safari Words Fabian Garcia • photos alterted vision

W

henever guitarist Dan Green and drummer Matt Mandella step into a new venue to play as the two-piece rock band they’ve incidentally dwindled down to, people will often just stare at them, not exactly sure what to make of the duo.

“It’s like they don’t know what they’re looking at, or they’re not sure how they should react to us,” Green says of the almost catatonic faces they get from blank-slate crowds.

Once they set up, Green introduces the duo as Black Star Safari from South Lake Tahoe. Still, he says, the fixed gazes continue; the tension in the room builds. And, honestly, if you weren’t already familiar with what comes next, you might be inclined to stare at them too.

Green, with shaggy hair and a slim build, stands well over 6-foot-3, while Mandella—also thin, but not quite as shaggy—is well below 5-foot-9. It’s sort of like you’ve got a younger Billy Crystal and Gheorghe Muresan from the movie My Giant in front of you. And now they have instruments in their hands, and you don’t know what the hell to expect.

Will this be worthy of a scathing review, or will our minds be blown? The question lingers as Mandella taps his sticks, cueing their first song.

Even before Black Star Safari could hold audiences in bewildered suspense, they were really just a couple of up-and-coming musicians in Los Angeles—going to school, jamming with other bands and trying to make a name for themselves. Sadly, it wasn’t long after they received their certificates from the Musicians Institute that they realized Los Angeles wasn’t necessarily the best place to make a living for live music.

Residing in the heart of Hollywood and grappling with low payoffs from gigs in town, Green and Mandella decided to head north to South Lake Tahoe, where Green had grown up and established some professional connections prior to his SoCal stint.

“The first day we got back to Tahoe—I won’t ever forget—we got this house on a golf course for cheaper than our studio in L.A.,” Green says. “And just breathing the air was…just nice to catch your breath and get out of the madness for a minute.”

The move proved to be worthwhile.

Almost instantly, Black Star Safari got plugged into the Tahoe music scene and started exploring the Northern California circuit, including Sacramento.

Eventually, the two got to know and play alongside Davis funk band Big

14

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Sticky Mess regularly, who generously offered to hook them up with some studio time to record their first EP Cut and Dry. “They were like, ‘Oh, we have a studio.’ And I was like, ‘Oh man, we need to record,’” Green recounts, chuckling at the memory. “So we came down that next day, and we busted that one out that day.”

“I did the drum parts in like two hours,” Mandella adds.

Which is insane. While Cut and Dry—an effort Green and Mandella consider more of a demo than anything—does sound fairly raw on their Bandcamp page, it feels far from a one-day outing.

Yet, it was.

And so by June 2014, the two-piece was on the map with an official project out in the universe, something folks could point to and attribute to Black Star Safari. But just as Green and Mandella were beginning this new chapter in their lives—with ideas on their next album already getting underway—so, too, entered their elusive bassist Mark Mickens right around the same time.

Mickens, a fellow musician Mandella had gotten to know in Los Angeles, was “pretty funky” as Green remembers. And when they heard he was moving to the area, the Tahoe pair was more than happy to have him come aboard the safari.

With Mickens added to the roster, contributing a refreshing bassline to the group, things were looking up for the newfound trio. During that summer, they were booked for Tahoe’s annual Live at Lakeview concert series to open for Portland-based guitarist Scott Pemberton, while at the same time beginning to work on their sophomore album.

And then…poof. Mickens vanished.

As quickly as he had arrived, he had cut out even sooner, almost immediately following the band’s final recording sessions for their upcoming album.

So, what happened?

“The truth?” Green asks. “The truth is we have no idea.”

“Literally, no call, no message back. Nothing,” Mandella says. “He just completely disappeared. We went to his apartment, and he was gone.”

Naturally, Green and Mandella became genuinely concerned for their bandmate, that is until they finally heard from his roommate that he was alive and well. Mickens never personally contacted them again, however, and Black Star Safari grinded to a bit of a halt.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

“I was actually calling to cancel a show,” Green says of one of their gigs at Sacramento’s Torch Club. “I was like, ‘He just… eh, I have no idea.’ And the owner of the Torch Club was like, ‘Are you fucking serious? Get down here, we don’t care. We saw you before; just come down here.’ And that was really big for us. You know? Because we were feeling pretty deflated at that moment.”

“When he left, we weren’t sure what to do,” Green continues. “But we just kept playing, and then we found that people were pretty receptive to the two-piece.”

And for good reason, too.

Once Mandella starts to unleash on his drum set, with Green’s electric guitar ripping through the room, the entire mood of their audience shifts, as I recently discovered at their safari-themed CD release show in South Lake Tahoe—the first of many to come this year, they say.

Whether it’s through the thunderous roar of their battle song “Signs,” or in the feel-good, open-ended track “Chapter X,” which allows for improvisation and long, inspired solos, onlookers are unanimously forced to their feet and into motion, having no choice but to surrender to the robust, rockin’ grooves of Green and Mandella’s Black Star Safari.

The band's newer material is especially potent when played live, with standouts such as “Gold Man Sucks,” “Victims” and the strictly-instrumental “Never Again,” where Mandella races on his cymbals and snare at lightning-fast speeds, while Green strums a menacing riff over and over again before they both break out into a slow-burning, cathartic chorus.

Black Star Safari’s latest five-track EP, All In, maintains much of the same musical diversity found on Cut and Dry, but with a bit more bite to it this time around. While the album has hints of bluegrass and funk in some of the cuts, All In is undoubtedly a rock project through and through.

Despite their recent adversity, it would appear Green and Mandella have found a way to shine in their powerful live performances.

“We just have such a good energy and connection with the two of us,” Mandella says of he and Green’s rediscovered two-man dynamic.

“And I guess that’s kind of one of the perks,” Green adds. “I think that it does make us stand out. For better or for worse, [at] a lot of shows we play, people will come up to us and be like, ‘I thought you guys were gonna suck.’ And then we come and play a decent show, and I think that really catches people off guard.”

As their new album indicates, Black Star Safari is all in for their music—quite literally, it’s just the two of them running the show for now. The duo is planning a tour up and down the West Coast this summer, going as far north as Washington and, really, anywhere else they can park and set up their equipment.

“Not to give away our secret, but, you know, we bought a generator and we have my RV,” Green says. “So we were really just thinking about renegade staging, and Celebrate the release of All In at just getting our name out there. Just playing the Torch Club on June 6. Black all the time, doing festivals and just setting Star Safari will perform as well as up in the parking lot.”

Wounded Knee. The show has a $12 cover and starts at 9 p.m. If you’d Almost like Breaking Bad. like to make a day of it, The Bathtub “But making music instead,” Mandella Gins play earlier that evening during says. “Make music, not meth.” the Torch Club’s no-cover happy Green laughs out loud. “That could be a hour (from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.). For more info, go to Torchclub.net. bumper sticker.”

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

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July 2

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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By Phone: 1.877.Gnd.CtrL Or 916.443.9202

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

17

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Open Mic, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Acoustic Open Mic, 5:30 p.m.; Island of Black & White, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Jazz Bands of UC Davis, 7 p.m.

music, comedy & misc. Calendar

May 25 – June 8 submergemag.com/calendar

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 Crazy Eyes, Butch vs Femme, Mos Likely, 8 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Four Barrel, 3 p.m.

5.25 5.26 Monday

The Blue Lamp Open Mic w/ special guests Elan Mowerman, 7:30 p.m.

The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m.

The Colony Murrum, Hubris, Valley of Thorns, Cataclysmic Assault, 8 p.m.

