Submerge Magazine: Issue 236 (March 27 - April 10, 2017)

Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas march 27 – april 10, 2017

#236 Alle Farben Empty House

Sunday School Alt-Rock Education

Thieves These Days

GRANT LYON

COMEDIAN FOR LIFE

Out of the Shadows

Anza-Borrego Desert Weekend

9

news updates to Keep You In the Know

the Evolution of

José James

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

3

wednesday

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friday

may 26

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

monday

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Tuesday

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high Tolerance preSenTS Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

SubmergeMag.com

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

5

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236 2017 Submerge: an independently owned entertainment/lifestyle publication available for free biweekly throughout the greater Sacramento area.

Content That is Out of This World

March 27 – april 10

Melissa welliver melissa@submergemag.com cofounder/ Editor in Chief/ Art Director

Melissa Welliver melissa@ submergemag.com

1018 22nd St. Sacto•916.758.5958•chiefpiercing.net

cofounder/ Advertising Director

Jonathan Carabba jonathan@ submergemag.com

18 18

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senior editor

James Barone Assistant Editor

Daniel Taylor

Contributing Writers

Ellen Baker, Robin Bacior, Robert A. Berry II, Bocephus Chigger, Ronnie Cline, Justin Cox, Alia Cruz, Josh Fernandez, Andy Garcia, Lovelle Harris, Mollie Hawkins, Niki Kangas, Nur Kausar, John Phillips, Ryan Prado, Claudia Rivas, Andrew C. Russell, Estefany Salas, Andrew Scoggins, Amy Serna, Jacob Sprecher, Richard St.Ofle, Haley Teichert Contributing photographers

22

Wesley Davis, Evan E. Duran, Kevin Fiscus, Dillon Flowers, Jon Hermison, Jason Sinn

Submerge

1009 22nd Street, Suite 3 Sacramento, California 95816

916.441.3803 info@ submergemag.com

Indie Americana Pop Fox & Goose Thursday, March 30 | (1001 R Street, Sac) |

free / 7 p.m 21+

Yolo Brewing Company | free / 6 p.m / Friday, April 21 | (1520 all ages Terminal Street, West Sac) Day 2017 | free / 1:35 p.m./ Saturday, April 22 | Picnic all ages (ARC Stage, UC Davis)

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The Stream

22

José James

Optimistic 11 The Pessimist

24

calendar

12

Outside the 9-to-5

29

14

thieves these days

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Anza-Borrego

30

neil degrasse tyson

live << rewind

Alle Farben 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.

Submergemag.com Follow us on Twitter & Instagram! @SubmergeMag printed on recycled paper

Front Cover photo of neil degrasse tyson originally by Chris Cassidy back Cover photo of grant lyon

by Lisa Keating

One of my favorite things about making Submerge is how we run interviews with people who are nationally/internationally known right next to interviews with locals who are doing cool things.

I mean, for this issue, we landed an interview with the most interesting man on this freakin’ planet or, one could say, our entire universe, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson! I love him. First off, he’s smart as hell and secondly, with his charismatic personality, well, I feel like we could be best friends, or at the very least he has hypnotized me (and millions of others) into wanting to learn more about science. An incredible feat in this day and age, in a world that seems like it’s dumbing itself down with shows like The Bachelor and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Please read our interview with this astrophysicist, author and TV host starting on page 18.

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s lecture in Sacramento will sell out soon, hence the reason why we ran this interview so early. We love keeping our Submerge readers in the loop on the best stuff happening in town, all while making sure you still have the chance to buy tickets to see him on May 9 at the Community Center Theatre.

In my eyes nothing is more disappointing than running a feature and/or learning about something too late, without a chance to experience it. Do yourself another favor and check out local band Thieves These Days while you have the chance.

After setting up our feature story to learn more about their new album, Silhouettes, I found out that their release show on April 8 at Old Ironsides will likely be their last show, due to one member relocating to Los Angeles. I’ve personally seen them at Shine and really enjoyed their sound. There’s something refreshing when you discover new bands that are incredibly talented by just going to a coffee shop or a bar on a random Saturday night.

Our other main features consist of New York City-based vocalist José James, who combines jazz, soul, drum ‘n’ bass and spoken word into his own unique brand of vocal jazz. James will be bringing his Love in a Time of Madness tour to Sacramento’s Guild Theater on March 30. We also have a feature on comedian Grant Lyon, who just so happened to have attended and graduated from high school back in the day in Sacramento. Lyon will be performing on April 2 at Punch Line.

It’s pretty “out of this world” to consistently feature such rad stuff going down in our town. Now, dive into the issue.

–Melissa

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

7

Your Senses Words submerge staff

Photo by Stephanie Schaber

HEAR

Photo by Steven Hayashida

Local Rock Band Sunday School Releasing Their Excellent New EP at Starlite Lounge • April 14

TASTE

Allergies Got You Down? Try The Allspicery’s “Sactown Allergy Tea” For Some Relief Even with the little spell of rain we had last week, it is still full-on allergy season in the Northern California area right now. Near our office in Midtown, piles of pollen and dust are gathering on the sides of the streets and on the sidewalks. Literally piles! So if you’re anything like us and have stuffy noses, itchy eyes and endless streams of nastiness coming out of your face holes, you might want to drag yourself into downtown Sacramento’s The Allspicery to pick up some of their “Sactown Allergy Tea.” It’s loaded with all sorts of interesting stuff like stinging nettle leaf (which has been shown to be effective in treating hay fever and allergic reactions), licorice root (which also serves as a soothing expectorant), ginger (which contains nature’s antihistamine, gingerol) and more. Could this be the magical potion that helps us all get through allergy season without murdering each other and/ or ripping our noses off? At only $3 per ounce, we’d say it’s worth a shot, and it seems to have worked for a number of people that took to social media to confess their love of the Allergy Tea. On The Allspicery’s Instagram page, Nicole Pineda (@sfgamerbabe12) commented, “I love my tea! I swear it helped me sleep better last night, and I woke up feeling great!” On the spice shop’s Facebook page, Cearra Cannon proclaimed, “I can personally attest that this tastes amazing and is very calming! Definitely helping out my sore throat!” So there you have it, this stuff is legit. The Allspicery is located at 1125 11th St. Learn more about them online at Allspicery. com or give them a ring at (916) 389-7828.

Fans of alt-rock a la The Pixies, Weezer and Brand New might want to listen up, because we’re pretty sure that Sunday School is bound to be your new favorite local band. This fuzzed-out, rockin’ Sacramento-based four piece has been gigging around town pretty consistently for a year or so and have honed their sound along the way. Let us be very clear here: these dudes have their shit together and their soon-to-be-released EP that they graciously let Submerge have a sneak peek of is proof of this. “The singer, Will Heimbichner, and I have been friends since high school and have worked on various music projects over the years,” Alex Giddings recently told us. “Will had met our bassist Zach Green while studying music and also used to work with our drummer Cameron English at a call center. We all basically took a lot of the lessons we have learned from past music ventures and combined into this band that has the best of everything we’ve come to love about music: guitar hooks, catchy melodies and harmonies, and tight and rhythmic dynamic changes.” Sunday School’s EP release show is scheduled for Friday, April 14 at Starlite Lounge, located at 1517 21st St. in Sacramento. The cover is $7, start time is 9 p.m., 21-and-over. Also on the bill is Jordan Moore and Cities You Wish You Were From. The show will be hosted by local comedian Edgar Granados. Lotta bang for your buck right there! Learn more about your headliners at Facebook.com/sundayschoolcanbefun.

Judy LewLoose, Riding Shadows

Philip Roina, The Giants

Bonnie Williams, Jellies

SEE

Mixed Media Art Exhibit Features the Work of SMUD Employees and Their Families • Through May 10 Just because you’ve got a day job, doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. For evidence of this, look no further than the local art exhibit, So Watt! An illuminating look at the artwork of SMUD employees and their families. This mixed-media exhibit is on view now through May 10 at The SMUD Art Gallery, located inside their customer service center at 6301 S St. in Sacramento. It features the work of well over a dozen employees of SMUD (short for Sacramento Municipal Utility District), their families and retirees. Everything from photography to watercolors, to printmaking, to oil and acrylic paintings and more will be on display from artists like Bonnie Williams, Philip Roina, Ron Kendall, Judy LewLoose, Jennifer D. Jackson, Will Davies and many others. Stop in and check out some great artwork for free, Monday– Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire you to create, too!

TOUCH

Help Get the River Back in Tip-Top Shape By Lending A Hand at the American River Parkway Foundation’s Spring Cleanup • April 8 We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the American River Parkway is one of the true treasures of the Sacramento area.

If you’re not regularly getting out on the many trails and pathways to ride your bike, walk the dog, hike, explore, fish and swim, then you’re seriously missing out. If you’d like to lend a hand to help keep the parkway in top form, consider joining 500-plus other volunteers on Saturday, April 8, to take part in the American River Parkway Foundation’s annual Spring Cleanup. Choose from seven sites along the parkway: Discovery Park, Northgate Blvd., Howe Ave., Watt Ave., Ancil Hoffman Park, El Manto Dr., and Sunrise Rec Area. All ages are welcome. Come help protect the river’s ecosystem and water quality!

Learn more and sign-up at Arpf.org; click on the “Programs” tab and then hit “Clean-ups.”

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

9

The stream

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Through the Grapevine: Short News Updates From Sacramento’s Arts and Entertainment Scenes

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Send regional news tips to info@submergemag.com

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

There’s a lot going on in Sacramento these days. Even if you’re well connected, it’s tough to keep up with everything. So, here’s our little stab at keeping you in the loop with some short updates about recent newsworthy stuff going down in the arts and entertainment scenes. Got something you want to share with us?

Shoot us an email to info@ submergemag.com or find us on social media and message us. Or you can always go the old school route and call our office line at (916) 441-3803.

Momo Sacramento, the nightclub located directly above Harlow’s that is mostly known for dance parties and the occasional comedy show, recently underwent some renovations so that it is better suited to host more live music. Just last Saturday (March 25) James Cavern played a private party at Momo to test the new setup, so we expect to see a lot more live music booked in the space in the coming months. Keep up to date at Momosacramento. com or Facebook.com/ momosacramento.

