In the realm of choral ensembles there are few that have the musical stature of the San Francisco-based Chanticleer. In the three decades that it has been performing, this all male ensemble has left a stream of excellent music-making in its wake.
Fortunately, that group has always stayed faithful to its plan on including Sacramento into its Bay Area touring paradigm, and the 2012-13 season is no exception.
This year the group celebrates its 35th anniversary season. In Sacramento, that season begins at St. Francis of Assisi church on Sept. 23, with The Siren's Call.
A highlight of the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento's season happens June 3 when the country's top hornist - Philip Myers - performs with the chamber group for its final concert of the season.
Myers (pictured, right) is currently principal horn with the New York Philharmonic.
In Sacramento he will join the chamber group in a performance that includes Berkeley's Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano, Wettham's Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano and the West Coast premiere of Vaughan Williams' not-oft performed Quintet for Horn, Clarinet, by Vaughan Williams.
The Sacramento County Fair often gets overshadowed by that other Cal Expo fair, the one for the whole state. But the county fair, running Thursday-May 28, offers plenty of enticements beyond livestock and carnival rides.
Thursday afternoon and evening, local bands Hot Tar Roofers, The Generals, Walking Spanish and Dog Party will play on the community stage as part of the fair's Community Night.
There also will be a classic car show and food trucks including Drewski's and Wicked 'Wich.
That's more entertainment than you can shake a stick at, or lead a pig with, and all for just $5 for adults. Children 12 and younger are free.
Parking, however, is $10 at Cal Expo. So pile into a van, band style, or find another way to get to Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd., Sacramento.
The Camerata California is teaming up with the Camellia Symphony for "A Day of Rememberance" a Memorial Day-themed concert offering two West Coast premieres.
Under the baton of Les Lehr, the Camellia and Camerata musicians will perform the West Coast premieres of Lee Hoiby's "Last Letter Home" and Lewis Songer's "Elegy".
Also to be performed is Haydn's Third Mass and Jonathan Wilcock's "A Great and Glorious Victory".
Comic-book style geekiness reaches an apex this summer with the releases of "The Avengers," "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Dark Knight Rises." .
But if those movies are too mainstream for you, there's Sac Con, happening June 3 at the Scottish Rite Center, at 6151 H St., across from Sacramento State.
The one-day comics convention will feature a 4:30 panel discussion on what it means to be a geek, specificially a Sacramento geek.
The panel discussion will kick off a summer of geeky inquiry and celebration by the Sac Geeks website and Meetup group.
The panel talk will help introduce a Sac Geeks project that puts images of geek-friendly local businesses and celebrities on a deck of 54 collectible playing cards.
"One of the queens will be Kiki from Warp 11," Sac Geeks' Stephanie Rector said.
For you non-geeks, Warp 11 is Sacramento's own saucy, Star Trek-themed rock band.
Ever wonder what the origin of American "classical" music is?
Sure, major influences came from Europe. But a lot came from elsewhere - and that music is the focus of the VITA Academy's upcoming concert May 26.
Much of its identity begins when Antonin Dvorak was brought to America in the 1890's to head the National Conservatory in New York. It was there that he trained a generation of composers to develop a truly "American" voice in classical composition.
In a letter posted online by his For Arts Sake initiative Mayor Kevin Johnson has put the onus on Sacramento area arts patrons to help a struggling arts community.
In that letter Johnson said "I encourage everyone to find a way to demonstrate support - whether to buy a ticket to a show, purchase a painting, listen to music, or just share great local art experiences."
It is unclear to what extent area residents are compelled to do so - up and above what they already do in that realm.
The Folsom Symphony has announced its 2012-2013 season, its ninth.
The all-volunteer orchestra will perform all of its concerts at the Three Stages performing arts complex on the campus of Folsom Lake College.
The season opens Oct. 20 with "A Heart's Jewel and Triumph," featuring Mendelssohn's Concerto in E Minor, and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," as well as Schubert's Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished").
Van Halen will not be skipping Sacramento after all. David Lee Roth, Eddie and the boys will perform on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Power Balance Pavilion.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday through the PBP box office, One Sports Parkway, Sacramento, or Ticketmaster (800-745-3000). Tickets run $47-$147.
The initial run of Van Halen's 2012 tour skipped Sacramento, booking June dates in Oakland and San Jose instead. But Sacramento will catch the band on a new leg of its tour.
The video above offers a taste of what will happen in August at Power Balance Pavilion. Just imagine less hair and slightly less mobility.
The Wiggles, one-time regulars on the cover of Toddler Times, have been quieter in recent years. But the undulating "Hot Potato" singers have returned to original, primary-colored form, and on Tuesday, July 17, will perform at Sacramento's Community Center Theater.
Yellow Wiggle and original member Greg Page has returned to the group. The show will emphasize positive messages like the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle (a.k.a. wiggling).
Tickets run $15-$75, and are available through Tickets.com (800-225-2277) or at the Community Center Theater box office, 1301 L St., Sacramento.
One of the more unusual and provocative concerts this season is on tap when the Sacramento Youth Symphony's Premier Orchestra performs with Indian composer and instrumentalist Chitravina Ravikiran.
Ravikiran (pictured, right) will join the orchestra on the 20-stringed slide instrument called the chitravina.
The orchestra, with Michael Neumann conducting, will perform two Ravikiran compositions: "The Haunted Brook" and "Maltz."
By now most people now the NPR national radio show "From the Top".
The show, broadcast over 200 stations nationwide to an audience of more than 700,000 weekly, is one of the most popular classical music programs on radio. Locally, "From The Top" is broadcast on KXPR at 3 p.m., Sundays.
The formula of the show is a simple one: present the most promising and interesting young musicians in the country and have them play and interact with show host Christopher O'Riley.
The New Millennium series at Sacramento State will wrap up Friday with a rare dual concert by guitarist Eliot Fisk and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
The pairing of classical virtuosos will happen at 7:30 p.m. at Capistrano Music Recital Hall.
Stoltzman and Fisk will play works ranging from Bach to Steve Reich. Both musicians have been soloists with countless orchestras and chamber-music combinations. Stoltzman is a two-time Grammy winner and Fisk a Grammy nominee.
Tickets are $25 general, $20 for seniors and $5 for students. Tickets are available at the Sacramento State box office (916-278-4323). Parking is free in the garage adjacent to the hall.
The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts just added three events to its 2012-13 season: Lyle Lovett on Saturday, July 7, Steve Martin and his Steep Canyon Rangers on
Saturday, Aug. 25 and comedian Eddie Izzard on Friday, Oct. 26.
Tickets go on sale to Mondavi Center subscribers today and to the general public on Sunday. For tickets to these shows or for subscriptions, visit the Mondavi site or call (530) 754-2787.
Lovett tickets run $35-$65, Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers tickets $35-$75 and Izzard tickets $25-$45.
Lovett memorably played the Mondavi with his friend John Hiatt in 2009. The Steep Canyon Rangers are comedian-actor-playwright-art collector Martin's sidemusical project. Martin leads the bluegrass band with his banjo and witty rejoinders.
Izzard, a late-1990s stand-up sensation known for his absurdist humor and out-transvestite status, has become best known for his acting roles in recent years. Izzard starred in the fascinating 2007-08 Fox series "The Riches" and voiced a role in the Pixar film "Cars 2."
Talk about big time: the Nickelodeon channel boy band Big Time Rush has gone from playing Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium a few months ago to the four-times-bigger Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland.
Big Time Rush will perform at Sleep Train on Friday, Sept. 21. Cody Simpson and Rachel Crow will open. Tickets are $32.50-$75.50, and are available through Live Nation.
Above is Big Time Rush's (or BTR, to insiders) mini-video for the song "Time of Our Life."
News that longtime "American Bandstand" host Dick Clark has died closes the door on an important era in the presentation of pop music.
That door already was partially closed when "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius died in February.
Clark's and Cornelius' shows seem quaint now, but they were important sources of news and information for 1970s and '80s small-town kids like me. "Bandstand" and "Soul Train" showed the faces behind radio hits and offered insights into the latest fashions and dances.
These shows offered a sense of community among music fans -- even if the young people who appeared on these shows clearly were not regular teens but rather showbiz types angling for more camera time.
YouTube and social media now get bands' images out to the world in an instant. But "Bandstand" seemed dated even in the early 1980s, when MTV was the much cooler conduit for lip-syncing.
Yet "Bandstand" still had some juice in the early '80s. I saw Madonna's face (and midriff) for the first time on "Bandstand" (see video, above)
I recall it vividly because I had heard "Holiday" on the radio and had envisioned a 1970s, sequined-gowned dance diva singing the song. The East Village-scruffy, fashion-forward singer and modern dancer who appeared on "Bandstand" was a revelation.
Within a few years, Madonna would become as iconic a figure as the always genial yet always in-charge gentleman who introduced her on "Bandstand." The in-charge part is evident in the final part of the video, when Clark keeps control of his interview with Madonna despite crowd whoops and her already formidable ego.
Stadium shows do not happen often in the Bay Area, and if they do, it's usually veteran rock superstars the Rolling Stones or U2 playing.
On July 15, country superstars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will change all that when they bring their "Brothers of the Sun" stadium tour to O.co Coliseum in Oakland.
Tickets run $36.75-$276.95, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 14, through Ticketmaster(800-745-3000).
The Sunday concert will offer opening acts and an afternoon-buzz start time of 4:30. The beach-themed show will include a "sandbar" area near the stage.
The sun theme makes sense with Chesney, Chesney, the Jimmy Buffett of country with his island-getaway songs, but not so much with McGraw. McGraw's black cowboy hat says sun protection, not sun worship.
Five Christian music acts will provide a full day of music Saturday, June 2, at Gibson Ranch in Elverta as part of the free "Fish Family Fest" sponsored 103.9 FM (The Fish).
Natalie Grant, Big Daddy Weave, Josh Wilson (music video above), Mikeschair and Lisa Daggs will perform at the event, which will run 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and include a family fun zone with a bouncy house and other activities.
Free tickets are available at California Family Fitness and Quick Quack Car Wash locations. For information, call (916) 934-0710.
Placer County is getting its own jazz festival when the Placer County Jazz Festival debuts on Memorial Day.
The brainchild of jazz musician Jim Martinez (pictured, right), the festival will offer a roster of well known artists including the LA-area based Yve Evans as well as Cami Thompson, Cynthia Douglas and the traditional jazz ensemble Cell Block 7.
Also appearing is local pianist Joe Gilman, bassist Guilio Cetto and drummer Tim Metz. The festival will see artists paying tributes to Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Cab Calloway and The Four Freshman.
Every orchestra confronts this tough question when programming new seasons: How do you stay vibrant and fresh without alienating a traditional fan base?
The former is elemental to the evolution of classical music, the latter pays the bills.
Answers are, typically, not easily had... but one orchestra has managed to come up with some elegant ones: the San Francisco Symphony.
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and fount of energy Lindsey Buckingham will perform Sunday, May 13, at the Crest Theatre.
Tickets go on sale Friday, and are $45 and $55 in advance, $3 more the day of the show. They are available at the Crest box office (1013 K St., Sacramento) or through Tickets.com. (800-225-2277).
The Fleetwood Mac guitarist, known for his furious guitar picking and impassioned vocals, released an acclaimed solo album called "Seeds We Sow" last year.
He always puts on a terrific show, solo or with Fleetwood Mac. When he's with Fleetwood Mac, he makes all the other band members look like they are standing still.
Except Stevie. She will do a little spin here and there.
LMFAO, the good-time electronic pop act behind "Party Rock Anthem" and "I'm Sexy and I Know It," will perform June 6 at Power Balance Balance Pavilion. Far East Movement ("Like a G6") will open.
Tickets run $40.20 to $73.35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).
LMFAO DJs Redfoo and Sky Blu (son and nephew, respectively, of iconic music producer Berry Gordy) appeared with Madonna at the Super Bowl. Unlike Madonna, they do not take themselves deadly seriously. Or at all seriously, as you see, above, in the post-apocalyptic, party-positive "Anthem" video.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Boy, do we have plans for you?
Toys rule at Power Balance
Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the rest of the "Toy Story 3" gang decide to clear out of the Sunnyside Daycare and head for home. By the way, don't be surprised to see Barbie's pal, Ken, horn in on the action.
Info: 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. today-Sunday; 3 p.m. Feb. Saturday-Sunday; noon and 4 p.m. Monday; Power Balance Pavilion, One Sports Parkway, Sacramento; $15.75, $18.75, $24.75, $41.75, $61.75 (Parking is $12.); (916) 928-6900, www.powerbalance pavilion.com
An upcoming comedy night in Old Sacramento will help a baby with serious health problems.
Laughs Unlimited will host a benefit Feb. 26 for Harlow Crisamore and Hope 4 Harlow, a non-profit fund set up to provide medical equipment for the 11-month-old girl, who was born with cerebral palsy. Blind and epileptic, the baby needs special care.
Harlow is the daughter of Iraq war veteran Sgt. James Crisamore, who was featured along with his family Dec. 26 in The Bee.
Crisamore, who was severely injured while on duty overseas, has campaigned relentlessly for his infant daughter's health needs while trying to cope with his own recovery from a Humvee rollover accident that smashed both hips.
Since the Christmas story in The Bee, Harlow has been in and out of the hospital, Crisamore said. "She was in ICU for 10 days. It's been an ordeal, but she's home now."
Crisamore hopes that the comedy show in Harlow's honor can become a semiannual event.
"Laughs Unlimited is a very generous organization," he said. "They're giving us the floor and sponsoring Harlow for the fund-raiser. They're doing a wonderful thing for the community. Not enough people out there are like that."
Raffle donations are now being accepted for the Feb. 26 event, which includes live music from 3 to 6 p.m. and a comedy show at 7 p.m.
Tickets are a $15 donation and available from Laughs Unlimited's reservation hot line at (916) 446-5905 or online at www.laughsunlimited.com. The club is located at 1207 Front St., Sacramento.
Bon Iver (Wisconsin musician Justin Vernon) brought his quiet, musically inventive loveliness to "Saturday Night Live" last week. Now Bon Iver has announced a series of new dates, including one April 17 at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall.
Tickets are $39.50, are all general admission, and are available during a presale today at Tickets.com (800-225-2277) with the password "holocene." Tickets officially go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Vernon and his band were good on "SNL," but the sound quality on that show can inconsistent, and Vernon's vocals weren't quite powerful enough.
The band was consistenly terrific, by contrast, last fall at Berkeley's Greek Theatre.
The Greek Theatre show offered a true sense of the complexity within Vernon's songwriting, as songs were fleshed out by the multi-instrumentalists backing him. A rocked-out version of "Blood Bank" brought out all that song's many colors.
And since Florence and the Machine's show the next night at Mondavi Center sold out so quickly, the Freeborn Hall Bon Iver show offers your best chance to see a great, emerging artist in Davis that week.
Say what you will about Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show (and many have), but to me, the elaborate staging, lip-synching, constant guest stars and weird-guy acrobat said, "That's entertainment."
(I grew up in the 1980s).
The Super Bowl appearance was a preview for a world tour Madonna will start later this year in Tel Aviv.
The closest the tour will get to Sacramento is a stop in San Jose Oct. 6. Tickets to that show run $56-$361 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).
Songs celebrating California predate Katy Perry, Tupac and Dr. Dreand even the Beach Boys . By a good century.
The San Francisco exhibition "Singing in the Golden State" has collected songs -- from the Gold Rush to the vaudeville era -- name-checking the state and its events. Its sheet-music collection includes the 1913 song "I Love You, California," as well as "California Flood Mazurka," which commemorates the 1862 Sacramento flood.
The songs evoke pre-radio, pre-television parlor get-togethers that helped spread news about California. The show at the Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth Street, includes visually evocative sheet-music covers, sound recordings and instruments
The show runs into December. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays and the first Saturday of each month. For information, see the Society of California Pioneers website or call (415) 957-1849.
The Sacramento music scene will never please everybody, no matter how many shows are happening. Tastes are too disparate, ambitions too keen and opinions too passionate.
That's why the panel discussion "The State of Live Music in Sacramento," at 7 p.m. Sunday at Time Tested Books (1114 21st St.), promises to be a lively event.
Music promoters Jerry Perry, Brian McKenna, Mindy Giles and Rick Ele (KDVS), along Olivia Coelho of vintage-clothing store, cafe, gallery and performance space Bows & Arrows, will appear, with Dennis Yudt moderating.
The event is free. There will be a post-discussion Q&A, during which audience members can offer their 2 cents on the scene. But they'll have to wait until after the Q&A to bust out their demos.
The announcement something called Big Time Rush would be coming to Memorial Auditorium evoked images of a laser-show tribute to the Canadian prog-rock band Rush.
That's because I'm a non-tween.
Big Time Rush is a boy band with a show on Nickelodeon and smooth dance moves and harmonies in the Backstreet Boys mode. Only without the threatening facial hair.
Tickets to the Feb. 20 show are $25-$45. To purchase tickets, call (916) 808-5181 or (800) 225-2277 or visit Tickets.com
"Little Charlie" Baty and Tracy Walton and Chris Webster of Mumbo Gumbo will perform Wednesday in Davis on behalf of music and arts in Davis schools.
The eighth "Home for the Holidays" show, at 7 p.m. at Veterans' Memorial Center (203 E. 14th St., Davis) will benefit the Davis School Arts Foundation. Tickets are $20 for adults, $8 ages 17 and younger, and are available at Watermelon Music (530-758-4010), Armadillo Music (530-758-8058) and at the door.
Baty, formerly of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, will perform with his Little Charlie Caravan, and Webster and Walton will form a trio with musican Bill Edwards. Joe Craven, Rita Hosking and Yolo Mambo also will perform.
Money raised by the Davis School Arts Foundation is matched by the Davis Joint Unified School District, and goes toward music and arts education in schools.
There are actresses who sing and vice versa, but few who are exceptional at both. French-English ctress Charlotte Gainsbourg, excellent in Lars von Trier's "Melancholia," currently at the Crest, also is an accomplished, risk-taking musical artist, kind of like her dad, Serge Gainsbourg.
Gainsbourg's latest album, "Stage Whisper," is just out. Take a listen to the track, "Terrible Angels":
Below, see Gainsbourg in the trailer for "Melancholia." Kirsten Dunst is getting most of the best-actress acclaim for her role as a depressed bride, but Gainsbourg, playing her sister, is really co-lead of the film.
Gainsbourg has always looked a lot like her dad, but also like Patti Smith. The resemblance to Smith is remarkable in "Melancholia."
The most intriguing local entertainment event of the week: Jon Lovitz , the "Saturday Night Live" veteran and "That's the ticket" liar guy, will perform Friday night at Colusa Casino Resort.
There's something delightful about an actor and comedian so closely associated with New York City and "Saturday Night Live" performing amid Colusa County's duck blinds and rice fields. Even if the casino itself is full of big-city people.
Lovitz will perform at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $40 and are available at the casino's gift short or through www.startickets.com .
Sacramento-raised Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit , veteran rockers Y&T and other musical acts will perform free shows over the next month at Cache Creek Casino Resort's Club 88.
According to a casino press release, the concerts are free in honor of the holiday season.
Entry to Friday night's Schmit show or the Dec. 10 Y&T show requires only a Cache Club card. Cards are available free of charge if one enrolls at the club-card booth on the main casino floor.
For information on the shows, and for a full list of casino entertainment events, call (800) 452-8181 or visit the Cache Creek site.
Here's a list of musical acts playing at Club 88 for free. All shows are for ages 21 and older.
9 p.m. Friday: Timothy B. Schmit
8 p.m. Saturday: Korean concert featuring Tae Jin Ah
Country trio Lady Antebellum , the country-pop outfit with more hooks than a hay-stacking facility, will appear at Power Balance Pavilion March 29 in its first headlining arena tour.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, and run $49.90-$72.30. For tickets, call (800) 745-3000 or visit the Ticketmaster site.
