OC Music Magazine

This week's issue features Her Voice Remains, Sublime @ the Palladium, She and Him @ the Glass House, Alwayz Double Dippin, and our departments: Magic Music, Rising Talent, Datamusicata and Music Marketing!

 Cover Photo by: David Sachs

David Sachs

OC Music Magazine sat down with alternative rockers Her Voice Remains at Pitcher Park Sunday, joined by loved ones, wild parrots, a honey house and a small barn in an almost comical—yet equally insightful—interview and video feature.

Her Voice Remains began their musical triumph in 2005, promoting front woman Danielle from behind the kit to behind the microphone, moving audiences with moody lyrics.

“We worked together as a trio (guitar, bass and drums) for eight months to a year in which we were writing our original material,” bassist Jeffrey P. said. “Moving Danielle to the front was the best idea I think we’ve had as a band,”

The band’s other instrumentalists include guitarist Elias and drummer Stefan Veselko, their driving music betraying darker lyrics with track titles such as “Love is Gone” and “Dead Arms”.

Starting like other young bands in the “proverbial darkened rooms” of clubs and bars, Her Voice Remains has performed with and supported acts such as Berlin, The English Beat and Human League, sharing their next live stage with Flock of Seagulls June 26 at the Coach House. 

“The trajectory has been good for us as a band over the last five years, again going from the small clubs to much larger venues; we’re very excited about that,” Jeffrey said. “We became very fortunate with some of the relationships we had; we were able to solidify our fan base and capitalize from there.”

In 2008, the band was approached by Panoramic Mania, a comic book publisher who is producing a three-part comic series which features Her Voice Remains. The first book is finished and available, covering a fictional battle of the bands. The comic was showcased at the 2008 San Diego International Comic-Con and the second book is in production.

“They’ve always been big supporters of the band and our music,” Danielle said. “The first book was a battle of the bands and it was really good. She’s working on the next one right now.”

Currently the band is with OCR Records in pre-production of Fifty Fathoms, their third album release—following Debt of Life (2005) and Her Voice Remains (2007, OCR Records)—and looking at a fall 2010 release.  

“I think sonically it’s still Her Voice Remains material, a key difference from our last album is the songs are a little more upbeat, up-tempo, a little more rockin,” Jeffrey said. “If you liked those kinds of songs on our last album you’ll really enjoy this new release.”

Check back next week for our video interview with Her Voice Remains!

 Photos by: Leagh Sachs.

David Sachs

Hotdogs. Wrapped in bacon. In spirit of the holiday, the Hollywood Palladium was lined with hotdog carts the likes I have never seen; opportunistic caterers took advantage of the visible-from-space smoke plumes rising from the art-deco walls. 

Sublime with Rome and the Dirty Heads kicked off their six-date tour on 4/20 at the Palladium. Rome Ramirez, who fills in for the late Bradley Nowell, was comfortable and at ease with his new gig—living just about every 21-year olds dream; and while die-hard Sublime fans may have their qualms about their band’s newest addition, I found that Ramirez offers a familiar and intimate atmosphere—coupled with his fantastic voice and guitar skill—making him a great fit for the band.

Neighbors in the audience passed joints amongst friends, strangers and ethereal shells of men who couldn’t tell you their name.

"You guys fuckin' stoned or what?" asked Ramirez between songs. "Cause it smells real good in here."

The band performed a 14-song set with a 5-song encore, including fan favorites such as "Smoke Two Joints," "Wrong Way," "Badfish," "Let's Go Get Stoned," "Panic," "40 Oz. to Freedom," "What I Got” and "Santeria"; though it wasn’t enough for chanting fans who begged, booed and demanded more long after the house lights went up.

Sublime with Rome returns tonight for a second show at the Paladium, then will set out for their 13-night cross country tour with support from the Dirty Heads.