Delta of Venus Monday Jazz Series w/ Jimmy Toor Trio, 7 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 King Chip, 6:30 p.m.

Louie’s Cocktail Lounge Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Tuesday

The Blue Lamp Aceyalone, 2mex, Charlie Muscle, Dre T, Defeye, EssoP, DJ Nocturnal, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

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

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m.

LowBrau Le Twist w/ Mr. Erik James feat. Ira Skinner, Sam I Jam, Adam J, Roger Carpio, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Press Club Diarrhea Planet, Left & Right, The Croissants, Sun Valley Gun Club, 8 p.m.

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

Torch Club Gavin Caanan, 5:30 p.m.; Michael Ray, Blame it on the Bishop, 8 p.m.

5.27 Wednesday

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

The Blue Lamp Star Off Machine, Ghost Color, End the Fight, No Where But Up, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Strung Out, Red City Radio, Le Armada, Pears, Another Damn Disappointment, 6:30 p.m.

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

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Thunder Cover, 9 p.m.

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

Luna’s Cafe Irish Celtic Jam, 7 p.m.

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

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Acoustic Open Mic Night, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Local Licks Free Music Series, 8 p.m.

Press Club Shovels, Charlie Megira, Quartz Thrust, Silver Spoons, 8 p.m.

5.28 thursday

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Dream In Red, Old Cotton Dreary, Calling Tempo, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk The Seeking, Merchants, Incredible Me, The Fourth Horseman, Lost Things, Visions In Sleep, 6:30 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 10 p.m.

Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m.

The Coffee Garden Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.

The Colony Blistered, Discourse, Crossface, Downturn, 7 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.

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 Acoustic Rock Night, 7:30 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Keri Carr Band, 10 p.m.

Press Club On Deck w/ DJ Whores, 9 p.m.

5.27

Silver Spoons Shovels, Charlie Megira, Quartz Thrust Press Club 8 p.m.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Latin night, 9 p.m.

The Stoney Inn Branded, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X Quartet, 5 p.m.; Petunia & The Vipers, 9 p.m.

5.29 Friday

Ace of Spades IM5, Sam Pottorff, Austin Jones, Bailey McConnell, The Weekend Riot, RUN2COVER, 5:30 p.m.

Bar 101 The Spare Parts Band, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. One Eyed Reilly, 5 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Longview (Green Day tribute), 6 p.m.; Free Up Fridays-Reggae w/DJ Wokstar & Special Guests, 10 p.m.

The Boardwalk Dirtwire, 7 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino SWV, 9 p.m.

Cafe Colonial David Dondero, Kevin Seconds, Hod Hulphers, 8 p.m.

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

Cesar Chavez Park Concerts in the Park w/ Blackalicious, DLRN + Stevie Nader, Element Brass Band, Druskee, 5 p.m.

Dive Bar Addverse Effects, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Branded, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Red Sky Sunrise, The Iron Hearts, Peter Holden, 9 p.m.

G Street WunderBar DJ Mouf, 10 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Steel Rose, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s The Purple Ones (Prince tribute), 9 p.m.

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

LIVE MUSIC. DRINKS. ART.

PRIDE | JUNE 11

fti #crockerartmix crockerartmuseum.org 18

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Thousands of Fingers (Steely Dan tribute), 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Open Mic, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides A.R.G., Live Manikins, Mic Jordan & Now or Never, Know Identity, The Sleeprockers, 9 p.m.

On The Y Contortion, We Predict A Riot, Limbs of the Arbitrator, Salythia, 7:30 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge Alie Layus, Mr. Smith, DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Cora Sol, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Kenny Frye, 4 p.m.; Cover Me Badd, 9:30 p.m.

Shine The Soft Offs, The Star Bandits, Elizabeth Pope, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Golden State Drum and Bass party feat. Submorphics, 8 p.m.

The Stoney Inn Radio Heavy, 9 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Caravanserai (Santana tribute), 6:30 p.m.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort Red Union Blue, 9:30 p.m.

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

UC Davis: MU Quad Giraffage, Rudeboi, 7 p.m.

Westlake Plaza (Davis) Street Food Rodeo w/ The Bottom Dwellers, 5 p.m.

5.30 Saturday

Ace of Spades Dokken, Restrayned, Roswell, Force of Habit, 7 p.m.

Bar 101 Joshua Cambridge Experience, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. Bathtub Gins, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Crüella (Mötley Crüe tribute), Flock Of Seagirls (‘80s tribute), 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Hit The Lights, Forever Came Calling, To The Wind, In Her Own Words, End The Fight, 6:30 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Serial Killer Sunday School, People Corrupting People, Bootjack & Bonz, Rebel Punk, 7 p.m.

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

The Colony Cokskar, xTom Hanx, xMalcomx, TSA, Cross Class, 8 p.m.

District 30 DJ DNA, 10 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon RV Royalty, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Garble, The Clutter Family Singers, 9 p.m.

2708 J Street Sacramento 916.441.4693 HarlowS.com

5.30

The California Honeydrops Harlow's 8 p.m.

G Street WunderBar Katadelic, RonKat Spearman, MC Radioactive, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Westbound 50, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s The California Honeydrops, 8 p.m.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, 7:30 p.m.

The Hideaway Bar & Grill Roselit Bone, Hollow Point Stumblers, 8 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe David Houston & String Theory, 8:30 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Thousands of Fingers (Steely Dan tribute), 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Camilo Massagli, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides The Flying Sex Snakes, Lucid, Slaves of Manhattan, 9 p.m.

On The Y Embodied Torment (CD Release), Newtdick, Logistic Slaughter, Ominous Ruin, Saponification, 8 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Disco Revolution, 10 p.m.

Press Club Man Problems, Pseudosilence, Wodewose, Tom Nasar, 6 p.m.; DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino The Spazmatics, 10 p.m.

Shine EGG, Furschitzen Giggles, The Slow Poisoner, 8 p.m.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen The Bumptet, Dank Ocean (CD Release), 9:30 p.m.

Starlite Lounge The Inversions, Sealegs, Simple Pigeon, 8 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Jax Hammer, 1 p.m.; Rouge Rocks, 5 p.m.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort Dave Channell’s Fire and Wheels Band, 9:30 p.m.

Torch Club The Stuff, 5:30 p.m.; Daniel Castro, 9 p.m.

5.31 sunday

Bar 101 Dylan Crawford, 2 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. Basket House, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Life in 24 Frames, Ghostplay, All About Rockets, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Dizzy Wright, Jahni Denver, 7 p.m.

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

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

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Acoustic Sunday, 1 p.m.

Harlow’s Close to You (Carpenters tribute), 5:30 p.m.; Esau McGraw, 10 p.m.

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

Press Club Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Raley Field Terry Sheets, 1 p.m.

Sacramento Community Center Theater Celtic Woman, 3 p.m.

Sol Collective Brunch & Beats, 12 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Apple Z Band, 3 p.m.

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

UC Davis: Jackson Hall UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, 7 p.m.

continued on page 20

Nicholson’s MusiCafe 6 3 2 E . B i d w E l l S t. F o l S o m wednesdAys

MAy 27 + june 3 6-9 pm

fridAys

MAy 29 +june 5

sAturdAy 6-9 pm

MAy 30

916.984.3020

nicholsonsmusicafe

sAturdAy

12-12:45 pm

6-9 pm

sAturdAys 1-2 pm

FREE UkUlElE ClaSS

Live Music. Beer On Tap. Organic Coffee.