Lady Antebellum, consisting of Dave Haywood and duet partners s Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, opened for Tim McGraw at Sleep Train Amphitheatre a year and a half ago and were absolutely wonderful live.
Charles Kelley 's rich, warm baritone captivated throughout, and he and Scott have that duet-partner sexual tension thing down, especially when singing Lady Antebellum's huge pop crossover hit "Need You Now."
The holiday season evokes so many warm memories. Mistletoe, presents, blasts of '70s rock trumpet.
Horn-happy band Chicago will perform holiday songs and its greatest hits at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in filmed concert to be shown on movie-theater screens across the country.
The veteran band unafraid of roman numerals or puns is celebrating the release of its holiday album "Chicago XXXIII, O Christmas Three."
The concert will be shown at Century Stadium, Downtown Plaza, Folsom, Laguna, Roseville, Greenback and Regal Natomas and El Dorado Hills. For information, see the Fathom Events website.
Blake Shelton -- CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, coach on "The Voice," husband to Miranda Lambert and tall drink of water -- will perform on March 15, 2012, at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento.
Tickets run $36.60-$64.15 and go sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Presale tickets through Shelton's fan club are available from 10 a.m. Tuesday throught 10 p.m. Thursday. Information on tickets and the fan club is available through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000)
Wilco, the musically adventurous, alt-everything band that never seems to get closer to Sacramento than the Bay Area, will get very close Feb. 1 with a show at UC Davis' Mondavi Center.
Jeff Tweedy and company will hit San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland as well as Davis, touring behind Wilco's most recent album "The Whole Love."
The ticket presale for the Mondavi show starts at 10 a.m. Thursday through Another Planet Entertainment. The general sale starts at 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets are $45.
The music of Canadian prog-rock gods Rush will reach the screen of the Crest Theatre Oct. 27 in a special showing of the concert film "Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland."
The film captures a show from Rush's "Time Machine" tour, during which the band played its album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety every night. That 1980 album contained the hit "Tom Sawyer" and other unusually radio-friendly songs from a group known for its musical complexity.
The movie screens at 7:30 p.m. The evening's other Rush-centric festivities include a pre-screening celebration, starting at 6:30 in the Crest lobby, that includes Rush karaoke, beer and wine specials and prize giveaways. The party continues after the movie at Marilyn's on K just down the street.
Tickets to the screening are $10.50 and are available at the Crest box office, 1013 K St., Sacramento, or through Tickets.com (800-225-2277). For information, see the Crest site.
Above is an excerpt that aired on VH1 Classic (via YouTube) of the Cleveland concert. Check out drummer Neil Peart 's rig. It alone is worthy of a movie.
Here's how it goes: You jump, jive and then you wail, in that order.
Louis Prima Jr. and his band the Witnesses will offer further instruction Saturday night at Harlow's. Son of King of Swing Louis Prima, Junior furthers his father's legacy by performing his hits.
The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35, or $45 for guaranteed table seating. For information, see the Harlow's siteor call (916) 441-4693.
If all you want for Christmas are fat electronic beats and to see Justin Bieber 's girlfriend on stage, 107.9 FM The End's Jingle Ball is playing Santa.
Selena Gomez will appear at the Dec. 1 show at Power Balance Pavilion, along with Travie McCoy and Gym Class Heroes, beat-heavy pop-rockers Cobra Starship and electronic act Breathe Carolina. Gomez's fellow former kid star JoJo rounds out the bill.
Tickets to the always-popular Jingle Ball run $62.50-$94.80 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster (800-743-5000). You also can sign at 107.9 FM's site for access to a pre-sale that starts Wednesday.
The once irony-soaked Cake has become a warm, reassuring presence to hometown fans.
The Sacramento-based band's show Thursday night at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall evoked pleasant memories of gigs at Old Ironsides and other local clubs where lead singer John McCrea honed his droll persona.
But there was more than nostalgia afoot Thursday night. Cake wasn't just playing its old songs, but its excellent new ones, from the 2011 album "Showroom of Compassion."
Cake is that old buddy who has changed, but in good ways, and not so drastically as to ever be less than recognizable. The kind who makes you feel good about yourself, and vital, because of your continued association with someone obviously going places.
The band's performance of "Long Time," from "Showroom," captured what Cake was, is, and the promise of its musical future.
The song's funk foundation is punctuated by Vince DiFiore's keyboards and magical trumpet and a deadpan McCrea's retro references to a "pillbox hat" and a "Pontiac."
At first it's highly familiar, highly '90s Cake. But "Long Time" offers unusual musical complexity: a killer juxtaposition of DiFiore's trumpet and Paulo Baldi 's drums, great multi-part harmonies, and a suddenly sweet McCrea acknowledging that even though it has been a long time, "I don't mind ... when I have you next to me."
Kind of like local fans' connection to Cake, which had not played an official, announced show in Sacramento for a few years. The 1,300 so fans at Freeborn Hall welcomed Cake like it hadn't been a minute since the Old I days.
Cake demonstrated its lyrical and musical maturity throughout Thursday's show yet left space for youthful silliness. McCrea's Earth-friendly attempt to give a small tree to an audience member was halted temporarily by the singer's inability to choose between two bearded gentlemen, one from Davis, one from Stockton.
McCrea had the guys dance it out. Sprinklers were mimicked and the supermarket shopping experience pantomimed. The man from Davis won, and McCrea made him promise to send photos of himself with the tree over the years to the Cake website, even if he grew less attractive as he aged and did not want his photo taken.
The band played several songs from "Showroom," with McCrea semi-apologizing for any perceived shilling for the new album. He need not have. The "Showroom" songs are appealing on first listen. Plus, Cake still played its hits, including "The Distance" and "Short Skirt, Long Jacket," during a 2 ½-show that included an intermission.
The hits did not seem all that important to Cake's hometown fans. They responded enthusiastically to lesser-known songs from Cake's catalog, such as "Jolene," and to covers acknowledging the band's influences.
The Black Sabbath cover "War Pigs" showed the heft of Cake's rhythm section.
Cake opened the show with Willie Nelson's "Sad Songs and Waltzes," prompting a couple in the audience to start waltzing on the wooden Freeborn Hall floor.
The country-tinged "Bound Away," from "Showroom," name-checked Sacramento and showcased DiFiore's trumpet, which assumed an intriguing Spanish/Appalachian quality. Guitarist McCurdy also shone during Cake's more countrified numbers, his licks as bright and spiffy as Buck Owens'.
Cake plays again tonight at Freeborn Hall, but the show is sold out.
Call The Bee's Carla Meyer, (916) 321-1118.
PHOTO: Cake singer John McCrea performs Thursday night at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall. For a photo gallery of the show, click here. (Photo by Jose Luis Villegas/jvillegas@sacbee.com)
Performer Tommy Castro, a San Jose native who won the Blues Music Award for entertainer of the year in 2008, will lead a symposium on the music for area junior and senior high schools students. Castro is both a student of the seminal music, its history and its influence on other genres.
The Sacramento Blues Society is sponsoring the event as part of its Blues In Schools: Blues Symposium program from 2-3 p.m. Oct. 21.
Castro will be joined by other contemporary blues artists: Curtis Salgado, Bernard Allison and Deanna Bogart.
Those fancy bachelorette weekends in Vegas or Napa have nothing on a Sunday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
Stephanie Weckworth, 25, received the ultimate pre-wedding send-off after she held up a sign to Keith Urban reading, "One week till 'I do.' Can I have a hug from you?"
Urban responded by bringing audience member Weckworth on stage. She was wearing a tiara, and Urban, an Aussie and (somewhat confused) subject of the Crown, curtsied before her.
Then he wrapped his arms around the bride-to-be.
"He felt great - he is so buff," Weckworth, of El Dorado Hills, later said.
She has seen Urban eight times, a few of them with fiancé Matt Hewitt. Hewitt supported her from afar Sunday night, Weckworth said: "He helped me color the poster."
Weckworth snagged the most prolonged one, but hugs from Urban were plentiful Sunday night, when his "Get Closer" tour brought him within hand's reach of hundreds of audience members at Power Balance Pavilion.
Accompanied by security, Urban bumped fists, high-fived and sometimes even sang and played guitar while walking from the big stage to smaller, separate stages set up among an audience of nearly 10,000.
The ingratiating, generous Urban also gave his band members solo turns at the mic, encouraged audience sing-alongs throughout his two-hour-plus show, and brought audience volunteers on stage to handle verses of his hit "Kiss a Girl."
When a volunteer went a bit rogue and pretended to steal his microphone, Urban responded with good humor. He played a snippet of the "Twilight Zone" theme just after the amateur singers left the stage.
At most shows, inclusion is an aside. At an Urban show, it's a philosophy.
His determination to share the spotlight impresses even more considering how easily he can fill a spotlight, and hold the audience rapt, with just his voice and guitar.
Urban puts such coiled energy into each note that he's fun to watch whatever the song. But some of his up-tempo songs can sound country-rock generic.
His talent shines most when distilled, on slower songs. Alternately regretful or gorgeously optimistic, these songs highlight Urban's emotive tenor and his brilliant guitar playing, which often serves as melodic counterpoint to his lyrics.
Urban's picking on "Without You" - a tribute to his wife, Nicole Kidman - offered romantic exuberance as Urban's voice expressed awe at finding his soul mate.
His electric guitar created a heart-wrenching cry on "Stupid Boy," in which a guy laments past deeds.
Urban can really wail on guitar. And for the good of a song, not just to riff. He is that rarest of stars: one who is not a show-off.
The most musical block party of the year happens Saturday night, when Sacramento News & Review's Sammies award show takes over 20th Street between J and K in Sacramento .
The free event celebrates 20 years of Sammies. The program starts at 4:30 p.m, and the live music just after, with a singer-songwriter sing-along with Autumn Sky, Be Brave Bold Robot, Reggie Ginn and Adrian Bourgeois.
Orchestral rock band Exquisite Corps and dancers from Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet will perform together at 6:40 p.m. The funky Nibblers play from 8:45 until party's end at 10.
Foo Fighters have pushed back their show at Power Balance Pavilion from Oct. 20 to Nov. 1
The shift, from a Thursday to a Tuesday, is due to an "unforeseen scheduling conflict," according to release from Live Nation. "The band regrets any inconvenience caused by the rescheduling."
All tickets to the Oct. 20 show will be honored on the new date. Ticket buyers seeking refunds can get them at point of purchase.
R.E.M. announced today on its website that it was "calling it a day."
News of the band's breakup is sad, but also heartening in a way. With record sales low, royalties fewer and bands staying together too long to earn a buck on the road, a willingness to break up shows integrity. Especially when a band officially announces it, instead of leaving fans hanging.
R.E.M. was great -- the jangly, distorted guitars, unique frontman and lyrics that were sometimes poetic, sometimes pretentious, but always thoughtful.
Here's to them and to my favorite R.E.M. song, "Turn You Inside Out" (video above).
You see his big, black glasses on hep cats all over town, but you don't hear enough of Buddy Holly's music anymore.
Thursday night's Buddy Holly tribute at Harlow's (2708 J St., Sacramento) will fix that. The show will mark what would have been the 75th birthday of the "Peggy Sue" singer, who died in a 1959 plane crash.
The acts involved cover the Holly spectrum, from crooning to rockabilly. David Houston and Sal Valentino both will appear with string sections, and the Keri Carr Band, featuring the former Rowdy Kate lead singer, will tap Holly's country influences.
Too bad it's still too hot for flannel, because Grunge History Week continues in Sacramento.
First is tonight's special one-night-only screenings at the Crest Theatre of the Pearl Jam documentary "Pearl Jam 20." (The 10:30 p.m. show still has a few tickets left).
Friday night, local concert promoter and anniversary-show facilitator Jerry Perry will round up local acts at Luigi's Fungarden to mark the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's "Nevermind."
The Taylor Swift concert provided as much entertainment as a Las Vegas act Saturday night at Power Balance Pavilion with dancing, pyrotechnics and special effects. But it was Swift's singing that carried the concert - part of her Speak Now Tour 2011.
The model-perfect 21-year-old singer could deliver on key and on cue throughout her two-hour performance that included many of her well-known standards like "Long Live," "Fifteen," and "Fearless."
Her mostly female audience - and some families with young girls - provided a background choir to almost every song she sang. Many carried homemade neon signs like "We Love You Taylor." One said: "I would sell my sister just to meet you." The 13,000-member audience was filled with high-tech illuminations, swaying or dancing to the music. Their singing was loud enough to fill in for Taylor for the occasional dropped volume by her microphone.
On the same night that the country-pop sweetheart Taylor Swift played Power Balance Pavilion, Lil Wayne surveyed the Sleep Train Amphitheatre from behind his Wayfarer sunglasses. Weed smoke hung over the venue in a dank haze, and the bass was so loud and boomy that it tickled your nose.
Lil Wayne had just wrapped up an a capella version of "Nightmares of the Bottom" on Saturday night when he made a proclamation, not far from a skateboard ramp on the stage and his five-piece band.
"My name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., and I am the best rapper alive," said Lil Wayne, to a crowd of about 12,000 who then whooped in agreement.
The seemingly inexhaustible jazz guitarist Ross Hammond has organized an expansive musical benefit concert which comes off this Saturday. "March to the Beat of One Heart" will benefit the worldwide humanitarian aid organization Doctors Without Borders and their efforts in Somalia.
The Somalian Aid Concert features a wide range of Sacramento musicians donating their time and music to the cause. Artists include Lee Bob Watson, Kathy Barwick and Pete Siegfried, The Ricky and Del Connection, Electropoetic Coffee, the Harley White Jr. Trio, Greenhouse, Sherman Baker, Jahari Sai and Dave Lynch, Crossing the River, and Walking Spanish. This is an all ages event. If you are unable to attend, you can still help Doctors Without Borders at the organization's website or the Facebook page.
Beginning Tuesday, and each Tuesday afterward, the Stoney Inn will host an open-mike showcase for aspiring songwriters.
Sign-ups will be held between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and up to a dozen songwriters will have the opportunity to perform up to three original songs (or 10 minutes, whichever comes first). Songwriters can play any song in nearly any genre, but only original songs will be accepted.
Each week, a guest judge from the music industry will choose the best original song, and the winner will receive two hours recording time in a professional studio to record the song.
Sugarland lead singer Jennifer Nettles was holdin' notes and takin' names Thursday at Raley Field, her remarkable voice at turns guttural and gentle, her charisma abundant.
Fueled by Nettles, Sugarland held the audience's full attention for much of a show staged without the benefit of the giant video screens found at most big shows.
Sugarland's stage set was destroyed Aug. 13 when stage rigging collapsed under high winds at a show in Indianapolis. Four people were killed that day, and three others died later. The stage collapse occurred during intermission, after Sara Bareilles' opening set and before Sugarland was to take the stage.
On Thursday night, Sugarland performed, without comment, before a plain black backdrop. The lack of acknowledgement was understandable.
Nettles and Sugarland musical partner Kristian Bush have expressed their grief and offered condolences on their website, planned a private memorial in Indiana and took a moment of silence at a concert last week in Albuquerque - their first show since Indiana - to remember the people who died in Indianapolis.
If they say more - or say something at every stop -- they run the risk of making it too much about them. Nettles suggested as much, during the show's only allusion to Indianapolis, when she noted a fan's sign referencing Indiana. "Thank you very much - I know those people appreciate it," she said.
She went right back to wishing other fans happy birthdays, and to playing the country-pop hits that brought 9,000 people - including plenty of children - to West Sacramento on a school night. (The show ended by a reasonable 9:45 p.m.).
The audience seemed to prefer more upbeat hits, brightening noticeably when Nettles and Bush broke out the bouncy "All I Want to Do" and happily jagged "It Happens."
Bush handled Jon Bon Jovi 's vocal part on the Bon Jovi-Nettles hit "Who Says You Can't Go Home," and did it so well you wished he would get more play at the microphone. On Thursday, he was primarily a guitar player and a harmony-centric Mama Judd to Nettles' big-pipes Wynonna.
As part of its encore, Sugarland brought opener Bareilles on stage for a performance of Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come On Eileen." Bareilles' understated vocals blended nicely with Nettles' brassier tones in a number made more delightful by Nettles' exaggerated, Annie Oakley elbows-out dance moves.
Nettles is a bit of a ham, offering between-song tidbits like "There ain't no party like a Sugarland party." Her folksy demeanor seems at odds with her sophisticated voice and magnetic stage presence. But pretty, talented ladies can be goofballs, too.
The crowd's attention wavered noticeably during Nettles' performance of "Stay," a ballad in which the "other woman" addresses her (presumably) married lover. As Nettles poured her heart out on stage, fans chattered in the stands.
Perhaps they stopped paying attention because they were told a Sugarland party don't stop, but saw it did stop when adultery ballads started. Or they didn't want, in the presence of a spouse, to support a song sympathetic to cheating. Or maybe ballads do not play as well without giant video screens helping capture audience attention.
A problem with the last theory? Sara Bareilles.
The Eureka native's voice was warm and supple, and her piano fresh and playful throughout a set that included the hits "Love Song" and "King of Anything." But the standout was Bareilles' musically and lyrically complex ballad "Gravity." Rarely has a woman sounded so strong singing about her inability to resist a man who's bad for her.
Folsom's Sutter Street will go retro, though not quite Gold Rush retro, for its Folsom Live event Sept. 23-24.
Pat Benatar and her guitarist husband Neil Giraldo will perform, as will Los Lobos and Ronnie Milsap. Popular '80s-music cover band Tainted Love completes the headliners for Folsom Live, which will offer 30 bands and 10 stages.
Benatar and Giraldo play that Friday, the 23rd, and Tainted Love, Los Lobos and Milsap on the 24th.
For information, tickets and schedules, see the Folsom Live site.
Sade's excellent show Wednesday at Power Balance Pavilion offered beautiful fashion and alluring art direction, providing appropriate visual accompaniment for music responsible for most of the baby-making of the 1980s and '90s.
Sade's (singer and band share a name) music so often is used by listeners as a backdrop for relaxation or romance that its details are neglected. But performed live, in a concert marrying rock-solid musicianship with appealing visuals, Sade's slow and mid-tempo songs freed themselves of uniformity. Bass and saxophone become more distinctive when excellent stagecraft keeps eyes glued to the stage and the accomplished players on it.
Director Sophie Muller and lighting and production designer Baz Halpin set a cosmopolitan tone. Cityscapes and noirish neon signs were projected on screens in front of and behind the band, offering drama and theatricality without overwhelming the music or the fascinating woman at the show's center.
At 52 (and on the road for the first time in 10 years), singer Sade commands attention without demanding it. Her singing is quieter and less showy than that of most arena-level female singers who wear form-fitting gowns and use wind machines.
The Nevada City Film Festival - which is much more than a collection of fabulous films - starts Thursday in the foothill town that's also known for its live music. The festival runs through Sunday.
Among the documentaries that will be screened are "Kevin," which celebrates a musician who pairs flamenco guitar with New Age lyrics, "We Are Wizards," which chronicles Harry Potter-inspired bands, and "Everyday Sunshine" a film that follows the L.A. ska/punk/funk band Fishbone.
These and other films will play at the Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad St., Miners Foundry, 325 Spring St., Magic Theatre, 107 Argall Way. The cost: $9 for individual programs ($7 students and seniors), $90 for an all-festival, VIP pass.
For more information, visit the Miners Foundry box office, 325 Spring St. or www.nevadacityfilmfest.com.
Tickets are still available for a charity event benefiting the Sacramento Children's Home.
Luxe for Life, presented by Sactown Magazine and Wells Fargo Bank, includes gourmet food, cocktails, silent and live auctions, dancing and entertainment that includes performance painter David Garibaldi.
Tickets are $85 per person. Ticket packages also are available.
