Threat Con Nation Issue 3 by Threat Con Nation

DEC 2013 - Issue 3

VENUE SPOTLIGHT

MUSIC GIFT GUIDE T H A T

M E T A L

/ W H AT I S L O C A L M U S I C ? C H I C K / N YThreatC E R I A Con Nation Magazine

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. 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! The band/artist interviews and narrative sections may have opinions and suggestions that are not endorsed by Threat Con Nation. Front Page: Paul and Joe (Race To The Bottom) Other image Credits: Jason Spyres, Race To The Bottom Nyceria Marketing / Advertising Director: Shawn Ernst Editor: M Montez Contributing Writers: Johnna Dean, Shawn Ernst, M Montez

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INSIDE

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BAND SPOTLIGHT:

RACE TO THE BOTTOM

t’s a tough world for emerging bands and there’s some pretty steep competition. For these chameleons of rock, it’s nothing but love and music for bands and fans alike. Race To The Bottom is shaking up the local music community by blurring the lines between genres with a unique sound and energy. 4

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Race To The Bottom is a four piece Rock band out of Sacramento, California. Members include Paul “Rocker” Lewis- Vocals, Sean O’Leary- Drums, Jim Peoples- Bass, and Joe Whitworth - Guitar. We caught up with Paul Rocker and Joe Whitworth in the studio to learn more about Race To The Bottom. ———————♫——————What would you say is essential for the success of local musicians. Paul: 1. Do the music that you love to do. If you’re not doing the music that you love to do, you need to be doing something else. 2. Take care of your fans. 3. Give respect in the industry. That includes the venues, the promoters and the other bands that you play with. If you piss off every band that you play with, you’re not doing yourselves any favors. If you piss off the promoters, you’re doing it wrong. If you know you really want to play a big venue, you know you have to sell tickets and you know you have to bring a draw. By the time you are ready to play a big venue, sell your tickets because that’s what you have to do. If you can work around it, more power to you, but if you can’t, that’s what you have to do. Joe: All of us are just scratching and crawling for attention. Some do it one way and some do it another way. What I think is the right way is to go with the flow. Don’t put yourself out there too fast, but then you have to take risks too.

bands or people are saying (and I don’t know if it’s right) but that we’re changing the face of local music. I don't know exactly how grand or how that is going to go. When I started this, I was totally naïve. I heard things in my head, but then I leaned that, well, wait a minute, the drummer has a beat, the bass player hears a certain rhythm, and the vocalist hears something . It comes together and It’s like a light bulb came on and I was like, wow, this is totally better than what I thought. With this band, we try not to push ourselves to sound like this person or that person. It’s cliché, but it’s magic, it’s like holy sh!t look what this has come to be and it’s pretty good. For me, I’m always trying to perceive what an audience is thinking. Paul: It’s tough though, especially now as we get more comfortable doing these songs and doing sets. Every once in awhile we still get that WTF moment like in the beginning and then we see people engaged and actually enjoying it and we still have that WTF face at the end because we are thinking WTF just happened? I don’t know but it’s awesome. It’s really gratifying. We are like, OK, maybe

What do you guys want people to get from you? Joe: It’s developing as it goes on. I was just a bedroom rocker and this is my first real band. I’m starting to hear how other Threat Con Nation Magazine

we should keep doing this and it’s ok that we don’t sound like other bands. When you put us four together, it’s a conglomerate of all these different styles, but you also have to be careful of that because we don’t know if that’s going to alienate us. We don’t fit in a particular genre, but we played with punk and progressive rock on one show and it worked for us. We created a bridge between the two genres. I would love to play with metal bands and punk bands. We’ll find our niche even if it means adjusting our set for the kinds of shows we are booked on. Bands are coming together and supporting each other more now. Before, it was sporadic and not always genuine, but now they seem really excited about supporting each other. There’s a whole new level of excitement between bands and it seems as though you guys have had a hand in that change in climate. Paul: You have to be genuine. I’m not going to have the same conversation with a band I wasn’t that big of a fan of. When we first played with Some Fear None and Zen Arcadia, we had a genuine love for their music. Nate (SFN) kind of started it for us because he was just a nice guy and we just wanted to keep that going. It seems like people are biting off of that, but it’s a genuine thing. 6