The Concerts in the Park 2017 lineup is done, and it’s pretty damn good. We’ve seen it, but we’ve been sworn to secrecy until Thursday, March 30, when it will be officially announced at a lineup reveal party at Cesar Chavez Plaza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We’ll post the lineup on our website (Submergemag.com) and on our social media pages (@submergemag) that morning as well, in case you can’t make the event.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (or SMAC, for short) recently awarded the popular local arts/culture/ activism organization Sol Collective a $95K matching grant to go toward their efforts to purchase the building they currently occupy, which went up for sale late last year. The money comes from SMAC’s Arts and Cultural Facilities Grant Program.

SactoMoFo, organizers of delicious local food truck events, will be throwing their final large-scale party “SactoMoFo 10” on Saturday, April 29 at Sacramento Railyards. The block partystyle event will feature more than 35 food trucks, craft beer, live music, a kids zone and more. It’s free and open to all ages. After this event, SactoMoFo will focus on strengthening and expanding the breadth of their ongoing dinner events, #FoodTruckMania, and will discontinue their series of large annual events. Learn more at Sactomofo.com.

The popular Midtown eatery Hot Italian is presenting a three-month music series called Brunch Beats, happening every Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., starting April 2. Shaun Slaughter is curating the lineup of local DJs that will spin at Brunch Beats, which includes Eli Freshmode on the opening day, Adam Jay (April 9), Harley White Jr. (April 16), Busy Gillespie & Babesicle (April 23) and Roger Carpio (April 30). The Brunch Beats series will run all the way through the end of June. Hot Italian is located at 1627 16th St.

East Sacramento’s long-running Pops in the Park concert series recently announced their 2017 dates and lineup.

Joy & Madness will play June 3 at East Portal Park, John Skinner Band will play June 10 at Bertha Henschel Park, Mumbo Gumbo will play June 17 at McKinley Park and Unsupervised will play the finale on June 24 at Glenn Hall Park. All shows are free, all-ages and kick off at 6 p.m.

Visit Eastsacpopsinthepark.com for more.

The extremely popular R Street Block Party event will be returning this year on Saturday, June 24, so be sure to mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss this free event full of live music, live art, a maker’s mart with dozens of local artisans, a kids zone, food, drinks and more. The event takes over two blocks of the bustling R Street corridor (from 10 th Street to 12th Street) and drew thousands last year. Keep up at Rstreetblockparty.org.

Work continues on B Street Theatre’s new location at Capitol Avenue and 27th Street.

The $24 million project is expected to wrap up early next year, with a projected opening date of Feb. 1, 2018.

The new state-of-the-art facility will house two theatre spaces with a large public lobby, classrooms, courtyard and restaurant. Keep up with changes and developments at B Street’s behind-the-scenes blog, Bstreetbengaged.wordpress. com, or on their official site, Bstreettheatre.org.

Rise Entertainment is throwing an epic five-year anniversary party on May 26 and 27 that will span Colonial Theater, Cafe Colonial and The Colony.

Colonial Fest III: Gamer Edition will feature over 25 live bands, free play arcades, gaming tournaments, guest speakers, vendors, food, drinks and more.

Learn more at Facebook.com/ thecolonysactown.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The Optimistic Pessimist I’ve always loved learning how things are made.

As a child, I used to take apart things around the house and put them back together all the time. I guess I was just curious about how things worked.

That didn’t stop when I began paying more attention to music. My tastes were varied, and I loved the songs I was hearing, but I couldn’t figure out why they all sounded so different. Most of them were made with the same or similar instruments and yet no two were alike.

It was all such a big mystery until I realized that it had to do with the recording process itself.

I had known it wasn’t as simple as just throwing a microphone in a room with a band. I had seen that done myself in my teens and the result was pure, unadulterated shit. The recording would pop every time the drums hit hard when it wasn’t being washed out altogether by the guitars. The recordings of the songs I loved seemed balanced and effortless, but I was starting to realize that it took a lot of work to get them there.

The secret ingredient turned out to be the recording studio. The studio is a magical place built of math and strategically placed foams. The nitty gritty details of constructing a professional studio are quite technical and involve the physics of sound waves and the absorptive properties of

SubmergeMag.com

various materials. I’m pretty sure you didn’t come here to read about that, so let’s just say professional studios are designed to provide the perfect environment for recording audio. Studios are a place to experiment with audio, which is why some people (including me) lovingly refer to their favorite studio as the lab.

Recording studios house racks of gear filled with knobs, switches, faders, meters and blinking lights that do things mere mortals cannot comprehend. These machines have fancy names like compressor/limiter, de-esser, equalizer, bit crusher and preamp. Studios have lockers filled with different microphones to cover every situation, some of which cost thousands of dollars. There are guitars, basses, keyboards, drums and various other instruments, machines and amplifiers for musicians to use. In the lab, wires run between each machine, in every direction, seemingly everywhere, as if someone took a dark pen and drew a nest of lines all over the floor.

A professional studio is truly a beautiful sight to behold, but they are getting harder to find.

Unfortunately, the days of major label contracts with million-dollar recording budgets are over and many of the recording studios have disappeared with them. We have computers to thank for that.

The Lab Bocephus Chigger bocephus@submergemag.com The advent of the MP3 with its small and easily downloadable file size quickly upended the recording industry in the late ‘90s and sapped much of the money that the major labels had gotten used to bilking from kids like me through overpriced CDs. Labels started being more choosy and tight with the money. Recording in a studio was expensive; there was rental time, the reels and reels of audio tape which needed to be handled delicately and stored in a controlled environment so as not to spoil the recordings, and the salaries of producers, engineers and any other people needed to work the controls. The crash in CD sales meant that the record companies were no longer willing to pony up the cash to cover such costs, let alone promote the experimentation that recording in a studio was all about.

That could have been the death of music as we know it if it had not been for the very thing that brought the industry to its knees in the first place: the computer. As computer processing speed and power improved in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, it became possible to move the studio into the home.

The world has hardly looked back since.

These days, many of the hit songs you hear on the radio were recorded in someone’s bedroom.

Much of the expensive and bulky equipment of

the professional studio have been boiled down to computer simulations called plug-ins that work with recording software that turns your computer into a digital audio workstation, or DAW, with unlimited recording capabilities. Some of these plug-ins sound better than others, but as with everything else computer related, the quality is improving rapidly and the gap is closing quickly.

That is not to say that making a quality recording is easy now. Real or simulated, using these machines is tricky. Throw in learning how to play an instrument too and you begin to see why home studios are not for everyone. Like anything worthwhile, there is a lot to learn if you want to do it right.

I’ve been teaching myself and learning about recording for almost 20 years, and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. There are hundreds of little tricks and tweaks to make your recordings sound polished like the ones we are all used to hearing, while still maintaining a level of uniqueness that sets you apart from everyone else. It is a process that I find amazing and something that will forever pique my curiosity. I just hope I don’t drive everyone around me crazy with all the racket that I make while experimenting in the lab. I swear it’s for science!

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

11

Outside the 9-to-5

Weekender: Anza-Borrego words & photos Ellen Baker

Meandering dirt roads

Camping spots strewn throughout the park Let’s keep this one a secret. It’s the best-kept secret that I have discovered recently and I am writing about it in a printed AND online publication—what’s wrong with me? Apparently I really have faith that you Submerge followers are some down-to-earth, cool fucking people.

Let’s prove me right and not turn this place into a shit show like many of my favorite outdoor destinations have become. University Falls, I’m talking about you.

The weekend was fast-approaching and per usual, my bones ached for some sort of adventure. The forecast predicted rain in every inch of California. I spent endless minutes on my iPhone weather app typing in arbitrary California towns in search of clear skies for the weekend. Reaching a point of acceptance that it would be a wet weekend, a friend mentioned the desert in Southern California: Anza-Borrego.

Clear skies. Done.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park lies two hours northeast of San Diego; a long drive for us Sacramentans but a well-worth-it trip, even

12

if only for a mere three-day weekend.

5 p.m. on Friday rolled around, and I threw my already packed bags (this, a rarity; a proud moment indeed) into the car. We didn’t make it all the way to the state park on Friday night but the five hour drive to Kern County was not all that bad. My faithful driver, who didn’t nap the entire way, might think otherwise. The following day consisted of a dip in the nearby hot spring, chats with the locals who built the hot spring 30 years ago and a few hour drive to the outskirts of the park. There also may have been a stop at an Irish bar off the highway (not so sure about the Irish part, but they were playing Irish music and called it Irish night).

I woke up Sunday morning to the sun beams peeking out from behind the clouds, illuminating the surrounding hills, blue skies beyond. Down the hill we ventured into the park. Prior to this trip I was quite excited because it was the weekend of free entry into all state parks. Turns out Anza-Borrego is always free. With hundreds of miles of

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Logan the Dog romping through the desert

A view from above the park at night dirt roads to adventure on, these roads are also open for camping. There are a few rules regarding where exactly you can camp, but free camping almost anywhere? Seriously? I’m sold.

Walking into the visitor center, which is located almost underground, every employee I spoke with was well-versed in the ins-and-outs of the park and even shared a few secrets of where to go to escape the crowds.

There are slot canyons (think 127 Hours), badlands and breathtaking wildflower blooms if you go during the right season, i.e., right now! I have never witnessed the wildflowers but I have heard incredible reviews and seen photos that look unreal. I may even make another trip down there just to see the flowers, like, this weekend. The endless miles of dirt roads are perfect for ATVs, bikes, hiking and just exploring on foot. If you’re not into any of these things, I’m pretty sure there is also a golf course somewhere nearby.

As far as national and state parks go, I approach them expecting crowds. Arriving at

Anza-Borrego surprised me when the busiest place in the entire park was the visitor center bathroom. Whether your visit is extended or simply a long weekend, the park is spaced out on such a huge mass of land you could explore for weeks or just spend a full day in a slot canyon, bird watching or hiking through the badlands. The sunsets are absolutely mind blowing, and flashbacks from Jurassic Park may roll through your mind as you drive through valleys on the windy dirt roads. If you follow these dirt roads you can find petroglyphs and pictographs. I didn’t stay long enough to learn the difference between the two—let me know if you find out. Giant boulders are scattered about the desert and talus-filled cliffs loom over the roads. If you’re a cactus professional, you’ll like this place; I felt like I was on a different planet for the majority of my exploring. The flora is green from all the rain we have been having, the wildflowers are blooming, the skies are blue, the sunsets red, the people are few and the land is vast. Keep this one quiet and adventure on.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

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Thick as Thieves

Thieves These Days Bring Their Musical Friendship to Bear on Debut Album Words Ronnie Cline • photo dillon flowers

Y

ou get the impression that the guys in Thieves These Days originally got together for some big heist job that fell through. This isn’t really because the band feels like a consolation prize, or that the project gives off the aroma of failure, but simply put: they seem like a ragtag group of characters from very different walks of life who somehow found themselves in a room, putting their head together for something big.

