Sachi
0
Posted
September 17, 2009 in
Music
CITY OF ORIGIN:
San Bernardino
MEMBERS & INSTRUMENTS:
Melissa Pinion (keyboard, lead vocals); Jesse Maust (guitar); Chuck Henry (bass); Jorge Toruno (drums).
KINDRED SPIRITS:
“Spread some Black Sabbath and Deep Purple on a couple slices of bread. Then layer in some No Doubt, Metallica and The Pretenders. Put a thick slab of the Doors in the middle and you have a Sachi sandwich. Don’t forget the wasabi.”—Melissa Pinion, 2009.
RECENT RELEASE:
Planet Gemini (2009)
WEBSITE:
www.sachi.us, www.myspace.com/sachi
Sachi vocalist Melissa Pinion is more than a lead vocalist. In fact, if her luck runs upwards, her resume (and bank account) might be expanding. Fronting the San Bernardino-based rock act, the strong-voiced female has dancing past and currently moonlights as a novelist. And she hints that she’s hoping the stories she writes—and consequently sings about—end up on the big screen.
But for now, Pinion is content with Sachi’s material ending up on the stereo. In fact, the foursome just released their latest, a dozen-song concept record, entitled Planet Gemini, based on a science fiction novel of the same title that Pinion penned.
“Each of the 12 songs illustrates the spacey trials and tribulations of the book’s characters, namely the protagonist, Don Eiron, an out-of-work barfly living in 22nd-century America,” Pinion explains. “I looked at characters or situations in the book that were the most compelling, whether it was a dramatic turning point, a death or a love scene, and then set it to poetry . . . We approached these songs from a variety of angles because we’re believers in an eclectic sound.”
Eclectic, indeed, as the act also plays a host of rockin‘ covers in their set of originals, opting to hold a balanced mix. However, “the more people get to know us and our music, the more they request originals at shows,” says guitarist Jesse Maust.
But it hasn’t been all rock for Pinion, as we asked about her move from “belly dancer” to frontwoman. Fortunately, she fixed our gaffe. “That would be ballet, although belly dancing sounds interesting, too…The transition was easier than I thought it would be. I quit dancing in my late teens, so my parents forced me to take piano lessons to keep me out of trouble. Well, that didn’t always work, but playing classical music did give me a great foundation for branching off into blues and rock styles.”
And Pinion sees branching off into concept albums “as kind of a ‘soundtrack’ for the book. Of course, there is no movie in the works, but if you know how I can reach Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, I’d be forever in your debt!”
Sachi at Girls Rock Night at Carmen’s Ponderosa, 9544 Kiowa Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 247-7727, with Fuller Sound, Voting With Bullets, Hooligan J, 42 Seconds Later and the Roller Derby Divas. Sat, 4PM. $7.
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San Bernardino
MEMBERS & INSTRUMENTS:
Melissa Pinion (keyboard, lead vocals); Jesse Maust (guitar); Chuck Henry (bass); Jorge Toruno (drums).
KINDRED SPIRITS:
“Spread some Black Sabbath and Deep Purple on a couple slices of bread. Then layer in some No Doubt, Metallica and The Pretenders. Put a thick slab of the Doors in the middle and you have a Sachi sandwich. Don’t forget the wasabi.”—Melissa Pinion, 2009.
RECENT RELEASE:
Planet Gemini (2009)
WEBSITE:
www.sachi.us, www.myspace.com/sachi
Sachi vocalist Melissa Pinion is more than a lead vocalist. In fact, if her luck runs upwards, her resume (and bank account) might be expanding. Fronting the San Bernardino-based rock act, the strong-voiced female has dancing past and currently moonlights as a novelist. And she hints that she’s hoping the stories she writes—and consequently sings about—end up on the big screen.
But for now, Pinion is content with Sachi’s material ending up on the stereo. In fact, the foursome just released their latest, a dozen-song concept record, entitled Planet Gemini, based on a science fiction novel of the same title that Pinion penned.
“Each of the 12 songs illustrates the spacey trials and tribulations of the book’s characters, namely the protagonist, Don Eiron, an out-of-work barfly living in 22nd-century America,” Pinion explains. “I looked at characters or situations in the book that were the most compelling, whether it was a dramatic turning point, a death or a love scene, and then set it to poetry . . . We approached these songs from a variety of angles because we’re believers in an eclectic sound.”
Eclectic, indeed, as the act also plays a host of rockin‘ covers in their set of originals, opting to hold a balanced mix. However, “the more people get to know us and our music, the more they request originals at shows,” says guitarist Jesse Maust.
But it hasn’t been all rock for Pinion, as we asked about her move from “belly dancer” to frontwoman. Fortunately, she fixed our gaffe. “That would be ballet, although belly dancing sounds interesting, too…The transition was easier than I thought it would be. I quit dancing in my late teens, so my parents forced me to take piano lessons to keep me out of trouble. Well, that didn’t always work, but playing classical music did give me a great foundation for branching off into blues and rock styles.”
And Pinion sees branching off into concept albums “as kind of a ‘soundtrack’ for the book. Of course, there is no movie in the works, but if you know how I can reach Steven Spielberg or George Lucas, I’d be forever in your debt!”
Sachi at Girls Rock Night at Carmen’s Ponderosa, 9544 Kiowa Rd., Apple Valley, (760) 247-7727, with Fuller Sound, Voting With Bullets, Hooligan J, 42 Seconds Later and the Roller Derby Divas. Sat, 4PM. $7.
