21Q

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma following a Nov. 3 car accident near San Jose. Now, Cheng's family and friends are trying to raise money to help pay for his medical bills,

Fans can donate money through the One Love for Chi site and all proceeds will go directly to Chi's mother, Jeanne Cheng.

The goal is to raise a minimum of $20,000 - so far they've netted just under $5,000.

In addition to donating, fans can also keep up with Cheng's status via family blog updates.

The Deftones are scheduled to play their first show without Cheng, April 5 at the Bamboozle Left Festival in Irvine, Calif,

Former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega will perform in Cheng's place. Vega is a friend of the band's and has filled in for Cheng in the past.

No word yet on when "Eros" the album the band was recording before Cheng's accident, will be released but look for another benefit show in the coming months as well as more Deftones dates.

Sasha Soukup wanted to get away from it all. So, she and husband Chris Streng packed up their San Francisco home and moved to Grass Valley.

Soukup found it quiet and peaceful and, well, kind of boring.

"We lived by ourselves at the end of a dirt road and I got really tired of myself," Soukup says. "I needed some hobbies and I'd started to notice my own crappy patterns when it came to not making art."

And, so armed with a desire to get something done, she joined a local artists' group and started exploring music. Soukup had sang and played before - but never really beyond her bedroom.

"I had terrible stage fright," she says.

But, as she started to feel at ease with her art, Soukup decided it was time to take it public - with a little help from her husband and a set of makeshift drums.

"We didn't have drums at first, he was just playing on pans and a bucket."

That stopgap approach fits the music.

Anchored by Soukup's raw, punk voice, the Shamrocks, who recently added bass player Taylor cook, make music inspired by everything from '50s pop vocals, and doo wop to calypso, punk and pop.

"I've been listening to a lot of music from the San Francisco psychedelic music scene lately - a lot of Jefferson Airplane," she says.

"We've been doing a cover of White Rabbit' - I love the way Grace Slick sings, it's so operatic and trippy."

Sasha & the Shamrocks

Song: "Happy Anywhere"
Style: Lo-fi experimental pop with a nostalgic flair
Behind the song: The musical structure came first.
"It's just a fun little thing, the chord is a happy little thing."
The lyrical content follows a parallel to Soukup's life.
"The words are all about different places around the world - places my close friends have been," Soukup says. "There's someone who spent time on a fishing boat in Alaska, another friend lives in Dubai.
"It's just about making that choice to move out of our comfort zone, when you get that bug to change something up geographically."

Listen to "Happy Anywhere" here;

See them: Saturday at the Center for the Performing Arts (314 W. Main St, Grass Valley). Uni & her Ukulele and Tippy Canoe also perform. The 8 p.m. is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information: www.thecenterforthearts.org and (530) 274-8384.

On the Web: myspace.com/sashaandtheshamrocks

Chelsea Wolfe was a good girl. The Sacramento singer-songwriter still is actually.

"I don't think I've ever been a rebel - I've always considered myself a good person," Wolfe says. "I believe in honesty and kindness and integrity and kindness.

But...

"I have a dark side that I keep to myself - I only show it through my music. The rest of the time I'm very happy-go-lucky."

Certainly, with its ethereal dirge of guitars, keyboard and strings floating beneath a mournful voice, Wolfe's music is anything but cheerful. Still, its roots have somewhat happier origins.

The 20something Wolfe's been making music since she was nine and she and her sisters crafted "gothic hip-hop" songs in her country musician dad's home studio.

"They were hilarious but some of the songs were kind of awesome considering we were so young," she says.

Now, she adds, it seems as if she's "been writing songs forever."

It took her years to get them out of the house. Wolfe didn't start performing live until 2005, a year after she returned home from Capetown, South Africa where she'd been attending bible school and working with children.

Today, Wolfe says, her Christian faith is still part of her music.

"There are a lot of themes that relate to spirituality," she says. "It inspires the things I write."

Wolfe is currently at work on a new album. It will be, she says, "grittier" than her first CD, 2006's "Mistakes in Parting."

"I'm working with a friend (Sacramento musician) Scott McChane but it's mostly self-produced," she says. "I'm using some of the original demo tracks for the songs so rather than having everything sound so sparkling clean, it has a much more personal sound."

Chelsea Wolfe

Song: "Underwater"

Style: Ghostly folk-pop

Behind the song: Wolfe's new album follows a delicate thread of self-doubt.

"It's about feeling you're going crazy, like you're lost in your head, attempting to fit into a normal world," Wolfe says. "This song is the first track and it sets the mood. I wanted it to be droning and spacey and moody."

"Underwater"'s narrative draws on the story of the writer Virginia Woolf's suicide by drowning.

"I wanted to explore her situation - what drove her to walk into a river with stones in her pocket," Wolfe says.

"I wanted it to sound like what it felt like when she went underwater."

See her: 7 p.m Saturday, March 14 at the Blackwater Cafe (912 North Yosemite, Stockton).

For more information: www.blackwatercafestockton.com/

Listen to "Underwater" here:

It feels like it's a lifetime away but mark your calendars: Rod Stewart will bring a new greatest hits tour to Sacramento, August 5 at Arco Arena.

Greatest hits? He has them.

Rod "The Mod" Stewart's career spans several decades and boasts countless hits including the seminal "Maggie May," "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "You're in My Heart."

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 14 through Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Why let Second Saturday have all the fun? Get some art action a week early this Saturday when the Artisan (1901 Del Paso Blvd.) hosts "Movement in Design," an evening of music, fashion and art.

"Movement in Design" - a.k.a. MODSAC - will highlight fashion area boutiques and designers including Van Der Neer, United State and Havoc. There will be live music too via DJ Greg J, the New Humans, Diamond Monsterrr and DJ Rock Bottom.

There will also be a "Battle of the Boutiques" fashion-inspired art exhibit.

The all-ages event starts at 6 p.m. and costs $5 at the door.

For more information www.modsac.com

Mike Farrell didn't really want to make music anymore - much less a rock record. But there was the well-known Sacramento guitarist with a batch of songs and some pals who wanted to finally hear them.

"A friend reminded me that I'd made a commitment to do a record," he says. "I sort of reluctantly started the record, not really feeling very confident."

Farrell's brush with a self-imposed musical exile came amid some personal upheaval but as the singer recovered his footing in life, he also regained a sense of ambition - and direction.

"(The new album) was going to be more of a country record (because) as much as I'm a fan of rock, I don't really feel like I have the voice for it," he says.

"That's one of my biggest pet peeves - that I don't have one of those cool, screaming rock'n'roll voices."

Usually that doesn't matter. In Daisy Spot, the Brazilian pop-influenced band he's fronts with friend Tatiana LaTour for example, the songs are decidedly soft and mellow. Elsewhere, he gets by with a little help from his friends.

"In a band like Th' Losin' Streaks I'm not the main focus- I have other people to rely up on to bring the rock," he says.

"To do this on my own is more of a challenge."

So, finally alone behind the microphone, Farrell worked on finding his voice.

"It took a lot primal scream therapy," he says. "I just had to scream it out, get it out and feel comfortable."

Farrell's new album is due in May. Until then, preview a track, "Ain't it Funny" at www.sacbee.com/sacramentosingle.

Mike Farrell

Song: "Ain't it Funny"

Style: Brooding rock'n'roll

Behind the song: The track, produced by Dana Gumbiner, came together in the studio with Mike Curry on drums and Lee Bob Watson on the clavichord.

"The demo was really bare bones and I was very skeptical about how it would turn out," he says.

"But Mike Curry nailed it and Lee Bob - I didn't even have to give him direction - he just came in and nailed it on the spot."

Farrell wrote the song in 1992 yet despite the seven years between writing and recording, he says it's particularly apropos of the times.

"The very first (line) is 'it seems that things won't get much better' which seems to reflect the state of the world right now - I didn't mean for it to be a topical songs but it's really perfect for right now."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/darksunskypilot

Listen to "AIn't it Funny" here:

If you're still on the prowl for things to do this weekend (and ever-so-slightly beyond), here are a couple of good possibilities.

Tonight at Luigi's Fun Garden (1050 20th St), it's Detroit garage rock band Tyvjk with Sacramento pop band Desario and, straight outta Davis, some country via San Kazakgascar. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $6 at the door.

Saturday night there's a great hip-hop show at Harlow's (2708 J St) with Lyrics Born. A little pricey - $25 a ticket - but worth it if you've got the cold, hard cash. Starts at 9 p.m., 21-and-over.

Finally, skipping over Sunday, there are not one but two good shows on Monday night. For jazz fans there's the Mitch Marcus Quintet, an SF ensemble whose live shows are equal parts improvisation and crafted composition. Also on that bill, Sacramento's delightful electro-pop duo Hearts + Horses. The all-ages show is at the Java Lounge (16th & Broadway), costs $5 and starts at 8 p.m.

Finally, also on Monday night, L.A. rock band Everest returns to Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.) The band, which makes pretty 70s-era pop rock, just finished a tour opening for Neil Young. The Cowboy Killers are also on that bill. The $8 show is 21-and-over and starts at 8 p.m.

Rock, rock til you drop: Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick are embarking on a 40-city tour this summer and the show stops here, Sept. 3. The venue's yet to be named, but I'm guessing it lands at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Wherever it's at, tickets go on sale next Friday, March 6 via LiveNation.com. Or, if you're a Citi credit card member, you can get special pre-sale access beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 4. Visit privatepass.citi.com for more information.

Hip-hop star Lil' Wayne will bring his "I Am Music" tour to town, March 30 at Arco Arena. The rapper, perhaps best known for his smash "Lollipop" single, will be joined by T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson.

Tickets ($39.75-$79.50) go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, March 2 via LiveNation.com

Just a reminder, tonight is that A.C. Newman show at Harlow's (2708 J St, Sacramento). The New Pornographers singer is playing songs off his two solo albums including the most recent, "Get Guilty."

Also on that bill, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, The Mississippi-based singer-songwriter plays quirky, sophisticated pop and is signed to the Animal Collective-founded label Paw Tracks - if that's not enough to get your music geek-loving heart out of the house, I don't know what is.

The 21-and-over show starts at 8:30 p.m. and costs $14 at the door.

Nick Shoman - aka DJ Oasis - bought his first turntable when he was 10; retired from deejaying at the tender age of 13 and then, finally, as he reached adulthood decided to stage a comeback.

"When I started I was inspired by DJ Premier and DJ Kool Herc - the real pioneers (who) could play old James Brown records and old groove jazz records and get people breakdancing," he says.

Once in high school, however, the budding turntablist decided to take a break - discouraged by what he described as a lack of "spirit."

"I could just see things were changing - hip-hop was going in a different direction," he says.

"I just let everything collect dust."

The spark reignited years later when a friend asked Shoman to show him the basics of deejaying.

Happy to be making music again, Shoman also realized he could, perhaps, make some money at this as well.

It wasn't easy, however.

"You could be the best DJ ever but some (clubs) won't give you a chance," he says.

After a few fruitless attempts at getting his set into various Sacramento clubs, Shoman teamed with the Neighborhood Watch, a local coalition of deejays, musicians and artists.

Now, with a little help from his friends, the 22-year-old has performed at Harlow's, the Press Club, Empire and Capitol Garge.

"We're just a group of people who work together - we're friends who give each other a push."

DJ Oasis

Song: "Well Connected (Introduction)"

Style: Jazzed-out noises and pop samples

Behind the song: "This is the first track I did after I started deejaying again," he says. "I wanted to make something that served as introduction to me, expressing who I am."

Shoman mixed the melody from the old '70s pop tune "Baby Come Back" ("I just thought the beat was so crazy") with riffs created on a computer. All those bits and pieces, he says, add up to one voice.

"I speak with my hands because I'm deejay," Oasis says. "I cut up a bunch of different (sounds) to make myself heard.

See him: Wednesday, March 4 at Capitol Garage (1505 K St, Sacramento) with DJ Matt Kelly. The all-ages show starts at 10 p.m. and is $5 at the door. For more information: (916) 444-3633

On the Web: www.myspace.com/djoasis

Listen to "Well Connected (Introduction) here:

Someone here was surfing the web - in the spirit of Furlough Friday - and stumbled across the makemebabies.com site.

This awesome little time-waster of a URL lets you see what your offspring would like if you paired up with some amazing genes - say those of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie.

So, naturally, the entire office had to get in on the action. I mean, who wouldn't want to know what their precious Marilyn Manson spawn would look like?

It works like this: You upload a photo of yourself - just a headshot - and then pick a celebrity from the MakeMeBabies vault.

One of my editors did a cute little mash-up with "American Idol" superstar Carrie Underwood - adorable.

I went, naturally, with Justin Timberlake (and this is the part where that one guy calls or e-mails me to complain about my crush on JT and how it pervades everything I do, every minute of the day. And your point is?).

So, upload, click, pick the gender and voila! Oh, and you also get to name your new tot - I tried to go with something vaguely Hollywood appropriate, marrying my name with Justin's, so, thus: Rastin

And, so I give you:

So cute, I think she has my eyes.

After skipping Sacramento on the last go-round, Coldplay is scheduled to bring its latest tour to town. The Grammy-winning band performs July 14 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Amadou & Miriam, Kitty Davis and Lewis will also perform.

Tickets ($35.50 lawn, $80-$98 reserved seats) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via LiveNation.com

David Shapireau first picked up the guitar to play funky Southern-tinged R&B in high school. Now, several decades later, the 58-year-old musician, building on musical liaisonswith the likes of Norton Buffalo, is finally fronting his own rock'n'roll band, West of Next.

"I've had my own jazz bands before but never anything like this - it's the first time I've ever sung," he says. "I'm enjoying it very much."

The path to this point was long and musically winding. Shapireau moved from Europe (by way of Baltimore) to California in 1972 and quickly became immersed in the Northern California rock scene, playing with, among others, Norton Buffalo, Jerry Garcia and Maria Muldaur

Shapireau's personal set of songs arrived long before he had a band to call his own.

"I just got this songwriting fever in 2002 and had hundreds and hundreds of songs - I finally decided I should do something more with them than just sing them to myself."

And so, finally, after moving to Sacramento in 2008, Shapireau put together a band that reflected his musical aesthetic (everything from western swing and bluegrass to Zydeco), all cut with a diamond-like precision.

"I have a background in jazz composition ... and I needed someone who could play very well technically and read music."

Shapireau found like-minded musicians in guitarist Steve Randall, drummer Tony Dey and bassist Paul Knutson.

Now, West of Next's sound is an amalgation of eclectic sounds, melancholy observations and pop sensibilities.

It is, he says, an equation that adds up to the unexpected.

"The average rock band doesn't usually do it that way."

West of Next

Song: "Something to Go On"

Style: Off-kilter pop

Behind the song: "Most of my songs are about melancholy and loneliness but this is more positive," Shapireau says.

"I just thought that everyone needs something to get them through - we all have our belief system, be it religion or another person."

The song's structure, he adds, diverges from rock's usual verse-chorus-verse framework.

"Most of my songs are usually very Broadway or Beatles," Shapireau says.

"I'm not exactly sure why this one came out different but when you're writing you want the mood to fit the lyrics - I wanted something upbeat but, because of my personality, also a little eccentric."

See them: Thursday at the Java Lounge, 2416 16th St, Sacramento; the all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/davidshapireauwestofnext

Listen to "Something to Go On" here:

The local Circle of 5ths entertainment / promotional group is hosting a Valentine's Day benefit tomorrow at Club Retro (6251 Hazel Ave., Orangevale).

The all-ages show benefits the UC Davis Children's Hospital Benefit and scheduled performers, among others, include Larisa Bryski, The Grumpy, Fair Game, Early States, Man Automatic and Save and Continue.

Admission is $8 at the door. For more information, visit Club Retro's MySpace page

It began as a simple idea: A classic bar band that married rock music with a twist of twang.

Brian Guido, on break from his guitar duties in Grub Dog & the Amazing Sweethearts, decided the time was right to start his own band.

"I'd been writing music but I really didn't know how people would respond," Guido says.

The Regulars, CA's first incarnation fit that rock-meets-country vibe but as members came and went, the music evolved.

The band's current line up, rounded out by Jay Shaner (guitar), Mason DeMusey (bass) and Ross Levine (drums,) has pushed the band in a different direction - the band'ssecond album, "Songs About Love & Depression," is a mix of no-frills rock and hooky pop.

"The songs have progressively been getting more pop-oriented," Guido says.

"There's still some rock involved but not as much of that country twang."

Their name, a nod to the Replacements tune, "Here Comes a Regular," epitomizes the local music scene and the band's place in it.

"Everyone in Sacramento plays in three bands and everyone knows everyone," he says

"We are the regulars. Whether we're playing or not, we go out all the time and see (our friends) play."

The Regulars, CA

Song: "Songs About You"

Style: Melancholy rock

Behind the song: "The album is about a certain period in my life - I guess the only good thing that comes out of depression is that it inspires you to write and be creative," Guido says.

"This song is about trying to kill the thing inside of me that makes me feel down."

Guido says he relies on his band mates to take his ideas and make them better.

"I come in with a song and everyone is involved in the process," he says. "Ross adds a lot of music theory to the process. Mason and Jay can really change it up too, (suggesting) we make a part shorter or longer.

"I trust them and just let them do their thing," he says. "It makes me a better songwriter."

See them: Friday at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St, Sacramento). The Tattooed Love Dogs and Kate Gaffney are also on the bill. The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $7 at the door.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/regularsband

Listen to "Songs About You" here:

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss cleaned up at the Grammys, winning a total of five trophies - including the big one for Album of the Year.

Yes, this means they won out over Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman" which, in turn, means the Stereotypes crew lost out on their second bid for a Grammy.

Jeremy Reeves reaction (via text) "We lost! It's rigged"

and then

"Ha ha"

Seriously, you can't complain too much, losing out to the likes of Plant and Krauss and it's a good call on the part of the Grammys. "Raising Sand" is a complex and sophisticated record that's also immensely emotional and catchy.

It's the kind of record that'll make your year-end favorite list and your mom's. And I mean this in the best way possible.

As for the Stereotypes' double-loss. These guys are still at the beginning of their career. My guess is these won't be their only career nominations.

I'll admit I didn't realize that the great Rev. Al Green finally won an R&B Grammy. He's previously won some in the gospel category but - and this is no slight to the gospel category - never in the higher-profile R&B category.

That's finally changed, Green took home the R&B performance by a duo or group for his work with John Legend on "Stay With Me (By the Sea."

And, his stagework with Justin Timberlake wasn't too shabby, either.

Ok, so seriously - we thought something was wrong with our work TV set during that M.I.A. performance with T.I., Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on "Swagga Like Us."

As soon as Queen Latifah introduced them and the camera cut away - poof! black and white!

For real, I almost got up and hit the TV, Fonzi-style but then I became so entranced with M.I.A's maternity outfit.

My guess is you won't find that lil' frock over in the Target Liz Lange section.

It was - how do I put this delicately? - wrong, wrong, wrong.

Also, although the British singer was wearing sensible sneakers but I was still worried that all the weird squatting dance moves would induce labor.

But back to the color, or lack thereof. Apparently this was intentional on the part of the Grammy producers - it was a "black-and-white throwback performance."

Throwback to what? To a time when our sets transmitted shoddy images and/or our parents were too thrifty to upgrade to color (hi mom!).

Weird and not particularly effective.

I have a love-hate relationship with John Mayer. I think he's an immensely personable, funny and smart guy but too often his music doesn't reflect that. In short, most of his music is boring and predictable. (Live, it's a slightly different story if you've got an appetite for endless blues riffs.)

That said, it makes sense that he won for pop male vocal. Even if there were arguably more deserving artists who should've been nominated, Mayer was sort of a shoe-in in this category.

The reasoning:

James Taylor and Paul McCartney skew a little too old and many of the Grammy voters may not really know who Jason Mraz and Ne-Yo are - despite the latter's huge success with his "Year of the Gentleman" album. Thus, Mayer gets the majority of the votes because he's younger, hipper and safe enough.

Now, don't send me hate e-mails defending Mayer - this is a case of hate the game, not the player, folks.

I'll admit that the whole Grammy eligibility consideration thing confuses me - it seems as if an album has extraordinarily long window in which to be considered.

Take, for example, the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album, "Raising Sand."

It was released in October 2007 yet was nominated for a bunch of 2008 Grammys.

Huh?

That quibble aside, this marriage of the Led Zeppelin front man Plant and bluegrass goddess Krauss has made for an amazing album that's completely deserving of its nominations. Thrilled to Plant and Krauss "Please Read the Letter' win for Record of the Year. I didn't know, until today, that this was actually an old song that Plant wrote with his old Zeppelin pal Jimmy Page. Plant and Krauss gave a decidedly sad, folksy twang.

So, unfortunately, Stereotypes - Jeremy Reeves, Jon Yip and Ray Romulus - lost out on their first Grammy nod for the work they did on Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman."

Instead, Mary J. Blige picked up the trophy for best contemporary R&B album.

Reeves, texted me right after the award was announced:

Jeremy: True, true

Read the Stereotypes story here.

Still on the horizon

...Well it felt like the 1,000,000 time anyway. Seriously, I know that was THE song of summer but it's now February and they're still trotting her out to sing that tune?

She does have other singles, ya know.

Perry's a cute girl - love the gittery fruit salad romper - and she's got some pop-punk chops. She reminds me a bit of a cross between Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.

My guess is that her career will end up more like the former's than the latter's though.

But I've been wrong before.

The Grammys are already under way but don't start their broadcast here until 7 p m.

I'll be live-blogging here and you can also read tweets at twitter.com/sacbee_music.

Jeremy Reeves, the local guy I profiled a week ago - and his Stereotypes producer pal Jon Yip are up for two Grammys for work they did with Ne-Yo - sent me this star-sighting text: "I practically ran over Paris Hilton ha ha"

Stay tuned for more

The Deftones will perform their first show since the November car accident that left bassist Chi Cheng in a coma.

Rick Gershon, a Warner Brothers publicist for the band, confirms the Sacramento hard rock band is scheduled to perform April 5 at the Bamboozle Left Festival in Irvine, Calif.

Former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega will perform in Cheng's place.

The 38-year-old musician, seriously injured in a Nov. 3 car accident near San Jose, remains in a coma.

The band explained its decision to regroup on stage in a recent blog entry:

For everyone that knows Chi, knows that he never wanted down time. Chialways wanted to keep working and never slow down, which is why we feel confident in returning to the stage at Bamboozle in April. Chi would want it, and we want to make sure we're keeping his legacy alive.

It won't be Vega's first time with the band. He temporarily replaced Cheng when the bassist took a brief break from the Deftones in 1998.

The band is also still at work on a new album, "Eros." It's the same disc the Deftones were recording before Cheng's accident. Once slated to hit record stores this month, Gershon says its release timetable is now indefinite.

Will the fourth time be the charm for brothers Don and Ryan Clark? The siblings, who grew up in Laguna Creek and now live in Seattle, were recently nominated for a Best Recording Package Grammy for their work on the Hawk Nelson CD, "Hawk Nelson ... Is My Friend"

The nomination is technically only in Don Clark's name but, says the 33-year-old artist, he and his 29-year-old brother share an even split of duties in their Seattle-based graphic design firm, Invisible Creature.