And since a couple of them work for the state of California, one can only assume they didn’t succeed in any sort of big payday.

All jokes aside, Thieves These Days are about to drop their debut album, Silhouettes, after two years of

14

hard work and dedication. Consisting of Jacob (aka Cody) Burnett on vocals, guitar and keys, John Blomster on vocals and guitar, bass player Jonathan Bernstein and Keith Krautter on drums, Thieves These Days have spent the first two years of their existence perfecting, tooling and retooling their sound, and they are ready to release their finished product to whoever is willing to listen.

“We were playing together for a year,” said Blomster during a phone interview with Submerge, “and it wasn’t even a couple of months in before songs began to take shape, or the songs you see reflected in the album started to take shape. We just got together and it was just fun. We

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

would bring beer over, spend a whole afternoon or evening just playing, jamming, tweaking stuff; standing outside listening to music and talking.

[It was] really laid back.”

This in particular stood out to Blomster immediately as different than his experiences in previous projects. “In other bands that I have been in, we would come in, we would run the set, or if we were writing a song, we would run the song, then we would run it again, then we would run it again, and run it again, and run it again,” said Blomster. “With us, it was this really easygoing process, where there was no stress, no real pressure to deliver. It was going to come because that’s what happens. Over

time these songs have taken shape, and I can’t tell you how many times we’ve rewritten most of these songs from the album. Our practices, that’s where we bond, not just as musicians, but as friends and as individuals.”

Krautter, who at 55 is the oldest member of the band by far, has his theories on why the band gelled so well right out of the gate. “There’s no ego in the band at all,” said Krautter, “and that’s one of the reasons I think we just enjoyed jamming and writing together, and playing was sort of an afterthought, occasionally. But we definitely wanted to capture our stuff on a nice recording, you know, have something to show for our work.”

“For us, it’s a release,” continued Krautter. “We all have tough day jobs, and getting together and playing is just a release.”

As previously mentioned, two of the members are state workers— Krautter, who works in IT, and Bernstein, who works in human resources. Blomster works in the field of tourism marketing, and Burnett ... well, Burnett is their barber, who fate would have it was the catalyst that brought the four of them together.

“I moved here from Ohio a couple of years ago,” said Krautter, “and I was in bands my whole life over there, and through a friend of a friend I met Jonathan, and we started jamming with some people.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Then I was telling my barber about it, and Cody’s my barber, and he’s like, ‘Hey, you know what? I play.’

And I’m like ‘Really?’ So he came over and we just clicked. The three of us just really clicked. We started writing immediately.”

Blomster’s experience was nearly identical. “I had just moved back from San Francisco,” he said.

“I’m from Sacramento and I had been living and just moved back, and I was talking to my barber at the time about some work I had done on my guitar, and he had mentioned he was playing with a couple of guys. I came and basically auditioned, and I joined about two years ago. And once I joined, we started really writing in earnest.”

After two years of building and reshaping material, the band was ready to hit the studio. Following some experimentation with selfrecording and an unsuccessful studio experience, the guys finally were able to find the right setting to sit down and lay down some tape, resulting in their impending debut.

“We recorded this album at Earth Tone Recording Company, with Patrick Hills, who is just an absolute legend when it comes to local bands,” said Blomster. “We had gone through experiences with recording, whether on our own or with other places, but once we found Patrick, and Earth Tone, it just clicked like crazy. It was the most natural experience. It’s this great space, we were recording in the room next to Rituals of Mine, who was practicing. The whole experience was so easygoing that we recorded the first half of the album over the course of one weekend, then we came back a couple of weeks later to do the rest of it.”

The final product feels like a labor of love. “Wanderlust,” the second track, is mellow, dance-y and hook-laden. “Eyes Wide at Midnight” causes nostalgia for indie acts like Saves the Day or The Get Up Kids.

Album-opening track “Imposter” is more reminiscent of the early-‘90s Sub Pop days. All in all, with so many influences and sounds, Silhouettes feels complete, not scattered.

Blomster explains the meaning behind the title. “It was a callback SubmergeMag.com

to a lyric that really stands out in that particular song,” he said. “All of our songs are very personal, and it’s been over the course of these two years that we have shaped not only our sound but also grown together as individuals, as musicians. This idea that you leave a certain shape of yourself behind as you grow and become a more complete and wiser person, you leave these silhouettes behind that are always there with you, but ultimately are not the person you are anymore. That’s also kind of what the name of the band means: we are all borrowing from different experiences in our lives constantly, and that kind of tapestry of ideas, of philosophies, of people, of friendships, they really shape who you are, and they also shape the music you make.”

While the four members are not a random assortment of criminals, seething over a criminal wealth sadly unachieved, what they are are ingredients to a unique recipe.

While you might not expect certain elements to pair so well, they do.

And they compliment each other quite well.

“We come from different places, the four of us,” said Blomster, “and together we make up something that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

At Pool Swimmer Records, we make great indie rock and pop records with our own laid back California vibe. The GRAMMY considered artists on our label cross the sonic landscape from the progressive and melodic rock virtuosity of The Usual Haunts - to the alt-psych and organic sound of NATVE - to the neo-soul, rock and R&B infused albums by Noirre.

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[Editor's note: Though Thieves These Days is a four-piece band, you may have noticed only three musicians featured in the photos accompanying this article.

Jacob Burnett has recently relocated to Los Angeles, according to an email we received from Keith Krautter. Burnett will return for the band's upcoming CD release show at Old Ironsides; however, this may be the band's last performance for a while.

"We plan to keep writing together, but will only be playing major events in the near future," Krautter wrote. "That's why we're calling the [Old Ironsides] show a CD release/farewell? party ... We hope to keep it going, but we just won't be playing out that much."]

wed. march 29

8pm

Cross sTiTChEd EyEs alarMs + MorE fri. march 31

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ChErnoBog BiPolar | solanuM suBurBan Parnioa wurM flEsh tues. april 4

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Thieves These Days celebrate the release of Silhouettes and play what they describe on Facebook as their “last show for the foreseeable future” April 8 at Old Ironsides, located at 1901 10th St. in Sacramento. The 21-and-up show starts at 8 p.m. and also features Vinnie Guidera and the Dead Birds, Streetlight Fire and Odame Sucks, with admission costing $10 at the door. Find out more at Facebook. com/Thievesthesedays.

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

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t l GueS Specia and With ac

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F R i dAy

March 31

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

April 5

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April 19

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

With Special GueSt

dylan Schneider

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

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A Beautiful Mind Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Celebrity Status Should Give You a Bit of Hope Words James Barone • photo Dan Deitch for PBS/NOVA "Origins"

I

n a media landscape that’s riddled with “alternative facts” and reality stars who are famous simply because we revel in how dumb/mean/ awful they can be, Neil deGrasse Tyson is a breath of fresh air.

For the past two decades, he has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, but his numerous television appearances, including guest spots on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show and many others have aided the charismatic astrophysicist’s elevation to household-name status. But as you’d imagine, stardom was the furthest thing from Tyson’s mind when he entered into science.

“The fame factor, I’m still in a little bit of disbelief of it,” he says in a phone interview with Submerge from his office at the Hayden Planetarium. “I want to turn around and face people and say, ‘You realize I’m an astrophysicist. Should I remind you of this? So you can still pull out, you can unfollow, you can redirect your energies.’”

However, there are positives Tyson takes from his fame, and maybe you can, too, especially if you’re of the mind that our country has been mired in a severe brain drain in recent years.

“I think the takeaway here is there’s an underserved appetite that the public has for the universe or for learning or for science, and that’s what I’m delivering to them,” he says. “I don’t twist their arm. I’m not trying to get them to create a cult. I’m just offering knowledge, wisdom, insight into the operations of nature, and people like it.

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

That’s very powerful information, I should think.

Some networks have figured this out. CBS has the No. 1 show on television, and it’s called The Big Bang Theory. Though they may be caricatures, they are Ph.D.educated people, and you’re eavesdropping on their social and personal lives, and who would have thought you can make money on that?”

Part of Tyson’s appeal is that he’s able to communicate his knowledge without condescending. This trait will be on display in his upcoming book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, which is due out in early May 2017. Notably, the title is not Astrophysics for Dummies, as he’s quick to point out, because he knows you’re smarter than that.

“I’m very proud of the book, because it took a lot of my educational insights that I’ve gleaned over my lifetime to figure out what to put in there and how to present it so I could maintain your interest, not insult your intelligence,” he says. “The first sentence is a statement of the conditions of the early universe. It’s flat-out, ‘Oh my gosh, this is otherworldly.

What is this place?’ Well, it’s our universe.”

Tyson will visit Sacramento on May 9, when he’ll give a sure-to-be sold out talk at the Community Center Theater. There he’ll no-doubt blow your mind with stuff about black holes and other secrets of the cosmos. In this interview, however, we delve into deeper mysteries such as Tyson’s playlist, Stonehenge and why would anyone preorder anything.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

The publication I write for is primarily focused on music. Do you listen to music while you’re working in the office?

I love music, but who doesn’t, right? I have the ability to—or at least I’ve convinced myself that I have the ability—to be no less productive even in deep-focused work with music blasting behind me. Some people need silence when they focus, but I can thrive in the presence of music—particularly music that I like. Back in the disco era, because that’s how old I am, I would play disco while working on certain projects, because the incessant beat would force [laughs] … the beat would never end, right? So if I linked my own body rhythms going to the beat, it kept me going, kept me awake, kept me moving forward on intractable projects. If I were to pick a genre that I would live with above all others, it would be the blues.