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When I saw you guys for the first time, you were all over the place in a good way. You guys are one of the more energetic bands I’ve seen in Sacramento. When you are in that bubble together, do you make a conscious effort to keep that energy going? Joe: What I’ve learned is to keep things moving. We are getting those transitions down. We are trying to keep that audience there and involved in the show, because it’s not just for us to rock out. The idea is to keep them there and not going to the bar, or outside, or checking their Facebook. We’re ourselves but we do think about how to keep the energy going. Like last night’s show, those transitions went smoother because we are starting to anticipate each other. Paul: I look at the strategy side. When we first started out, I was hoping it would go well, but then it got to the point where we were getting feedback that gave me the ability to feel more comfortable in myself, but artistically, it had to feel right. I can’t be so strategic on stage and during the show. It’s the feedback we get from the fans. Whether they talk to you afterwards or they give you the look where you see they are having a positive response, it’s a part of the natural progression. An authentic natural growth that people gravitate toward versus an over staged performance.

A lot of the bands that I’ve been really following lately are just so tight and have these transitions down because they have time together and we’ve only been together officially since last November. That’s not long compared to these other guys who have these killer type shows every night. We’re building that and its starting to become more natural. I have nothing but respect for this guy (Joe) to be honest. He’s the reason why I’m part of this band; Because of the stuff he does and puts together.

spire anyone to play whatever music they want. I don’t think there’s rules in music. There’s all these fancy terms, but it goes by feeling. That’s what music should be and I hope Race To The Bottom is always that. Paul: I think I’m the dreamer of the crew. I think anything is possible. I’m a high school drop-out who managed to make a successful career in IT, so anything is possible and I think we underrate ourselves. It’s hard because you’re humble at one point, but as time goes on you also see potential. I don’t see what’s wrong with trying to be more than a local band one day. I don’t see what’s wrong with reaching for the sun, even if all you get is the moon. Why not reach for the sun. I see Potential in our musical style, especially collaborating with this guy (Joe) and the new stuff we’ve been working on now and the things we got on the back burner. I love supporting the local music scene, but it’s ok if one day you’re not local anymore. Why not? I think music wise, with the feedback we get and the natural growth, if that keeps going, why can’t we keep going and maybe one day write a hit album? I’m like a teenager right now, where the world is ours and we can make it as far as we can dream.

What do you guys want for the future of Race To The Bottom? Joe: For me, that all four of us get something out of this always. That it’s always fun. In the bigger scheme of things, it’s pretty much new to me. I’m just having fun playing all these cool venues, but now it’s getting to be, well, I want more. We want shows like Concerts In The Park and Old Ironsides. I want to infiltrate Reno and San Francisco and Santa Cruz. It's almost getting to the point where I want to push on what I’ve learned from people like Danny and Tom and Knock Offs and everyone and help these younger bands. All of us bands in this area and outside this area are ambassadors of local music. I’m starting to get more into that and I’m under♫ standing it more. I just hope that we in-

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What Is

“Music is freedom. It gives me the oppor through song. Even th able guy, I grew up friends. Music change It gave me something do that not everyone quiet in my head tha

To You?

am an artist. I’m a painter, a writer, and graphic designer. I’ve worked with many art mediums, but no other medium has been as satisfying as the human being. Everybody has an interesting story to tell and the power to inspire others. I wanted to find a way to bring some of that magic out of it’s hidden corridors and into the light. When I first thought up this project, I dismissed it. I didn’t know how the question would be received. Is it too simple? Is it too cliché? Yes, however; My curiosity boiled over with it and I found myself obsessed with it’s implications. I wanted answers. I wanted a glimpse of what this little question could summon and was finally consumed enough to know that I couldn’t let it go. I was compelled to embark on this adventure with you because the answers are always more important than the questions. –M 8

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“Music is life. It helps me deal with

my PTSD from combat. I can just let go of the pain when I pick up my sticks. I go blank. I feel life and love run through my arms, feet and soul. Touching my drum skins is like making love– Gentle, but rough at the right times. I could go on for hours.”Nicholas Morgan (Decipher)

