Unplugged Magazine June 2013 (#6) by Unplugged Magazine

Unplugged June 2013

B The

ell oys INside: - Record Store Day Round-up - Debate on dallas Green - Knockout Kid update - Blacklist royals exclusive - Autumn Sky Spotlight - more album reviews

Letter from the staff:

the community in music

am sure it’s cliché to read about someone feeling like an outsider and just looking for a place they belong. There are countless Fox Searchlight movies about the exact topic. It’s definitely not a new subject for me to write about, but this is different. It’s a story about the community where everyone belongs. I was always the black sheep of my family, seeing as my brothers and I are the only multi-racial members. In high school, I was negative, angry and felt like no one understood me. So I was an average teenager. Talking to people wasn’t always so easy, but I had a strategy: talk about music. It was something everyone could relate to. In 2007, I learned about Bad Brains through the Myspace music homepage. I had no idea that punk existed beyond the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Bad Brains was new to me, and opened up a whole new idea of what music was. My desire to explore and discover was stronger than ever. Bands like the Descendents, At the Drive-In and Fugazi started to fill my iPod. All of these songs about feeling left out but saying “fuck you” to those who made you feel that way were exactly what I needed at 16. Around the same time, I began to truly discover underground hip-hop. I couldn’t tell you how obsessed I was with MF DOOM’s “Operation: Doomsday” or CYNE’s “Evolution Fight.” What was so special about all this music I began to find was the community that I found connected with it. I found communities filled with genuine, intelligent and accepting people. I would go to shows or meet people who were fans of the same music, and they always seemed to be welcoming. Day-today socializing became easier after adjusting into this newfound community of music-lovers. I also became more welcoming of people. I learned to accept others from those who had accepted me. Whenever I hear Jeremy Bolm of Touché Amoré scream through my speakers, I know there are people who appreciate that same scream. Whenever Childish Gambino raps about not living up to the racial expectations set by other members of his race, I know there are a whole slew of people, no matter their race, who know that same exact feeling. When I look down at my forearm to see the Bad Brains lightning bolt I have tattooed there, I know there is an entire community behind it. Sincerely,

Daniel Romandia

Writer/Photographer

Daniel@sacunplugged.com

Top 5 Albums On Repeat The Old Prince Shad

One

Bad Brains Bad Brains

two

Madvillainy three Madvillain Metaphorical Music Nujabes

Four

Silent Alarm Bloc Party

Five

Listen A** hole Alisha and Daniel discuss Dallas Green and his projects PG

And the record rolls on

My Scene My Music

Artist Spotlight

Scottish John talks about crowdsourcing and how it helps aspiring artists PG

Find out what great music festivals roll through the nation PG

Autumn Sky sheds a little light on the plans she has for her music in the future PG

Table of contents

Album reviews

Great reviews on some of the music that came out this month including: Daft Punk, Vampire Weekend, The Wonder Years, and more

drop the needle again 04 RECORD STORE DAY ROUND UP: Alisha

and Steven talk about their top two finds after this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Record Store Day

Knockout Kid PG This resilient band from the Midwest shares stories that could make any band quit Blacklist Royals 16 Growing as songwriters and musicians,

the Nahsville punks talk about their pasts

mag

Editor in chief

Steven Condemarin alisha kirby

Writers

Josh Jurss daniel Romandia Ian La Tondre (columnist)

Intern

Jorden Hales

Copy editors

Cody Alexander Robert Augilar Megan Houchin

Photographers Allen Dubnikov

Contributors Kendra beltran Thomas nassiff

Record Store Day Round-Up

here’s something exhilarating about sifting through bins of records, seeing the artwork, and being able to hold something in your hands. There’s an excitement one experiences when finding the exact album that they were looking for; a feeling that’s absent when downloading music online. Here at Unplugged we were elated when we stumbled upon some of the records on our “to purchase” lists. Here were a few of our favorite finds.

Their / They’re / There - “Self-titled EP:” Clear “Sea-foam”/ 800 I love Evan Weiss. I love Mike Kinsella. I’ve quickly grown to love Matthew Frank. Most importantly, I love the three of them together. I read a blog somewhere that described the band’s sound as “math-pop” and I’ve got to say, that’s the closest description I’ve seen so far. This indie-supergroup’s EP was released through Polyvinyl, so you know it was pressed really well.

& Now, Now - “Neighbors (Deluxe):” Clear Mint Green/ 500 This is a record I’ve wanted to have spinning in my room for years. Tracks like “Roommates,” “Neighbors” and “Giants” are some of my favorites in the band’s catalogue, so it was nice to ﬁnally get my hands on this. The die cut artwork packaging is creative and adds a depth to the otherwise simplistic cover. The record came ridiculously warped, but somehow plays normally. I’ll probably snag another copy just in case, but for now it’s holding up ﬁne.

06.unplugged.June.2013

Stories by Alisha Kirby

Record Store Day Round-Up

Drop The Needle Again

Bayside - “Live At The Bayside Social Club:” White/ 900 Although Victory Records is known for being a little stingy with their pressings, Bayside’s “Live At The Social Club” can very well be the break in their mold. With a limited press run of 900, this retina-burning white 12-inch vinyl is flawless. The sound is crisp, clear and feels as if I was in the Social Club in New York almost five years ago.

