Pre-Game

The 2022 Sacramento River Cats season was coming to an end, and as a freelance journalist who had covered the team for the past four years, I found myself in search of something to keep myself occupied during the off-season. This led me to explore concert photography, which gradually ignited a desire to blend my love for baseball and music.

With this in mind, I came up with the idea of interviewing bands at Sacramento River Cats baseball games, delving into discussions about their music and passion for the sport. However, I soon encountered an unexpected hurdle and overlooked circumstances. It became apparent that most people in bands were not avid baseball fans, and even the few who showed interest were unable to accommodate the games into their busy summer touring schedules.

Baseball has often been seen as a traditional, conservative sport, but there have been moments throughout history that have been intertwined with social issues, whether it be racial segregation and the integration of Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood and Marvin Miller’s fight for labor rights, or the rebellious antics of players like Reggie Jackson, that challenged the status quo. Punk rock, too, emerged as a subculture that rejected mainstream norms and embraced nonconformity, and critiquing political systems, often addressing themes such as inequality, oppression, and resistance.

Halibut Head is a Sacramento punk band formed in 2021 by lead vocalist and guitarist Damien “Dame” Masterson, background vocalist and bassist Jesus “June” Medina, and drummer Chris Denby. I first met Dame when they opened for the band, Thank You Come Again, at the Golden Bear and I was hooked by Halibut Head’s early 90s Bay Area punk sound.

A few months later, in early Spring 2023, I noticed Dame posting about the Dodgers on Instagram. I reached out and learned about his love for the team. We discussed an interview, but scheduling was tough until we finally met up in mid-August.

Warm-Ups

I met up with the band at the suite entrance doors of Sutter Health Park. We took a quick walk to find their seats, which were located just to the third base side of home plate. Then, we headed up to the Solon Club on the second deck for the interview and a beer.

I learned that June and Chris had never been to a River Cats game before so, as we passed the information desk on the concourse, I made sure they got a pin that said it was their first game. When we got to the Solon Club, Dame and June each got an 805 beer as we settled in for our interview. The Solon Club is a great place to watch a game. It has a private bar, with balcony seating and a great view of the field.

The stage was set as the Sacramento River Cats were about to take on the visiting Tacoma Rainiers who coming into the game were tied for first place in the Pacific Coast West. The Rainiers would hand the ball to Adam Oller, and on the bump for the River Cats was Kyle Harrison. Harrison, the top prospect of the San Fransico Giants has been on the cusp of making his Major League debut but concerns with his control, as well a short stint on the Injured List has kept him in Triple-A.

Top of the First

The band members didn’t play a lot of sports growing up. Chris played a little t-ball and soccer, June tried out for soccer but ended up playing the saxophone in the marching band from fourth grade through high school. Dame played baseball for two years and shared a couple of memories.

“The first thing that came to mind was not a great experience. I remember waiting to go up to bat and my teammate in front of me got hit in the back with the ball by the kid who threw the hardest and fastest in the whole town. So, when he got beaned, I started crying and didn’t want to go to bat. But my dad, who was the coach, said, ‘You’ll be okay.’ I think I watched three pitches right down the middle. I just stood there like, ‘Sick, I’m done.'”

While most people who have played baseball can probably share a similar story, it wasn’t all bad for Dame. His family has always been big Dodgers fans, and some of his first memories were from Dodger Stadium.

Bottom of the First

There are many musical artists who are known baseball fans, from Billy Joel and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins to Lady Gaga. Baseball fans can be found in all genres. I asked the band if they could attend a baseball game with Jack White of the White Stripes, Geddy Lee of Rush, or Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, who would they choose and why?

Chris said he would choose Jack White because he seems like he would have some super interesting takes and opinions on the game.

Dame replied, “Mine is Geddy Lee. I played bass in an eighth-grade band and we covered YYZ. Learning the baseline was insane, and I’ve always loved his jazz bass. That’s why I own one to this day. I’d love to hang out with Geddy Lee”.