SubmergeMag.com

SATuRDAY

THuRSDAY

MASon JennInGS

WHITe ReAPeR

PHoebe bRIDGeRS

8PM $20adv

5 /30

6 /11

SATuRDAY

9PM $12.50adv

6 /13

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FRIDAY

9PM $15adv

The PurPle Ones A 10 PIece TRIbuTe To PRInce

5 /31

SunDAY

5:30PM $15adv

cloSe To You A cARPenTeRS TRIbuTe

SunDAY

10PM $15

THuRSDAY

7PM $15adv

5 /29

5 /31 6 /04

coMeDY oF

esau McGraw ZoSo

THe ulTIMATe leD ZePPelIn exPeRIence

FRIDAY

8PM $15

The BrOThers cOMaTOse MeRRYGolD

SATuRDAY

9:30PM $8adv

MASSIve DelIcIouS Alex vIncenT bAnD

WeDneSDAY

8PM $15adv

THuRSDAY

5:30PM $20

An evenInG oF HoT GYPSY JAZZ & counTRY SWInG

FRIDAY

6PM $10 all ages

Oh! The Band clASSIc ADDITIon

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9:30PM $13adv

6 /05 6 /06 6 /10 6 /11

6 /12 6/13

*all

5-7 pm

*JUnE 6 no UkUlElE ClaSS!

elecTRIc SIx

june 6

singer/songwriter Acoustic open Mic truMpet Xochitl plAyer open Mic hAppy hour : cAMillo the coMMon $1.00 off drAfts night MAssAgli MAn BAnd 6-10 pm

>>

THe cAlIFoRnIA HoneYDRoPS

cali aGenTs

DuRAG DYnASTY | lYRIc JoneS RePlAceMenT KIlleRS | bloZART luRKAvellY + DJ lAHn | PennY

HoT club oF coWToWn

MelT bAnAnA

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times are d o or times*

COMING SOON 06/14 06/15 06/16 06/17 06/18 06/19 06/19 06/20 06/21

Raul Midon Dog Party odd Future Tour orgone/Thenth Power eric lindell Whiskey n’ Rye (lATe) James Garner (Johnny cash Tribute) Duran Duran Duran vetiver

06/23 06/24 06/25 06/26 06/30 07/02 07/06 07/10 07/13

Jen Kirkman Glen David Andrews Jonathon Richman Tainted love The Ting Tings big business Aristocrats built To Spill The Helio Sequence

07/18 07/22 08/02 08/05 08/06 08/16 08/22 08/29

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Tribe of the Red Horse Morgan Jones Torche ottmar leibert and luna negra The Mother Hips Mac Sabbath Milo Greene The Skins & Friends

19

904 15th Street 443.2797

Between I & J • Downtown Sacramento

torchclub.net

may 26 - June 7 TueS

26

WeD

27

Gavin Caanan 5:30Pm

miChael Ray,

Dustin Kensrue David Ramirez The Boardwalk 7 p.m.

Blame it on the BishoP 8Pm aCoustiC oPen miC 5:30Pm

6.01

island of BlaCk & white 9Pm mind x quaRtet 5Pm

monday

THuRS

28 FRI

29 SaT

Petunia & the viPeRs 9Pm PaileR & fRatis 5:30Pm

BiG stiCky mess, the niBBleRs 9Pm the stuff 5:30Pm

30

daniel CastRo 9Pm

Sun

Blues Jam 4Pm

31

fRont the Band 8Pm

TueS

hans eBeRBaCh 5:30Pm

2

miChael Ray, Ben RiCe, luCy hammond 8Pm

WeD

aCoustiC oPen miC 5:30Pm

3

THuRS

4

FRI

5

tBa 9Pm mind x quaRtet 5Pm

ResPondeRs

feat. david saul lee 9Pm PaileR & fRatis 5:30Pm

the Routine 9Pm BathtuB Gins 5:30Pm

The Blue Lamp Open Mic w/ special guests Spacewalker, 7:30 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.

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

UC Davis: Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Empyrean Ensemble, 7 p.m.

6.02 Tuesday

The Blue Lamp The Draft Music Competition, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Dustin Kensrue, David Ramirez, 7 p.m.

The Colony The Cryptics, Crystal Methodist, Pisscat, 7 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Dank Ocean & Billy Manzik, 9 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 9 p.m.

SaT

6

Sun

7

6.06

6.02

BlaCk staR safaRi (Cd Release), wounded knee 9Pm ChRis duaRte 4Pm

fRont the Band 8Pm

CominG soon!

5/9 miChael Ray and Billy manzik 5/10 shelly kinG and keRi CaRR Band 5/11 Reds Blues 5/12 steven Roth 5/13 meRCy me!

Spangler Bachelor Paradise, Sissy & Abe Shine 8 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

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

Torch Club Hans Eberbach, 5:30 p.m.; Michael Ray, Ben Rice, Lucy Hammond, 8 p.m.

6.03 wednesday

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

The Blue Lamp The Federation, JG MadeUmLook, Dmac, Dezit Eaze, Storm, B McCoy, Young Zoe, DJ Oasis, 8 p.m.

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

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar ZuhG & DJ Zephyr, 9 p.m.

Faces Butch vs Femme, 9 p.m.

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

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

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Acoustic Open Mic Night, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Local Licks Free Music Series, 8 p.m.

Press Club Bottom 40 Dance Night, 9 p.m.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Open Mic, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Acoustic Open Mic, 5:30 p.m.

UC Davis: Jackson Hall Campus Band, 7 p.m.

6.04 6.05 Thursday

FRIDAY

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Cali O, Just Kristofer, Steffen Hudson, Luke Tailor, Edgar Al Poe, Apollo Cutts, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Teenage Bottlerocket, The Copyrights, Bastards of Young, The Moans, 6:30 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke w/ Jeff Jenkins, 10 p.m.

Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m.

The Coffee Garden Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.

District 30 Genix, Sunny Lax, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m.

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

Fox & Goose Marty Cohen and the Sidekicks, 8 p.m.

Harlow’s ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience, 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.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Ashley Barron, 10 p.m.

Press Club Ufomammut, Usnea, Lycus, Church, 8 p.m.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Hillstomp, Ben Lewis & Brian Morgan, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X Quartet, 5 p.m.; Responders feat. David Saul Lee, 9 p.m.

Ace of Spades Nico & Vinz, Jason French, Sebastian Mikael, 7 p.m.

Bar 101 Christian DeWild, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. F Street Stompers, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Free Up FridaysReggae w/DJ Wokstar & Special Guests, 10 p.m.

The Boardwalk Meg Myers, Wild Party, 8 p.m.

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

Cesar Chavez Park Concerts in the Park w/ Element of Soul, Burro, Once An Empire, 50-Watt Heavy, TL Miller, imf.DRED, 5 p.m.

District 30 Julian Jordan, 9 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ Crook, 10 p.m.

Goldfield Big Trouble, Ashley Barron, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s The Brothers Comatose, MerryGold, 8 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Musical Charis, 9 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) Barwick & Siegfried (CD Release party), 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Open Mic, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides Tiger in Christ, Victory in Compromise, Surviving the Era, Sages, 9 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Deadlies, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino AC Myles, 4 p.m.; Maxx Cabello Jr., 9 p.m.

Shine Million Dollar Giveaway, Hair of the Dog, Marc Delgado, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Jake Nielsen’s Triple Threat, Cash Cartell Band, Rich Corporation, Nothin Special, 8 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Shannapalooza Annual Music Festival: Joy & Madness, Big Sticky Mess, 0400, 6 p.m.