Stories by Steven Condemarin

Linkin Park - “Hybrid Theory:” Black with bonus 10”/ 2750 Being the huge fan I am, my expectations for Linkin Park’s “Hybrid Theory” were pretty high. This is the first time it has been available on vinyl in 10 years. Unfortunately, the 120-gram, 12-inch pressing of the album was a disappointment for how steep the price was, but the 180-gram, 10-inch reissue of the rare B-side “My December” was amazing. Along with awesome lyric sheet for the album, you also get the “My December” poster. Overall, bravo!

June.2013.unplugged.05

LISTEN LISTEN

A**

HOLE Debates about music we love and songs we hate are common place within our group of friends. Sometimes they’re lighthearted and amusing. Other times arms will flail in frustration and the volume of everyone’s voices will rise.

ity and Colour is former Alexisonfire vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green’s solo project, and his newest album, “The Hurry and The Harm,” is set to be released on June 4. While both bands are great, most people tend to prefer one over the other, and we at Unplugged are no different.

Daniel

Did Dallas Green really break up Alexisonfire?

V.S Daniel: First and foremost, I don’t want

this turning into people thinking, “You obviously hate Dallas Green by himself.” Let me just point out, I am a big fan of City and Colour (CAC), but I’m mad at Dallas; he’s the reason that Alexisonfire is done with and we all know it.

Alisha: (chuckles) Now here’s my thing:

Didn’t a couple of other members leave the band though? Like, at the same time?

Daniel: They left because he decided to

completely focus on CAC. They all had side projects, but they were willing to balance them out.

Alisha: But other bands go on. I mean,

they get new members; these guys gave up, these guys just quit.

Daniel: No, they’ve been the same mem-

bers, aside from that one shitty drummer, who was an asshole anyway for 10 years.

CAC was getting bigger than Alexisonfire. Maybe he liked it more, and even if that is why he left, they were in the middle of writing. They came out with that last EP and then six months later, he leaves? I mean who does that? That doesn’t just happen. You don’t just come out with an EP and say, “you know what guys, we’re done now. This last EP and that’s it.”

Alisha: Well, how else would you have

wanted them to end it? Tour extensively on their EP?

Daniel: No. I mean, they did that “farewell” tour pretty much just in Canada.

Alisha: They’re from Canada! Daniel: Yeah, but you know what? When

Alisha: I don’t know if that’s true – I think Daniel: I promise you, it was just once.

that you found out late.

that there were a couple line-up changes.

Alisha: OK, well, I’ll just Google that after this. After seeing his touring schedule, I don’t think he ever actually slept; it was 24 hours of writing, recording and touring. As far as switching over to CAC, I get it for a lot of aspects. I mean, now he has full creative control over it; he doesn’t have to write a song and have four other people come in and tinker with it. He gets to do exactly what he wants to do. Even business-wise, even if you took art completely out of it – which you should never do, but even if you did – the genre that he does now is way more accessible to so many more people. There are a lot of people who would never listen to Alexisonfire, but would definitely listen to CAC.

Daniel: But that doesn’t mean you have to completely leave your other band for it, though.

Alisha: But that’s not why he left. 06.unplugged.June.2013

Daniel: Well, that is why he left. I mean,

you’re from California and you’ve seen them once, and that’s simply because they were sharing a tour bus with Shad – it hurts to know that they were actually kind of amazing.

They even wrote a song about it because it was the only time they switched any people.

Check out Dallas Green’s City and Colour on Spotify

Alisha

Alisha: It sounds like you’re just butt-hurt Daniel: Listen, asshole, it’s not just that.

It’s the fact that they were going to release a new album and it was going to be good. When a band, especially like them, have a streak of amazing albums and one so-so album, just because one project gets really popular – why would you leave mid-writing? What I mean is I think that he could have given the loyal fans a little more of a “goodbye” rather than just releasing an EP, starting to write music and then quitting. From a fan’s perspective, if they were in the middle of writing an album, the least he could do is finish writing that album.

Alisha: But what if his heart’s not in it?

What if he’s just done and sick of writing for that genre and then he continues to write, but it ends up sounding like shit because it was forced? And then there you are, left with a horrible goodbye album. Instead of going through that, what they do is just release the songs that sounded good, because they didn’t want to release bad music, and called it an EP. Would you rather have them release a half-shitty album?

1417 R street sacramento aceofspadessac.com

Tickets Available @ Dimple records, The Beat, Armadillo (Davis) Online: AceOfSpadesSac.com By Phone: 1.877.GND.CTRL OR 916.443.9202

6/1 FINCH

THE ORIGINAL & ONE DYING SECRET

6/2 FEAR FACTORY

HATE ETERNAL, KOBRA & THE LOTUS, KILL THE PRECEDENT & DEAD IN SECONDS

6/4 LOGIC

& VISIONARY MUSIC GROUP

6/5 JUICY J

6/14 THE ALMOST

@ THE BOARDWALK 9462 GREENBACK LANE CONDITIONS & PALISADES

6/17 WE CAME AS ROMANS LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES, UPON A BURNING BODY, CROWN THE EMPIRE, ICE NINE KILLS & SET IT OFF

