Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Questions For A Drummer


About four years ago, when I left my much loved part-time job in radio for a full-time job I didn't expect to be laid off three short months later and I was completely devastated. I was no longer part of the world I had poured my heart into for seven years and on top of that I had left my radio family for ...what? I realized that  radio wasn't my passion, music is. I felt like I had nothing, but deep down in my (broken) heart I knew I still had that.
I was un-employed and too stubborn to jump into some customer service or retail job, I wanted to be back on my career path dang it!  One of my dearest mentors suggested that I start a blog. 
That's when Sweet Sound Bites was born.  

Around the same time I met my friend Michael Pettett. He was the drummer in a local band named Spanish Cannons and I was trying to find my place in the wonderful world...of music: taking a stab at "managing/promoting" local bands. I was kind of a mess; I had no sense of belonging yet this tall, handsome, very talented young man not only befriended me but he believed in me. 

My blog is is small, it's tiny actually, but it is still a lot of work: researching upcoming shows, tracking down contact info, reaching out, hoping/praying/wishing for coverage approval, confirming a photo pass/photographer/a plus one, going to the show, taking notes about the show at the show, waiting for the photographer (if one was confirmed) to send photos after the show, editing photos, writing and trying to proof a review, putting the post together then posting it, sending the link to the contact(s) and finally sharing it on as many social media outlets possible.  Aside from friends who photograph shows when they can and friends like Michael nice enough to help me proof read reviews before they go live, I do it all on my own. There's no Sweet Sound Bites staff or list of contributors, it is mainly just me. All of that was easier to do when I wasn't working 40+ hours a week between two jobs like I do these days. So I've slowed things down a little bit on the show side of things. 

Michael and I at First City Fest 2014 


Michael has been a huge supporter of Sweet Sound Bites from the very beginning and I have been so proud to see him grow as musician over the years. His drive to go after what he wants without letting anything stop him is truly inspiring! He took time out of his rockstar-on-the-rise schedule to answer my questions for a drummer. 




















Q: How long have you been playing the drums?
I have been playing the drums for 15 years. I started with the clarinet in the 4th grade and after a year realized that it definitely wasn't going to get me laid, so I chose another instrument and I chose an instrument that would become my life and my passion, the drums.

Q: Do you play any other instrument?

I dabble on guitar and vocals and if I have access some keyboard.
Q: Do you have (have you had) any interest to play any other instrument? (If so, what?)

All the instruments that I dabble in (guitar, keys, vocals) I want to improve upon immensely. I think it's really important as a musician or instrumentalist, to have as many tools on your belt as possible to stay busy and really employed because of your versatility. I'm getting there, it's just hard to find enough time to accomplish these goals.




Q: What drew you to drums/being a drummer?
My brother was playing guitar at the time that I chose to play drums, so I think that was a part of my decision making process. Really, just wanting to be different than him, and my friend Kyle was a drummer in Elementary School with me, and I was really inspired by what he was doing and his natural talent on the drums.




Q: Are you currently in a band(s)?
I am the drummer for Be Calm Honcho.


Be Calm Honcho
Q: What was the last tour you went on? What was the experience like? How does it compare to your first experience on tour?


My last tour was with BCH and it was phenomenal! Being on the road is unlike anything you can imagine. It has all the excitement and mystery of a road trip, with the company you love, and the promise of playing music for new audience and old fans. We mostly focused on the North West, but doing that same circuit over and over can get a little repetitive, so we attempted to book out shows in newer territories, mostly focusing on Eastern Washington and Oregon. That landscape is a force to be reckoned with. Most of what you'd expect with the NW is forest and greenery, when actually the Eastern side is mostly flatlands and desert, so we tackled it with open arms, and had a blast. Some of my tour experiences have been filled with ups and downs, but at the end of the day, they're all learning experiences and a chance to travel doing what I love. I hate knocking one tour over the other because not every band or musician can say they've been on tour and for that reason alone I'm thankful and grateful for the musical experiences I've been given! 


Q: How many bands have you been in?
I've been in about 6 or 7 bands total, and with each one I've gotten closer and closer to my niche. With BCH, this is the best I've felt on the drums performing in a long time.



Q: As a drummer, how much input do you have when it comes to writing songs?

It varies from song to song. A lot of my input (aside from the beat) can be song structure and order for the way things occur, however, BCH is made up of a powerful set of musicians who have a really clear idea of what they want in each song, so if anything, it's made my job a bit easier in that I'm only focused on writing incredible, nuanced drum grooves.