The event, which will be held at the Aerospace Museum of California at McClellan Park, (3200 Freedom Park Dr., North Highlands), begins at 8 p.m.
For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.kidshome.org.
Proceeds from the fourth annual event will go toward the Sacramento Children's Home, a child and family service organization that provides services and help to the region's most vulnerable children.
Meklit Hadero might not be a name that you've heard of yet, but after she finishes her tour with destinations worldwide, you might be glad you went to see her when she came through town.
Hadero will be performing songs from her debut album On a Day Like This in Davis on Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. at Sophia's Kitchen on 129 E. St. Tickets will be sold for $5.
She will play the next night in Grass Valley on Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts on 314 West Main St. Arts Center Member tickets will be sold for $15 and non-member tickets will be sold for $18.
The Ethiopian-born singer and songwriter was raised in the United States and opened her heart to San Francisco, where she developed her talents as a musician. Her style is a mosaic of jazz, soul, hip hop, art-rock, American folk, and east African tones.
If you were not among the 600 people who saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers recently in Nevada City, there's still a chance to see the band live locally -- at least sort of.
On Aug. 30, movie theaters in the Sacramento region and across the country will show a live Chili Peppers performance of their album "I'm With You." (The album will be released that day). The group will play the album straight through, then perform some previous hits. The concert will be re-broadcast Sept. 1.
The concert will show locally at Century Downtown, Stadium, Laguna, Greenback, Folsom and Roseville and at the Regal cineplexes in Natomas and El Dorado Hills.
Arena rockers REO Speedwagon will sign autographs from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday at the Rock U exhibit at the State Fair. Dimple Records will host the event, which will be an opportunity for fans to meet members of the band in person prior to their performance at the State Fair later in the evening.
Dilyn Radakovitz, owner of Dimple Records, cited the band's efforts to pursue a personal connection with its fans and said: "It's very difficult to get artists to come to Sacramento, and to have an iconic band like REO Speedwagon come and perform at the fair and be willing to let an independent record store host an autograph signing is huge. ... I just love it that they would want to be a part of this."
REO Speedwagon will perform at 8 p.m. at the Golden Stage at the State Fair. The concert is free with paid fair admission. Gold Circle seating is an additional $19. For information: (916) 263-3247, www.bigfun.org
It's the biggest concert to hit Sacramento this year.
On Oct. 17, rap superstars Jay-Z and Kanye West will perform at Power Balance Pavilion as super-duo The Throne.
Tickets go on sale Aug. 8 through Livenation.com and Ticketmaster (800-745-3000) -- the same day the Jay-Z-Kanye album "Watch the Throne" debuts on iTunes. (It will be released elsewhere Aug. 12)
Starting Thursday, fans will have access to presale concert tickets through this Live Nation link.
Cake, the pride-of-Sacramento band that seems to play more often in the Bay Area than in or around Sacramento, has booked a pair of shows nearby.
Cake will play Oct. 6 and Oct. 7, at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall.
Tickets are $32 in advance, $37 day of show, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Tickets.com(800-225-2277). Above is the Sacramento-shot video for "Sick of You," from the 2011 Cake album "Showroom of Compassion." Or, if you want to get a jump through the presale today, the password is "REESE."
Here are The Sacramento Bee's critics' picks for the best things to do this weekend.
TONIGHT
Music
Keri Carr Band
WHAT: Rowdy Kate disbanded, but the group's former lead singer goes on. Carr says she's expanding, integrating country rock into her set list. She comes calling with Steve Randall on guitar, Richard March on guitar, Larry Carr on drums, RW Grigsbey on bass and Beth Grigsbey on supporting vocals.
Dick Dale, king of the surf guitar, will be appearing at the Rock U exhibit at the California State Fair.
Dale's recording of "Miserlou" is featured in the movie "Pulp Fiction." He's known for his heavy use of guitar reverb, a searing signature in his music that became wildly popular in the early 1960s among surfers in Southern California.
On Saturday, Dale will appear at the interactive rock music exhibit from noon to 3 p.m. in building 5. He and his son, Jimmy Dale, will perform a one-hour concert at 8 p.m. Saturday on the PG&E Center Stage outside the exhibit building.
Veteran Sacramento band Tesla will mark the release of its new album "Twisted Wire" -- and 25 years on the scene -- with an in-store appearance at 6 p.m. today at Dimple Records, 2433 Arden Way.
The evening will feature an acoustic set and the signing of autographs, as one expects from such events. But it will be fancier than most in-store appearances.
It will start off with the band members sitting down for a "Inside the Actors Studio"-style discussion conducted by Pat Martin of 98 Rock.
We can't wait to see if Martin uses the "Pivot Questionnaire" from "Actors Studio" on the Tesla guys. The answer to "What is your favorite curse word?" would be very interesting.
No plans yet for Friday and the weekend? Here are some entertaining (and maybe a little scary) options.
NATIONAL TRAIN SHOW When: Noon-6 p.m. Friday. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St., Sacramento
What: Sacramento has a rich railroad tradition, on view all year long at the wonderful California State Railroad Museum. This weekend, though, the focus is on model trains. The National Train Show will offer new product, appraisals on collectibles and the fun of seeing nicely crafted models, tracks and tiny environs.
Cost: $12 adults, $11 seniors 65 and older, $6 children ages 6-12, free for children 5 and younger
When: 5-9 p.m. Friday at Concerts in the Park (the Bellboys and the Gerald Isaac Pease Combo open) and 9:30 p.m. at the Torch Club
Where: Cesar Chavez Plaza, 10th and I streets, and the Torch Club, 904 15th St., Sacramento
What: The Nibblers, the hardest-working R&B and classic-funk act in Sacramento showbiz, will headline Concerts in the Park, then hot-foot it to the Torch Club for more sets.
Cost: Concert in the Park is free; $10 cover at the Torch.
ZOMBIE WALK/TRASH FILM ORGY When: 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday -- zombie make-up wars; 10 p.m., zombie walk; 11 p.m., doors open for midnight showing of "Return of the Living Dead" at the Crest Theatre.
Where: Sub Q Piercing and Tattoo, 1715 I St., Sacramento; Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Sacramento
What: Make-up professionals will work in the "zombie make-up wars" contest from 6-8 p.m. at Sub Q. The public is invited to watch. Participants (pre-decked out in zombie make-up and garb) will gather at Sub Q at 9 p.m. for the 10 p.m. march to the Crest, where the six-Saturday-long Trash Film Orgy opens with "Return of the Living Dead." The winner of the make-up war will be announced before the movie.
Cost: $10 for the movie, which is for ages 18 and older. The other events are free.
Dancing queens around the region can turn off those "Mamma Mia!" DVDs on July 16 and pay tribute live to the Swedish pop group ABBA. All you have to do is get to the Bay Area.
The San Francisco Symphony will be celebrating the chart-topping hits and way-out threads of ABBA at 8 p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness. The symphony will be joining forces with ARRIVAL, a tribute group that works with ABBA's costume designer and re-creates staging and costumes from the original band's shows.
Guest conductor Sarah Hicks has been the principal conductor for pops and presentations at the Minnesota Orchestra since 2009.
Tickets range from $15-$75. Call (415) 864-6000, or visit www.sfsymphony.org for more information.
Fans of melodic hard rock will get a treat Sept. 25, when Vacaville/Sacramento rockers Papa Roach join Buckcherry, Puddle of Mudd and three other bands at Power Balance Pavilion as part of the Rock Allegiance Tour.
Allegiance will be pledged the way it is at all rock shows put on by musicians boasting gritty vocals and tattoo artists on retainer: with devil horns in the air, of course.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a .m Friday through Ticketmaster(800) 745-3000.
For a taste of the fun, see the video above for Buckcherry's
"Don't Go Away." The power ballad ballad showcases lead singer Josh Todd's strong vocals and handsomely gaunt resemblance to Mick Jagger , Steven Tyler, Perry Farrell and that guy in high school who could have starred on the basketball team or in school musicals were it not for his two-pack-a-day habit.
Not sure on what to do with dear ol' dad this Father's Day? It's Sunday, by the way, so it's time for a plan.
There's an array of activities, events and offers that can help make this Father's Day one to remember. Feel free to steal these ideas, which have been categorized interests, and adapt them to suit your father of honor's style and taste.
Hungry Dad: That old saying about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach? Pretty much true. So it makes sense to make or take dad out to a great meal Sunday. For those who want to grill up a great meal, head to Ikeda's California Country Market in Auburn or Davis and pick up one of their marinated tri-tips. Add some fresh vegetables and whatever you do, don't forget to grab one of their fabulous fruit pies.
Britney Spears was several songs into her concert Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion when her performance truly began to sparkle.
Call it the cut-offs factor.
Spears spent the first part of the show illustrating the "Femme Fatale" theme of her tour -- which kicked off in Sacramento -- by wearing shiny bikinis, a 1940s-inspired gold cape and a billowing skirt a la Marilyn Monroe 's in "The Seven Year Itch."
After she changed into rhinestone-studded Daisy Dukes for "Baby One More Time," the difference was remarkable.
In one weekend, at one venue, you can catch a bluesman who had a seminal influence on rock and a woman whose persona and guitar work set a standard for both genders in the world of rock 'n' roll.
Every note and line of music from Bobby "Blue" Bland testify to the fact that he has lived the blues. Although he did not achieve the pop icon status of B.B. King, blues enthusiasts treat the "Lion of the Blues" as royalty. He has an impressive list of awards from a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement to a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
If you love rock 'n' roll, then you can probably sing at least the refrain of the song Joan Jett made famous: I love rock 'n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock 'n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with me
Both artists will be at Thunder Valley. But wait, there's more. Here's the line up for the week:
TONIGHT-SUNDAY
Musical theater
'Mary Poppins'
WHAT: Few musical productions achieve the heights this one scales in every imaginable way. It is anchored by Steffanie Leigh as the magical, unflappable nanny.
WHEN: 8 p.m. today- Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
WHERE: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St., Sacramento
COST: $24-$89
INFORMATION: (916) 808-5181, (916) 557-1999, www.tickets.com
- Marcus Crowder
Britney Spears' "Femme Fatale Tour" tour will open Thursday at Power Balance Pavilion with a performance by Jessie and the Toy Boys, led by singer-songwriter-dancer Jessie Malakouti, who goes back a long way with Spears' music.
"I did my fifth-grade talent show to 'Baby One More Time,"" Malakouti said by phone from her tour bus, which had just rolled into Sacramento Wednesday afternoon. "It is hysterical that everything has come full circle."
Malakouti won that contest at her Southern California school, by the way. After spending most of the ensuing decade performing solo or with the gritty-pop girl group Shut Up Stella and honing her songwriting skills, she is again feeling like a winner.
The hair. The beards. The melodic rock that always grabs at the chorus.
Foo Fighters, who have experienced a resurgence with their hit album "Wasting Light," will perform Oct. 20 at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento. Cage the Elephant will open.
Tickets are a reasonable $49.50 (general admission pit), $39.50 and $29.50.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through LiveNation.com (800-745-3000).
Presales (for fans with special passwords) start at 10 a.m. Wednesday. For information on presales, see the LiveNation site.
This week, we've completely fallen for the thumping rockabilly house beats of New York-based DJ and electronic producer Drop the Lime. He pumps up the volume late, late Thursday night at Mix Downtown. Maybe you could call in sick on Friday. Did we say that?
If you can't keep your eyes open much past midnight, you'll find some can't miss entertainment with Nashville-Hollywood darling Tim McGraw this evening or a discussion with classical pianist Charles Rosen on Saturday afternoon.
And, there's more.
FRIDAY
Country music
Tim McGraw
WHAT: This genuine star lays claim to plenty of No. 1 hits and music awards, but fans buy up his albums because they see it as "sure bet" entertainment. Luke Bryan and The Band Perry open the show.
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 2677 Old Forty Mile Road, Wheatland
COST: $29.75-$89.90
INFORMATION: (800) 745-3000, www.livenation.com
- C.M. Anderson
Cesar Chavez Plaza already holds free concerts every Friday night during summer. Now music is also enlivening Thursday nights.
The "Fiesta en la Calle" series highlights nuevo-latino music -- from alternative rock to ska and reggaeton -- from 5-8:30 p.m. every Thursday at the park at 10th and I in Sacramento.
The series lasts through July, with park favorite Sol Peligro playing July 14.
Here are the remaining concerts this month.
Thursday -- Taino (salsa) and Conjunto Nueva Ola (cumbia) June 16 -- Bang Data (alternative/world), 40 Watt Hype (world), Irie Sun (roots reggae) June 23-- Inspector, Basura and La Noche Oskana (all ska)
For information, see the "Fiesta en la Calle" Facebook page.
-- Carla Meyer
The world's most popular touring band opened its show Tuesday in Oakland with spirited "Even Better Than the Real Thing" as a 360-degree screen projected images so well-photographed and of such high resolution that they did not seem live. Yet they clearly matched the action on stage.
For a crowd of 69,000 at Overstock.com Coliseum, it was like watching a U2 concert and a U2 concert film simultaneously.
The screen composed part of a giant structure that was part alien and part broadcast tower. Later, a multi-colored spire dominated the stage, seemingly implanting pods behind it multitude of lights and enhancing the general "take me to your LED-er" vibe.
There was no need for transport, however, with Bono right there. The U2 frontman was clearly our leader, his natural sincerity having defeated the smugness that once threatened to overtake his public image.
Recovered from a back injury that forced the band to reschedule the Oakland show from its date a year ago, Bono looked relaxed and pleased to be on stage. His posture behind the microphone -- head slightly back, chest pointed toward fans in the upper deck -- suggested gratitude along with rock star attitude.
Bono thanked fans for showing up two years after originally buying tickets to the Oakland concert. Such loyal fans have made U2's current 360 tour the best-selling tour of all time.
This was the earnest Bono who first hooked fans 30 years ago, when his searching vocals combined with the Edge's bagpipe-vibrant guitar to stoke our interest in The Troubles, and star-crossed lovers, and big emotions in general.
This Bono has shed the pop-star contrivances (though not the shades), toned down the preachiness -- tributes Tuesday night to Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were touching and fit seamlessly with the rest of the show -- and settled into the simpler role of frontman of an amazing band.
That band, composed of Bono, guitarist the Edge, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bassist Adam Clayton, played a lot of hits Tuesday night while seeming too vital to be a greatest-hits band.
Yes, "One" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" drew more enthusiastic responses than material from U2's most recent album, "No Line on the Horizon." But not because the songs from "Horizon" are sub-par. Hearing them played live is just not as instantly electrifying as hearing songs that have been played on the radio for 20 or 25 years.
The well-dressed, hip, mostly middle-aged Coliseum crowd braved the traffic backup on 880 and people-crush of the concourse to hear songs that took them back to their youths, performed by musicians who have maintained a youthfulness.
Back troubles aside, the members of U2, all around 50, are fit and constantly improving as musicians.
Older, anthemic songs such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" hit so many emotional points that fans might not notice were they not played flawlessly. But they were played perfectly Tuesday night, resulting in a swell of feeling so great it embraced a whole stadium.
Less weighty songs benefited as well. "Elevation" performed live, for instance, satisfies far more than the studio version, with the Edge's crunchy guitar adding fullness and bounce.
Otherworldy yet earthy, Edge's guitar is emblematic of the 2011 iteration of U2 -- a mature band whose space-age staging, designed to dazzle a stadium-size crowd, is elaborate without being self-indulgent. The 360 Tour gives fans an appropriate sense of scope without lifting off into too many flights of fancy.
It's the band that beget General Public, Fine Young Cannibals and no doubt was an inspiration for No Doubt.
In the early 1980s, ska group the English Beat scored hits with memorable songs such as "Mirror in the Bathroom." On Saturday, the reformed English Beat will play the PowerHouse Pub in Folsom.
The band contains only one original member, but he's a crucial original member: lead singer Dave Wakeling.
The show starts at 10 p.m, and the cover charge is $20. For information, see the PowerHouse Pub's website.
-- Carla Meyer
You can't go wrong with stand-up comedy this weekend, but if you'd rather do something earlier in the day, we've got two festivals to tempt you to stroll.
TONIGHT-SUNDAY
Stand-Up Comedy
Bobby Slayton
WHAT: Racial profiling is part of this comedian's act. Known as "the Pitbull of Comedy," he doesn't shy away from saying anything that pops into his head.
WHEN: 8 tonight and Friday, 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
WHERE: Tommy T's Comedy & Dinner Theatre, 12401 Folsom Blvd., in Rancho Cordova
WHAT: He's got a great head of hair and big jokes. Born in Mexico but reared for seven years in Kentucky, he considers himself an expert on "hick-spanics" - and has done a Comedy Central special on the subject. He is one of the "The Original Latin Kings of Comedy."
WHEN: 8 p.m. each night, 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
WHERE: Punch Line Comedy Club, 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225, in Sacramento
WHAT: "Extraordinary Things: Through the Eyes of Anne Frank" is lovingly written, exquisitely acted and smartly staged for people of any age. The Bee gives it 3 1/2 stars.
WHEN: 1 and 4 p.m., through June 5
WHERE: B Street Theatre Family Series Stage, 2727 B St., Sacramento
WHAT: This master of the classical guitar plied his trade as musician for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 18 years and studied historical plucked strings at Scola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. But his expertise goes beyond 16th century Baroque music, as this evening of solo guitar work will attest.
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Our House Gallery & Framing, 1004 White Rock Road, Suite 400, El Dorado Hills
COST: $15 advance, $20 at the door
INFORMATION: (916) 933-4278
- Jim Carnes
SATURDAY
Wine and food festival
Grape Escape
WHAT: Sample wines from Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin and Yolo counties. Buy food from Lucca Restaurant and Bar, Ludy's Main St BBQ and Catering, Mulvaney's B&L counties and more.
WHEN: 4-7 p.m.
WHERE: Cesar Chavez Park, 10th and J streets, in Sacramento
COST: $40 in advance, $50 at gate (Save $5 when you buy tickets at Raley's.)
INFORMATION: /www.raleysgrapeescape.com
-C.M. Anderson
SATURDAY
Car show
Foreign and Exotic
WHAT: Enjoy a stroll through one of the best preserved historic districts of our region as you admire 200 foreign cars and motorcycles at this inaugural event. There will also be live music and a wine stroll.
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. car show, noon to 3 p.m. wine stroll
SATURDAY
Living history
"Twilight: Return to the Fort"
WHAT: Celebrate 35 successful years of the fort's environmental living program with a grand cannon fire welcome, a scrumptious pioneer dinner, Gold Rush-era entertainment, dancing, hands-on crafts and storytelling.
WHEN: 6 p.m.
WHERE: Sutter's Fort, 2701 L St., Sacramento
COST: $35 for adults, $20 for children (under 17 years of age)
WHAT: This ensemble wins accolades for maintaining the symmetry and focus of the art of Japanese taiko tradition while also expanding the boundaries of the music.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Stage 1 at Three Stages at Folsom Lake College, 10 College Pkwy.
Here's one more reason to look forward to Friday - it marks the start of Fountains at Roseville's summer entertainment series.
During summer months, the shopping center hosts Wednesday and Saturday night concerts, plus family events on Fridays, and a street fair every first Friday of the month.
The summer series drew more than 25,000 people last year, and the Friday events typically drew between 1,500 and 2,500 people, said Heather Atherton, spokeswoman for the Fountains.
The inaugural Friday family fun night event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. June 3 and will feature street crafters, artisans, face painting, storybook princesses, a classic car show, live music by Classic Neon and performances by Johnson Ranch Racquet Club Jumpin' Jaguars, a jump rope exhibition team, and Silverman, a live human "statue."
The Saturday concert series will kickoff June 11 with The Sun Kings, a Beatles tribute band. The Saturday concerts are held from 8 to 10 p.m.
