Event Coverage

Local saxophonist performs at JB's Lounge

2009-12-18T06:08:40Z

Saxophonist and composer Eric Arellano might be new to the professional jazz scene, but he is not new to Sacramento.

He was born and raised in Carmichael and developed a passion for jazz in elementary school, where he was first exposed to the saxophone.

His father Ron Arellano said he has been inseparable from the instrument ever since -- well, sort of.

“He was going to quit sax after two months (of playing) because he didn’t make the honor band,” Ron Arellano said. “Basically I said, ‘I rented this saxophone for six months, you’re going to play,’ and I think that decision changed his life.”

Since then, Arellano became an accomplished musician around the area and now the world.

After attending Rio Americano High School, he attended the University of Nevada in Reno where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies.

During 2006 and 2007, he attended Sacramento State where he embraced the local music scene outside of school and helped organized a Tuesday night jazz jam session at Capitol Garage.

In spring of 2008, he was admitted to Goteborg University in Sweden and is currently finishing up his master's degree in Improvisation. For the past year, he has been studying the work of world-renown saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.

"Wayne Shorter told me improvisation is composition sped up,” Arellano said. “And I have sort of changed my views -- improvisation, now, is like knowing the language and being able to create something in the moment whether it’s jazz, classical music or any kind of music.”

Arellano is finishing his master's thesis, which involves learning how to develop musicianship through the music and philosophy of Wayne Shorter.

He will begin touring around Austria, Germany and Sweden in February and March.

Mike McMullen, who was Arellano's private instructor during high school and has been one of his mentors throughout his college career said Arellano developed his “voice” at a young age.

“Eric, right from the beginning, always had a quality of tone that sounded like himself -- you have to think of ‘your sound’ as being ‘your voice’ as a musician,” he said. “Especially in jazz, the great musicians all have greatly identifiable ‘voices’.”

McMullen, who is a saxophonist and music professor at Sacramento State, said Arellano’s “voice” has improved and has become more identifiable throughout the years.

Arellano will play a show on Dec. 20 at JB’s Lounge inside of Red Lion on Arden.

The show will feature music from Wayne Shorter as well as his own compositions. It will also feature local musicians Joe Mazzaferoo on trumpet, Joe Berry on saxophone and flute, Jay Cowell on piano, Jesus Vega on drums and Giulio Cetto on bass as well as a sting quartet.

“I choose to play with these guys because of their creativity,” Arellano said. “And also because we’ve all been very good friends since the beginning.”

The cover is $8 and reservations are suggested as space is limited.

For more information, visit ericarellano.com or contact Vivian Lee at 723-5517 to make reservations.

Photo Credit: Nallelie Vega

Charter Review Committee hold Town Hall Meeting

2009-09-26T00:22:28Z

Sacramento residents voiced their opinions to Charter Review Committee members about the strong-mayor proposal during a Town Hall Meeting in Ben Ali Shrine Temple Thursday evening.

Committee members attentively listened to the responses of the community regarding the possible changes to the mayor position in Sacramento.

“Some people, when they know they can serve forever, handle their position just a little differently, ”Natomas resident said Fran Barker.

Barker expressed her concern regarding no limitation to number of terms city councilmembers can serve. She said she feels there should be terms limits for both the mayor and councilmembers because "often times absolute power corrupts absolutely."

“I believe that term limits increases our level of conscientiousness and integrity," she said.]

Sacramento’s governing body holds nine voting positions: eight elected city councilmembers and the mayor. With the strong-mayor proposition, the mayor would not be a member of the city council.

The councilmember positions are part-time jobs, and the mayor's position was turned full-time in 2002, and all positions have terms of four years, but the amount of terms they can serve is unlimited, according to city law.

Charter Review Committee member Cecily Hastings said during their first Town Hall Meeting many residents expressed concerns about the lack of term limits.

“A comment a couple of people made was, people get in these offices and you can’t take them out, because they fund-raise continually,and they build up such a war chest that nobody can take them on," she said.

Other members of the community had different opinions.

“The problem with term limits is like in the state: They're not working,” said Natomas resident Chuck O’Neil. “They’re too short. By the time they figure out what they’re doing, they're termed out and then have to move on.”

