Tag: Music

The Advantage, an all-NES theme song cover band, is appearing tonight at the Fool’s Foundation. Featured on “noyz(drums)” is Spencer Seim of Sacramento’s own instrumental noyz band Hella. Listen for yourself. I wonder if they do the song from Master Blaster? That would be my favorite.

I would like to listen to your new CD and review it on this Web site. Reach about 200 people daily, at least some of them potential super fans. Acquire that special cachet that goes along with being mentioned in The Sac Rag*. Please email me at cooldmz-at-sacrag.com and we’ll discuss the details.

*Note: At present, no local establishments have been known to offer discounts or any other perks for anyone with that kind of cachet.

I cannot get enough of The Seven Arms of Shiva. And no, I’m not talking about the destroyer of the world, I’m talking about the psych-trad-jazz project from local musician Chris Olsen, which I found via his blog. I could listen to his version of the Velvet Underground’s “After Hours” all day. In fact, I think I might.

Sounds like a fun lineup — Jonah Matranga (his site is missing the >: EXECUTE cursor), with Daisy Spot and An Angle tonight at the Old Ironsides. I’m not enough of a music nerd to know if this show qualifies as Twee as F-word.

SNR has a big music feature on Daisy Spot in the current issue. Local rock god Mike Farrell is very frank about drug use and its involvement in the creative process. Kudos for that.

But my favorite detail in the piece is that the record is produced by “longtime fan Dana Gumbiner” of Deathray and LGS and that he took to this role because “he realized it might be the only way he’d ever have the Daisy Spot album he’d long desired.” This seems like a classic Sacramento detail, and I don’t mean that in the usual self-deprecating sense that I usually intend. It’s kind of like starting a Web site to talk about Coffee Works (err, I mean, so that some anonymous person might write a comment about Coffee Works) mainly because you want to read a Web site with anonymous comments about Coffee Works.

Oh, and new drummer Alex Jenkins was in my extended group of friends when I was 8 and now he lives 1 block over from me. Small town indeed.

Although I really don’t know anyone that regularly listens to FM radio anymore, I did notice that the local station (93.7) that airs the “Howard Stern Show” recently switched formats in preparation for his December departure to satellite. Now I am not saying I listen to the Stern show, that’s like admitting you shop at Wal-Mart…sort of…I just happened upon this radio station while my iPod’s FM transmitter was syncing up, yeah, that’s what happened.

This new format you ask? Jack FM. Just one visit to their lame Web site will give you an idea of the cheese that is Jack. And this name thing for radio stations really bugs. It’s not new, I know, but come on, it’s a radio station. Here’s a good article about the switch (it’s to the sacbee! and it’s good! it CAN happen).
Continue reading “Sacramento radio throws in the towel”

It was a typical Friday night at Old “I” this past week, with the action starting off with a band called “Desario”. The act is comprised with members of past Sac bands The California Oranges, Holiday Flyer, The Sinking Ships and Rocketship. The four piece delivers melodic rock that I would quantify as a mix of The Gin Blossoms, Weezer, and The Killers.

I guess you could describe Desario as “Nerd Rock”, for they look the part, with specs (three Rivers Cuomo look a likes), plaid shirts and crooning rock songs that cry of insecurity and uncomfortability. The tempos and intensities of the songs remained constant for the most part, missing opportunities for contrast.
Continue reading “Desario @ Old Ironsides – October 7, 2005”

Let’s give a big Sac Rag indie bossa nova “welcome back” to Sacto’s quirky pop duo Daisy Spot, who are celebrating the release of their self-titled “debut” album tonight at Old Ironsides with Golden Shoulders and Prairie Dog.

I know they’ve only been gone for a little while but while we’re bringing back cutesy pop m/f duos let’s hear from Park Avenue Music. Man, I don’t know what I’d do if I had people telling me not to name drop.

Friday night, I’m intoxicated to the point of assistance when walking, and I end up at the Blue Lamp. The tinsel like backdrop on the stage visually confuses me, but not nearly to the level the act I’m there to see will.

Apparently this band has a following, for the club was at capacity. This, the “CD Release Party” was an opportunity for “Yet” fans to get a listen to the album in it’s entirety live and pick up a copy.

The band came out on stage with miner’s head lamps and began their set. The immediate and relentless barrage nearly crippled me. I watched in astonishment as five grown men assaulted the audience with the most incomprehensible set of rock music I’ve ever witnessed. I swear the entire band is chemically dependent, from a bass player who is clearly on methamphetamine, to a singer, who we will identify as “Mr. Happy”, having a strong preference to cocaine.
Continue reading “As Yet Untitled @ The Blue Lamp – September 17, 2005”