Torch Club Pailer & Fratis, 5:30 p.m.; The Routine, 9 p.m.

UC Davis: Jackson Hall University Chorus, 7 p.m.

6.06 Saturday

Ace of Spades Veil Of Maya, Revocation, Oceano, Gift Giver, Entheos, Flub, 6 p.m.

Back 9 Bar & Grill Madison Ave, The Alpha Complex, A Mile Till Dawn, 8 p.m.

continued on page 22

20

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

>>

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

21

Bar 101 Dave Adams Project, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. Home By Dark, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp The Hormones (Ramones tribute), Archangel (Misfits tribute), 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Sammy J, Tenelle, Finn Gruva, Pieter T, 8 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino The Whispers, 8 p.m.

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

Goldfield Country DJ Dancing, 9 p.m.

Harlow’s Massive Delicious, Alex Vincent Band, 9:30 p.m.

Harrah’s Lake Tahoe Elvin Bishop, 7:30 p.m.

The Hideaway City of Vain, West Lords, Riot Radio, Scratch Outs, 8 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Groove Market, 9 p.m.

Level Up Lounge Guest DJs, 9 p.m.

Midtown BarFly Agalloch, Helen Money, 8 p.m.

Mix DJ Eddie Edul, 9 p.m.

MontBleu Resort Casino Foreigner, 7 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Xochitl, 12 p.m.; The Common Man Band, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides Lipstick w/ DJs Shaun Slaughter & Roger Carpio, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Superlicious, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Chris Gardner Band, 10 p.m.

Shine Spangler, Bachelor Paradise, Sissy & Abe, 8 p.m.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Boca Do Rio, 9:30 p.m.

22

Swabbies on the River Shannapalooza Annual Music Festival: Groovincible, The Afrofunk Experience, In the No, Cardel & Friends, SP .45, 6 p.m.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort Peter Frampton, Cheap Trick, 7 p.m.

Torch Club Bathtub Gins, 5:30 p.m.; Black Star Safari (CD Release), Wounded Knee, 9 p.m.

6.07 Sunday

Bar 101 Ruby Jaye, 2 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. Crescent Catz, 3 p.m.

The Blue Lamp Moxy and The Influence, Carbonine, Juliet Company, Gravy Nation, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Kottonmouth Kings, HEDpe, The Family Ruin, Scare Don’t Fear, Marlon Asher, C4/Nicky Gritts, Optimiztiq, 6 p.m.

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

Cache Creek Casino Saharat, Lek Audomkay, Mod Audomanee, 6 p.m.

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

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Acoustic Sunday, 1 p.m.

Harris Center Robben Ford, 7:30 p.m.

Main Stage Theater (Grass Valley) John McCutcheon (Joe Hill’s Last Will), 7:30 p.m.

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

Powerhouse Pub Cafe’ R & B, 3 p.m.

Press Club Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Branded, 1 p.m.

Swabbies on the River Jeremy Graham, 1:30 p.m.; Spazmatics, 3 p.m.

Torch Club Chris Duarte, 4 p.m.; Front the Band, 8 p.m.

6.08 Monday

The Boxing Donkey Open Mic Variety Night, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Open Mic Night hosted by Musical Charis, 9 p.m.

The Colony Cancerous Womb, Skinned, Logistic Slaughter, 8 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.

Press Club Removed, Little Fixtures, White Bike, 8 p.m.

Comedy Laughs Unlimited Ellis Rodriguez, Steph Garcia, May 29 - 31, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

Comedy Open Mic Showcase hosted by Cheryl “the Soccer Mom” Anderson, June 2, 8 p.m.

Raw Spit w/ Comedy by Ricco da Great, June 4, 7 p.m.

Cheryl “the Soccer Mom” Anderson, Jose Sarduy, June 5 - 7, Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

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

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Punchline Comedy Club Off the Top w/ Kiry Shabazz, Diego Curiel, Michael Cella, Javon Whitlock, Kelvin Kumar and More, May 27, 8 p.m.

Dat Phan, May 28 - 31, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

Sacramento Comedy Showcase, June 3, 8 p.m.

Colin Kane, Gary Anderson, June 4 - 6, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.

Blackout Comedy Showcase w/ Cameron O’Bannon, Anthony Jr De Guzman, Robert Omoto and More, June 7, 7 p.m.

Sacramento Comedy Spot Open Mic, Sunday’s and Monday’s, 8 p.m.

Improv Lab, Harold Night & Gordon Teams, Wednesday’s, 7 - 10 p.m.

Cage Match & Improv Jam, Thursday’s, 8 - 10 p.m.

Anti-Cooperation League, Saturday’s, 9 p.m.

Tommy T’s Bruce Bruce, May 29 - 31 Mark Curry, June 5 - 7

Misc.

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

Arden Hills Bridal Open House, May 31, 10 a.m.

Art Of Toys Spokes: Bike Bell Art feat. Camilla Carper, Laura Caron,Chris Cinder, Anna DuBois, Karen Dukes, Laurelin Gilmore and More, through May 30 Avid Reader (Broadway) Mosaic of Voices Poetry Series feat. Dennis Hock and Frank Dixon, May 31, 2 p.m.

Avid Reader (Davis) Indelibly Davis w/ Chancellor Emeritus Larry Vanderhoef, May 31, 2 p.m.

One Murder More w/ Author Kris Calvin, June 5, 7:30 p.m.

B Street Theatre The Jacksonian by Beth Henley, through June 7 Blue Cue Bar Bingo, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

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

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

Cafe Colonial The Met Sacramento High School Presents: Metamorphosis, May 27, 7 p.m.

Cal Expo Sacramento Mile, May 30, 11 a.m.

Western States Horse Expo, June 5-7 Capitol Garage Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

Capitol Mall Greens Sacramento Pride Festival, June 6, 11 a.m.

Carmichael Park Carmichael Park Community Band Festival, June 6-7 Crest Theatre Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, May 29, 7:30 p.m.

Behind the Barre: A Locally Crafted Event feat. Capital Dance Project + Live Music + Art + Craft Beer + More!, May 30, 3 p.m.

Pulp Fiction, May 30, 7:30 p.m.

Luz Maria Briseño, June 6, 12 p.m.

Jaws, June 7, 2:30 & 7:30 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum David Ligare: California Classicist, June 7 - Sept.

20 Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Dirty Diva Trail Run, May 30, 8 a.m.

Fox & Goose Pub Quiz, Tuesday’s, 7 p.m.

Guild Theatre Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival, May 29 - 30 Historic Old Folsom Farmers’ Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m.

Laguna Town Hall Lion’s Club Brewfest, June 5, 6 p.m.

Little Relics Boutique & Galleria Jill Allyn Stafford Exhibit, through May 30 Art Show w/ Bob Herron & Peter Wedel, June 2 - 28 Luna’s Cafe Poetry Unplugged, every Thursday, 8 p.m.

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

New Glory Craft Brewery Fantasy Food Truck Showdown Round 2, June 4, 5 p.m.

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

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

Red Dot Gallery Self: Beyond the Face feat. Artwork

by Laurelin Gilmore, Mary Czechan Coldren, Jenny Long, Kainan Becker and More, June 3 - 27 Republic Bar and Grill Tournament of Bar Games, May 30, 1 p.m.

The Rink Sac City Rollers Double Header, June 6, 6:45 p.m.

Roller King (Roseville) Skatepede! w/ the Auburn Outlaws, May 26, 6 p.m.

Southside Park 2nd Annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk, June 6, 10 a.m.