O’Neil said he is aware that state terms are two years, but he still feels that four years is not enough time for legislators to make a difference. He said he believes that if a councilmember is doing a good job and their popularity is still up, they should be allowed to continue serving the public.

Regarding fundraising regulations for candidates, O’Neil said he feels that a few things need to be changed to make it easier for others to run.

“One of the problems with letting people stay in there too long is that the lobbyist gives them too much money, and they have a lot of support and they’ll stay forever,” O’Neil said. “So if you can solve that problem, so challengers can also get money, you got a chance of turning those people over when they’re not doing their job.”

The Charter Review Committee has composed a recommendation for the City Council, and is holding Town Hall Meetings to get public feedback. In their recommendations, the majority of the committee voted to have no term limits.

Hastings, along with committee members JoAnn Fuller and Alan LoFaso, encouraged the public to voice all opinions to the committee regarding their proposal about the city's governmental body.

“We really want to hear from you; we want to hear from your neighbors," Fuller said. “If you hear people talking about this, we want to hear it, too.”

The Charter Review Committee was established by the City Council in April to review the strong-mayor proposal as well as other changes to the local governing body. The City Council voted to create the committee in February to help advise and compose a report with public opinion about the changes to the governing system. All members of the committee are volunteers.

Calls for applications to join the committee were posted on city websites until the end of March, when each individual councilmember appointed a member to the Charter Review Committee. Two of those positions were voted on at large.

The committee has 11 members, all from various careers, according to Hastings. They are due to make their final recommendation to the City Council in November.

“They’re doing a good job,” said former Sacramento mayor Anne Rudin, who served terms from 1983 to 1992. “They’ve had expert testimony of people who have been in those jobs, and they’ve gathered up a lot of information before they made their decisions about what they felt was right for Sacramento.”

Safety Precautions for Young Athletes

2010-01-13T05:04:05Z

Additional safety precautions for athletes of all ages were discussed during the Youth Sports Safety Summit Tuesday morning. Professionals, including athletic trainers, orthopaedic surgeons, parents, students, physicians, professors and state legislators all presented possible solutions to help decrease the risk of catastrophic athletic injuries and illness among athletes.

Last year, Tommy Mallon, a student at Santa Fe Christian High School in San Diego, broke his neck during a lacrosse game. His school athletic trainer, Riki Kirchhoff, saved his life by following proper procedure. It turned out Mallon had a fractured neck and without the help of an athletic trainer, he would have died.

The summit, hosted by the National Athletic Trainers' Associaton (NATA), covered various catastrophic injuries, such as concussions and brain injuries, sudden cardiac arrest and exertional heat illness, as well as a need for Automated External Defibrillators in all schools and pre-participation exams in hopes of decreasing situations like Mallon's.

NATA formed an alliance with 30 other organizations, including Safe Kids USA, Parent Heart Watch, National Academy of Neuropsychology and National Sports Safety Organizations in order to address "the Youth Sports Safety Crisis in America," according to a news release by the NATA.

"Because youth athletes today continue to play more sports, or one sport at a more intense level of play, they are experiencing chronic and sometimes catastrophic injuries that could sideline them for a season or even a lifetime,"NATA president Marjorie J. Albohm said in a press release, adding that recent studies have shown an increase in catastrophic injuries.

Dr. Robert Burger, a representative of the Orthopaetic Society of Sports Medicine, said about 7.3 million students participate annually in sports around the country. Two million injuries occur out of those 7 million participants — 500,000 of those injuries requiring doctor visits and 30,000 requiring hospitalization.

Burger said many of the injuries endured by young athletes could lead to serious illness later on in life, such as depression, anxiety and fatigue.

"Our goal is to achieve a culture, a culture of youth sports in America," he said. "A culture where sports participation includes injury awareness and is focused on prevention."

He said the goal of NATA and other organization is not to weed out students from athletic programs, but to protect the students who are prone to serious injuries. Burger added that the No. 1 priority of professionals should be to prevent injuries.

Diane Claerbout is a member of the board of directors for Parent Heart Watch. She said injuries are not as rare as some people believe, and added that there are about 15,000 to 20,000 incidents of sports related cardiac arrest every year. According to 2008-2009 Parent Heart Watch statistics, there were 36 documented incidents of cardiac arrest from athletes between the ages of 10 to 25 in California.