"We pretty much have the same skill set and work in the same style," Don Clark says, on the phone from Seattle.

Indeed, it was Ryan Clark's name on the nomination for last year's Grammy bid for Norma Jean's "O God, the Aftermath" disc. (The brothers' other two noms were for packages designed for the post-punk band the Fold and Christian punk band Fair).

The Clark brothers' resume is even more impressive - the two have designed album art and posters for the likes of Will.I.Am, Kings of Leon, the Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Tool and Pennywise.

The Hawk Nelson album artwork is a colorful '60s-style illustrated cover that folds out into a full board game. The actual CD disc doubles as the spin wheel that keeps the action moving.

"The band came up with the idea for a board game but they didn't really think it would be playable," Clark says.

The brothers took that idea a step further, creating a four-player and researching and referencing old '60s and '70s board games for inspiration.

"The goal is to see who can get to the show first and, during the game, the band drops in to help you get there quicker," he says.

The pair will attend the Grammys - their category will be awarded during the daytime ceremony - but don't really expect to win against a group that includes the Thievery Corporation and Metallica.

But, Clark says, no worries - they enjoy just getting the chance to hang out

"The night before the Grammys there's a merit award ceremony and that's way cooler than the (televised) Grammy awards because it honors lifetime achievement,' he says.

"It's like this cool little club that we snuck into."

To check out more of the Clark brothers' work, visit InvisibleCreature.com

Lux Interior, front man for the groundbreaking punk band The Cramps, died today in a Glendale, Calif., hospital due to complications from a pre-existing heart condition, according to a news release issued by the band's publicist. There are conflicting reports about the singer's real age but IMDB.com lists it as 60.

Lux Interior, born Erick Lee Purkhiser, formed The Cramps in 1972 after meeting Kristy Wallace in Sacramento. The two, who lived in Midtown, shared a love for surf rock, rockabilly, B-movies and other bits of so-called "trash culture."

Interior took his name from an old car commercial, and Wallace, who changed her name to Poison Ivy, attributed her new music moniker to a vision she received in a dream. The couple dubbed its music as "pyschobilly" - taking the term from an old Johnny Cash tune.

The Cramps moved to Ohio in 1973 and, in 1976, migrated to downtown Manhattan where they joined a burgeoning punk scene populated by the likes of the Ramones, Blondie and Television.

The band's 30-plus years on the punk scene spawned 14 albums, a seemingly endless tour schedule and an indelible influence on artists such as the Black Lips, the Reverend Horton Heat and Sacramento's own (now-defunct) Groovie Ghoulies.

The 2009 Noise Pop schedule is now up and it's a winner. While the San Francisco music festival, which runs Feb. 24-March 1, doesn't have quite the same industry recognition as, say, South By Southwest, it's nonetheless a pretty awesome way to check out great new bands, established indie acts and certifiable rock gems.

How's this for starters: Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh) and Bob Mould (Husker Du, Sugar) will give the keynote address for this year's conference. The one-day event will examine the state of independent music and how it intersects with new technologies, touring and industry trends. Confirmed panelists include singer-songwriter Penelope Houston; Live 105 music director Aaron Axelson and Wired magazine's writer Nancy Miller.

Mould also headlines the February 28 show at the Swedish American Music Hall (a tiny little place above Cafe DuNord at 2170 Market St., SF),

Other scheduled acts include the French Kicks, Martha Wainright, Stephen Malkmus, A.C. Newman. Matt Costa, Kool Keith and Ra Ra Riot.

The festival, now in its 17th year, also highlights art and film and this year's line-up includes a screening of the 2008 documentary "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison."

The 2008 Bestor Cram film chronicles Cash's (pictured, right, outside Folsom Prison with then-girfriend June Carter Cash) 1968 Folsom Prison concert (and its subsequent concert album). It also touches on the political and cultural events that shaped the event and includes archival footage and interviews with people who witnessed the show.

"Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" will screen Wednesday, February 25 at the Roxie (3117 16th St.)

For a complete list of performers, films, exhibits and ticket prices visit the Noise Pop web site.

It's been nearly two months since DJ Rated R was injured in a Philippines car crash. Now, the Sacramento-based musician born Ronald Florente is undergoing physical therapy in Visalia and, friends say, is on his way to a full recovery.

"He's doing really good at the moment," says Justin "Self" Brown, Florente's band mate in the Sacramento hip-hop group Live Manikins.

Florente, who was performing in the Philippines with his other group Live Audible Soul, was seriously hurt in a Dec. 11 crash near Baguio City.

The accident occurred when the brakes gave out while the van in which Florente was riding crashed after its brakes gave out. Florente, 26, was in the van's back row of seats and went through a window upon impact, sustaining major head and spinal injuries as well as a broken collarbone and clavicle.

Another member of the group, Runt Rock (real name: Gabriel Pizarro - he also performs in Live Manikins), was also injured but only suffered scrapes and bruises.

Florente, who underwent several major surgeries in the Philippines, was finally allowed to return home in mid-January..

Live Manikins will briefly regroup for a "Rock 4 Ron" show to benefit Florente but, Brown says, he hopes the whole crew will be back on stage by March.

"We don't want to really play again until Ron's back," Brown says.

"He's the backbone of our sound and it doesn't feel right without him."

Live Manikins

Song: "Malfunktion"

Style: Rock meets hip-hop

Behind the song: "We were hanging out one day, playing with music and Ron was scratching this guitar riff and when he started riffing Gabe started putting down drum beats and freestyling," Brown says.

The track, Brown says, epitomizes Brown's energy.

"Most of the sounds on this track are just Ron scratching," he says. "The vibe is "like Run DMC and Aerosmith on 'Walk this Way' - it's not crazy or dangerous angry it's just us rocking out."

See them: Thursday at the Image VIP Lounge (705 J St). Addict Merchants and Righteous Movement are also on the bill. Admission is $10.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/livemanikins

Listen to "Malfunktion" here:

Tesla fans take note: The band will appear at R5 Records (16th & Broadway, Sacramento) today at 6:30.

The quintet will be on hand to sign autographs and commemorate the release of its latest album "Forever More" in a limited edition run of collector, 180-gram vinyl.

It's the band's first vinyl release since 1990's "The Great Radio Controversy."

In an interview I recently did with the band (which you can read more about in this Friday's Ticket section), Tesla bassist Brian Wheat said that, in this era of CDs and MP3s, they were happy to get another chance to use the medium.

"We wanted to put (2004's) 'Into the Now' on vinyl but the record company wouldn't let us," he says. "Now we do things on our own and we get to do what we want."

The band will also debut its latest video, "Fallin' Apart," during the appearance.

Tesla will also perform live this Friday at the Memorial Auditorium (1400 J St, Sacramento). Tickets are $29.50. For more information call (916) 808-518 or visit Tickets.com.

As a teenager, Sacramento hip-hop artist Tais co-opted other people's music to make his own.

"I think I started out just like everybody else - (writing songs) over other people's instrumentals," he says.

"This was back when artists would release a single that had an instrumental (version of the song) on the other side - I wrote my first song to an Outkast tune," he says.

"I don't even remember what song it was - just that it moved me."

Eventually Tais graduated to spoken word before hooking up with some old high school friends to form the local hip-hop group Righteous Movement.

"We're not a band so much as a collective," he says. "We're four MCs and everyone gets to do solo albums and side projects.

Tais's first solo CD, "Truth Arises in Search of Mixtape," is an ode to his ongoing journey - artistically and personally.

The mix, he says, is mature and soulful.

"This is about me being on the outside looking in," he says. "It's about how I've grown as a man."

Tais, now 27, still crafts his songs with a cut-and-paste aesthetic.

"Hip-hop started with people making mixtapes and taking other people's music and making it their own," he says.

But the idea, he says, now goes well beyond his high school days of merely dropping rhymes over someone else's music.

"My angle is this: Let me take this music and reintroduce it to you."

Tais' efforts have already earned him some prominent recognition: URB magazine just named Tais one of its "Next 1000" important hip-hop artists to watch, praising his "authenticity" and "light, breezy" sound.

A big honor, sure, but Tais says he's already found his biggest influence, inspiration and fan in six-year-old son Noah.

"He comes on stage with me and is so into it - he could be my hype man," Tais says.

"And if I stop rhyming, he just keeps on going."

Tais

Song: "Introduction"

Style: Sweet, melodic hip-hop

Behind the song: Tais kickstarted the song by sampling a track from the Seattle-based hip-hop group the Boom Bap Project.

"It's just a beat that hit me - a kind of rough beat that's slow and really embodies my style."

The song's message is simple.

"It came out of the way people introduce each other at shows, When you perform before an audience for the first time you have to (address) that people are asking 'Who is this guy?'

"A lot of people just know me as Tais from Righteous Movement so this song is a way for me to introduce myself on my own," he says.

"It just breaks it down: This is who I am and this is where I'm going."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/tais

Listen to "Introduction" here:

Sacramento rapper Sub-Zero has been inducted into the West Coast Hip Hop Hall of Fame. The artist formerly known as MC Prince Julian used to perform with Sactown's Beat Boys back in the day - i.e. the early 80s.

Sub-Zero's latest disc, "S.M.D. PART 2" features a guest appearances by Twista, the Dogg Pound and the late Mac Dre. A new disc, set for a May release, will include appearances by Snoop Dogg, E-40 and Suga T.

Check out Sub-Zero's music here.

Word is there are still a few tickets left for tonight's TRV$DJAM show at the Park Ultra Lounge.

TRV$DJAM is, of course, the two-man musical mayhem featuring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrated club mixmaster DJ AM (aka Adam Goldstein). Together the two create a mix that covers everything from hip-hop to '80s rock.

Both men, as you probably remember, were badly injured in a September air crash that killed Barker's assistant, Roseville native Christopher Baker. It was a tragic accident that left two musicians injured and grieving - but also with a renewed sense of spirit and an appreciation for life. It's good to see them back on their feet so soon.

The pair perform tonight at the Park Ultra Lounge (15th & L Streets, Sacramento). Doors open at 8:30 p.m.. $40 tickets available via WanTickets.com.

His idea was to keep it simple: Guitar, bass and drums and an exploration of the spaces in between each sound.

Dan Elkan was on break from a guest stint playing for Hella on tour and the former Pocket for Corduroy musician wanted to put together another band of his own. So he contacted his old PFC bandmate Thad Stoenner who was living in Elkan's Nevada City hometown.

Next thing Elkan knew he'd moved back to the foothills and, with the addition of drummer David Torch, had put together Them Hills.

The band was born in January 2006 but wouldn't play its first show until the end of that year.

"I didn't want to just start a group and play before we were ready," Elkan says.

During that time, the band explored its dynamic.

"Most bands have two guitars, bass and drums - or maybe even more (instruments) than that, I wanted something that was simple," he says. "I wanted to (work on) creating a sound where each instrument would matter more than if you had a bunch playing - especially in a live setting."

The band tried to capture that ethos on its debut CD, "Greener Grassing."

"I wanted to have a simple sound that was (also) dynamic," he said. "I wanted there to be more spaces where instruments were not playing - it's like when you think about a song like U2's 'With or Without You.' That's a powerful sound but it's just bass."

Them Hills

Song: "Grow Down"

Style: Jangly indie rock

Behind the song: The track stemmed from a single drum beat, Elkan says.

"David came up with this really quirky punk sounding (riff) and the concept came out of just us thinking about punk rock," he says. "It's about how you deal with the idea of getting older while still keeping your mind young and fresh."

It's OK, he says, to not conform to so-called "adult" standards.

"That's an old punk idea: You can grow up but still be young at heart."

See them: Jan. 25 at Luigi's Fun Garden, 1050 20th St, Sacramento. Tera Melos and Sbach are also on the bill. $5.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/themhills

Listen to "Grown Down" here:

Lake County artist Ron Keas has several original Barack Obama oil paintings on display at a Denver museum during Democratic National Convention. That high-profile exposure led to an offer to feature his work in a new Obama calendar.

Keas' portrait of the Obama family (Barack, wife Michelle and kids Sasha and Malia) will illustrate the month of August in the new "Obama DIversity Calendar." now available for $15 here.

Visit Keas' web site to check out his other Obama-themed paintings.

U2 fans hungry to hear the band's new album "No Line on the Horizon" don't have to wait until the disc's March 2 release date to hear some music. They don't even have to wait until Feb 15 - the day the album's first single "Get on Your Boots" is set for release.

This Monday (Jan. 19, to be exact), KWOD 106.5 will be playing "Get on Your Boots" throughout the day starting in the morning during "The Adam Corolla Show" which airs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Wow, that's almost enough incentive to get me to tune into Carolla's show.

Or, I could just wait until after 10.

Either way, enjoy.

OMG grab your eyeliner, Fall Out Boy is headed to Sacramento.

Just two years after the emo-pop band cancelled its headlining appearonce at Sleep Train, the band is now scheduled to bring its Believers Never Die Part Deux tour to town, April 8 at Memorial Auditorium.

Also on the bill: Cobra Starship, Metro Station, All Time Low and Hey Monday.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 23 through Tickets.com but if you're part of the FOB fan club you can get in on some pre-sale action on Jan. 21 via OvercastKids.com.

That icon of 70s pop-rock Fleetwood Mac's been talking reunion for a while and now the rumour is true. Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (but, sadly, no Christine McVie) just announced tour dates and Sacramento made the list.

Fleetwood Mac Unleashed: Hits Tour 2009 will arrive May 18 at Arco Arena.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this Saturday. Get details via the band's Web site.

May 18 at Arco Arena.

Erstwhile Davis mixmaster DJ Shadow has nabbed a sneaker deal with Reebok.

Shadow (aka Josh Davis) is a preeminent hip-hop instrumentalist. His 1996 full-length debut "Endtroducing ..." is, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the '90s and still stands up today for its moody yet alluring mix of jazz, hip-hop, funk and other audio bit - all sampled from vinyl. The cover of "Endtroducing," by the way, is a photograph of the dusty, album-clogged interior of Sactown's own Records store (taken in its original K Street location).

Anyway, back to the sneakers.

The shoes are available on DJ Shadow's site and feature the cover image from DJ Shadow's 1995 EP "What Does Your Soul Look Like?"

They'll set you back $104.99 - a small price to pay for such cool comfort (via Pitchfork).

The name of J. Matthew Gerken's band Nice Monster explains exactly what his intentions are for its music.

"I don't like writing songs that have typical guitar strums - you know, ba-ba-BA-ba bum. I like using odd time signatures and syncopations - that's the 'monster' part, (writing) difficult or interesting rhythms," he explains. "But at the same time I like but at the same time, I really like catchy melodies."

Gerken, along with friends Jefferson Pitcher and Christian Kiefer, is also part of the recent Of Great and Mortal Men project which recently released the highly lauded three-CD set, "43 Songs for 43 Presidencies" (Standard Recordings, $30).

The brand-new, self-titled Nice Monster EP swaps politics for a rich mining of sonic spaces, experimental yet accessible noise pop and complicated emotions.

Nice Monster is rounded out by Jason Roberts (guitar), Greg Aaron (drums), Chad Wilson (bass) and Gerken's girlfriend Heather Phillips (piano, vocals).

The new EP was recorded in the home shared by Gerken and Phillips and the experience, he says, was mellow with a focus on fun instead of technical perfection.

That relaxed vibe was aided by the arrival of a puppy.

"Heather and I were looking for a new puppy and in the middle of recording, a rescue puppy became available," he says.

The presence of Mickey, a Black Lab/Border collie mix, gave the recording sessions a playful mood.

"It was just really fun and created such a relaxed, flexible atmosphere," he says. "The fidelity might not be as pristane as it would be if we'd recorded at a studio but I think the performances are better."

Nice Monster

Song: "Down"

Style: Jazz pop

Behind the song: "It's similar to a lot of Nice Monster songs because it doesn't have a verse-chorus-verse (structure)," says Gerken who cites artists such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Wilco and Radiohead among his influences and inspirations.

"Down" starts with a slow, deliberate mood before shifting, half-way through, into something decidedly more upbeat.

"Those kinds of shifts happen a lot (in our songs)," Gerken says. "The texture, the time feel, the meter, even the lyrical topic - it can all change."

The song's subject matter, Gerken says, is a "tongue in cheek reflection" about childhood.

"The first part of the song is about a person wondering why they are the way they are," he says. "In the second half of the song, there's the realization that 'oh yeah, it's because of this stuff that happened when I was a kid.'"

The song's actual lyrics, he adds, are pretty "ambiguous."

"You almost need liner notes to understand them," he says. "I like to leave room for people to make their own interpretations."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/nicemonster or www.nicemonstermusic.com

Listen to "Down" from the new Nice Monster EP here:

After weeks of teasing listeners with ads promising a "change" for the station, Capitol Public Radio debuted a new show "Off Air." The hour-long music show makes its weekly debut every Thursday at midnight with a playlist that covers everything rock, punk, folk, pop, etc.

The show is hosted by Nick Brunner who, so far, has injected a nice dose of hip but thoughtful music sense into his program. This week's program featured songs by Iggy & the Stooges (a nod to this week's passing of Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton), the electro-pop sounds of Ladyhawke and erstwhile Sacto musician Jefferson Pitcher singing with neo-folkie Rosie Thomas.

I particularly like how Brunner doesn't just stick to the ultra-obscure or so brand-new-hip-that-it-hurts type of musuc. He's just got a good ear for mixing up sounds, old and new.

Looking forward to what Brunner plays next week, in the meantime you can listen to the first two shows at SmartRockRadio.org.

As 2008 finally fades away, I'm at work on my annual "Best of" CD mix featuring my favorite songs of the year. Since I can't send each and every one of you a disc, I thought I'd just post the list here.

There are 24 songs because 23 is my favorite number but I couldn't decide which song to cut. The list is mostly national artists but there are a couple of local acts as well (in bold).

1. "American Boy" - Estelle with Kanye West


2. "Oxford Comma" - Vampire Weekend


3. "White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes.


4. "Mercy" - Duffy"


5. "Pretty Bird" - Jenny Lewis


6. "Single Girl, Married Girl" - Charlie Haden, with the Haden Triplets


7. Miniature Birds / Grand Archives


8. "Cane Cola" - Desario


9. "Skinny Love" - Bon Iver


10. "Here With Me" - Jennifer O'Connor


11. "Sunday Afternoon" - Rachael Yamagata


12. "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" - She & Him


13. "You" - Two Sheds


14. "Chasing Pavements" - Adele


15. "The Kelly Affair" - Be Your Own Pet


16. "4 Minutes" - Madonna


17. "No Pause" - Girl Talk


18. "Don't Watch Me Dancing" - Little Joy


19. "Wishes Were Horses" - Lucinda Williams


20. "Life Is Better" - Q-Tip


21. "Tell Me Now" - Baby Grand


22. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" - the Black Kids


23. 'Get Better" Mates Of State


24. "Nothing Ever Happened" - Deerhunter

That's that, time to get ready for a night out to toast the arrival of 2009. See you on the other side.

The last time James George Serrett put out an album he was having a rough go of it. His wife had just left him and, worse, wouldn't speak to him. So, distraught, Serrett channeled all his angst, anxiety and worry into an album, 2007's "The Most Romantic Fool."

Fast forward to 2008 and things are, well, just as emotionally rough for Serrett - he and the ex still aren't on speaking terms.

Lucky for the 60-year-old singer-songwriter, it simply meant he had another record in him.

"This last year was even harder than the last and so my songs started getting even more personal," Serrett says of his latest release, "Living in Slow Motion."

As with "Fool," the new record is a collection of soft rock power ballads influenced by the likes of James Taylor and Billy Joel.

And while the songs are great therapy for him, Serrett says, he's always a little surprised that other like his sad songs so much.

"I asked my shrink - 'why do people like this stuff?'," he says.

"He told me, '(because) they've been through it and made it through to the other side.'"

James George Serrett: "Living in Slow Motion"

Style: Soft rock

Behind the song: The song, Serrett says, "comes from a personal and painful experience."

"It's about denial and self-delusion and refusing to move forward," he says. "The guy (in the song) is dazed and weaving and holding on to the delusion that she might come back."

And while writing the song was therapeutic, Serrett says, the actual recording of it was eye-opening.

"There's nothing like hearing your regrets blasting from the studio's speakers."

On the Web: cdbaby.com/cd/jgserrett2

Listen to the title track from "Living in Slow Motion" here:

The members of Tesla have come a long way since their late '80s, early '90s hey day. Then, the Sacramento hard rock band, touring the world on the success of albums such as "Five Man Acoustical Jam" was forced to squeeze recording sessions in between shows.

It was an exciting time, sure, says Tesla bassist Brian Wheat - but tiring, too.

The band's latest album, "Forever More," on the other hand, was recorded in Wheat's Midtown home studio. The five-month process, Wheat says, was considerably more relaxed than all those tour pit stops.

"We were in our own beds every night - this is a much more civilized way to make a record," Wheat says.

Produced by longtime Tesla friend Terry Thomas, the album reflects the band's decades-long work ethos:

"You get the idea, you work it out and then you just go in the studio and do it," Wheat says.

It's a simple enough foundation for the band's working man's rock blues sound but, Wheat says, Tesla has definitely evolved since its early days.

"We've been making records for 22 years and have traveled the world and gone through marriages and divorces and kids and other life experiences," he says.

"Those life experiences translate into your music, of course. We're the same band but now we're seasoned like an old baseball."

Listen to "Pvt Ledbetter" from "Forever More" at www.sacbee.com/sacramentosingle

Tesla

Song: "Pvt Ledbetter"

Style: Emotional, rockin' power ballad

Behind the song: "Jeff (Keith) and Frank (Hannon) wrote this one - it's a fictitious letter to a private in the army, telling him 'we're pulling for you, we support you,'" Wheat says.

"But then, he doesn't get a reply and people start to worry about whether he is alive."

Eventually, it's learned that the soldier died and, ultimately, the song "is about thanking him for that sacrifice he made," Wheat says. "It's very patriotic."

Listen to "Pvt Ledbetter" here:

On the Web: www.teslatheband.com

See them: Tesla performs Jan. 30 at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium (15th and L Streets, Sacramento).

Tickets ($29.50) are now available through Tickets.com., at the Convention Center Box Office (1301 L St, Sacramento) or by calling (916) 808-5181.

In September we told you about the Of Great & Mortal Men album featuring 43 songs - one for each president. The 3-CD set, written and recorded by the Rockin-based Christian Kiefer, Sacramento's Matthew Gerken and Bay Area artist Jefferson Pitcher featured guest appearances from local artists such as Vince DiFiore and John Gutenberger as well as nationally known names such as Rosie Thomas and Bill Callahan.

Kiefer, Gerken and Pitcher are still at work song number 44 (for Barack Obama, of course) and we just got word that the trio will perform at a pre-inaugural benefit on January 17 at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C. (600 I St, Washington, D.C.).

Scheduled guest performers include Nellie McKay, Silver Darling, Jukebox the Ghost and These United States.

The concert is a benefit for Bands for Lands, a Colorado-based non-profit that promotes self-sustainability and social awareness.

Tickets go on sale Friday via LiveNation.com and TicketMaster.com

With more than two dozen musicians (and their egos), conflicting schedules and a tight production timetable, it could have been a disaster.