Tommy T’s The Darling Clementines Burlesque Review, May 28, 8 p.m.

UC Davis Mondavi Center Jackson Hall An Evening with Dr. Cornel West, May 30, 8 p.m.

Verge Center for the Arts TV Dinner III w/ Chef Michael Thiemann, May 30, 5 p.m.

White Buffalo Gallery Shatter by Dante Declarador, through June 6 William Land Park Doggy Dash, June 6, 9 a.m.

Women’s Civic Improvement Center 2nd Annual Sacramento Black Book Fair, June 5 - 7

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Live<< rewind

Church

Doom and Gloom Samothrace, Atriarch, (Waning), Church

Starlite, Sacramento • May 13, 2015

Words Andy Garcia | photo Charles gunn I’m listening to Samothrace as I write this, trying to remember their recent show at Starlite, but all I want to do now is turn off their record and remember the fleeting moments I spent watching them perform live.

There is something to be said for music that elicits a visceral response; a response in your feet, your heart, your emotions. As I started walking to Starlite on May 13, a woman sitting at a bus stop smiled at me. When I smiled back at her, as I generally do with strangers, I realized it required effort, because I had been frowning as I walked.

I associate this with the fact that I had been listening to Samothrace and Atriarch all afternoon before the show.

Sacramento locals Church opened the show.

The five-piece stacked their cabs as high as Eva, the band’s cloaked frontwoman, and lit incense on an altar of animal horns and skulls at the front of the stage. The band recently released their album Unanswered Hymns on Transylvanian Tapes out of Oakland. As the smoke wafted through the packed room, they took up their bludgeoning sonic assault. The band rode on slow, trudging, down-tuned riffs and snare hits for short lifetimes, with lots of open space for the haunting clean vocals and flickers of psyched-out guitar highs. My favorite spacedout interlude sounded like a slow-panning view of an apocalyptic-war zone; a battlefield littered with crushed skulls, a hawk picking bits of flesh off of bone. You forgot the impending terror until the calm was broken when a snare hit, signalling in the massive, pummeling riffs that I have come to appreciate from this band.

Eva’s serene and haunting vocals gave way to unholy screams as the band surged forward again into the doom. This doom resonated; I could feel the bottom of my scrotum curling and retreating inside me in fear of the massive sound. This band is loud as fuck, and you must see them.

(Waning) was up next, a band that I had recognized from shows in Sacramento for some SubmergeMag.com

time now. (Waning) is a psych-metal band, whose latest album, The Funeral Mountains, is out now on Buriedinhell Records. (Waning) is a solid band.

If you ever went to see Dredg during the earlier ‘00s, but wished they were heavier, maybe, more metal, then this will suit your tastes quite well.

I really dug their sound—plenty of electronic ambience and riff-heavy bangers.

Atriarch kept the mood down and gloomy, but, fuck, it was awesome. The band members all appear to be well past the threshold of their 30s, but the singer is still incredibly attractive and handsome. You could tell these guys had exhausted their patience with sitting in the van, because their set was explosive, yet tight and unyielding. It was a sonic wall of sludgy metal, interspersed with long, blackened psychedelicdoom build-ups. Foreboding, dark vocals that don’t rely on the standard scream, but an eerie yell nearly drowning in delay crawled across the slow, pounding riffs. These PDX doom-metalers album, An Unending Pathway, is out now on Relapse Records.

Samothrace, on tour from Seattle, were the last band to play. The band, whose latest studio release from 2012 is on 20 Buck Spin, knows how to draw out a song with one topping out over 20 minutes. Needless to say, their set was long. Epic, doomy, sludgy metal that was atmospheric and complex, filled with tom-heavy breaks and dreadfilled screams. This is a very good band, good at what they do, and well-regarded within the metal community, but after 30 minutes, I felt as though I had heard everything they were going to do and left to smoke weed in the alley.

As I walked home, it was Atriarch and Church that stood out in my mind as having really stole the show. Though they had different approaches, both displayed an affection for heavy, crushing repetition and left space for all the instruments and players to air out in spacey, pools of sonic sludge.

May 28 ErdingEr glass June 4 grEEn Flash glass

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

23

San Bruno Mountain

San Bruno Mountain

Mount Ralston

UP, UP AND AWAY!

8 Hikes within 2 Hours of Sacramento WORDS Niki Kangas and Joey Miller

C

alifornia is one of the most geologically diverse places in the world, and Sacramento is in the center of it all! There are endless places to explore close to home. To get you started, we’ve put together a good range of easy to difficult hikes, both east and west of Sacramento, and all within a couple hours’ drive. Of course, you’ll want to further research your trip ahead of time and be prepared by packing appropriately. Below are some ideas to get your wheels turning. Special note: The stats provided below have been culled from some great online hiking resources such as Everytrail. com, Eastbaytrails.com, Summitpost.org and Tahoebackcountry.net as well as, most importantly, personal experience from getting out there and walking those trails. Distance ain’t nothing but a number.

Get out there and hike! Happy trails!

San Bruno Mountain

Mount Diablo

Mileage: 3.5 miles via

the Summit Loop Trail Elevation gain: 500 feet Summit elevation: 1,314 feet Difficulty rating: easy Driving distance from Sacramento: about 95

miles west The lowdown: This hike is a get in/get out breeze, at the top of which await old, dilapidated radio transmitters and a Nike Missile launch site, as well as panoramic views of San Francisco, Mount Diablo and Mount Tam. From the parking lot, the trail leads through chaparral and seasonal wildflowers and meanders gently to the top, which you’ll reach hella quick, affording you time to frolic around or whatever it is you do on a mountaintop. San Francisco and all its rad bars are a short drive from the trailhead—offering lots of great choices for your post-summit watering hole.

24

Mileage: 6.2 miles via the

Grand Loop Elevation gain: 700 feet Summit elevation: 3,849 feet Difficulty rating: easy to

moderate Driving distance from Sacramento: about 85 miles

southwest The lowdown: Although you can park a quarter mile from the top, why do that when you can get a great workout and circumnavigate this awesome volcano, exploring its vegetation, geology, and surrounding views? We suggest the Grand Loop as your route to the summit, which is crowned with obsolete radio transmitters that used to talk to Sutro Tower in San Francisco. Mount Diablo is the tallest mountain in its vicinity, providing clear 360 degree views of the Bay Area.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Mount Diablo

PHOTOS Telegraph Hiking Club

Mount Tamalpais

Mileage: 15.4 miles via

Stinson Beach Elevation gain: 1,500 feet Summit elevation: 2,571 feet Difficulty rating: easy to

moderate Driving distance from Sacramento: about 102 miles

west The lowdown: There’s myriad ways to the top of Mount Tam, but we like to start at Stinson Beach. Although it will be difficult to not just plop yourself into the sand and gaze at the ocean, keep going past a gate that will lead you to the Matt Davis trailhead. The trail snakes ever closer to the top while sweeping views of the ocean dazzle you at every turn. On the top of Mount Tam is a fire lookout, on the stoop of which you can sip on your summit beer and take selfies (or climb around its boulders). Take the Steep Ravine trail route back down to see a lush redwood forest, laced with babbling brooks and bridges. This is another summit with a parking lot right near the top, allowing you to be a total lazy ass peak bagger or cut the long trip in half by way of leaving a second car in the near-summit parking lot.

