Sack Magazine

Ten years after the release of their debut single, Oakland hip-hop duo Zion I return with The TakeOver, a filler-free new mix of jabs, roundhouses and uppercuts that continue their streak as one of hip-hop’s most diverse groups.

For TakeOver, which features guest spots by Houston legend Devin the Dude, UK emcee Ty and Rhymesayers’ Brother Ali, producer AmpLive and emcee Zumbi incorporate the best parts of their live show—perfected through nonstop touring—and bring that vibe to the studio.

“Zion I has a reputation of being very spiritual and serious,” notes Zumbi. “I think The TakeOver is a lot more fun than our past records. We still touch on serious subject matter, but this album shows the other sides of our personality.”

Over the course of five LPs and numerous EPs and mixtapes, the group has proven to be a welcome enigma in hip-hop. Lyrically, Zumbi runs the gamut on a range of issues both serious and frivolous, discussing problems and pleasures both spiritual and worldly. Throughout, his fanbase keeps coming back for his smooth delivery and ability to raise issues without sounding didactic. Musically, Amp draws from both the usual (funk, soul) and esoteric (house, drum n bass) to create soundscapes that work as well on an electronic music mixtape as it does hip-hop. An accomplished remixer as well, Amp has remixed everyone from Linkin Park to MGMT, and most recently released Rainydayz Remixes based on Radiohead’s In Rainbows. Every production and remix, though, always brings it back to his main job in Zion I. “I started using way more effects on this album,” says Amp. “So I was able to bring in more elements that I’ve been using for some of the dance and indie rock stuff.”

Despite living a few miles from each other, technology facilitated the making of TakeOver, as the duo would e-mail verses and beats back and forth, with each member continually making notes and suggestions on both parts of the song. This fully collaborative effort ensured that both Amp and Zumbi would have a say in the final product during the entire production process. “Our songs go through many different styles and iterations,” admits Amp. ““Caged Bird,” for example went from an Electro R&B joint to a drum n bass track to its current version [as a soul-inflected, string-laden beat].”

While the final work is still Zumbi and Amplive, the two are quick to point out how their writing process has changed this time out. “We have an inner core of people who we let listen to the album in different stages and got feedback on what they liked,” says Zumbi. “On other albums, it was generally us just making whatever we wanted and then they’d just say what songs they like. Our skin is thick enough and we’re honest enough with ourselves that we can take criticism.”

This new method of recording was essential to the finished product, but the group always has a definite idea in mind, looking at their tracks as fans as much as musicians. “We try to make music that falls into a crack and fills a void for us as fans of music,” says Zumbi. “We discuss what we want the album to feel like and then we just let the unconsciousness take over and let things go. We just allow that process to take on its own life.”

From the electro-rap homage “DJ DJ” to the spacey futuristic synths of “Antenna,” The TakeOver encapsulates the diversity and versatility that have made Zion I Bay Area stalwarts for over a decade. As with any Zion I album, there’ll never be any compromise away from deep thought, but as anyone who’s seen the pair live knows, that means nothing if the crowd ain’t entertained. One listen to the album, and you’ll know The TakeOver may be the most appropriate title of the year.

Current Zion I tour dates.

May 4, 2010  Los Angeles CA – House of Blues – Zion I & Rebelution     Get Tickets

May 5, 2010  Los Angeles CA – House of Blues – Zion I & Rebelution     Get Tickets

May 6, 2010  Denver CO – Cervantes Theater – Zion I & The Grouch     Get Tickets

May 7, 2010  Boulder CO – Fox Theater – Zion I & The Grouch     Get Tickets

May 8, 2010  Colorado Springs – Colorado College – Zion I & The Grouch     Get Tickets

May 9, 2010  Aspen CO – Belly Up – Zion I & The Grouch     Get Tickets

May 10, 2010 Fort Collins CO – Aggie Theater     Get Tickets

May 12, 2010 Salt Lake City UT – Urban Lounge     Get Tickets

May 22, 2010 Mendocino CA – Mendocino High School

May 28, 2010 Santa Cruz CA – Catalyst     Get Tickets

May 29, 2010 San Diego CA – Epicentre     Get Tickets

May 30, 2010 Los Angeles CA (Hosting UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Fest)     Get Tickets

June 11, 2010 Santa Rosa, CA (Performing at the Harmony Festival)     Get Tickets

June 19, 2010 Falls Church VA – State Theater – Zion I & SOJA     Get Tickets

Juen 21, 2010 Ocean Beach MD – Seacrets – Zion I & SOJA

“When you need mom most, don’t forget she’s still a part of you”

Your mother is always with you…

She’s the whisper of the leaves
as you walk down the street.