Wednesday concerts are held from 7 to 9 p.m. and will begin on June 15 with Cherry Bomb.
Here's a Memorial Day Weekend entertainment option for people who consider the Jazz Jubilee a bit too square and blood-free: "Planet of the Vampire Women," made by Sacramento's own TFO Productions, plays at 10 tonight and Sunday night at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Sacramento.
Last month's "Vampire Women" premiere was such a hit that the film was brought back for more showings. That's because "Vampire Women," made entirely in Sacramento on a $25,000 budget, has something over those "Twilight" movies. It's vampires are in space.
Tickets to the film, which contains gratuitous violence and more-gratuitous topless shots and is meant for mature audiences, are $10.
-- Carla Meyer
Looking for something to do? Take your pick from big-name entertainers such as Usher, Kiss or Jamie Foxx or the last weekend run of B Street's "Searching for Eden" or an array of intimate experiences with Boz Scaggs, the Sacramento Ballet and the Young Dubliners.
TODAY-SUNDAY
Theater
"Searching for Eden"
WHAT: This romantic comedy drops in on the original couple, Adam and Eve, and the actors' sweet, airy performances lift the clever idea without overburdening the story. The Bee gives it 3 1/2 stars.
WHEN: 8 tonight and Friday, 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday (last show)
WHERE: Mainstage at B Street Theatre, 2711 B St., Sacramento
COST: $22-30
INFORMATION: (916) 443-5300, www.bstreettheatre.org
-Marcus Crowder
The 3rd Annual Grangestock takes place from 11:00am until dark today at the Orangevale Grange, 5807 Walnut Avenue.
The day-long outdoor festival features live music from the 60s and 70s - and a lot of laughs - for a day-long spoof of Woodstock and the era of hippies, hot pants & Hubert Humphrey. The picnic-style event is held at the Grange's four-acre natural amphitheatre. A $10.00 donation will be accepted at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.
Wear tie-dye shirts, let down your hair and start-up the old Volkswagen bus. Prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed hippies, best Joe Cocker and Janis Joplin karaoke impersonators and trivia quizzes.
Donations will benefit Sacramento County Grange programs, including G.R.E.A.T. (Grange Relief Emergency Action Team), a program providing emergency assistance to victims of natural disasters. G.R.E.A.T. was started after five Grange families lost their homes last summer in Northern California wildfires.
We l-o-v-e the lasting cool of brilliant artists Tony Bennett and John Fogerty, and we can't believe our region will be treated to performances by both of them in one week.
But we have three other events that you might have overlooked because they fell into the long shadows cast by these two stars. Our very own Pacific Rim festival, which unfolds Sunday in Downtown Plaza and Old Sacramento, is an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the art, tastes and heritage of another culture without heading 75 miles to San Francisco's Chinatown.
Can't wait until Sunday to get the party started? Head over to Grass Valley for a concert by the House Jacks. This a capella quintet's vocal boxes provide the instrumentation and the voices for their daring shows.
If you want to get the party started early next weekend, head over to District 30 where UK DJ James Zabiela will be scratching, looping and linking up a storm. "Disco" hasn't died. It's evolved.
FRIDAY
A capella music
The House Jacks
WHAT: This quintet calls itself "a rock band without instruments," and hearing is believing. The members are offering a workshop ahead of their performance to teach their art.
WHEN: 5-7 p.m. workshop, 8 p.m. performance
WHERE: The Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley
COST: Performance, $23 general, $15 students; workshop, $10, free for ages 18 and under
INFORMATION: (530) 274-8384, ext. 14, thecenterforthearts.org
- C.M. Anderson
After entrancing the Bay Area with a three-night stand in Oakland a few months ago, Prince has announced he will play there again May 19 and May 21, when he will perform at San Jose's HP Pavilion.
The diminutive musical genius and late-minute concert-thrower currently is in the midst of a 21-concert residency at L.A.'s Forum. But he also keeps adding dates, like one May 18 in Fresno. So there still might be a chance he could come to Sacramento.
In the meantime, tickets to the San Jose shows go on sale at noon Saturday through Ticketmaster .
-- Carla Meyer
Ironstone Amphitheatre, a lovely venue next to the Ironstone winery in the gold-country town of Murphys, has announced the lineup for its 2011 concert series, and it includes an Eagle, someone who flies like an eagle, and a couple of Nelsons.
Willie Nelson 's "Country Throwdown," featuring Nelson, son Lukas and Lukas' band The Promise of the Real and several other artists, will happen June 26 at Ironstone. The winery/music venue also is bringing in Don Henley (Oct. 1), the Steve Miller Band (July 31). Alan Jackson (Aug. 26) and Sammy Hagar (Sept. 9).
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com (800-745-3000).
-- Carla Meyer
Tribute and cover bands have become hot in a tough economy as music lovers seek familiar sounds they feel are worth paying to hear.
Well, Saturday brings Sactopalooza to Raley Field, where you can pay $25 for a lot of solid gold - and some platinum - memories from bands covering music by the Dave Matthews Band, INXS, Journey, U2, Van Halen and others.
Wander over to Raley Field on Friday, and you'll find it awash in music and suds. Brewskis, that is. Take a look below for price and time.
FRIDAY
Beer festival
Raley Field Brewfest
WHAT: More than 40 Northern California breweries, including Lagunitas Brewing Co. and Sudwerk Brewery, will be pouring their crafted brews, and you'll be able to boogie to live music on two stages.
WHEN: 6-10 p.m. VIP, 7-10 p.m.
WHERE: Raley Field,
400 Ballpark Drive,
West Sacramento
COST: $30 advance, $35 at the door; $50 VIP, plus fees. Food will be sold at concession stands.
INFORMATION: You must be 21 or over to attend. (916) 376-4676, www.raleyfield.com
- C.M. Anderson
Here's a Mother's Day idea for the really cool mom: a visit Sunday night to Harlow's nightclub (2708 J St., Sacramento) for a tribute to blues pioneer Robert Johnson.
Johnson, the Delta musician whose short life remains something of a mystery but whose influence looms large, was born 100 years ago. (Or at least somewhere thereabouts). To mark the occasion, such local luminaries as Mick Martin, Sal Valentino, Gerald Pease, Aaron King and Johnny Guitar Knox will perform his songs.
The show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $10. For information, visit the Harlow's site.
-- Carla Meyer
Rolling Stone magazine might be a bit smaller in size these days. But appearing on its cover is still a big deal -- especially for an unsigned band.
In February, the magazine offered 16 acts a chance to become the first unsigned musicians to appear on its cover, with fans determining how the bands fare by rating them with five stars online.
The contest has reached the third round. One of the four acts remaining is Provo, Utah's Fictionist, a rock band with a spacey feel and roots in the Sacramento area.
Forgot to make Mother's Day plans? Worry not, dear procrastinator, we're here to help.
From gardens to celebratory dining events, there are several events this weekend that could serve as a lovely opportunity to spend time with mom.
Two garden tours in Sacramento neighborhoods will offer guests a chance to stop and smell the roses.
Seven gardens in the Fabulous 40s are the focus of the 13th annual East Sacramento Garden Tour, a fundraiser for David Lubin Elementary School. The tour will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. An optional luncheon at Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, catered by Gonul's, also is available, the event website states.
We're ready for fair season, and the Dixon May Fair definitely fills that bill. The concerts draw from a wide spectrum of musicians. We're particularly pleased to see country legend Merle Haggard on the bill tonight, along with Trace Adkins. They have both weathered personal trials and have lived to sing their tales.
Then tomorrow, there's the fresh-faced Selena Gomez who's holding down a singing career in addition to television shows and big-screen movies.
If you're looking for other types of fun, here's a diverse list:
TONIGHT
Musical revue
'Grand Night'
WHAT: If you wanted to catch the elegant revue Rodgers & Hammerstein's
"A Grand Night for Singing," you'd better act quickly. The production, which received 3½ stars from The Bee, closes this weekend.
WHEN: 7 tonight, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
WHERE: Cosmopolitan Cabaret, 10th and K streets, in Sacramento
COST: $20-$43 (plus fees)
INFORMATION: (916) 557-1999, www.californiamusicaltheatre.com
-Marcus Crowder
Cinco de Mayo, celebrating the Mexican army's 1862 victory over the French, will be observed Thursday at restaurants, ballparks and historic venues in the Sacramento region.
Celebrants looking for a family-oriented event may want to head for Auburn.
Old Town Auburn will hold its 20th annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration from 5 to 9 p.m. The event will feature performances by the Folklorico Dancer Troupe from Sacramento, pony rides, rock climbing, an electronic riding bull, and piñatas for the children. Old Town restaurants will participate in a salsa making contest, and festival-goers can buy a tasting kit to help choose the winner.
Sacramento's Active 20-30 club, a group of professionals aged 20-39 dedicated to helping children in need, will climb aboard the baby boomer train with Sactopalooza, a May 14 Raley Field event offering a cornucopia of tribute bands.
Acts mimicking U2, Beastie Boys, Journey, Sublime, the Dave Matthews Band and Van Halen , among others, will perform. Sactopalooza also will offer fireworks, two DJs and that hallmark of the boomer experience: a mechanical bull.
Tickets are $25 for the 21-and-older event, running 4-11 p.m. at Raley Field, and are available at the Sactopalooza site. Proceeds will go to the Mustard Seed School, March of Dimes, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Home Aide.
Free concerts are part of the fun at the California State Fair. What's even more fun is ensuring a good seat at the fair's Golden1 Stage.
The California State Fair now is selling reserve, Gold Circle seats throught Tickets.com (800-225-2277). Running $3 to $20 more than general fair admission, these tickets ensure fair-goers get up-close looks at such acts as War and REO Speedwagon.
Here are state fair acts for which reserve tickets are available. Most shows start at 8 p.m..
July 14: The Fab Four - The Ultimate (Beatles) Tribute ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 15: Blue Oyster Cult ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 17: Mariachi Vargas De Tecalitán ($20 for reserved seats) Note: Show starts at 6 p.m.
· July 19: Neon Trees ($16 for reserved seats)
· July 20: Lee Greenwood ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 21: Sugarfoot's Ohio Players & SOS Band ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 23: War ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 25: Moonwalker - featuring Michael Firestone - A Reflection of Michael Jackson ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 26: Choo Choo Soul - Featuring Genevieve ($3 for reserved seats) Note: Two shows at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
· July 28: Three Dog Night: ($10 for reserved seats)
· July 31: Starship starring Mickey Thomas ($10 for reserved seats)
At 10 a.m. Saturday, tickets go on sale (through Ticketmaster) for the June 16 Sacramento appearance of one of modern show business' more resilient stars: Britney Spears.
A few years ago, Spears alternated scandalous headlines with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Hilton's 15 minutes have since expired and Lohan seems incorrigible. But Spears, who came off as the most truly troubled of the three, is still putting out No. 1 albums and singles and, with her appearance at Power Balance Pavilion, will kick off another large-scale tour.
Spears will play her older hits along with the recent hit "Hold It Against Me," (see music video above) from her 2011 album "Femme Fatale." "Hold It Against Me" owes a whole lot to the dudes below. But we won't nurse a grudge.
-- Carla Meyer
We don't consider ourselves easy to please, yet we found a great deal to like about the lineup of entertainment headed our way this week. There's living history, stand-up comedy, soulful balladeers, Southern rockers, dance and a man whose story was one of the most poignant that the "American Idol" juggernaut has offered to date.
Danny Gokey's wife had suggested he audition for the show, but he had put it off. Then she died after heart surgery - and he felt compelled to fulfill her wish. The fashionably bespectacled singer didn't win the show's big prize in the eighth season, but much of America agreed with his wife: This man's got talent. He'll visit the Powerhouse Pub in Folsom next week. No one's revealing how many changes there will be in eyewear.
TONIGHT
Stand-up comedy
Kevin Hart
WHAT: This comedian has appeared in movies such as "Little Fockers" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," and his Comedy Central specials have won him a solid fan base - so solid that he added a second show here in Sacramento.
WHEN: 8 and 10:30 p.m.
WHERE: Community Center Theater, 1301 L St., Sacramento
COST: $49.50 advance, $59.50 day of show (plus $3 fee)
INFORMATION: (916) 808-5181, http://tickets.com
- C.M. Anderson
If you've never been to a Water Festival, the celebration of the Lao New Year, you have an opportunity until 10 p.m. today at Sacramento's Cal Expo.
The staff of the Lao American Advancement Organization has been coordinating the event.
"This celebration marks the largest collaborative effort of the Lao community and non-Lao communities in the greater Sacramento area and neighboring cities," organizers stated in a news release. "The two Lao Buddhist temples in Sacramento are co-hosts of this celebration: Wat Lao Saophuth and Wat Phosiesattanak."
We didn't have to tell you that Buddy Guy would be a great show. You already knew that. Consider his appearance on this list to be just a gentle reminder that he's in town.
We are, however, concerned that you might have missed a couple of events on this list. Each features a national treasure -- but swirls in a bit of Sactown flava. We're talking about the fashion event at the Crest Theatre and the performance of Capitol Steps at this same venue.
Local boutiques and designers such as Bows and Arrows, Modaspia, Crimson & Clover, Thunderhorse and Babyfloss will have a trunk show ahead of the "Bill Cunningham New York" film, and fashion bloggers Bella Q (Sac Street Style), Lorena Beightler (Sac Cycle Chic) and Kari Shipman (Juniper James) will stay for a panel discussion when it's over. This event is a fitting tribute to the man who's kept his camera focused on New York fashion for decades.
The good folks at Trash Film Orgy don't just put on an annual exploitation-film festival and zombie walk and direct feature films like "Planet of the Vampire Women," showing next week at the Crest. They make music videos as well, like the brand-new one for "Down in Mexico," by SoulMotor, featuring Tesla's Brian Wheat on bass.
SoulMotor's lead singer is Darin Wood, a Trash Film Orgy principal, and the song and video for "Down in Mexico" promote those old-fashioned values of drug-running, double-crossing and gunplay, all with a signature TFO wink.
WARNING: This music video contains profanity, drug references and some violence:
On Thursday night, Sacramento's TownHouse Lounge (1517 21st St.) will hold a fund-raiser for KDVS, the Davis community station and bastion of new and independent music.
KDVS DJs will spin at the event, which starts at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $3.
The fund-raiser is part of KDVS' weeklong, pizza-themed fund-raising drive,highlighted by this adorable poster and the hokey/fun slogan "We Knead Your Dough."
Here's a new event that might or might not have legs: Sacramento's first Mermaid Parade will happen July 16, with participants marching and/or flopping from Rio City Cafe (110 Front St.) to Dive Bar (1016 K St.), a.k.a. The Place Where the Ladies Swim in the Tank.
Details on the event, which starts at 1 p.m., are limited right now, but it has a website and a pre-registration requirement (so don't just show up finned and shirtless). There's also a grand marshal: Singer Debora Iyall, formerly of Romeo Void.
Daryl Hannah (pictured) will be there only in spirit.
The Stevie Nicks-Rod Stewart tour bypassed Sacramento, getting only as close as Oakland's Oracle Arena (where they play Wednesday). But Stewart and Nicks' down-homier counterparts Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow will come closer this summer.
On July 26, Rock and Crow's joint tour will stop at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland.
The pair will play separate sets, but come together for their 2002 hit "Picture," the song "Collide" from Rock's 2010 album "Born Free," and other duets.
Tickets are $26.50-81.50 and are available through Live Nation.
May we suggest you go old school for this weekend's entertainment? Polish off those disco moves or invent some for Rose Royce and Evelyn Champagne King at Thunder Valley Casino. Flash back to psychedilic times with Deadheads aplenty as "The Grateful Dead Movie" hits theaters for one night only. See how tough life could be -- even for a demanding diva who lived large -- in Sacramento Theatre Company's "Master Class."
If you are not interested in these options, then read on because we've included other events for you.
TONIGHT
R&B and Funk
Rose Royce and Evelyn Champagne King
WHAT: Clear some space, everyone, for those disco dance moves invented just for "Car Wash," the Rose Royce melody that crossed over and ruled the airwaves in 1976 and 1977, and for "Shame" by Evelyn Champagne King.
WHEN: 8 p.m.
WHERE: Pano Hall at Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave., Lincoln
Calling all talented kids - The Sacramento County Fair needs you for its talent show.
The auditions, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 28, are open to children 15 years old and younger, the fair's website states.
Auditions are limited to a two minute performance per child. Only a CD player and microphone will be available at the audition. Only instrumental music is allowed during the audition, as judges must be able to hear the child's voice. If a CD of accompanying music is used, it must be on a CD labeled with the name of the child, the website states.
To reserve a spot, e-mail Tina Novoa and include the following information: name of the child or group, age of child, what they will be performing (singing, juggling, dancing etc), parent or guardian's name, phone number and e-mail address.
Talent show participants and one chaperone per child will receive free admission to the fair. For more information, check out the fair's website.
August's Outside Lands Festival will feature two of the best young live acts around: England's Muse and Canada's Arcade Fire (recent Album of the Year Grammy winners for "The Suburbs").
The Black Keys, Decemberists, Big Boi , Erykah Badu and MGMT also will perform at the music and food festival running Aug. 12-14 at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
And because the festival is in San Francisco and outside, jam-rock mainstays Phish will play two sets. For music fans whose tastes go back a bit further, John Fogerty and Mavis Staples also will appear.
Tickets go on sale at noon Thursday at the festival's website. There's a special on three-day tickets, at $175. The price goes to $185 when the first bunch runs out, then $199.50 when the second group sells out.
There's no word yet on who is playing which day, or whether single-day tickets are available. We'll update once we know.
-- Carla Meyer
This week in Sacramento, you can consort with some "Reel Classy Broads," take a seat on "The Bare Bones Tour" with rocker Bryan Adams, or get lectured by Sarah Silverman. If none of that suits your style, The Bee's staff has some other options for you. Just read on ...
TODAY-SUNDAY
Film festival
"Reel Classy Broads"
WHAT: This three-day film festival at Auburn's recently restored State Theatre will celebrate the great female stars of the Hollywood in classic roles. The festival starts with an ensemble of talented women, including Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford, in "The Women" (7:30 p.m. Friday) before moving on to the individual achievements of Myrna Loy ("The Thin Man," 11 a.m. Saturday), Barbara Stanwyck ("Double Indemnity," 3 p.m. Saturday) Bette Davis ("All About Eve," 7 p.m. Saturday) Judy Garland ("A Star Is Born," 3 p.m. Sunday) and Katharine Hepburn ("The Philadelphia Story," 7 p.m. Sunday).
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-10 p.m. Sunday.
Where: State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn
Cost: $9 for individual films, $45 for festival passes.
Sacramento's Concerts in the Park free concert series will start May 6 with a show headlined by Americana/rock band the Tattooed Love Dogs.
The Friday-night concert series at Cesar Chavez Park marks its 20th year in 2011. That's two decades of lawn chairs, blankets, beer tickets and perennial favorites such as Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers and Mumbo Gumbo, both of whom are back this year. (Martin and crew play June 3, Mumbo Gumbo June 24.
Here's a complete lineup for the 15-week concert series, sponsored by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership:
Britney Spears will open her North American Summer Tour at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, according to her website and Live Nation MusicPress.
Spears will perform June 17 at Power Balance Pavilion, the first stop on her 26-city tour that includes San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim in California. Spears recently released her seventh album, "Femme Fatale," which has received some positive reviews.
Turns out it wasn't. Lovett and Hiatt will return to the Sacramento region for a show June 10 at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento's Outdoor Grove. Like the Mondavi show, the acoustic performance will highlight the catalogs and camaraderie of the country/folk troubadours, but in an even more relaxed setting.
Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $49 and $59 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Dimple Records locations and through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000). For dinner or room reservations, call the Radisson at (916) 922-2020.
-- Carla Meyer
The concert lineup for the 2011 California State Fair is heavy on nostalgia for the annual event at Cal Expo, which promises again this year to be bigger and better.