Q: Have your exits from bands been amicable and how do they ("usually") come about?
Again this varies. Most of my exits have been difficult and not necessarily amicable, however, I've managed to maintain my professional relationships and friendships with the musicians that I've worked with in the past. I think it's important for us as a whole network to not have bad blood, but rather support one another in our coming-ups as bands and musicians. We'll most likely be sharing a stage together at one point, let alone work together again.




Q: Who's your favorite drummer and why?
Jason McGerr from Death Cab for Cutie. He single handedly taught me the value in simplicity yet maintaining beauty and perfection to add to each song. His drumming still blows my mind listening to their records and watching him perform live.




Q: What drummer(s) inspire you?
This could an essay in itself, but I'll try to narrow my focus. As I mentioned before, Jason McGerr, but beyond that, Steve Gadd, Dave Garibaldi, Sheila E., Carter Beauford, John Bonham, Jack White and many others. These kinds of lists are hard because I feel like they never reflect a true collective of my inspirations, but ask me in person, and we can get deep.




Q: In your opinion who's the best drummer ever?
I'd say John Bonham, but honestly, there's too many genres and too many facets to being "The BEST Ever".




Q: If you could play drums for any band, what band would it be and why?
Death Cab for Cutie. Again, Jason is my biggest influence, so it would make the most sense, but an immediate neck and neck second, would be Jack White. I would love to work with him one day, just to know what it's like to see his process.




Q: What's the best show you've been to so far this year?
The Decemberists at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley will be really hard to beat. They always floor me with their stage presence and ability to visually stun the audience every single time!




Q: What the best show you've EVER been to? (top 5 if t's too hard to pick 1 :)) 
1. Bon Iver
2. Death Cab for Cutie 
3. The National 
4. David Bryne & St Vincent
5. Mumford & Sons 



Q:  Best album so far this year?

Yikes. Kintsugi from Death Cab, but I don't wanna sound like a broken record (pun intended), so possibly Wilder Mind, by Mumford & Sons. I was really blown away by their change in direction and impressed with their new sound.




Q: Do you have a day job?
Yes. But it's flexible and allows me to continue to pursue my music!

You can, and should, go see Michael do what he does best, besides being a great guy and a good friend that is! Be Calm Honcho will be at Brick and Mortar here in SF on August 13th before they hit the road for their next tour



Saturday, July 25, 2015

Cut Copy DJ Set at Mezzanine 7/18/2015

Two of the four members of  Cut Copy, the indietronica/new wave/dance-punk band from Melbourne Australia, set fourth on their very first DJ tour this summer. Their live sets are Festival staples and have been greatly favored by fest-goers for years but this tour in particular has been a long time coming according to the band's founder, Dan Whitford. 

Cut Copy @ Mezzanine 7/18/2015
Photo by Nikki DeMartini


He and Tim Hoey (vocalist/keyboardist/ guitarist and guitarist respectively) shared the stage behind turntables at 13 club shows spanning from Texas to California. The grande finale took place last weekend in San Francisco and the dance floor at the Mezzanine was near capacity when the two band-mates started spinning around 12:30am. 


Cut Copy @ Mezzanine 7/18/2015 
Photo by Nikki DeMartini






All of the DJ sets took place ground level stage left of the curtained off main stage Saturday night, really giving the show a fun clubby feel. I've been to many shows here but this was a first for me; seeing a show set up that way at Mezzanine and it was neat to experience the headlining artists like that!
As fans danced to the groove-alicious beats and fluid flows they could get up close to the guys from Cut Copy if they were able to weave their way through the dance party. Nothing from their beloved album, Ghost Colors was spun but they still spread fun through out the venue with their much sought after, bright, creatively lofty remixes. 









Cut Copy @ Mezzanine 7/18/2015 
Photo by Nikki DeMartini


The Aussies are re-grouping in September to hit the road as a whole for a few live shows here in the states! 
September 17th: The Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
September 18th: TBD Festival - Sacramento, CA
September 20th: Mad Decent Block Party - Los Angeles, CA



"We've always DJed as long as the band has been around and club culture is an important part of what Cut Copy is about"
 - Dan Whitford 

Monday, July 20, 2015

Tough Mudder inspired Cupcakes!

This Summer I did Tough Mudder in Lake Tahoe with my Aunt and some friends. It wasn't my Aunt's first Tough Mudder, but it was mine and boy was I nervous! It was a beautiful  12 mile hike through Northstar Ski Resort, tackling about 20 different, muddy, wet, challenging obstacles along the way and it was so much fun! Don't get me wrong; it was grueling, and hot and long, it puts your physical strengths and mental boundaries to the test. But there's something about pushing yourself that's exhilarating and it's so fun to overcome both physical and mental obstacles with friends cheering you on!