Mount Tamalpais

Pyramid Peak

Mileage: 7.4 miles via Rocky

Canyon/Southeast Ridge Elevation gain: 4,083 feet Summit elevation: 9,984 feet Difficulty rating: difficult Driving distance from Sacramento: about 80 miles

east The lowdown: Easily visible from Sacramento on those clear days when you can see all the way to the glorious snow-capped Sierras, this massive mountain is a hard-won peak to bag.

Climbing through a lovely coniferous forest and rambling meadows, your thighs will feel like they’re on fire while your eyes stay fixed on what you believe to be the prize. After arduously bouldering to what you think is the top, you will arrive at—gasp—a false summit. You’ll shake your fists in the air, lumber to the real top (aptly named for its pyramid shape made of sketchy talus), and at long last, enjoy an unbeatable eyeful of the grandeur of Desolation Wilderness.

Mount Ralston

Mileage: 7 miles Elevation gain: 2,735 feet Difficulty rating: moderate to

difficult Driving distance from Sacramento: about 88 miles

east The lowdown: A real booty-blaster but to a lesser degree than Pyramid, this trail similarly leads through a gorgeous pine forest peppered with glacial erratics and delicate alpine meadows past tree line. Then, the final ascent has you huffing and puffing up steeply inclined talus until you reach your granite throne! The view of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding stone wonderland is worth the hard work, and is a place we like to call CHURCH!

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Mount Judah

Mount Judah

Mount Tallac Pyramid Peak

Pacific Crest Trail: Donner Pass to Benson Hut

Mileage: 5.5 miles to Benson Hut

via PCT/Donner Pass Elevation gain: 1,800 feet to

Benson Hut Difficulty rating: moderate to

difficult Driving distance from Sacramento: about 100 miles east The lowdown: A great hike whether or not you are able to snag a reservation overnight at the Sierra Club-managed Benson Hut. But how we like to do it is to hike to the hut from Donner Pass along the world famous PCT, spend the night in the shadow of Anderson Peak in the magical backcountry dwelling, then bag Granite Chief and Tinker’s Knob on your way to the Squaw Valley Tram, where you’ll bum a ride down to the parking lot (you’ll need a car parked at both trailheads). On the way, you’ll pass through places that will make you want to have a The Sound of Music moment, twirling and singing in the flowers, no matter how hard you are.

SubmergeMag.com

Pacific Crest Trail: Mount Judah Loop and Donner Peak

Mileage: 5.5 miles Elevation gain: 1,700 feet Summit elevation: Donner Peak:

8,019 feet;

Mount Judah: 8,243 feet Difficulty rating: moderate Driving distance from Sacramento: about 91 miles east The lowdown: This is one of our favorite high country quick and dirty hikes. The Mount Judah Loop affords not only 2 miles on the famed PCT but two-for-one peak bagging with stunning views of Donner Lake and the surrounding Sierras. The first mile follows switchbacks along the PCT, then breaks left to Donner and Judah peaks. The Summer trail use paths are easy to follow but the trail often has snow in early summer and can be a true backcountry adventure. (Call Sugar Bowl to check trail conditions in the early season.)

Don’t forget your summit beer and a sweater, it can be chilly in the high country even in the summer months.

Mount Tallac

Mileage: 9.6 miles Elevation gain: 3,255 feet Difficulty rating: difficult Summit elevation: 9,735 feet Driving distance from Sacramento: about 105 miles east

The lowdown: Mount Tallac is a true beast of a mountain that towers over the Lake Tahoe basin. The hike enters Desolation Wilderness and does require a free day-use permit that “may” be found at the trailhead. Permits are often out. We recommend a visit to a local ranger station to get a good map and a stack of permits for you car, cause you will surely be back! The hike starts near Camp Richardson and follows along the ridge above Fallen Leaf Lake. You’ll pass Cathedral Lake—enjoy the view and take a break at the lake, because the real work is about to begin. Mile three has a heart pounding 1400’ of elevation gain. Once you reach the ridgeline you are hiking into a FALSE SUMMIT. Power past it, for soon the real Tallac Peak enters your view. The heart-wrenching final half-mile pays off in spades with unforgettable views of the Sierra Nevada and major trail cred.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

25

A Sip of Nostalgia

Arcade games are paired with craft beers and cocktails at the Coin-Op Game Room Words Catherine Foss • photos phill mamula

T

he new Coin-Op Game Room may have a bouncer at the top of the stairs, but this is not a typical posh downtown bar. The wooden staircase winds down into a patio, where people are sipping drinks and playing a giant version of Jenga. Inside, the space strikes a nice balance between a trendy dive bar and a friendly neighborhood pub, with neon beer signs, slices of pizza served on brightly colored Frisbee plates and beer lists printed on chalkboards decorated with pictures of Mario and Luigi. A few people are gathered around the actual bar, but everyone else is clustered around the various arcade games that line the walls—about 40 in all. Skee Ball, After Burner, Spy Hunter, PacMan, Donkey Kong, an entire row of pinball machines—this barcade is sure to stir up some feelings of nostalgia.

26

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

Originating in San Diego, Coin-Op Game Room offers adults a place to play the games they loved while they were growing up while enjoying a craft cocktail or microbrew. According to Evan Louis, one of the managing partners: “We like to explain it as a place that you can play nostalgic video games, get your Pac-Man on, or your Dig Dug or your Street Fighter on, and get a proper Old Fashioned.”

Coin-Op Game Room is a joint operation between Louis and partners Hassan Mahmood and Roy Ledo, owners of the original San Diego location. They also own Lion’s Share, a San Diego bar and restaurant that specializes in craft cocktails and exotic game meat like antelope, wild boar and kangaroo.

When they decided to expand to a third establishment, the original

plan was to open another Coin-Op Game Room in Chico. Mahmood and Ledo stopped in Sacramento on their way up to Chico. They explored the downtown area and ended up liking what they saw, especially with the prospect of the new Kings arena on the horizon and all the development that has been happening in Sacramento over the past few years.

“We think in the next five to 10 years Sacramento is really going to move,” Louis says.

So they made an executive decision and chose Sacramento over Chico, and settled on the building that used to be Marilyn’s on K. Evan feels they made the right choice in opting to set up shop in the capitol.

“Chico is a college town and nobody wants to pay $6 for a beer. The video games would definitely attract, but you’d have to have some really low

prices,” he says.

The Sacramento Coin-Op Game Room is double the size of the San Diego location, but the concept is identical.

“We definitely expanded on that location but it has the same vibe. Craft beers, craft cocktails,” Louis says.

The location ended up being pretty ideal because K Street will become the gateway to the new arena.

In San Diego, Lion’s Share is near Petco Park, the baseball stadium, which has been a big draw for getting customers. Louis hopes that the downtown area will soon be picking up.

“Midtown is a little bit more happening, but we definitely think that we can draw some of that midtown crowd to the downtown area and make downtown what it used to be, a little more fun and hip,” Louis says.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

“This is a place where you can come by yourself, or with a group of friends, or come to make friends.

You never know who you’re going to play Street Fighter next to.”

– Evan Louis, Co-Owner of CoinOp Game Room Coin-Op Game Room has the potential to draw in a more fun and lively crowd to downtown Sacramento. The bar will host regular tournaments and competitions for the more popular arcade games, such as pinball and Street Fighter.

“There’s actually a huge following of pinball. There are SubmergeMag.com

pinball associations across the United States, and we’re already on their radar,” Louis says.

They’re also looking to work with one of the liquor companies, possibly Jack Daniel’s, to do a special Big Buck Hunter competition, offering monthly or bi-monthly specials. The person who gets the highest score over a certain period would get to fly out to Tennessee for a tour of the Jack Daniel’s distillery. And keeping with a San Diego tradition, the last Sunday of every month is free play, and all the games are free. “It’s a really good day for us in San Diego and also a way to give back,” Louis says.