The 2010 California State Fair ended its run with a 10 percent increase over the previous year, despite a still unsolved robbery and the shooting of a runaway cow. Those two incidents were decidedly not fun but fairgoers apparently were won over by family-friendly attractions and the early start of the fair.
This year the theme is "The Fun Just Got Bigger!" for the fair that runs from July 14 to July 31. The theme is a nod to exhibits such as the "Big Bugs!" attraction that features giant robotic insects.
Concert acts include Blue Oyster Cult, Air Supply, Neon Trees, Lee Greenwood, War, Choo Choo Soul, Three Dog Night and Starship with Mickey Thomas. Also scheduled are Beatles, Michael Jackson and Steely Dan tributes shows.
Other attractions include a menagerie of live animals including a baby kangaroo, hedgehog, emu and porcupine. Monster truck rides will be offered free every day.
The 2010 state fair ended its 19-day run with a total attendance of 741,189. The fair opened in July, just as it will do this year, rather than starting in mid-August and ending on Labor Day. The change was instituted to draw families whose children would might not attend the fair under the old schedule because of increasingly early school-year starts.
The shooting of a pregnant cow that was running free on the fairgrounds last summer prompted a re-examination of live birthing exhibits. And the $100,000 robbery of a state fair vendor by two armed men in disguise remains under investigation.
Power Balance Pavilion (formerly Arco Arena) already holds a diverse lineup of non-NBA events, including rock concerts, circuses, ice-skating exhibitions and bull-riding contests.
If the Kings leave town, whoever owns the arena will have to fill many more calendar dates with these kinds of entertainment events -- and perhaps come up with new possibilities.
If you stretch your imagination a bit, what other kinds of large-scale events do you think could be held at the Sacramento venue?
Vicki Lewis has suddenly become a go-to star for California Musical Theatre.
Lewis, a belter with style and heart, will come to Sacramento on May 8, performing a one-night-only benefit concert at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. Lewis has been stunning in three Music Circus appearances debuting in 2008 as Mama Rose in "Gypsy," then returning in 2009 as The Baker's Wife in "Into the Woods" and then in 2010 as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl."
This summer Lewis will bow as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter's "Anything Goes." California Musical Theatre artistic director Glenn Casale will help Lewis in developing the concert.
Tickets for "An Evening with Vicki Lewis" are $125 for tables and $90 for the tiered seats. Proceeds will go to California Musical Theatre's artistic and educational efforts.
"An Evening with Vicki Lewis" starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret at 1000 K Street (between 10th and 11th). Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. through the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office, 1419 H St. or at (916) 557-1999.
Swedish rock band The Soundtrack of Our Lives will appear in a pre-taped segment on NBC's "Last Call With Carson Daly" tonight, the same night it plays Harlow's nightclub (2708 J St., Sacramento).
Soundtrack of Our Lives will appear on "Daly," airing at 1:30 a.m. on KCRA (Channel 3), via a segment recently taped at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The band is inviting fans who come to the Harlow's show, which starts at 10 p.m., to stay late and watch the TV show with them at the nightclub.
Soundtrack of Our Lives has been around for a while, and you might recognize their song "Sister Surround" (the video is above). Tickets to the show are $20 at the door/$17.50 in advance. For information, call (916) 441-4693 or visit the Harlow's website.
-- Carla Meyer
At Wednesday night's Lady Gaga concert, the singer went wild for a red, studded vest tossed on stage by a fan. That fan was Sacramento painter and makeup artist Christopher Roa, who spent a week creating an early birthday present for Gaga, who turns 25 Monday.
Roa, who works at the MAC store at Arden Fair Mall, turned 25 himself a few weeks ago, and made the birthday present for Gaga out of a 1980s vintage leather jacket. He applied the studs himself and hand-painted its design features, drawn from Gaga's "Born This Way" video (a triangle, representing the LGBT community, and a unicorn, representing the singer's favorite mythical woodland creature).
To try to get close enough to be able to toss the garment on stage, Roa and his friend, fellow makeup artist Seth Parker, "waited for hours" outside
This exhibition, which will open May 25 and close Aug. 7, allows people of all ages to explore the profound influence that Latinos have had on traditional music. Developed by the Experience Music Project and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the exhibit will have listening stations, a dance floor, films and more.
" 'American Sabor' will allow Sacramentans the chance to discover the story of how Latino music is uniquely tied to American culture," Matsui told local community leaders and dignitaries gathered at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria.
The announcement and presentation prompted a lively discussion of ways to get the news out to the public. In addition, audience members gasped and chuckled over the interactive online experience awaiting the public at www.AmericanSabor.org.
Online visitors can try their hand at mixing their own music, view extensive oral history interviews, post comments about their personal experiences with Latino-influenced music, and listen to and download songs from the "American Sabor" jukebox. Teachers can also get lesson plans at the website.
The "American Sabor" exhibit will travel to 12 cities over the next four years.
Not everyone can get to Washington, D.C., to enjoy the wonders of the Smithsonian, and exhibits like this one allow everyone to enjoy the resources of this national treasure, said Matsui, who has represented the U.S. House of Representatives on the Smithsonian Board of Regents since 2007.
Student musicians from more than 75 high schools will converge on Del Oro High School in Loomis April 2 to compete in the Northern California Band Championships.
The day-long competition, which is open to the public, is the culmination of nearly three months of band competitions. More than 1,500 musicians will be competing.
The performances will include percussion and color guard teams in seven categories, as well as elements of drum corps expertise, ballet and jazz dance and stage shows, states a Del Oro High School news release.
This is the second time that Del Oro has been selected as the host school, said Ben Duncan, Del Oro's band director. They also hosted the competition in 2006.
"It's a big deal," Duncan said in a phone interview, adding that schools vie to get selected as the host site.
Great facilities, along with committed and organizes parents, contributed to the school being selected a second time.
"The kids are totally ecstatic," he said.
Antelope, Cordova, Nevada Union, McClatchy, Granite Bay, Woodcreek and Elk Grove high schools are among the local high schools competing that day.
Del Oro, which placed first in its division at a band competition at Lincoln High School in Stockton last fall, also will be competing. About 60 Del Oro students will be competing that day, Duncan said.
The event is sponsored by the Northern California Band Association.
Tickets are $10 per person at the door. Students and senior tickets are $7. Snacks, lunch and dinner will be available on-site.
Bands will perform throughout the day, with the first performance scheduled for 8:45 a.m. The final band is scheduled to take the stage at 8:30 p.m.
Performances will be held in Del Oro's Bonner gymnasium, 3301 Taylor Rd., Loomis. Free parking and shuttle service will be available, with preferred parking available on campus for a nominal fee.
Lady Gaga 's anthem "Born This Way" has stood atop the Billboard chart for six weeks, and its gay- and all-human-positive themes informed every minute of Gaga's sold-out show Wednesday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
Through endless costume changes to cover her eyes or uncover her abs, through highly enjoyable renditions of hits such as "Just Dance" and "Alejandro," Gaga stayed on message: She and her adoring fans were making wonderful things happen by insisting on being their true selves.
Singer Melanie Fiona, whose single "It Kills Me" slayed many a soul music fan, will be performing at 10 p.m. Wednesday at Harlow's, along with Marsha Ambrosius, as part of the BET Music Matters Tour.
Fiona (pictured left in a Kirk Edwards photo) is of Guyanese descent and grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and her fans know she can also spin off reggae rhythms with zeal. Just 27 years old, she released her debut album two years ago, and her sophomore effort is "just about done." She's already released the single, "Gone and Never Coming Back."
Elle magazine celebrated Fiona as one of 25 game-changing artists in the industry today. She cites Bob Marley, Sam Cooke, Whitney Houston and Patsy Cline as some of her musical influences.
Late last week, Fiona slowed up for a few moments to check out our e-mail with these questions:
Rosanne Cash's performance at Folsom Lake College's Three Stages venue, scheduled for tonight, has been postponed until Monday.
Cash's flight from Los Angeles was cancelled due to inclement weather, Three Stages representatives said in a press release. Tickets to tonight's show will be honored at Monday's 7:30 p.m. show.
Concert-goers seeking a refund are urged to call the Three Stages ticket office at (916) 608-6888 by 8 p.m. tonight.
-- Carla Meyer
Do you know of a teen band that's eager to perform somewhere outside of the garage?
The Cordova Recreation and Park District may have a solution. The district is looking to fill two teen band spots in their third annual Battle of the Bands.
Eight bands in all will be chosen to compete at the event, scheduled for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 8 at Cordova High School, 2239 Chase Dr., Rancho Cordova.
The winning band will score $200 cash and get to perform at the 4th of July celebration at Hagan Park, an event that draws about 10,000 people, said Rachel Durnbaugh, recreation coordinator for the district.
Prolific music superstar Prince, 52, has added a third show this week, on Thursday night, at Oakland's Oracle Arena.
The soul-funk-pop icon and apparent proponent of spontaneity announced his other two Oakland shows -- last night and Wednesday night -- just last week.
Tickets run $47.25-$238 (plus surcharges) and are available through the Live Nation site or by calling (800) 745-3000.
Usher, the singer who appears to be everywhere -- the Super Bowl with Black Eyed Peas, the Grammys with Justin Bieber -- is coming to Sacramento as well.
The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum artist has extended his "OMG Tour" and will hit Power Balance Pavilion (formerly Arco Arena) May 28. Bieber and will.i.am can't make it, but rapper Akon will be there, as Usher's special guest.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).
Prince, the 52-year-old music icon who's still got it all -- the look, voice and guitar prowess -- will grace Oakland's Oracle Arena February 21 and 23.
Tickets to the purple one's "Welcome 2 America" tour -- the East Coast leg of which drew rave reviews -- range from $49.50-$250 plus surcharges and go on sale at noon Friday through Live Nation (800-745-3000).
The $49.50 tickets sound like a deal. Even from the nosebleeds, the pint-sized musical genius is larger than life in concert.
Sleep Train Amphitheatre is bundling its Stetsons and Telecasters in a "country megaticket" package encompassing shows by Tim McGraw (June 10), Toby Keith (Aug. 4) and Rascal Flatts (Sept. 30).
Fans can buy a "megaticket" to all three shows. Fans rolling in cash can pay $399 plus surcharges for a package that includes the same lower-level seat for each show, complimentary food, private bar access and VIP parking. The $299 plan offers the same amenities, but with upper-level seating.
For more humble folk, a three-concert lawn ticket goes for $69 plus surcharges.
Valentine's Day, via the Mondavi Center, will offer opportunities to say "I love you" and also "I want you to laugh but also become slightly uncomfortable."
Tickets go on sale Monday for two recently added shows, one by comedian Sarah Silverman, the other by crooner Tony Bennett.
Eighty-four-year-old class act Bennett will appear May 25. Silverman, scatological at her most demure, appears April 10.
For tickets, call the Mondavi ticket office at (530) 754-2757 or visit the center's website.
Roseville guitarist Sue Lutz will be at Sunday's 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles - surrounded by a glittering group of nominees, from Beyoncé and Norah Jones to Michael Bublé and the Zac Brown Band.
But Lutz, an emergency-room nurse at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, is no nominee herself. She's already won her Grammy Award: an all-expense-paid trip for two to the telecast, including airfare and hotel, from radio station NOW 100.5 FM.
"All last week, they were having qualifier for a trip to the Grammys, four or five times a day," Lutz said. "On Wednesday, I was driving into my garage when there were doing the 4 o'clock one, so I dialed and got through. Four is my lucky number."
Year of the Rabbit celebration Chinese New Year celebrations include the Lion Dance and martial arts, music, dance performances, vendors, children's games, and ballroom dance. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. CSUS University Union Ballroom, 6000 J St., Sacramento. $6 general, $1 children ages 12 and younger. (916) 393-3250.
Sweet Potato Festival
Entertainment by local performers, retail vendors, and sweet potato pie baking contest. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Pannell Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Road, Sacramento. Free. (916) 381-5879.
A Taste of Chocolate
Music by The StringAlongs and appearance by the Sugar Plum Fairies. Noon-3 p.m. Old Town Auburn, Auburn. $20 (includes 10 treats from Old Town businesses). (530) 888-1585.
The world takeover by the cast of "Glee" will move forward May 22, when Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Naya Rivera, et al. will perform at Power Balance Pavilion (the venue that by then will be formerly known as Arco Arena).
The cast will perform the hit songs they have made their own on the Fox series, including Britney Spears' "Toxic" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin.'"
Tickets are Tickets are $52.50 or $92.50 plus surcharges and will go on sale at noon Feb. 19 at Ticketmaster (800-745-3000).
Philadelphia singer-songwriter Amos Lee 's "Mission Bells" just reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart with only 40,000 copies sold. That beats the previous record, set a few weeks ago, by Cake's "Showroom of Compassion," with 44,000 copies.
This how-low-can-you-go contest should end soon, once bigger 2011 albums such as Britney Spears' "Femme Fatale" (March 15) are released. Record piracy will affect Spears' sales as well, but at least the sales spotlight will move to an artist with a marketing machine behind her and away from more independent artists such as Cake and Lee.
Cake, by the way, is doing a three-night stand at San Francisco's Fillmore in a few weeks. The first show, on Valentine's Day, is sold out, but tickets to the Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 shows still are available through Live Nation.
By Carla Meyer cmeyer@sacbee.com Veteran Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion has cancelled tonight's scheduled 7 p.m. show at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall.
According to a release from the promoter, the show was cancelled due to an "outbreak of the flu."
There are no current plans to reschedule the show. Refunds can be obtained at the point of purchase.
Information: Freeborn Hall, (530) 752-1910 or Tickets.com (800-225-2277).
The Justin Bieber 3-D concert documentary "Never Say Never" comes out Feb. 11. To 5-year-olds crazy about the Canadian teen idol, the span between now and then is a lifetime -- or at least a significant part of one.
Lucky for those excited kids -- and parents eager for new ways to support Bieber financially -- tickets to "Never Say Never" go on sale Tuesday at Fandango.com and Movietickets.com.
The movie showcases a sold-out Bieber concert at Madison Square Garden. It also follows Bieber's life story, from street-singing tot to platinum-selling 16-year-old. Or what we like to call The Shortest Story Ever Told.
The Dixon May Fair has lined up three music acts so far for its May 4-8 celebration at the Dixon Fairgrounds.
Trace Adkins and Merle Haggard will perform May 6 and Disney star Selena Gomez May 7.
Haggard will go on first in the country double bill, but the music legend and recent Kennedy Center and California Hall of Fame honoree isn't exactly "opening" for "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" singer Adkins.
Haggard is billed as Adkins' "very special guest."
"They will probably have close to the same amount of time on stage," Dixon May Fair CEO Jack Murphy said.
Tickets to the Gomez and Haggard-Adkins shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $39-$49 and include admission to the fair.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (800-745-3000). They also will be sold from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays at the Fair's ticket office at 655 S. First St. in Dixon.
A Natomas school is vying for a $25,000 grant to fund a project that promotes understanding and peace among U.S. and Turkish teenagers through art.
Natomas Charter School is currently in 18th place in the Pepsi Refresh contest, a monthly grant program that gives $1.3 million to fund ideas intended to make positive impacts in communities throughout the country.
The school needs to be in the top 10 in order win the funding. Anyone can vote for the project or other contenders by logging on to refresheverything.com.
Natomas Charter School has partnered with a sister school in Nigde, Turkey in an artistic exchange aimed at discovering commonalities between different cultures and promoting peace through the arts, according to a news release from the school.
The eight core values identified are individual self-expression, family, faith, opportunity for growth, education, connecting with others, helping others and peace through understanding, Chaney Briggs, a Natomas student wrote in an e-mail to The Bee.
Each value is expressed through various forms of art taught and studied at Natomas Charter - drama, dance, music and visual arts, Briggs wrote.
The first phase of the project led to the creation of a multimedia performance titled "One Voice" in last April. Ten teenagers from the Sungurbey School in Nigde traveled to Sacramento to perform with the Natomas students. This April, the second phase of the project will involve 12 Natomas students going to the sister school to conduct artistic workshops and create a performance piece for Turkish audiences illustrating the same core values.
The students also are hoping to take the performance to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., a school news release states.
If Natomas Charter School wins the Pepsi Refresh grant, it will be used as follows: $5,000 for production and class expenses, $2,000 for promotion, $10,000 for future student exchange and $8,000 to be used for the Kennedy Center performance, according to the project proposal on the Pepsi Refresh website.
The proposed budget does not include previous trips to Turkey for planning, the travel for Turkish students to the U.S., personnel involved in the project and facility expenses, the website states.
Voting ends Jan. 31. Supporters may cast their votes online by clicking here to go to the project's page or by texting 105107 to Pepsi (73774). Standard texting rates apply.
A summer staple for the past 11 years, the Sacramento Film & Music Festival will spread its warmth to winter as well.
Festival organizers have split the once-10-day festival into two, three-day events, the first unspooling Jan. 15-17, 2011 (over the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend), at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St., Sacramento. The second leg will be in August.
"We realized it is a daunting proposition for the audience to try to make the most of a 10-day festival," Sac Film & Music Festival co-director Tony Sheppard said. "By splitting it into two pieces, we made the same amount of programming available in a much more accessible format."
The January program will be strong in documentaries, Sheppard said, and will total 10 feature-length films and 31 short films and music videos.
To view the lineup, see the "calendar" section of the Crest site. For more detailed information, keep watching the Crest site and the Sac Film & Music Festival site
Huey Lewis will sign copies of his CD "Soulsville" Friday evening at Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks, Sacramento.
The free event starts at 6:30 p.m. For information, call Borders, (916) 564-0168.
Huey Lewis and the News' first album in nine years, "Soulsville" mines Stax Records classics including "Respect Yourself," and "Got to Get You Off My Mind."
Recorded in Memphis, the album reunites Huey Lewis and the News with co-producer Jim Gaines, their collaborator on the multimillion-selling 1980s album "Sports."
The Sacramento French Film Festival and Sacramento Philharmonic will team up next month at the Crest Theatre for two programs of classic silent film and classical music.
On Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, the Philharmonic, conducted by French composer Raymond Allesandrini, will accompany showings of the 1928 silent slapstick comedy "Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie ("The Italian Straw Hat").
The Crest appearances will mark the American debut of Allesandrini's original score for the film, said Cecile Mouette Downs, executive director of the French Film Festival.
The joint venture was funded partly through a grant from the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.
"With the (troubled) economy, arts organizations need to find inventive ways" to introduce fresh ideas, Downs said. "Collaborating is a great way to do that."
The screenings, at 8 p.m. Jan. 29 and 2 p.m. Jan. 30, will feature reserved seating. Tickets are $30 or $25 for friends of the French Film Festival and Philharmonic subscribers and Tempo group members. Tickets are available at the Crest box office, 1013 K St., or through Tickets.com (800-225-2277).
Mother and daughter duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd will perform Sunday at Arco Arena on their first tour in a decade.
Television cameras will be following every aspect of the tour, which the Judds are calling "The Last Encore Tour," for a reality series to air next year on Winfrey's OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
In a wide-ranging telephone interview with The Bee's Carla Meyer, and other media outlets, Naomi Judd spoke about life on the road, trying to fit with today's country radio, her friendship with Oprah and a whole lot of other things.
Read Carla's full interview with Judd Friday in Ticket or at www.sacbee.com/entertainment
The challenge of choral holiday concert is offering up a tasteful mix of passionate singing that also brings with it a smart dose of restraint.
Yet the 12-member Vox Musica has handled the challenge well over the last four seasons of its holiday concerts. Although not their most even outing, the ensemble again proved themselves with an interesting program on Saturday evening at Sacramento's St. John's Lutheran Church.
Under the direction of Daniel Paulson, the music of the 20th century and contemporary arrangements of older works bloomed dramatically and expansively.
