mgstudio007
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Imagine a boy playing with his best friends in a large and beautiful landscaped backyard, perfect for grand scenarios involving their various Star Wars and GI Joe action figures. Adjacent to the yard is a patio turned space station nightclub and bar. This is where the young Mark Gilmore, DJ in training, got his start on destiny.

“We set it up with one of our boom boxes as the wall of the club and we built this little stage. We would cut out paper guitars for our GI Joe figures and I would create tapes to play as if I was the radio DJ setting up the songs. It was me pretending to be Pat Martin who is my boss now. I would listen to what he did and we’d play Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Ratt. That was my first DJ job. I though it was fun but I went through my later childhood thinking I had no shot at ever being anything. I took the most common jobs. I was kind of a shy person.” He’s not shy now. What he is now is an on-air radio personality at 98 Rock as host of Local Lick’s, Sacramento’s longest running local music showcase broadcast live Sunday nights from 9-10 pm on 98 Rock. The whole hour is dedicated to unsigned local bands. He is also the manager for popular local band Brand X Savior.

As the door to the radio station swings open the first thing you notice is his bare feet. Of course, it’s radio, who can see you? Later on he’ll joke that he has a face for radio. It’s not true. Gilmore is very tall and very handsome.

When I ask what his main job title he says “Part-time air personality, part-time producer, just all around bitch” he adds with a hearty laugh. “ I do whatever it takes to keep my day busy.” Gilmore got his start as a DJ almost by accident. While growing up he says “I didn’t have resources or anyone telling me I could do that. I though the most important thing was getting money and not doing something you love– or building a career. It was pay your car payment, insurance have some spending money to take the girlfriend out.” But when he met former Local Licks host Kylie Brooks she suggested he could intern at 98 rock as her assistant. “I was just bs’ing with her one day. So now I’m here doing the show she was doing when I started.”

Gilmore says he really wanted to be a musician but says he “can’t play a lick. I have a bass but I can’t play it. I’m trying to get someone to teach me. I wanted to sing but I can’t sing a stitch. So those who can’t, do radio. That’s what I’ve heard”, he jokes. His ultimate goal is to be a full-time jock and contracted on-air personality. Something he’s working hard at. At 9 pm sharp the show goes out live on the radio and between songs and interviews Gilmore takes calls from listeners, some of whom are confused because the show recently moved into an earlier and longer time slot due to it’s popularity. “The band I’m playing now just called me a few minutes ago hoping I would play this song and they’re all partying right now! So that’s kind of the main thing. The main audiences are the bands I’m playing but we’ll get peoples minds open to local music.”

One last thing about moonlighting in this brief record needs to be straight and Gilmore is very serious about this. “Really my first job, my first passion is being a husband and a dad. So these other two things are moonlighting from those.”

_MG_1157
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Enter Brand X Savior.

“I heard their music before I started working for 98 Rock. I went to an Inruin show at The Boardwalk and saw (Brand X Savior) for the first time and then until 2 am me and the guys were out in the back parking lot BS’ing and got to be friends.” Surprisingly the chemistry was not about music. It was about Star Wars, Science Fiction, “weird stupid stuff” that they all had in common. “That’s what I like about bands– when you get past the music and can get into the people.”

Gilmore says with Brand X Savior “I always liked what these guys sounded like and I thought they aren’t getting the credit they deserve. They aren’t aggressively pushing for what they deserve as a status. They needed somebody NOT in the band who wasn’t afraid to piss somebody off, to step up and say ‘No, When we talked it was this.’ And that’s kind of what a manager does so that’s why they give me the title, Manager.”

mgpractice041
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Practice with the band Brand X Savior happens at a place called House of Hits where somewhere over 60 local bands each rent small rooms in a large warehouse like space to practice. As you wander down the dark and narrow halls you pass door after door with nothing but simple numbers on them but the sounds of music being created are everywhere. So while the guys write, sing, play and occasionally bicker, band manager Mark Gilmore is there, offering support, comraderie, advice and sharing the laughs along with the guys in the lighter moments, taking a smoke break in the hallway.