Photos by: David Sachs 

Laura Miller

She & Him, the unique power duo of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, completely took over The Glass House in Pomona last Thursday night, and it was quite a sight to see.  The security has never been as tight, due of course, to the high profile of the musicians.    Most of their songs can be described as modern indie rock versions of ‘50s and ‘60s pop ballads.  As such, the usual GH crowd of t-shirts, jeans, and Converse was replaced by a mob of vintage dresses, velour sport coats, tights, and Tom’s.  The line to get into the all-ages venue was wrapped around the block, with the occasional disappointed attendee leaving the line to bring a camera back to the car. Per the artist, no photography or video of any kind was to be taken... Sure. A few of the songs performed were up on YouTube the very next day.

Upon entering, concertgoers either made a beeline for the bathroom (after waiting for an hour or more in line) or for the merch table.  On sale were cute little totes, tees, CDs, and LPs.  Though stuck behind a slew of people taking their time trying on shirts and comparing sizes, a sweet sound could be heard wafting into the foyer from the main stage room.  The Chapin Sisters had begun their performance as the opening act.  Usually a trio, real-life sisters Lily Chapin, Abigail Chapin, and Jessica Craven live and play in Los Angeles.  Craven decided to stay behind on this tour in order to spend some quality time with her new baby, and the result was a well-done folk set from Lily and Abigail Chapin.  Their voices were those of angels, and the harmonies and melodies were quite euphonious.  It may have been a little too mellow, however, for those eager to see the headlining act.  Dubbed by one attendee as the “Chapin chatter”, the opening act was incredibly distracting to those that actually wanted to watch perfectly capable musicians do their thing.  The Sisters would probably have a better and more respectful audience in a Hotel Café environment.  Still managing to leave an impression on some, they will be finishing out the She & Him tour, in addition to a couple dates with I See Hawks in LA at the end of May.

After waiting for what seemed like forever between performers, She & Him finally made their way onto the stage along with their backing band, which included bassist Matt Brown and guitarist Mike Coykendall. Lily and Abigail Chapin came back out to provide the backing vocals for the show, and the crowd went nuts as the lovely Deschanel and folk monster Ward appeared.  Deschanel asked the audience, “Did you all know that today is High Five Day? Happy High Five Day!”  As she put her hands in the air, palms out to the fans, she said, “That’s for all of you.”  The band powered through an hour of songs, a mix of their first album, Volume 1, and recent sophomore release, Volume 2, plus a 3-song encore.  The soft-spoken Ward reached out to the fans as well, commenting, “I recognize a lot of you from tomorrow. At least I think I do.” The band played the following night at the much-anticipated Coachella music festival.  For the most part, Ward was the silent partner of the night, save for the rocking guitar solos every now and again, as well as his vocal contributions on several songs.  As soon as that deep voice hit the microphone, girls screamed and swooned: a concertgoer likened it to a Beatles concert.  He emanates a sexy quality that might not be obvious unless seen live.  Of course, he was not the only musician making fans faint; Deschanel received flowers in the middle of the set, to which she responded, “Most people wait till after the show,”  and throughout the performance, many a young man yelled out, “I love you, Zooey!” and “You look beautiful, Zooey!” 

A highlight of the show included the duo’s performance of “Brand New Shoes,” a track off of Volume 2.  For this song, the backing band left the stage, giving Ward and Deschanel a seemingly more intimate experience with the audience in order to play such a delicate song.  It was one of those points in a show where you thank all that is holy for music, fans, and live performances.  The entire Glass House was silent except for the gentle sounds of Ward’s guitar and Deschanel’s vulnerable voice; quite a difference from the earlier “Chapin chatter.”  All attention was focused on the pair and the words being communicated: “I had some brand new shoes/They were all red, but they gave me the blues/And they’re running away and they left me a letter/It’s just like you told me it’d be…it’s nothing at all.”  It was a truly beautiful moment in the midst of all the general hubbub of such a large show.

For more information on She & Him, go to their official website at www.SheAndHim.com.

Photo's by: 

Madlen Hulme

Have a penchant for goofy white guys rapping about chips and dip? Meet Alwayz Double Dippin’, hip-hop trio extraordinaire from Huntington Beach, CA, made up of members Mr. Preston, Sleek Sheek, and DJ Richard Rocka. Following in the increasing popular footsteps of electro hoppers LMFAO and 3OH!3, Alwayz Double Dippin’ mixes humorous, and usually offensive, lyrics with danceable club beats to create a sound I don’t know whether to love or hate. Listen… their stuff may be catchy, but with song titles such as “Sharks With Laser Beams” and “No Hookerz”, I have trouble taking these guys with anything more than a grain of salt.