Claerbout said many of these cases could have been prevented if AED's had been used.

"Having an AED is not enough, she said. "People have to know where they are, when to use them and not be afraid of them," she said. "There is a lot of fear out there."

She said many people are afraid to use them because they don't want to misuse the equipment. She added that the solution would be to require AED training for coaches and teachers.

Claerbout noted that screening teens for physical symptoms that might lead to heart problems would also be a solution. She said other countries like Italy and Japan have been screening athletes for years and have kept statistics. The screenings have helped bring down the numbers of cardiac arrest incidences, she said.

But cardiac arrest isn't the only thing young athletes have to worry about. Even though cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in sports injuries, heat illness does not fall far behind.

According to Dr. Rebecca Demorest, committee member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, heat illness is the third leading cause of death among high school athletes.

Demorest said heat illness could easily be prevented by keeping athletes hydrated while they are active. Many athletes don't think about hydration before or after exercise, and she said those are also important factors in prevention

"Heat illness is preventable," she said. "Proper hydration is paramount," she said. "Hydration needs to be accessible and used by athletes before, during and after sporting or exercise activity."

She said pre-hydration is more important than hydrating during exercise. Demorest said 16 ounces of fluids should be consumed before two to three hours of activity to help with hydration. She added that over-hydration is also possible. Some athletes are concerned about not being hydrated enough and they over hydrate, according to Demorest. Over-hydrating can also be deadly.

Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, chairman of the department of exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said concussions are also a cause for concern. On average 950 collegiate and 750 high school athletes receive a form of head injury, and added that most of those athletes were football players.

"According to our research, once you sustain the first concussion, you are about two times more likely to sustain a second concussion compared to someone who has never had a concussion," he said. "Once you've had a second concussion, you are about three times more likely to sustain another concussion compared to someone who has never had one."

He said professionals should help educate and council athletes, parents and coaches on concussions and how to prevent repetition.

Guskiewicz said pre-participation examinations are also a key to prevention. He added they are currently working on legislation that will bring examinations to all schools in North Carolina. The legislation will mandate athletes and coaches to take trainings that would include detecting the symptoms of head injuries.

But North Carolina isn’t the only state writing up legislation for youth sports safety.

Assembly member Mary Hayashi has been working on legislation in California since 2009 that would help prevent many of the problems plaguing young athletes.

Hayashi said her legislation, Assembly Bill 533, addresses many of the issues of concern. She said the main focus of the bill is to further train coaches to detect catastrophic injuries. She added that states such as Oregon, Texas and Washington have already passed similar laws.

“There is no reason why California can’t do this,” she said, adding that we could join the 10 other states with similar laws. “We should be able to do some of these things in California as well.”

Hayashi will be looking to reactivate AB 533 this year and is looking for Californians' support.

For more information about the youth sports safety crisis in America, visit nata.org. For more information about AB 655, visit assembly.ca.gov.

Harvest Festival is Back in Sac

2009-11-22T05:03:22Z

Fruit spreads, Christmas ornaments, handbags, hats and clothing filled Cal Expo during the 37th Harvest Festival Original Arts and Crafts Show Friday.

The festival is a weekend-long event with 270 arts and crafts booths and a variety of musical performances, from the Fargo Brothers and Tom Rigney and Flambeau to name a few, as well as food booths, such as Cocina Mexicana and Southwest Café.

Account Executive Liz Stigge said a crowd of about 15,000 is expected to attend throughout the weekend.

The Harvest Festival has nine shows, including eight in California, that are held in cities with a passion for crafts.

“We usually pick places that are routed in an arts culture,” Stigge said. “The whole series of shows has been around for 37 years, and the Sacramento show is almost up there with the original, which was held in San Francisco.”

The vendors come from all over the country and are hand-selected by a jury of about 15, which include members of the show management and a selected board of artisans.

To be part of the festival, all work must be hand-crafted and hand-made

Local food vendor Mark Brtek has been promoting his Singing Pig spreads and dips at the festival for 10 years.

“A lot of people come to the Harvest Festival every year, and you can count on the customers getting excited,” he said. “They just get a really good following. The Harvest Festival is always consistent.”

Brtek said he gets about 200 repeated customers every year.

Teri and Mark VanAirsdale, who have been attending the festival for about 20 years, said Brtek’s wine garlic mustard and the beautiful crafts keep bringing them back.