6/18 MEMPHIS MAY FIRE

& A$AP FERG

I SEE STARS, ATTILA, STICK TO YOUR GUNS, HANDGUNS & MERCHANTS

6/8 BRET MICHAELS

6/19

FORCE OF HABIT & MAXXX

6/9 THE MAINE

A ROCKET TO THE MOON, THIS CENTURY & BRIGHTEN

6/11 NEKROMANTIX & THE COMMUNITY

SUMMER OF STRANGE TOUR KRIZZ KALIKO, STEVIE STONE, !MAYDAY!, 420 DARKSIDE BOYZ, DYLAN PHILLIPS, RICHARD THE ROCKSTAR & COOL NUTZ

6/20 THE SUPERVILLAINS @ THE BOARDWALK 9462 GREENBACK LANE

KAYASUN, SIMPLE CREATION & REBEL RADIO

6/21 FIJI DREW DEEZY & FINN

6/22 ZAVALAZ (FEAT. CEDRIC BIXLER-ZAVALA OF AT THE DRIVE-IN & THE MARS VOLTA) & PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

UPCOMING SHOWS IN JULY: 7/19 ARDEN PARK ROOTS, THRIVE, SIMPLE CREATION & ISLAND OF BLACK & WHITE

7/22 BLACK FLAG & GOOD FOR YOU

7/26 SUMMER FEST 2013 WE THE KINGS, T. MILLS & THE READY SET

And The Record Rolls On Kickstarter: Great, when not abused

et me throw a little image in your head. A scenario, if you will. Picture yourself walking. Let’s say walking down J Street downtown. Plenty of people going about their business, the hustle and bustle of the street echoes through the tall line of skyscrapers. You hear the clips and claps of shoes smack against the dulled paved cement. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a man. He’s dressed averagely. Not necessarily homeless or poor, but he’s not decked in gold either, wearing the usual T-shirt, jeans and a pair of worn sneakers. He’s coming up to you. Hard times have fallen on him, it seems, and to get back on his feet, he asks you to pull out a couple bucks and graciously, kindly give it to him. Now you stand there with the decision. Would you do so? Yes? No? Maybe? All right, let’s change it. Let’s say he’s a singer. He’s the singer of one of your favorite independent bands (no record label). He’s saying, “Hey, I heard you really liked the last album! Would

08.unplugged.June.2013

you want to help us make the next one?” Would you do it then? Would you give that person more money to make more art? Art that you can play back again and again for your own listening pleasure. Well, if you haven’t gotten what I’m talking about so far, my friends, I’m talking about Kickstarter. Now for those of you who know about Kickstarter, it’s not just about music. You can Kickstart just about anything, but let’s face it: this is a music magazine. So it just wouldn’t be fun for me to rant about all the cool indie films that are being Kickstarted right now. Plus, I don’t know jack shit about films. Except for the fact that Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill make a surprisingly incredible duo, but I digress. For the crowd of people reading this that don’t know what Kickstarter is, it’s an online website that allows users (sign up is free) to post creative projects to be funded by the world. There’s also Indiegogo, which does virtually the same thing. But I’m using Kickstarter as the example here because I kind of talk out

loud when I write and saying Indiegogo 30 to 40 times is going to make me want to throw you into a pit of fire. So I’ll be blunt. What’s wrong with it? It allows fans to support artists or ideas so that artist can keep creating. I’ve heard people say things like, “they should just use the money from record/merch/concert sales for that.” Well, that’s not a bad point, but here’s the skinny: the truth is we live in 2013. Everyone and their mother have been on a computer, smart phone or something internet-connected today. We’re all linked in a big sea of www’s. That whole thing has its goods and bads, but I’m not going into the belly of that beast today. I’m just pointing out where it sucks for artists, mainly musicians; it’s that most people are going to steal your record, or single, or EP, or whatever. So all of that money that a band would’ve made back in, say, 1999, is nowhere close to the same. Granted, you can say, “Well, more people are hearing it through the internet, so in turn more people are going to buy it just because

“

Kickstarter’s not perfect, but it sure as hell helps. All you have to do is utilize it.”

of more listeners.” Well, like I said, you can say that – but I don’t think that’s true. Kids and young adults are the ones who are usually passionate about music, and that is often not a rich demographic. So if they can get away with downloading records for free, then it’s going to happen. But here’s the thing: the in-

ternet created a problem (stealing all those dope records) and the internet (sort of) made a solution. I think that’s mighty morphin’ cool right there, right? Kickstarter’s not perfect, but it sure as hell helps. All you have to do is utilize it. Now, I’m going to tell you a tiny story. Well, maybe more of a happening than a full-blown story. It’s a happening that I find a little abusive, to be honest, but I’ll let you guys make your own decisions. Recently, a band called Eisley has created a Kickstarter. Now, Eisley is not a huge band. Not ever in the Top 40s or anything, but they have had success. Their first tour was with Coldplay, and they are about to go on tour with Equal Vision label-mates Say Anything. Between that and previously signing with Warner Music Group, you can say the

group has had success and they’ve been able to make a living being in a rock band. Now, their Kickstarter is to help fund their tour. The part that bugs me is that it’s not so they can go out and tour, it’s so they can get a bus instead of a van. See, recently some members of Eisley have had some children. So now they want to bring their spouses and children along on tour. As a fan, why should I pay for that? Listen, I totally get that being on tour means you’re far away from your family and that, without a doubt, seriously blows. But playing off the love of your fans, saying you won’t go on tour without being able to have this? I don’t know if that’s super cool. Oh! I haven’t even told you the amount yet: they are asking for $100,000. To me, this is a little abusive. You chose the path of

Swing on over to our website to check out some more cool stuff! being a musician. You knew from the get-go you probably weren’t going to be rich, and if one day you decided to have a family, you’d have to suck it up and go on tour to pay the bills or settle down. So, my friends, this pisses me off a little. Well guys, I’ve run out of words. With Peace and Love, Scottish John Scottishjohn.unplugged@gmail.com

June.2013.unplugged.09

What’s your favorite summer tour/festival?