Lesa Johnston, co-founder of the Pus Cavern Recording Studio, admits she was worried.

In the end, however, the Pus Cavern Allstars' recording of "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" was as fun and peaceful a project as its name suggests.

"I was concerned - all those egos coming - but the recording sessions ended up being so much fun," she says. "Everyone was just so cool."

The song, recorded to benefit the Sacramento Children's Chorus, is a who's who of Sacramento musicians with, among others, members of the Deftones, Tesla, the Hoods, Far, the Skirts, the Secretions and the Snobs stepping into the recording booth.

Johnston - along with her husband, engineer Joe - had put together local Christmas CDs before but this year, as the deadline approached, she was faced with a lack of material and the gnawing need to get something done.

"We didn't get enough submissions this year (but) I had the urge, I needed to do this (because) at the end of the day we give the money to someone who needs it," she says.

So, w ith the holiday season approaching, the Johnstons called on their friend Dave Buckner. The former Papa Roach drummer, now playing with his own band Last Angels, agreed to produce and quickly decided on just the right song.

"Happy Christmas (War is Over)" is probably the coolest rock'n'roll Christmas song ever," Buckner says of the John Lennon-penned tune (alternately known as "Happy Xmas" (War is Over")).

"It's just not your average holiday tune - it goes much deeper."

With the song decided, Buckner says, everything else just fell into place even as musicians scrambled to meet their tight production schedule.

"There were some scary moments but in the end everyone was extremely easy to work with."

So, no trashed waiting rooms? No outrageous demands? No holding out for the choicest guitar solo?

Nope, not even one tantrum.

"It was one of the loosest, most fun vibes," says Daycare guitarist Sonny Mayugba (pictured above, photo courtesy Sacpress.com).

"It was just everyone learning the song together and not sweating it - we're all older, we're all professionals and it was just about getting down the best song we could."

The Pus Cavern Allstars

Song: "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"

Style: Rockin' around the Christmas tree

Behind the song: Sonny Mayugba, who plays rhythm guitar on the track, says the modern Christmas classic proved to be a difficult undertaking.

"I thought I could just play it by ear but the song is really not that easy - Beatles' chords in general are pretty tricky," Mayugba says. "I had to get the sheet music to learn it and was totally just cramming to learn it in time for the session."

But with the chords finally figured out and parts learned, the gathering became relaxed, filled with impromptu covers and jam sessions.

"Recording studios are usually kind of nerve-wracking but this was almost like playing a live show," Mayugba says. "Everyone was playing - you had five or six guitarists, totally solo-ing their heads off. I think that's why the song comes out sounding so fun - those guys are just having a good time."

Listen to "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" here:

Download "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" for 99 cents at iTunes.com. All proceeds benefit the Sacramento Children's Chorus (www.sacramentochildrenschorus.org).

For more information and a complete list of participating musicians visit www.myspace.com/puscavernrecording

Don't forget, tonight there's a benefit for a very good cause.

Musicians and friends will gather at Harlow's tonight (2708 J St., Sacramento) for the One Love for Chi show.

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured in a November car accident and all proceeds from the show will benefit Cheng's family.

On the bill: Will Haven, Tinfed, Death Valley High, Last Angels and Eightfourseven. DJs Frank "Nitty" Delgado and Crook One will also spin records.

The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $12 at the door.

For more information: (916) 441-4693 or Harlows.com

Inspired by his musical hero Neil Young, Sacramento's Christopher Fairman always knew he wanted to be a musician.

He just didn't want to sing.

"I was really against it, I was really stubborn," Fairman says.

The reason? Simple: He didn't think that he could.

"I was pretty bad for a while," he insists.

The 23-year-old Rio Americano High School graduate, however, had one very important fan who thought otherwise.

"My mother encouraged me to do it," he says. "Now I think I'm pretty damn good."

And while his sentiment is, he admits, a little "cocky," it required more than a lot of practice to get to this point - it took a little ease.

"I think, just in life, I let go - and once I let go I didn't care about a lot of things that other people care about, " he says.

"I think that helps, if you don't care what other people think about you then you can let loose."

Fairman released the "Born Broken" EP in 2007 and plans to release a new CD ""85, 87" in the spring.

Produced by David Houston, the music is dark and reflective with a sound akin to Americana crooner Ryan Adams.

"It's like a diary of a year in my life," he says. "The songs are more personal than anything I'd done before."

The album's feel was also inspired by another piece of art, a ghostly, abstract image in shades of moss green, gold and orange that was painted by Fairman's friend Michael Pitcher.

"I don't know what it was, but I saw that picture and it just brought something out in me," he says.

The painting will be the album cover for "85, 87" and the fit, he says, is perfect.

"It's dark and there's so much going on - there are different characters there."

Christopher Fairman

Song: "Pages"

Style: Slow, meditative Americana

Behind the song: Written in just 20 minutes, the song epitomizes Fairman's loose, carefree approach.

"The song is very fluid and when I was writing this, I really didn't know what it was about for a while."

Eventually, the words came into sharper focus.

"It's just very confessional, talking about how I see the world and how I don't always believe in myself," he says. "It's about the pages of the books I could write, I've got a lot to say."

"It's about how sometimes I don't believe in myself really just about the 'pages and pages' of things I have to say."

See him:

Dec. 12 at the Javalounge, 2416 16th St, Sacramento.
The 9 p.m. show is all-ages.

Dec. 19 at the Blue Lamp, 14000 Alhambra Blvd.
The 10 p.m. is 21-and-over only.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/christopherfairman

Listen to "Pages" here:

You may have noticed that Tesla was playing a string of December dates everywhere but Sacramento. Now, finally, the Sacramento-born band has a local date on the schedule but you'll have to wait until 2009 to bang your ever-lovin' head.

Tesla, which released a new album in October, is scheduled to perform Jan. 30 at the Memorial Auditorium.

(If you're a die-hard fan, you could also check them out Jan. 31 at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno.)

Tickets to the Sacramento show are $29.50 and now available via Tickets.com

Caitlin Gutenberger had never been in a band, hadn't really sang - certainly never in front of anyone - had never written a song.

She didn't have the experience but she did, however, find she had a musical connection with husband, bassist Johnny Gutenberger and his Jackpot bandmate Rusty Miller.

"Johnny and Rusty had some downtime and I wanted to learn to play drums so we'd just goof off and we had this real chemistry," she says of the collaboration that eventually became Two Sheds.

"So I wrote a few songs and then switched over to guitar and Rusty started playing drums."

Yes, it really was that simple.

"I was freaked out at first - I never thought I could write songs - I was an English major, used to writing things that were longer," says the 27-year-old singer.

"But then I got over the hump and wrote a handful of songs really fast.

That was 2004 and in the years since, Two Sheds, also featuring James Finch Jr. on guitar, has released a album (2006's "Strange Ammunition") and this year's digital-only, self-titled EP.

The music, grounded by Gutenberger's soft yet decidedly assured voice, is a mix of ghostly folk-pop and bouncier indie rock.

With Two Sheds geographically divided - the Gutenbergers live in Sacramento, Miller and Finch live in San Francisco - it's sometimes difficult to get the band in the same room for anything other than a show.

Still, the members of Two Shed are planning on spending some quality time together in 2009 with plans for a tour, a South By Southwest appearance and a new album on the calendar.

The new record, Gutenberger says, is still little more than a hazy notion.

"Second records are weird because the first one is just a big solo barf," she says with laugh.

"I have a lot of ideas that are all over the place but I really don't have a clue what it will sound like - we'll see what happens in the studio. I just want it to be (recorded) in a cozy environment with no pressure."

Two Sheds

Song: "WTF"

Style: Upbeat yet moody, wistful pop

Behind the song: The track's sunny sound belies its dark take on a particularly bad spell and a chorus which, yes, is acronym for "What the #$• !."

"Have you ever had one of those days or weeks or months where a bunch of bad things happen?" Gutenberger asks.

It's just, perhaps, a rhetorical question but the her viewpoint is disarmingly straightforward.

"Honestly, it's just one of those stupid choruses because I couldn't think of anything else to sing," Gutenberger says.

"I wanted to think of a more lyrical, nuanced way to say that but this is what came out instead."

Initially, "WTF" was a slow, meditative song but, over time, evolved into something faster and brighter.

"We just started playing it fast at practice because we wanted it to have this Tommy James & the Shondells sound - very 'la la la' with a quiet little heartbeat," she says.

"It just ended up being very fun."

See them: Tuesday, December 9th at Luigi's Fun Garden,

1050 20th Street, Sacramento. The 8 p.m. show is all-ages and $5 at the door. Chelsea Wolf and the Parson Redheads are also on the bill.

On the Web: http://www.myspace.com/twosheds

Listen to "WTF" here

The collaboration started a decade ago in a Sacramento High School classroom.

Lee Bob Watson was a musician but he was also a substitute teacher and, sometimes between classes, he found himself talking music with one of his students.

That student, Derek Taylor, had a band called Bucho and he invited Watson to come check them out sometime.

Watson did and, now 10 years later, the teacher and the student are bandmates in Happy Mayfield, which releases its debut CD Friday at Old Ironsides.

The four-piece, based in Sacramento and San Francisco, connects its members' electric influences to craft an oddly compelling hybrid of folk, soul, hip-hop, world beat and rock.

For Watson, who's played with the likes of Jackpot and recently released a solo album, it's an affirmation of how music can define your life. The birth of Happy Mayfield, he says, came at a point when he'd started to question the very act of making music.

It was 2004 and, back home after a stint teaching English abroad, Watson reconsidered his path: Playing endless bar gigs, touring on the cheap and subbing to make ends meet.

"It'd been 10 years of the grind of doing music and so I took a hiatus and stepped away for a minute - I just had to take it all in and ask myself, 'is this what I want to do?'" It's a crazy life."

Finally, he decided yes - but with a catch.

"I wanted it to be fun and positive, I wanted to find something that was uplifting."

That meant sifting through the sounds that got him interested in music in the first place - old funk, soul and jazz.

Watson, already writing and recording music for his 2007 solo CD "Aficionado," set aside songs that didn't quite fit that album's Americana vibe.

"Sometimes I'd write something that was more upbeat and dance-oriented, so I put them aside and waited until the time came when I would have the proper band."

The time arrived when Watson approached his old friend and student.

Watson had jammed with the members of Bucho before and now he wanted them to give his songs new life.

"The first batch I wrote came out pretty realized but I'm an old school cat and I knew that ... they would bring in some more contemporary influences."

By this point Bucho had disbanded and Taylor was living in San Francisco, playing drums with his old Bucho bandmate Josh Lippi and pal Ben Schwier in The Park, an ensemble that combines funk and jazz with hip-hop and R&B.

Taylor was ready to play.

"Lee used to burn us mix CDs and really opened my eyes to old (music)," says Taylor, whose Bay Area band now backs up neo-soul and pop acts such as Alice Russell and Nino Moschella.

"I loved his songwriting - when he had this Happy Mayfield idea, it just seemed totally natural."

And, although Watson already had the songs, Taylor says, Happy Mayfield has transcended the sum of its parts to create not just a sound but a sense of place,

"We're all from California and we all have this genuine love for soul and dance and that kind of cross-cultural sound."

Bassist Josh Lippi sees Happy Mayfield as unmistakably "authentic" but also something larger-than-life.

It's like we all are (playing) as these alter-egos," he says.

"Lee Bob's coming from this folk singer-songwriter background but in his heart of hearts he's this real James Brown kind of soul singer."

Dana Gumbiner was also struck by the band's dramatic flair - both on stage and in song.

"Lee Bob has this real cinematic way of looking at music, it's almost theatrical," says Gumbiner, who produced the Happy Mayfield record at his Grass Valley-based Station to Station studio.

And with songs that touch on everything from love and religion to outlaws and inspiration, it's Watson's viewpoint that keeps it fresh.

"It's like Happy Mayfield became this character with a sub-narrative on subjects" Gumbiner says,

"That's what makes it click."

Still, although Happy Mayfield may be Watson's creation, the singer-songwriter says the rest of the band is force that makes it breathe.

"This is all happening because the band is hitting its stride," he says.

"They've played with tons of different people and they bring a playfulness to the music that pretty much goes beyond any boundaries."

Happy Mayfield

Song: "Happy"

Style: Jazzed out, Booty-shaking funk

Behind the song: The track, which references everything from street poet/ R&B singer Gil Scott-Heron to the El Camino High School-run station KYDS 91.5, chronicles Watson's lifelong musical journey - and sets the mood for the rest of the record.

"I wanted to write a bio for the band so I started writing down things and it occurred to me that it was a song - a declaration of principles," he says.

"This song became a genealogy of Happy as a character - why I feel the way I do, why I feel I have the right to say this."

See them: Friday at Old Ironsides(1901 10th St, Sacramento); the 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $7 at the door. Friendly Creatures and Casual Fog are also on the bill.

On the Web: myspace.com/happymayfield

Listen to "Happy" here:

Autumn Sky had 150 songs from which to choose so when it came time to narrow the selection down for an EP she wanted to pick songs that represented her range of musical loves and influences.

"A lot of pop, a lot of toy pianos and little bell sounds," Sky says. "(But) then there also my angry songs and things that are serious."

Just six songs long, "Diminutive Petite" packs a Goliath-sized wallop and is an aural history of Sky's musical progression. The Orangevale resident started playing piano as a child and, by the age of six, already had already written a several dozen tunes.

She eventually moved on to the cello and then the guitar. Now, a voice major at American River College, Sky is studying voice and jazz, Recently, she and a group of classmates formed a jazz combo which, she says, has had a major impact on her songwriting approach.

"It's difficult (because) I don't really know jazz chords so it makes me respect my limits - it's made me more creative and more respectful of all the people who came before."

Sky, who grew up performing in worship groups, also credits church as an important, if subtle, influence.

"I don't write Christian music, per se, but spiritually definitely influences what I choose to write and how I write about," she says.

Simply put, she says, her faith helps her set a personal songwriting standard.

"I would never write a song that I wouldn't my little brother to hear."

Sky will release a full-length album in April. Her EP will be available Thursday at a Luigi's Fun Garden CD release show or online at iTunes or CDBaby.com.

In the meantime, listen to "Our Little Boy" at www.sacbee.com/sacramentosingle.

Song: "Our Little Boy"

Style: Slow, melancholy torch song

Behind the song: "It's a very sad song about a woman who is regretting a decision she made to not follow a romantic interest."

But, by the end of the story, Sky says, the woman's decides to live with her choice - and any lingering sense of remorse.

"I wanted it to have this wistful, melancholy feel," Sky says.

Recorded at Sacramento's Hangar Studios, Sky recorded the song in just one take with piano player Evan Palmer and drummer Kayla Schureman, both from the local band All on Seven. It was record

"We've played it live so many times we were able to just go in there and capture it," she says. "I think that gives it a really cool, organic feel."

See her: Thursday at Luigi Fun Garden (1050 20th St, Sacramento) with Lynus and A Happy Medium. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/autumnskymyspace

Listen to "Our Little Boy" here:

Sometimes, Jeanette Faith admits, it gets a little confusing. She and husband Wes Steed had a band called Park Avenue Music and then that evolved into the side project Hearts+Horses. But now Park Avenue music has an album out that's called - you guessed it -"by hearts+horses".

The differences, Faith explains, aren't just about words.

"Park Avenue Music was very structured: Song, song, song," she says. "But then we started Hearts+Horses, it was just improvising, even when we were recording.

"I don't really like writing songs or lyrics - they usually sound forced," she says. "I wanted to break away from that and create a soundscape, a mood."

Now, Faith says, the focus is on of-the-moment sound and emotion.

And, yes, that spontaneity also happens on stage.

"The shows can be really great - or sometimes just a lot of noise," Faith says. "It's kind of scary but it's also kind of exciting."

Faith taught herself to play piano as a child and is also an accomplished cellist and singer. Now, as she plays the keyboard or piano and Steed turns the dials on a modular synthesizer, their music reflects a deep love for everything from jazz and classical to pop and new wave.

"I'd like it to have more of a modern, classical sound but it doesn't always turn out that way," she says. "It usually ends up sounding like a soundtrack."

But that's OK, too.

"I always wanted to be a score composer - that's where my songs come from, I'm always seeing movies in my head and just telling that story."

Park Avenue Music

Song: "Tufts"

Style: Dreamy, delicate and exquisite

Behind the song: "I just sat down at the piano and started playing and the mics were there and Wes just happened to record it," Faith says. "(Later), I added melodica and Wes added drums and effects on the vocals."

The piece grew out of an image playing in Faith's head.

"It's a story about this girl, driving around the block. She's dropped this guy off and the (relationship) that isn't turning out the way she wants it to and she's thinking it's going to change, that's it's going to get better," Faith says.

"Finally, she realizes, 'this is stupid - I'm just driving around in circles'."

Musically, that translates to something ethereal and sad but also uplifting.

And, Faith says, because it was recorded live on a whim it's also imperfect - but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's not the ideal recording but I'd rather keep the (song's) original feeling. When you try to rerecord it never turns out as good as the demo," she says.

"There are some mistakes in it but I don't care. It gives it a freer sound, It's real, it's raw."

On the Web: www.heartshorses.com or www.myspace.com/parkavenuemusic

Park Avenue Music will release another record later this year. Until then, listen to"Tufts" here:

Dream of becoming a famous drummer? (Insert drummer joke here). This weekend you'll have the chance to learn what it really means to pick up the sticks when Korn's Ray Luzier, Coheed & Cambria's Chris Pennie host a drum clinic on Sunday at Skip's Music (2740 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento.)

The clinic is part of the Show No Mercy Tour and sponsored by Sabian ABX, a company that makes high-decibel cymbals.

You've been warned - bring your earplugs.

For more information, www.skipsmusic.com.

Matt Sertich and Kirk Janowiak have been playing together for more than 15 years so when the pair's latest band, The Generals, was suddenly whittled down from three to two, the old friends took it in stride and decided to remain a duo.

"The idea just seemed kind of fresh," says Sertich, who previously played with Janowiak in Pocket Change and Zero to Heaven.

"We just have a really good chemistry - we write really well together," Sertich says.

With a shared love of 80s rock and British pop, Sertich (guitar, keyboard, vocals) and Janowiak (drums, keyboards) started writing songs after Zero to Heaven disbanded in 2005. They played its first show, with bassist Blane Barker, in 2006.

Now, Sertich says, no bassist is no problem - even on stage.

"We just program the bass into an iPod - the strings and other stuff, too," he says.

"It's awesome and it doesn't take away from the spontaneity when we're playing live."

The Generals released its debut album "Save Me" earlier this year and plan to enter the studio this month to record another. In the meantime, check out "Trains" at www.sacbee.com/sacramentosingle

The Generals

Song: "Trains"

Style: Spacey, reflective rock

Behind the song: "I'd just made a lot of changes in my life at the point when I wrote this song," Sertich says. "I lived ... near the train tracks and every night I'd hear the train go by. It shook the house but it was really very comforting."

That song, he says, is about a past relationship and changes he's made in his life since it ended.

With a swooping melody, "Trains" hits its rhythmic stride mid-way through the song - just like a locomotive gaining speed..

"It starts off pretty soft but once that pre-chorus hits it sounds really big."

On the Web: myspace.com/thegeneralsmusic.

Listen to "Trains" here

With a pedigree that includes Papa's Culture, Seventy and the Original Heads, Harley White Jr.'s been making music in Sacramento for years now, playing everything from jazz and hip-hop to rock.

These days, White's concentrating on jazz but still wearing many musical hats as the songwriter, arranger, stand-up bassist and leader for his big band-styled Harley White Jr. Orchestra.

"Doing the big band - it really covers everything I want to do," White says. "It allows me to do all those things that I'm interested in doing."

And what interests him, White says, is incorporating all of his musical loves - pop, jazz, hip-hop, rock, swing, etc - into one cohesive sound.

White finds inspiration in two music greats.

"Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones are my ideal musicians," he says. "They have hubris - they see the whole picture."

As such, White says he has no plans to release a CD version of his big band work.

"To release a big band record that sounds like a big band record? I wouldn't do it when Duke Ellington's already done it so perfectly," he says. "Those guys were on the road 200 nights out of the year and the music they play sounds like it - it was done so perfectly."

Fans can, however, find the Harley White Jr. Orchestra online as White turns to the Web to release experimental versions of his music. Check out one of those tracks, "Autumn Returns" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.

Harley White Jr. Orchestra

Song: "Autumn Returns"

Style: Ethereal, dubbed-out jazz

Behind the song: "This a Harley White Jr. Orchestra song remixed by the Original Heads," White says. "I went into the studio with producer William Prince and we started with a regular square mix - like what you'd hear the band do at a show - and then dubbed it out.

"Dub (music) is what happens when you strip things out - it's about the (concept of) less is more."

Here, less is more means taking out some sounds while giving new life to others.

"You start with a bare bones skeletal mix and then add reverb and delays," he says. "It's about making the music more spooky and ethereal. "For example, there's a horn sound that, in the original version of the song goes "pow!"

Then, White says, lowering his voice to a whisper, "when you dub it out for the remix, it sounds like 'pow, pow, pow."

"It's about finding the subconsciousness of the song."

See them: Friday at the Distillery (2107 L St, Sacramento ) with the C.U.F. and Red Tape; the 21-and-over show starts at 10 p.m. and is $7 at the door.

Or, Nov. 11 the HWJO plays World War II-era music at a Veteran's Day party at Club 21 (1119 21st St, Sacramento). Patrons are encouraged to dress up in their best '40s finery. Admission is $10 and the music start at 9 p.m.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/hwjo

Listen to "Autumn Returns" here:

It took Jay Shaner a year to record his solo album, "Best Laid Plans." The process, says the Sacramento musician, taught him a lot about what it means to be a songwriter.

"I was working with (other artists) but ultimately I realized that I've come to a point where I have to have the artistic vision for where the music is going."

That recognition of responsibility was freeing says Shaner who also sings and plays guitar in the Cowboy Killers.

"You take music seriously but ultimately you've got to let it go - leave the guitar part alone," Shaner says. "It doesn't need to be pristine it's fine the way it is. I ended up making the album that felt right to me."

Shaner's been playing music nearly his entire life but only started writing his own about a dozen years ago.

It was the Cure's "A Letter to Elise" that inspired him to try his hand.

The sweet, sad pop song moved him, Shaner says, for the way it layered its emotions.

"To be able to say something deep that struck you on more than just a superficial level t the best songwriters write songs that can hit you both a visceral and a cerebral level."

Jay Shaner

"The Astronaut Song"

Style: Quiet, reflective folk-pop

Behind the song: "The song is about regret and coming to the point where you realize you're not going to be the person who, in your grandest dreams, you set out to be - but ultimately, you can still be happy with yourself."

Reconciling the music with the lyrics proved challenging, Shaner says.

"Early in my songwriting life I erred on the side of making things too catchy," he says. "I wanted this to be more melancholy - less dramatic."

To achieve that, Shaner experimented with a less traditional structure.

"I wanted to keep the middle (of the song) more ethereal and textural instead of (sounding like) a melodic break," he says. "So we brought in more drums at the end to make it more intense instead of adding another melody line.