That’s my favorite genre. I would say that a third of what I listen to is the blues, and the other two-thirds is a mixture of everything else, from classical to pop, but time-tested pop … I’m very popularist when it comes to pop music [laughs]. I like the songs that have survived scrutiny … They are the ones that the oldies station would play. You forget when you listen to an oldies station, you say, “Oh boy, we really made good music back then,” but I say, “No, they’re not playing all the crap.” They’re filtering all the good stuff from the bad stuff, and you think somehow that era had better music than later eras. It’s a common misconception that we all have when we listen to music from our time.

So unlike science, for you some of the older ideas in music are better than the new ones as far as you’re concerned?

No, what I’m saying there’s good music coming out at any given time, but I rely on the filter of time to select the best ones, and those are the ones that I listen to. And I generally agree that they’re better.

Do you have any songs or bands that are your go-to when you’re looking for something to listen to?

OK, so, amid all the hit songs that I may like, there are some groups and performers who rise up above all the rest for me in terms of how they satisfy me. One of those is Simon and Garfunkel, and another is Enya—yes, I admit that.

Well, I’ve got it on tape, so you can’t take it back.

I admit it [laughs]. Enya. Those may be the only two performers where I own everything that they’ve ever done. There are others where I like some stuff, but not enough to own everything they’ve ever done.

I guess Enya is kind of space-y …

Yeah, kind of new age, space-y. It’s celtic, of course, but it comes from another place. It comes from space! If the Celts were aliens from space, this is the music they would make [laughs]. Right? That’s what it is.

You have a new book on the way, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. When does that come out?

Well it turns out, right now you can pre-order it, and I hadn’t fully appreciated why anyone would pre-order anything—but now I know.

OK, you’re ready? Here’s why …

Why? The publisher likes knowing how many books they have to print.

They don’t want to print too many, and they don’t want to print too few. So if you pre-order it, that helps the publisher, but why would you want to help the publisher?

Well, there’s also the fact that Amazon wants your money sooner than you want to give it to them, so if you pre-order, you order at this really low price. The book retails for $18, but they’re selling it right now for $12. Holy … How do they … What?! But that’s only in pre-order, and when the book comes out, who knows what will happen to the price? So I’m intrigued by this whole marketing dimension of what a pre-ordered book is. But it’s coming out in about six weeks … The first week of May, I think—May 2.

Photo by Delvinhair Productions

“There’s an underserved appetite that the public has for the universe or for learning or for science, and that’s what I’m delivering to them.

I don’t twist their arm.

I’m not trying to get them to create a cult. I’m just offering knowledge, wisdom, insight into the operations of nature, and people like it. That’s very powerful information, I should think.”

– Neil deGrasse Tyson on his celebrity status.

I’m probably way wrong on this, but didn’t the Celts build Stonehenge? And that was a spacething right?

Yeah, I don’t know who precisely built Stonehenge. I thought it may have been the druids, but maybe the scholarship has been modified on that, but yeah, it is an observatory. It tracks the moon and eclipses and does a lot of really fun things scientifically.

[Editor’s note: If you’re keeping a scorecard at home, radiocarbon dating suggests evidence that Stonehenge’s construction dates back to Neolithic times and precedes the arrival of the Celts.

Regardless of who built it, it’s safe to say that it’s still a pretty bad-ass monument.]

Science changes all the time. In your time at the Planetarium, how has it changed for you? Has it altered any of the assumptions you had?

No, we were smarter than that. We wouldn’t commit large exhibit money—heavy duty exhibit money—to something that could be different a few years later. So what we did was, the exhibitry was split into three varieties. One was we would cut into metal SubmergeMag.com

content that was of a very high shelf life. Earth goes around the sun … that’s cut into metal. The next would be transparencies that communicate information that has medium-length shelf life. And then we have another place that’s just video, where as the frontier changes, we swap in a new video relative to the old one. That way we stay current, but we anchor what we know about the universe and what’s not going to change going forward.

As a scientist, do you often find yourself breaking down things like this, like why would someone pre-order something?

Oh yeah! This is how you learn, right? You wonder why something is, and then you go investigate it, and then you learn it. If a day goes by when I don’t learn anything, that’s a wasted day.

Can you give us a preview of what the book is about?

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry … my goal for it is that all future headlines that come across from discoveries in the universe, you will be fluent in. So discoveries on exoplanets and black holes and Big Bang and the multiverse and the search for life and dark matter, dark energy, all of this is carefully curated so you get a maximum amount of information in a short amount of time, because you’re in a hurry … because that’s what the book says. You’re in a hurry. I found a way to ramp up all the really cool science so you can see it, read it, absorb it and take it with you wherever you go. I’d like to think of it as an occasion for you to consummate your relationship with the universe.

Recently NASA made headlines with the discovery of Earth-like planets in the Trappist-1 system. I heard about it from watching the press conference, but did you get a preview of that before the public did?

I used to chase the previews, but it turns out that it’s not necessary.

I’ll read the press release like everyone else and then I’ll watch the press conference and then maybe I’ll get a phone call. But by the time I get a phone call, I’m already pre-briefed. I’m usually prebriefed on these things.

When I heard about it, I was extremely excited. When you get a press release like that, are you like, “Yeah!” Is it like the Super Bowl or something like that?

Oh no, actually I lament that I’m going to get a zillion phone calls and my days no longer belong to me. I have to go into servant mode of the public’s curiosity, and I’d rather just stay home.

Join Neil deGrasse Tyson for a talk at the Community Center Theater in Sacramento (1301 L St.) on May 9 at 7:30 p.m.

For tickets, go to Sacramentocommunitycentertheater.com or call the box office at (916) 808-5181.

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

19

On the Right Side of History

Grant Lyon’s Unlikely Path to a Life in Comedy Words Robert Berry • photo Lisa Keating

I

heard that comedian Grant Lyon grew up in Sacramento, but he clarified that he felt like he didn’t grow up anywhere, with portions of his formative years in different suburbs of Los Angeles, a move to Chicago, then a move to Sacramento in 10 th grade where he attended Country Day School and graduated Class of 2002. Unlike many comedians who grew up with comedy idols, Lyon didn’t understand what stand-up comedy even was until he was in college. On a fateful day as a freshman, someone played him a copy of Mitch Hedberg’s first album, Strategic Grill Locations, and his life was changed forever.

“I just listened to it over and over and over as I walked around campus,” Lyon said. “I didn’t even seek out other stand-up CDs. I would do Hedberg jokes at parties. I could do the whole album.”

Before long, Lyon was performing the album for his college

soccer team using the microphone on the tour bus. Unlikely encouragement from his coach to write his own material took him on a path to comedy he’s followed ever since.

Lyon is a funny, smart, insightful comedian who makes you laugh and learn at the same time. From his first open mic experience at Laughs Unlimited in Old Sac back in 2005, to his victory at Atlanta’s prestigious Laughing Skull Comedy Festival just nine years later, he’s come a long way. He’s been featured in the New Faces of Comedy at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival and is a contributing writer and content creator for Huffington Post, Funny or Die and several other outlets. Currently touring with fellow comic Carmen Morales on their “We’re a Fun Time” tour, we spoke with Lyon on the phone to talk about his origins and motivations.

How did you hook up with Carmen and decide to do a tour together?

We’re both friends with each other in Los Angeles and we both respect each other. We actually got booked randomly to do a show in Idaho together.

We thought we should do a whole tour around, and we have similar intelligent and silly styles that work well together.

We thought a lot about going places where people would enjoy our brand of comedy. We’re going to Chico, Portland and Salem. We wanted hip, fun cities.

When you’re a comedian that works with a more thoughtful and smart style and you sometimes end up at places with audiences that don’t expect that, do you ever find yourself adjusting because the crowd just isn’t digging that sort of stuff?

I’ll always say what I believe. I’ll never compromise that, but sometimes you do that thing where you’re just like, “Maybe I won’t tell that joke tonight!” because nothing good can come from it. But I also believe in what I’m saying. History proves that anyone who is a little bit liberal is always on the right side. The most frustrating thing to me about the fight over gay marriage or things like that, I just want to say, “You know this is going to happen, right?” There’s been so much time and resources to delay something that is inevitable. Just step aside and let it exist, because it’s not hurting anybody. I think that also keeps me pushing the envelope a little bit onstage, because I feel like I’m on the right side of history.

I guess it’s hard to find a comedian that’s too liberal to be funny.

Totally! And I think it’s important to say, “This is what I believe. You don’t have to agree with it, but I have a microphone so you have to listen to me.” I’m not ever trying to berate anybody or say, “I’m right and you’re wrong,” because that just makes you a jerk. But I will go on stage and say, “Here’s some things I’ve thought about and here is why I think this.” I think good comedy—and there’s always exceptions, I mean I love Mitch Hedberg, and you wouldn’t have left a Mitch Hedberg set knowing exactly who he was—but I love leaving a set where I think they are funny and that I know them. Someone like Tom Segura or Dana Gould is great at that.

When did you first become conscientious about stand-up comedy?

It was late for me. I grew up in a family that didn’t pay attention to comedy. We didn’t have any comedy records. I don’t even think I knew that stand-up as an art form existed. I loved The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. Those were my comedy outlets growing up. When I was in seventh grade, I watched one of my very first SNL episodes and Chris Rock was hosting it. He went up and did a monologue, and it’s one of the best monologues ever. He has a joke about why would you give blind people a dog, and a tank coming down New York, and I loved it so much, recorded it and watched it over and over again. It wasn’t until I was in college that I looked back and thought, “Oh, that was stand-up!” I didn’t even realize it was stand-up at the time. I just thought, “This monologue is so great, why don’t they just do all monologues?” The first time I ever stepped foot into a comedy club was when I was performing.

20

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

30

2708 J Street Sacramento 916.441.4693 HarlowS.com Monday Tuesday

Aug 29 MAR 28

Guidance Band

Thursday Wednesday

The BlasTers

5:30PM $15adv 8PM all ages $10

SEPT291 MAR

8PM $40adv 7PM $15adv

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Friday Thursday

RoGeR cReaGeR

SEPT30 2 MAR

9PM $15adv 7PM $15adv

Tiffany lorraine

Saturday MAR 31 + SEPT APR 31

Photo by Darren Rodgers Do you remember what your first joke was?