“We come back to see if there is new stuff,” Mrs. VanAirsdale said. “But right now I’m looking for Singing Pig, they have the best garlic mustard.”

The VanAirsdales said they do some Christmas shopping at the festival, and every year they end up leaving with gifts for family members and friends.

Other booths included Virgi Bondi's Eggstra Special Christmas ornaments, which are made from a variety of egg shells.

Bondi prides herself off her slogan "they'll survive a toddler and Christmas tree."

"I lacker all my eggs," she said. "I can also personalize the back of any egg with liquid gold."

Bondi is a local vendor from Roseville who has been showcasing her work at the Harvest Festival since 1994. Bondi said even though she is a local vendor, she still has various repeat customers every year.

Margie Waite, who has been attending the festival since 2002, was excited to see Bondi's booth back at the festival.

"I always try to come back and look for the different ornaments, specifically NFL teams," she said. " I collect them and put them on my (Christmas) tree."

Regular Attendee Nancy Church said she believes the Harvest Festival comes just in time for the holiday season.

“There is always certain little booths you go back to and look for,” Church said. “And I inevitably always find two or three Christmas gifts.”

Church and longtime friend Cheri Soden have been attending the Harvest festival for more than 20 years.

Soden said the festival not only gives her the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping, it also allows her time to spend with a good friend.

“It’s just something that we do together,” Soden said. “We even have a routine. We walk around the edge first and work our way up and down the center.”

Cal Expo will host the Harvest Festival through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is $9, seniors admission is $7 and youth is $4.

For more information visit www.harvestfestival.com.

Photo Credit: Nallelie Vega

46th Annual Greek Festival

2009-09-05T04:48:59Z

Sacramento is in for a treat, The Annual Greek Festival is back for its 46th year in a row.

Be aware, you do not have to be Greek to attend, free to join in on the fun and enjoy the food, entertainment, raffle and Greek/Mediterranean vendors. This year's event's consist of performances by Neo Kyma dancers and levendopeda(Greek Folk Dancers), Dance performances by Athanatoi and Sacramento's "Omega" Band, just to name a few. Not to mention, small vendors from all of California are also in town, such as It's Greek To Me Imports from Oakland selling greek music and videos, and HZ Boutique from LA selling clothing.

"We expect about 12,000 people this weekend," Raffle Chair Terry Kastanis said. "As a matter of fact, this is the third- largest event in Sacramento other than the State Fair and Jazz Festival in May."

The Greek Festival was founded in 1963 by the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in an efforts to build and maintain their church, according to their festival booklet.

Kastanis said the event has about 500 volunteers this year, who are mainly parishioners at the Orthodox Church. This year the event is being sponsors by companies such as Wells Fargo, CGI and The Old Spaghetti Factory, to name a few.

But no matter how many sponsors and volunteers there are, the event would not be possible without the community.

"We've been coming here for years," Andrew Varakas said. "My wife is really good at cooking Greek food, but all Greek food is good."

Varakas and his wife Lilian are Greek immigrants who came to the United States in 1947. They have been attending the festival for 25 years and say they enjoy everything about it. Varakas said he recalled attending the festival when it was hosted at Cal Expo and even the Orthodox Church years ago. He said he has also noticed a change in the management of the event.

"This year isn't as crowded, and I noticed a lot of tables for dinner," Varakas said.

The community members, of course, aren't the only ones who have been attending the festival for years.

"We go to festivals and other special events, and this is our 10th year as vendors coming to this Festival ," owner of It's Greek To Me Imports Parthena Kanelos said.

Even Kanelos, and her husband, John, have been attended the festival even before they became vendors. Kanelos said they have participated in the event for overmore than 20 years.

This year’s menu consist of tasty food, such as Gyro (lean beef and spices in a peita topped with onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce), Spanakopita (filo dough filled with spinach and cheeses), Loukoumathes (Greek doughnut puffs smothered in honey and sprinkled with cinnamon) and many more.

If you have not yet attended the festival, fear not. You still have Saturday and Sunday to grab some food and enjoy the music.

For more information, visit www.sacramentogreekfestival.com

"Crime and Punishment" Review

2010-01-18T04:30:06Z

KOLT Run Creations hosted a full house at Ooley Theater during the opening weekend of “Crime and Punishment.”

