A day inthe life with American River College football team the Beavers as they make there way to Fresno for a game against Fresno City College.
E3 Expo 2012
The 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo know as E3 down in the Los Angeles Convention Center, in LA.
Lumineers embrace Harlow’s with folk revival tunes and dapper demeanors
Ashley King, Arcurrent
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser
Wesley Schultz Lead vocals and guitarist, of Lumineers during there performance at Harlows in Sacramento, CA
October 22, 2012
When summer seems so far away and the cozy thought of sweaters in winter is distant, The Lumineers swooped in and saved us with their loving musical embrace for two nights at Harlow’s in Sacramento on Oct. 9 and 10. For the night, we were all transported to a country barn with good friends and beautiful earnest music made out of feelings.
The Lumineers are one of the growing bands in the “roots revival” movement giving music listeners a refreshing change. The style is smartly written, inviting, simple musical genius. Like their brothers in genre Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, their music is made for clapping, stomping and singing.
The band poured out the spaces behind varying instruments and filled the stage. They arrived dressed modestly in simple clothes and they would look just fine traveling via horse and buggy. They did, however, break the cardinal rule: there were not one, but two fedoras in the group. Like the gentlemen they were, though, they removed them frequently when speaking with heavy sentiments and covered their hearts.
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The Wombats woo Midtown Sacramento with British beats and smooth sounds
Ashley King, Arcurrent
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser
Matthew Muphy lead singer and guitarist, and tord Øverland Knudsen, Bass guitar, of the Wombats who preformed at the The Blue Lamp, in Sacramento, Ca on October 3.
October 10, 2012
If The Killers, Kooks and Beach Boys had too much sangria, they might wind up nine months later with a mystery love child named the Wombats. On Oct. 4, The Wombats brought their brothers from across the pond, Morning Parade, and sold out Blue Lamp in Midtown Sacramento.
When the Liverpool trio took the stage, every hand went up to clap eerily in beat. Even the baby boomers with their Bloody Marys in hand stood up. It was much like stepping into church and not knowing any of the hymns, but being moved by the energy in the room. From the moment lead vocalist Matthew Murphy opened his mouth, the audience was enraptured, swaying and singing every word.
The show was a comfortable reflection of their studio work. Their vocals were on point despite being thrown against the awkward acoustics of the venue. Their songs didn’t pull at any heartstrings. Instead they inspired a, “who cares? Let’s just dance” type of energy. Beach-y background vocals included such inspiring lyrics as “ooh” and “wah” They were perfect tunes for solo dancing or reading a book at the ocean.
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The Used light up Ace of Spades with passionate performance
Steven Condemarin, Arcurrent
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser
Bert McCracken, lead singer of The Used preforming with his band at The Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, Calif.
October 1, 2012
Just when fans started to forget about them, The Used graced Sacramento with a performance at Ace of Spades on Sept. 22. This was their first show in Sacramento since their appearance at Arco Arena back in 2007.
The dark venue was lit by the screen-lights of dozens of iPhones recording the front of the stage by anxious, die-hard Used fans. The Used came out and started with one of their more popular songs from their 2012 album “Vulnerable” entitled “Put Me Out.”
Right off the bat, lead vocalist Bert McCracken conducted a kind of energy that sparked the entire crowd into hysteric screaming. His passionate singing fueled the crowd even more and for a moment he decided to crowd surf among his fans.
After the grand entrance to the stage, the band hit the crowd with a blast-from-the-past performance, performing three popular songs from their multi-gold 2004 album, “In Love and Death.”
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Sound issues at Mondavi Center ruin what could have been a great Silversun show
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser/American River Current
Brian Aubert, lead singer and guitarist for Silversun Pickups, performing at the Mondavi Center in Davis, CA on Spetmeber 10.
Daniel Romandia, Arcurrent
September 11, 2012
A truly great show leaves you with ringing ears, a sweaty body and a sense of satisfaction that keeps you a little wound up for days after. Silversun Pickups’ concert on Sept. 10 at the Mondavi Center in Davis did not give me any of those things. This was not the band’s fault, however; the blame falls entirely onto the venue.
It’d be hard to say that the building and theater itself is anything less than gorgeous at the Mondavi Center. The architecture is very modern and sleek, but it is not intended for an indie rock concert.The night started out with Atlas Genius performing. A South Australian band with boyish good looks who play a brand of inoffensive indie music are bound to hit American radio waves very soon. Their set went off without a hitch. It is when the second act, School of Seven Bells, took the stage that the Mondavi Center began showing its weaknesses.