The best performances of the evening were those works written by composers born in the second half of the 20th century, all of them living. That is not a bad thing, given that audiences are growing keen on new music - especially young audiences.
The ensemble breathed refreshing life into three contemporary arrangements of a 15th-century hymn "Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen." In the first, arranged by Canadian Stephen Smith, a haunting ostinato added depth to multilayered music.
Paulson's tasteful arrangement of "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming," was lushly conceived, its dissonant textures adding much shadow to the bright singing. On the third, "Det Ar En Ros Utsprungen," arranged by Swede Marten Jansson, a metronomic scheme of utterances conjured up the musical image of ringing bells, with these playing out against some of the clearest singing of the evening.
The ensemble showed of their ability to transition from lower to higher notes with subtle deftness in contemporary composer Patricia Van Ness' "Archangelus, Gabriel Praedicator." This piece, one of the most poetic on the program, is a patently neo-romantic one. It begins with pensive music whose drama increases slowly.
With "Snow," from 2005, by Chicagoan Mark Nowakowski, Vox Musica showed off the group's personality in a work that is all about mood and ambience. Here Paulson coaxed a multi-layered sound from the singers. This gave a transcendent feel to the music, whose mysterious dimensions were delicately revealed - like what is given in the blue silence after a large snowfall.
The evening's music was parsed out in chronological order with the "O Virdissima Virga" chant by Hildegard von Bingen and the Renaissance motet "Orante Sancta Lucia" by Alonso De Tejeda beginning the concert. The chorus offered a journeyman's approach on both, with the singers sounding less than cohesive, and tonally tentative in parts.
But it more than redeemed itself when it gave a bright and painterly performance of Magister Perotin's "Alleluya."
In this work, which was written at the turn of the 13th century, the music is given over to three voices, one singing lengthy notes, the other two singing faster, more pointed music. It was smartly performed and sounded modern - which is saying a lot since it was born of a composer who toiled so long ago.
The Rascal Flatts that had been scheduled for tonight at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Wheatland has been moved to Saturday, Oct. 16.
The country music trio's Friday-night show at Shoreline Amphitheatre has, like the Wheatland show, been postponed due to illness. It has been rescheduled for Oct. 15.
Tickets for the postponed shows will be honored at the door. Ticket holders seeking refunds should contact their point of purchase.
Information and tickets are available at the Live Nation site.
If there is anything close to a tradition at the 8-year-old Mondavi Center, it's starting a concert season with the San Francisco Symphony.
After all, it was with this orchestra that the hall gave its opening performance back in 2002.
And so, the orchestra and the hall are inextricably linked. And if Thursday's appearance by the San Francisco Symphony is any indication, that linkage is turning into a wonderful marriage.
For their first of two scheduled concerts at Mondavi, the orchestra opened the Center's classical music concert season with an all-French program.
The orchestra has proven itself to be a clear and fearless interpreter of Mahler with a stellar cycle of the composer's recordings. But what about the more florid and colorful music of Debussy and Ravel - or the deep-field musical explorations of Berlioz?
On Thursday, with the work of these composers, the orchestra proved they are worthy French interpreters, too.
The highlight was its performance of Berlioz's "Scenes from Romèo et Juliette." Here, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas coaxed an expansive, brash but tightly focused account of this masterpiece. The music is divided into seven parts, and the dynamics demanded therein range from the intimate to the titanic. The early sections were delivered with enough dynamic thrust - with the orchestra's horns weighing in with might and clarity, especially in the latter passage - "Intervention of the Prince."
And it was clear that Thomas was enjoying what he was hearing at the podium. A sense of levity and immersion seemed to come over Thomas as he was conducting the concluding movement. In one gigue-like passage Thomas was lost to self-awareness as he danced along fervently with the music.
The same expansive approach breathed life and color into Ravel's "Rapsodie espagnole." But with the Ravel a crucial sultry bent was added. The "Rapsodie" was Ravel's first major orchestral work. As a result, a healthy dose of youthful exuberance is found amid its four movements. And this orchestra was not shy connecting with it. With this work, a hypnotic four-note figure sets the scene for music that, as it evolves, seems to rise and fall with the fickleness of swirling smoke. Refined and radiant playing by the bassoons and clarinets made for a memorable performance of this work which deserves wider play.
This season Thomas has shown he is keen on showcasing musicians that populate the principal chairs of the orchestra. On Thursday the spotlight was on principal clarinetist Carey Bell, who performed Debussy's tricky "Première rhapsodie for Clarinet and Orchestra."
Bell performed this work with clarity and impressive technique. But a certain earthiness went lacking in his tone and performance. Though he showed total mastery of the work and his clarinet, the music came through more like a display of technical artistry than one where poetry and insight was delivered.
The program also included French pianist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger performing Debussy's "Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra." Neuberger's unassuming approach at the piano was well-suited to this work, where the piano is less of a solo instrument and more of a cohesive member of the orchestra. The charm of Neuberger's playing bloomed best in the second movement where his bright and nimble touch at the piano roved a great benefit to the work.
In a perfect world, this orchestra would open every concert season at Mondavi. But as last year proved - when the orchestra did not play at Mondavi at all - having them do so is still a luxury.
The San Francisco Symphony will return once more to Mondavi with a March 17, 2011, performance of Bach's Mass in B Minor, with Ragnar Bohlin conducting.
Call Bee arts critic Edward Ortiz, (916) 321-1071.
Sutter Street in historic Old Town Folsom will become the scene of a two-night outdoor music party Friday and Saturday.
They call it Folsom Live, and Friday night's show is all about "American Idol"-style performances, with four past "Idol" finalists and local standouts singing on the main stage.
Then on Saturday, 10 bands will be featured on five outdoor stages, led by blues and rock legend Elvin Bishop.
The concerts and party go 5-10 p.m. both days, and the organizers - the folks from Folsom's Power House Pub - say they expect 7,000 to 8,000 people over the two evenings. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. For tickets and more info: www.folsomlive.com or (916) 985-5555.
Popular Sacramento-grown musician Jackie Greene is scheduled to entertain football fans during the Sacramento Mountain Lions' first home game of the season.
Singer-songwriter Greene will perform during the pre-game Fan Fest and play a 12-minute set at halftime inside the stadium during the Mountain Lions' Sept. 25. Greene is expected to play songs 'Medicine' and 'Like a Ball and Chain,' according to a team news release.
The Mountain Lions' season opens this weekend, when they take on the Hartford Colonials at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Connecticut.
The team, part of the United Football League, will host the Florida Tuskers during their first home game at 8 p.m. at Hornet Stadium at Sacramento State University.
Greene will be playing at the Coors Light Entertainment Stage in Hornet Stadium's parking lot during the pre-game Fan Fest. Gates open at 5 p.m., the release states.
Greene, a multi-instrumentalist whom the New York Times once called "the prince of Americana," released his sixth album, "Till the Light Comes" in June.
The thing you may not know is how fun a Michael Bublé concert can be. And how good it can sound, even in a hole like Arco Arena.
Bublé said as much Tuesday night when, after leading a bit of an audience singalong, he said, "If you make a place like Arco sound that good, then in the shower, with those acoustics, it would be amazing. I just want to shower with all of you."
Hmmm.
His talk (and there seemed to be a lot of it early in the show) was more than a little suggestive. He also indicated that he knew many of the males were dragged to the concert by their significant others and were thinking, "He's so gay!" Which he's not - not that there's anything wrong with that - and which he said he would admit proudly, if he were. But he's not. His "man-gagement" ring shows he plans to wed Argentine actress/model/singer Luisana Lipilato. But if he were gay, he pointed out one guy in the audience that he'd ... well ....
It was all delivered with the charm of a practiced entertainer. And anyway, it was the music people came for, and he delivered plenty of that in the hour and 45 minutes he was onstage.
Beginning with the classic "Cry Me a River," which ended, literally, with a bang and a flash, and running through standards and pop hits from Frank Sinatra to Stevie Wonder, Bublé (it's pronounced "boo-blay") kept the audience entertained. As a singer, he has matured nicely in the dozen or so years he's been recording (he'll be 35 on Sept. 9) and has expanded his repertoire to include pop and light rock as well as jazz and swing tunes.
He can play with the rhythm and phrasing now in a way he didn't in the beginning when he basically mimicked Sinatra.
Backed by a fine 13-piece big band, Bublé created a surprisingly intimate club feel. Giant columns at the back created a Vegas vibe, and the sloped stage put his band on display. Video screens gave excellent closeups of individual musicians as well as the star.
Saying he wanted to "change the perception of who I am," Bublé crafted a set that wasn't all upbeat or romantic. He introduced Billy Vera's "At This Moment" as "one of the most depressing songs ever." And he said - as pure understatement - that "Mack the Knife" is "not a romantic song." It's about a man who robs, kills and rapes. "But I still like it," he said.
Among the evening's highlights were "Georgia," with an excellent lead trumpet part by Jumaane Smith; a quickly ripped off piece of "Billy Jean," complete with Michael Jackson-style crotch-grab and swiveled hips; a sterling cover of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love," the tune that gives Bublé's latest CD - and this tour - its name; and a fine reading of the singer's first hit, "Home."
A three-song encore of "Feeling Good," "Me and Mrs. Jones" and "Song for You" closed out his performance.
Opening act was the New York-based "vocal play" outfit Naturally 7. The group makes music without instruments but doesn't want to be called a cappella. The group's 40-minute set included "In the Air Tonight"; a scratched-out "Come Together" featuring DJ Rod Eldridge; and an outstanding "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," with Jamal Reed providing the "guitar." It brought much of the audience to its feet and certainly provided the warm-up that an opening act is supposed to deliver.
The "American Idols Live! Tour 2010" rolled into Sacramento's Arco Arena on Wednesday night. And at 7:05 p.m., with the show set to start at 7:30, it looked like the Top 10 finalists might be performing for me, my "Idol" cohort and a handful of others.
But the lower level and floor filled in right around 7:30, thanks to Arco lowering portions of the upper level and upgrading ticketholders' seats to the lower level. A member of the security team said the arena was expecting about 7,000 fans.
Expectations might not have been high for this tour, given that the show's TV ratings for Season 9 were some of the lowest ever. But Sacramento gave the "Idols" one of their warmest receptions since the tour hit the road last month.
People came. Susan Liska of Reno brought her daughter Amanda, 13, and a friend, Mackenzie Baker, 12. Amanda was excited to see winner Lee DeWyze; Mackenzie was eager for teen Aaron Kelly to perform.
"Amanda has been saving her money so she could pay for her own ticket," Susan Liska said. "It's pretty exciting for us."
For "Idol" fans who skipped the concert because the TV competition was disappointing, you missed out on the chance to see most (more like seven) of the Top 10 strengthen their acts.
The show's format has been the same for several summers: Finalists sing in order of their ouster from the competition. Backed by a five-member band and two back-up singers, Didi Benami performed two songs that were unrecognizable and breathy. She looked the part, but ...
Moving on, Andrew Garcia performed his Hollywood Week overhaul of "Straight Up," former judge Paula Abdul's hit. He received so much praise from the judges for this song that Garcia couldn't sing a lick afterward on the show and exited fairly early. Had he kept it together during the competition, his second song of the night, Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning," might have been a luckier choice.
No. 8 Katie Stevens and No. 7 Tim Urban were like "brakes" (that's right) on the action. She's way into channeling Miley Cyrus, a contemporary, and he's oh so channeling David Cassidy, from 1970. But props to Urban for trying harder on the Coldplay smash, "Viva La Vida." And we liked the lighter hair.
And then there was Siobhan Magnus, who could have been comfortable singing to an empty arena. She was in her own zone. You've got to appreciate a girl who ticks to her spunky, punk guns and ups the metallic ante.
Dressed in what appeared to be a corset and short crinoline, Magnus had a glitter teardrop under one eye. She ripped into the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" and left the audience shell-shocked with a wild take on Muse's "Stockholm Syndrome."
Teen favorite Aaron Kelly closed the first portion of the show. He still looks like he might need a ride to school, but I appreciate that he's sticking with the country road. He gave Keith Urban a shout-out and did a nice job with Marc Cohn's "Walking In Memphis." However, the background archival footage of Elvis Presley hanging out at Graceland was a little creepy.
Before the break, the first six cranked out Cyrus' "The Climb." Magnus "cranking" more than the others.
During intermission, Sharon Alexander of Fair Oaks and her friends chatted about the show. It was the second for Alexander (she came last year), who admitted she "got a little tired" watching the recently-wrapped season on TV. "It lost a little bit of the luster, and I think next year will be hard without Simon (Cowell)," she said. "But so far tonight, I really enjoyed Aaron Kelly's performances."
Michael Lynche brought soul power to the second act, looking handsome in a black suit, going down on one knee and serenading the crowd with "This Woman's Work." Women swooned. He followed with a moving version of India.Arie's "Ready for Love," which he dedicated to his baby daughter. For a "Big Mike," Lynche worked the stage, which was certainly smaller than the competition venues in Los Angeles.
Third-place finisher Casey James was wicked on guitar and changed instruments every other song - once during a song. Mentor Shania Twain would have applauded him on her hit, "Don't Fight, Don't Argue." And James had the crowd on their feet with "It's All Over Now." But his best performance was a duet with Lynche - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"
Crystal Bowersox still comes off as the finalist with the most pure voice. Looking less like the hippie mom some have labeled her, Bowersox was stylish and her songs effortless. And hey, they were easily identified: "Come To My Window" and, one of her best moments during the competition, a heartfelt "Piece of My Heart."
Last up was winner Lee DeWyze, who performed five songs, which might be a tour
high. With each one, the shy (and we're sure former) paint store employee is loving life on the road with the fans who voted him to the top. No worries about him being "sleepy." He offered new and improved versions of classics, including "Rocket Man" and "Treat Her Like a Lady," and took a nice swing at the recent hit "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon.
The show closed with the traditional group medley that included Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You."
Well, give irony its due. For now, the Top 10's names and faces wouldn't mean a thing without "American Idol."
And hey, Season 10 is a scant five months away!
Call The Bee's Leigh Grogan, (916) 321-1129.
Photo caption: "American Idol" fans arrive at Arco Arena for Wednesday's concert featuring finalists from Season 9 of the show. Click here for a Snapshots gallery of fans attending the show.
Neil Young's harmonica on his opening number "My My, Hey Hey" sounded so rich and so perfectly suited to the Mondavi Center's acoustics that it brought tears to one's eyes.
Young matched this transportive moment on two other occasions during a solo show Thursday night: When he played organ and harmonica on "After the Gold Rush" and when he performed "Cortez the Killer," which is basically one long, gorgeous guitar solo.
Three once-in-a-lifetime moments during a 100-minute set helped compensate for Young's lack of acknowledgment of the audience.
Wearing a straw hat and loose-fitting tan blazer that lent him a Northern California/Southern gentleman air, Young, a San Mateo County resident, often regarded the floor rather than the crowd.
That crowd at times ignored the cold shoulder and the elegant Mondavi atmosphere and treated the concert like a regular ol' rock show. They shouted requests. They whooped. They had paid upward of $200 for tickets.
Someone yelled, "Welcome to Davis!" -- thereby relieving Young of the visiting performer's most basic responsibility: name-checking the town he or she just landed in.
Young finally responded, to a commentary too extensive to ignore. But apart from hearing him say, "This is what I do," Young's response was difficult to decipher, as were the guy's comments. For audience members hanging on all of Young's 10 words, the lack of clarity disappointed.
As little as Young revealed of his personality, he laid everything bare musically. Unlike aging musicians who forgo their more demanding songs in concert, Young, 64, tore into his. His crunchy/sublime guitar work overcame occasional sound glitches that arose once he plugged in his electric guitar. (His set included acoustic guitar and piano as well).
Among Young's instruments, his voice stood out most. That quavering, love-it-or-hate it voice has benefited from never having been perfect in the first place.
Young did not hit every note during his performance of "Cinnamon Girl" Thursday night. But he didn't hit every note when he recorded the song.
What he captured, on both occasions, was an intensity of feeling. Young's ability to impart raw emotion has only improved with the years. The world-weariness of his voice now seems haunting rather than prescient.
Young's political songs have become too meta - the new tune "Love and War" is less about either than about how Young previously has sung about both. Other unfamiliar songs he played Thursday night offered interesting moments. Yet none was so captivating that one didn't wish Young would sing "Old Man" instead.
Such is the trouble with loving a veteran artist still trying to grow. You want the hits, and he wants you to please be quiet and appreciate his artistry. What's lovely about the Young version of this classic push-pull is that Young's mastery is such that once he takes the stage, there's no way a fan can lose.
A big-screen image of Rihanna grazing a hand across the back of a female acrobat created an effect different from the one intended.
Instead of appearing worldly while performing her Sapphic-tinged song "Te Amo" Friday night at Arco Arena, Rihanna just looked very young.
The sophistication suggested by Rihanna's asymmetrical outfits and hair and by the militaristic imagery of her stage show vanished when she appeared in close-up on the video screen next to the stage. Her many hit records and haute-couture fashion sense aside, Rihanna is still only 22. Sometimes her greener qualities don't show, but at other times, they're all you see.
Dressed as a 1930s chanteuse -- one of several costume changes -- and showing a flair for phrasing, Rihanna transfixed a crowd of 9,000 while singing the ballads "Unfaithful" and "Stupid in Love." But she was less at ease with more overt displays of sexuality. Her hip thrusts seemed more innocent than sexy, especially when combined with her unwaveringly high voice.
That voice is a winner, full of verve and emotion and light. But it works better in slightly smaller doses, such as when it is combined with raps by Jay-Z ("Umbrella," "Run This Town"), T.I. ("Live Your Life") or Eminem ("Love the Way You Lie").
Or combined with her own rapping. Rihanna showed dexterity Friday night in handling T.I.'s part of "Live Your Life" along with her own.
Rihanna sweetly thanked the crowd for coming out for her first headlining tour, and asked where her "girls" were.
The question had to be rhetorical, since women were everywhere at Arco Arena. They came in pairs and fours, sporting short dresses and heels so high they had to take them off during the course of the show.
They came to sing along with Rihanna, the model-pretty fashionista, and with Ke$ha, the intentionally low-rent singer who warmed up for Rihanna.
Dressed in American-flag hot pants, Ke$ha delighted the crowd with tales of vomiting due to drunkenness. Seeing 10-year-old girls sing along underscored how youngsters can get caught up in the beat and vibe of a song without absorbing lyrics. (At least that's the hope.)
Ke$ha is not half the singer Rihanna is. She is not one-eighth the singer Rihanna is. But she's fun to watch.
With songs ranging from dumb yet catchy ("Tik Tok") to dumb, catchy and poorly sung ("Your Love Is My Drug"), and accompanied by Oxycontin-chic male backup dancers in frayed get-ups, Ke$ha engaged in a parody of rock-star excess.
Wait ... It was a parody, right?
Call The Bee's Carla Meyer, (916) 321-1118.
Photo of Rihanna by Jose Luis Villegas/jvillegas@sacbee.com.
A Roseville shopping center is launching an encore of its free summer concert series after a wildly popular debut last year.
More than 15,000 people attended the Fountains at Roseville's summer entertainment series in 2009, Fountains spokeswoman Heather Atherton said.
This year's series will again feature concerts on Saturday and Wednesday evenings, as well as street fairs, music and dancing on Friday nights.
The first of the series' weekend concerts begins Saturday with The Sun Kings, a Beatles tribute band. The Saturday night concerts are held from 8 to 10 p.m. every Saturday through early September.
Wednesday night concerts, held from 7 to 9 p.m. weekly, feature a wide range of music genres, from funk to country.
This summer, street fairs will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. every first Friday of the month (June 4, July 2, Aug. 6 and Sept. 3). The festivals include live music, a beer and wine garden, artisans, crafters and car clubs.
