Threat Con Nation Issue 1 by Threat Con Nation

OCT 2013 - Issue 1

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

GINA SALATINO Notes from

That Metal Chick THE EVOLUTION OF BAND FLYERS HANGING OUT WITH

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OCT 2013 #1 Threat Con Nation, powered by Threat Con Radio, is an independently owned, local music news and events publication available on a monthly basis for free. All Content is property of Threat Con Nation. We encourage sharing, but please ask for permission before using any excerpts or images in other published work via internet or print. Please feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or suggestions. Threat Con Nation would love to hear from you.

04 BAND SPOTLIGHT Skin of Saints

10 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Gina Salatino

Front page photo: Skin of Saints Other Photo Credits: Randy Wehner Photography “Paul Rocker” Photo Marketing / Advertising Director: Shawn Ernst Editor: M Montez Contributing Writers: Johnna Dean, Shawn Ernst, M Montez 2

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15 LOVE BITES Bites of wholesome goodness

08 The Evolution Of Band Flyers

14 Notes From That Metal Chick Moshing 101: from That Metal Chick’s perspective

16 Calendar

CONTACT//SUBMISSIONS Please feel free to contact us with any press releases, band news, event flyers, love letters, hate letters, original artwork, photos and anything else you would like to share with us. Threat Con Nation is currently seeking fiction, non-fiction and poetry that is local music or arts related. If you would like to submit original written work, please include your name and any links you would like us to add.

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BAND SPOTLIGHT:

SKIN OF SAINTS

here are many unsung heroes of our local music community; Many original melodies and meaningful lyrics. It is virtually a buffet for every taste and preference and makes for a great place to be a local music fan, but it doesn’t make choosing a band to feature in the first issue of Threat Con Nation an easy task. Sacramento’s own, Skin Of Saints seemed like the right band to pop our quasi journalism cherry. Your first time should be special right? Fortunately for us, they were happy to let us barge into their rehearsal room and make ourselves at home. 4

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Skin of Saints was formed in early 2012 by Allen Dean (guitar/vocals), Greg Fox (lead guitar/vocals), Jason Bailey (bass/vocals), and Bobby Campbell (drums). Blending metal/hard rock influences from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s with a unique vocal style that distinguishes Skin of Saints from other local bands, they are definitely one of Sacramento’s must see bands.

Skin Of Saints In the rehearsal room CLICK THE LINK SKIN OF SAINTS MUSIC

www.reverbnation.com/skinofsaints

Q. If you owned a venue, what would you do? Allen: I would make my venue known for having the best bands in town and I wouldn’t make my venue known for telling bands to bring their own crowds. If you only have the best bands in town, you build your crowd for your venue, not for each band because that’s just rolling the dice. The internet has created a slough of mediocre bands. Venue owners look at the hundreds of bands out there that are just ok and they go, well I can’t make money on just ok bands, so I’ll make all bands bring a minimum number of people. I don’t think they are really looking like they should.

week and we know what we should sound like. Bands spend years perfecting their set, their sound, their tone and they need to say, look, tell me what you need. Q. What are your influences? Greg: My friend’s big brother came home with a Led Zeppelin album and that forever changed my life. From that point, I tried to look like Jimmy Page or Joe Perry. These guys all had a neighborhood group of musicians, but I was all by myself so I was kind of just retarded in my advancement of playing. I started playing with the guys that were always better than me and it made me think, man I better practice

Q. Do you think the venues in Sacramento could be treating the bands better? Jason: They’re not looking at the big picture as far as knowing about sound and everything that goes with promoting and having live music at an establishment. As far as promoters go, we have to do away with selling tickets. We need more establishments that will promote themselves as well as the bands that they have play at their establishment. Allen: Definitely, I think clubs need to be more symbiotic with the bands. The sound guys need to understand that we are here practicing twice a Threat Con Nation Magazine

Band Spotlight:

SKIN OF SAINTS more and I made sure I was always practicing with someone better than me, but yeah, it would have to be Jimmy Page and Joe Perry and those guys that were just gritty dues paid workhorses and I think it reflects in the way I play too as far as style. Allen: KISS and Black Sabbath. Since I’m a left hand player for guitar, I was a huge Tony Lommi fan. As a singer, it was always Ronnie James Dio and Geoff Tate. When I heard Dio on the first Rainbow album, that was it for me. I was like RJD bro, that’s it. Everything he did