They’ll also have DJs on Friday and Saturday nights.

“There’s not too much room to dance but at least you can have some cool ambiance and vibes,” Louis says. They’ve partnered with local DJ Shaun Slaughter, who will be at their grand opening on May 28, and hope to have more local DJs on a regular basis.

The food at Coin-Op Game Room is perfectly suited to the casual, nostalgic feeling the arcade games impart.

You can get a slice of cheese, veggie or pepperoni pizza if you just need a quick bite while wrapped up in playing Street Fighter. If you come with a group, you can order a whole pizza pie for a greater variety of toppings, like pesto, prosciutto or the “carnivore.”

They also serve appetizers, including typical bar food like hot wings, or more unusual options like meatballs or an olive plate. Food is served until 1 a.m., and unlike many of the bars in the area, the bar stays open until 2 a.m., every night of the week. Louis says he has really enjoyed the crowds they’ve had on the weeknights since they’ve been open.

“Sunday was a good crowd. We got a lot of industry people, and that’s like what we get in San Diego,” he says. “We like to cater to the late-nighters.”

The beer menu is impressive—18 beers on tap, with a range of styles and breweries—varying in strength from session ales to a triple

IPA, coffee stout, hard cider and even a sour. Some of the breweries featured at the moment include Alpine Beer Company, Green Flash, Deschutes, Dogfish Head, Track 7 and Knee Deep Brewing.

Their cocktail menu features creative concoctions priced between $7.50 and $9.50, and the names are as intriguing as the ingredients: the “91 Unleaded,” which contains rum, Temple cold brew coffee, cinnamon and black walnut bitters; or the “Tangerine Speedo,” rye, tangerine, tarragon, lemon and ginger beer. For something a little more classic, try the “Leggy Blonde,” a refreshing blend of vodka, pressed ginger and lime, cucumber and mint.

For a group, Coin-Op Game Room also has punch bowls, which serve eight.

“It’s nice and communal Tagline and that’s something we definitely strive for here,” Louis says. But punch bowls are not meant to be enjoyed alone—in fact, the establishment won’t sell them to groups of less than three people. “We don’t want anyone getting sauced up carrying around a punch bowl by themselves,” he adds.

Despite the complicated cocktails and an overwhelming selection of draft beers, CoinOp Game Room doesn’t have an exclusive or pretentious vibe. “This is a place where you can come by yourself, or with a group of friends, or come to make friends. You never know who you’re going to play Street Fighter next to.

Next thing you know you’re having a beer at the bar together,” Louis says. “You can be in a comfortable environment and still get delicious drinks.”

Travis, the bar manager, chimes in: “We’re bringing the cocktail to the people.”

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

1050 20th Street, Sacramento, CA facebook.com/lowbrausacramento

Come out to the official launch of Coin-Op Game Room on Thursday, May 28 at 8 p.m. with DJ Shaun Slaughter, or check out their website, Coinopsac.com, for more info on upcoming tournaments.

Coin-Op Game Room is located at 908 K Street in Sacramento.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

27

The grindhouse T Friday,

May 29

h

e

a

T

r

indiana Jones and the teMple oF dooM w/ Harrison Ford

saturday,

May 30

Concerts 4 Charity Presents

Behind the Barre: a LocaLLy craFted event capitaL dance project

saturday,

May 30

PulP FicTion w/ joHn travoLta,

samueL L. jackson & many more!

sunday,

June 7 Friday,

June 12 sunday,

June 14 thursday,

June 18

June 19-28

Jaws *2 shows*

w/ roy scHeider, robert sHaw & ricHard dreyFuss

Pee-wee’s Big advenTure

The godFaTher w/ marLon brando, aL pacino,

robert duvaLL & many more!

e Doors 6:30pm Show 7:30pm $8-10w

Doors 1:30pm Show 3pm $8-10

Doors 6:30pm Show 7:30pm $8-10 ShowS 2:30 & 7:30pm $8-10 Doors 8:30pm Show 9:30pm $8-10 Doors 6:30pm Show 7:30pm $8-10

indiana Jones and Doors 6:30pm The lasT crusade Show 7:30pm w/ sean connery, aLison doody $8-10 & Harrison Ford

Sacramento French Film FeStival!

2 weekends oF FrencH FiLms, Food & Fun. aLways w/ engLisH subtitLes!

1013 K street Downtown Sacramento (916) 476-3356 • CrestsaCraMento.CoM

We have

129

cabs ready to serve you!

And they’re all just a click away!

Call or SMS text 24 hours

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

28

Max Is Back mad max: fury road Rated r Words Jacob Sprecher I wonder if Mel Gibson was upset that he didn’t get asked to cameo in the Mad Max relaunch. He may be a homophobe, a racist, an anti-semite, a misogynist, a Scientologist, an arsonist, an arborist, a member of ISIS, the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux KIan and a Lakers’ fan, but really, when you get right down to it, not a bad guy.

Fuck Mel Gibson. But god bless Mad Max. It would be so easy for George Miller’s reboot to suck. Everything that made the originals so wonderful (specifically the first two installments) is largely antithetical to box office success. Lo-fi production, sparse dialogue, unfamiliar faces and overt weirdness are the stuff of cult classics; so what formula would allow Fury Road a chance at being a 2015 blockbuster?

With a simplistic, post-apocalyptic storyline faithful to the gasoline-starved past, drifter Max (Tom Hardy) finds himself aiding Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a disillusioned pupil of grotesque wasteland warlord Immortan Joe. When Furiosa steals away Immortan’s captive breeding beauties in the hull of a tanker in hopes of escaping to her native “green place,” a frenetic road rage ensues, and basically never relents. In fact, it would be fair to say that three-quarters of this two-hour film are balls-to-the-wall chase scenes—ones that would make The French Connection proud at that. Whereas most effects-driven flicks of modern day rely upon green screen razzle dazzle, Fury Road kicks it refreshingly old school with actual wrecks, explosions and stunts; it’s closer to Commando than it is Furious 7.

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

The casting is admirable as well, with Hardy and Theron legitimate stars, and quality ones at that. Which is to say they can act. And while neither role calls for Shakespearean eloquence, selecting the likes of Vin Diesel and Megan Fox as co-leads could have doomed Fury Road from the start. Even with heavy action and decidedly minimal discourse, there’s plenty of room for non-verbal acting, which Hardy especially showcases. He discreetly manages not to ruin scenes that could otherwise have been ripe for needless macho posturing and bravado.

And perhaps most surprising is that Fury Road, watered-down as it could have been, still manages to be genuinely odd. The generic bad guys are slathered in ghoul makeup and black leather; Immortan Joe is a disgustingly clownish barbarian; and the army of demonic motorbikes, big rigs and worn-out muscle cars still manages to ring freaky and true after all these years.

To my chagrin, however, is a hefty dose of Beyond Thunderdome. There’s a reason Warner Brothers backed that film in 1985, and it’s because Miller was willing to tune down the weirdo knob in order to allow for a broader, Spielberg-ian appeal, hence Tina Turner. Fury Road, in many instances, makes the same concession.

The character threads, for example, simple as they may be, are fed frequent

and unnecessary bits of sentimentality in the film’s second half and are only embellished by an overly dramatic score that could at times have been lost altogether. To this same point is the undeveloped and meaningless inclusion of the downtrodden community under the thumb of Immortan Joe, who desperately beg for the dam-like release of water from The Citadel. None of the above serve Fury Road any benefit whatsoever other than the prospect of mass appeal (which I suppose is inescapable), and in the end rob the film of its chance to be great, as opposed to merely good.

