7evin

Producer, deejay, re-mixmaster, proud parent, Sammie nominee and Sacramento fashion icon 7evin talks a little trash a couple hours before his set at The Press Club.

What’s “the Shocker?”

When I came up here about a year ago, I told my daughter it was Sacramento’s way of saying “What’s up?” Everywhere I’ve ever been, nobody knows what it is.

What’s the best song in the world?

Wow. Um. Wow. Uh. I’m going to have to think about this. It’s a Mars Volta song … and it’s track four. Hold on [he goes to find the song in his computer] … “Inertiatic ESP.”

What about local bands? Any favorites?

Evening Episode, Dusty Brown, I’m really into whatever DJ Crook does. His stuff just blows me away every time. Red Host is amazing. He’s back and forth, but Jacob Golden. He writes songs for songwriters.

Why do people get famous, then leave Sacramento?

I came to Sacramento from the Bay Area, because one, cost of living; and two, they’re actually doing something creative here. … A lot of people leave here to go to San Francisco, and then they realize it’s not much different. I mean, it’s the same hipsters, same scenesters, same street-wear elitists. But here in Sacramento, if you get over the fact that it is a small town, you get a lot more done. People get disappointed because labels don’t come here, but the thing is, you don’t need a label.

What kind of jacket is that?

I got this jacket at Target and Justin Timberlake was wearing it in a Pepsi commercial. I was like: “Word, I bet he paid way more than I did.”

Do you consider yourself a mash-up deejay?

To be honest, we call them bootlegs, you know? It’s like, we hate the word mash-up. [You can] take two of the most popular songs and put them together—that’s not what we were about. We were like, let’s take old and new and make it even newer. I do a lot more than that. That’s kind of my therapy. I don’t know if I’m a mash-up artist or a re-mixer.

Do you dance?

Oh yeah, I dance.

Do you have anything coming out?

Yeah, I’m finishing my album with my band 7evin: Es-El. It’s kind of a lo-fi project … and I have a collaboration I’m doing with JustLuv. We’re kind of calling it Just7evin right now. And I’ll be deejaying with Benji Madden from Good Charlotte. We haven’t selected a venue yet.

It’s gonna be at The Park, dude.

No.

Really?

I don’t think so. Not that we wouldn’t mind being at The Park or Empire or anything like that, but …