Archive for the 'Musical Chairs' Category
When we decided to make July the ‘Music Issue’ there was one person at the top of our wish list to sit in the Musical Chair this month- Jackson Griffith. Jackson has been covering music in Sacramento for over two decades, cutting his teeth on the much beloved Pulse! Magazine, Read more »
We asked local singer songwriter Autumn Sky to take a spin in the musical chair this month to coincide with the release of her debut album this month (and Tony King’s article about same). She promptly obliged, sending over the following, which she titled “The Up-and-Comers, Or, All the Local Musicians I Would Stalk if I Wasn’t a Busy Musician Myself.” Read more »
I am seated at a sticky table at Old Ironsides, years of spilt PBR and other mysterious liquids and liqueurs forming an impressive mélange. Seated to my immediate right is Charles Albright, with his debonair 70’s cop mustache, affable manner and a couple of his latest recordings for my perusal. What was supposed to be an hour of good-natured questions and answers turned into a sprawling three hour conversation where I was asked twice as many questions as I asked him. Read more »
Mindy Giles has been working in the music industry for most of her life, beginning with a gig as a teen record store clerk. She soon graduated to promotions and eventually landed a head office slot at Chicago’s prestigious blues/Americana label Alligator Records where she worked on records with many of her musical heroes. Locally, Giles is best known for organizing the popular Americana Ramble music series and for the concerts she produces with Steve Nikkel under the name Swell Productions. Read more »
Allen Rockwell fronts two of the most disparate rock groups in town—critics’ darlings Knock Knock, whose folk pop gems showcase Rockwell’s sunnier side, and Rock the Light, a camaro-drivin’ mesh-t-shirt-wearing hesher’s dream. Rockwell himself is something of a conundrum—a clean-living junior high teacher by day who also happens to need to rock the bejeezus out of any stage handy. We got to talking about his passion for trashy (is there any other kind?) rock bios and he offered to run through some of his favorites for us. Read more »
Steve Martarano currently works as a senior information and education specialist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Sacramento. A former reporter at the now defunct-Sacramento Union newspaper, Steve reviewed concerts for the Union in the mid-1980s, and considers the long gone Cal Expo Amphitheater as the best musical venue in Sacramento’s history. He and his wife, Sharon, have lived in the Curtis Park neighborhood of Sacramento for 25 years. Read more »
Matt K Shrugg is a one-dude tour de force. He plays in far too many bands to list here (including several with MidMo contributors), has created promo illustrations for pretty much anything to do with music in Sacto, has won the SNR’s ‘Best Drummer’ Sammie Award three years running, produces the brilliantly erratic rock n’ roll zine th’ Swingin’ Creeper, AND keeps up at least three separate myspace accounts. He has released three solo records so far this year and is currently at work on his debut album. He’s 26. Read more »
Chad Stockdale is one of those dudes you see all over Midtown, like 100 times a year, but you never know his name. Then you find out that he played crazy saxamaphone in Antennas Erupt and you think, “oh, of course.” Then later you find out that he has his own record label where he puts out records that generate ridiculously loving reviews in the indie trades, and that even hard-to-please Dennis Yudt is a fan. All this, but you’d never know it, ‘cause he’s sorta shy and humble. We had to bug him for a full year to do this… Read more »
Rodney Cornelius is best known as the ‘guitarist’ for Sacto’s zebra-vestedest garage-rock band, [and MM’s publisher’s first band –ed.] the Trouble Makers. Fans of said musical ensemble probably won’t be surprised to learn that Rodney’s musical career began back in 1963 when he formed a surf band with school buddies. They might be surprised to learn that Rodney also plays the didjeridoo. Rodney may be the only person on earth to have seen The Who open for Herman’s Hermits, Ice T open for Body Count and Miles Davis open for Leon Russell. Read more »