“M p m fr w

ab u P

“Music is life! Without music I think I would be lost in the world. For me “Passion , fascination music can be fun, sad, words in the English v thrilling, exhausting, exabout Music.. Its hist cellent, and all the other within our electric Un feelings you get. To me that Hums with soun u y cultbm it's definitely a language bSmall spaceittobmy e u er nchours of hof thendless for all to understand.Whe e me jo e m s , s n e o e ti Life wouldn't be com- or th artistic ec hwa ncurves, n w o c d an l part of too plete without music.” Music ct b gra carries many Steve Samudio (Once inte and conneh oth ofeLife h ac , The witevolution An Empire) shapes and colors.. W tap into our soul.. Into as individuals. It tells s

is the ability to create something from nothing and it rtunity to say all the things I might not say in real life hough I seem on the outside like an outgoing, personup shy, withdrawn and possessing of only a couple ed that for me and it opened me up to a wider world. g to talk to people about. It gave me something I could e could do. It made me special. Music is the special at only I can speak to.”-Allen Dean (Skin Of Saints)

Music is extraordinary to the simple fact that it is innate to us humans. Yes there are forms of music rom other creatures, (Humpback whales for example) but us humans seem to have the unique bility to improvise, create, manipulate and ROCK the F' out of it!“Paul Rocker (Race To The Bottom)

“It's the Oxygen Mask being turned on to fill a breathless Man's lungs! Kind of like that.”Jason Weisker “Music is my (Some Fear sanctuary.“Cindy Novak

“Music is my therapy. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or having a hard time putting my thoughts into words, music expresses the emotions for me and I feel released! I often feel validated when I hear a song that I can identify with. An angry Heavy Metal rock song, a mellow happy acoustic folk song, or a deep sad love song all have the same positive effect on me.”-Crazy Cher

n , admiration , and inspiration are just a few of the vocabulary that describe just a fraction of how I feel tory as well as its origins , which are buried deep niverse, from Saturn’s North pole Hexagon storm , n o i g i , relvibrations n into the not so “nothingness” of undreand o ti o m e n C.F. Martin and Co. guitar that brings body man cAcoustic i is antiits uslearning fy challenging secrets hidden within its moy, e d i d we patiently aiting w ves anfor my skills to unlock it’s ability.

rsel u o banners.. But perhaps my favorite is it’s role in the r. e h e art when mastered becomes a language made of

Waves with peaks and valleys. An uncanny ability to o our emotions and essentially define who we are stories of cultures lost to the past and carries us into the future.”-C Lane

“Music is one thing we should never take for granted. For every emotion you have. Every situation you can find a song that makes you either feel better, or makes you able to express that emotion. Whether it is simply through listening to a song or writing one with the band. Music is everything. It's the one thing we can count on to always be there!”-Donny Jones (Dead In Seconds) Threat Con Nation Magazine

VENUE SPOTLIGHT:

OLD IRONSIDES

you make your way to the corner of S and 10th in Midtown, Sacramento, You will find an unassuming brick building with a huge mural of the famous warship “Old Ironsides” welcoming Midtown to stop inside and have a drink. Old Ironsides is one staple that continues to thrive and entertain the public while holding onto the charm of it’s colorful past. 10

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Old Ironsides was the first business to obtain a liquor license after the end of prohibition in Sacramento and has been owned by the same family since 1934. Many employees and residents of Midtown could unwind with the famed “5 Martini Lunch” or go into the Old Ironsides Bottle Shop for a little something on the go. Even today, you can still enjoy a beverage and homemade lunch during the work week.

wooden ship. Black and white photos of family and patrons, vintage neon, and sports memorabilia hang on the walls. Old Ironsides is a virtual public museum filled with history and you can’t help but wonder what stories this unsinkable ship could tell you if the vintage walls could speak.