My Scene, My Music

Kendra Beltran Los Angeles, CA Founder of Golden Mixtape goldenmixtape.com The first time I stepped into Warped Tour, I was instantly overwhelmed; be it the heat, the fact that I had to lie to stay later to watch Fall Out Boy, or that I was terrified to lose my dad’s phone. As I “grew up,” I began to hear people I started going to shows with say things like, “Warped is not for me anymore,” “too many kids,” “don’t

know the bands,” or, “I’m just gonna do Coachella.” Whatever their excuses, I just sat back and said, “I might not ever know what the hell a Black Veil Bride is, but if bands I love continue playing, I’ll be there.” When you live in California, you’re lucky to have a handful of dates, from San Diego up to the Bay Area and everything in between.

Besides the multitude of shows (I, of course, love going for the music), there’s another reason Warped will always have my heart; for those of us who haven’t traded in the scene we were bred in, it’s like an awkward family reunion of sorts. That guy you never missed at a Cobra Starship show, those girls

who’d throw down for a Motion City Soundtrack set list and even those Fall Out Boy fans you can’t stand. It’s nice to see them at least once a year, and it’s always refreshing to see a young kid’s face the first time they walk through those gates – overwhelmed just like I was my first time.

Thomas Nassiff New York, NY Fuse web content editor

@ThomasNassiff The Fest in Gainesville, Fla. is some sort of holy mixture between the last day of school, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone shows up to Fest HQ at the Holiday Inn on Friday for registration and the atmosphere is a jovial one; friends who haven’t seen each other since last year greet one another, new friends are made while waiting in line to receive pre-ordered wristbands, records, T-shirts and koozies are purchased at the flea market and, most prominently, the muffled clink of many Pabst Blue

Ribbon cans drawing together can be heard all afternoon. The weekend itself is one of the wildest experiences you’ll have. It’s a haze of great punk rock, a lot of quality Mexican food – Gainesville may be known for the University of Florida, but if that wasn’t there, it’d be known for Mexican food – and the $2 tall boy PBRs make it all go by even faster. My favorite part of the weekend – even as a member of the media – is how relaxed everyone is. Everybody is there to listen to music and have a

What’s your favorite local venue and why? Hit us up on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #myscenemymusic and we’ll publish our favorite answers in next month’s issue! @sacunplugged fb.com/sacunplugged

good time. You don’t get a bunch of emails from publicists about bands being available for interviews. You don’t see a cluster of people buzzing around in the photo pit or sidestage. Everyone is just hanging out and watching the bands. In short, the Fest is a wonderful thing for Gainesville and a wonderful thing for punk music. If you’re going to travel to a festival this year, I couldn’t more ferociously make a case for any other.

What’s your music Veloz scene like? Rick Blythe, CA

Tumblr: velozmachine

Nolan Stubbs Lincoln, NE Tumblr: nolanstubbs “My local music scene is fractured. From the hardcore kids, to the pop-punkers, to the indie-hipsters who generally believe they’ve heard every band you haven’t, and have met Connor Oberst more times than you ever will. Elitism leads to smaller crowds at shows, causing touring bands to generally stay away from our state.”

“I live in Blythe, Calif. There is nothing here. Since my move here the music scene pretty much consists of me jamming at the one tiny music store in town. So needless to say it’s badass.”

Nick Hartkop (vocalist/ guitarist) Akron, OH Twitter: @McCafferty_band “The music scene around here varies. There’s a decent indie scene considering Akron is known for that.”

Josh Jurss Chicago, IL Neck Deep Media writer

@JoshJurss Riot Fest has one of the most stellar lineups in recent festival history. In the past few years, however, they have hosted the festival in a few select cities outside the Midwest and I’m determined to choose a festival exclusive to the Midwest. I’m choosing Summerfest, Milwaukee’s musical marathon, partly because it’s cheap, but mainly because I feel it’s underrated. For only $60, you can go to all 11 days of Summerfest and it can’t sell out. There are ten stages, and only one of those requires a ticket to get into. That stage is usually reserved for aging rock stars, country singers and at least one or two pop acts, all who draw at least 15,000 fans. The rest are free stages hosting the likes of Jimmy Eat World, Dropkick Murphys, Cake, Imagine Dragons and Social Distortion. The stages are all close by and on the shore of Lake Michigan, which provides a nice cool breeze in the middle of a late June/early July festival. Headliners usually start between 8 and 10 p.m. and will play their greatest hits for a couple hours while people perch themselves precariously on bleachers and railings. Then the real magic of any great music festival begins: the sun goes down, the only lights are from the stage and cell phones and everybody starts singing along to the band you’ve been waiting all day to see. It’s a thing of beauty. On the other hand, you could just buy a case of Faygo and head down to Cave-in-Rock, Ill for The Gathering of the Juggalos. Your choice.

