18 Jul
Heavy fucking show last night! Don’t miss the Melvins (in tandem with Big Business) on this tour—you will regret it.
11 Jul
You would think they’d be down to save money on smoke machine fluid, but NOOOO, the big bad Rockstar Mayhem Tour’s stop in Sacramento tonight, has been POSTPONED, until Monday, July 14th:
Concerned for the health and safety of our patrons, performers and employees, Live Nation announces a date change for SACRAMENTO’s scheduled Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival at The Sleep Train Amphitheater. The air quality and temperature are expected to improve by end of weekend, allowing for the event to be moved to Monday, July 14th and show time will remain 1:30pm. Tickets purchased for Friday, July 11th will be honored.
As we enter the second week of wild fires, and the recent 100+ degree temperatures, it is in the best interest of all involved that the tour date be rescheduled as conditions are expected to improve over the weekend. A variety of city and county officials have urged area residents to avoid long-term exposure to the outdoors and limit outdoor recreational activities.
“We sincerely regret this unavoidable rescheduling and apologize to fans for any disappointment caused,” says tour co-founder John Reese. “And while we’re thankful that the show can take place on Monday, our thoughts are with the families in this area during this difficult time.”
The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival event features more than a dozen artists, including metal giants Disturbed and Slipknot, acrobatic freestyle motocross riders from The Metal Mulisha and a wide range of vendors and other lifestyle festivities.
11 Jun
Can you dig on western/psychedelic? Do you enjoy both The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as well as the Brian Jonestown Massacre? If so, you’re going to love Spindrift. I played with this gang of five at Sacramento’s Press Club on Monday night, and they are the real deal.
Spindrift enlists members from both LA and Portland, and are currently showcasing The Legend of God’s Gun, which they perform as a soundtrack for the soon to be released film. God’s Gun is an incredible piece of work, and anybody that gets the chance to check this band out should do so immediately.
4 Jun
If you’ve ever heard of underground metal shitdicks Armed For Apocalypse, it’s probably been on this here blog, since A4A guitarist, co-screamer and mastermind Cayle Hunter also happens to spend his days trying to sell people ads on our fine suite of websites (if you’re interested, you should e-mail cayle@synthesis.net). The band recently borrowed a couple of Video Matt’s camera rigs to document the recording process down at Pus Cavern studio in Sacramento. Check out the video for “We Lost Nothing” above and know that no matter how tough you are, Nick Harris is tougher.
29 May
Sex In The City, The Crest Theater, Sacramento
Wednesday, May 28: The Ultimate Girls Night. My two best friends and I scrambled to get ready in Hotel Clarion, just down the street from the Crest Theater in Sacramento. "Which dress should I wear? The Samantha dress or the Charlotte dress?" I asked.
"I like the Samantha sparkly one, but if you wear the Charlotte one then we’re all in the same color scheme, and the pearls will go better with that one."
"Charlotte it is."
We hurried out and down to the theater just in time to grab a glass of wine and a couple bites of sushi for the Sacramento premier of Sex In The City. As we found our seats and rifled through the goodie bags (which included lotion by Chloe and Jane, Vitamin Water chapstick, a luggage tag, nail files, Arden Fair Mall coupons, and a make-up bag), we caught the tail-end of the look-alike contest. I applauded for the girl wearing the long navy coat and sparkly panties Carrie wore in the episode where she was picked to be a model at Fashion Week (my favorite episode). That took guts! Looking around the gilded room, I saw a sea of giggling girls in pink tank tops and fluffy skirts: the ensemble that started it all. Then, the lights dimmed, the familiar "dun dun dunna" began to play. Squeals of excitement and eager clapping spread through the audience as the skyline of New York came into view. This was the moment the three of us girls had been waiting for. Too long had we been missing the characters that had become our friends. For the next 145 minutes, we were reunited and captivated.
Throughout the movie I was laughing, grabbing for my girlfriends’ hands, and crying more than any other movie has made me cry before, out of joy, out of sadness, and out of sympathy for the conflicts the foursome face. Thankfully, no one died; I would have lost it for sure. But by the time the movie was over, I was emotionally exhausted.
"I’m satisfied with the ending, but I’m so sad it’s over!" I lamented to the girls.
"It’s never over! Samantha, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte are reflections of girls like us. Now let’s go to the afterparty and grab some cosmopolitans!"
Don’t have to tell me twice.
Off we went, hand in hand, walking strutting down the red carpet we came in on. Approaching the long line of ladies waiting to get into Ella, our Red Bull friend took us around the corner to the VIP entrance. No line and no waiting caused us to smile coyly as we walked in. Surprisingly there were a number of handsome gentlemen in the bar. Smart guys, I thought. This was the chick event of the year. A table of smooth-looking black men kept glancing at us. However, one walked by, bumping Heather’s cosmo, which sloshed out and narrowly missed her uber-expensive, never-worn-before satin shoes. In true Heather-form, she accepted his offer for a new cocktail with a smirk. He said, "Of course. I’ll just be over there," and walked away. How ungentlemanly.
Perhaps it was time for a change of venue. So we took a cab to the next club, Dream. Once again, we met up with our Red Bull guy who again got us in with ease, sat us down at his table, and ordered a bottle of champagne. To our surprise, the same group of men from Ella (and one ungentleman) came in, sat in the booth behind us, and ordered a bottle of Grey Goose and cran. Heather immediately got that trickster sparkle in her eye as she stood up and flirtatiously said, "I’ll take that drink you offered now." The cheapskate hardly put any vodka in it. We learned later that the posse was none other than Kevin Johnson’s, a candidate for Sacramento mayor and former Cleveland Cavalier’s point guard. We danced in the corner with them (well, they kind of just stood there watching) for awhile before telling them that his friend in the hat is a little rude and then left for the hotel to discuss our epically girlish adventures we had. The night was unforgettable and bonding to say the least. Sex In The City made me fall in love with my friends all over again. To quote Carrie, "After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart…" and if you’re lucky, they’re in the movie seat right next to you.
14 May
Video Matt hauled ass down to the Empire in Sacramento last night to meet up with the lovely ladies and gentleman of Eisley. Along with the above breakfast tips there is also an interview and some ubiquitous Video Mattidude currently for your perusal on the Synthesis YouTube channel.