The theatrical performance features local actors Brian Rife, Patrick Murphy and Kelley Ogden. Rife plays Raskolnikov, the protagonist guilty of murdering two women, while Murphy and Ogden play a variety of characters throughout the show.

Having three actors play seven characters is not as distracting as it seems. The actors do a good job transitioning into different roles. They also have great facial expressions along with changes in pitch that help differentiate characters.

Audience member Penny Kline Meagher said she felt that Ogden did a good job in her transitions.

“I liked the way that Kelly Ogden played the characters,” she said, adding that her body language and eye contact were superb. “It was a clear distinction between the characters.”

Ogden performs Sonia, a prostitute who falls in love with Raskolnikov, as well as an old pawnbroker, the old pawnbroker's sister, Lizaveta Ivanovna, and the voice of Raskolnikov’s mother.

Along with the character changes, art directors Liza Thew and Ogden decided to include a unique element that no other “Crime and

Punishment” showings have used before. Patrick Claypool, a student violinist, performs throughout the show. Audience members enjoyed the creativity.

“To me the violin is one of the instruments closest to the human voice and the human soul,” attendee Robin Henson said, adding that no other instrument could probably make a greater impact. “In that sense it added to the drama. Not just the player, but the whole violin was a character on its own.”

The violin is a great touch, especially since the background scenery and stage does not change. And even though the stage and theater are small, the closeness allows cast members to interact with the audience, which many appreciated.

“The purpose of the play is to make a point to (the audience) and not simply make a screen full of information that you just watch,” Henson said.

The show will go through Feb. 13. Performances will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

For more information, visit koltruncreations.com.

42nd Annual Native American Day at the Capitol

2009-09-26T13:25:56Z

Eye-catching outfits, drumming and loud yells filled the Capitol Friday afternoon during Sacramento's 42nd Annual Native American Day.

About 300 people and more than 30 exhibitors participated in this year's events, including programs such as: the California Indian Legal Services, National Indian Justice Center and PG&E's CARE program.

Native American Tribes from all over California, as well as local residents and legislators, came together to celebrate Native American cultures through traditional dances and inspirational guest speakers. The guest speakers included Mike Chrisman, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency; Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency; and Honorable Tribal Chairman Marshall McKay from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, among others.

"This is an event that needs to be held at the State Capitol," said Larry Myers, Executive Secretary of the Native American Heritage Comission. "What we wanted to do is make sure that Indians could come to the Capitol and for legislators to learn about Indians."

Myers said the event had been held at the Convention Center and at Cal Expo in past years, but he said he feels that hosting the event at the State Capitol gives Native American Day more impact because it is right in the legislator's backyard.

Tribal Chairman McKay agreed with Myers.

"I've known about this event for about 20 years," McKay said. "I always thought this was a very beneficial event to native people because it gives us a forum close to a very iconic building."

Along with educating other people about their culture, many Native Americans feel that it is just as important to educate their own people.

During McKay's speech about the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, three young tribal children attending Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy were brought to the stage to speak Patwin, their native language.

"We want to make sure that everybody knows that we have a language," McKay said. "We want these children to know our language."

But language wasn't the only way that natives culturally expressed themselves during the event. The Quetzalcoatl Citlalli Aztec Dancers, among others, also performed native dances

."The dances are beautiful," spectator Yolanda Ledesma said. "Everybody is so beautiful, such beautiful people."

Even though Ledesma is Hispanic and this was her first time attending Native American Day, she said she enjoyed learning about the Native American culture and will continue to attend.

"Sacramento is just full of cultures, we just have to celebrate everybody's," Ledesma said."It's everybody's country."

Native American Day was started in 1968 after California tribal leaders and Governor Ronald Reagan declared the fourth day of September "California Indian Day," according to the event brochure. In 1998, Assembly Bill 1953, signed by Governor Pete Wilson, legalized the event and made it a state holiday.The bill also changed the name of the event to "Native American Day."

To many Native Americans, Native American Day has now become their most important holiday.

"This is my Thanksgiving. We get all the people together and we get all the elders together, we get everyone to show their culture, their dances," said Chairwoman Rohnda Pope of Buena Vista Rancheria. "So for me, I give thanks for that, to me it's Thanksgiving."