Listen to "The Astronaut Song" here:

The members of Sacramento's Must.Not.Die are both deejays and musicians. Yes, Miguel Francis and Quinten Larsen, both 24, play records and remix songs but they also create their own music.

"We DJ really fun stuff - a lot of indie, electric dance music," says Francis of the tunes he Larsen spin at clubs such as R15, Old Ironsides and the Blue Lamp. "But the stuff we make is really different - we're going for that whole shoegazer, wall of sound, sample-based sound."

Francis and Larsen, who attended different area high schools, met through their school's theater programs and quickly bonded over a shared love for "nerdy music."

"We geeked out on stuff like Edit and Glitch Mob and then we just decided to start producing stuff on our own," Francis says.

Now the two tap into their other, disparate tastes - Larsen likes groove-oriented hip-hop, Francis prefers indie and math rock - to fashion new sounds.

"We'll work out something from a synthesizer and then create our own melody," he says.
"Quinten's good at laying down tracks and (creating) the rhythm section - I'm more involved in the melody so we'll just throw something out there to see what direction we go in."

They also use music samples in their songs -but with limits.

"We'll use samples as a pop element but when we do they have to be short and unrecognizable by the time we're finished," he says. "We don't want you to be able to tell what song it's from."

The two are currently at work on an EP, which Francis describes as "edgy and rough."

"It has a caustic energy - I'm just trying to represent my world view which is very imperfect, brooding and anxious."

The EP will be released by the end of the year, until then listen to the single "Attachment Interlude" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.

Must.Not.Die

Song: "Attachment Interlude"

Style: Surreal, dreamy electro-pop

Behind the song: "This song came out of a break-up," Francis says. "I was really in love but we weren't talking and I was listening to this one Pete Yorn song over and over. There was a small loop (in the song) that asked this question about not talking."

Francis took a three-second sample of the loop and then deconstructed, distorted and sequenced it into a brief, tense melody.

"It builds into this energy and madness that I was trying to convey," he says.

"I just wanted to personify that question of (not knowing) and have it build and build until it finally releases to the point where you let go."

See them: Must. Not.Die deejays Wednesday at Barcode Nightclub & Lounge, 1890 Arden Way, Sacramento. The 18-and-over dance club opens at 9 p.m and is $12 at the door.

On the Web: myspace.com/mustnotdie

Listen to "Attachment Interlude" here:

Former Davis resident John Brown marries politics with pop culture on his latest track, "Sarah Palin (I Wanna Lay Pipe)." which, incidentally, just made Rolling Stone magazine's Hot List.

The 1998 Davis High School graduate, of course, was a runner-up on VH-1's "ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show."

In its Oct. 16 issue, Rolling Stone praised the "Sarah Palin" track: "The ... new rap jam may be sexist but dude makes some good points ... "

Indeed, mixing Palin sound bites with a groove-laden rhythm, Brown's song muses on the vice presidential candidate's image in - how do we say this? - less than gentlemanly terms.

Want to hear for yourself? Visit Brown's MySpace page to check it out.

Earl Brooks only moved to Sacramento five months ago but he's had one toe-tapping foot in the River City for much longer.

Brooks' band, Ghosts of Wyoming, was born in Seattle - his home for 26 years. But, after meeting Sacramento guitarist Jerry Lewis at a gig, the band slowly shifted to include more parts Sac than Seattle.

"I just woke up one day and decided it was time for a chance so I made my girlfriend mad and told her I was moving," he says

The pair still talk on the phone twice daily and her influence is notable in the lyrics Brooks writes for his rollicking country-rock tunes.

Drawing from true life inspiration, he says, is the only way he can write.

"I can't write from anyone else's perspective but my own," he says.

"I can't sit down and say 'I'm going to write about a truck driver -it just comes out sounding like a 17-year-old's essay."

Ghosts of Wyoming

Song: "I Have a Brain"

Style: Bar room brawlin' Americana

Behind the song: "I really like this song because it's got a great opening line, 'I was born in a one stripper town," Brooks says.

"That's a running joke with me and my sweetheart - her dad was an oil executive in Los Angeles ... and I grew up in eastern Idaho and Wyoming so the song is about the dynamics of two very different people coming together."

In addition to Brooks and Lewis the band also includes bassist Brad Moore,singer Mary Louise Picerno and keyboardist / lap steel player Brett Lemke.CQ

Much of GOW's music reflects influences such as the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Neil Young but "I Have a Brain" also taps into his love for the Flaming Lips.

"There are these two lap steel parts buried in the mix and they just come in and out of the song," he says. "The Flaming Lips have really tweaked my head as far as emotional content and general weirdness. There's a certain joy to their music that's really powerful."

See them: Saturday at the Ryan Seng Collective, (1301 I St.) The artists' reception starts at 6 p.m., the music starts at 10 p.m. Free.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/ghostsofwyoming

Listen to "I Have a Brain" here:

Because, as I always like to say, Thursday is the new Friday there are a couple of good shows to check out tonight (you know, after the vice presidential debate). Best of all, given the troubling economy, they're both on the cheap side.

In Sacramento at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.), check out quirky folk-pop singer-songwriter Ricky Berger with San Francisco band Uni & Her Ukelele (pictured) and, coming atcha live from Foresthill, the wonderful western swing'n'twang sound of the Poplollies. That show is 21-and-over and costs $5 at the door. For more information: myspace.com/theoldironsides.

Or, head over to Sophia's Thai Kitchen (129 E St, Davis) to check out Tim Williams. The New York-based singer-songwriter crafts moody, earnest pop and because there's a melodica in the mix it all sounds so sparkly and pretty. That show is all-ages and only $3. For more information: myspace.com/sophiasthaikitchen.

Local musician Martin Birke looked far beyond Sacramento to bring an international flair and depth to his latest project.

Birke founded Genre Peak as a electronic pop trio in 2004 but after a band mate moved to New York, he turned to the Internet to add to the core that includes guitarist Christopher Scott Cooper.

The result? Collaboration with influential British bassist Mick Karn (Japan, Kate Bush) and the Spanish electro-pop group Stereoskop as well as a new Canadian vocalist, Tara C. Taylor, found via MySpace.

Now Birke says, Genre Peak reflects its players exhilarating take on collaboration.

"I gave up my rock star dreams a long time ago," says Birke, whose past projects include Casualty Park, a synth pop duo that composed work for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the 1998 Joe Carnahan film, "Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane."

"Now there's a real joy in getting to work with people who have the same ideas I do - I think that's the success of the album."

"Preternatural" is available online at CDBaby.com and locally at The Beat and R5 Records.

Listen to the single "Wear it Well" at www.sacbee.com/ sacramentosingle.

Genre Peak

Song: "Wear it Well"

Style: Densely layered, soaring electro-pop

Behind the song: "This song (originated) from a drum program I created several years ago," Birke says. "I went back to it with the idea of getting a new lead vocalist.

"I was tired of hearing my own voice (because) I always get compared to Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, so I sent the rough demo to Tara," he says.

When Taylor sent him back her vocal demos, Birke knew he'd hit on the right sound.

"I told her, 'this is good - we need to get you down in the studio," Birke says.

"Wear it Well," he adds, served as the album's launching point.

"I hadn't consciously been thinking about doing an whole record but after that song, but that's the track that the album grew from - the rest of it just came so easy."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/genrepeak

Listen to "Wear it Well" here:

The show's not listed on the club's calendar yet, but looks like Mates of State will be playing a show at Harlow's on Oct. 6.

The Kansas-based married couple - they used to call San Francisco home - are on tour with Santogold. The Brooklyn artist doesn't list Sacramento on her tour calendar but here's hoping that hip-hop /pop (hip-pop?) singer will also make the show.

If you have yet to hear Mates of State's latest album, "Re-Arrange Us," give it a whirl. It took me a while to take a shine to the critically acclaimed disc but then after about the 10th listen all if its beautiful nuances clicked into place (I'm a big fan of their earlier discs so I knew it was just a matter of being patient).

Mates of State's Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner recently did a Peta ad - kind of a surprising choice for the animal rights organization given that the duo's not very well known outside of indie rock circles.

Maybe it's just that they look so darn good all naked-like.

Stay tuned for show details.

Waltzing melody lines and two-step beat changes - it's easy to imagine swinging through a
ballroom to one of Keith Gray's quirky pop songs. Recording and playing under the Bicycle Rider moniker, Gray crafts indie pop that reflects his love for the baroque and theatrical.

"I'm really into classical music and musicals," he says. "I love Julie Andrews kind of stuff - 'The Sound of Music' and 'Mary Poppins.' "

Although the Bicycle Rider is, essentially, Gray's solo project, the 25-year-old musician has nonetheless enlisted some stage and studio help from drummer Matt Spahn and bassist Todd Coleman.

"They both bring such style and a real presence to what we do," Gray says. "They bring a really warm vibe to the music."

Gray and friends are working on a new album with local producer Matt McCord. The CD won't be out until February; until then, check out the single "Only This Time, This Year."

The Bicycle Rider

Song: "Only This Time, This Year"

Style: Quirky ballroom pop

Behind the song: "This is one of the first ones written, and it helped put me in the direction that I'm going now," Gray says.

While the song's lyrical focus is simple - "It's about family and relationships and hardships and trying to get through them all" - its makeup is more complex.

Gray initially crafted the tune, also featuring Harley White Jr. (bass) and An Angle's Kris Anaya (piano), with a particular sound in mind. The finished song, however, ended up in an entirely different direction.

"I began it with a classical guitar pattern, and then it just started developing into something else - this nursery rhyme just came out." Such evolutions are becoming a familiar part of Gray's songwriting process.

"I find that a lot of the music I listened to as a kid (is) now coming out in my writing," he says.

"I think it works, and I think people (relate to it) because the sound is not completely outrageous - but it's not completely normal, either."

On the Web:

www.myspace.com/thebicyclerider

Listen to "Only This Time, This Year"

It's homecoming week for Brian Buckley. The Bella Vista High School graduate is back in town for his 10-year reunion and, to celebrate, brought his band with him.

It'll be Buckley's first time in front of a Sacramento audience.

"I've been playing music all my life but just started playing in front of others a few years ago," he says.

The Brian Buckley Band, featuring Mike McGraw (guitar), Albert Estiamba (drums) and Dan BodemanQ (bass) is finishing up work on a new CD.

"We're done recording and we were very blessed to work with Mark Howard who produced Bob Dylan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers - everyone," Buckley says.

"We recorded at the Mack Sennett Stage - the oldest sound stage in LA; it has 100 foot ceilings and is the size of a football field - the whole thing was pretty unreal."

The album won't be in stores until February, until then you can preview the sound with "My World," a cut off Buckley's self-titled 2007 debut.

Brian Buckley

Song: "My World"

Style: Epic, orchestral rock

Behind the song: "I'm a real fan of using separate time signatures - speeding things up and then slowing them down," Buckley says.

"I had the idea of starting the song in a particular way and it just ended up having all these parts - (there's a) an acoustic bit and then the chorus and a B-section bridge followed by a hard rock piece and then a quiet, almost ballad-like ending."

For Buckley, much of the song's success is owed to an appearance from noted session drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell).

"Vinnie really made all those parts stand out," Buckley says. "He makes all those motions with tempo and time changes feel seamless - that's a tough thing to do and he just makes it all seem like a wheel that's just rolling along."

See them: Wednesday at Marilyn's (908 K St, Sacramento). The 21-and-over show starts at 8 p.m. and is $8 at the door.On the Web: www.myspace.com/brianbuckley

Listen to "My World" here:

No, that's not an inappropriate question - I really do want to know.

Tom Mailey, of KNCI's Pat & Tom Show Morning Show e-mailed me today with a Very Important Question: What is that yellow thing sticking to Simpson's leg on the back cover photo of her new CD "Do You Know"?

Simpson, as you know, just pulled up her pop-gospel roots to replant herself as a country singer.

Intrigued, I dug my copy of the CD out from underneath the mountain of discs on my desk and, yep, sure enough - there's something really weird about that photo.

(Read my review of the CD here.)

So far, Mailey says, listeners have weighed in with guesses ranging from " a sun reflection (or) summer squash to a penalty flag (our fave, given her relationship with Tony Romo)."

Mailey has a different idea.

"I think it's a foam pad or pillow they put their to elevate her leg to make it look sexier, with the intention of airbrushing it out later," he says. "But somebody neglected to do so, probably because they were hypnotized by that come-hither stare."

Any guesses? Musings on the manipulations of photos in the entertainment industry? Leave your thoughts in the comments section or head over to the KNCI site.

]t's nearly impossible to write about politics without being political.

Christian Kiefer admits that much is true.

But still, the Rocklin-based musician says, he and friends Jefferson Pitcher and Matthew Gerken aimed to "minimize the rants and raves" on their new project, the three-CD, all original set "Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs For 43 Presidencies." (Standard Recordings, $30).

"We tried to present songs that would have longer legs than our current political concerns," Kiefer says of the all-original tunes.
"We didn't want this to be politically offensive - it's too easy to take cheap shots."

The project was conceived in 2006 when Pitcher, a former Davis resident now living in New York, decided to take the February Album Writing Month challenge. The annual event was launched in 2004 by a musician who was inspired by November's better-known National Novel Writing Month exercise.

The Rocklin-based Kiefer jokingly said he'd join in, too - by writing sequels to Pitcher's songs. That was before he even knew the subject matter but once he did, Kiefer says, he was amused and intrigued.

The idea blossomed further after the two invited Sacramento bassist Gerken to join them. The three split up songwriting duties, each taking on 14 former chiefs-of-state and then collaborating together on the 43rd song, George W. Bush's "Through the Night."

Throughout, the task proved daunting, Kiefer says, as they tried to layer their songs with political, historical and cultural context.

"Some of the lesser-known presidents were difficult to write about (and) I found myself thinking I should say something concrete about them," Kiefer says.

"Everyone knows George Washington so you can be quirky with his story - you can't do that with Millard Fillmore," he says. "I wanted to teach people something."

While the songs were written in a month, it took the next year-and-a-half to polish the lyrics and fill in the musical gaps.

To help complete the songs, Kiefer, Pitcher and Gerken called on friends such as Sacramento musicians Vince DiFiore, Matt McCord and John Gutenberger. They also corralled a who's who of nationally known indie musicians, including Rosie Thomas, Bill Callahan and Low's Alan Sparhawk.

The Mortal Men project will continue, past the Nov. 4 election, with a song for the 44th president, either John McCain or Barack Obama. And, yes, again, the songwriters will strive to write something that straddles the party line.

For Gerken, it's the only way to ensure their songs will endure.
"(These songs) have to place the presidencies in historical context," he says. "They have to make interesting commentaries that could be challenging and maybe critical - but not whining."

Of Great and Mortal Men

Song: "Washington Dreams of the Hippopotamus"CQ

Style: Brooding, surreal political pop

Behind the song: "This was the first song I wrote and it came together very quickly," Kiefer says of the album's inaugural track about George Washington.
"The song is basically about George having teeth that are not made of wood but actually carved from hippopotamus teeth - which is actually the truth. I learned that in my research.
"It's about how (Washington) basically lived a lie (about his teeth) his entire life and, at the end of his life, he had these nightmares about the hippopotamus (coming) back for the teeth."
It was fun to play around with the Washington mythology, Kiefer says.
"For some reason it really came together effortlessly," he says, laughing. "If it hadn't been so easy to write, I might not have gone on with the rest of the project."

See them: Saturday9/13 at the Fox & Goose (1001 R St, Sacramento).CQ The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is $3 at the door.
On the Web: www.43presidencies.com.CQ

Listen to "Washington Dreams of the Hippopotomus" here:

Sacramento's Baby! is, with just five shows played a, well, baby of band. But that doesn't mean that the trio doesn't have chops.

Fronted by Roach, formerly of the longtime area punk band, Groovie Ghoulies, it also features Kortnee (Riff Randals, Whiz-Bang!) on bass and Christine (The Pizzas) on drums.

The group is so new, they've only recorded a few songs so far - one of which written specifically for Roach by a Dutch rock'n'roll pal, Jerry Hormone.

Baby!

Song: "You Better Run"

Style: The Shangri-La's amped up on punk

Behind the song: "I thought the song was great when I first heard it," Roach said. "Now I'm trying to get other guys to write songs - I want to release a CD called 'Roach & Her Boy Toys.'"

So far however, she hasn't had much luck.

"I don't think (the guys) are going for it," she says, laughing.

Although the band stayed pretty faithful to Hormone's original demo, they did add a few personal touches to the track.

"We added a real rock ending - I needed it to have fireworks," Roach says.

Hormone, in an e-mail from Rotterdam, admits writing a song, from way across the Atlantic Ocean, was a bit of a challenge.

"I didn't really know what (her) band sounded like yet but I knew - and really dig - Roach's guitar sound from her stuff with the Ghoulies.

"I figured I'd make it a garage-y early 70's glam tune, because it's got these boogie woogie chords that really fit her style."

See them: Friday at Capitol Bowl's 300 Room, 900 West Capitol Ave, West Sacramento. The Enlows and the Boyfriendz are also on that bill. The 21-and-over show starts at 9 p.m. and is free.

On the Web: www.myspace.com/babysactorock

Listen to "You Better Run" here:

The first thing I thought last night as the Democratic convention came to a close and the Brooks & Dunn song "Only in America" filled Invesco Field was, well: "Weird."

Second thought? "Ah, politics - it's all about the strategy."

What's next? McCain busts out some U2, Will.I.Am or Kanye West? Afterall, those artists aren't just some of Obama's personal favorites - they're also ardent supporters of the Democratic candidate.

Then again, the Brooks & Dunn song has already been around the political block: Both George W. Bush and John Kerry used the track during their 2004 presidential campaigns. Brooks & Dunn have also done some in-person campaign time with Bush.

What did the country superstars think of the choice? Kix Brooks offered this centrist point-of-view.

"Seems ironic that the same song Bush used at the Republican Convention last election would be used by Obama and the Democrats now," Brooks said in a written statement released to the press this morning.

"(It's) very flattering to know our song crossed parties and potentially inspires all Americans."

Spoken like a true American - and politician.

Sacramento rock trio The Grumpy have a lot of reasons to be, well, not so grumpy. Not only did the band just release its latest album "Throes of Contemplation" but they've also got a sweet gig opening for the Sacramento Monarchs before tomorrow's game at Arco Arena.

The band, featuring Cameron (vocals, guitar), J.W. Brooks (drums) and Jake Ferguson (bass), has a decidedly American rock sound - aggressive, yet slick. Perfect for, say, a sporting event.

The Monarchs game (against the Houston Comets) starts at 7 p.m., the band performs at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $10-$90 via TicketMaster.com

Don't want to pay that much? The band also plays Friday, Sept. 5 at Ugly's (7161 Auburn Blvd. , Citrus Heights). The 9 p.m. show is 21-and-over.

The band may list Brooklyn as its hometown on its MySpace page but the members of !!! wanted to make one perfectly clear: Sacramento was, is and always will be home.

"This band is not afraid to say it's from Sacramento," said back-up singer Shannon Funchess as the band played to a packed house at Harlow's on Tuesday night.

"Sacramento you own !!!."

And Sactown made good on its investment as the band ripped through its blistering set. With singer Nic Offer - clad in a polo shirt and shorts - leading the groove, there wasn't a stationary pair of feet in the building.

Well, there was that one guy in front me who kind of barely tapped his Converse in time to the rhythm, but he doesn't count. Seriously, how can you go to a !!! show and not shake what your mama gave you?

As always, !!! (pronounced "chk chk chk" - or you can use any rhythmic, repetitive sound really) proved that "disco" and "punk" aren't mutually exclusive tunes. Moving through tracks off of their three albums, the band delivered beats so raw they seemed to cut to the very core of your soul. With horns, keyboards, tambourine and killer guitar riffs, !!! marries its dance floor vibe with gospel, soul and hard rock.

The show, a benefit for Concerts 4 Charity, also featured Touchez in the opening slot and more skinny jeans, thrift store tees and ironic mustaches per square foot than is probably legal. But I mean that in a good way, really. Hey, if you're not too cool to dance (Converse-tapping guy, I'm looking at you), then you understand what I mean.

Fox40 (KTXL) anchor Thomas Drayton has confirmed he's leaving the station.

But he can't tell us where. Or exactly when.

OKayyyyyyy,

Seems like Drayton, who currently co-anchors the 10 p.m. news with Donna Cordova, is not at liberty to divulge such pesky details at this time.

Who knew media job switcheroos could be so Secret Spy-like?

Drayton can, however, tell us this The new gig is as the lead anchor in a Top 5 market and he'll be leaving Sacramento the first week of September and, in all likelihood, starting his new job by mid-September.

Although he's excited to take on the new assignment, Drayton said he's sorry to say goodbye to Sacramento and Fox40.

"I had every intention of re-signing (with Fox40)," Drayton said. "But then I was contacted by this station and it was a great opportunity."

Drayton said he'll keep up with Fox40 and its upcoming changes.

"It's an exciting time to be at Fox40 - we're about to launch a new, expanded morning show with a brand new look," he said. "But at some point, you have to decide if you want to continue with what you have or do you want to move on. And now was the time for me to make this transition."

Fox40 news director Brandon Mercer praised Drayton's talents.

"Thomas helped Fox40 get to where we are now and we wish him the best of luck," said Mercer who also confirmed that Fox40 is indeed launching a new morning show in the near future but declined to give the specifics at this time.

Finding a replacement for Drayton will be tough, he added.

"We've got to do an anchor search - to replace him we need to find someone who knows news, someone who's able to ad lib, someone who's authentic and someone who has a voice that (viewers) will respect)."

We'll keep you posted on the details.

I'm not a huge fan of gigantic outdoor music festivals - they're crowded, stinky and unless you get there at an indecently early hour, chances are you'll barely be able to see the bands.

Even this weekend's Outside Lands Festival didn't quite pull at me - as much as I'd like to see Radiohead or Beck or Tom Petty again or even as much as I'd love to check out newer, younger acts such as Bon Iver.

But, I am a huge fan of Wilco and because the Chicago-based band was otherwise bypassing Northern California, I decided to make the trek to SF's Golden Gate Park to check out their set on Sunday.

I'd actually hoped to also see Canada's Broken Social Scene because I imagine that, like the Arcade Fire, they're quite an exciting band live.

But, alas, Muni is not my friend and after the N line dropped us off somewhere near one tail end of the park, it took us nearly an hour (for reals) to find ourselves to the Twin Peaks stage - exactly 10 minutes after BSS finished its set.

Note to festival organizers: Signs pointing the way to the appropriate entrances would've helped. Really.

Sigh.

But, all was not lost. That still gave us plenty of time to get a much-needed beer and find a spot on the grass for the show - only about five miles out (see accompanying photo for lack of detail).

And, although I wish Wilco had been the headliner instead of Jack Johnson and, thus, played beneath the night sky, they still put on a great show.

A grew show that was, however, definitely geared toward the latter half of the band's catalog. Playing for about an hour-and-a-half, Jeff Tweedy, Nels Cline and the rest of the band stuck mostly to fare from their last two albums, 2004's "A Ghost is Born" and 2007's "Sky Blue Sky."

They did pull out a few older tracks including "Via Chicago" (from 1999's wonderful "Summerteeth" record) and "California Stars" (from the band's 1998 "Mermaid Avenue" collaboration with Billy Bragg).