Unplugged M

From the magazine you’re reading now, to our online content, we’re expanding! @sacunplugged fb.com/sacunplugged

Go follow our Facebook and twitter to discover new music! Visit our website for daily updates on new releases! sacunplugged.com If you have any questions or comments, email us at sac.unplugged@gmail.com. ask us how to be featured in our next issue or how to advertise in our next issue!

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punching through hardship

Knockout kid comes back after losing some serious cash And their singer Story by Josh Jurss

nockout Kid is being stood up. They’re loading up their van post-show in a bowling alley parking lot in Tinley Park, a suburb of their native Chicago. Tonight is the kickoff show for their tour with Dallas, Texas’s The News Can Wait, and the promoter hasn’t even shown up. This hasn’t always been the case, however. “That was probably our most profitable tour,” says guitarist Karl Nickolo, describing the band’s first Midwest tour. “We were able to break even. We had enough gas money and we were able to eat without spending our own money. That was the best part about that tour.” Knockout Kid has been on several tours since, including a full United States tour with Connecticut’s Casting Call, where the band’s van broke down an hour outside of Las Vegas. Guitarist Jake Fuerst recalls sitting in the desert at 5 a.m. playing guitar on the merch bins in the company of a few wild dogs. “I was just playing guitar and starting to freak out. I’m not gonna fight three dogs. I’ll lose,” says Fuerst. The band lost more than six grand on the broken van fiasco, an unfortunately common occurrence with touring bands. Back inside the venue, the room has reverted to its original state; tables and chairs placed accordingly around a pair of cheap, long, elementary-classroom-style tables. Besides a slight lingering odor of body sweat, there is no longer any evidence of the punk show that took place a half hour before. Sitting cross-legged in a semicircle, Knockout Kid tells their origin story: Fuerst and drummer John Jacobs brought a stack of demos to a Sam Ash music store to recruit members. Nickolo overheard them and snagged a demo. “I listened to that on the way home and was like, ‘Dude, this is what I’ve been looking for: pop punk,’” recalls Nickolo. “It’s where my roots are at.”

12.unplugged.June.2013

After finding a singer and bringing on Nickolo’s friend and former bandmate “Fat” Mike on bass, the band recorded an EP and headed out on that first, successful Midwest tour. Soon after, they parted ways with their singer and became dormant for months. Enter Wade Hunt, former vocalist of A Face For Radio. Hunt had been contacting bands all over the United States searching for groups in need of singers when he came across Knockout Kid. After demoing a few songs and having some “deep conversations about basketball,” as Nickolo puts it, Hunt dropped

everything, moved from New York to Chicago, and became Knockout Kid’s full time vocalist. Since then, Knockout Kid has released an album called “It Comes With the Job Description.” The next few months will be filled with a hefty touring schedule, as well as the release of physical copies of the new album. Knockout Kid has been playing and promoting the same songs for almost two years and are weary of doing so, but to everybody else, the songs are brand new. It’s the curse of being in a band, but Knockout Kid is well aware of this.

The

Bell Boys

After continually hearing their name resurface on the topic of “awesome local bands,” and with a little nudge from their end, Unplugged Magazine wanted to do this band justice and give them the coverage they deserve. After countless emails back-and-fourth and an awesome photo shoot session on the rooftops of Old Sac (shhh), we got the privilege of finding out how The Bell Boys do what they do and when they plan on realeasing thier next album.

Interview: Steven Condemarin Photos: Allen Dubnikov

State your names and roles in the band. Erik Bell: Guitar and lead vocals in the band. Business roles are overall operations manager and booking. Jacob Bell: Bassist, vocalist, and lyricist (rapper). Business roles include financial officer, legal supervisor and graphic/ web designer. Elijah Bell: I play drums, vocals, keyboard and I also take care of visual arts like videos and posters and such. In the promo pics, it looks like two of you are twins. How old are the three of you? Jacob: 24. Erik and myself do look a lot alike; we even get ourselves confused sometimes, in pictures and on video. However, we are not twins. Actually, the three of us are all three years apart from each other. It worked out great that way growing up too. We were close enough in age that we were into a lot of the same kinds of hobbies, sports and arts. But we were far enough apart in age that we never had to June.2013.unplugged.13

compete with each other in things like school, jobs or girls. Erik: 27. Elijah: 21. Your Facebook says your hometown is Lake Nebagamon, Wis. How did you guys arrive in Sacramento? Erik: Jacob and Elijah grew up in Wisconsin for about eight years. The family had originally stayed in Stockton, Calif. but moved out to the Midwest. Erik was in college in Santa Cruz at the time of the move so he stayed in California. After five years in Santa Cruz, Erik moved to Sacramento. He asked Jacob and Eli to move from Wisconsin to Sacramento to start the band and the rest is, as they say, history. Just recently, our sister Hannah has moved out here as well. We like to stick together. How would you describe what The Bell Boys sounds like to a general audience? Jacob: Our sound varies from song to song, and by who is listening. Different people