If you see me on stage now, I’m absolutely nothing like Hedberg, he was a big influence, but my first six months, I didn’t have my own voice. I was writing jokes for Hedberg. I listened to him so much, I literally heard his voice in my head when I wrote those jokes. I was 20 and didn’t know much about the world, but now I do social commentary. I like to take personal experiences, talk about those, and reflect about how that personal experience is a comment on our society as a whole.

OK, I remember my first joke. “I don’t understand why we call blonde hair ‘blonde.’ It’s yellow hair. We say brown hair. We say red hair.

I’ve never been like, ‘Man, Charles is a chicken.

He’s such a blond belly. Wait! Slow down! That light is BLONDE!’” and I just had all of these examples of using blonde instead of yellow. That was a joke from my very first set.

How did you feel about your first set?

I have a theory about first sets. Anyone who is successful in comedy had a great first set. It doesn’t even have to be a great first set, but it has to be great in their own mind. Some people have the first set go terribly, and they never want to do it again.

But if the first one goes great, then you know that it’s possible. It’s like a drug and you spend the rest of your career chasing that high again.

I was so excited and nervous. I probably practiced that five minutes for three hours that day. When I went on stage, I don’t think I said a single word that I didn’t rehearse. If I was to be an impartial observer, did it actually go that well? I don’t know. But in my head, people were laughing and I was so excited that I left my car there and ran all the way home!

It’s great to see someone do well their first time on the mic. It’s like they won a contest. There’s so much fear and joy going through what many would consider is one of the scariest things you can do.

Yeah. It has to go well in your mind. Did I crush it? I probably didn’t. But I was so nervous that at least a few people laughed, and that was enough to make me feel like I succeeded.

SubmergeMag.com

Those three people are the best people in the world when you’re struggling.

I started in Sacramento. That was my sophomore year of college. I performed six times, so I wasn’t a comedian yet. I never performed off campus.

But that summer I wanted to try it more. Laughs Unlimited had a comedy class. Comedy classes have a stigma among comics, but I’ll never judge anyone for doing them because I didn’t know how to be a comedian. In almost anything else, you’ll take a class to learn how to do something. I signed up at their open mic and I didn’t get on. Someone said, “If you want to perform, you can take the class here and you’re guaranteed to get a spot on the open mic every week!” So I signed up.

Who was teaching that class?

It was Del Van Dyke, like 12 years ago. Did it make me a great comedian? No, but it provided me with a supportive environment to try comedy.

So from that perspective, I was glad I did it. It was the first time and I performed once a week.

During my Junior year of college, I decided I really wanted to do comedy more, and that’s when I started taking it seriously.

I see a lot of impatience with newer comics where they want to be a feature or headliner so soon. What advice do you have for comedians that are frustrated with their progress?

I think I started letting go of that stuff is when I thought, “What is going to make me quit this?” I finally came to the conclusion that I will be doing this forever, even if I’m struggling and have to get a day job. I’m still going to be doing stand-up. I love it. Once I realized I’m in this forever, it takes away the impatience. If you’re in it for quick fixes, it’s going to get frustrating.

I’m a comedian.

Grant Lyon is performing I don’t know who with Carmen Morales I’d be if I never got on April 2 at Punch on stage again.

Line Sacramento (2100 Arden Way). You can visit Punchlinesac.com to purchase tickets and for more details.

TainTed love

5:30PM 9PM $6adv $18adv

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Tuesday Wednesday

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The lil’ sMokies

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Thursday

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The sexTones (Cd release)

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ScoTT PeMBeRTon Band

Thursday Sunday

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5:30PM $18adv 7PM all$12adv ages

* all

times are door times*

COMING SOON 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.19 4.21 4.23

Mitski Marco Benevento B. Dolan / DJ Abilities Rutabaga Boogie Band Wonderbread 5 (late) Bilal Dave B Ab-Soul Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers Petty Theft Mike Love

4.24 4.25 4.26 4.28 4.29 4.30 5.02 5.04 5.05 5.09 5.12

Robert Ellis Reverend Horton Heat (solo) & Dale Watson (solo) Big Freedia Micky and the Motocars Okilly Dokilly Betty Who Anthony David Lil Peep Futurebirds Cashmere Cat The Dustbowl Revival

5.13 Stevie Wonder Tribute 5.13 Mustache Harbor 5.20 Fleetwood Mask 5.24 Jennifer Knapp 5.25+26 Anuhea 6.02 Hot Club of Cowtown 6.08 Raheem Devaughn & Wes Felton 6.10+11 Joan Osborne 6.23 !!! (Chk Chk Chk) 6.30 Delta Rae

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

21

22

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

A Deeper Look at Love

José James Mixes Musical Influences, Modern Politics on New Album Words Nur Kausar • photo Shervin Lainez

A

n ironic harmony emerges between vocalist José James and the setting of his upcoming Sacramento performance—Oak Park’s Guild Theater—as James unpacks his new album, Love in a Time of Madness.

“I felt a cinematic vibe and wanted to take people through the evolution of black music,” James says of the album while preparing for his world tour, which recently kicked off in Atlanta on March 16.

The 39-year-old Minneapolis native by no means fits into one genre box, so the concept of a musical evolution is not far-fetched for his career. Over the last decade his music has encompassed jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, hip-hop, electronica, soul and more. James' main influences include John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye and Billie Holiday. He even recorded nine songs written by or associated with Holiday and released them on an album titled Yesterday I Had the Blues.

The revitalized Guild Theater will provide a perfect backdrop for James' evolutionary conversation.

Built in 1915, the Guild started as the Victor Theater and was one of many 20th century cinema houses in the neighborhood. Today, it is one of the projects completed by former Mayor Kevin Johnson’s St. HOPE Academy, a nonprofit community development corporation focused on improving education and economic development in communities.

Oak Park itself has evolved drastically since the time of movie houses and theaters more than 100 years ago. Racial housing covenants pushed African-Americans out of other parts of Sacramento and into Oak Park beginning around 1945. Disinvestment and racism toward the neighborhood further created an economically disadvantaged community.

The evolution of the black community in Oak Park spans across several decades that coincide with James' influences, and his songwriting and music lean heavily on historical themes and sounds created by black artists. The changes that have brought Oak Park to its current state, one of much-deserved investment and TLC but still waiting to see it all fully blossom, also place the neighborhood at the forefront of larger gentrification and displacement conversations being

SubmergeMag.com

had in communities of color that local and state governments, and investors, had historically marginalized.

Does Love in a Time of Madness touch on these issues? Not directly, but James does move us musically through the album starting with an electro, fad-forward intro to a nostalgic, love fest of the past.

“I wanted to start with today, with electronica,” he says, naming Kehlani, Anderson .Paak, The Weeknd and The Internet as some of his new school influences. The first two songs on Love indeed blend smooth R&B with drums and electronics true to what’s popular right now.

“It’s a step forward, but I definitely have some roots in this type of music,” he says. “Black electronica was a part of my album Blackmagic and I wanted to build off of that with my songwriting.”

Love... then moves to something more organic, James says, bringing in ‘70s and ‘80s funk of his hometown with heavy influences of Prince, ending with a gospel feel and a final duet.

In between, his interests span from jazz to funk to reggae. The dubstep on “Last Night” has a global appeal and stems from memories of his 2014 tour for the album While You Were Sleeping.

“That was a whole rock ‘n’ roll existence for me and I was remembering the craziness and also the beauty,” he says of that tour and of remembering Prince, David Bowie and other influences. “That was on my mind especially since so many icons have passed in the last year.”

Following “Last Night,” James showcases more of the older jazz influence he is known for on “I Remember Our Love,” though Amy Winehouse also comes to mind.

Meanwhile, the song “Let It Fall” is reminiscent of Bob Marley, something James notes he appreciates in terms of comparison because of his purpose for creating the album.

The trajectory of the album isn’t exact, and the last song—a duet with Oleta Adams—stands out as a more bare bones, more personal piece, but James wanted to end with something uplifting.

“I wanted to leave people in a really hopeful place,” he says. “I want to portray a deeper look at love.”

Though a time of madness could easily translate to any issues a listener is facing, James says the overarching madness through all his recording has been the change in the federal administration and subsequent actions and comments.

James talks quietly but openly about his outrage at comments made by President Donald Trump during the campaign and after the election toward the black community, on police brutality and against immigrants.

“People are feeling it all over the world,” he says. “I have immigrant friends who work in the music business all over who are afraid for their futures and futures of their children.”

James says it’s not how he remembers growing up in Minnesota, and that his new album does reflect some of his nostalgia for a different time and place. “‘Live Your Fantasy’ is really fun to play live,” he says of one of his favorite songs on the album. “It’s a throwback to Prince’s sound of the ‘80s. It makes me go back to my childhood and to listening to that music and being in that scene. I like it because it’s one of the main tracks that touches people around the world.

To see the joy on people’s faces when we play it, it’s amazing.”

For the tour, James is bringing his guitar and renowned drummer Nate Smith, and will incorporate art into his staging to set a visual framework for the music.

This will be James’ first show at the Guild Theater. For those who haven’t checked out the revamped theater space, the venue’s website offers a list of upcoming public events, including plays, book fairs, lectures and performances. For more information, visit Sthope.org.

José James brings his Love in a Time of Madness tour to Sacramento’s Guild Theater, located at 2828 35 th St., on March 30.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. show range from $27.50-$40 and are available online at Josejamesattheguild.com.

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

23

Starlite Lounge Cross Stitched Eyes, Alarms, 8 p.m.

Streets Pub and Grub Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Singer-Songwriter Showcase in the Round, 5:30 p.m.; Travis Hayes, 9 p.m.

music, comedy & misc. Calendar

.29 3 3.28

Press Club Monday Vibes w/ MC Ham & Friends, 9 p.m.

march 27 – april 10 submergemag.com/calendar

3.27 Monday

Blue Lamp The Spotlight: Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Sway, L4N P4R7Y, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m.

Goldfield Nashville Pussy, Zeke, 7 p.m.

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

LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m.

Old Ironsides Heath Williamson & Friends, 5:30 p.m.

On The Y Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Wednesday

Tuesday

Ace of Spades The Orwells, The Walters, 7 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Deltaphonic, 9:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Guidance Band, 8 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 8 p.m.