But, if you were hoping for a dose of early country-rock ("Casino Queen" or "Passenger Side" anyone?!?), then this wasn't the show for you.

Instead, the band stayed pretty faithful to its current noise lovefest. What do you expect, that's why they hired Nels Cline to be in the band. The guitarist, who's played with everyone from Charlie Haden to Thurston Moore, is an amazing musician and his very presence lends to Wilco's current obsession with noisy, noodle-y rock and guitar solo freakouts.

If you can get yourself out of the past (and it's hard, I know, it's hard), Wilco is still a great band - albeit a very different one that rose from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo in 1994..

Still, the best moment for me, came via 2001's pretty, quiet "Jesus, Etc." And, judging from the chorus of cheers that rose from the crowd as the band struck that song's very first note, I wasn't alone in my happiness for its inclusion.

Wilco will probably never get the acclaim or even album of, say,a Radiohead who, of course, headlined Friday's Outside Lands set to much fanfare.

But, for me at least, they were more than worth the drive, public transportation adventures, endless walking, that really bad overpriced vegan burger and the slightly nagging feeling that I'd gone to all the trouble to watch a band from a distance that approximated at least one full city block.

What a girl won't do for rock'n'roll, y'know?

Allyson Seconds is well-known around Sacramento. Over the years, she's been in numerous bands including Go National and Ghetto Moments but it'd been years since she'd performed front and center, with the spotlight of attention shining solely on her.

So, the 39-year-old musician, ready to find her voice, called on longtime friend Anton Barbeau, currently playing music in the U.K., to help her make some music. The resulting songs, which will appear on the upcoming album "Bag of Kittens," are sweet pop gems steeped in melancholy and regret.

Allyson Seconds

Song: "I Used To Say Your Name"

Style: Soft, hypnotic pop

Behind the song: "This was the first song I heard, I loved it right away," Seconds says. "Anton did exactly what I was hoping - write a song with my voice in mind. It's my favorite out of all the ones he did; I really love the piano.

"I went to Europe to play with Anton - every time I even do an open mike in Sacramento I get butterflies like crazy," she says. "But I thought, what better way to throw myself into singing then go to a different continent and play to a roomful of strangers?"

Barbeau says Seconds has made the song entirely her own.

"It doesn't even sound like something I've written," he says. "I just feel like it's her song. She has a lovely voice and a very relaxed style and when she's up there singing she's just very true to herself."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/bagokittens

Listen to "I Used to Say Your Name" here:

The show must go on. The Dave Matthews Band show scheduled for Monday at Raley Field will still happen despite the death of longtime DMB saxophonist LeRoi Moore.

Moore, 46, died Tuesday due to complications from injuries he sustained during a June ATV accident. Moore was not playing the tour and Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones) will continue to play his parts through the remainder of the band's shows.

I spoke with DMB violinist Boyd Tinsley on Monday - the day before Moore's death. At the time, Tinsley and the rest of the band were still hopeful he'd make a full recovery and join the band on the road for the next round of dates.

"LeRoi's playing came from the heart and soul" Tinsley said at the time. "Everybody in the band has realized you can't replace him."

You can read my interview with Tinsley, Sunday in the Bee's Explore section.

Tickets ($58-$70) are still available through TicketMaster.com. For more information, visit the Raley Field site.

OK, Neil Young fans, this may be the closest you get to heaven.

Young just announced a new North American tour and while, so far, it's not coming to Sacramento or even San Francisco, he will play Nov. 1 at the Reno Events Center.

Death Cab for Cutie and Everest will open the show.

(To be honest, I love Death Cab but I'm more than a little bit disappointed that Wilco's run with the band starts at the end of November. Now that would be a perfect show.)

Tickets ($75-$250) go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster

Want to get a preview of Everest? The buzz band is playing Sunday at Old Ironsides for a whole lot cheaper. The 21-and-over show is $7 at the door and also features The Parson Redhead and local band An Angle.

For more information: myspace.com/theoldironsides

Nine Inch Nails just announced dates for its upcoming Lights in the Sky tour and Sacramento made the cut.

Look for the Trent Reznor-fronted icons of industrial rock, Dec. 12 at Arco Arena.

No word yet on when tickets go on sale to the general public but if you're a registered member of the band's Web site, you'll get first dibs on a pre-sale tickets, premium seats, etc.

Visit www.NIN.com for futher details.

Local jazz musicians Ross Hammond and Scott Amendola had played together many times before but when the two were paired on a recent project, they decided to continue the partnership by forming a duo.

The Lovely Builders is Hammond on guitar, Amendola on percussion and both on electronics and the resulting sound is playful, confident and, as the name may suggest, exquisitely innovative.

The Lovely Builders
Song: "Vote"
Style: Sprawling, free-form jazz
Behind the song: "We had some extra time in the studio and just started playing through some ideas we'd sketched out. 'Vote' just came out of that," Hammond says.
"We wrote it around a rhythmic figure as opposed to a melody or chord progression - Scott is really a mad scientist, he's an incredible, great drummer but he's also into electronics, (creating) lots of sounds - it's like 'where the hell is that coming from?' It's fun, it's cool."
See them: August 25 at the Java Lounge, 2416 16th St. Sacramento.
The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m. and is $5 at the door. For more information: (916) 441-3945
On the Web: www.myspace.com/rosshammond

Listen to "Vote" here:

With banjo, accordion and a stand-up bass, Woodland's Bottom Dwellers conjure sounds of an old ghost town, backwoods bonfires and the long and lonesome open road.
The band, featuring Ivan Sohrakoff (vocals, guitar, banjo), Adam Hancock (vocals, guitar, lap steel), Mark Eagleton (upright and electric bass) and Chris Eynon (drums), has two albums under its western wear belt.

The Bottom Dwellers

Song: "Think I Need a Drink"
Style: Twangy Americana / classic country
Influences: Buck Owens, Neil Young, Hank III
Behind the song: "Every now and then a song comes in and, instantly, everyone knows it's something special," Eagleton says.
For Sohrakoff, the track stood out among the band's rowdier songs.
"We do a lot of songs that are fast-driving, honky-tonk, truck-driving songs and this one was relaxed and laid-back," he says.
See them: Tonight at the Buck Owens tribute at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St); the 21-and-over show starts at 8 p.m. and is $8 at the door. Or, Saturday at Sophia's Thai Kitchen (129 E. St, Davis). The all-ages show starts at 10 p.m. and costs $3.

On the Web: www.bottomdwellersmusic.com

Listen to "Think I Need a Drink" here:

Knock Knock's latest album "Girls on the Run," released on the band's Wilde Records label, is the perfect mix of beachy, breezy pop and frenetic rock. The four-piece, featuring singer-songwriter / bassist Allen Maxwell, guitarist Heather Conway, guitarist Mike Cinciripino and drummer Nicola Miller, is on hiatus through the early fall but plans to start working on a new album or EP soon.

Knock Knock

Song: "She Knocks Me Out"
Style: Punchy power pop
Influences: Indie rock and punk meets classic rock
Behind the song: "It's a really old song (from when) Nicola and I had a band called Slumber Party," says Maxwell. "At some point, in Knock Knock we were going all these old songs and this is one that we ended up using.
"It sounds really different now (because) Mike and Heather obviously put their own thing into it. Mike came up with the intro and then we all added the hand claps."

On the Web: www.myspace.com/knockknocktheband

Here's the player to hear "She Knocks Me Out"

Rock Band, the popular video music game, is the sponsor of a new mammoth emo-pop tour.

Break out the Kleenex and black eyeliner: Panic! At the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T's (pictured) and cab will headline Rock Band Live, scheduled to arrive Oct. 12 at Arco Arena..

There will also, apparently, be a chance for local bands to compete for the opportunity to take the stage. Details are pending but I'd suggest you do more than just practice your Kurt Cobain riffs on Rock Band if you want a shot at 15 seconds of fame.

I'd also suggest checking with the Panic! at the Disco site for more info.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 8 through TicketMaster.com.

It's Tuesday which means today's the day for new CD releases / downloads, etc.

A couple that have caught my attention: U2's new self-titled six-disc deluxe edition box set.

The set, sold exclusively by Amazon (Island, $79.98) includes expanded, remastered two-disc versions of the band's first three albums, "Boy," "October" and "War." Each bonus disc includes B-sides, live takes and other rarities.

There's also room in the set for a fourth, as yet-to-be-released album.

Also out today, The Walkmen's "You & Me." The New York-based indie rock band is releasing the album - for now - exclusively through the Amie Street online music store. For the next three weeks you can get it for just $5. For each album purchased, Amie Street will donate $5 to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as part of the site's ongoing Download to Make a Difference campaign.

And, finally, Mojave 3's Neil Halstead has a new solo disc, "Oh! Mighty Engine" (Brushfire Records, $13.98). I've yet to hear the whole disc but I love Halstead's dusky voice and smart, melancholy lyrics so it's pretty high on my to-buy list. You can sample songs here.

Sacramento's four-member Desario crafts perfect slices of soft, jangly pop.
The band, with John Conley (guitar, vocals), Mike Carr (bass), Michael Yoas (guitar) and Jim Rivas (drums), is like a Who's Who of the NorCal pop scene - their musical pedigree includes members of California Oranges, Holiday Flyer, Sinking Ships and Rocketship.
Desario's new album, "Zero Point Zero," will be released in October on Darla Records.

Until then, get your sugar fix by listening to "Cane Cola"

Desario
Song: "Cane Cola"
Style: Sweet, melancholy power pop
Influences: XTC, Interpol,the Shins
Behind the song: "We were at practice, and John (Conley) and Mike (Yoas) started fooling around with the two-part guitar interplay you hear at the beginning of the song," explains Desario bassist Mike Carr. "I really liked what I heard - it already sounded like a (finished) song. I just assumed it was a song they had already played in some other band together. I love it - it's one of the band's favorites."
See them: Desario performs at 9 p.m. Friday Aug. 1 at Luna's Cafe (1414 16th St.).
On the Web: www.myspace.com/desario

Here's the player to hear "Cane Cola":

If you missed the Carolina Liar's last Sacramento performance, you're in luck. The Los Angeles (by way of, well, South Carolina) band is going to play the Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown Plaza on Monday.

But you can't exactly buy tickets to the pop band's performance - you have to win them via 106.5 (KWOD).

Which means if you snag a pair, they're free.

Visit the Hard Rock site or the KWOD site for details.

Read my story on the band, who just finished a tour with OneRepublic, here.

Yes, it's another casualty of the smoke: KVMR's 30 Years in Your Ears festival that I wrote about in The Bee yesterday.

Don't worry, it's still happening but the Street Fair scheduled for tomorrow is now moving inside the Miners Foundry (325 Spring St, Nevada City). Time is the same: Noon-6 p.m.

For more information, visit the KVMR site.

The rumors have been swirling for months but Channel 3 (KCRA) stalwarts Dave Walker and Lois Hart refused to confirm the buzz that they were set to leave their anchor desks for good this year.

Until today.

"Yes, we are going to retire at some point, later this year," said Lois Hart, reached on the phone as she took a break from jury duty. "But I can't really tell you more than that."

She wasn't even sure she wanted the news out just yet.

"Dave? Should we talk to The Bee?" she said, calling over to her husband. "Can we tell them we're retiring?"

Walker, apparently, gave the nod of approval and so, there you have it.

While the anchors declined to give a specific date, Hart did talk aspirations.

"I'm very comfortable telling you that I'm thinking of travel - Costa Rica, Truckee.
she said. " Actually, that's all I've had time to think about at this point."

Walker and Hart both worked in Sacramento during the 1970s before launching CNN's inaugural broadcast in 1980. The pair returned to KCRA in 1990 and, in 1994, started anchoring its late night news broadcast. Currently, they work the 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. shifts.

Hart promises that more information regarding an exact exit date and whether the two will remain involved with KCRA is soon forthcoming..

Stay tuned.

I got quite a few anxious phone calls and e-mails last week after writing that comedian Lewis Black was scheduled to make a local appearance.

The problem? The venue - UC Davis' Mondavi Arts Center - had no mention of the show on its Web site.

You can all breathe a deep sigh of relief now, we have the most official of confirmations from the Mondavi camp.

Lewis Black. September 19. Mondavi Arts Center.

Tickets ($49.50 and $65.50) go on sale Aug. 2.

And, no, the event still isn't listed on the Mondavi site but, relax, it's really happening.

For more information, call (530) 754-2787.

Tough economic times call for - softly rocking Americana songs that are absolutely free?

Well, in my little corner of the world, yes.

Life as Ghosts, a local five-piece whose music reminds me of a cold desert night, is offering a free download of its newest song "El Famino."

It's a great way to preview the band's sound - they've got a record out "Sea to Shore," available now at The Beat (1700 J St. Sacramento) and R5 Records (2500 16th St.).

Visit the Life as Ghosts' MySpace page for the download and more info.

As part of its ongoing "Movies on a Big Screen" series, Shiny Object will host two screenings of the brand-new documentary "The Gits."

"The Gits," which shows at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Monday, tells the story of the famed Seattle punk band fronted by Mia Zapata until her murder on July 7, 1993.

Zapata's murder was still unsolved when director Kerri O'Kane started shooting "The Gits" in 2002. In 2003, DNA evidence linked Jesus Mezquia to the crime and in 2004 he was convicted of the crime and is now serving a 36-year-sentence.

"The Gits," which also details the closely knit, grunge-era Seattle scene, includes an interview with Joan Jett, After Zapata's death, Jett recorded an album with the surviving members of The Gits called "Evil Stig" - "Gits Live" backwards.

Shiny Object is located at 600 4th Street in West Sacramento. TIckets are $5. For more information visit the Shiny Object site. And, for more information on the film, go here.

Last month we told you about that !!! show scheduled for Aug. 26 at Harlow's (2708 J St, Sacramento).

Now, at long last, the ticket details on Sacramento's favorite dance-punk expats.

The show is a benefit for local Concerts 4 Charity efforts and proceeds will sponsor student music lessons.

Tickets ($12 - or $13.29 with the service charge) are now available through the Brown Paper Tickets site.

Well my bad, yesterday I told you that of all the local TV stations, only Fox40 had an active Twitter account. Turns out KCRA does too. Never mind that it's not that easy to find if you search the Twitter site, the address is Twitter.com/kcranews.

I'm not the only one who had trouble finding KCRA's Twitter feed, apparently - as of this posting they only had 58 followers (one of whom is now me).

Of course, that does beat Fox40 - as of this posting, they only have 49 followers (again, I'm one of them).

Which, of course begs the question, if a station Twitters and no one reads, does it have an impact?

Oh, and for the commenter who made this snide comment "Twitter and widgets? What about Doohickeys and Thingey's." (sic):

Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows you to post 140-character entries and "follow" other feeds - friends, family, TV news stations, etc. It's what the kids are into it, so make fun of it today, adopt it tomorrow, I guess.

In a push to engage online news users, the tinkerers behind Channel 13 (KOVR) and Channel 31 (KMAX) have finally given their web sites a little Web 2.0 spit and shine.

Specifically, you can now add Channel 13 and 31 "widgets" to your blog or social networking page (think Facebook, Myspace, et. al).

Widgets, by the way, are Web applications that deliver content to your site. The Channel 13 and 31 widgets can (depending on your preferences) deliver news feeds, videos. links and, yes, advertisements.

The stations' newest tech addition got me thinking - how useful / tech-forward are the other local TV news station Web sites?

While News10, KCRA and Fox40 offer mobile updates, none of them deliver widgets.

And, as far as I can tell, Fox40 (KTXL) is - surprisingly - the only local station with an active Twitter account.

E-mail me your thoughts on local TV web sites - what works, what doesn't (feel free to politely point out anything I've missed). Or, leave a comment below.

In this dog-eat-dog economic slump it helps to know people. People who can get you free stuff, that is.

Here's the deal, my buddy Ian - a former Bee employee, by the way - works for the Lied Center of Kansas which is the University of Kansas' performing arts center and is similar to UCD's Mondavi Center. Anyway, he tipped me off to a great iTunes giveway the center is sponsoring.

E-mail the powers-that-be at
lied@ku.edu to nab one of 50,000 iTunes cards good for 20 free songs.

It's not just any 20 songs, mind you. Rather, the card gets you 20 tunes by the likes of Phillip Glass, Laurie Anderson (pictured), the Soweta Gospel Choir, the Turtle Island String Quartet and Interpreti Veneziani.

They're all acts on the Lied Center's 2008-09 events calendar. Some of them, by the way, are also on Mondavi's calendar. Think of it as not just a great way to get free music - but also an opportunity to preview some of the performers visiting Davis this year (check out the Mondavi 2008-09 calendar here).

For more information, surf over to the Lied Center site.

One of the topics that came up when I interviewed Jewel, who appears Saturday at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre with Brad Paisley (read my story here here) was the subject of women in music and what it was like for her when her debut album "Pieces of Me" was released in early 1995.

Alanis Morissette released her debut album "Jagged Little Pill" later that year and, Jewel, notes there were big differences in the way the two artists were received. For one, Jewel's sound was a soft folk-pop and, initially, radio stations wanted nothing to do with her.

"When I first started out Nirvana and Soundgarden were king and they wouldn't arrest a girl," Jewel says.

Then Morissette exploded on the scene with her first single "You Oughta Know."

"Alanis sounded like one of the guys - it was very angsty rock and I was just this sincere little songwriter - very traditional sounding," Jewel says. "Getting me on the radio was (still) heck. I couldn't get my first single, 'Who Will Save Your Soul" on the radio for 10 months."

Once she did make it on the radio, of course, Jewel did very well; she's sold more than 18 million records since the start of her career. But, she adds, being a woman in music during the mid-90s definitely had its downside.

Jewel's success, along with that of Morissette's and others such as Meredith Brooks, Jill Sobule and Hole's Courtney Love meant that most female musicians - regardless of their sound - got lumped in together.

And it was the women who came before them that paid the real price, Jewel says.

"It was insulting - there were so many great women that came before us and (the press) was trying to act as if we invented the concept of women in rock," she says.

"We didn't - Joni Mitchell and Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones came before us. And before that it was Josephine Baker and Etta James and Nina Simone - there were always these women who did amazing, revolutionary things with music."

Consider yourself schooled.

I'm pretty sure the Beastie Boys had something else in mind when they sang "I did it like this, I did it like that, I did it with the Wiffle Ball bat" but, whatever, I'm still going to suggest you make like Boys and grab one of the plastic, perforated balls - for a good cause, of course.

That's because there are still a few slots open for the 4th Annual Pat and Tom / Clint Howard Wiffle Ball Challenge, scheduled for June 28 at Howe Park (2100 Howe Ave).

Yes, that would be Pat and Tom of 105.1 FM (KNCI) and, yes, that would be Clint Howard - Ron Howard's brother.

Here's the deal (and long story short), DJs Pat Still and Tom Mailey interviewed Clint a few years back and, somehow, the topic of Wiffle Ball came up; Howard told the guys how much he and Ron used to love playing the game and, from the sparks of an off-handed conversation, was born the idea for a charity tournament.

The tournament raises money and awareness for the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders), a research organization that studies causes of and seeks treatment for various neurodevelopmental disorders.

It's a cause that's close to the heart for the country radio deejays, Still's son, who is autistic, is treated by doctors at the institute.

Howard, by the way, really does participate in the tourney; the first year they played was the same weekend that Ron Howard's "Da Vinci Code" opened in theaters and, after the tournament, Clint told the deejays that he'd had the better weekend - and that his brother would probably agree with him.

In addition to all the Wiffle Ball games, there'll also be a home run derby, raffle and lunch. Still and Mailey are hoping to get 32 teams of three players; team slots are now available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Interested? Learn more by visiting the Wiffle Ball Challenge site.

Out of the ashes of Prosper magazine, Sacramento-based business and lifestyle monthly that ceased publication in November, comes a blog aggregator with a local focus.

The new RiverWrap.com blog feed, which went live last week, currently features feeds from dozens of Sacramento-based blogs as well as other blogs that write about the RIver City.

"That's what's really unique about this blog aggregator - we're bringing in blogs from around the world, not just Sacramento," says Zach Melchiori, a web analyst for the midtown-based Prosper Media company that produces the site.

"We'd much rather have someone blogging in Cleveland about Sacramento than someone in Sacramento blogging about their cat," Melchiori said.

What that means is a focus that is squarely Sacramento-centric, focusing on the region's culture, food, politics, media, entertainment, etc.

Some of the usual Sactown suspects are already finding a presence on the site, including Heckasac, The Sac Rag, Sac Foodies and yes, even 21Q.

In addition to the standard blog feed - updated entries from the local blogosphere, RiverWrap features recent headlines (including, yes, from stories in The Bee) and a Top 10 Blog Posts chart highlighting entries with the most hits.

There's also a Flickr feed - any photos submitted to the popular photo-sharing site and tagged "Sacramento" will show up here.

In the future, Melchiori says, look for more site interactivity including the addition of user comments.

"We really want to drive more dialogue," Melchiori says.

In the meantime, RiverWrap fills a nice niche; the site is hardly exhaustive in its representation of Sacramento bloggers but it's nice to look at, easy to use and, at the very least, neatly echoes the voices of Sacramento.

And I'm not just saying that because a post I wrote just made the Top 10 chart. Honest.

Wednesday, I asked readers to weigh in with their opinions on how local TV stations were covering the regional fires.

And, aside from some readers who groused that The Bee wasn't covering the media coverage enough, results were pretty much divided among "too much" and "not enough."

Barbara Boudreaux commented in an e-mail that she thought "the fire coverage by KCRA is not only excessive but obsessive. If there is a fire anywhere, even a grass fire, it is always 'top of the news' and their cameras linger for long periods on the flames."

Meanwhile, Barbara Sanfilippo appreciated KCRA's coverage - mostly.

A blog reader identified as "RepublicanKid" believed News 10 (KXTV) was the clear winner.

"While I don't know if they broke into programming, News 10 had the best overall coverage. They utilized their website very well with live video until late afternoon with a live chat going between a producer in the newsroom and viewers, who often reported developments as they saw the smoke."

And, finally, Susan Read believed all broadcasting outlets dropped the ball.

"I work (near) Kiefer Blvd. and Jackson Highway and I could not find anywhere, on TV or radio, that would tell me if and which streets were closed to fight the fire," she wrote. "Bottom line, with all the coverage of the fire, road closures should have been at the top of what to report."

Thanks to everyone for the input, you can read all the blog comments here.

From the thank-goodness-this-wasn't-local files:

There are stupid anchor moments and then there unbelievably head-shaking, OMG-anchor moments.

All I can say is that Ken Bastida, an anchor for San Francisco's CBS affilliate, Channel 5 (KPIX), might want to take a refresher course on the importance of smooth transitions.

I mean, seriously.

And, by the way, Dana King, the co-anchor in question, is alive and well.

(Via, of all things, VH1's Best Week Ever blog)

Less than three months after being laid off by Channel 13 (KOVR), reporter Reggie Kumar is back on the air, this time at Fox40 (KTXL).

Fox40 news director Brandon Mercer confirmed in an e-mail to The Bee that Kumar is working in a "freelance capacity."