In honor of finally becoming a Mudder and looking forward to doing it again next year, I baked a batch of Tough Mudder inspired cupcakes! 


Also, I couldn't pass up the  tub of bright orange frosting that caught my eye at Safeway, it fueled my inspiration further and chocolate devil's food cake seemed Tough Mudder appropriate so I went with it! Baking cupcakes from packages is always easier for obvious reasons and this time I switched apple sauce for the vegetable oil in the cake mix to keep things on the healthy side. One of our favorite road trip snacks to and fro Tough Mudder was peanut butter and chocolate Chex Mex Muddy Buddies! Perfect Tough Mudder munchies, right?! I had to find a way to incorporate them into these cupcakes!




Once I the cupcakes were covered with the shocking orange colored, vanilla flavored frosting I sprinkled smashed up muddy buddies all over them and stuck a couple hot tamales in each one ( I swear I had heard there would be fire somewhere on the course). 





In the end they didn't look very appetizing but my Tough Mudder cupcakes tasted alright! Besides being a little more dense than usual, using apple sauce instead of vegetable oil didn't make much of a difference. The peanut butter muddy buddies gave a nice little hint of peanut butter and a little bit of a crunch while the chewy hot tamales through in a cinnamon twist! These cupcakes were overloaded with different flavors and were kind of intense, but they wouldn't be Tough Mudder cupcakes if they weren't intense, would they?





I gave half the cupcakes to my fellow mudders, one to our friend we're hoping to convince to join us next year and the rest I brought to work for my co-workers, one of which also did Tough Mudder! She was delighted by my Tough Mudder treats and happily rewarded herself with one but my other co-workers did not partake. I guess cupcakes aren't the best thing to bring to work if you work at a gym!

Friday, July 10, 2015

MAGNIFI Presents Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015

June 8th was launch date for the first interactive music service that connects listeners directly to their local concert scene and on June 25th MAGNIFI hosted a free show at The Chapel with Geographer!


Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015 Photo by Nikki DeMartini

Doors opened at 7:00 and by the looks of it most everyone who RSVP-ed eventually got into the event. Chatty fans and obvious friends of the bands playing that night stagnantly gallivanted under the high ceilings of the Mission District's premier music venue. The crowd hardly paused when the local music showcase started around 8:00 with DJ Jamie Jams. The noisy scene hadn't quieted down any when the openers, Talk Tonight started. The six piece band had a light-hearted energy with a post-pop-punk sound which reminded me of Third Eye Blind in their prime. This was a pretty sweet event for everyone involved: it was free for attendees and an hour of exposure on-stage  is kind of  unheard of for a local, up and coming opening band like Talk Tonight.



Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015 Photo by Nikki DeMartini


It was nearly 10:00 when Geographer hit the stage. I'm sure I wasn't the only one there who was a little taken back to see the lady and gent who had tuned the drums and electric chelo during the (long) set changeover take their places behind the instruments. It wasn't until after the show that I learned cellist Joy Lee and drummer Cody Rhodes weren't simply filling in for Nathan Blaz and Brian Ostreicher, who had decided to part ways after the latest album, Ghost Modern was released in March. 





Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015 Photo by Nikki DeMartini




Expecting to hear a bunch of new material heading into the show, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the artistically composed, bitter-sweet, 'Original Sin' off of the 2010 EP, Animal Shapes at the top of their set. Swirling reflections from the spinning disco-ball over head was a great effect for the pretty layers of sparkly synth beats, instrumental harmonious melodies that effortlessly put the room in a peaceful trace. 



Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015 Photo by Nikki DeMartini
Geographer's staple, front-man Michael Deni, comfortably carried the dreamy electro-pop set while the new members did their due-diligence to fill the shoes of former, longtime band-mates. The set consisted of  a lot of old songs, the majority of which from 2012's, Myth with only a couple songs off the new album, including it's first single, "I'm Ready". Deni was casually confident and compassionate with his singing, guitar playing, maraca shaking and synth orchestrating, kindly thanking fans for being there and MAGNIFI for having them.





The show wasn't technically part of Geographer's Ghost Modern tour; rather it was a show celebrating the launch of MAGNIFI so it makes sense that not too much new material was played, plus it was nice to see old tunes be played by the new band-mates. MAGNIFI got off on the right foot in SF, connecting fans not only to new music but letting show goers see bands they like live and locally!






Geographer at The Chapel 6/25/2015 Photo by Nikki DeMartini





Saturday, July 4, 2015

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting




Aside from the white frosting, these cupcakes aren't typical red, white and blue or stars and stripes fourth of July cupcakes. But,  you could say that Trader Joe's Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting are independent of Gluten making them great for Independence Day celebrations!