LowBrau Le Twist Presents: Robert Loud & Dusty Brown, 9 p.m.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

On The Y Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Press Club Reggae Night w/ DJ Dweet, 9 p.m.

Red Museum Tele Novella, LaTour, Big Whoop, Ghoul School, 7:30 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Hollow Earth, Whitewolf, Worship, Know Your Enemy, 7:30 p.m.

Torch Club Bill Mylar, 5:30 p.m.; Boca de Rio, 8 p.m.

Ace of Spades STRFKR, Psychic Twin, 7 p.m.

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

Cafe Colonial Death Valley Girls, Destroy Boys, Death Party At The Beach, Dog Rifle, 7 p.m.

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

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose All Vinyl Wednesdays w/ DJ AAKnuff, 8 p.m.

Harlow’s The Blasters, Clownvis Presley, 7 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Anoushka Shankar, 7:30 p.m.

Identity Coffees Casey Chisholm, Pregnant, Elijah Egbert, 7 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub 98 Rock’s Local Licks Live Series, 8 p.m.

Press Club In the Whale, Riot Radio, Red Pills, 8 p.m.

3.30

3.31

thursday

Ace of Spades Leftover Crack, Starving Wolves, Bad Cop Bad Cop, Slutzville, 6:30 p.m.

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

Blue Lamp The Great Peso, Mr. P Chill, Mr Hooper, J.Smo and More, 9 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Center for the Arts Con Brio, Blue Lotus, 8 p.m.

Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m.

The Colony Curing Adam, Los Shadows, Band Shirts, Fornis, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

District 30 Kennedy Jones, 10 p.m.

Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose According to Bazooka, 7 p.m.

Golden 1 Center Eric Church, 8 p.m.

Goldfield Mickey Avalon, 8 p.m.

The Guild Theater José James, Nate Smith, Corey King, Casey Lipka, Mahogany Poets, 7 p.m.

Harlow’s Roger Creager, 7 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides The Fortunate Few, Hazy Valley Boys, 8 p.m.

2 Chainz Lil Jon, Lloyd, Rob $Tone, Kap G Tower Bridge Gateway Lot 5:30 p.m.

On The Y Karaoke, 10 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Dust & Diesel, 10 p.m.

Press Club Remones (Ramones tribute), The Moans, Anime Aliens, The Enlows, 8 p.m.

Shine Sac’s Coolest Jazz Jam, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X, 5:30 p.m.; Pine Street Ramblers, 9 p.m.

3.31 friday

Ace of Spades Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular, 7:30 p.m.

Bar 101 Mud Folk, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. What’s Left, 5 p.m.

Blue Lamp Pato Banton & The Now Generation, DJ Kris Ward, 8 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Conjunto Primavera, 9 p.m.

Cafe Colonial The Band Ice Cream, Ghoul School, Los Bottom Feeders, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Capitol Friday’s Reggae Night w/ DJ Veyn, 10 p.m.

The Colony Goldberg, Fake It, Anxious Arms, Lost Horizons, 7:30 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose The Brangs, Lucky Laskowski & the Liars Choir, 9 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ CrookOne, 10 p.m.

Gold Country Lanes (Sutter Creek) C.T. Locke: DJ, Sing & Dance, 6:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Tainted Love, 9 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Let It Be (The Beatles tribute), 7:30 p.m.

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Fox & Goose Spacewalker, Katmonkeys, Dolores 5000, 9 p.m.

Goldfield First Fest Pre-Party feat.

The Nickel Slots, Jayson Angove, 7 p.m.

Harlow’s Tainted Love, 9 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Let It Be (The Beatles tribute), 2 & 7:30 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Kupros Craft House All the Pretty Songs, 9:30 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Jackson Hall Mucca Pazza, 8 p.m.

MontBleu Resort Casino Phutureprimitive, Love and Light, 9 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Wilder, 10:30 a.m.; Free Ukulele Class, 1 p.m.; Sons of the Golden State, 6 p.m.

On The Y Karaoke, 9 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Peeti V, 9:30 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Inspector 71, 10 p.m.

Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

The Purple Place (El Dorado Hills) Dog Park Justice, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Skid Roses, 10 p.m.

Shine The Mechula, Working Man Blues Band, 8 p.m.

Torch Club The Stuff, 5:30 p.m.; John Clifton, 9 p.m.

Yolo Brewing Co. Band in the Beer Hall: Tell River, 6 p.m.

4.01 4.02 Saturday

sunday

4.03 monday

Blue Lamp The Spotlight: Open Mic, 9 p.m.

CLARA (E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts) Harley White Jr. Orchestra, 7 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m.

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

LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Diego Davidenko, 4 p.m.

Press Club Period Bomb, Vasas, 8 p.m.

4.04 Tuesday

Ace of Spades Moderatto, 7 p.m.

Blue Lamp Michale Graves, Forget Your Friends, The Moans, Strange Party, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Goldfield That 1 Guy, 7 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Open Mic, 8 p.m.

Old Ironsides Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Pine Cove Open Mic Night, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Live Band Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Sacramento State: Music Recital Hall Chinyakare Ensemble, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge MSML Tour w/ Penny Mizere and More, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Jessica Malone, 5:30 p.m.; Fontaine Classic, 8 p.m.

4.05 wednesday

4.01

Wilder Nicholson’s MusiCafe 10:30 a.m.

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2408 21st st • Sac • sacramentobarbershop.com (916) 457-1120 • Tues-Fri 9am-6pm • saT 10am-4pm

Ace of Spades NF, 7 p.m. (Sold Out) Bar 101 Open Mic, 7:30 p.m.

Cafe Colonial ROHT, Acrylics, Violence Creeps, Trinidad Silva, 8 p.m.

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

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Downtown & Vine Benefit for the Boys and Girls Club w/ Pete Anderson, 7 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose All Vinyl Wednesdays w/ DJ AAKnuff, 8 p.m.

continued on page 26

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Ace of Spades Red, 6:30 p.m.

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

Blue Lamp 80 West (Birthday Bash), Lil Darrion, 9 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino The Flamenco Kings, Los Vivancos, 4 p.m.

Cafe Colonial DS-13, Classhole, Cliterati, Connoisseur, Cross Class, 6 p.m.

Center for the Arts Climbing PoeTree, 7:30 p.m.

The Colony April Showers Fest feat. Drug Church, Dayshell, Silver Snakes, Super Whatevr, Tightrope, VVomen, Hard Feelings, Passing Time, Misha Allure, Reverie, 7 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Harlow’s Beatles ‘67 - SGT Pepper and Other Magical Mysteries, 6 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Let It Be (The Beatles tribute), 2 & 7 p.m.

LowBrau Throwback Jams w/ DJ Epik & Special Guests, 9:30 p.m.

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Ace of Spades The English Beat, 7 p.m.

Bar 101 Mathew Frantz, 9:30 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. Misner and Smith, 3 p.m.

Blue Lamp T-Nutty & Liq (Album Release), 9 p.m.

Cafe Colonial The Colonial Spring “Thing” feat. Ethics & Entropy, Wayne Jetski, The Four Eyes, The Rollin’ Blackouts, Surrogate Brains, Nothin’ Special, 5 p.m.

Capitol Garage Wavy w/ DJ Eddie Z and Guests, 10 p.m.

Colonial Theatre The Clairvoyants, 8 p.m.

The Colony The Colonial Spring “Thing” feat. The O’Mulligans, Jesus & The Dinosaurs, Slutzville, At Both Ends, The Polyorchids, 5:30 p.m.

Crest Theatre Sons of Champlin, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, 6:30 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Big Trouble, 9:30 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium Sacramento Youth Symphony’s Premier Orchestra, 3 p.m.

Midtown BarFly Factor IX w/ DJ Bryan Hawk, DJ CarnieRobber and Guests, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Ryder Green, 3 p.m.

Press Club Ground Chuck’s Birthday Bash feat. The Storytellers, Green Rivers, MDL, 5 p.m.; Sunday Night Soul Party w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Kenny Frye, 1 p.m.

Third Space Terror Pigeon, Pregnant, Curt Oren, Doofy Doo, 7 p.m.

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

Ne

Kupros Craft House Shiner, 9:30 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Iola Rose Band, 7 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Jackson Hall Alan Cumming, 8 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides Jem & Scout, West of Leo, Simpl3Jack, 9 p.m.

On The Y Astral Cult, Fell, Ironaut, 9 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Elements, 9:30 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Alex Vincent Band (EP Release), The Brody’s, 9 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

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

Shine Free Candy (Ep Release), Pierce & the Gals, Baddest Beams, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Chernobog, Bipolar, Suburban Paranoia, Solanum Trash, Wurm Flesh, 8 p.m.

Station 1 Kenny Neal and the Neal Family Band, 7 p.m.

Streets Pub and Grub DJ Night, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Lew & Jimmy, 5:30 p.m.; Mr. December, 9 p.m.

Tower Bridge Gateway Lot 2 Chainz, Lil Jon, Lloyd, Rob $Tone, Kap G, 5:30 p.m.

Yolo Brewing Co. Band in the Beer Hall: Brian Lee Bender, 6 p.m.

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

25

4.07

4.08

Honey B & The Cultivation (Album Release) DJ Coast, Paul Willis, Rass Martin Blue Lamp 8 p.m.

Harlow’s Younder Mountain String Band, The Lil’ Smokies, 7 p.m.

Mix DJ E-Rock, 9 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Jackson Hall Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland, 8 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub 98 Rock’s Local Licks Live Series, 8 p.m.

Press Club Sac LadyFest Showcase: Hannah Mayree and Rybree Tree, Temple K. Kirk, Mallard, 8 p.m.

Shine Speak Out! Sacramento, 8 p.m.

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

Starlite Lounge Glaare, Second, 8 p.m.

Streets Pub and Grub Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Singer-Songwriter Showcase in the Round, 5:30 p.m.; Michael Dean Damron, Amazing Sweethearts, Cory Call, 9 p.m.

4.06 Thursday

Ace of Spades Rebel Souljahz, Eli Mac, Riotmaker, 7 p.m.

Bar 101 Karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

Blue Lamp High Tolerance presents, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Club Car Songwriters Showcase, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Dive Bar Dueling Pianos, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Alex Walker, 8 p.m.