"Reggie has a talent for finding interesting stories, and bringing energy and creativity to his live reports," Mercer says.

And, in other local TV news, representatives from just about every station have called or written in to trumpet their respective station's coverage of the fires in the Sacramento and Stockton region.

It's certainly arguable (and I know you're ready to debate this) but it seems as if Channel 3 (KCRA) "won" the day by breaking into regular programming with two-hours-plus of mid-day coverage.

But, is quantity synonymous with quality?

As firefighters continue to battle blazes today, I'd like to hear from you - how well are the stations covering the story? Too much? Not enough?

Leave comments below or e-mail me at rleibrock@sacbee.com

In May, Sacramento media blogger RadioMatthew called it quits but now he's back - sort of.

RadioMatthew - who asks that we don't publish his offline, real-world name - tells us he's accepted a job as a Web producer with Fox40 (KTXL).

What this means for the rest of us, RM says, is that he may also soon return to the blogging realm.

So, you know, stay tuned.

Last week we told you about Channel 3 (KCRA)'s extended morning news coverage and extra chopper duty for the big I-5 fix.

Well, I was walking through William Land Park yesterday morning around 7:30 a.m. - near the Sutterville / I-5 juncture - and there were, I'm here to tell you, about a million helicopters hovering through the sky.

OK so maybe it wasn't a million, per se, but the sky was buzzing and I'm not quite sure what causing more of a problem traffic: The I-5 closure or all the people craning necks out their windows trying to see the hovering vehicles.

This morning it was just as bad - a colleague told me the 'copter noise interrupted her beauty sleep at 5 a.m..

Tell me, does anyone else out there think that, perhaps, just maybe, there's a bit of chopper overkill going on? (I won't even get into the topic of overall I-5 fix topic saturation.).

Oh, and all you eagle-eyed viewers who wrote in to note that former Channel 3 pilot-for-hire John Hamilton had shifted gears to work for Channel 13 (KOVR), sorry to disappoint you but Hamilton's not a permanent part of that news family (yet).

Hamilton, along with former KFBK guy Commander Bill, did indeed pull first-day commute duty for Channel 13 but station news director Cameryn Beck tells us it was just a one-time thing.

For now.

"John Hamilton and Commander Bill did fly for us Monday morning as part of our comprehensive coverage," Beck explained in an e-mail to The Bee. "It was one morning only, but we always keep all of our options open."

Stay tuned - and keep your eyes to the sky. Or not. Maybe we shouldn't encourage the mile-high congestion.

Pop singer Sarah Brightman just announced dates for her Symphony World Tour and Sacramento made the cut.

Brightman is scheduled to perform December 16 at Arco Arena.

Brightman, once married to Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, is widely known as the inspiration for Christine in Webber's adaptation of "The Phantom of the Opera."

Off Broadway, she's earned a reputation as an accomplished pop singer whose songs are imbued with an operatic flourish.

Ticket details still pending so stay tuned.

May sweeps came to a close last week and, judging by some of the comments left here at 21Q (and similar e-mails in my in-box), a few of you are dying (dying!) to see the results in print.

Everyone take a deep breath now - the world is still spinning on its axis, with just a slight tweak of degrees.

Anyway, yes, folks, the rumors are true: For the first time since the dawn of time, Channel 3 (KCRA) did not take the 11 p.m. news time slot.

And, if we're looking at just the 11 p.m. slot, that win went to News10 (KXTV), with a 4.6 rating over Channel 3's 4.3 rating.

(Ratings chart the percentage of all homes with television; shares measure the number of TV sets turned on at a particular time.)

However, if you want to include the 10 p.m. news when talking about "late night" (and whether you do depends on whom you ask. Or which way the wind is blowing - take your pick), then Channel 13 (KOVR) actually nabbed the win, with a 5.5 rating.

(Oh yeah, and Fox40 (KTXL) also showed up to the party with a 3.7 rating for its 10 p.m. newscast, while Channel 19 (Univision) brought in a 1.0 rating for its 11 p.m. broadcast.)

Still, any way you slice it or dice it, it's a noticeable slip for Channel 3 from its February numbers in the same time slot (5.7).

Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams blames his station's notable dip on its parent network.

NBC's shown a decline in ratings across the board, Williams says.

"When prime-time viewership is down, then we have a harder time," Williams says. "Sometimes, we're the victims of what our networks give us, but I believe we're still in a solid position."

Certainly, there's no reason to cry them a river (yet). Channel 3 easily nabbed the midday news market, with a 3.3 rating over Channel 13's 2.8 and Channel 10's 2.7.

They also owned the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts, with 8.1 and 7.1 ratings, respectively, compared to Channel 13's 3.2 and 2.6 and Channel 10's 2.4 and 3.5.

The real story here, though, is just how poorly most of the stations are doing in the morning news race. While Channel 3 posted a gain at 5 a.m., eeking out a 2.2 rating over February's 1.8, it dipped ever-so-slightly at 6 a.m. (4.1, down from 4.2).

Channel 10 relatively stayed the course at 5 a.m. with a 1.1 rating but slipped at 6 a.m.with a 2.1 rating, down from February's 2.3.

Channel 31 (KMAX)'s numbers were down at 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. (slipping from 2.1 and 2.7 ratings to 1.9 and 2.4, respectively), but up at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. (3.1 and 2.6 vs. February's 2.4 and 1.9).

As for Channel 13 (KOVR): That station showed no signs of life, dropping to a .7 rating at 5 a.m. - down from 1.0) and to a .99 at 6 a.m., down from 1.4.

Ouch.

Channel 3 (KCRA) will temporarily extend its morning newscast by a half hour, Mondays-Fridays. The goal, says news director Anzio Williams, is to offer a guide for those trying to make sense of any I-5 closure-related commuter headaches.

So, starting Monday, anchors Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Walt Gray will take their places behind the news desk at 4:30 a.m. instead of the usual 5 a.m. start time.

"We'll have helicopters out there navigating at 4:30 a.m. so no matter where you're coming from, you'll be able to figure (your route) out," Williams says.

The freeway closure is expected to run through July; the extended newscast will run through at least June 20.

Or, of course, you also could check out The Bee's up-to-the-minute 1-5 site to sign up for mobile alerts and track traffic conditions and routes. Just sayin'.

Fox40 (KTXL) general manager Bob Ramsey just confirmed the obvious: Not only was Brandon Mercer just named the station's new news directorbut Tom Burke, the guy who previously held that title has left the building.

Ramsey, calling from his office, declined to discuss the specifics of the shake-up, saying only that Burke is no longer with Fox40. Instead, Ramsey focused on Mercer's qualifications - Mercer's last gig was with Channel 13 (KOVR), where he worked as executive producer.

"We're looking to expand our news offerings in the morning and Brandon brings a ton of experience in that area," Ramsey says. "He has an incredible wealth of knowledge of the news market in Sacramento and incredible knowledge of successful news programming."

No word yet, however, on when viewers may expect to see more a.m. offerings.

"Stay tuned," Ramsey says.

Tom Burke has been replaced by Brandon Mercer as Fox40 (KTXL)'s news director. Mercer station-hopped over from Channel 13 (KOVR), where he was executive producer.

No word yet on the hows and whys of the change, and a spokesperson for the station has yet to return calls. Stay tuned.

A while back we told you about Sactown magazine's three Maggie awards. As it turns out, another Sacramento-based publication also won one of the coveted Western Publication Association awards.

California Builder, the California Building Industry Association's bimonthly membership magazine, earned recognition as Best Association publication for its May/June 2007 issue.

Click here for more information on the magazine.

And congratulations..

Those of you who tuned into Tuesday afternoon's Michael Savage show on KSTE (650 AM) were subjected to the conservative talk show host's not-so-charming reaction to the news that Sen. Edward Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

First, the San Francisco-based Savage, whose show airs from 3-6 p.m. on 650 AM, played some "Kindergarten Cop" audio clips featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger declaring "It's not a tumor."

Nice.

But, wait, there's more. Unfortunately. Declaring that he was showing respect for the senator, Savage played "California Uber Alles."

Yes, that would be a song by the Dead Kennedys.

Never mind that DK singer Jello Biafra has said that the band's name isn't actually (as many people believe) a reference to the senator's assassinated brothers, John and Bobby Kennedy. After reading lyrics from the song, Savage went on to say: "No gloating today, no laughter, all serious. You don't joke about a man's cancer."

Except, he just did.

Contrast this to local KSTE hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, who also took on the subject during their radio show this morning but with - and I never thought I'd say this - a million times more tact and respect.

While the duo didn't shy away from discussing Kennedy's 1969 Chappaquiddick scandal, in noting the differences in media coverage then and now, Armstrong and Getty managed to avoid any cheap jokes.

Actually, they didn't make any jokes at all - even so-called jokes dressed up as "tributes."

And to that, I'm not afraid to say, good job.

It's come to our attention that the pro-Hillary Clinton/anti-NBC protest we told you about Monday is actually happening today.

Protest organizer Tanya Clarke blames the wrong date on crossed wires but assures us they'll be out at 3 Television Circle at 5:30 p.m.

And, judging by the number of comments the last post generated, I'm guessing there's high interest in this demonstration - which is also happening at other NBC affiliates nationwide. Stay tuned.

Hillary Clinton supporters are set to demonstrate outside the Channel 3 (KCRA) studios (3 Television Circle) at 5:30 today as part of a nationwide protest against NBC.

Members of the HillaryClintonforum.net, allege that NBC displays an "anti-Hillary" bias in its news coverage; protests are planned at NBC affiliates across the country today.

Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams declined to comment on the impending protest other than to say, "We're a television station and we cover (all the politicians) in an equal way."

A representative for the protest could not be reached for comment.

They're not billing it as a debate, per se, but we're certain some political sparks will fly when mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson and Mayor Heather Fargo sit down for an in-depth interview on today's "Insight" radio show.

Hosted by Jeffrey Callison, the show airs from 2-3 p.m. on KXJZ 90.9 and will focus on Johnson and Fargo's visions for Sacramento.

Callison, who covers everything from music and movies to books, current events and politics on his show, is an interesting and provocative interviewer so it should be good one.

For more information, visit the "Insight" Web site.

After just a year and pocket change on the job, Matt Coker has been fired as managing editor over at the Sacramento News & Review.

SNR president and CEO Jeff von Kaenel confirms that Coker, who came here from the OC Weekly in April 2007, was dismissed May 7.

von Kaenel also confirms that the paper's arts editor, Jonathan Kiefer, has resigned.

von Kaenel declined to offer additional info, other than to say that longtime SNR editor Melinda Welsh will serve as managing editor until a permanent replacement is found.

"(Melinda and I) have worked together for 20 years and we'll continue to make sure we're putting out a great paper," von Kaenel says.

News10 (KXTV) is laying off eight newsroom employees, Russell Postell, the station's president and general manager, has just confirmed.

Actually, that's not quite how he put it.

"It's a realignment of resources - I don't call these layoffs," Postell says.

Whatever you call it, eight people will be "transitioned" - Postell's words - out of their jobs between now and November.

All of those positions will in the master control and graphics departments, and no on-air talent, reporters or producers are affected, Postell says.

Reason? In a move that echoes Channel 13's layoffs in March, new technology is being blamed.

"We'll be installing new technologies that allow us to produce more efficient newscasts," Postell says. "It's not about finances - it's about the development of technologies that (allow us) to continue to provide quality content."

More specifically, some of News10's graphics will be outsourced to a Denver-based hub that also will provide art for other Gannett-owned stations.

Viewers won't notice any changes, Postell says, other than "except maybe higher-quality graphics."

He declines to discuss severance packages or if the station is planning any future layoffs. Or, for that matter, realigned resources.

Due to illness, the Etta James show scheduled for Friday evening at the Radission Hotel has been canceled.

Ticket refunds are available at the place of purchase.

For more information, go to the Radisson Web site or Ticketmaster.com, or call (916) 920-7310.

Sactown magazine nabbed three Western Publication Awards - a.k.a. the Maggies - last week, besting some impressive competition, including Mother Jones and Sunset magazines.

The honors: Best Series of Editorial Photographs/Consumer for Max Whittaker's Afghanistan photo essay in the June/July issue; Best Overall Design - Consumer, for the April/May issue, and City & Metropolitan/Consumer for the August/September issue.

Whittaker's winning photo essay, by the way, also has been chosen to appear in the upcoming "Photography Annual for the Communication Arts." The book also will feature photos from the likes of Time, Newsweek and Rolling Stone magazines.

Fine. You win, "Good Day Sacramento," you win.

We tried - tried hard - to avoid blogging about Mark S. Allen's run-in with a cow at the Dixon May Fair - and this, despite a prediction that the cow-patty clip would end up on this here blog. It all just seemed too, well, easy.

But then the rest of the world caught wind - sorry - of Allen's smelly bovine encounter (Lucky us that "GDS" is not Smell-O-Vision equipped - yet) and, well, here's to the 15 minutes of fame that Allen's long-ago Comedy Central stint didn't earn him.

Seriously, TMZ (I know, right?!) and Dave Barry blogged about the clip.

Gives new meaning to the term "viral video."

The Northern California Area Emmy Awards were handed out in San Francisco Saturday, with several of the shiny statues going home with Sacramento winners.

KUVS Univision 19 was the big local winner, taking home 38 statues in 13 categories, including Feature News Report - Light series; Continuing Coverage, and Public/Current/Community Affairs - Feature Segment.

Perhaps even more impressive, reporter Santiago Lucero (pictured in a photo courtesy of KUVS) snagged five awards, including a nod for Specialty Assignment Report, to make him the most-honored individual overall.

Other Sacramento area winners include Channel 13 (KOVR) for Informational/Instructional Feature Segment, and Channel 6 (KVIE) in the Writer/Program category.

For a complete list of winners, visit EmmySF.tv.

OK, so I've kinda been avoiding posting about all things Armstrong & Getty lately, and I already wrote about the folks over at "Good Day Sacramento" once this week....

But....

Honestly, this really feels kind of cheap and easy - like shooting talking fish in a barrel.

But, again....

What the heck? I'm not going to editorialize, I'm just going to set up the premise and then let you draw your own conclusions (or make your own jokes).

The deal: On Wednesday, KSTE (650 AM)'s Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty were doing their radio show and also watching Channel 31's "Good Day Sacramento" (with the sound off) when one of them made a comment along the lines of "I don't know who freaking watches that mindless crap."

After professing love for "GDS' " Mark S. Allen, Nick Toma and Chris Burrous, the pair went on to speculate that people who willingly watch early TV shows much be a) fat, b) somehow physically limited, or c) stupid.

OK, so the "GDS" folks - alerted by a loyal watcher - weren't too happy by the characterization, obviously. And after much harumphing about how Jack & Joe used to have a morning TV show, but obviously that didn't work out and blah blah blah, they challenged A&G to a paintball battle.

And then, this morning, to reiterate their points (and the challenge), they lugged their cameras into the A&G studio to "confront" the duo.

All of which kind of makes me think this is just sort of in-cahoots sweeps stunt.

But hey, I said I wasn't going to judge....

Watch the "Good Day Sacramento" clip and decide for yourself.

You also can listen to the original A&G remarks here, or today's comments here.

Like I said, cheap and easy. I feel so dirty now.

Legendary singer Tina Turner's hitting the road again with those fabulous gams of hers (and, of course, vocal pipes).

The show, scheduled to arrive Oct. 22 at Arco Arena, will showcase the highlights of Turner's enduring, influential career and will include a full band with flashy choreography and lights.

Awesome.

Tickets ($57.75-$150) go on sale at 10 a.m. May 19 through TicketMaster.com.

And, speaking of awesome, another enduring diva is packing her road trunk.

Yes, the one-and-only Madonna is launching her globe-trotting Sticky & Sweet tour this summer.

But you're gonna have to make the 90ish mile drive for that one, cos she'll be in Oakland, Nov. 1 at the Oracle Arena. Tickets ($55-$350) go on sale at 10 a.m. June 1 through LiveNation.com and TicketMaster.com.

Don't know about you, but I actually really like her new album "Hard Candy" - especially the title track and the "4 Minutes" single.

Oops, now that song's going to be totally stuck in my head again.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go hyperventilate into a paper bag at the diva awesomeness of it all.

So "Good Day Sacramento's" Mark S. Allen was in Davis this morning, shooting a hard-hitting piece about a kid trying to catapult a Curious George doll through the city's Slide Hill Park.

Aside from the burning questions as to why someone would want to do this and why the heck you'd even send a reporter out to cover it, that's not what caught our attention.

Here's the deal: Park supervisors weren't too keen on the kid's plan and apparently called in police for backup. The police, however, weren't really sure if it's a crime to catapult a stuffed monkey, admitting that the action fell into a legal "gray area."

So, as the police tried to figure out the ins-and-outs of the doll-launching laws, Allen decided it was time to hurry up with the show and just shoot the damn thing already.

Not so fast. Turns out the park supervisors really didn't like the idea and decided to stand in the direct path of the unlucky plushie.

So, Allen, not wanting to invite a possible lawsuit, trotted off to ask them to move.

And, get this - they refused. The nerve! Seriously folks, Allen is peeved, protesting "We're on live TV right now!" Meanwhile, back at the "Good Day Sac" ranch, things go from stupid to embarrassing when anchor Nick Toma gets really put out by the whole affair, going as far as to fake-snore (because park supervisors bore him?) and even boo loudly.

A few other Toma gems:

"Is there any wonder why people make fun of Davis?"

and:

"Kinda makes me want to hit (the park supervisor)." (C'mon, Toma - even Mark S. Allen didn't think that was a good idea.)

and:

"I'm looking up another word for 'Jerky McJerkestein.' "

Huh?

Watch the clip and decide who the real Jerky McJerkestein is.

Here's a show that slipped in past the deadline for today's Coming Distractions column: Teddy Geiger and Hilary McRae, June 13 at the Empire (1417 R St.).

Geiger is a 20-year-old pop phenom (and occasional actor: TV's "Love Monkey" and the upcoming flick "The Rocker") - he reminds me of a young Rufus Wainwright.

McRae (pictured, photo by Henry Diltz) is an up-and-coming pop-jazz vocalist - and the first new, developing artist to be signed to Starbucks' Hear Music label. Yes, that's her debut album "Through These Walls" that you see every time you order that double-whip, half-caf frappucino.

Tickets ($10 advance, $12 door) for the all-ages show go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the Beat, R5 Records, Dimple Records, Armadillo Music, all Tickets.com outlets (inside select Raley's and Bel Air Supermarkets) and Tickets.com.

May is sweeps month - that time when broadcasters try to grab your attention (and, thus, more advertisers).

Sometimes, this can be a good thing, with stations adding interesting content. And, sometimes, well, not so much.

Which is where you come in. If, during your daily channel surfing, you come across anything particularly weird, outrageous or just plain stupid in local broadcasting, send me an e-mail (and please include your name and city of residence).

But, please, local stuff only - there's no way I can even try to keep up with the Heidis, Paulas and Dr. Phils of the world.

Your suggestions may or may not end up as part of a future 21Q post - but just think if you do - finally, a chance to be Internet Famous.

Thanks in advance!

Bummer news in the Sacto blogger realm: Local online media scribe RadioMatthew has called it quits, blog-wise.

In an entry posted today, RadioMatthew (a frequent 21Q commenter, btw), explained it thusly:

I was offered a competitive position at a local Sacramento television station that I believe deserves my focus now. The position will start out as an internship and hopefully grow to be something more, though time will tell on that one. I look forward to this exceptional opportunity the station has given me to prove myself to them.

In the meantime, I intend to take this free time away from the blog by spending it with the people who matter the most to me—people who have been very supportive during my blogging career and understood the sacrifice in time and presence I needed in order to keep this running daily.

Good luck, but hopefully this doesn't mean RM will be permanently MIA from this part of the Interweb. One thing's for sure: RadioMatthew posts will remain archived at the site and you can still check out his other venture, the SactownMedia forum and wiki pages.

Time for another installment of "Where in the World is...?" A reader e-mailed inquiring on the whereabouts of Fox40 Morning News reporter Kye Martin.

Seems like Martin's been MIA for a few months now, although a Google search of her name still turns up a bio on Fox40's Web site.

In actuality, Martin left Fox40 (KTXL) earlier this year, but someone forgot to tell the Internet.

Fox40 news director Tom Burke, for one, was surprised that the reporter's bio page was still on the station's site.

"That's still on there?" Burke says of the errant page. "It lives!"

While the IT guys scurry to fix that little detail, here's the dish: Martin left the station in January to move to Chicago to be with her fiance.

"We were disappointed that she left - we thought the world of her," Burke says. "She was exactly the kind of reporter you wanted for a morning show - quick turnaround and quick energy."

Speaking of Fox40 (and we were - stay with me now), tonight, the station is launching a new six-part series examining the complexity of mother-daughter relationships.

"Mothers and Daughters: The Joys and Tears" will air Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 10:15 p.m. through May 14.

Topics include body image, boys, teen privacy and my personal favorite: "I'm turning into my mother!"

"We'll be looking at these issues and conflicts, talking to local moms and daughters," Burke says.

It's just in time, of course, to capitalize on Mother's Day (May 11, FYI), and the latest Miley Cyrus scandal.

Actually, Burke says, the series is a natural fit with Fox40's regular Tuesday/ Wednesday night programming, which, of course, includes "American Idol."

"We have a phenomenal amount of viewers - women and teen (girls) - watching Fox40 on those nights," Burke says. "(During those time slots), our share on the 18-49 female demographic is through the roof."

Sacramento's Univision affiliate today expanded its weekday morning news show, boosting "A Primera Hora" from one hour to two. Here's how it'll work: Previously, "Primera" aired from 6 to 7 a.m. on Channel 19 (KUVS); now viewers can tune in for an extra hour - from 7 to 8 a.m. - on sister station TeleFutura 64 (KTFK).

The second hour features "Primera" anchors Maribel Lopez, Gustavo Ortiz and Viviana Paez.

"This is a way for Univision to get local news on KTFK," says
Univision spokeswoman Kristie Gong.

In addition, Univision is rebroadcasting "Voz y Voto" - a locally produced political-topics show that airs at 11 a.m. Saturdays on Channel 19 - at 7:30 a.m. Sundays on TeleFutura 64.

Several alert local news watchers have e-mailed me in the last week to inquire on the whereabouts of Channel 3's John Hamilton.

Seems that KCRA's veteran LiveCopter pilot has been MIA recently, away from his usual gig alongside Dann Shively.

And unlike the also-absent KCRA meteorologist Eileen Javora, currently at home recuperating from a broken arm, it doesn't sound like he's coming back.

That's because Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams confirms that Hamilton left KCRA two weeks ago. Williams declined to give a reason, instead directing questions to Hamilton, who also runs his own helicopter service.

Calls to Hamilton by 21Q, however, have so far gone unanswered.

So there's your answer - kind of. Stay tuned.

Poor Carly Smithson (pictured, photo courtesy of Fox) got the boot Wednesday night on "American Idol," but at least the Irish rocker can take comfort knowing she'll be part of this summer's American Idols Live tour.

Which, by the way, is scheduled to hit July 9 at Arco Arena.

In addition to Smithson, this year's talent show lineup features current contestants Brooke White, David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado.