The Old Ironsides Bottle Shop eventually saw it’s doors close after liquor found it’s way on grocer’s shelves., but this gave Old Ironsides more space for restrooms and live entertainment. This was the beginning of a new era for Old I. During the late 80s early 90s, Old Ironsides began to build a reputation for being one of the best places to listen to live music and the legacy still continues. Bands like Cake, Deftones, and Oleander have stepped on the same Old I stage along with countless other talented local bands today. Although Old Ironsides is a trendy place for live music and dancing, the atmosphere itself is unpretentious and every bit a neighborhood home away from home. The staff treats all of their patrons like family and are happy to have a friendly conversation with anyone that stops by. When you walk inside, It feels like you are stepping into a time capsule. Everything is just as it has been for decades. Beautiful curvy bench seating winds along the wall opposite the bar. The ornate architecture, retro wallpaper and mirrored brass portholes give the impression that you are in the belly of a great

From left to right: Art, Lou, and Gonzo Photo Credits: Jason Spyres

Visit Old Ironsides Calendar at

www.theoldironsides.com Threat Con Nation Magazine

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yceria has been making music and perfecting their own unique sound for the better part of 10 years. Their professionalism on and off the stage really says something about who they are and where they are headed. All you have to do is watch the music video for their song, “Scathe” to know Nyceria means business, but their raw and creatively blended music is nothing like business as usual. Nyceria is an amazing ensemble to see perform on stage. Vocalist/ Guitarist, Aaron Crowell’s vocal style has an emotional heartfelt quality that has a way of drawing you in. Nyceria’s keyboardist, Rohan Cowden, seems to provide the supporting structure that leads the music instead of just providing an interesting addition to each song.

Nyceria is out of Bakersfield, California, but you don’t have to travel far to see them live. They have played all over California in notable places like The Roxy Theatre, The Whiskey A Go Go, The Knitting Factory Hollywood, and will be performing in Sacramento at The Boardwalk on December 13th. If, for some ridiculous reason, you can’t make it out to see them perform, they have plenty of music for your listening and downloading pleasure at nyceria.com.

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Notes From THAT METAL CHICK ~> Expect to be dragged in! (Don't act all surprised) - Don't bitch, whine, or complain if you get a Minor Injury. ~> It Happens. (Besides, you'll waste precious time missing the show)! - Do. Not. Grope! ~> Girls are in there to actually Mosh. (Surprisingly. I know)! <Insert sarcastic tone> - Flying kicks aren't appreciated. ~> Not everyone is into hardcore moves. (Or wants to see your ”ninja-style-mosh-dance“ talent) - Know what you’r e getting into.. the Pit is NOT for sissy's. ~> If you can't handle it, get out. (People WILL help you out & It's cool if you need to bail)

Physical Contact is kinda necessary while participating in a Mosh pit. The best approach is to remember to stay relaxed. Keep in mind, your point of impact is meant to be friendly and playful, never with feelings of rage or anger. However, as we all know, adrenaline is adrenaline. So, you need to catch the natural rhythm and flow that the pit has created for itself, or you’re just gonna be miserable the whole time. Courtesy & Etiquette: - Someone falls. ~> You help pick them up. (No Exceptions!!) - If someone wants out. ~> You let them out. (Don't be a Douche) - If you push someone from the outside/edge of the pit. 16

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- Please don't bring your Beers in there. ~> It's only gonna spill or you'll drop it completely. (It's a crime to be Wasteful) - If you really gotta smoke. ~> Hold it so you don't burn others around you. (Personally, I despise this; It really fucking hurts!) - Make sure your footwear is secure. ~> No one wants is to get whacked by a flying shoe - If someone needs to ”Tie their shoe”. ~> You help protect them. (Brace yourself around them along with a few others to make a shield) - Do not dry hump girls who enjoy headbanging in the front row ~> They will not hesitate to smash you in the head! - Beware of photographers. ~> Give them some space. (They are there to do a job) - Johnna Dean

Love Bites S.W.I.M Genre: Punk Quirky fun with insightful lyrics. reverbnation.com/swimsomeonewhoisntme

Decipher Genre: Rock EXPLOSIVE! Powerful vocals. Decipher on Facebook

They Went Ghost Genre: Rock/Reggae One of Vacavilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best. reverbnation.com/theywentghost

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