But what the hell do I know, anyway? With two albums under their belt and a third, Rapatio, on the way, A.D.D. is shacking up to be one of Orange County’s most talked-about rap sensations. They have appeared on stage with the likes of 2 Live Crew and Talib Kweli at such legendary venues as The Roxy, and were recently even named one of Orange County’s top 100 bands by Skinnie Magazine. And with corporate backing from both VonZipper Sunglasses and Vitaminwater, these “Geeked Out” hip hoppin’ dudes with their amusing lyrics and mixed beats may be on to something. Hey, it’s a small niche…but somebody’s gotta fill it!

Check out Alwayz Double Dippin’ at www.listentoadd.com. Albums Beavers and Boomboxes and Salad Bar Pimpin’ available now for sale on iTunes.

Jonathan Lee 

A Retrospective on Videogame Music, and a Short Quib on Portal

Videogames owe much of their atmosphere to their music, but when we look back, they began without music. Pong was one of the first games with sound, but it had no music. Just the beeps of the paddles striking the ball. Music wasn’t introduced in videogames until the era of Pac Man and Donkey Kong where their songs looped infinitely – an infinite jingle of boops and beeps.

Videogame jingles became full fledge songs – recognizable by the general populace. Who hasn’t heard the tune of Super Mario Bros.? In the 8-bit area of the NES, we have famous songs that most videogamers know such as the Legend of Zelda theme, Super Mario Bros. theme, and the Final Fantasy Prelude.  But the music was still just synthetic blips.

In the 16-bit era, music began to sound higher quality, but it was still built on Midi files. Still, recognizable songs could be heard – videogame operas were composed and scored for many games such as Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger. Aerosmith even had their own arcade game brought to the SNES, which featured loops of their music: Rag Doll, Fever, and Dude (Looks Like a Lady).

When we arrive in the 32-bit era, music began to gain CD quality bitrates and sound. When previously, music was composed for the beeps and boops, actually instruments could be heard. They released full orchestrated music, songs recognizable from pop culture, and still had some synthetic variants. Full voiced songs were even created for games such as Dance Dance Revolution and Final Fantasy VIII. Music even became a genre of games because of Dance Dance Revolution.

In the generations afterwards, sound quality increased and the music genre of games came into full being. Guitar Hero came out, which would lead to Rock Band, DJ Hero, and more.

And it all began with beeps and boops.

Rhiannon Janee 

England Street is the OC’s modern No Doubt.

At first, the name caught me by surprise. England Street? I thought, this band might have an utter fascination with the UK. Come to find out, one of the band members lives on a street called England Street.

England Street consists of Alie Dicus- Vocals, Ryan Nelson- Guitar, Jake Briggs- Bass, Anthony Haas- Keyboards, Joey Groth- Drums. Every member is 17-years-old besides the drummer who is only 14-years-old.

I can honestly say that after I spent some time with England Street, I was left in awe. I even had the opportunity to hear them play live in their in-home studio. The studio reflects a teenage collaboration, spattered with AC/DC, Alice Cooper, and Led Zeppelin posters.

As I entered their studio, before sitting down on the black leather couch, I was required to wear padded earmuffs. The band began to play their first song and I couldn’t help but bob my head. It was only the band, their manager, and myself, and in this situation, I had to stare:  each band member has their own style, yet together they create something special.

I was so impressed with their raw talent and spirit. For the last six months, I’ve been taking guitar lessons and I’m terrible. I definitely don’t practice as much as I should, but after talking music and seeing England Street perform live, the first thing I did when I got home was pick up my guitar.

There is something to be appreciated in England Street. Is it their innocence? Maturity? Passion? Modesty? It’s that and so much more. This band has great potential to go places and is only at the beginning of the journey. If they stay on track of dedication, I’m sure you’ll see England Street on MTV.