Also on the bill: Ousted singers Chikezie, Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns and Ramiele Malubay.

Tickets go on sale May 17 - stay tuned for more details or visit tour.americanidol.com.

Here's some real, er, breaking news:

If you're wondering why Channel 3's Eileen Javora's gone missing, rest assured - the KCRA meteorologist is still with the station. Javora (pictured, courtesy of KCRA) is just enjoying the cool spring weather from the comfort of her home.

Reason: Javora broke her arm.

Ouch.

No, it wasn't an on-the-job injury. Reporting on the weather can be dangerous, but not usually in that way - unless, of course, you're Anderson Cooper.

"She was playing around with some friends and broke her arm - now she's in recovery," explains Channel 3 news director Anzio Williams.

"We're not really sure when she'll be back, but she will be back."

Money's tight these days, but if you have a couple of bucks to spare, consider sending them to Davis.

More specifically, to UC Davis' college radio station KDVS 90.3, which is hosting its annual on-air fundraiser through Sunday. Monies raised will go toward station costs and operations.

You can pledge as little or as much as you like and, in return, snag cool goodies such as T-shirts and music. A $100 pledge will get you the chance to host your own hour-long radio show - finally, the chance to subject the world to show off your awesome music knowledge and tastes.

Tune into 90.3 on the FM dial for more info, call (530) 754-5387 or (888) 654-6294. Or kick it new school by clicking here.

Just in case today's Coming Distractions column wasn't jam-packed enough for your sonic likings, here are a few more shows that just hit my desk this morning:

First up, the California State Fair folks have announced this summer's concert line-up. The fair runs Aug. 15-Sept. 1 and those set to take the stage include Weird Al Yankovic (Aug. 18), "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens (pictured, Aug. 22), and Grand Funk Railroad (Aug. 29).

Concert admission is free with the price of State Fair admission. You can, however, also snap up special reserved "Gold Circle" seats. All tickets (including general admission tix) go on sale May 1 through Tickets.com.

For more details, check out my colleague Bruce Dancis' story.

Then, when summer's over (well, in the datebook at least, if not in regards to temperature), mark your calendar for the big Music Builds concert, Sept. 28 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

The Christian rock show features Jars of Clay, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Switchfoot and Third Day. Stay tuned for ticket info.

So, I was listening to my new BFFs, Armstrong & Getty, this morning and the duo was talking up politics (yeah, that's right - politics) in regard to the Obama-Clinton race.

Specifically, they were discussing the way the rival Democrats have been courting the "regular guy" vote by quaffing regional drinks of choice. You know, Clinton and the now-infamous Crown Royal shot-heard-round-the-world, for example.

Anyway, Armstrong brings up Obama's March 28 trip to Johnston, Pa., during which Obama took a swig of the local drink of choice.

"There was a widely distributed picture of Barack Obama chugging a Yuengling brew?" Armstrong says, sounding mystified by the, uh, exotic-sounding beer. "Is that like a local Pennsylvania microbrew - Y-E-U-N-G-L-I-N-G? Yeungling? Or is that a Muslim thing?"

Although Armstrong's remark elicited an appreciative cackle from Getty, all I can say is:

Dude.

C'mon guys, we all know you pride yourselves on just how low you rank on the political correctness meter (I've long learned to just roll my eyes at all your anti-feminist remarks), but, seriously, "Or is that a Muslim thing?" Stupid, offensive, immature and definitely not cool.

Listen for yourself here.

Bryan Patrick/Sacramento Bee file

So, apparently, Tuesday's cover story in Scene on talk radio - and the demise of locally produced, politically oriented shows - touched a nerve.

Specifically, many readers were shocked - shocked! - that I (along with my Bee writing partners Sam McManis and Dan Vierra) didn't include KSTE's Armstrong & Getty in the round-up.

Their exclusion is proof positive, many a reader posited, that I am (take your pick) showing my liberal bias, a terrible journalist, and/or the living incarnation of the devil. OK, that last one's not a direct quote - but, terrible journalist that I may be, I can kinda read between the e-mail lines.

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty were also outraged at being left out and, on their show this morning, pointed out that "we're the No. 1 freaking show."

Of course, from there, they go on to draw the same conclusion that I - along with my editor - made when deciding to not include them:

"We're not a political show, we talk about everything."

And that is, precisely, why they weren't included.

Certainly, you could debate the validity of their exclusion six ways to Sunday and, you know what?, I'm willing to go out on a limb here and say, hey, yeah, perhaps, they could have merited a footnote.

Or, at the very least, a whole blog entry!

Seriously guys, the exclusion wasn't personal. Or a sign that I didn't know you guys existed - I did, I do.

You can listen to A&G argue their point here.

Time to mark your ballots - and your summer calendar, KWOD 106.5 just announced the line-up for its Rock the Vote concert, scheduled for June 6 at the UC Davis Pavilion at the A.R.C. On the ticket: Pennywise (pictured), Alkaline Trio, Anti-Flag, MGMT, The Whigs and local band MC Rut (aka Middle Class Rut).

And, while that's one hard-rockin' bill, the purpose of the show isn't just music - it's about getting people registered to vote (Republican, Democrat, whatever). Tickets ($20 UCD students, $25 general) go on sale Friday through R5, the Beat, Dimple Records, Armadillo Music, Tickets.com outlets (inside select Raley's and Bel Air supermarkets) and online at Tickets.com.

Motley Crue, on the other ear, are apparently only out to rock your eardrums. The vintage heavy metal four-piece just announced Crue Fest 2008 - and they're billing it as "the loudest show on earth."

Buy your earplugs now, the festival, also featuring the likes of Buck Cherry, Trapt, Sixx:A.M. and Vacaville's Papa Roach, will play Aug. 5 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre. There's a pre-sale April 24, stay tuned for further ticket info.

Nominations for the 37th annual Northern California Emmy Awards were announced Thursday, with Sacramento-area media outlets nabbing 42 nods.

At the head of the pack: Channel 19 (KUVS) with 17 nominations, including outstanding achievement in General Assignment Report, Continuing Coverage, Feature News Report (Serious Series), and Public Affairs (Segment Program).

Channel 3 (KCRA) came in with an also-impressive 12 nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Station Excellence, News Excellence, Newcast - Daytime (Larger market), and General Assignment Report.

Cbannel 6 (KVIE), Channel 13 (KOVR), Fox40 (KTXL) and Channel 10 (KXTV) also earned nominations.

Winners will be announced May 10 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. For a complete list of nominations, visit EmmySF.com.

So, I was hanging out at the Channel 13/31 mothership on Thursday, when morning anchor Chris Burrous wanted to show me a news clip of which he was especially proud.

Now, the clip in question hints at something somewhat publicity stunt-esque but, I've got to admit, it's one a fellow media drone can appreciate.

The deal: Mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson agreed to sit down with Channel 13 for a March 31 interview - under a few conditions, Burrous says: No Heather Fargo, no questions about those sexual abuse allegations, and absolutely no live calls from viewers.

Well, OK. Now, normally, most media outlets (newspapers, included) balk at such pre-interview rules. Generally to ask such as thing is considered rather - take your pick - diva-like, rude or naive.

In any case, Channel 13 really wanted that interview and, to their credit, deftly found a way to get around Johnson's stipulations, all the while maintaining a tiny shred of integrity: They posted the rules for all their viewers to see and explained just why the upcoming interview "might look a little different than what we usually do."

By far, the best moment of this whole set-up is what happens when Channel 13 cuts away from said "rules" back to Johnson's face. The mayoral candidate's slightly horrified, slightly confused expression is, well, priceless.

Watch the clip here - Johnson's reaction is at at the 39-second mark.

As several alert readers pointed out to me - Fox40 (KTXL) does have a morning news show, every weekday from 6-8 a.m.

Um, can you tell I'm not a morning person?

Anyway, in all seriousness, my bad. Mea culpa. Big apologies.

Of course, this doesn't change the fact that the station's new general manager Bob Ramsey will still be beefing up the news coverage - so stay tuned on that front.

Well, I kinda sorta did a pinky swear, promising not to announce this one until Wednesday, but seeing as how a national music mag just leaked the news, I feel as though I better pipe up now or risk being late to the party. So, drum roll please:

Pop-blues rocker John Mayer will bring his summer tour to town, July 25 at Sleep Train Amphitheatre; L.A.-based singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat opens the show..

Now, here's the thing about Mayer - I'm not the biggest fan of his music but, frankly, it's impossible to not like the guy. He's funny, charming (and I know this firsthand because I interviewed him once) and wicked smart. An all-around good guy - heck, he even managed to date Jessica Simpson and keep his dignity somewhat intact.

Anyway - tickets go on sale Saturday, April 19, through TicketMaster.com.

Day three of his new media life and Bob Ramsey tells us he's still adjusting to his role as Fox40 (KTXL)'s newest general manager/vice president.

"I'm not really settled in yet - it's a work in progress," Ramsey says. "But so far, so good."

Among his top tasks: "Capitalizing on (the Fox network's) success...and expanding the role of news."

So - should viewers expect more local news programming sometime in the near future? Like, say, a morning or afternoon news show? (Currently, KTXL only broadcasts a 10 p.m. local news broadcast).

"I'd say that's a pretty good assumption," Ramsey says. "We're going to look at the news from all angles."

Ramsey's previous job was as general manager/vice president of San Diego's KSWB - a CW affiliate that, later this year, will officially switch its loyalties to Fox.

Same gig - but then again, not, he says.

"(KTXL) is a much more mature station - it's been with Fox since Day 1 and it's also a much larger market, covering several counties," he says. "The sheer geography and size of Sacramento makes the job very different."

Just a week after Audrey Farrington resigned from her post as vice president/general manager of Fox40 (KTXL), the station's parent company, Tribune Broadcasting, named Robert "Bob" Ramsey as the station's new head.

It's a lateral move for Ramsey, who previously served as the veep and GM at San Diego's KSWB station.

Actually, it's a teensy bit of a move up as the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto market is ranked 20th in the nation, according to Nielsen Media Research. San Diego is ranked 27th.

A Tribune Broadcasting press release trumpeted the change as an opportunity to "expand local news programming...into other parts of the day."

Fox40 news director Tom Burke says Ramsey comes into his new job "with real strong news background" that will help the station meet new demands.

"The times we live in - with the convergence of the Internet and broadcasting (means) there is a greater sense of immediacy - in not waiting and getting it done now," Burke says. "This (management change) goes along with the times."

So how will such change translate for viewers?

"That remains to be seen," Burke says.

Literally and figuratively, we presume. Big changes have been afoot at other Tribune-owned stations. Ramsey's former stomping grounds, for example, just switched allegiances; in the fall, KSWB, now a CW station, will become a Fox affiliate with management promising a pronounced emphasis on local news programming.

Ramsey was not available for comment. Stay tuned.

That Alicia Keys show I told you about earlier this week now has an opening act: "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks will open the May 11 concert at Arco Arena.

Now, just between you and me - Sparks (pictured in a photo courtesy of MTV) is cute, charismatic and definitely gifted - but does she really have the emotional depth to match Keys' extraordinary talent and range?

I guess that's why Sparks is the opening act - she's still honing her stage chops so why not learn at the microphone stand of one of mainstream pop's best?

Well played Sparks, well played.

Anyhoo, tickets ($37.75-$123.25) go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via TicketMaster.com.

In the wake of the now-infamous John McCrea is(n't) dead April Fool's Joke of 2008, not only have the folks over at Sacrag.com deleted all April Fool's Day-related posts, they've issued an apology.

Sort of.

The typist behind the Internet tempest, Dan "Stickie" Scott, sent an e-mail to The Bee that read, in part:

On April 1, in honor of the great American tradition of April Fools Day, I posted the fictional saga of the death of John McCrae (sic) on the SacRag. Some of you were not amused. Some of you were. Regardless, we at the Rag are questioning the boundary of good taste and the possibility that the joke may have crossed it.

This especially becomes a consideration for family, friends or acquaintances of the subject of the joke. It is one thing to chuckle, roll your eyes, or be offended at a story about a random dead person. It is a different matter altogether when that person is a real flesh and blood human for whom you care. This is how we truly misstepped and crossed that line that we should not have crossed ....

(T)o those who were truly hurt, shocked or discomforted by my idea of humor, we at the SacRag offer an apology and ask that you don't hold it against us. Everyone else, remember that most things in life should be approached with a wink and a smile and you'll probably enjoy the ride a little more.

By the way, for the record, Sacrag did not delete the posts (there were several "updates") in question (or their other> April Fool's Day joke regarding Sacto media, uh, icon Mark S. Allen) because they were tasteless but, instead, because they were passe. At least that's what Scott tells me.

"Like many other websites, all of the April Fools Day posts came down because it is no longer April Fools Day," Scott writes in an e-mail.

But, he adds, although the stories are no longer on the site's main page, links to the archived posts will be posted shortly.

Jeez people, can't you take a joke? Not only is Cake singer-songwriter John McCrea not dead, but apparently, Sacrag readers don't have a very good sense of humor.

So says Dan "Stickie" Scott, who penned the, er, offending entry.

"I thought it was pretty obvious that a (post) about the lead singer of Cake being killed by a pastry truck while eating pastries was a joke," he says when reached by phone. "But, obviously, different people have a different BS meter."

OK, but what about those people who "got" the joke, but still didn't think it was funny.

Well, y'all should step off, too.

"Is this one of society's sacred cows that I shouldn't have slaughtered?" Scott asks. "Well, I don't think I necessarily slaughtered it, but I did milk it a bit."

Besides, Scott adds, not only is he a huge Cake fan, he'd love to get the band's take.

"I'd be really amused to hear from them - to see if they thought it was funny," Scott says. "Of course, they have every right to be offended or insulted."

There's one serious point Scott does want to make about Sacrag.

"It'd be one thing if The Sacramento Bee ran this story - that would be out of line," he says. "But we're just a local blog that does a pretty good job of running useful stuff about Sacramento's lifestyle. But we're not responsible for the news."

It's April Fool's Day, which basically means that any self-respecting American will have gotten out of bed today with both eyes wide open and his-or-her irony meter set on high.

That said, even I did a double take when I read the Sacrag headline: Sad story: John McCrea R.I.P..

A traffic accident has taken the life of John McCrea, lead singer and songwriter for the band Cake. No official statement has been made by the band’s management, but sources close to the Rag report that the incident occurred last night after their sold-out show in Bordeaux, France.

Band members were noshing at a patisserie when a delivery van for the business jumped onto the sidewalk and crashed onto the patio seating. McCrea was killed instantly. Trumpeter Vince DiFiore has reportedly been hospitalized, but his condition is unknown.

It only took a few minutes and some light Google searching to realize that A) No one else was reporting this "story," and B) the Sacramento-born band isn't even on tour right now, much less hanging out in Bordeaux, France.

OK, great, it's April Fool's Day - you got me. So funny.

Actually, Sacrag readers don't seem too amused either, with comments decrying the joke as "cruel," "insensitive" and "tasteless."

One poster put it this way:

If this is an April Fool’s Joke, which it must be, because there is no other news reporting this, it’s in incredibly poor taste, and totally immature ... Your joke is totally offensive and should be removed.

While a call to Sacrag has yet to be returned, the blog has since updated its joke by trying to up the silly factor with posts such as this one: Sinister Baker Sought in Rock Star Slaying.

OK, sure, that reads more like satire, but guess what?, in light of the first post - still not too funny-ha-ha.

Now, Sacrag's gag on Mark S. Allen hosting "American Idol," also posted today? That's funny.

Or, from another corner of the Internet, how about this plea from Sacramento's Smosh duo, begging fans to help pay off a $20 million Pokemon copyright infringement suit? Hilarious.

But joking - and stupidly, might I add - about someone's death? That's just mean. And not snarky mean - because we all know how much Sacrag prides itself on the snark - but just mean mean.

KSAC (1240 AM) station manager Paula Nelson says that, frankly, she's happy her station made the switch today from progressive talk radio to gospel.

Oh, and it's not just any ol' gospel - it's hip-hop gospel. Think anything from Yolanda Adams to the Rooftop MCs.

"It's got all the good beats and an inspirational, positive message, too," Nelson says of the new format, which went into effect late Saturday night. The call letters officially switched today.

And, right about now, Nelson says, she could use some positive.

"I was ready for this change - I just wasn't having fun anymore," Nelson says. "The whole political thing has gotten nasty, dirty and contentious."

And it didn't help that major political companies didn't support the station during its four years as a liberal talk radio station, she says.

"There are all these Sacramento Democratic organizations that haven't spent a dime on (advertising) for our station," Nelson says. "To them I say, 'You did this - you were complicit, you shut us down.'

"If you're not sending us the marketing dollars, then you're part of the problem."

Nationally syndicated talk show host Mike Malloy just called in to confirm that the KSAC (1240 AM) rumors (see my posting below) are true:

The station is changing to a gospel format come Monday morning.

"I got the call from (KSAC general manager) Paula Nelson today - she told me it broke her heart to have to make the change," Malloy says.

The Atlanta-based talk show host says he first heard about the switch earlier this week via his boss, Nova M Radio CEO John Manzo.

Manzo, on the phone from Phoenix, also confirms the switch.

The reason? Economics.

"They don't have the revenue to support the format," Manzo says.

Malloy put it in even clearer terms.

"It's not a ratings thing - we have plenty of listeners," Malloy says. "KSAC is experiencing what most other liberal talk show format stations are experiencing - it's not a lack of audience, it's a lack of business support."

In other words, not enough advertising dollars.

Big-name, deep-pocked businesses, Malloy says, are turned off by the station's progressive format.

"If you listen to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, you'll hear (plenty) of national ads," he says. "If you listen to someone like me or Randi Rhodes, there's a complete lack of those types of sponsors."

It's a problem plaguing liberal talk radio in markets across the U.S., he adds, noting that stations in San Francisco and San Diego have been forced to make similar changes.

Messages left by The Bee at the offices of KSAC have yet to be returned. Malloy says Nova M is searching for another local station to carry his talk show. ("I love Sacramento"). In the meantime, listeners can stream his show at MikeMalloy.com.

Posters on the radio-info.com message board are buzzing today about a possible format switch over at KSAC (1240 AM).

According to one post by Mike Malloy, the nationally syndicated talk show host whose show airs daily on KSAC, the progressive talk-radio station, the format will flip to gospel come Monday morning.

(Malloy has yet to respond to an e-mail from The Bee seeking to clarify his remarks.)

The Internet's been speculating about a possible KSAC format switch since February, but is this for real - or an early April Fool's joke?

KSAC general manager Paula Nelson has yet to return our calls and subsequent calls to the station have yielded nothing but an automated message indicating that the office is closed - even though its stated business hours are 8-5.

So what's up with that? Did they close up shop early to make the switch? Tired of fielding phone calls? Or is the receptionist just taking a potty break? Hey, it happens to the best of us.

As they say in the radio biz, stay tuned.

Bruno Cohen, president of Channel 13, just confirmed that two reporters - Reggie Kumar and Kristina Lee - were among those laid off by the station Thursday.

And while at least one of the comments attached to online items posted here at 21Q and elsewhere on sacbee.com have indicated that "dozens of people were laid off in all departments today, from floor crew staff to some writers, editors, photogs and even a director" (to see, click here), Cohen refuses to give specifics on any other eliminated jobs at the local CBS affiliate.

"I will confirm those layoffs (Kumar and Lee) because they were on-air talent, visible to viewers," Cohen says.

The two reporter layoffs, he adds, were part of an overall restructuring that utilizes "new technologies to make our station more efficient and to grow our audience."

Specifically, he says, Kumar and Lee's jobs were eliminated, in part, because the two half-hour editions of "The Sports Show," which currently air at 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, are being reduced to 15 minutes per episode and folded into Channel 13's 10 p.m. weekend newscasts.

And although neither Kumar and Lee worked on those shows, "we just don't need as many on-air people," Cohen says.

Of course, Cohen's comments today would appear to contradict his assertion Thursday when first called about layoffs that the results of the layoffs will be mostly "invisible" to viewers.

UPDATE, 1:56 p.m.: Bruno Cohen has confirmed that staff members who will be laid off are being notified today via a series of meetings with Channel 13 executives.

Bruno Cohen, president of Channel 13 and its sister station Channel 31, just confirmed that Channel 13 is laying off employees at the news station.

However, Cohen declined to confirm the number of jobs or to identify affected positions at the local CBS affiliate, instead explaining that the layoffs are "the consequence of new technology."

That technology, he went on to say in a phone interview, allows for more "automation in our production" and "nonlinear, computer-based editing."

"The software that drives that (editing) and the time it takes to produce it is much more fast and rapid and allows our editors to be more efficient," he said.

The result, he added, will be mostly "invisible" to viewers; the only on-air change will be to the two half-hour editions of "The Sports Show," which currently air at 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Those shows will be folded into Channel 13's 10 p.m. weekend newscasts, airing in 15-minute segments from 10:45-11 p.m., Cohen said.

OK, so it's not Journey Journey - you know, the classic version with Steve Perry, but still...here's a whopper of a post-summer tour: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick (pictured), Sept. 26 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

You, me and everyone we know? So totally gonna get our 1978 on.

Anyway, this mega-nostalgia tour was just announced so stay tuned for ticket details.

This show is my show - this show is your show: If you were hoping to go to Thursday's Country Joe McDonald tribute to iconic folk singer Woody Guthrie at the 24th Street Theatre only to learn that tickets are sold out, well, cheer up - McDonald's just added a second local date.

The second show will be April 24 at Marilyn's (908 K St.). Tickets ($25) are available through the venue's Web site.

(For more, read my colleague Bruce Dancis' story behind the McDonald/Guthrie story here.)

If you're a fan of Kevin Seconds' musical tastes, but can't seem to tune into KSSU 1580 (the Sac State station that "rocks the block" but not much more) for his Monday-night radio show, well, here's an alternative.

Head over to iTunes to check out the veteran musician's AbsoluteRants&Ruckus radio show. Just search for "Kevin Seconds" under the podcasts link and check out shows featuring great pop-punk playlists that include local tracks and live performances from the likes of the Secretions, Brian Hanover and Kepi.

Subscribe for weekly installments - don't worry, it's free.

It's Friday - which means a three-day weekend for a lot of folks. (Why they get a three-day weekend, I don't know. Life, as mama told me, is not fair.)

Anyway, if you're lookin' for something to do, something to buy and something to look forward to, here's your fix:

Tickets for V101.1's Summer Soul Music Jam just went on sale today . The May 31 show takes place at Raley Field and will feature Dennis Edwards & the Temptations Review, the Original “P” Parliament/Funkedelic, Evelyn “Champagne” King, A Taste of Honey, Tone Loc (pictured), and DJ Mixxula.

I know, Tone-Loc! Awesome - even if this does mean I'll have "Funky Cold Medina" stuck in my head the rest of the day.

Get tickets ($45 stadium seats, $57 reserved floor seats) through the Raley Field box office (400 Ballpark Dr., West Sacramento) or via Ticketmaster.com.

So, I've been awfully remiss in not telling you sooner about Rex Babin's show at Sierra College.

Babin, of course, is The Sacramento Bee's award-winning political cartoonist (not to mention 2003 Pulitzer Prize finalist). He's also just an all-around swell guy with - and maybe you didn't know this - a love for indie and underground music.

