Ra(z)ner
Band of the Week
By: Waleed Rashidi
RECENT RELEASE:
KINDRED SPIRITS:
If members of Hoobastank, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chevelle, Pepper, Deftones, Linkin Park, Nirvana and Sublime formed some sort of all-star act, it’d be pretty close to this.
WEBSITE:
www.razner.com; www.myspace.com/raznermusic
There are two things most folks don’t ever seem to get enough of: money and sleep. Inland Empire musicians aren’t exempt from this pair of deficiencies. Take Ra(z)ner, for example, a trio of hard workin‘ and rockin‘ dudes who’ve spent much moolah in the name of furthering their cocktail of all things modern music (alternative, heavy rock and nouveau-reggae puree).
“We’re all poor, the story of every up-and-coming band,” says bassist/vocalist Matt Kizer.
“All of our extra money goes to the band and the IE is spread out, so we travel to Phelan, Apple Valley [and] Temecula for shows, some in the same night,” adds lead guitarist/vocalist Justin Alonso.
And if they’re not seeing their silver shrink while the odometer creeps forward, they’re rollin‘ outside the region’s borders—only to have precious slumbering seconds disappear. “We perform shows in Hollywood, getting home at 2 or 3AM and then gettin‘ up at 5 or 6AM to go to the money job,” says Kizer.
Still, if it’s any consolation, there are local spots where the trio can gig without a snoozin‘ penalty, including Riverside’s The Vibe. “We love the atmosphere,” says Kizer. ”It puts us in our groove, it feels like the garage where we practice—dark, small, and up close and personal with the audience. It is always loose, the management is easy to work with and we and our fans always have a good time.”
Such musical good times were instilled early on, as Ra(z)ner’s name hails from drummer CoCo Dawson’s band director. “Mr. Rasner’s philosophy about music is shock and awe the crowd—if you have good music, great sound and you entertain the crowd, you achieved the ultimate goal of music,” says Dawson.
But there are more goals in the periphery, including heightening their local profile and an Aug. 22 album release. “Oh yeah, and we would like to earn enough money to buy a trailer so we don’t have to unload all the gear at three in the morning every weekend,” adds Dawson. Extra bread and bedtime . . . sometime?
Ra(z)ner at Angel’s Sports Bar, 1650 E. 6th. St., Corona, (951) 371-9738; www.myspace.com/angelsbar. Sat., 8PM. $8.
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