It's her way to hell. Female AC/DC tribute comes to Fulton 55.
Plus, who's going to win the Central Valley Music Awards? And the works of Michael Mygind.
Quick note: BANDGEEEK is taking a week off. The newsletter will return Sept. 11. Don’t freak out.
Paulette Kasal started her first tribute act back before tribute bands were big business.
She was an old-school metal-head rocker working as a vocal coach and it was a student who originally pitched the idea, though at the time Kasal felt above it somehow.
“Hell no. I didn’t want to do that. I thought it was cheesy,” says Kasal, who still runs her own music school, The Music Castle, in southern California.
Her thoughts on tribute bands softened over the year, though. Kasal now sings as Madame Ozzy in a Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osborne tribute and as Bon “or Bonnie” Scott in the AC/DC tribute Herway to Hell, which performs Sept 3. at Fulton 55.
“I just loved the classic Bon era,” she says.
It’s the reason Herway to Hell takes its name from that first (and to Kasal, best) AC/DC record, and why the band focuses on material pre-1980, the year Bon Scott died.
“It’s gritty, sexy, tight grooves,” Kasal says.
That’s the band’s slogan and a fairly good descriptor of what they do.
If tribute acts — especially the gender swappers — were a novelty when Kasal started, they’re now enjoying prime status. Oversees record companies are looking to sign bands (Kasal’s included) for radio and touring gigs. If a band really has something, it can lead to labels or managers taking a risk on original music, too.
“It’s a great way for you to get your foot in the door,” Kasal says.
See: Nita Strauss.
And Herway to Hell isn’t the only female-centric AC/DC tribute. It’s not even the only one with the name (there are bands in Scotland and Australia. They spell it “Her Way,” two words).
There’s also Whole of Rosies out of Los Angles and Hells Belles out of Seattle. That band actually shares members with Madame Ozzy, because “it’s a very small knit community of woman doing this,” Kasal says.
But Kasal started Herway to Hell mostly to fill a void she felt when San Francisco’s AC/DShe stopped playing.
“They were the best female AC/DC tribute, best tribute period, actually,” Kasal says.
“It’s not been repeated. Until now.”
Herway to Hell, with Mantis Watch and the Sea-Rays, 8 p.m. Sept. 3, Fulton 55. $15.
Upcoming: Central Valley Music Awards
The Central Valley Music Awards host its second annual ceremony in one week.
There is a massive list of categories and nominees and, quite frankly, a lot artists with whom I am unfamiliar (which says something about the amount of talent working through the area these days).
Looking at the categories I know best, some thoughts:
Nominated for Best Rock Band are Stoneshiver, We Hunt Like Wolves, Mindless Society, Life Jacket, For the Record, Macondo, MKC, Rock On and Hyacinth.
You could make arguments on any of these bands. Stoneshiver has certainly put in the time. Life Jacket and For the Record have attention and have both been picked up by labels. All the bands have been grinding (and gigging) hard this year.
I’d vote for Macondo, simply as a personal favorite. Also, the event is being hosted in Orosi and it seems a fitting win for the local boys.
In the more general Best Band category the nominees are Hyacinth, Mindless Society, Scoundrel, Bare King, MKC, For the Record, Il Tiempo, Reminitions, Rock On! and Cieba.
This one is a bit harder to parse out simply because of the genre differences. For me, it comes down to which band best presents itself fully within its designated lane (so, the music, performance, branding and aesthetics). I’d have to give it to one of the three metal bands, though I can’t say which …
I’m not exactly sure how the People’s Choice nominees were chosen, but you would expect it was fan-driven in some way. It feels like a catch-all category, for artists who do something outside the norm. The nominees are: Singer Brittany Nicole; ukulele rocker Edward Hernandez; rapper J Mob; the metal band Scoundrel and MKC.
I would go with MKC, having just seen them on Friday for Day 1 of Zodiac Fest Day. Every performance feels like a surprise. Singer Rico Torres has sweaty, sexy Prince vibes, if Prince grew up on the West Coast in the ’70s and sang for a dirty-ass punk band. The songs are simple, but weird in the best possible way, and the whole show feels very rock-and-roll, without any put on or pretension.
Central Valley Music Awards happens with performances and presentations, 4 p.m. Sept. 4 at C&S Event Center in Orosi with performances and award presentations. Tickets are available for $20-$50.
There is an afterparty too, with performances by Luniz, Acito and GB. Tickets are $20, $30 VIP.
Razorcake’s ‘Seeing the Scene’ series, with Michael Mygind
File under: Fresno gettin’ recognized.
Razorcake, the bi-monthly nonprofit punk music culture fanzine and website, earlier this month featured an in-depth interview with Michael Mygind as part of its “Seeing the Scene” series.
Mygind is a deserving subject for sure, having played in several local hardcore(ish) bands including Gorilla Stomp (side note, if you’re looking for the band’s 7-inch, Ragin’ Records might have a copy). He was also part of the group responsible for the Chinatown Youth Center (CYC) and has most recently been documenting live performances in a series of photozines called “Crucial Cause.”
The interview offers a timeline of Mygind career in music, plus the behind-the-scenes happenings that drove CYC more underground and a breakdown of what it takes to survive as photographer at a hardcore show (he broke his first camera).
The full interview (with pictures) is available online.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com