June said, “That’s funny, Chris said Jack White and Dame said Geddy Lee. I’d actually go with Eddie Vedder because he’s close to Julian Casablancas of The Strokes and they’ve done covers together. I’d love to learn about Julian through him.”

Top of the Second

Baseball and punk rock may seem like opposites, but they share some unexpected similarities. Both require teamwork, dedication, and a willingness to take risks. Both can be incredibly rewarding when things go right, just like being able to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game, as Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day has done on multiple occasions. I asked the band what similarities they noticed between being a baseball player and being in a band.

Chris got straight to the point and said, “Repetition.” The other band members elaborated on this; “The team aspect, like you’re all kind of like of one mind…and I feel that with these guys…If the ball drops you learn where to pick it up,” said June.

Dame added, “I would say just like taking balls at short…these ball players are so used to repetition that when you’re faced with any moment during a game, they already know what to do. So, when we’re at band practice it’s like putting in that repetition so that when we get to the show and we’re faced with something I fuck up, or [Chris] drops a stick, or [June’s] bass amp turns off we already know where the song is supposed to go”.

Bottom of the Second

How did you all meet and decide to start a band?

Dame shared, “I moved up here from Southern California during COVID…and bought a guitar from the pawnshop. I was like, ‘I want to start a band.’ I came across this band called Sanity Aisle, which these two were in: Chris played drums, June played bass, and they had another guy named Joseph upfront. I hit up [them] up saying, ‘Hey, if you’re looking for another guitar player, I’d love to join your band.’ And I think it was probably Joseph who ran that page, and he was like, ‘Oh, we’re good right now, but you know, we’ll see you at a show or whatever.’ I didn’t think anything of it. Within a few weeks I see that the band had actually split up. So, I immediately messaged Chris because Halibut Head…were in need of a drummer. He’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll totally join your band, but you have to join my band, so I play in a band that he’s the frontman. Then the bass player for Halibut Head was always hard to coordinate with, and June was already hanging out with us because he plays bass in Chris’ project. So, he was already learning the Halibut Head songs. One day we’re just like, ‘Dude, do you want to just join the band?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’ So, I texted the other bass player, ‘Hey, sorry, it didn’t work out. We’re gonna move on.’ And that’s how Halibut Head came about. That to me really feels like when it started. Not to discount my buddies, but that was always just like a fun jam band, but it’s this lineup that really started to feel like Halibut Head.”

Top of the Third

After learning how Halibut Head came about, I had to know where the name itself came from. Since it was Dame’s brainchild he told me,

“That’s a fun story, too. I got really into cooking shows…and I was wanting to start a band. I was trying to come up with band names. Then I was watching MasterChef, and one of the contestants was named Derek, and he was challenged to cook with the head of a halibut. When it became his time to be judged, the judges were like, ‘Okay, Derek, you had the halibut head. What a cool band name: Derek and the Halibut Heads.’ And I was sitting there thinking, ‘No, that’s lame. But what about Halibut Head just by itself?’ And then it just stuck. I never even entertained changing the name when these guys joined the band, we never wavered.”

Bottom of the Third

As we know, the members of Halibut Head also play together in another band called Atom and the Breaknecks. I asked them about their other projects and how their sounds compare to that of Halibut Head. Chris, a key player in both bands, told me:

“Context is King…is a band that I play bass in and…Atom and the Breaknecks is a six-person band that I sing in. Context is King is a progressive band. I would say Atom is a lot more up-tempo but we’re definitely a punk band, but it changes dynamics a lot. Halibut Head is a lot more straightforward with the sound and concept. It’s a lot more of a solid idea.”

Top of the Fourth

I went on to ask the band who their influences were in both sound and style. June and Chris looked at Dame and both said, “Don’t say it, don’t say it” as he proceeded.