Goldfield Larry and his Flask, Flatfoot 56,7 p.m.

Harlow’s Andy McKee, Joe Kye, 5:30 p.m.

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

Mondavi Center: Jackson Hall Michael Fabiano, 8 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Matthew Frantz, 6 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub 2 Steps Down, 9:30 p.m.

River City Saloon The Ghost Town Rebellion (Acoustic), 9 p.m.

Shine Sac’s Coolest Jazz Jam, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Couches, Pinnacles, Sun Valley Gun Club, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Mind X, 5:30 p.m.; Massive Delicious, 9 p.m.

26

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

Sactown Playboys Kupros Craft House 9:30 p.m.

4.07 4.08 FRIDAY

Saturday

Ace of Spades The White Buffalo, 7 p.m.

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

Berryessa Brewing Co. Tarek Isham, 5 p.m.

Blue Lamp Honey B & The Cultivation (Album Release), DJ Coast, Paul Willis, Rass Martin, 8 p.m.

The Boardwalk Skinlab, Kyng, White Knuckle Riot, 8 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Lea Salonga, 9 p.m.

Capitol Garage Capitol Friday’s Reggae Night w/ DJ Veyn, 10 p.m.

The Colony Celestions, HotBods, The Kegels, Cassette Idols, 9 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon Patrick Walsh, 9:30 p.m.

Fox & Goose Kevin & Allyson Seconds, Dino the Girl, Mason Hoffman, 9 p.m.

Golden Bear DJ CrookOne, 10 p.m.

Gold Country Lanes (Sutter Creek) C.T. Locke: DJ, Sing & Dance, 6:30 p.m.

Goldfield Jackyl, 7 p.m.

Harlow’s The Sextones (Album Release), Jelly Bread, Hans! and the Hot Mess, 8 p.m.

Kupros Craft House The Stummies, 9:30 p.m.

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

Old Ironsides The Ghost Town Rebellion, Fogline, 8 p.m.

On The Y Resonance w/ Strap On Halo, DJs Nachtdoom & DieNasty, 7 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Elements, 9:30 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Breakfast Klub, 9:30 p.m.

Press Club DJ Rue, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Decades, 9:30 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Gost, Band Aparte, 8 p.m.

Streets Pub and Grub DJ Night, 9 p.m.

Torch Club Lew & Jimmy, 5:30 p.m.; Afro Funk Experience, 9 p.m.

Yolo Brewing Co. Band in the Beer Hall: Lucy’s Bones Unplugged, 6 p.m.

Ace of Spades Yuridia, 7 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. The Responders, 3 p.m.

Blue Lamp AP.9 (of Mob Figaz), 8:30 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Lea Salonga, 8 p.m.

Capitol Garage Wavy w/ DJ Eddie Z and Guests, 10 p.m.

Community Center Theater Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera presents Pet Sounds Live: A Beach Boys Celebration, 8 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

El Dorado Saloon The Ruckus Band, 9:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Choir! Choir! Choir!, 5:30 p.m.

KBAR Z Rokk, 9 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Sactown Playboys, 9:30 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Jackson Hall 21st Annual Wennberg Music Festival, 2:30 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Sound Maze by Paul Dresher, 10 a.m.

MontBleu Resort Casino BoomBox, 7 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Free Ukulele Class, 1 p.m.; Jacobb Alexander, 6 p.m.

Old Ironsides Thieves These Days (Release/Farewell Show), VGDB, Streetlight Fire, Odame Sucks, 8 p.m.

The Other Office The Ghost Town Rebellion, 8 p.m.

The Park Ultra Lounge DJ Peeti V, 9:30 p.m.

Pine Cove Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Powerhouse Pub Wiz Kids, 9:30 p.m.

Press Club DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9 p.m.

Red Hawk Casino Clean Slate, 10 p.m.

Sac Bike Kitchen Electric Baby Jesus, San Kazagascar, J Mick., 7 p.m.

Sacramento Rehearsal Studios UnderRage Music Fest: Heat of Damage, Nothin’ Special, Sad Vegan, Bootlegs, As We Know, Control, Short Trip, Side Effect, Free Candy, URD-OM, Exiled From Grace, Tens Upon Thousands and More, 12 p.m.

Shine An Evening w/ The Vivian Lee Quartet, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Mad Tantra, Eugene Ugly, Chrome Ghost, Josiah Gattling, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Neckfest w/ Merle Jagger, Loose Engines, Pine Street Ramblers, The Twilight Drifters, Rancho Deluxe and More, 5 p.m.

Yolo Brewing Co. Band in the Beer Hall: The Funicellos, 6 p.m.

4.09 Sunday

Ace of Spades Mayday Parade, Knuckle Puck, Milestones, 7 p.m.

Berryessa Brewing Co. The Nickel Slots, 3 p.m.

Blue Lamp Brant Bjork, Royal Thunder, Black Wizard, 8 p.m.

Cache Creek Casino Purple Reign (Prince Tribute), 4 p.m.

Cafe Colonial Demon In Me, Anxious Arms, Short Stories and more, 8 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum Classical Concert: Faythe Vollrath, 3 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Goldfield Carter Winter, Auburn Road, 7:30 p.m.

Harlow’s Scott Pemberton Band, 7 p.m.

LowBrau Throwback Jams w/ DJ Epik & Special Guests, 9:30 p.m.

Midtown BarFly Factor IX w/ DJ Bryan Hawk, DJ CarnieRobber and Guests, 9 p.m.

Mix Mr. Best, DJ Gabe Xavier, 9 p.m.

Mondavi Center: Ann E. Pitzer Center Faculty Recital: Lois Brandwynne, 3 p.m., 10 a.m.

Mondavi Center: Vanderhoef Studio Theatre Sound Maze by Paul Dresher, 10 a.m.

Powerhouse Pub The Guitartionists, 3:30 p.m.

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

Red Hawk Casino Cash Prophets, 1 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Zeta, Boss’ Daughter and More, 8 p.m.

Torch Club Neckfest w/ Peter Petty & His Dubble P Boys, Danny Morris and the California Stars, Milk Farm, Million Dollar Giveaway and More, 3 p.m.

4.10 monday

Blue Lamp The Spotlight: Open Mic, 9 p.m.

Distillery Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Fox & Goose Open Mic Night, 7:30 p.m.

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

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

LowBrau Motown on Monday’s w/ DJ Epik, 9 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Nebraska Mondays hosted by Ross Hammond, 7:30 p.m.

Nicholson’s MusiCafe Free Jazz Workshop, 4 p.m.

Press Club Boss’ Daughter, Urban Wolves, Slutzville, 8 p.m.

Starlite Lounge Chiefs, Dead Canyon, Disenchanter, Doomstress, 8 p.m.

Comedy Fox & Goose Fem Dom Com w/ Hosts Jaime Fernandez and Emma Haney, April 8, 9 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts Louie Anderson, Keith Lowell Jensen, April 6, 8 p.m.

Laughs Unlimited Smile Out Loud w/ Jason Cheny, Nick Larson, Robert Omoto, Hosted by Curtis Newingham, March 30, 8 p.m.

Lance Woods feat. Greg Wilson, March 31 - April 2, Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

Comedy Open Mic Showcase, April 4, 8 p.m.

Coming to the Stage Comedy Competition w/ Jeremy Curry, Gavin Myers, Connor Martin, Sydney Stigerts, Jason Mack and More, April 6, 8 p.m.

Butch Escobar feat. Dennis Martinez, April 7 - 9, Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.

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

Comedy Couch w/ Host Luke Soin, March 29, 8 p.m.

Punch Line There Goes the Neighborhood Comedy Tour, March 29, 8 p.m.

Chris Porter, Sal Calanni, Hosted by Sean McKenzie, March 30 - April 1, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.

We’re a Fun Time Tour w/ Grant Lyon & Carmen Morales, April 2, 7 p.m.

New Faces Showcase, April 5, 8 p.m.

Ben Gleib, April 6 - 8, Thurs., 8 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10 p.m.

Lance Woods and Friends, April 9, 7 p.m.

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

Improv Taste Test and Harold Night, Wednesday’s, 7 - 10 p.m.

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

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

Tommy T’s Melanie Comarcho, March 30 - April 2 Faizon Love, April 7 - 9 Uptown Studios That Plus Chips Sketch and Improv Comedy Show, April 1, 8 p.m.

Misc.

20th Street (Between J and K) Midtown Farmers Market, Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

B Street Theatre Mainstage Series: Concussed: Four Days in The Dark, Through April 16 Family Series: Going West: The Story of The Transcontinental Railroad, Through April 2 Blue Cue Trivia NIght, Wednesday’s, 9 p.m.

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

California Museum Art Exhibit: Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown, Through May 28 Cesar Chavez Plaza Lunch and Launch: Concerts in the Park Lineup Announcement, March 30, 11 a.m. 1 p.m.

CLARA (E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts) Sacramento Ballet: The Art of the Partnership, April 8, 4 p.m.

Crocker Art Museum Art on Film: Brazil, April 6, 6 p.m.

Forbidden Fruit: Chris Antemann at Meissen, Through June 25 Into the Fold: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection, Through May 7 Two Views: Photographs by Ansel Adams and Leonard Frank, Through May 14 JapanAmerica: Points of Contact (1876-1970), Through May 21 Fox & Goose Pub Quiz, Tuesdays, 7 p.m.

Fremont Park River City Marketplace: Art, Food, Music, Vendors and More, April 1, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Golden 1 Center AMSOIL Arenacross, April 1 - 2 The Guild Theater Lunafest Film Festival, April 8, 1 & 6 p.m.

Harris Center for the Arts enra PROXIMA, March 30, 7:30 p.m.

Malko Dance Academy Presents: Ballroom, Latin, and Theatrical Dance Showcase, April 1, 6:30 p.m.

MAMMA MIA! The Farewell Tour, April 7 - 9 Historic Old Folsom Farmers Market, Saturdays, 8 a.m.

Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Co. Cocktail Academy: Cocktails 102, April 8, 2 p.m.

Identity Coffees The Midtown Bizarre, April 8, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Kupros Craft House Triviology, Sundays, 7:30 p.m.

Luna’s Cafe Poetry Unplugged, every Thursday, 8 p.m.

Memorial Auditorium Headliners Regional Dance Tour, April 7 - 9, 8 a.m.