About the band Gilmore says “Brand X Savior is a hard rock alternative band with a mix of Alice in Chains, Tool, and Disturbed. Each member has their own influences ranging from Slayer to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hip Hop to Johnny Cash. I love the music for what it does, it makes me want to scream and sing along. It’s all about the way it moves me.”

Right now Brand X Savior is on the cusp of releasing their full-length album. Getting this album released to the public and the music industry is Gilmore’s top priority. “I’ll work with whoever it takes to get this album out to as many people as possible. We’ll see what happens next, one step at a time.”

farrelllive
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

“I do what I do because that’s what I set out to do, what I was born to do.” says Mike Farrell who has to take more than a few seconds to remember all the bands he has played in since first starting his career as a musician.

HIs current band Th Losin’ Streaks is one in a long string of musical fun he has enjoyed over the years. One notable band called Bozo Knows Jones is one of his favorites. “It was a clown band. We dressed up all in clown gear and did nothing but Tom Jones songs.”

Having seen Farrell perform the question had to be asked. How does he jump the way he does and still manage to play and sing at the same time? “It’s kind of an out of body experience” Farrell explains. “I don’t really pay attention to what’s going on. I am kind of not aware but at the same time even more aware. There are cords running around, amps behind me, drums behind me, sometimes beams are going across the ceiling. Things I should be watching out for but I don’t. I just fall into an automatic mindset.”

“Maybe it was all those years before I was playing guitar that I spent in front of the mirror pretending I was Ace Frehley (Kiss) or Angus Young (AC/DC) . Once I learned how to play guitar and got the mechanics down the rest was automatic, second nature, like riding a bike.”

Over the years Farrell’s musical tastes have been all over the place. In his formative years he was into heavy metal, then speed metal. “The first Metallica album had a lot of impact on a lot of us, I was still in high school then. But then I discovered Jimi Hendrix and that kinda changed everything”. Later on he found himself gravitating to the other 60’s genre bands with the Rolling Stones becoming a mainstay. Recently Farrell has been doing research on more obscure bands of that time. “I’m really into the psychedelic sound and the lack of technology and how they were able to record. It’s very creative.”

farrellatwork
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

“Moonlighting, isn’t that a show with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shephard?” Mike Farrell says with an easy laugh. It’s that easy manner that sets the tone for this casual interview done while he is in the throes of activity at his day job at Cheap Thrills, the iconic vintage clothing store in Midtown Sacramento. A customer comes in and stops abruptly at the door taking a good look at Farrell and starts “Hey you look like…” “I look like the Beatles, yeah, I get that all the time” says Farrell, finishing the man’s sentence.

Farrell is the guitarist for Th Losin’ Streaks and definitely has a well cultivated look of his own. When he’s not dressing himself he’s dressing everyone else, including other bands. In addition to being a well known musician Farrell has been working at Cheap Thrills over a year now managing the men’s side of the store where he buys, he barters, he sells and very importantly, he consults. Farrell considers one of his main strengths to be as a fashion consultant, often for 70’s theme parties. When working with someone he will give them an in depth history of style and how it evolved then size up the client and put together an outfit for them all the way from the clothes, “to the wig, the chains, the shoes, the whole nine yards”.

Farrell’s own very cool retro look is topped off by his mass of shiny dark hair, long wide sideburns and expressive face. “Ever since I was in my early 20s I started dressing like this. It varies in minor details. Jimmy Page was a helluva stylist, Bob Dylan was very image conscious, in the Last Waltz he spent four hours choosing the right hat to go on stage with.”

“I remember when I was a small small boy I felt compelled to dress up and give a presentation in some way or another. When I was making a transition from public school to catholic school I got all excited about the uniforms. I didn’t know what their uniforms looked like but what I pictured in my head, with my dad being a marine, was the full regalia. The patches, the gold stripes and black sporter, blue trousers with the red stripe down the side, YEAH, I was totally excited. Of course then we went to the store and got a pair of blue cords, white shirt. blue sweater, black shoes. Kind of a let down.”