“The first one that everyone recognizes is Green Day, but when I sit down and write the songs. there are a lot of other bands from the East Bay that…I try to pull from, like Crimpshrine, Fifteen, Sweet Baby Jesus, Mr. T Experience—all these bands that came out of Gilman back when Green Bay was exploding…it’s those sounds that I tried to bring out using the Green Day sound as the foundation. I’ll pull elements from these other bands to try to reintroduce the Lookout Records sound that was coming out in the 90s. There are so many cool bands that came out of that who people feel are overshadowed because of Green Day. I try to home in on…finding those other elements from all those other bands that seem to be the forgotten man.”

Bottom of the Fourth

The creative process is different for everyone. It’s a process of discovery and experimentation, and it is always evolving. So, I asked the band to describe their process when writing new music. Dame said,

“Now that we have basically every song we know recorded, and every song that I had on the table before meeting these guys knocked out, there were a handful of songs that I kind of brought to them. These songs were only written on a guitar, and I had some of the lyrics. To separate the newer songs from the older songs, those with drum parts and bass parts already written, I showed up just kind of telling them how the songs went”.

Top of the Fifth

Dame continues to share the band’s creative process and how it has evolved.

“We’ve reached a new phase as a band where I can come to them with a song and say, “This is what I was hearing when I was writing the song.” For the most part, I can introduce a song that’s very bare bones, and June will be like, “Okay,” and he’ll get the chords and then start writing a line under the chords. He comes up with some really cool shit. Then Chris will be like, ‘Well, it’d be cool if I did like this thing on the toms and went around here.’ It’s still relatively new to us.

The process is: I write a song on my couch, and then I show up to band practice and say, “Here’s the song.” I play it by myself just with the guitar. And then they’ll start thinking, the gears are turning. And then we just kind of piece everything together. We get on the same page, and the three of us, in our own ideas and musicianship, kind of come out and see how that song comes together.”

“It’s really exciting. It’s honestly how I’ve always wanted to write songs. I know that the bass part that June is playing is his written part and is how he likes to play. The drums that Chris is playing, that’s his part. It just feels really cool. We just play together versus like, trying to be like a conductor”.

Bottom of the Fifth

The Quarter Bob EP was released about 18 months ago, are there any projects that you’re working on or when can fans expect new music?

“Yeah, we’ve got a brand-new [full length] record coming”! Dame exclaimed, “We put together a record that might be around 12 or 13 songs. We’re hoping that it will come out by the end of this year. We’re shooting for mid to late October”.

Top of the Sixth

Have you decided on an album title yet? I asked.

“It’s actually called Shrimpcrine,” Dame revealed. “So it’s the name Crimpshrine, but flipped. I wanted to do something where like back in the old days, you’d sift through a record store, pull out something, and then that album cover attacked you and got your attention right away. You wouldn’t really care at that moment what the music sounded like; you wanted to take it home and discover the music. Whereas now, it’s all online, I feel like everyone already knows what it’s going to sound like…but with an album title like Shrimpcrine, I wanted to reintroduce the idea where your eyes might get wider just by reading an album title or by looking at the album art. I wanted to kind of do something tongue-in-cheek… to get somebody’s attention.”

Bottom of the Sixth

Dame recounts the time it took to write and record the album, as well as the biggest challenges the band faced in the process.

“I want to say that the oldest song on that record is probably a song like “Luann” or “Uptight.” Those were written…I’d say maybe around 2021. The newest songs, “Madre Linda” and “The Chief Starter,” are songs that the three of us just put together, maybe like four, five months ago. There’s sort of a span of close to three years on this record…from the very early days when it was just me to now, with [the three of] us”.

Top of the Seventh

What can fans expect to hear on your upcoming album that differs from the Quarter Bob EP?

“Bigger guitars!” Dame exclaimed, “I think a better overall presence, and a cooler approach to songwriting. I tried to challenge myself a little bit more as a songwriter. We actually have…what you might call a ballad on there. There’s a really slow song on the record which is brand new to me and something I never written. [Made Linda] was honestly my favorite song to put together with these two. Just how slow it is and just different from the four songs that we released last summer”.