14.unplugged.June.2013

hear different sounds in our music. However, my favorite audience-given description of our sound would be “honest pop” or “what the radio should sound like.” Our sound is unique and innovative, yet still has aspects that feel familiar. There are timeless elements in our sound that everybody can relate to, performed in a new and exciting way that the audience finds fresh and exciting. We like giving the listener something simple and catchy, but before you know it, we change it up with something complex. Erik: The Bell Boys has a little something for everyone. I think that’s where music is heading. Instead of classifying music into genres, music is reaching a broader audience by intertwining genres, the right way of course. What bands influence TBB the most? Do certain ones come out more than others in the writing? Jacob: Personally, I’ve always been a huge fan of the funk; George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Cameo. I’m also inspired by underground hip-hop,

specifically from the Midwest. Artists like Atmosphere, Brother Ali and Aesop Rock. The above mentioned definitely influence my writing. They know how to tell amazing stories through their songs. Playing bass and rapping, I try adding as much funk and Midwest lyricism as Erik and Elijah will let me. Erik: I grew up with the classics whether I wanted to or not. Journey, Queen, Sly, (Lynyrd) Skynard. But in college, I was influenced more by indie bands like As Tall As Lions, Bright Eyes, Death Cab, Minus the Bear; I mean, they were “indie” ten years ago. What is the song writing process for TBB? Jacob: Sometimes one of us will write most of a song, and the other two will complete it with our influence and/or musical contribution. However, sometimes we will be jamming, and out of nowhere a song is born on the spot. It’s a very rare and special occasion when that happens. Those songs usually end up being the great ones. Erik: Yeah. I mean, we already had so much material between

the three of us. It’s hard not to just revisit songs and revamp them for something different. When it comes to writing from scratch, our songwriting process is as organic as it gets. Just jammin’ until we like what we hear. Eli: Yeah, we have a first come, first serve policy. If you like the music and you want the lead vocal part, you better speak up, and it better be good. Aside from all this seriousness; What do you guys do on your down time in Sacramento? Erik: Honestly, we all like to chill. I mean, we go out to local shows as a group or as individuals. Most of what we do for entertainment is surrounded by music. It is nice to have weekends off from playing to go check out bands we know and chill with cool people. Other than that, we usually end up hanging out together. If you guys had to add a celebrity or well-known artist to the group, who would you add?

Jacob: Stevie Wonder or Elton John; someone who can play piano. Elijah: Any of the members from Incubus, or Chris Martin. Erik: Dave Grohl, Ben Gibbard or Dave Gibbard. Now back to you guys; You released a single in February. Is there an album/EP coming out soon? If so, does it have a name yet and when are you guys aiming to release said album/ EP? Erik: We have not yet come up with a name for the album. It’s definitely still in the works. It’s going to be a blend of electronic stuff that we used to do when we first started, as well as some of the more grass-roots rock that we play live. And you know, we’ll throw some hip-hop in there too, ‘cause that’s what we do. Jacob: July 26 is the date we plan to have our next album release. We will be celebrating the release at Concerts in the Park in Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento.

Check out more photos from this awesome shoot on the back page of this issue!

July 26

The Bell Boys with:

THE BRODYS Humble Wolf

Facebook

Hero’s Last Mission DJ Billy Lane

Bandcamp Go like the Bell boys on facebook or go check out their latest single “Ticket Stub” on bandcamp

Eli: We’ve been spending a lot of time with different types of artists and musicians, so I can only see us moving forward with that same idea. I mean, keeping it Bell Boys but drawing influences from different artists we know and love. The first mixtape TBB released definitely had more of a hip-hop influence. What made you guys want to change direction in sound? Can we expect a whole new sound in the upcoming album/EP than in “The Jean Hagen EP?” Eli: We’ve done hip-hop from the beginning and I think there will always be an element of hip-hop in our music. As far as doing a full-blown hip-hop project – you’re gonna have to keep posted on the interwebs for that. But I know for a fact that the three of us have a few tracks coming out this summer with some emcees we work with. Jacob: Like I said, the audience loves it when we keep them on their toes. You can expect that from our next project. We’ll be intentionally “leaking” out some samples as we continue to work on the album. It will be a brand new Bell Boys production. That’s all we can say for now, though. Sorry, no spoilers!

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Songwriting with personality

Check out blacklist royals performing an acoustic version of the title track from their upcoming album, “Die young with me.”

BlackList Royals delves into past troubles in their upcoming album Story by Alisha Kirby

lacklist Royals, a four-piece punk band out of Nashville, is passing through one of the bleaker parts of Modesto, Calif. About two-thirds of the businesses on the street where the venue is located are closed down and boarded up. That doesn’t bother Nat Rufus (vocals/guitar), his twin brother Rob Rufus (drums), Dirk Mathews (bass) or Brad Blanco (guitar) much. “We grew up playing in bands together,” says Nat Rufus of himself and Rob. “We moved to Nashville from West Virginia to start a new band. Our town is nice going back, but it’s kind of closed off to the rest of the world growing up. “But I’ve always loved the escapism aspect of rock and roll, that ‘Thunder Road’-esque shit you know?” Despite the urge to get away, each man carries something with him to remind him of home or where he wants to go. Whether it’s Rob Rufus’ Vietnam bomber jacket from his father – which has been through about 32 countries – or Blanco’s Euro from his first European tour, each has their sentimental token. “I made a lot of friends in Germany, and it opened my eyes to what’s out there,” says Blanco while restringing his guitar. “It’s not just what’s inside your small town or big city.” He also holds onto a little something from his hometown in Oklahoma, “whether it’s a pin or a shirt from a shitty local band,” it’s something to remember home. The traveling and the number of shows played since the 2010 release of their debut LP “Semper Liberi” has proven benefi-