The band took the stage and sound problems instantly began. The lead singer, Alejandra Deheza, could not be heard over the rest of the band. After repeated attempts to have the sound engineers fix the problem, the band eventually had to stop playing to have their grievances heard. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the technical difficulties for the show.
As soon as Silversun Pickups took the stage, it was easy to see the crowd excited for the performance. However, the same problems that happened before were not fixed. Lead singer Brian Aubert could barely be heard over the music. When the vocals were finally turned up to be recognizable for the audience, the echoing started. The acoustics of the theater were obviously not set up with a concert environment in mind. The instruments and the vocals all began to echo into one another creating what was almost just white noise.
Aubert and the rest of the band were in high spirits despite the sound problems. Joking with the crowd about gum they had found on stage and about rumors that no one would attend the show made a somewhat disinterested crowd, aside from the diehard fans, more engaged in what was happening on stage.
It was just blatantly obvious that the type of show the bands had set out to give to the crowd did not fit the venue. Too many sound problems because of the acoustics of the theater distanced the fans from what a concert is meant to do: bring the artist and crowd closer together. Maybe next time, Silversun Pickups will book a much more intimate venue.
Healthy food with a flair
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser/ http://www.ARcurrent.com
A Grilled Salmon B.L.T. sandwich on a dinner plate with a pickle and a garnish from Cafe Bernardo in owntown Sacramento.
Bryce Fraser, Arcurrent
May 3, 2012
Brycefraser180@gmail.com
If you are looking for a place to eat that serves quality food, such as all-natural Angus beef and organic lettuce, and has a French-style European atmosphere, Café Bernardo is the place for you.
Café Bernardo is located in the midtown area off of 28th Street and Capitol Avenue. The Café has seats outside looking on to the street. As you walk inside, the interior has framed posters all over the walls that I believe to be in French. The kitchen is completely in open view, so most everyone can see how his or her food is being prepared.
Café Bernardo has a wide range of food and beverages, such as hamburgers, sandwiches, pizzas, salads and soups, and coffee. I ordered the Grilled Salmon B.L.T. It consisted of basil mayonnaise, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes on grilled sourdough wheat bread. The most important part of the sandwich, the salmon steak, was thick and juicy. They did not skimp on the filet like most other places do. The tomatoes were moist and plump, filled with flavor, and I am very picky about tomatoes. Calling it just grilled sourdough wheat bread is an injustice, because it not only tastes good but also seems healthy. The lettuce is used sparingly, and easy to bite into, unlike other restaurants that seem to throw the whole head of lettuce in. The basil mayonnaise is not too much, just an extra, subtle dash of flavor. The service was great; I got my sandwich in about five minutes. The people working there greeted me with smiles, and I even ended up engaging in a conversation with them.
I would recommend Café Bernardo if you are tired of eating unhealthy fast food, especially if you want to take someone out on a date. I personally would take a date to Café Bernardo.
Secondhand Serenade rivets Sacramento audience who can’t help but fall for them
Mark Lewis, Arcurrent
April 15, 2012
Markblewis@markblewis.net
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser/ARCurrent.com
Serenade’s John Vesely plays Sacramento’s Ace of Spades sans band on March 19.
John Vesely, better known as the one-man band Secondhand Serenade, performed a captivating nine-song set to a packed crowd of “emo-ites” at Sacramento’s Ace of Spades club on March 19, 2012.
The charismatic Bay Area native, who was raised and still lives in Menlo Park, Calif. (a small city situated between Palo Alto and our mutual birthplace of Redwood City), began his opening stint for YouTube sensation Boyce Avenue by emphatically asking, “What’s up neighbors?” before launching into set-opener “Vulnerable” – the sole single off of his first studio album, 2007’s “Awake.”
Vesely is a lot of things, but insincere he is most certainly not.
“I’m here to sing about things that matter,” said Vesely before he launched into “Maybe” – a song off of his debut album, which he would admit to the already-fawning crowd “I did by myself… No, actually I did it with you. So thank you!”
Vesely, the spawn of a family of musicians, began his musical career at the age of 12 by spending eight consecutive years playing bass guitar in a variety of Bay Area acts spanning genres that included ska, rock and pop.