She’s the smell of bleach in
your freshly laundered socks.

She’s the cool hand on your
brow when you’re not well.

Your mother lives inside
your laughter. She’s crystallized
in every tear drop…

She’s the place you came from,
your first home.. She’s the map you
follow with every step that you take.

She’s your first love and your first heart
break….and nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, Not space…
Not even death….
will ever separate you
from your mother….

You carry her inside of you….

- Anonomous

To my mother, grandmother, and all moms here on earth and up in heaven…

Happy Mothers Day.

When Mom has passed
And the pain is so unkind
Just look and you’ll find her
There in your heart and mind

SAND SECTION takes its name from the area of Manhattan Beach, California where the band’s three members grew up. In recent years, “sand section” has become a term used by real estate agents to denote the primo lots that abut the town’s vast sandy beaches, but in the case of this ambitious three-piece band, the sand section is the border — Where the suburban sprawl of greater Los Angeles gets pounded every moment by the deep blue Pacific Ocean– Where a relaxed sun-soaked lifestyle collides with the infinite power and possibilities of the sea. Hence, the band’s eclectic and melodic mix of bright coastal music combined with the dark undercurrents of the storm-out-at-sea punk music they played when they first got together ten years ago in middle school.

Jeff Nisen (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Tony Gonella (bass, vocals, percussion) and Sam Mandelbaum (drums, percussion) came up playing in various bands, including MOSS which had successful gigs at venerable L.A. clubs like The Roxy and The Whiskey. They formed Sand Section in 2008 and spent a year commuting between monthly shows at UC Santa Cruz (Tony’s alma mater) and UC Santa Barbara (Jeff’s alma mater). After graduation in 2009, they got down to focusing full time on music. Toward that end, they’ve been playing every show they can beg, borrow or steal in the South Bay cities of Manhattan, Redondo and Hermosa Beach, often sallying forth into L.A., including a March, 2010 show at the House of Blues in Hollywood and a sold out show at the Roxy in April. These gigs have enabled the band to hone in on their signature sound, and establish a solid local following. They have also been fortunate enough to share the stage with bands such as The Dirty Heads, Slackstring, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Iglu and Hartley, Common Sense, Sashamon, Tribal Seeds, The B Foundation, and many more over their nascent career.

If you ask them their creative influences, it’s best to have a full pint in front of you because you’re going to be there a while. Although rooted in punk bands like Green Day Pennywise, and Cigar, their music branches beyond punk to feature lush harmonies, blistering guitar solos, melodic bass lines and a unique drum feel. Among their favorite lyricists are John Lennon and Paul McCartney as well as Greg Graffin of Bad Religion.

Although Sand Section tends to draw upon all genres of music instrumentally, their signature sound is attributed to Nisen and Gonella’s soaring vocal harmonies. Whether it be a piano ballad or a hard rock jam, Sand Section’s vocal harmonies are the backbone and major characteristic of just about every track.

These harmonies were ultimately influenced by artists such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Eagles, and Dispatch. Nisen’s guitar playing is attributed to a combination of Slash, Randy Rhoads, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, while Gonella draws upon the busy bass lines of Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones combined with both Cigar and the Deviates’ speed-driven punk rock.

Sand Section has often had trouble being classified within the vague taxonomy of genres, and has always focused on making good music for the sake of good music, rather than to fit any sort of idealistic standards. “If we feel like making an acoustic album with all sorts of weird experimental instruments, we want to be able to do it without pissing anyone off,” Tony said recently. “Above all else, we want to remain a group of everyday guys making good original music.” Beyond that, the band’s potential is as vast as the Pacific.

Sand Section’s debut album, Truth Over Harmony, is set for release in May 2010, and represents the culmination of over a decade of perseverance. It aims to showcase their abilities as not only musicians but songwriters as well. After spending over 6 months in the studio, the band is confident and ready to hit the road and take this world by surprise.