Anyway, back to the show.

Check out a collection of Babin's political cartoons at the Sierra College Ridley Gallery (5000 Rocklin Road, Rocklin). It runs through April 4. For more information, visit the Sierra College site or call (916) 789-2866.

Break out the pillows and Rice Krispy treats, Raven-Symone's Pajama Party Tour will come to Arco Arena on July 13.

In case you're not familiar with her, Raven-Symone's (pictured at right, photo courtesy of MTV) the star of Disney's "That's So Raven" series and the smash 'tween flick "The Cheetah Girls."

Or, you may remember her as young Olivia on "The Cosby Show."

Or, maybe like me, you know her best as Lindsay Lohan's old roommate. For reals, people, you can't make this stuff up.

Anyway, the stage will be made up to look like a teen girl's bedroom and fans are encouraged to rock the house by showing up in pajamas. No word yet if anyone needs to be worried about being subjected to bedtime games such as "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board."

Ms. Raven-Symone has a new album out next month (her fourth), so expect to hear plenty of new tunes.

No on-sale date for tix yet, but stay tuned to RavenSymonePresents.com for pre-sale information.

So Thursday, I was excited to tell you that groovy soul act Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings were opening the Dave Matthews Band show Aug. 25 at Raley Field (400 Ballpark Dr., West Sacramento).

Well, easy come, easy go.

Turns out - whoops!- the promoter meant to say "Robert Earl Keen Jr." instead.

Actually, that's a pretty good switch - the Texas singer-songwriter is a great musician and storyteller.

All the other details remain the same. Tickets ($70 floor, $58.50 stadium seats) are available through a presale via the Dave Matthews Band fan club site through March 17. Tickets go on sale to the general public March 29 through Ticketmaster.com.

Country crooner Brad Paisley will bring his Paisley Party Tour to town on June 21 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Jewel, Alaska's most famous folk-pop singer, ever, is also on the tour.

Paisley is the reigning Country Music Awards Male Vocalist of the Year; Jewel's newest record "Perfectly Clear," due in stores June 3, takes on a country flavor -the singer-songwriter recorded it with producer John Rich of Big & Rich fame.

Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough also will be on that bill.

There's no ticket sale date yet, but keep your browser pointed to BradPaisley.com and Jeweljk.com. Also, of course, we'll keep you posted.

You can tap into that summer-lovin' feeling right now because we just got word that the Dave Matthews Band will perform Aug. 25 at Raley Field (400 Ballpark Drive, West Sacramento).

On this tour, DMB will reportedly be debuting new songs that'll appear on a new CD scheduled for release later this year.

Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings will open the show - and here's the thing: I just popped their CD "100 Days, 100 Nights" into my car CD player this morning (for reals!) and it's a good one. Jones is an old-school soul singer and the Dap-Kings have gotten buzz recently for working with British neo-soul chanteuse Amy Winehouse.

Tickets ($70 floor, $58.50 stadium seats) don't go on sale to the general public until March 29, but if you're a member of the DMB fan club, then head over to the band's fan club site and get in on a pre-sale that runs today through March 17.

You also can check out RaleyField.com and TicketMaster.com for more information.

Indie rock icons Pavement just might get another moment in the spotlight.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly posted today on the magazine's Web site, Pavement's Stephen Malkmus admitted that members of the long-defunct band have kicked around the idea of a one-off Led Zeppelin-styled meet-up.

“Something small in 10 years like (a one-night) Zeppelin thing sounds good to me,” Malkmus told the magazine. "Obviously, the arena would be smaller than theirs, though.”

Might we suggest the Memorial Auditorium?

The Stockton-born band honed its noisy, fragmented pop chops in Sacramento clubs such as Old Ironsides before going on to international acclaim for albums such as 1992's "Slanted and Enchanted" and 1994's "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain."

Pavement co-founder Scott Kannberg, now fronting Seattle's Preston School of Industry, pushed the possible reunion date up a few years to 2009 - just in time to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary as well as the 20th anniversary of its longtime label Matador.

Can't even wait that long? Head over to Matador's Pavement site to download Pavement ringtones and exclusive MP3s.

You can also check out Malkmus' latest band, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (featuring Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss), April 28 at Harlow's (2708 J St.).

Tickets ($15 advance, $18 door) are on sale through R5, the Beat, Dimple Records, Armadillo Music, Tickets.com outlets (inside select Raley's and Bel Air supermarkets) and online at Tickets.com and Harlows.com.

If you have a high threshold for cacophony, discordant blips, bloops, booms and other bits of sonic bedlam, then you won't want to miss the Sacramento Sound Arts Festival Friday and Saturday at the Vox Gallery (19th & X streets).

Hosted by the folks who bring you the aural whirlwind known as the NorCal Noise Festival (the 18th annual incarnation of which will happen in October), the SSAF features a who's who of local noisemakers.

Among the scheduled acts: Chemical Angel, the Instagon Free Jazz Army, Ross Hammond (pictured, with an instrument of the quieter variety), Shane Grammer and Uberkunst's Bill Burg.

The shows start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday; admission is $7 per show or you can get a major deal by ponying up $10 for a two-day pass.

For more information (or to just get an idea of what you'll be hearing), visit the SSAF's Web site or MySpace page.

It's Friday - so, what are you doing tonight? You could stay home and watch "The Best Week Ever" - but isn't that why you're paying for TiVo?

Instead, head over to the CoolCat Gallery (918 24th St.) and help a venue out, already.

Tonight at 9 p.m., it's a CoolCat fundraiser show with local bands the Ancient Sons and Two Sheds (pictured). Your $5 (plus $3 annual membership fee, if you haven't already ponied up for that) gets you some great live music, plus chow from cooks Burgess and Kate Alaimo.

In case you missed my story on the CoolCat, this is a unique midtown spot that does everything from live music and art to classes, yoga and film. Plus, they have a cute storefront boutique that sells recycled clothes, local designer picks, jewelry, sketchbooks, stuffed animals and more.

And oh yeah, the CoolCat is normally an all-ages venue, but tonight - sorry kids - it's 21-and-over only.

For more information, visit myspace.com/coolcatgallery.

If, like me, you were charmed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's performance and win for "Falling Slowly" (from the Irish indie film "Once") at Sunday's Academy Awards, here's a chance to catch the "Best Song" winners in concert.

The Swell Season, featuring Hansard and Irglova with a band, will perform April 26 at Oakland's Paramount Theatre (2025 Broadway, Oakland).

If you're not already familiar with it, the Paramount is a big, gorgeous theater - I've seen Elvis Costello, Bjork, Wilco and Beck play there over the years. In other words, it's quite a decent bump up from the small clubs Hansard and Irglova were playing when they started promoting "Once" in 2007.

I had the chance to interview the pair, along with "Once" director John Carney, before the film opened in Sacramento last spring. (That's all of them pictured, as photographed by The Bee's Michael A. Jones.)

They were sweet, funny, smart and engaging - I'm guessing you'll get more of the same in a live setting.

And yes, you can expect to hear more of "Once's" beautiful folk-pop songs. Who knows? Maybe Carney - Hansard's bandmate from his other band, the Frames - will pop in for a guest appearance. I'm hoping so.

Tickets ($29.50-$40) go on sale to the general public Monday through TicketMaster.com or you can head over to the San Francisco-based KFOG radio station Web site for info on a pre-sale happening now through Friday. You can also check out Frames site for more information.

Sorry to all you who were excited about that Van Halen show, but I've just been notified by the promoter that tickets are not going on sale March 1, after all.

Indeed, thanks to a couple of East Coast show cancellations, the Sacramento on-sale date has been postponed until further notice.

No, I'm not really sure what one has to do with the other, either, but there you go. The local show is still happening as far as I know - you'll just have to cool your heels a little longer before plunking down all that cold, hard cash.

If you didn't get enough Van Halen when the band powered through Sacramento last November, buck up - the boys will be back in town April 25 at Arco Arena.

And yes, they're all apparently still getting along, which means David Lee Roth is still the singer - for now, anyway.

Eddie Van Halen, his son Wolfgang Van Halen and Eddie's bro, Alex Van Halen, make up the rest of the band.

Tickets (oh-so-not-cheap at $49.50, $79.50 and $149.50) go on sale at 10 a.m. March 1 through LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster.com.

I heard a buzz about this show earlier in the week but couldn't get confirmation on it until today - just in time to tell you about a special presale ticket offer.

So a) Yes, Death Cab for Cutie is playing April 22 at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall. The band, whose new album "Narrow Stairs" will be released May 13, has only announced a few dates so far - so glad we made the cut.

And b) Presale tickets are on sale right now via the band's fan club site. If you're not already a card-carrying member, that will set you back $30. (Heck, the annual fee gets you a fan club exclusive T-shirt, a seven-inch single (featuring previously unreleased material, on colored vinyl no less) and, of course, a card to carry in your wallet.

No word yet on when tickets go on sale to the general public, but I'm guessing it's sooner rather than later, so you might want to keep an eye on the Freeborn Hall site for more information on that one.

So, I'm sitting here, listening to Whitney Matheson's weekly Pop Candy podcast, and the USA Today blogger's latest has a catchy little track by the Philadelphia-based rappers the YMD.

The song: "From Stockton to Malone," a very Beastie Boys-esque ode to great basketball players such as the famed Utah Jazz pair John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Anyway, I'm listening and I'm working on a story when suddenly I sit up straight in my seat (you know, just like my mama always tells me to) as they're dropping cold rhymes (their words, not mine), and I hear "doing it blah blah blah like Kevin Seconds/bring the beat back - yo, his kids will wreck this."

OK, they didn't really say "blah blah blah," but I've since listened to this track like, a million times, and I still can't figure out what it is they are doing like Seconds (pictured).

Anyway, the important thing is that Seconds is the frontman for 7Seconds and a singer with Go National, as well as the co-owner of our very own True Love Coffeehouse in midtown Sacramento.

Cool.

It's also cool that Seconds is a huge NBA fan.

Here's another thing: The YMD's full name is the Yah Mos Def, a nod to the Yah Mos - the local cult faves who later spawned the likes of !!! and Out Hud. The rappers reportedly changed it to the YMD after having a bit of a name tug-of-war on MySpace with the original band, although their new album is still called "This is the Yah Mos Def."

Yeah, I know, weird - what are a bunch of Philly kids doing all up in our NorCal business? Actually, they name-drop a ton of people, including 2Live Crew, the S.F. band Cars Get Crushed, and Peter Fonda.

You can listen to the track by downloading Matheson's podcast or check out other tracks at myspace.com/theymd.

Warning: Some of the tracks are a bit explicit, but I know you can handle it.

And while you're listening, try and figure out what they're trying to do like Seconds, will ya? Do they "jump and dive" like him? "Punk and die"? Let me know, cos it's gonna really bug me until I found out.

Well, here's a sweet double whammy for your Valentine's Day:

The Police with Elvis Costello and the Imposters, July 17 at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Just in case you're not getting the magnitude of this: The Police had the top-selling tour of 2007. On this trek - reportedly their last and most final one ever - the trio is playing cities they skipped on the last go-round.

And, yes, that skipping thing? It included Sacramento. The Police bypassed Sac last time in favor of Oakland, so now we're finally getting our due.

OK, confession: Even though my 8th grade "Every Breath You Take"-lovin' self would be flipping out over this news, my, er, older persona is just a wee bit more excited about seeing Costello. Really, it's just the teensiest bit more of a wow factor for me - built on a foundation of having experienced several awesome Costello shows during my adult life.

Still, obvs, I've never seen the Police (as I was so not cool enough to go see them in 1983), so this is a good deal all around.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, and - duh - they ain't cheap: $40.50 for general admission, and $90.50 and $225.20 for reserved seats. Get them through LiveNation.com, TicketMaster.com or by calling (916) 649-8497.

As mentioned in today's Coming Distractions column, Kanye West's bringing his sense of entitlement Glow in the Dark tour to Sacramento on April 18.

The tix officially go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, but here's a little more info on how to get those pre-sale tickets that will be available Wednesday.

Starting at 10 a.m., just head over to this TicketMaster.com page and enter the promo code "Stronger" to get in on the action. Tickets will set you back $37.75-$70.75.

Oh yeah, and Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco are also on that bill.

P.S. You know I just like to kid about Kanye's ego, right? Sure, he's had some sore-loser moments, but I really do love his music. "Jesus Walks" is brilliant.

P.P.S. I didn't think I liked Rihanna much, but I've had "Umbrella" stuck in my head for days now - and not in that Flo Rida kind of way. I'll give it up: Girl's got chops.

Word.

That Lynryd Skynrd show I told you about in this week's Coming Distractions column is definitely a go for July 11.

And, even better - you know, if you're a big fan like that - there's a pre-sale on Friday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Visit TicketMaster.com and use the promo code "MEDLOCKE" during checkout.

Or, you can just wait an extra day and get your seats with the rest of the common folk on Saturday when the tickets officially go on sale at 10 .m..

Either way, either day, they'll set you back $45-$75 plus all the usual handling and service charges.

Visit the Raley Field Web site for more information.

Tickets for this one don't go on sale until Feb. 9, but I know you'll be so excited to hear about it that you'll need this next week just to recuperate from the awesomeness of it all.

So, deep breath everyone: Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood's Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Carnival Ride Tour lands at Arco Arena on March 12.

Again, tickets don't go on sale until Feb. 9. They'll set you back between $33.75-$73.75. Here's a tip from me to you, however: Take a peek over at TicketMaster.com or LiveNation.com (or, for that matter, KeithUrban.net or CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com) sometime Tuesday morning and see if maybe, just maybe, there's not some way you can get your seat early.

Confession: I had every intention of coming here and making some schlocky "Wayne's World"-type jokes about Tia Carrere. You know, something along the lines of, "Boy, Miss Babelicious has an album out that maybe you would've cared about in 1992"

But, that's not fair. Because a quick trick over to Carrere's IMDB.com page reveals that the actress is actually enjoying a healthy career. It's not A-list, mind you, but she's still acting regularly in shows like "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Nip/Tuck."

And how could I forget that she was on an episode of "The OC"? Really, I'm almost ashamed of myself.

Oh, and this new album that I was set to make fun of? "Hawaiiana" is a collection of (duh) Hawaiian songs and, get this, was just nominated for a Grammy in the best Hawaiian music album category.

Who knew?

Yeah, I'm just going to shut the snark up right now.

So, here's the deal: Carrere will perform songs from that album at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Borders (2339 Fair Oaks Blvd.); go here for more info.

As a kid, I always had a pet dog and now, as an adult, I'm pretty much a certified Crazy Cat Lady. (Ask around, it's true). That said, here's a show I can really give a paw stamp of approval to.

This Friday at the (aptly named) Fox & Goose, proceeds from the Music for Mutts show will benefit the Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary.

Happy Tails is a local no-kill facility dedicated to protecting and caring for homeless and abused animals. You can learn more about them here.

Not only will the show give a boost to your karma points balance, but the lineup's a good one: Richard March (pictured), Danny Secretion, Pushtonawanda, the Inversions and 2Me.

The 21-and-over show starts at 8:30 p.m. and costs $5 at the door. The Fox & Goose is at 1001 R St. For more information, visit the pub's Web site.

Just got word that Friday night's Shaun Slaughter good-bye party that I told you about in today's Coming Distractions column is in search of a new home.

The festivities were supposed to take place at the Townhouse, but apparantly the Townhouse was forced to shut down late last week and now there's no word on when it may re-open.

Oh, also - not sure why the midtown venue's been shuttered. Working on that one, but if anyone has any info, please give a holler.

In the meantime, Slaughter and company are hustling to find a new spot. Stay tuned for details or visit Shaun's MySpace Page for updates.

It's a sunny Friday, and I've got weekend fever. This one's gonna be a good one - there are places to go, people to see, songs to hear. Here are a few things on my to-do list:

1. "Sonic Youth: Sleeping Nights Awake"
This new documentary, which airs tonight in West Sacramento as part of the Movies on a Big Screen series, shows the legendary noise-pop band (pictured) playing a 2006 show in Reno.

The flick was shot by seven high school kids who made the film as part of Project Moonshine, a nonprofit group aimed at teaching documentary filmmaking to students.

The screening takes place at 600 4th St. in West Sacramento. Show time is 7 p.m. and it costs $5 at the door.

2. Knock Knock, Them Hills, Radermacher, Death to Anders at Old Ironsides
I know I already mentioned this show in my Coming Distractions column, but I just can't stop listening to the new Knock Knock album, "Girls on the Run." The local band's second full-length is just pure pop goodness - it really reminds me of another fave, Imperial Teen. Think boy-girl harmonies and killer hooks.

The 21-and-over show is a CD release for the band, so bring your money and be prepared to throw down. Starts at 9 p.m. and admission is $7 at the door.

3. The Cassidy's: "Girlfriend in a Coma"
The local alt.country band does a really sweet, kind of trippy, take on the Smiths classic. You can listen over at the band's MySpace page.

4. Concordia / Discordia T-shirts
Local artists Graciela Guardado and Richard St.Ofle - a.k.a. Concordia / Discordia - just made up some awesome new T-shirts (pictured) and you can snap them up at Olipom (1115 21st St.).

They're $18 each - a low, low price for such stylishness. Call ahead to Olipom at (916) 442.4470 to make sure they have your size in stock or visit the Concordia / Discordia MySpace page for more information.

5. Chelsea Wolfe: Last Days of Summer Sessions CD Release Party at the True Love Coffeehouse
The beguiling singer-songwriter celebrates the release of a CD with a name that makes us long for iced teas and flip-flops. Also on hand: Jay Shaner, Bobby Jordan, Noah Nelson and all those yummy True Love coffee drinks.

Show starts at 9 p.m. and is all-ages. The True Love is located at 2315 K St. For more info, go here.

Honestly, I don't know if there's anything scarier than last Friday's bone-chilling, fence-killing, power-defying winds, but here's a little something that might come close:

This Friday, the Trash Film Orgy people bring you "The Monster From Bikini Beach." The campy horror film is a throwback to all those fun '50s and '60s-era exploitation flicks and features a ton of familiar faces, including Sacto expat Amber Kloss and RetroCrush blogger Robert Berry.

The film's plot is about what happens...oh, come on, do I really need to explain?

Monsters. Bikinis. A Beach.

You get the picture. Or, rather, you should, Friday night at the Crest (1013 K St.).

Show time is 9:30 p.m and tickets are $5.50 at the box office. This is a one-night only thing, kids - you snooze, you lose.

A word of warning: "Monster From Bikini Beach" is unrated, but we've got word that there's some, um, bare flesh on the screen. So you might want to keep the little ones at home - just sayin'.

Visit the "Monster's" MySpace page for more info or to check out the film's trailer.

Lucky me, I've never been subjected to wearing an ugly bridesmaid dress. Well, at least, I didn't think it was ugly. Hopefully, no one was snickering behind my back.

Anyway, in case you missed my bridesmaid story in today's Scene section, we're looking for photos of the ugliest, saddest, most tragic, Goodwill-bound bridesmaid dresses, ever.

You know, kind of like the sherbet-rainbow oddity that Katherine Heigl sports in the upcoming flick, "27 Dresses" (pictured).

E-mail your photos to bridesmaids@sacbee.com and we may include it in an upcoming online photo gallery. Because the whole world should know about that evil lime-green number that your so-called best friend made you wear.

Oh, and please, don't e-mail them to me - I don't think my eyeballs could handle the horror.

Here's the latest on that Elyse Sewell/Marty Crandell scuffle.

Crandell's label, Sub Pop, issued a press release to Pitchfork and other media outlets acknowledging Crandell's arrest:

Marty Crandall and his ex-girlfriend Elyse Sewell were both arrested over the weekend following an argument at a Sacramento hotel, which resulted in hotel staff calling the police.

They were both taken into police custody and released over the weekend.

There will be no further comment at this time and we would appreciate their privacy being respected.

Crandell, who plays with the Shins and Sewell, a former "America's Next Top Model" contestant, are expected, according to Pitchfork, to appear in court in Sacramento later this week.

OK, normally we like to reserve the salacious gossip and news tidbits for our US Weekly-reading pals, but this one's too big (and bad) to let go without a mention.

According to her own blog, model Elyse Sewell was arrested on Friday, Jan. 4, along with her now ex-boyfriend Marty Crandell. The pair, she says, was nailed on domestic assault charges in a Sacramento hotel following an alleged fight.

Sewell (pictured in a photo property of The CW) is, perhaps, most famous as the witty med student-turned- "America's Next Top Model" hopeful. She was eliminated third-from-last on the show's first season. Crandell, meanwhile, plays with the Shins, a popular Portland-based indie pop band whose 2006 CD "Wincing the Night Away" earned rave reviews.

The two, Sewell wrote, were traveling through Sacramento on their way to Portland. Here's her entry on the incident Sunday on her LiveJournal blog:

Think you had a (bad) weekend? Nah. Why not compare it to mine?

1.) On the drive home (home?) from Albuquerque to Portland, my ex-boyfriend got (drunk) and roughed me up in a Sacramento hotel. I escaped from the room through a blitzkrieg of violence and talked to hotel security, who called the fuzz.

2.) Because he had a bite mark, inflicted in self-defense, on his arm, Marty told the police to PRESS CHARGES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST ME. Now I am a felon.

3.) I spent the night in jail.

The entry, posted by the Pitchfork music site, was previously available for anyone to read, but in a new entry posted Sunday night, Sewell had a change of heart, explaining, "I've decided to heed the advice of many commenters (lawyerly types) and lock my last entry about the legal foibles between me and my ex-boyfriend.

(That was, of course, after we were able to eyeball it!)

Sewell says she was released Saturday morning and, according to the Sacramento Sheriff's Web site, Crandell was released on Sunday. According to Pitchfork, both are expected to appear in court here in Sac later this week.

So, here's the deal: I would not normally come here and tell you about the show my husband's band is playing tonight (kind of tacky to do so, right?), but since there's a chance the show might be cancelled, I thought this might be a good opportunity to advise y'all to check on the status of any show you were thinking about attending.

That said, tonight's Baby Grand and De Luxe show at the Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd.) may go dark because, well, the Blue Lamp is dark. Yup, no power. So, you might want to call (916) 455-3400 to make sure it's still on. The show, that is. Who knows, maybe they'll do an accoustic, candle-lit set. Would be very Nirvana "Unplugged," don't you think?

(Side note: I just totally loved getting ready for work in the dark this morning, only to have the power go back on right as I was leaving the house. Nice - and I have the bed head-esque hair to show for it).

To recap: Planning on going to a show tonight? Call ahead to make sure it's still on.

Or, you know, just stay home and watch the season premiere of "1 vs. 100." Normally I wouldn't advise such a thing, but for once, I think the network-TV game show option might be the safer, potentially less painful way to go.

Hey, remember that time I told you that Roger McGuinn canceled his Feb. 1 show at the Mondavi?

Well, guess what? He really didn't.

Confused? Well, join the club. No, actually - McGuinn's booking agent canceled the show, you see, but McGuinn's manager didn't. So, what I'm trying to say here is that Roger McGuinn - broken wrist, be damned - will still be playing Feb. 1 at Mondavi's Jackson Hall.

Get your ticket info here.