They come in a four pack and at $3.99 per pack (before tax) that makes these cupcakes about a dollar a pop! I am not on a Gluten Free diet craze, nor am I allergic to it but I did want to see if there is a noticeable difference between a cupcake with gluten and a cupcake without it. 



Taste wise, nope, absolutely no difference! The flavorful chocolate cake is sublimely rich  and the buttercream frosting is thick yet light with a dash of vanilla. They're quite decadent little cupcakes, especially for being store bought! And boy are they moist! Super moist, not buttery, not heavy, just moist. For as moist as they are, these cupcakes are very crumbly; mine fell apart a little bit with every bite I took and stuck to my fingers a little bit, too! I guess that's where the gluten independence comes in. Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat and it helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds foods together. Go figure! 







I probably wouldn't have believed you if you told me these were Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting from Trader Joe's if I didn't already know how absolutely fab they are! Their no mess, pre-packaged, packaging makes them super easy to grab and go to your Independence Day barbecue, too! 

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Purity Ring @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015

Three years after their 2012 debut album , Shrines, Megan James and Corin Roddick of the Canadian electronic dream-pop duo, Purity Ring have found continued success with their sophomore album, Another Eternity. There were numerous sold-out shows on the tour in support of the recently released album, including their show at The Fox Theater in Oakland on July 19th, which saw  a second show quickly added on the following night. Both shows would run a little later than most, with one opening act as well as  a supporting act, but that didn't stop fans from running to save their place right in front of the stage for the headlining act when doors opened at 7:00 at the first of the two shows on Friday night.

Born Gold asked for the stage lights to be taken off of them and after which they started off calm in complete darkness. Flanked by bandmates on their own set of synthesizers, front-man Cecil Frena's energetic stage presence dominated the set, fighting to demanded attention from the crowd scattered about the theater.


Braids @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015 Photo by Marc Fong 
Supporting act Braids took the stage with a quite grace, emulating a calm before the storm of their emotion riddled, recently released third album, Deep In The Iris. Gentle yet powerful, singer Raphelle Standell-Preston humbly carried the band's unique blend of serenely invigorating  orchestral indie-pop. Her singing shined with a nurturing nature which spilled into her sporadic humble banter. The comradery both openers shared was very evident as they acknowledged their fellow Canadian friends and and expressed  their happiness and extreme gratefulness to Purity Ring for taking them on tour. 



Braids @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015 Photo by Marc Fong 
Creating an unassuming, un-contrived vibe, Braids played a lot of new material delivered with a different depth than heard on the album. Their live performance was profoundly more interesting, enjoyable, sounding more solid and impactful. A crackling feed back unbenounced to me, was picked up by the band's keen sense of hearing,  causing them to pause before the last song of their set, "Miniskirt". Braids finished strong and left the stage to a pleased crowd and a packed house.




What with their mix of trip-indie rock layered with dream-pop and spellbinding witch-house, it wasn't surprising to see the diverse crowd of trendy teeny boppers, burners, goths and preppy techies that Purity Ring's drew.  After watching two bands perform in front of the headliners back-lined equipment and curtains of little, un-illuminated stringed lights, it was finally time to see the anticipated intricate stage set up be brought to life. Trading their once homely, bohemian aesthetic for a sleek, stylistic almost futuristic one: the stage washed in warm violets, those cascading light curtains and an ominous prism podium like fixture between them, Purity Ring dove right into the sweet realm of Another Eternity with "Stranger Than Earth". 

Purity Ring @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015 Photo by Marc Fong 



Purity Ring @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015 Photo by Marc Fong 


Radiating in her own custom made all white outfit, Megan weaved around stage, in and out of the dangling lights,  meticulously wondering through shadows with Corin perched behind the podium of prisms which turned out to be some sort of  xylophone that lit up when he played it! The whole scene was un-intrusively captivating.





Their signature, hauntingly romantic sound played well over the acoustics, accentuated further by the majestic visuals in the grandiose theater. These audio and visual innovators have embraced the light of Another Eternity allowing their always pleasing live performance to glow in epic proportions. 

Purity Ring @ The Fox Theater 6/19/2015 Photo by Marc Fong 

Purity Ring Set List 6/19/2015 

1) Stranger Than Earth 
2) Push Pull 
3) Repetition
4) Obedear 
5) Lofticries
6)  Heartsigh 
7) Sea Castle 
8) Belispeak 
9) Fineshrine 
10) Dust Hymn 
11) Flood on the Floor 
12) Stillness in Woe
13) Bodyache
14) Begin Again