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Secondhand Serenade’s John Vesely dishes about his fans, touring with Boyce Avenue and his upcoming album
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser/ARCurrent.com
John Vesely, better known as Secondhand Serenade, sits down with ARCurrent.com’s Mark Lewis.
Mark Lewis, Arcurrent
April 11, 2012
Prior to a March 19 tour stop at Sacramento’s Ace of Spades club, The Current’s Mark Lewis was given the chance to sit down opposite John Vesely who you may know better as the one man band Secondhand Serenade. Vesely is an extremely popular musician who’s accomplished yet grounded and passionate. During the interview, he touches on beginning his career, his current venture involving PledgeMusic and his ongoing tour with YouTube sensations Boyce Avenue. Click here for a full review.
The Current: Thanks a lot John for taking the time to sit down and speak with us – I know you’re set to take the stage in a half hour or so.
Secondhand Serenade: My pleasure – thank you for the opportunity.
With three studio albums under your belt and a passionate fan base that follow your every tweet, describe to our readers how you began making music and what it was like when you didn’t have a room of people singing along with you during your entire set each night.
In the beginning when I recorded “Awake” before it was re-released, I spent a lot of time – like four or five hours a day on the computer pushing it. I wasn’t just being like abrasive but I wanted to get my music out there and just allow people to hear it and let them know that it’s out there. It really all started picking with MySpace which an amazing vehicle for “Awake” because the site had a lot of tools on it that other social networking sites don’t have anymore. For instance, tacking a song onto your page then letting people click on the player which would take them to a band’s page. Me, Colbie Caillat, Hollywood Undead and a lot of these huge artists were found through just doing well on MySpace and the reason for that is because MySpace had lots of things that you could customize like banners, songs and links. It was great. I had a really a cool time getting my career started. Now I’ve kind of come full circle because I’m about to embark on that exact same journey in a sense. I just recently left my label and I’m about to really do the exact same thing as I did early in my career with MySpace only this time on a much bigger scale.
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Vocal ensemble is all that JAZZ
Arcurrent
Photo Credit: Bryce Fraser
From left: Jessica Dacpano, Maryam Mirbagheri and Jonathan Blum of the advanced American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble performing at a concert in the American River College campus theater on March 14.
March 21, 2012
BryceFraser180@gmail.com
The American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble accompanied by the Natomas Charter Vocal Ensemble, filled the room with the sound of jazz with a dash of a surprisingly Latin flavor on March 13.
The audience was a mixture of people attending the concert for normal reasons and some that were a part of the jazz history class. The ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble was directed by Dr. Art Lapierre and was made up of the beginning vocal jazz ensemble and the advanced vocal jazz ensemble.
“I always love the Vocal Jazz Ensemble; they’re always a good time and it is cool because there are always new faces in the beginning ensemble that you know and you probably have friends up there that you don’t even realize until you go,” said Valerie Dickenson, an audience member who came to see the show.
The ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble has won many awards, including being voted Best Jazz Group by Sacramento Magazine in 2010. Singing with the ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble was the Natomas Charter Jazz Ensemble. The director, Jacosa Limutau, used to go to ARC and was Lapierre’s student. She said she loves working with the ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and that Lapierre was her teacher for many years and that she learned a lot from him.
“The advanced ensemble had a bossa-nova feel,” is what Lapierre had to say about the night’s concert. Lapierre has been directing the ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble and said the reason for the Latin-sounding jazz is because the current ensemble is recording a Latin-style CD that will be available on their website ic.arc.losrios.edu/~vocaljazz/.
Alto singer Maryam Mirbagheri of the advanced ensemble came all the way from Persia and decided to go to ARC because of videos of the ensemble she watched on YouTube. “I knew every single one of the members before I moved and I knew Lapierre. I knew everybody and it freaks them out when I tell them.” She also said, “The main reason why I moved to Sacramento was for Lapierre.”
Advanced ensemble soprano singer Jessica Dacpano said the night’s concert went well and it was good preparation for the main goal in attending the Monterey Jazz Festival. The Monterey Jazz Festival is an event that will have around three thousand musicians. The ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble will be competing against ensembles from different universities. The Monterey Jazz Festival will be held at the Monterey Fairgrounds on September 21-23, 2012.The ARC Vocal Jazz Ensemble will perform its end-of-the-year concert at ARC on May 9 at the American River College campus theater.
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