This CD is a one of a kind, multi-dimensional, innovative piece of art. Although, Sachi is not something I'd usually listen to, I almost feel smarter for doing so (imagine that). Melissa Pinion is the harmonic voice behind the musically diverse rock, spitting out introspective verses and poetic thoughts. The music is, well, hard to explain but well-worth lending your ear to. (One song, you have rock, the next there are keyboards, the next has a metal touch to it). Put it this way, if music had a brain...Sachi would be the valedictorian.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin -
By Jennifer Cho, Nov. 22, 2003
Their sound: A balance
between classic and modern rock, with an obvious Doors-like edge. Pinion's
melodic keyboard and deep, husky voice (think Cher, Melissa Etheridge
or Lisa Marie Presley) combine with Maust and Richard's explosive guitar
riffs, Sobus' clean bass lines and Toruno's hard-hitting drums. Some have
described the group's music as "Zappa and Metallica jamming in India."
Why you should pay
attention: The
past meets the present -The group's original sound covers the range of
'70s classic rock, '80s progressive rock and modern punk, metal and electronic-driven
alternative rock. In the band's latest CD, "Synthesis," Pinion
sings about broken
relationships, past regrets and and alternate states of consciousness.
"(The album) touches on a lot of different topics, but something
that pops up quite a bit is a lot of dark themes," Pinion said. "Nightmares,
dreaming, insomnia.
San Bernardino Sun - By Jocelyn Cahir, Jan. 24, 2003
Ever ponder some of the strangeand melancholy names of bands today? Disturbed, Staind, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Fear Factory are some that come to mind.
Now, out of the darkness, comes a local band with a name meaning good fortune and happiness. Sachi (Sah-chee), often confused with the drink Sake (Sah-kay), is set to perform at The Crossroads in Yucaipa on Saturday.
"I am half Japanese and wanted to take something from my ethnic background to use in the band," says lead vocalist and keyboardist Melissa Pinion. "As you know, many Japanese words are not easy to pronounce and the last thing you want is for people to be confused by your band name. It seemed to be a nice positive word that is easy to pronounce. But it's funny because some people still have trouble with it. Some of the guys in the band thought I was trying to name the band after the drink, Sake. We even heard a waitress tell a customer once, 'Yeah, some band called Saki-Maki is playing on Saturday.' I figure it will be like second nature for people who hear about us. At least I hope so."
The band -- Pinion, Jesse Maust (guitar), Scott Richards (guitar), Paul Sobus (bass) and Jorge Toruno (drums) -- finally came together in February 2001 after an extensive search.
"I was working as a solo artist in 2000, wrote a full-length album and recorded it with the help of some fellow musicians in the area," says Pinion. "When the album was done, I decided to recruit an entirely different set of musicians for the touring band. I used the Recycler online and in print and set up a series of auditions. I eventually found the four guys that work with me today. They are like brothers to me."
With a broad range of influences from Sepultura, P.O.D., Lynyrd Skynyrd and Frank Zappa, Sachi is an eclectic hard rock band that blend a variety of styles including modern punk, metal and electronic-driven alternative to create their unique sound. "We have a broad set of influences, but the one thing we all have in common is an appreciation for the Doors," Pinion says. "That was really important to me when I was seeking bandmates. I ran into several people who only wanted to play hardcore metal or rap rock and they turned their noses up at anything related to classic rock. I didn't call those people back. We are definitely not a tribute band, but we try to throw in a Doors flavor now and then in our originals."
Sachi's debut CD, "Reflection," has often been described as a cross between Metallica and No Doubt with a heavy dose of the Doors on keyboard. Although they have plenty of original songs, don't be surprised if you hear some tributes. "We currently play about 16 of our original songs live and are working on more for the new album which we plan to put out around April or May," Pinion says. "When we're out playing full nights at some bars, we'll also throw out 20 or so cover songs to balance the time and keep the customers happy. You'll hear a lot of songs by the Doors and Black Sabbath, but there's also a lot of newer material by bands such as System of a Down, Disturbed and Three Doors Down."
While Sachi enjoys making music, it's not paying the bills just yet.
"We all have days jobs, but sometimes it's tough balancing both," Pinion says. "At some point, musicians who are serious about 'making it' need to make a choice as to what is going to be a bigger part of their lives. We all have families and bills, so we take our day jobs very seriously, but when we're off the clock, we take the music very seriously."
At the moment Sachi has released one CD with another on the way, but how will the band react if a label contract should arise? "If the opportunity arises and the terms are good, then we'll take a look at working with a label," Pinion says. "But at this time, our biggest priority is producing great music, having fun and enjoying each other's company."
In the meantime, Sachi has performed mostly in the Inland Empire, but hopes to branch our to Orange County and Los Angeles. "In the two years we've been together, we've had a great time playing all over the Inland Empire," Pinion says. "We're looking forward to bringing our tunes to more towns and meeting other musicians and all the cool music lovers out there."
Who: Sachi - Melissa Pinion (vocals, keyboards), Scott Richards (lead guitar), Jesse Maust (lead guitar, backup vocals), Jorge Toruno (drums) and Paul Sobus (bass, backup vocals). The band members live throughout the Inland Empire and Sobus resides in Morongo Valley.
Sachi has been together since February 2001. Pinion, who had been writing songs and performing solo previous to putting the band together, put an ad in the Recycler to find her bandmates.
"That's how she found all of us," says bass player Sobus. "It turned out that she and Jorge, our drummer, had played together in other bands several years ago."
Pinion had already been using the name Sachi for the album she had recorded on her own.
"She asked if we minded keeping the name and we all agreed to stay Sachi," says Sobus. "Melissa is Japanese-American and in her culture the name Sachi means peace and happiness. It really describes her personality, because she's a very positive and peaceful person."