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cial. The Rufuses feel they’ve reached a point in their songwriting where they can delve into the personal stories they’ve held on to, including Rob Rufus’ teenage years battling cancer. “I feel we weren’t really at the point as songwriters or comfortable enough with ourselves as musicians or people to talk or sing about that kind of stuff,” explains Rob Rufus, eyes darting toward any inanimate object. “But it’s something the band’s always had to deal with. It’s just something we never really touched on.” The band is tackling the subject in “Die Young with Me,” the title track off their upcoming album. “It just seemed like the right time,” says Nat Rufus. “I’m really happy with how the record turned out. Songs about getting drunk are rad. The world needs those tunes, but we’re trying to step it up and do something a little different. “There’s a song about a friend of mine that died on the record, and to anybody else it’s just a song,” he says with a laugh, “So you could play it at a pizza place like tonight, and somebody could be like, ‘Boo!’ And I’m all like, ‘Fuck you!’” Yet it’s playing the emotional songs that makes people want to listen. A crowd begins to form in front of the stage: a couple sporting an orange mohawk and a green, partially-shaved head start something of a square-dancing, two-person mosh pit. The floor fills and the energy in the room shifts. “You’re playing songs about things that are really personal to you,” says Nat Rufus. “But once you make it a song, it’s everybody’s song.”

Autumn Sky

Artist spotlight

ot many artists are so committed to their music that they will play hundreds of shows in their hometown, do all they can to please their fans and even perform while being 70 percent deaf from a major sinus infection. Singer-songwriter Autumn Sky has done all of these things, and that only just touches on what she will do for her music and fans. Sky has been a big part of the Sacramento music scene since she was 17 and released her first album, “All Which Isn’t Singing.” Since then, she has been performing as much as she possibly can and has won the Sammie, the Sacramento music award, for best artist of the year for three years running since 2010. Her success isn’t luck; she is a very strong advocate of DIY and hard work. “I believe in being positive, I believe in working together and I believe in working your butt off towards what you’re doing,” says Sky. “Optimism can only take you so far. You have to have your stuff together.” She has not released a full-length album since “All Which Isn’t Singing,” and doesn’t plan on releasing one in the immediate future. “I’ve been hanging onto this handful of songs that I’ve written in the last year and a half … I’m not pushing myself to release them until I can give them a really good chance.” Sky says she might try to release EPs until she is ready to put this collection out to the world. Autumn Sky is an artist who uses her life experiences and the phrases from others to write her music. She is very fanoriented and incorporates their experiences into the set pieces she creates for her live shows. You can read all about these and more in our next issue. Story by Daniel Romandia

Go check out Autumn Sky’s Facebook to hear her song with Musical Charis and Saint Solitair, “Little Heart” June.2013.unplugged.17

Album Reviews

daft punk

Visit SacUnplugged.com for frequen

the Front Bottoms

Man Overboard

“random access Memories”

“talon of The hawk”

The music world has been waiting the better half of a decade for this release. Now that Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” has been released, one of the genius things about the album is instantly apparent: the French duo gave the world new music that is heavily influenced by a sound that isn’t new. Arguably the most famous act in the electronic-dance-music scene, fans began to grow tired of waiting for new material since the release of “Human After All” in 2005. Although they did the score for “Tron: Legacy” in 2010, it wasn’t a proper studio album. The best thing that can be said about “Random Access Memories” is that it did not disappoint. The album is filled with funk bass lines that George Clinton is probably jealous of, and smooth synths that glide through the album to create a melody that almost seem cohesive throughout the entire thing. Guest spots with Julian Casablancas and Pharrell Williams are used very well and don’t overpower the music and production. The album is easily recognizable as Daft Punk through the signature voice work from the duo, the melding of the retro influences and the modern music they create. “Random Access Memories” isn’t just a successful album; it’s a successful Daft Punk album. With their reputation, that means just a little more.

The opening track of “Talon of The Hawk” is essentially a minute and 48 seconds of the band saying goodbye in two different languages. If you’ve spent any time at all with the Front Bottoms’ discography, this isn’t a huge surprise; the band isn’t known for taking themselves too seriously. They don’t tiptoe around what they want to say, as proven by lyrics like, “Goodbye future once so bright/ Meet my pregnant girlfriend” (“Lone Star”). That first verse takes an abrupt turn that shocks you with the intimate honesty. These guys don’t filter a thing, and that’s what makes up for the less-than-perfect vocals. Brian Sella may not be able to “sing” in a conventional manner, but the guy is funny, sometimes painfully honest, and is probably a lot like someone you either know or can relate to yourself. Songs including “Santa Monica,” “Funny You Should Ask” and “Everything I Own” are all standout tracks, but the first single, “Twin Size Mattress,” is one of the most mature songs the band has recorded. Everything from the lyrical content to the instrumentation sounds like accidental growth. If the Front Bottoms continue to take small steps in that direction they could easily capture a larger fan base with each release.