When it’s all said and done, these are kids. Kids who are making it happen, one step at a time.

For more information about England Street, check them out at myspace.com/englandstreet5.

Photos by: Aaron Huniu 

James Lee Stanley 

How do you put a tour together?    That’s a question that I hear over and over again.    It’s tricky because of all the variables.  

Let’s look at some dates I have coming up in September in North Carolina.    I have a wonderful house concert series date at Betty’s Place in Asheville, NC.  

I called a friend of mine who manages a concert gallery space about a hundred miles away.   And that reminds me, when you are booking gigs at venues, make certain that they are at least a hundred miles apart.  Venues are depending on clientele to survive and they have booked you into the room in the hopes that you will bring in clientele.  

If you are booked five miles away the night before, both venues are going to suffer attendance wise, unless you are so famous you can sell out both places, in which case, what are you doing here, reading this.   Go out to the pool, enjoy the view.

You want each date you do to be an event, with a lot of people in attendance, though you must remember to do the same great show, no matter how many or how few people show up.

And by not playing anywhere within a hundred miles, you are guaranteeing that anyone within that radius that wants to see you can only do it there.

But I digress.   Okay, I’ve got one date firmed up and I put another date next to it because of friendship.   Now how do I turn this into enough dates to be able to afford to go to North Carolina from California?

Here are the questions I ask myself:

What venues are also in that area?   Do I  know people who might be able to suggest, cajole, beg, threaten, or otherwise assist me in getting any more dates in that area?

One way to find out about gigs is to look at the touring schedule of other artists of your ilk.    And thanks to the internet, one can just go to their website, then to their calendar and see where they are playing and then contact those venues.

Have you released a CD?  Is it getting any airplay in the area you are going to?   If not, then go on line and find out what radio stations are in that area and SEND them  your CD.   Tell them you are coming to the area; that you’d love to play live in their studio, or at least come by and meet them.  Make contact.

There are also internet radio stations, but they are not area specific so may not be of any help in this particular instance, though they might have listeners who are in your area of interest.   It’s best to make certain that every station or program gets a copy of the CD.   Be prepared to give away a lot of music.

Finally, you contact everyone of the venues, house concerts, friends etc and see if you can get enough places together to warrant going out there.   If at the end of the day, you only have the one or two dates, then do what you must…postpone or cancel those dates.   That’s the hard part because once you get the gig, you really don’t want to lose it.

But you can’t afford to keep the hotels, restaurants, airlines and car rental agencies in the luxury they think they deserve if you are not making any money yourself.

You can, however, really pare down the luxury on your end.   Drive your own car, sleep in it, and at friends homes, eat in as few restaurants  as possible, buy fresh local fruit to keep in the car, and make certain the car gets fanstastic mileage, or get rid of it and get one that does.   You can go that route, as I have certainly done. 

It’s not bad, and it’s probably an experience that you should have.  Don’t forget, even Sting and the rest of the police band did their first tour of America in one van, just the three of them, sleeping in one hotel room when they could afford it.

Reprinted with permission by James Lee Stanley at Datamusicata.com 

David Hooper 

I don't want to be one to rain on a parade, even if the parade is a fantasy one, but it amazes me how many musicians and songwriters I meet who aren't actually doing anything related to music.  I'm not going to sit here and judge what music business"success" is, because that is relative, but I will make this judgment when it comes to the music itself...

If you're going to identify as a songwriter, doesn't it make sense that you actually write some songs?

If you're identifying as a musician, shouldn't you be out playing gigs...or at least recording some stuff?  Or maybe just practicing once in a while?

I bring this up because I've been meeting an increasing number of people lately whom identify themselves as songwriters, but haven't written anything in years.  And I'm not talking hits, I mean they literally haven't picked up a pen and pad and written anythingin a very long time.

And I've been meeting "musicians" lately that don't practice, record, perform, or do anything related to music...except talk about how they're "musicians."

Look, I know life gets in the way, but if you are who you say you are, shouldn't you make a bit of time for music?

Discuss below...  And when you're done, go write a song or something! :)