The remaining Friday nights will be "Flashback Friday" themed nights from 7 to 9 p.m. and feature music and dancing. Roseville Dance will provide dance exhibitions and lessons every third Friday of the month, she said.
Click the link below to see a line-up of bands and events, .
WHEATLAND - Tim McGraw announced to a sellout crowd Friday night at SleepTrain Amphitheatre that he and his band would take a no-frills approach.
His actual language was a little rougher. What mattered is he kept his promise, delivering an unadorned, mostly greatest-hits show that demonstrated why he is a superstar.
McGraw's appeal is an essential one. More than his black hat, life-lesson lyrics, famous marriage to Faith Hill or ability to make a tight, V-neck T-shirt look like reasonable attire for a chilly evening, it is McGraw's voice that has fueled his success.
It's not the greatest voice in country music, but it is one of the most memorable. More specifically, it's that catch in his voice - almost like a sob - that draws you in. That little hitch makes the stomper "I Like It, I Love It" a little more country and the inspirational heart-tugger "Live Like You Were Dying" all the more emotional.
That voice strained for its highest reaches Friday night when McGraw (photo right, at a concert earlier this month) covered Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." During that number, McGraw very sweetly brought up two young girls from the audience to dance with him.
Pulling the kids on stage was as fancy as McGraw ever got. With sing-along hits stretching back more than 15 years, he did not need pyrotechnics to engage the 18,000 people who came to the show.
McGraw sincerely thanked his fans for spending their hard-earned cash to see him during troubled economic times. He also made fun of himself. At one point, he complained about the tightness of his jeans, subtly letting the female contingent know he's willing to suffer to be beautiful for them.
At least a few thousand fans at SleepTrain were there to see supporting act Lady Antebellum, the young, polished trio behind the late-night-yearning hit "Need You Now."
All pop hooks and two- and three-part harmonies, Lady Antebellum (photo right, at at a concert earlier this month) -- singers Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott and guitarist/pianist and background vocalist Dave Haywood - was irresistible even during songs less familiar than "Need You Now" and "Love Don't Live Here."
Kelley resembles and exudes the same lanky charisma as actor Ryan Gosling. As he worked the catwalk extending from the stage, he drew whoops from female fans warming up their voices for screams that would accompany McGraw's entrance.
Kelley's warm, gritty tenor mixed beautifully with Scott's clear soprano. Better yet, the pair adopted postures when singing together that suggested they might be in love.
They are not a couple, but their showmanship follows the country tradition of Porter and Dolly and Loretta and Conway. Only Lady Antebellum singers wore skinny jeans instead of spangles, and there wasn't a steel guitar in sight during their pop-centric set.
Call The Bee's Carla Meyer, (916) 321-1118.
Photo of McGraw by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images. Photo of Lady Antebellum by Rick Diamond/Getty Images.
Carrie Underwood makes a better case for "American Idol" than the show makes for itself these days.
The Fox TV staple has dipped in ratings and singing talent this season. But when talent and opportunity meet, "Idol" can create magic. It did in season 4, when Underwood won.
Sexy without being threatening, Underwood appeals to men and women. She can sing about Jesus and forgetting her last name via alcohol and convince you she knows a lot about both.
She understands showmanship, as she demonstrated Thursday night before a crowd of 9,500 at Arco Arena. She changed into multiple outfits offering various degrees of sparkle, and at one point sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" from the bed of a vintage pickup truck held by wires above the Arco crowd.
Underwood, 27, is the consummate pop star, even if she's labeled country. And she might never have made it had "Idol" not showcased the key to her success: that amazing voice.
On Thursday night, she brought equal vocal power to ballads such as "So Small," from her 2007 CD "Carnival Ride," and up-tempo songs such as "Undo It," from her current release, "Play On."
Like many Underwood ballads, "So Small" sets up the singer for an "Idol"-style knockout via stretched-out notes. The effect was chill-inducing, yet not as interesting as "Undo It." On that rock anthem, Underwood's lung power was brassier and richer and her phrasing more R&B than rock or country.
In other words, she can do anything. Except dance, maybe? Underwood moved some on stage, but the show's more dynamic moments came from wires, hydraulics and video screens. Then again, changing high heels so many times during a concert can make it hard to find one's footing.
"I am only going to change clothes about 15 more times," Underwood joked to the audience around outfit No. 6. Good-natured and down to Earth, Underwood continually referred to her time on "Idol" and how clueless she was back then.
Five years and three hit albums later, Underwood is far from clueless. On Thursday night, it was easy to imagine a time when she will have been so successful for so long that she need not mention "Idol" at all.
But she probably will mention it anyway, because she's such a pro.
Falling in love with Joe Walsh is a three-step process.
It starts with attending an Eagles concert expecting to chill out to country-rock rhythms and instead being fascinated by an electrifying figure who delivers fat guitar riffs, wears only black and tops a craggy face with a blond mop leaning toward the feminine.
The fixation increases when Walsh sings. His voice, after you hear it enough, moves from whiny to bracing, its sometimes off-key urgency a welcome counterpoint to the band's smooth harmonies.
The love was cemented when Walsh, addressing the crowd as a sold-out Eagles concert Tuesday night at Arco Arena rounded into its third and final hour, suggested he might run for governor of California.
One immediately imagined a speed limit of 185, and promises of pool tables and solid-gold toilets in every home.
Run, Joe, run!
The non-Walsh-specific parts of the show entertained as well, just in a more expected way. The hits and heavenly harmonies kept coming, as Walsh, Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Sacramento-raised Timothy B. Schmit showed, individually and together, what fine musicians they are.
It also was refreshing to see an arena packed with people who usually don't come to shows. On Tuesday, the Eagles and their hits going back nearly 40 years brought out rockers with walkers and mom-daughter combos aged 60 and 30 instead of the usual 40 and 13.
It was a demographic best encapsulated by this cry from an audience member just before the concert started:
"Start the show! We have to work in the morning."
Frey, serving as the night's emcee, later joked with the crowd, "This is the Eagles' Assisted Living Tour."
The Eagles played until 11:30 anyway. At moments -- and if one could see past Henley's checkered dad shirt -- it still seemed like 1979.
Henley's gritty, slightly nasal and abundantly warm voice sounded as inviting as ever, especially on the band's excellent rendition of his solo hit, "The Boys of Summer."
Henley, Frey, Walsh and talented tour guitarist Steuart Smith crafted a guitar-centric version of the synth-driven song, in the process removing some of its 1980s chill. It wasn't better, just different.
Solid when singing lead, Frey also seemed to pull the whole thing together on stage, through his guitar work, harmonies and wit. Frey dedicated the cheatin' song "Lyin' Eyes" to "my first wife, Plaintiff."
Longtime Eagles bassist and proud Sacramento son Schmit showed off a high, clear, age-defying voice on "I Can't Tell You Why." He also said hello to his 86-year-old mother in the audience.
When he later drew a raucous response during band-member introductions, Schmit appeared truly touched, thanking the audience for making his mom proud.
Elvis Costello charmed and entertained a sold-out Mondavi Center audience Wednesday night with an animated, wide-ranging, 90-minute solo performance.
Dressed in a gray suit with a wide-brimmed, tan Panama hat, Costello moved easily through songs from across his career, including three from his first album "My Aim Is True," two songs from his last studio recording "Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane," and even debuting three brand new tunes.
An elite songwriter, hugely underrated singer and inveterate musicologist, Costello also understands show business. He's able to give a crowd what it wants without pandering to them.
One of the greatest attributes of Costello's career has been his ability to grow artistically and continually redefine himself while bringing his fans -- old and new -- along with him. The qualities were evident Wednesday night as his new rootsy sounding songs meshed seamlessly with classics from his extensive catalog.
Opening with "45," an homage to his record collecting youth from 2002's "When I Was Cruel," Costello sang powerfully throughout, occasionally finding a sweet falsetto and even whistling a couple of solos. In the spare solo format, Costello broke down a few older songs into simpler more poignant versions than their record versions. On the "Veronica" (written with Paul McCartney) and "Every Day I Write the Book," Costello deconstructed the songs to their basic melodies, allowing the plaintive narratives to come forward. "Brilliant Mistake," one his most revealing and affecting songs, needed little but the straightforward reading Costello gave it. He expertly used the dynamics of Jackson Hall, moving off the microphone and singing out into the auditorium with an unamplified, but easily heard, voice adding a delicate dramatic dimension.
Even though Costello played some of his earliest and still most popular songs, "Watching the Detectives," "Alison" and "The Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes," they weren't simply tossed off. The three songs from his 1977 debut album held down strategic moments of the smartly paced show.
"Watching the Detectives" came toward the end of the set bringing some sonic mayhem to the performance. Costello set up the familiar guitar figure then looped it and added some distortion and echo effects as well. He followed that with "Radio Sweetheart," one of his earliest songs, which segued into an audience clap and singalong of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)."
The participation worked so well Costello asked for more on "God's Comic," which has been one his favorite performance pieces for years. The audience happily complied echoing the chorus, "Now I'm dead, now I'm dead, now I'm dead," each time it came up.
He closed with an elegant, understated version of "Alison" before coming back for a four-song encore.
Costello opened his encore with a bluesy "Sulphur to Sugarcane," which he wrote with T Bone Burnett and is the title track from his latest record. He added "The Angels Want To Wear My New Shoes" and another recent song "The Spell You Cast" before finishing with a gorgeous "Man Out of Time."
Call The Bee's Marcus Crowder, (916) 321-1120.
For a photo gallery of Elvis Costello's show at the Mondavi Center, click here.
Of course the Black Eyed Peas started their sold-out show Wednesday night at Arco Arena with "Let's Get It Started."
The people-pleasingest, least-alienating act in music today wasn't about to throw a curve ball by opening with a song not about getting started.
That isn't the way of the Pea. The group that began with socially conscious hip hop 15 years ago now crafts pop songs incorporating electronica, surf guitar or just plain silliness - whatever's catchiest.
Staying constant throughout are the Peas' positivity and humility.
"Here we are, at the lowest point for the record industry, and it's the highest point for the Black Eyed Peas," will.i.am, the Peas' co-founder and primary songwriter, said in thanking an Arco Arena crowd that ranged in age from about 7 to 60. "We are headlining now - that's because of you."
Having toured constantly as an opening or festival act since singer Fergie (left) joined the group in 2003, the Peas celebrated their arena-sellout status with an elaborate stage show. Aerial stunts, laser lights and space-age costumes seemed designed to reward fans who turned the 2009 album "The E.N.D." and its singles "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow" into monster hits.
Elvis fans can shake, rattle and roll over to Stage Nine in Old Sacramento on Friday and Saturday, where The King's 75th birthday will be celebrated in style.
An Elvis impersonator, a tasting of The King's favorite foods (think fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches) and memorabilia will be on hand at the two-day celebration.
Elvis impersonator Rob Ely will perform from 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday and is hoping to bring along his 1955 pink Cadillac, said Heather Atherton, a spokeswoman for Stage Nine.
The entertainment store is offering fans 25 percent off Elvis merchandise on Friday and beginning at 12 p.m. Saturday is selling a U.S. Postal Service limited edition of 500 commemorative envelopes for $4 each.
The food tasting will be held both days.
State Nine is located at 102 K St., Sacramento. For more information, call (916) 447-3623.
A Southern California blues rock band will be featured at an event Saturday to collect items for the annual El Dorado County Holiday Food and Toy Drive.
Kelli & the ShadowMen, which played the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this summer, will be performing between 12 and 6 p.m. at PJ's Roadhouse, 5641 Motherlode Dr., Placerville.
A $10 minimum donation of non-perishable food or an unwrapped toy is requested. A separate $20 donation gets you admission to the club with live music by the band, a news release states.
Guests must be 21 and older to be admitted.
The event is hosted by the El Dorado County Boozefighters Motorcycle Club in conjunction with Red Hawk Casino.
The band also is performing at Redhawk Casino at 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
For more information, go to the band's MySpace page or Red Hawk Casino's Web site.
Organizers of the Sacramento Film and Music Festival are committed, in equal measure, to film, music and making weeknight programming for the 10-day festival as compelling as the weekend programming.
This evening's lineup at the Crest Theatre (1013 K St., Sacramento), for instance, has to be the hottest ticket in town on a Monday night.
The program starts at 5 p.m. with free food from Rubio's, and moves on to "In-Laws and Outlaws," a documentary in which gay and straight couples discuss their relationships.
But the kicker (hoofer?) is the stage show following "In-Laws." Presented by the festival and New Helvetia Theatre, "The World Is Comin' to a Start: Songs from Stage and Screen" will feature local synth-rock darlings The New Humans, New Helvetia artistic director Connor Mickiewicz, piano man Graham Sobelman and his Graham Sobelman Trioand Nanci Zoppi, who played the surly -- and male -- guitarist Yitzhak in New Helvetia's production of "Hedwig."
Admission is $10 for the movie and $15 for the stage show, which starts at 8:30. Information: (916) 442-7378 or the festival's site.
If you've been remotely conscious over the past couple of months, you know that SAMMIES fever is in the air. If you've been musically conscious over the past couple of months, you've probably gone to check out some pretty spectacular performances by Sacramento's best local bands.
Like a pimple that's come to a head, the culmination of SAMMIES season is about to pop, rock and jam at the Sacramento News & Review Music Fest, unfolding from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow, June 27 at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento.
Fourteen SAMMIE-nominated bands are scheduled to perform live on two stages at this free, all-ages event, so there's no good excuse not to go. Think of it as an investment for your Sacram-intellectualism: In one fell swoop, you can bring yourself up to speed on the rock stars of the local music scene. You'll kill it at cocktail parties this year.
Here's the lineup: Justin Farren, Sol Peligro, Agent Ribbons, Arden Park Roots, Light Rail, Righteous Movement, Category 7, Dog Party, Be Brave Bold Robot, Alak, The Other Poets, Sister Crayon, Silver Darling and DJ Shaun Slaughter.
In addition to music, there will be a beer and wine garden and a giant inflatable slide (Those things go together like peanut butter and jelly.), art and fashion vendors, a dunk tank "stocked" with Sacred City Derby Girls, a petting zoo, and misters for all you summertime vampires.
After the show, check out the after party at Marilyn's, featuring City State, Live Manikins and DJ Whores.
Fountains at Roseville is launching a summer entertainment series, with the first of the free events commencing tonight.
Shoppers and music lovers can enjoy free concerts and other entertainment Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights until Sept. 30.
The series is modeled after a "tremendously" successful Saturday night concert series held at the shopping center last summer, Heather Atherton, a spokeswoman for the Fountains, said in an e-mail.
The Wednesday night concerts will feature bands, trios and duos from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday night entertainment includes a street fair, farmers market, strolling performers, sidewalk sales and car show from 6 to 9 p.m. Main street will be open only to pedestrian traffic.
Saturday night concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are located on the main stage.
Concert-goers are asked to bring folding chairs or blankets to enjoy the entertainment, she said.
Fountains also is hosting a kids club complete with entertainment, crafts and activities for children every second Saturday of the month throughout 2009. The first children's event will be held June 13 and will have a Father's Day theme.
Here's a lineup of the summer entertainment, listed by date and name:
Wednesday: Rhythm Vandals
Friday: DJ/Latin dance lessons
Saturday: Chicago Tribute Authority
June 10: Frankie Soul & No Control
June 12: Rising Star Karaoke
June 13: Cold Shot
June 17: Bayou Boys
June 19: DJ/Beach Party
June 20: The Movement
June 24: California Beach Band
June 26: DJ/50's Rock 'n' Roll
June 27: GG Amos
Fountains at Roseville is located at the corner of Roseville Parkway and Galleria Boulevard in Roseville.
The shopping center has adjusted its hours for the summer as follows: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
But before you start whistling "Love me do" we should probably explain - it's the Australian sensation, The Wiggles, that's scheduled to play Arco in July.
Tickets are on sale for the preschool band's Go Bananas Live! show, which has performances scheduled for 3 and 6:30 p.m. July 21, according to a Wiggles news release.
The concert features singing and dancing with the four Wiggles - Sam, Anthony, Murray and Jeff - and their Wiggly cohorts and features songs from their latest album, "The Wiggles Go Bananas."
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or at the Arco box office.
Tickets range from $15 to $32 and seats purchased in the $32 level will include an exclusive Wiggles giveaway, the release states.
Got a Wiggle-crazed child just too, well, wiggly to wait for their Wiggles fix?
Parents and preschoolers can now explore a new interactive Wiggles Web site.
The site, WiggleTime.com, is an ad-free "virtual world" featuring games, stories, coloring pages and other activities, said Alicia McAllister, a Wiggles spokeswoman.
An early childhood consultant helped develop the site's content to ensure the activities incorporate educational principles into the fun and games.
Children and parents can access some activities on the site for free, or pay a $6 monthly fee for premium access, which includes access to merchandise discounts, presale Wiggles tickets and a monthly "report card" for parents to let them know how their child is doing, she said.
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.
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).
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.
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."
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."
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!).
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:
...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.
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"
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."
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Erstwhile Davis mixmaster DJ Shadowhas 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).
Where in the world are The New Humans? Just as quickly as Sacramento fell in love with the band's prolific, electro-blues sound did it seemingly disappear into the woodwork, eluding hoards of newfangled admirers--men and women committed to swooning over maniacal synth action and impeccable hairstyles.
Although staying low on the area's musical radar, the '08 Sammie-award-winning New Humans aren't sitting around twiddling their thumbs. The band is staying busy writing and recording new music, and they haven't abandoned their search for a vocalist, although they'll continue innovating new sounds until they find the perfect match.
The New Humans resurfaced for a Sunday, Jan. 11 performance at Expression College in Emeryville.
Sacramento music lovers have something to look forward to...other than sunny weather.
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."
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).
"American Boy" - Estelle with Kanye West
"Oxford Comma" - Vampire Weekend
"White Winter Hymnal" - Fleet Foxes.
"Mercy" - Duffy"
"Pretty Bird" - Jenny Lewis
"Single Girl, Married Girl" - Charlie Haden, with the Haden Triplets
Miniature Birds / Grand Archives
"Cane Cola" - Desario
"Skinny Love" - Bon Iver
"Here With Me" - Jennifer O'Connor
"Sunday Afternoon" - Rachael Yamagata
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" - She & Him
"You" - Two Sheds
"Chasing Pavements" - Adele
"The Kelly Affair" - Be Your Own Pet
"4 Minutes" - Madonna
"No Pause" - Girl Talk
"Don't Watch Me Dancing" - Little Joy
"Wishes Were Horses" - Lucinda Williams
"Life Is Better" - Q-Tip
"Tell Me Now" - Baby Grand
"I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance" - the Black Kids
'Get Better" Mates Of State
"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."
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."
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."
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.
DJ Rated R, a member of the Sacramento hip-hop group Live Manikins, was seriously injured Dec, 11 in a car crash near Baguio City.
Rated - real name Ronald Florente (pictured at right) - was on tour there with Manikin-offshoot Live Audible Soul, when the brakes on the passenger van in which he was riding apparently failed, said Florente's Live Manikin bandmate Justin Brown (a.k.a "Self").
Brown was not in the Philippines at the time of the crash.
According to Brown, the vehicle was going downhill when the brakes gave out. The van crashed and flipped over when it hit an embankment. Florente, 26, was in the van's back row of seats and went through a window upon impact and sustained major head and spinal injuries as well as a broken collarbone and clavicle, Brown says.
Another member of the group, Runt Rock (real name: Gabriel Pizarro), was also injured but only sustained bruises and scrapes and is now doing fine, Brown says.
But, although he's still in a Philippines-area hospital and won't be able to transfer back to Sacramento for at least a month, the DJ is expected to make a "full recovery," Brown says.
"He wasn't paralyzed ... he will recover - it will just take a long time."
In the meantime, Florente's friends and family are trying to raise money to pay for the portion of his medical expenses not covered by insurance.