Sounds like: Sachi is an eclectic hard rock band that blend a variety of styles including modern punk, old school metal and electronic-driven alternative to create a unique sound. Pinion's deep, husky vocals are similar to R&B rock singer Billie Myers. Her influences include the Doors, Iron Maiden and System of a Down. The band members have a wide scope of influences as well, which really come through in their music.
"My biggest influences are Jaco Pastorius and Joey Demaio of the band Manowar," says Sobus. "Our guitar players have totally different backgrounds. Scott is influenced by early Van Halen, Robin Trower and Black Sabbath. And Jesse, he has a real southern rock sound. He's also a wicked acoustic player. Then Jorge, our drummer is into Disturbed. He has a real kick-ass drum set. He's a real heavy hitter."
Album: Melissa Pinion recorded "Reflection", her debut CD, under the name Sachi, with studio musicians, before her bandmates came on board. The disc was recorded at Penny Lane Studios and released in April 2001. Pinion wrote 12 songs herself and co-wrote two songs with producer David Lee Whitt.
Reflection is chock-full of keyboard electronica, with a few songs having a retro-Doors feel to them. Many of the songs throw you a curve as they start out in one genre and then quickly move into another.
"Primadonna" has a slight Golden Earring "Radar Love" vibe, while "Cybergod" has a dark, dusty Shirley Manson quality. The title-track is a beautiful song that brings to mind an acoustic Heart from the 80s.
While there are several great tracks, the best would have to be "Backwoods Paradise," a slower rock tune, full of emotion, which is accented with impressive metal guitar work. This song also showcases Pinion's powerful, sultry vocals.
Sachi goes into the studio in January to record the new album. This time around the band will help Pinion with songwriting duties as each member will be contributing.
Gigs: Sachi has performed at venues from Yucaipa to Anaheim and all throughout the Inland Empire. "We've been doing a lot of shows in Upland and San Bernardino. We've also played at Crossroads and Spitfire in Yucaipa several times," says Sobus.
"Although it's a genre of music that I'm not familiar with I can tell you it was well produced, well written and well sung. Bear in mind when songwriting in the future be on the lookout for a signature song. One that encapsulates the essence of Sachi. I wish you guys the best of luck in the future."
The Last Bastion -
By Witchfinder General, Feb. 26, 2003
It is a God given fact that out of
all styles of music, Rock has more facets to it's style than any other
type of music. And another God given fact is that most bands tend to stay
in one facet for the most part. And another God given fact would be that
the groups that tend to reach the boundaries of more than one aspect of
a genre are more musicians than the others. Graduates of hitting the different
realms of Rock would be Yes, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and a list
of others.....and all of these true musicians, were then placed in their
own category entitled Progressive.
Added to this list is a host of newer talent, even though most of them are highly overshadowed by the likes of any rap/nu-metal spunk that is out there now. And this is a real pity in itself, because there is much talent out there waiting to be seen and heard...and one of these fine prime examples is California's Sachi.
On their very own web site, www.sachiband.com, is 5 of their own original pieces made from 2001, along with an oppotunity to buy their new CD 'Reflection'....but for tonight, I shall review these 5 mp3's.
As the first track, 'Time Has No Kindness' begins with a soothing intro, it commences it's fresh escalation to a Sabbath/70's psychedelic splash that ends this question and answer style beginning before lead singer and keyboardist, Melissa Pinion, begins to open her lips and belt out a powerful and yet highly efficient throat for this ass kicker of a song in the Hard Rock/Metal genre.
Another highlight of this opener is the Donald ' Buck Dharma' Roeser similarities in lead guitar work from Jesse Maust and Scott Richards (sorry gents, I'm not sure if both are playing the leads on here or not), This half frenzied fox trotter is an impressive piece and just a fragment of this rather refreshing West Coast ensemble...compared to alot of the garbage around here now, it's so applauding to the eardrum to actually here actual older rock influences in newer original material today. In the description of this song , Sachi describes this as Alternative metal , I beg to differ...I call it 100% pure Hard Rock....and an impressive one at that!
'Sympathy' is next , and with it they seem to transform into a total different band . This little ditty is thickly coated with that 70's Sly & Family Stone bring in da funk style hehehehe lol . Hell , this one even has bassist Paul Sobis using the ole drop thumb picking method ala Bootsy Collins . Personally , I could never get into da Funk...but openmindedly speaking.....'Sympathy' just shows how much variety this band has in itself , and also exposing the one hell of a partiness aspect they expose....both talents done professionally I might add.
Well, from Hard Rock to Funk....Sachi exposes another cheek and takes us into a punkish ride with 'Primadonna'...even though the ambience is a bit more controlled and more polished to a certain degree than most of the harder, and veterans of Punk Americana. When listening to this pleasing piece, just think of Oingo Boingo minus the horn section, and a lesser maniacal voice....btw, who is singing this one hehehehe lol? As we get well into the second half of this sampler, 'Cybergod' displays very similar qualities to that of the Alan Parson's Project / I Robot days.
The closer is the heavily Door influenced 'Venice At Midnight', which comes complete with a carnival sound supplied by Melissa's keys that helps accentuate the laidbackness of this nice little dosage of ear candy. This track is especially for those who like their Rock on the poppy side...even though the lead guitar breaks up the soothness at the end rather tastefully. 'Venice At Midnight' reminds me of the more recent laid back arrangements of Blue Oyster Cult...with the musical arrangemnet being more influence by the one and only Buck himself.
And there you have it....a rather impressive sampler brought to you from a quintet that knows how to bring out a fresh style from using influences from some major facets of Rock's shiny diamond into effect, with a major fraction of vigor, and atmosphere. For anyone who welcomes variety into their own listenable pleasure....then Sachi is a prime canidate for a spin.