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after that, I completely followed back then. King Diamond was a huge vocal influence for me back when he was in Mercyful Fate. He did all that falsetto stuff, so it was fun to try to learn how to do that and incorporate it into different songs. I really wasn’t a singer until I was asked by some friends. Their singer quit and took all his lyrics with him. They had a party that Friday. These were guys I went to high school with and they became the band Critical Mass. I had to write lyrics and memorize them in four days. This was my first gig. I had a notebook and I had

“King Diamond was a huge vocal influence for me back when he was in Mercyful Fate. He did all that falsetto stuff, so it was fun to try to learn how to do that and incorporate it into different songs.” lyrics written, but I didn’t memorize out by ear some of the tunes and them and that’s how I first became a melodies just one finger at a time singer. picking it out and they were amazed. They started buying me instruments. Jason: Led Zeppelin was one of the Music was always a big part of my hugest factors in my music world and life, but it wasn’t until high school career. Black Sabbath was a major when I actually picked up a guitar influence for me, but the earliest I and played rock n roll. Really it was can remember was being five years radio, KZAP back in the day, classic old, I’d be visiting at my great stuff, then modern stuff like System grandma’s house and she would play of a Down and Tool. Elvis Presley, Liberace and all kinds of stuff from the 20s, swing and real thick vinyl records. I started playing Bobby: John Bonham, Neil Peart, on this little piano and started picking Led Zeppelin, and Aerosmith.

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f o n o i t u l o v e The series of posters for the Fillmore Auditorium brought us band flyers with bold, contrasting in San Francisco, California. The image below is number 29 in it’s series featuring Jefcolors and highly styled script that flowed ferson Airplane, Butterfield Blues Band and over the page. Muddy Waters. The posters were intricate and eye catching You can learn more about these highly with experimental designs subjugating all advertising content, making them the most sought works by Wes Wilson at http:// www.wes-wilson.com. anti-commercial advertising of the time.

The late 60’s to early 70’s

Via Lastfm.com

It was a time of rebirth for the arts. A counter culture brimming with new ideas and passions was emerging and one man was in the midst of it all. Bill Graham was one of the most successful promoters in San Francisco during the late 1960s, but his promoting didn’t just cover performing arts, he also became a outlet for artists to showcase their talents and he commissioned a number of concert posters from different local artists. Wes Wilson was commissioned to make a 8

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Via wes-wilson.com

band flyers In the 80’s Posters were often created through a silk screening process which allowed bands a number of creative options. Many depicted bold colors and the psychedelic style typesetting combined with other modern and retro elements.

Via oldpunkflers.tumblr. com

Punk As Disco and Stadium Rock started gaining momentum, a new scene was on the rise. A new counter culture began to emerge in retaliation to the mainstream movement. This new branch of Rock, called Punk, turned it’s back on the commercialized and polished look, thus creating a new style of anti-social band flyers. These posters were defiant and gritty, often depicting a collage of photo-copied images that were out of context, but often exhibited sarcasm and a wicked sense of humor.

com Via concertposters.

Today It seems as though the easier graphic design became thanks to advances of the home computer, the more the craftsmanship and art value was lost to today’s band flyer. To those artists that continue to combine retro elements with modern designs and to the bands that take the time and effort to use inventive imagery, we salute you! Let’s put the art back into the band flyer. Threat Con Nation Magazine

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

GINA SALATINO

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hile you’re laying back in the dentist chair getting that root canal, have you ever wondered what your dentist does out of the office? Golfing is probably the first thing that comes to mind, maybe taking their boat out to the lake or hiking perhaps. What if your dentist is a musician and what if that musician happens to be in one of the hottest local bands in Sacramento? It Kind of changes your whole preconceived notions of who a dentist really is when they’re not working on your teeth.

to be conscious of is not doing the boredom face because I’m not bored and I’m actually having an awesome time. Other than that, everything else is in the moment. I’m just having a good time and enjoying it.

Q. With your day job, you’re a dentist. Night job, you’re a musician. Which one did you want to do first? When I was in high school, I remember driving home one day, having a conversation with one of my good friends and she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up because we were getting close to graduating. I remember telling her, honDr. Gina Salatino’s life is somewhat estly, I would love to be a musician, a balancing act between her dental but realistically, I didn’t know how to practice in Roseville to traveling, make that happen. practicing, and performing on stage I wanted to pick something else that as the guitarist/bassist for the Sacra- would make a difference. Music mento band, Some Fear None. makes a difference to people. It changes people’s lives and influ_____________________________ ences lives, but I didn’t know how to achieve that and I think that was the Q. You have that sexy vibe going first time I started thinking something on when you’re on stage. Do you in the medical profession was where do it on purpose? I wanted to be. For me, sex appeal is all in the eye of the beholder. So I’m not sure that I’m conscious of what I’m necessarily doing. There’s certain things that I try Salatino to do, like my default face when I’m Family performing actually looks like the Dental face of sheer boredom. It’s not inten(916) 771-7873 tional, but it’s almost like the concentrating face where you’re just focused. It’s one thing that I do have Threat Con Nation Magazine