The members of Live Manikins are planning a benefit show for the end of January. We'll keep you posted on the details.
Until then you can donate via the band's MySpace page or in person at the United States Clothing Boutique (1014 24th St, Sacramento).
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."
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
The show's not listed on the club's calendar yet, but looks like Mates of Statewill 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.
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."
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
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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).
Autumn Sky is one of the rising artists on the local singer-songwriter scene, armed with an acoustic guitar and some bittersweet yet lovely songs. She's got an album coming out in September called "All Which Isn't Singing," and "Sunday Single" brings you a sneak peek with a song called "Rockets!"
AUTUMN SKY Song: "Rockets!" Style: Folk-pop with a pointed edge Influences: Cat Stevens, June Carter Cash, Bright Eyes, Devendra Banhart Behind the song: "When I first started to write 'Rockets!,' it was going to be a song about how much I disliked the local music scene, and how tired I was of the same old circuit, which never seemed to change," she says. "And worse, (it was) filled with people who never seemed to notice or care. But the chorus changed it from an 'I dislike' song to a 'give me something new' song, which makes it a little less depressing, and honestly, was more true to how I felt." See her: Autumn Sky performs on July 30 at Luna's Cafe (1414 16th St.)
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.
The No-Goodniks have only been a band since April, but the group is already bringing the noise around Sacramento. The No-Goodniks specialize in no-frills pop-punk, just the kind of speedy and melodic stuff that Granny warned you about. Check out the song "So Pathetic" - it'll get you going quicker than a triple shot of espresso.
THE NO-GOODNIKS Song: "So Pathetic" Style: Good ol' three-chord punk rock Members: Jessi Rose (vocals), Tom Hutchinson (guitar/vocals),
Cary Rodda (bass), Skott (drums) Influences: Ramones, Sex Pistols, X, the Clash, Groovie Ghoulies Behind the song: "It's basically kind of like a stalker story gone wrong," says Hutchinson. "Jessi the singer wrote the lyrics, and it's about a guy who won't leave her alone, and his attempts at wooing her get more pathetic as time goes on. It's based on various true stories, I guess." See them: The No-Goodniks perform Friday at Old Ironsides (10th and S streets)
Click on the play button below to hear "So Pathetic":
Headbangers deserve clean air, too. Right? So the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival which was set for today at the Sleep Train Amphitheatre has been postponed until Monday. That smoky air from all of the wildfires has made it too gnarly on the lungs so tickets will be honored at Monday's re-scheduled show. To recap: this all-day festival is a mecca of sorts for local metalheads and features Slipknot, Disturbed, DragonForce, Mastodon and many more bands with guitars that go "chunk-a chunk-a chunk-a."
Monday's show starts at 1:30 p.m. For more information: (916) 649-8497 (TicketMaster).
"Sunday Single Showcase" is set for Thursday night at Old Ironsides, and we've got another evening of live music and artist interviews on tap for y'all. This edition is special for a couple reasons: 1) We're doing the show on a Thursday, instead of the usual Sunday; and 2) we'll be rocked by a band from England called Abdoujaparov, featuring Les Carter (formerly of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine).
But I'm especially stoked about the headliner, Sacramento's own The Evening Episiode. I'm straight up hooked on this indie-electronic band, and if groups like Portishead and the Cocteau Twins rock your world, you'll be hooked too. Check out the clip below of "Red Weather," which really does describe some of the weather we've had lately, but also floats so lovely with Terra Lopez's vocals and the percussion kick from Ira Skinner.
Here's a player to hear "Red Weather":
And once again, here are the details of Thursday's show:
Sunday Single Showcase (The Thursday Edition)
An evening of live music and interviews with the Bee's Chris Macias WITH: The Evening Episode, Abdoujaparov (U.K.) WHEN: 9 p.m. Thursday WHERE: Old Ironsides, 10th and S streets HOW MUCH: $5 INFO: (916) 443-9751
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.
The Lemmies are a local all-grrrl punk band that's named in honor of Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister. And the Lemmies' mission is twofold: 1) pay tribute to Lemmy's huge face mole; and 2) rock your world. Check out the Lemmies' song "More" with all its buzzsaw guitars and drum throwdown. But it's all done with a girly touch, like Hello Kitty with fangs.
THE LEMMIES Song: "More" Members: Sailor Lane (bass/vocals), Dahlia Deathstrike (drums/vocals), Tuka (guitar)
Influences: Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, Lemmy's gigantic face mole, Iggy Pop, the Clash, Elvis, riot girl bands. Behind the song: "The song has been around for awhile, mutating and being recycled," says Dahlia Deathstrike. "It's about having mad crushes, falling for dudes and being left high and dry, with your sailboat on an island with one donkey." See them: The Lemmies perform on Thursday at Club Retro (6521 Hazel Ave., Orangevale)
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.
Say what? Huh? Sorry, I'm a little deaf in my right ear this morning. That's what I get for standing a little too close to the speakers at last night's epic Drive-By Truckers show at Empire. We're talking a three-guitar, Southern rock onslaught from a truly great American band. Drive-By Truckers hail from northern Alabama and their songs are populated with various ornery characters and a sense of small-town tenacity during tough economic times. Think of Drive-By Truckers as something like Lynyrd Skynyrd in the age of job outsourcing.
But most importantly, the Drive-By Truckers rock hard. So there was lots of hootin' and hollering during the band's set at Empire, which stretched past the two-hour mark and still didn't touch such gems as "Ronnie and Neil" (from the "Southern Rock Opera" concept album), "Do It Yourself" and "Feb. 14." The group's touring behind its latest album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark," and a chunk of its set featured these newest songs. Some longtime Drive-By Truckers fans may have missed Jason Isbell, one of the group's key songwriters who left the band last year (BTW, don't miss Isbell's excellent solo album "Sirens of the Ditch.") So yeah, I missed hearing such Isbell penned tunes as "Outfit" and "Decoration Day," but Drive-By Truckers still roared like a nitro-powered Peterbilt in songs like "Sink Hole," "Marry Me" and "Lookout Mountain." The band played loud and loose - the bottles of Jack Daniels being passed around the stage was fuel for these Truckers - and Tuesday nights rarely rock like this.
Side note:Patterson Hood of the 'Truckers talked a couple times about someone from Sacramento who was "one of his favorite people in the world." Does anyone know who Patterson was talking about?
Anyway, that was one mighty show, even if my ears are paying for it. But that's the best kind of rock 'n' roll: the kind you can still feel the next day.
"Sunday Single" is big on bands that truly do something different, so we're happy to say that the Definite Articles have one of the most unique sounds around town. The members of Definite Articles are classical musicians by background, but bring their string instruments into an intriguing indie-pop setting. Check out the all of the cool melodies, plucking and bowing on "Elixirs," which you can hear down below.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLES Song: "Elixirs" Style: Indie-pop meets chamber music Members: Shawn Alpay (vocals/cello), Jon Sung (violin), Arjun Singh (drums), Melody Mundy (viola) Influences: Electric Light Orchestra, Sufjan Stevens, the Arcade Fire, Matt Pond PA. Behind the song: "'Elixirs' was written about a girl who I could never quite admit that I had feelings for," says Alpay. "I wrote this song as a means of processing through that, where you're balancing between two different emotions, and you can't quite figure it out which way the seesaw will go. So I left the perspective of the lyrics vague. Are the words coming from me, or the girl? I suppose I still haven't figured it out, even now." See them: July 12 at the Blue Lamp (1400 Alhambra Blvd.), with An Angle, Bridges and Bright Light Fever.
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."
Shakedown is the right kind of band as Sacramento kicks into summer. Its blend of rock and reggae will make you want to kick off your sneakers or Teva sandals and jump around at some outdoor show. Peep the Shakedown song "Love to Get Love" and chill to the upbeat rhythms and and hip-hop embellishments.
SHAKEDOWN Song: "Love to Get Love" Style: Rock 'n' reggae, with some hip-hop bump Influences: Spearhead, Citizen Cope, Living Legends, Blackalicious Members: Mark Kinyon (vocals/guitar), Bles (vocals), Mike Wilhelm (drums), Garrett Fonda (bass), D.Q. Hayes (saxophone), Mr. Vibe (turntables), A.J. Wilhelm (keyboards) Behind the song: "'Love to Get Love' is a song I wrote pretty much after we had a line-up change," says Kinyon. "Even though reggae can be upbeat and happy, our older lyrics were kind of downtrodden. I wanted to write something a little bit more uplifting, a little bit more positive." See them: Shakedown performs on Thursday at Tokyo Fro's 6th anniversary bash (2224 Fair Oaks Blvd.)
Random Abiladeze (say: Random A-bil-a-ties) is a local rapper and spoken word poet who just dropped an album called "Brutally Honest." His music is all about empowerment and social awareness, and that all comes through on "Never Give Up," this week's "Sunday Single." Check out Random Abiladeze's very on-point rhyme flow and those slick scratches from DJ Rated R from Live Manikins.
RANDOM ABILADEZE Song: "Never Give Up" Style: Hip-hop that seeks to uplift and inspire Influences: Tupac Shakur, KRS-ONE, Nas, Guru Behind the song: "In this song I felt like I'm standing up for the 916 and I'm not afraid to say it," says Random Abiladeze. "It kind of turned into an anthem that I wasn't expecting. (The hook) of 'never give up, never give in, forever we win, to quit is the original sin,' that's just the way things are going. People are disillusioned, and I want to remind them that you can speak with authority and confidence. That's what I want to inspire in other people." See him: Random Abiladeze performs on June 20 at 6 p.m. at Dimple Records in Roseville (1701 Santa Clara Dr.).
The good people over at the California State Fair have just announced a few more concert acts, including KC & the Sunshine Band, Amy Hanaiali’i Gilliom and what has to be the biggest boldface name in the entire series -"American Idol" reject turned mega-star Daughtry.
The bald rocker takes the stage Aug. 22, and although the concert is free with admission ($10 general, $8 seniors, $6 kids under 12, free for kids ages four and under), we know you are the ultimate Daughtry fan and want to catch the show from the "Golden Circle." In fact, you are so hard-core, you don't even blink at the idea of paying $59 to get within spitting distance of some stone cold Daughtry action.
(We're not judging - merely observing).
So here's the info you need, oh dear Daughtry addict. If you point your browser over to the State Fair site, you can sign up for their e-letter. Do this by Thursday, and they'll e-mail you a special access code that allows you to get in on some Saturday pre-sale action.
Otherwise, you're gonna have to mingle with the rest of us common folk and buy the tickets on Monday via Tickets.com.
No official confirmation yet on this one, but Pitchfork and BobDylan.com are reporting a Dylan/Raconteurs fall-tour pairing that's to hit Arco Arena on Oct. 18.
Now, I'm a big ol' Dylan fan and was bummed that I had to miss his last Sac-area show (that took place in Davis), only to find out from those who did attend that the whole affair was very hit-or-miss, musically speaking.
But, hey, he's Bob-freaking-Dylan and gets more than a few free passes. Personally, I'm very excited at a chance to see him.
And, having the Raconteurs (pictured at right), featuring the White Stripes' Jack White and pop singer-songwriter Brendon Benson, on the bill is a major plus. The band's debut album, "Broken Boy Soldiers," is (at least in my humble opinion) one of the best releases of 2006; the disc didn't leave my car CD player for months. If you haven't heard it yet, this is smart and snappy pop with a garage rock edge.
Rumor also is that Nashville's Kings of Leon will be the opening act.
A couple of shows that slipped past the Coming Distractions print deadline. First, show promoter Jerry Perry tells us he's in charge of putting together this year's benefit for the Sacramento Housing Alliance.
The Oct. 8 shindig takes place at the Crest Theatre (1013 K St.) and will feature Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours as the headliner. The show starts at 7 p.m. - stay tuned for ticket info.
Perry's also got two tribute shows coming. The first is actually part of a tribute double-header paying homage to bassist Erik Kleven, killed last month in an auto accident: On Oct. 14, tribute shows will take place at both Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.) and the Fox & Goose (1001 R St.). No word yet on the line-up, except for Kleven's longtime friend and musical colleague Anton Barbeau.
Then, on Oct. 21, pay tribute to indie pop songwriter Elliot Smith. Though the details surrounding Smith's 2003 death remain cloudy (it was officially ruled a suicide), one thing is clear: The Oscar-nominated artist left behind a beautiful catalog of moody pop.
Aside from the Kyoto Beat Orchestra, there's no definite line-up on this show, either. We'll keep you posted.
I'm feeling a little bit like Ed Sullivan, 'cos we've got a really big show for you.
OK, well, not right now, but the tickets do go on sale soon.
Anyway, the show: On Thursday, Sept. 28, you'll want to be at the UC Davis ARC Pavilion to check out the Strokes and Muse. The show will be presented by KWOD (106.5 FM.)
The Strokes, of course, are credited with pushing garage rock back into the mainstream (and for also kickstarting that trend in which every cool band has a name that begins with "The").
Muse is a British trio acclaimed for its live performances - they played Empire a few years back. Here's another chance to see them before they blow up totally big.
The particulars: Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday; your cost: $35.
Visit the KWOD site or Tickets.com for more details.
This just in: Sacramento blues/folk star Jackie Greene will be making his network television debut on Wednesday. Look for Greene on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," where he'll be performing the song "So Hard to Find My Way" from his major label album, "American Myth."
Greene's manager, Dig Music founder Marty DeAnda, says the show was a last-minute deal. And even though the New York gig means a frantic rescheduling of flights to Greene's Thursday show in Boulder, Colo. - he'll be playing the Triple-A Radio Summit along with the likes of Los Lobos - DeAnda says there was never any question about going to the Big Apple.
"We were originally promised (a slot on "Conan") for the end of this year," DeAnda says. "But when this came up, we didn't want to pass it up and take the chance of missing out on the oppurtunity."
Because nothing says "projected high temperature of 100 million degrees" quite like standing out in the baking sun to watch car crashes, I give you the 2006 Crash-A-Rama.
Crash-A-Rama is pretty much exactly what it sounds like - cars, crashing. On purpose. It's one of the activities being offered as part of the Wasted Weekend III garage-rock fest, which takes place tonight and Saturday night at Old Ironsides (1901 10th St.).
This is what I remember from the one I attended a few years back: Scorching heat, sunburned feet, dust everywhere, rock 'n' roll, crunching metal and, uh, scorching heat.
This year's car-jumping event, which will take place on Saturday at the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville (800 All America City Blvd.), also will feature hot rod displays and rock 'n' roll from the likes of Sonic Love Affair, the Shruggs and Winelord.
Gates open at 10 a.m. and the carefully planned automotive melee revs up at 2 p.m. Admission is $10.
To read more on Wasted Weekend III events, go here.
In case you forgot (and what with this heat, we don't blame you), the Warped Tour hit town (OK, technically Marysville) today. And that means it's time to get some Joan Jett, who, incidentally, is on stage in a couple of hours.
During an interview with The Bee (listen to the podcast), Jett shares why it took her so long (more than 10 years, to be exact) to release a new studio album, "Sinner."
"We were on Warner Bros., they had an administration change and continued (having changes) for the next three years," Jett says. "We had a lot of trouble getting our record finished, so we decided to part ways - it was very friendly."
In the interim, Jett did put out a Japan-only release called "Fetish," and the title track from that record ended up on "Sinner." In fact, Jett says, many of "Sinner's" tunes are old-ish ones.
"We'd recorded upwards of 30 to 40 songs (for Warner Bros.) and then I went out on the road for a couple of years," she says. "About five years ago, I started taking out those old tapes and listened to what still felt valid to me - there were about seven songs that still sounded great and that became the core of 'Sinner.'"
What with the surefire inclusion of older songs such as "I Love Rock'n'Roll" and "Bad Reputation," sounds like this Warped outing is a total Greatest Hits tour...works for me.
Nevada City's riches just got a little bit, well, richer.
Golden Shoulders' frontman Adam Kline is opening a record store, bringing the tiny town's total up to, uh, one. The shop will specialize in vinyl as well as tapes, CDs, DVDs and "socially concious and locally made clothing."
The appropriately named After the Goldrush Records (it occupies the space formerly held by Love Shack Records) makes its debut Saturday, with a grand opening ceremony from 3-9 p.m.
There'll be live music throughout the day from artists such as Ian Najara, Elena Powell, Ryan Donnelly and, duh, Golden Shoulders.
After the Goldrush is located at 232 Commercial St. in Nevada City. For more info, call (530) 265-3090.
One of my favorite Nevada City bands, Golden Shoulders, has officially entered the, er, golden age of the Internet. The sweet-sounding pop band, fronted by Adam Kline, just released a few albums to iTunes. Now you can find 2004's "Friendship is Deep" and the ultra-rare 2005 EP "Seventeen Bees." The tunes are 99 cents each. Oh yeah, and you can also download their new album "Kin" as well. I'm opening up my wallet right now....
Billy Preston’s passing on June 6 and his funeral on Monday reminds me of a concert of his at Memorial Auditorium in the mid-70s. Preston and his band were headlining a show that included Tower of Power; the Buddy Miles Express opened.
Preston was riding the crest of his radio hits “Outa-Space” and the not-so-complex pop ditty “Will It Go Round in Circles.” His band included the teenage guitar/bass tandem of George and Louis Johnson (later known as the Brothers Johnson). What I remember most was the exuberance Preston and his fellow keyboardist (whose name I don’t recall) showed as they crossed the stage between the acoustic piano on one side and the Hammond B-3 on the other, always slapping hands as they passed each other.
I saw numerous shows at the Memorial Auditorium during the early '70s - pretty much anything that came there - because I had figured a way to sneak in. The method wasn’t particularly complicated - just wait around near the backstage door on I Street. At some point, when bands or entourages were coming or going, or both, one could simply blend into the scenery and scoot inside. From there, it was just about 10 feet or three long strides to another door, which leads out to the main floor. I worked it for more shows than I can remember and became so accomplished I even brought a couple of friends.
On this night, there hadn’t been any openings, and all the musicians for all the bands had arrived. All except one: The lead singer for Tower of Power, the ill-fated Rick Stevens. Their manager occasionally came out, casting frantic looks up and down the block. TOP was working their first national hit, “You’re Still a Young Man,” from their “Bump City” album, and Stevens’ vocal on that tune remains memorable.
The street was now deserted because the Buddy Miles band (still playing “Them Changes”) was already on. Suddenly, an old sedan came careening down the street and skidded to a stop in front of me.
"Is this Memorial Auditorium?” the driver asked, and I nodded. Stevens, in a tank top and creased straw hat, popped out with a couple of friends and they rushed up the steps and knocked on the door.
I naturally followed and we were all hustled inside, and I made my accustomed dash for the next door - melting into to the crowd to watch Mr. Preston do his thing.
Been hearing that Fort Minor single "Where'd You Go" on the radio, but it wasn't until I caught the video on Fuse that I realized it was hometown boy Jonah Matranga singing back-ups (along with Holly Brook). Fort Minor is the new-ish project via Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda. And Matranga, of course, used to front Far and, in more recent years, has made a national name for himself with various solo projects. He doesn't live in Sac anymore, but visits often and it was definitely cool to catch him on TV.
Just in time for the first day of summer - first day of the 21Q blog! So much to do and for once it'll feel like there's plenty of time on the longest day of the year.
One suggestion for your day/night - and we think this one is very appropriate since Sacramento is hotter-than-you-know-what during the summer months. If you haven't yet, check out "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" documentary at the Crest (1013 K St.) This is a look at underground singer-songwriter Johnston, his amazing music and his lifelong battles with mental illness. And, in case you didn't already know this, Johnston was born in Sacramento (Jan. 22, 1961). Of course, he lives in Texas now - but once a Sactowner, always a Sactowner....
Word is the film is ending its stay at the Crest this week, so catch it while you can.
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Bee Metro Staff