Man Overboard writes music that’s fairly simple, catchy as hell, and incredibly accessible. Some people love the band for these reasons. They can enjoy singing along and just having a good time, while others can’t stand the band for the exact same reasons. They want more depth and complexity. Well, Man Overboard is continuing on their path of hook-infested pop-punk with “Heart Attack,” and I for one am all right with this. There are a few aspects of the band’s songwriting that are highlighted in this album. These guys can write a chorus (insert every title to every song on the album), and that’s a strength I can’t emphasize enough. They’ve mastered the back and forth between co-vocalists Nick Bruzzese and Zac Eisenstein. While the band doesn’t try branching out with this one, they’ve realized what they do well and have perfected it, squashing any qualms of this album becoming their self-titled 2.0. This is a band that will continue to play what they want and release music they know they can perform well. It’s OK to listen to lighthearted songs about heartbreak or being in love, no matter how many math rock or death metal bands you listen to. Just try listening to “How To Hide Your Feelings,” “White Lies” or “Re Run” without singing along and then we’ll talk.

By Alisha Kirby

By Daniel Romandia

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“Heart Attack”

nt reviews throughout the month!

Album Reviews

The National

Vampire weekend

“trouble will find me”

“Modern Vampires of the city”

Bands will often experiment with different sounds in one album before going back to the one that gained them recognition. “High Violet,” released in 2010, was the experimental album for The National. The band began creating a sound that was more ambient rather than creating music that was more accessible and enjoyable. With the release of “Trouble Will Find Me,” the band has gone back to their sound from albums like “Boxer.” The National has been known for their dark and almost danceable instrumentation combined with Matt Berninger’s deep, lazy and emotional vocals. All of which are highlighted on “Trouble,” especially in “Sea of Love,” which plays like the soundtrack to an indie film starring Aubrey Plaza. For The National, that’s a good thing. Throughout the album, the instruments are either full and lush or quiet and somber. There isn’t much of an in-between. That is what works so well; every song knows what it is and what it’s trying to accomplish. Berninger calmly glides through each track as if he is melodically reading Allen Ginsberg under a tree. Again, this is perfect for The National. The best thing an album can do for itself is not leave listeners with any questions about what the band was trying to accomplish. So it’s good to know that “Trouble Will Find Me” has so many answers.

This album is most certainly a matured Vampire Weekend. The classical-inspired album can very well be their best album thus far. After conquering their “sophomore slump” with the multi-gold album “Contra” in 2010, Vampire Weekend took two long years to bring us “Modern Vampires of the City;” and we should be thankful for it. Starting off with the slow and steady pace of “Obvious Bicycle,” front man Ezra Koenig impresses with high falsettos that aren’t too new to Vampire Weekend fans. Although you can hear traces of that classical sound in the first two songs, “Step” is heavy with leads and choirs that sound straight out of the 1800s, but with that experimental, digital Vampire Weekend finish. After passing through the album and hearing two songs that sound like altered B-sides to “Contra,” an extreme change of pace comes into play with “Hudson.” Pulling away from their signature sound, Vampire Weekend experiments with a goose-bumping, high-pitched choir and a bone-rattling low-end that bass almost sounds like a baseline that Muse could play. On top of sounding dark, lyrically this song only gets darker with lines like “Hudson died in Hudson Bay/The water took its victim’s name.” Overall, this is a “grown-up” Vampire Weekend that’s not leaving anytime soon, proving why they might just be one of the greatest indie-rock stories in the past decade.

“The Greatest Generation” is the third part in a trilogy of records about growing up and dealing with your 20s. It’s about selfdiscovery and coming to terms with who you are. It’s about learning to be the best you can be in a world that’ll keep turning, regardless of your successes and missteps. The album includes some of the band’s strongest material. Songs like “Passing Through a Screen Door” and “The Bastards, The Vultures, The Wolves” portray just a bit of their sound from previous albums, only with an angrier, more aggressive tone. Tracks like the opening “There, There” and brilliant “The Devil in My Bloodstream” start off slow before diving head first into a sense of desperate urgency. The latter is fantastic; it’s full of one-liners (“I know how it feels to be/ At war with a world that never loved me”), Laura Stevenson’s contribution in the quiet opening half, and when it peaks, this song will give you chills. The album closes with “I Just Want To Sell Out My Funeral.” This monster of a track demonstrates singlehandedly the precision in the band’s songwriting. Within the 7:34 timespan, TWY seamlessly build up a medley of one-liners and small portions of the previous songs. Tracks blend into one another with the simplest change of a kick drum and snare hit before the final lyrics die out. There are a number of changes these guys have made from album to album. Whether it is Nick Steinborn’s piano-led intro to “Devil In My Bloodstream,” Matt Brasch and Josh Martin’s stronger vocal presence or Mike Kennedy’s usual prowess behind the kit, each addition makes the album that much better. The trilogy is complete. Anything from here on out is just a bonus.

By Steven Condemarin

By Alisha Kirby

By Daniel Romandia

The Wonder Years “the Greatest Generation”

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Feature Photos By Allen Dubnikov of Allen Daniel Photography Go check out his work!