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: GINA SALATINO Q. How do you manage both professions? There’s literally no free time, but I love it. I don’t sit still well. It’s very scheduled and I feel terrible because the guys in Some Fear None pretty much revolve around my schedule. Q. Did you always know you wanted to play guitar/bass? Or did you try other instruments? I started with the clarinet when I was a kid and I hated it. I never learned how to read music. I wasn’t any good. I was surrounded by all these kids in band that were good and I felt like I could never be like them. In seventh grade, my music obsession started. I was really into The Doors

“Music makes a difference to people. It changes people’s

lives and influences lives”

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in particular. Jim Morrison and Robby, with his blues like guitar riffs. I just loved the way the guitar looked. It was the sexiest thing ever. It had to be guitar for me. I remember his Gibson SG, that guitar was just sexy to me and I own a couple of them now because that was the signature guitar that I had to own one day. It was a symbol of what I wanted. Q. Is that where the sexy vibe comes from? Yeah, I guess maybe it does. Q. You were Some Fear None’s equipment manager at first? Yes, before the guys had their first couple of shows, Nathan asked me to come in and kind of critique them and give some input about stage presence, song transitions and basic performance. I was their back up for if they needed a guitar string during a show. That was for about 3 or so shows. After that, I became their bass player. Q. Bass or guitar? Bass gives me the ability to be the performer I want to be. It’s not so technique sensitive that I can’t jump around and be more free flowing versus with a guitar. When I’m home, in the writing phase or practice mode, I reach for the guitar.

http://www.reverbnation.com/ somefearnone Debut Album,, Break Hold & Elevate in stores

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Notes From THAT METAL CHICK finally saying, "That's it, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m kicking your little ass!" So, there I stood, silently preparing myself for my first broken nose when several groups, about 2-4 guys, each step in simultaneously. They simply and calmly state, "Dude, you won't get away with hitting girls in here." My angry new friend seemed to calm immediately, took a good look around, and begrudgingly backed away. (Okay...No, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lie.) He got the Hell out of there, and Fast!! I was embarrassed, my foot was throbbing, and I acted like one of those yappy little dogs thinking I could take on someone like that. My feet were bruised and swollen for days afterwards. I was stepped on all afternoon and into the evening by my fellow concert-goers. Never did I realize so much "stumbling upon" and A couple years ago.... (Okay...No, "stepping on" one another's feet acthat's a lie.) Several years ago, I was tually took place at a concert before. in my early 20's, when I wore Chuck -Johnna Dean Taylors to a show. Well, this ass-hat rudely pushes my friend even though we were nowhere near a pit. This pissed me off, so I reacted by giving this dude a nice kick to the shin- exLesson #1: Wear combat boots. You cept I missed. I kicked his balls instead. (oops!) He was drunk, over 6ft might need to kick some douchebag tall, and had these huge arms. (This in the balls. just became noticeable to me now?) He's yelling at me, calling me every horrible name he could enunciate, ombat Boots- My favorite defense mechanism. They're a great safety feature and they come in handy when kicking ass. If you really need to wear your nice new shoes, just make sure you have a seat ticket and that you actually "Stay" in your seat.

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Love Bites Once An Empire Genre: Rock Album: Coming Out This Year. Bringing raw muscle to modern rock. reverbnation.com/onceanempireband

Dead In Seconds Genre: Thrash/Hardcore Chaos done right. reverbnation.com/deadinseconds

Kill The Precedent Genre: Punk/Industrial Album: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dialogues With The Deadâ&#x20AC;? Out Now! Warning: May cause you to gleefully break stuff. reverbnation.com/killtheprecedent

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Send Your Event Flyers To: 16

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info@thre

———————OCT/NOV 2013

eatconradio.com Threat Con Nation Magazine

BACK PAGE Q. Do you have any superstitions?

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Paul “Rocker”, Lead vocalist for Race To The Bottom: “I wear the same lucky underwear for every show (Of course, I wash them).”

Gina Salatino, Guitarist/ Bassist for Some Fear None: “I can’t play comfortably and happy if I don’t wash my hands first.”