But that’s neither here nor there when you consider, as mentioned prior, how bad this movie could have been. The overwhelming majority of reboots and re-creations are abjectly horrible, as the newest Poltergeist will serve as reminder in a week’s time, in case you’d forgotten (which I’m sure you hadn’t). For Mad Max: Fury Road to come out right side up 30 years after the nearest release, and with a septuagenarian director no less, is a miracle greater than that time the Pope won a round of three-card monte.

Whether or not the subsequent sequels will be worth a damn is anyone’s guess.

But for now, at the absolute minimum, we have an entertaining freakshow worthy of your $9.50.

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fri May 29

21+ / 9Pm / free

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21+ / 9Pm / $5

coMing soon: june 26 courTney lynn july 3 colleen Heauser july 10 cHad BusHnell july 17 MicHael Beck Band july 18 sTepHan Hogan july 24 ryan & cece july 25 gunnar & THe griZZly Boys

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Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

29

the california honeydrops the Brothers comatose

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 0 0 p m

merrygold

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 0 0 p m

electric six

saturday

may 30 friday

june 5 thursday

White reaper

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 3 0 p m

mason Jennings

june 11 saturday

phoeBe Bridgers

Harlow ’s • 2708 J stree t • sacr amento • all ages • 6:00pm

melt Banana (from Japan)

june 13

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 10 : 0 0 p m

tuesday

orgone / the nth poWer

wednesday

featuring nickie glaspie (dumpstapHunk) & nigel Hall (lettuce)

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

VetiVer

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

Jen kirkman

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

Jonathan richman [feat. tommy larkins on tHe drums]

fairground saints the ting tings kaneholler

shoVels and rope

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

Big Business

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

&

over

july 10 monday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m 21

july 2 friday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 0 0 p m

•

july 2 thursday

PiNs of ligHt • Black mackerel

a r c ata

june 30 thursday

Black lillies

•

june 25 tuesday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

st

june 25 thursday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 3 0 p m

10 t H

june 23 thursday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 6 : 3 0 p m

856

june 21 tuesday

[comedian from cHelsea lately / drunk History]

•

june 17 sunday

keVin lee florence • range of light Wilderness

july 13 monday

•

8:00pm

july 20 saturday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 10 : 0 0 p m

aug 1 sunday

WroNg • House of ligHtNiNg

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 0 0 p m

the mother hips milo greene the skins & friends mudhoney

aug 2 thursday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

aug 6 saturday

H a r low ’ s • 2708 J str ee t • sacr a mento • a ll ag es • 6:30pm

aug 22 saturday

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 9 : 0 0 p m

aug 29 thursday

tHe trouBle makers • sla (soNic love affair)

H a r l o w ’ s • 2 7 0 8 J s t r e e t • s a c r a m e n t o • 21 & o v e r • 8 : 0 0 p m

oct 15

all tickets aVailaBle at: aBstractpresents.com & ticketfly.com

tickets for harloW’s shoWs also aVailaBle at harloWs.com

30

tickets for the BoardWalk shoWs also aVailaBle at

theBoardWalkpresents.com

tickets for ace of spades also aVailaBle at aceofspadessac.com & 916.443.9202

Issue 188 • May 25 – June 8, 2015

James Barone jb@submergemag.com

june 13

odd future tour mike g / left Brain, Bizarre, speak!, june 16 pyramid Vritra hosted By mind gone larry H a r low ’ s • 2708 J str ee t • sacr a mento • a ll ag e • 6:30pm

Humbrews

Nice Bod, Bro

saturday

Hot Nerds • xtomHaNx

Built to spill the helio sequence Built to spill sister crayon torche

the shallow end

When I was a teenager, there were commercials going around for Bod, a body spray that was sort of a precursor to Axe. Whereas the ads for Axe were sort of tongue-in-cheek, the marketing behind Bod was a lot more direct.

The commercials objectified men in the same way most ads objectify women. Chiseled dudes flounced around topless, playing basketball or some such dudely activity. Their pecs and abs were glistening with sweat, but not in the gross way you or I sweat; it was that sexy, dewy kind of sweat that happens in romance novels. It probably smells of fresh-cut lumber or new leather or something.

I’m not sure if it worked or not. Is Bod even still around? I know I can walk into any Walgreens and pick up any number of Axe products, but I don’t recall seeing an array of offerings from Bod. I remember one time, I was in a packed movie theater to see the premier of something that was probably effects-driven and stupid, and a Bod commercial came on before the trailer.

Six-packs gyrated all over that giant screen, but instead of coos or catcalls from the audience, just about everyone (men and women alike) couldn’t stop laughing as a sultry female voiceover purred things like, “Nice bod,” or “I want your bod.”

Maybe it was the voice-over, or maybe seeing topless dudes prance around in slow motion is just silly. Or, maybe, Bod was using the wrong type of guy. Maybe, they should have employed doughy men like me.

I never knew how to describe my body type, really. Like, I’m not thin or in shape. I’m not morbidly obese. I’m just this sort of amorphous blob with a giant balding head. I’m pretty much the most nondescript-looking man in America.

So much so that people will often tell me, “Hey! I thought I saw you the other day, but it turned out to be someone who looked just like you.”

That’s pretty much because I look like every other guy my age in the country.

So now I can say I have a dad bod, because I used to be in better shape but then resigned myself to the fact that I like pizza way more than the treadmill. I mean, seriously, if you don’t feel the same way, I’m not sure we can be friends. And that’s cool, because a young woman from Clemson University said it is.

I won’t have to worry about losing weight for my wedding pictures, because right now, I’m pretty much at the pinnacle of male attractiveness. I shower enough not to be putrid. I throw a few servings of broccoli into my diet per week just to provide my body with enough real nutrients so it won’t shut down entirely and I’ll be able to poop once in a while.

This is relief, really. This is especially good news now that summer is upon us. I really like going to beaches, and in the past I’ve been shy about taking off my shirt. Even at my trimmest weight, you could never wash clothes on these abs. You could, however, use these abs to soak up spills, because they’re kind of spongy. That’s way more useful anyway. Washboards are so two centuries ago. We have Laundromats now, bro.

But this summer, I’m going to kiss that shy guy goodbye, and treat my fellow beachgoers to the gloriously pasty expanse of my globular abdomen and the droopy, fur-covered forest of my chest.

The best part about this is I’m not even a dad. I get all the benefits of having a dad bod without having to pay and care for a young child. I can still stay up all night, like dads and moms sometimes have to, but instead of changing diapers or singing lullabies, I can just be a lazy fuck and binge watch things on Netflix or HBOGo. Last night I started re-watching season five of The Wire, you know, just for kicks. I also ate a bowl of cereal. How awesome is that?

All these years I harbored jealousy toward those dudes in the Bod commercials. They looked like they were carved out of marble, after all, while I was hewn from Silly Putty. But I bet they looked at guys like me with the same amount of envy as we crammed extra-large slices of pepperoni into our faces and played sports… on Sega Genesis, of course.

I’ve seen, though, that there has been a backlash against this “dad bod” thing online.

People are saying it’s sexist because it lets guys off the hook, meanwhile women are often held to an unrealistic body image. …

Yeah, I mean, I got nothing on that. It’s totally true.

So … Uh … Anyone want to grab a pizza? It’s on me this time.

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