Mercedes Benz of El Dorado Hills El Dorado Hills Spring Carnival, April 6-9 Midtown BarFly Salsa Lessons, Wednesdays, 8 p.m.

Oak Park Brewing Co. Trivia Night, Sundays, 8 p.m.

Roosevelt Park Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival, April 8, 1 p.m.

Sacramento State Festival of the Arts, April 5 - 9 Shine Questionable Trivia, Tuesdays, 8 p.m.

Sol Collective Ana Castillo Reading & Book Signing, April 1, 6 p.m.

Solistic Presents: Ancestral Healing w/ Vina Parmar, April 2, 2 p.m.

Southside Park Sacramento Grilled Cheese Festival, April 8 - 9 Sierra-at-Tahoe Boarding For Breast Cancer Shred the Love, April 8, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Streets Pub and Grub Pub Trivia, Sundays, 8 p.m.

Valley Springs Church (Roseville) Got Talent Sacramento Competition, April 1, 7 p.m.

Verge Center for the Arts Succulent Wreath Workshop, April 1, 2 p.m.

Spring Macrame Workshop, April 8, 10 a.m.

Whoop Dee Doo Opening Reception w/ Performances, April 8, 6 - 9 p.m.

Polymer Clay Workshop, April 12 - 13, 6 p.m.

WAL Public Market Temporary Destinations by Bekah Wilson Smith and Adam Wever-Glen, Through May 3 West Sacramento Community Center 4th Annual Sacramento Indie Arcade, April 8, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

William Land Park Sacramento SPCA Doggy Dash, April 8, 10 a.m.

El Dorado Hills Spring Carnival Mercedes Benz of El Dorado Hills

4.06-4.09

4.08

Whoop Dee Doo Opening Reception Verge Center for the Arts 6 p.m.

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Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

Live<< rewind

Where is Rosie?

Alle Farben

District 30, Sacramento Thursday, March 16, 2017 Words Claudia Rivas • photo evan e. Duran No matter how popular or obscure the DJ, EDM Thursdays at District 30 are notorious for bringing the international galvanized skill of electronics to the heart of Downtown Sacramento. Thursday’s act, hailing from the ever-changing and always diverse Berlin, was Frans Zimmer, prominently known by his stage name Alle Farben. Given the night’s widespread reputation, and a DJ whose stage name is German for “All Colors,” an evening of vibrant sound and a crowded club was expected.

With Zimmer’s recent album, Music is My Best Friend, multicolored in tune with pop-crossovers relative to those by Avicii and Calvin Harris, one would assume that the DJ would be no different in bringing a crowd of avid followers of EDM and those simply looking for a night out on the dance floor. But instead of the usual throng squeezed together in the compact venue with strobe lights and abstract mushroom fixtures all ready to go, there was an unexpected and quite noticeable lull in attendance.

Hard to believe the absence was due to Zimmer’s lack of notoriety. His resume includes over 31 million views on YouTube for his melancholic success, “Please Tell Rosie,” while also having graced Lollapalooza with a live set in 2016. He is also headed to Tommorowland later this year.

Despite a midnight start-time, Zimmer went on just minutes before 11:30 p.m. with a few bystanders already near the stage and others casually drinking along the walls of the apparent emptiness in the room.

Whether he was affected by the

SubmergeMag.com

size of attendance is unknown, but Zimmer’s act showed the credibility of a seasoned DJ. The City of Trees must have gotten its seasons mixed-up because it was unfortunately in hibernation on a night where people should have been moving on the floor to a wide range of impressive house music brought in by this multitalented DJ. He built up gradually, starting from sounds that resonated with those of ‘90s house that pulled young people into the warehouses of cities that never slept. With a neutral face and focused on the controls while his body slightly bopped up and down, he opened with disco hints and European aesthetics combining cuttingedge synthesizers with strong bass rhythm and melodic hooks. This amalgamation of funky grooves excellently complemented dancers on the floor throwing down the popular EDM footwork known as shuffling and cutting shapes by seamlessly gliding around to the beats.

Zimmer transitions from the trite yet well-crafted ‘90s segment of songs such as Tag Team’s, “Whoomp! (There It Is)” into a more heavy percussion based Afrojungle section. These components were hypnotizing. During this blending period, with each patron’s powerful stomps to the floor, splashes of light with kaleidoscopic hues blasted around the bodies in the room. The lack of audience at this point was not even relevant.

Catching the audience in a trance, Zimmer then turned to the stylings of tropical house, which pumped steel drums and island tinges into the air making those

who stayed in attendance for the entirety, and those passing through while bar hopping, hyped and ready to put this mix on their summer essential playlists.

While he played his singles such as “Bad Ideas” and “Please Tell Rosie,” both involving the care-free and impulsive, exciting attitudes of being young, those in the room especially enjoyed his track, “She Moves,” featuring Graham Candy. Though the audience most likely didn’t know these were Zimmer’s songs, that did not diminish their signs of approval.

The most impressive aspect of his stage time was not his obvious skills blending the various noises of house, but the order of his set’s genres. He decided to play the more pop-centric songs at the end. Usually DJs rely on these tunes as a crutch to immediately grab the crowd in an easy format, but not Alle Farben. He decided to prove that he was well-rounded and experienced enough to intrigue an audience before going towards pop, without showing arrogance.

Whether intentionally proving his abilities with or without popular music, his genuine smiles in between and his “Who the fuck is Rosie?” emblazoned shirt, showed Zimmer’s deep affection for music no matter the crowd size.

Though dancers lost attention during certain echoing, razored transitions, there was not one person in the building unsatisfied by the mix coming from the booth. If not completely letting the body move freely, those listening were clearly bobbing heads or tapping feet.

Sacramento masses, while deciding to save energy for the hysteria of St. Patrick’s Day wrongfully slept on this dude for his first time here. Don’t worry, his genuine and pure admiration for music makes it clear that he won’t stop mixing anytime soon. So maybe he’ll forgive us and come back. Next time, here’s hoping he gets the audience he deserves.

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

29

the shallow end I think I’m starting to develop a new kind of stress syndrome. Every time I’m watching local television and a news alert pops up, I jump, like I’m watching a scary movie. My phone buzzes with an update from the New York Times, and I want to toss it across the room and scream. (I could turn off these notifications, but I don’t know how … In fact, I don’t remember ever turning on these notifications in the first place.

One day, they were there. Sort of like that creepy phone call from The Ring that just says “seven daaaaays.” Who is this?! Leave me alone!

THERE’S JUST NO STOPPING IT.) I don’t think I’m the only one. The other day I was sitting in a break room with some coworkers and a special news alert popped up on the television. In the same instant, one of the guys croaked, “Oh no.

What did Trump do now?”

But whatever big authoritarian dreams the Trump administration may have had have fallen on tough times. It’s a good sign that our democracy—with its checks and balances—actually works. Sure, there have been executive orders and whatnot, but those have faced opposition in the courts. Even the much ballyhooed repeal of the Affordable Care Act got derailed—by Republicans, of all people—and

30

What If the Sky Is Actually Falling?

even though this administration has been nonstop bluster about how they were going to drain this or change that or terrific-ify the other thing, we’ve basically seen that there’s no one who can dig through the Kafkaesque, labyrinthine layers of overwhelming bureaucracy that define our political system. And we’re finally seeing why that’s a very good thing.

And you’re to thank, too, if you’ve been writing your congressmen and women, organizing and making your voices heard. Good job everyone. No matter which side of the political argument you stand on, democracy only works when the public is actively engaged in their government. Maybe this tumultuous first couple of months (that have produced three years worth of headlines) will humble our new president, as the office has done to all those who came before, and we can start a dialog and move forward amicably … OK, maybe that won’t happen right away, but it might not matter because we’re probably going to end up engaging in nuclear war with North Korea soon.

Even amid all the revelations from FBI Director James Comey’s testimony about Russian meddling in the last presidential election and the tragic terrorist attack in

Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

London, my keen anxiety receptors have been fully honed in on North Korea’s missile testing.

On March 22, The Great and Awesome Republic of Awesomeness (I think that’s what it’s called) test-fired yet another missile, once again defying United Nations sanctions. The test was a failure as the rocket exploded just seconds after launch, but this has been the third such test just since President Trump has taken office, proving that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un means business as far as ensuring he maintains his position as the world’s most bat-shit crazy head of state.

“Our military declares our stand to mercilessly smash all of our enemy’s moves with our own preemptive special operation and attack, as the wicked plan for the U.S. and South Korean war maniacs’ special operations aiming at our supreme leader is becoming apparent,” read a statement broadcast on North Korea’s state-run KRT network, according to NBCNews.com.

Meanwhile, on a recent trip to Asia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that, “The policy of strategic patience has ended,” in regards to North Korea’s escalating nuclear weapons program.

So maybe it’s going to come down to who preempts who first. As of right now, North Korea doesn’t seem to have the capabilities to launch

James Barone jb@submergemag.com a missile that could reach the United States, and their failed test-fire may have been thwarted by U.S. cyber meddling, but who knows? Maybe they have a billion missiles. Maybe every house in Pyongyang doubles as an ICBM silo. Maybe they’re planning on strapping the weapons to a pegasus loyal only to Kim Jong Un. I mean, at this point, I’ll believe anything.

Or, I’m just as likely not to believe anything.

Like, if Trump came on television tomorrow from The Oval Office and put on his best serious face and even toned down the bronzer just a bit to look more person-ish, and said in his best serious voice, like he did during his first address to Congress, that we were all in terrible danger, and we actually were, I’m not sure how I’d react. I mean, I’m not even on Twitter any more, so I might not even get the news of an impending nuclear attack until it was too late. But I’m so terrified of “Breaking News” now that when it does come on, I just leave the room, change the channel or dick around with my Magic: the Gathering collection and rock back and forth and tell myself everything is going to be OK. Look, if the shit really does go down, text me or something. Please.

RIP Jimmy Breslin and Bernie Wrightson.

Dive Into Sacramento & Its Surrounding Areas

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Issue 236 • March 27 – April 10, 2017

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Dive into Sacramento & its Surrounding Areas march 27 – april 10, 2017

#236 Alle Farben Empty House

Sunday School Alt-Rock Education

Thieves These Days

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Out of the Shadows

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