Chris interjected, “Since we last recorded them, over time, we’ve just changed the way that we played them. I like this better, I like doing that, I discovered this and I’m going to change that and do it”.

“Are they redone for the album”? I asked. 

“We are unofficially re-releasing the Quarter Bob EP,” Dame announced. “Basically, what’s going to happen is that one day you might listen to the songs on Spotify, go to sleep, and then the next day you wake up and they’re going to sound different. When we spent our studio time recording Shrimpcrine, we were like, well, let’s just knock these out too, because we are way better musicians than we were in April of last year.”

Bottom of the Seventh

Have you discussed your plans for after the release of the new album Shrimpcrine?

“We are trying to put together a little tour for next March…We want to try to hit some states that we’ve never played in so we’re gonna go over the Rocky Mountains…So we’re gonna wait for the snow to go away around springtime and try to play a 10 day tour and introduce ourselves to some other states we’ve never been in”.

Top of the Eighth

We’ve all heard crazy stories about rock bands, and I can tell you a few about professional baseball players. So, I had to ask the band what their craziest experience was while performing live. They all laughed, and Dame looked to June and said, “I think our minds went to the same place. Why don’t you tell that story”?

“I don’t eat at Denny’s anymore. I had Denny’s the night before a Halibut Head show and evidently, I got food poisoning and wasn’t feeling well. When we got to Ribald in Nevada City, where we were playing the show, I went up to Dame and said, “I don’t feel too good. I’m going to sit in your car.” This was like an hour before we were supposed to go on stage. Luckily, I hadn’t had too many solid foods because… I basically shat myself. I ended up going to the bathroom at Ribald, threw away my underwear there, so thank you, Ribald, for disposing of my underwear and I played the show commando style”.

Dame noted, “We killed it, that was a good show’’.

The Sacramento music scene has a long history of producing great bands. I asked, Who are some of your favorites that are currently making waves and that people should check out?

June replied, “The entirety of the Sacramento scene!” But the band all agreed that Mastoids, Addalemon, Checked Out, Black Cloud, and Paper Airplanes were some of their favorites. They also recognized that they were missing a lot.

Top of the Ninth

The next question was a fan request, “June what is your favorite Strokes song”?

“That’s a hard one,” June said. “Do we know who sent the question?”

I replied that they did but I was keeping that to myself, and that’s when the band’s manager, Dylan, popped in with, “He can’t reveal his sources,” which gave us a good laugh.

June continued, “I know people say this about their favorite bands all the time, but it’s legitimately hard. If I have to chalk it up to one song, ‘Automatic Stop’ maybe, or ‘Madness.’ There’s so many great ones.”

Bottom of the Ninth

The game was coming to a close, so I asked the band if they had anything else they would like to share. Dame replied,

“We’re Halibut Head from Sacramento. We like playing music. We like straightforward punk, just like it was in the good old days. Come out to a show”!

September 1: Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, CA

October 13: True Symmetry Brewing Company, Suisun, CA (with Atom & The Breaknecks and Context is King)

November 2: Old Ironside, Sacramento, CA

Post Game

Baseball and punk rock may seem like opposites, but they’re both about people coming together to create something special. The River Cats may have lost 18-8, but thanks to Halibut Head, the night was still enjoyable.

Bryce Johnson kicked off the River Cats offense with a leadoff home run. Not stopping there, he set a new River Cats record with his six hits on the night which included a double and a home run leaving him a triple shy of completing the cycle.

After a great start for the River Cats, Kyle Harrison was officially called up to the Major Leagues by the San Francisco Giants a few days later. He made his Major League debut in a game against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Though he didn’t factor in the decision, he showed that he was ready for the big leagues.

Facing a stacked Phillies lineup that included Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper, Harrison pitched 3 and 1/3 innings, striking out 5, walking 1, and allowing 2 runs. He struck out the side in the first inning, including Trea Turner for his first Major League strikeout. His only mistake was a “Welcome to the Show” home run off the bat of Bryce Harper, a two-run blast to right center that landed 388 feet away.