Now that he’s a man firmly planted in the music business Farrell believes that so much of being onstage is not just about music but about image and the performance. “When you are playing popular music, soul or rock and roll, half of it is image as opposed to jazz, which is really all about the music and less about image. Entertainment, that’s all it is. Like in the vaudeville days. You put on a show and give people their moneys worth.“

From an observers viewpoint it’s an interesting pairing. Because of the entertainment and visual nature of his life as a performer the two aspects of his work life seem to link up well.

“Sometimes I enjoy it, sometimes I don’t. I’d rather be playing music full time but this is the second best thing.” “I wouldn’t consider this day gig moonlighting. But if a band came into town and asked me to sit in, that would be moonlighting.”

Moonlighting is something I have been thinking about for a long time, mainly in relation to the live music scene I have been around and photographing for the last couple of years. As spectators we have a limited point of view when it comes to the musicians on stage. We listen, we groove, we appreciate, we buy the music and enjoy the heck out of the live experience, I know I do. I also find myself constantly creatively inspired by the energy, the entertainment factor, the musicianship of these very hard-working people who get up on stage and pour it all out. I think it takes courage, passion and tremendous imagination and skill. But how often do we really consider what their “day job” is?

So as a photographer with a journalist heart I have had two things quietly rolling around in my head…

1– Most of these people have to work to make a living, shows don’t necessarily pay the rent. What do they do? How do they support themselves? Can you make a living just playing in the local clubs?

2– It’s an incestuous business. Many of these musicians are in more than one band, have solo projects on the side and many have been in so many bands they can’t even count the number using all their various digits.

I went to Cheap Thrills with a friend a few days ago to find some cool vintage clothes and ran into Mike Farrell of Th Losin’ Streaks. Seeing this well known, awesomely talented musician working behind the counter crystallized the entire thing for me. I remember blurting out the word “Moonlighting!” and asked him on the spot if he would be my first subject. He said “Yes!” By that night I had set up the blogazine and already had a list of people I wanted to feature.

So here goes…

fixed
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Meet Fixed.
The deeper I get into the whole music community the deeper the music rabbit hole seems to be and it’s a bit mind-boggling. Thursday night I shot the band Fixed at The Boardwalk. I ran into many people I know from outside the music scene– parents with kids seriously pursuing music as a career. It seems that the youth community, much of it centered around Skip’s Music, is vast and intertwined. Everyone knows everyone and has played in a band with everyone at some point!
These guys on stage have boundless energy, real skills and real songwriting abilities. They were bouncing all over the stage with such confidence and commanding the kind of attention I could only dream about when I was 14 like they are.

keytoarson
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

Key to Arson headlined this show and were definitely a powerhouse on stage. They are all Sacramento natives and have opened for acts like Kid Rock and Lit so they are definitely on their way up the rock and roll food chain. The lead singer is a tiny thing wearing tiny clothes. This is only significant because his tiny butt crack showed even without bending over. So damn cute!
The show was running long so everyone’s set got cut. According to the stage manager Key to Arson may not have been too thrilled but they were so professional in the negotiation that he gave them an extra five minutes and was impressed that they played their set to the second!
They also had the largest assortment of girlfriends/groupies I’ve seen backstage recently. I don’t meant to disparage anyone at all. One of the girls was darling– the girlfriend of the bassist– cute, nice and helpful as could be.

honeyspot
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

The 98 Rock show at the State Fair Friday night was great. Too bad attendance was not that big. The mosh pit was full but the seats remained mostly empty. Four bands played– Nu-clear, Circle of 5ths, Honeyspot and Key to Arson. A lively show all around. Honeyspot is definitely one of my favorite local bands and if they don’t get some real attention I’ll be shocked. Their songs are catchy, fun, memorable and the lead singer, Adam, has incredible charisma.

hats
Originally uploaded by Charrmer.

More Wow, fabulous hats! Pimp hats galore! A little slice of strange americana at the fair. It took three balloon pops to win one, not an easy feat!

There was another booth where you could actually have your hand sculpted in wax. It was gross and captivating simultaneously. I almost did it– and guess what gesture I would have chosen… Yes, horns of course!