12th Annual Sacramento Art Festival

2009-10-03T15:44:06Z

With an assortment of goods all of different colors, shapes, sizes and purposes, Sacramento kicked of its 12th Annual Arts Festival at the Convention Center Friday afternoon.

Local food vendors, such as India Gourmet and Maui Wow, as well as entertainment from Dirk K, Kurt Ribak and GG Amos Band to name a few, participated in the days events.

Attendance was expected to be about 10,000 the entire weekend -- the quality of the art being the main reason for such a large crowd.

The festival was a host to about 225 craftspeople and fine artists from all over the world looking to sell and display their work to locals, according to Shilowe George, assistant producer and show manager.

"This was created to be a venue for a strictly juried, higher end art and craft," George said. "We even have people come internationally."

Each artist had to go through the applications and selection process. The process required the artists to submit about four to five images of their crafts including an artist biography.

The jury, in charge of making final selections, consists of about three to four people. The work was judged based on originality, creativity and different outlooks; must be created by the exhibitor; and artists must be present throughout the entire festival.

"It’s really rare to have a show where artists are required to be present," George said.

Having the artist present during the exhibits help attendees, such as Teresa Schilling of Sacramento, feel more connected to the art.

"There is a nice array of interesting creative works by people who obviously spend a lot of time devoting themselves to their craft," Schilling said. "I like the idea that there is quality high-crafted art. "

This was Schilling's first time attending the art festival. She and a friend saw an advertisement about the festival and decided to attend, since she was on a furlough day.

Even though Schilling made her way to the festival on her furlough day, George said that the event has seen a drop in attendance and participation in her four years as a manager.

"When I started, we were putting four shows on a year, and that was even downsized," George said. "We were in San Jose, Santa Monica and San Diego. And we’ve whittled it down to one event, but this is a consistently good event."

George said that festival continued in Sacramento because there is a market for such events. Other cities have similar events, but Sacramento does not.

"Sacramento is an upscale town," George said. "There is a definite interest and a passion for art, but there are not a lot of events that can bring a variety of work."

But the economy hasn’t affected all exhibitors and artists. Shawn Tsai, fine-glass sculptor from Orange County, said he has been exhibiting at the show for about five years and has been prosperous.

"I have been doing this show for a few years," Tsai said. "And I have a lot of repeated customers."

Tsai said many of his customers are collectors looking to add to their glass collections. He said they are looking for things that wouldn’t necessarily be found in stores.

"They want something different," Tsai said. "The things here are very unique, it’s all hand-made."

Even though there are some collectors that attend the festival, locals also learn to appreciate the art.

Attendees Randy and Shelley McIntosh of Sacramento have been attending the festival for about six years.

"There is always something new," Randy McIntosh said. "The glass work is marvelous this year."

He said that they always purchase something every year and it typically varies from jewelry to home decorations. The McIntoshes admitted that oftentimes they start their Christmas shopping at the festival.

The event was started 12 years ago by Warren Cook and includes Schools Gallery, which displays students' artwork from around the Sacramento area and it gives them the opportunity to receive cash prizes. A percentage of the proceeds made go toward the Crocker Art Museum which has partnerships with art programs around the community.

For more information visit www.americanartfestivals.com

Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Commemorating Byron Blackburn

2009-10-18T08:45:28Z

Small bursts of laughter and sniffles filled a dark room, as more than 200 people watched a slide show commemorating the life of Byron Blackburn Friday night at Beatnik Studio.

Blackburn, a local musician and partial-owner of Javalounge, passed away from cancer on Sept. 18 in his Sacramento home.

During the memorial, bands such as The Inversions, The Alegria Quartet and Jalapeno Chocolates to name a few showcased their appreciation for Blackburn by performing in his honor.

He inspired many people around the community, many of whom attended the memorial, including local painter Mark Fox.

“He was such a positive person,” Fox said. “And he influenced me tremendously. He was always at all of my shows.”

Fox met Blackburn about three years ago at Cool Cat Gallery, which has since been closed down, at a show in which he collaborated with Blackburn’s wife, Kathy.

Fox said he has a lot of respect for Blackburn and was honored when Blackburn asked him to create an illustration for the front cover of his solo album five months ago.

“It was such an honor when he asked me to do the illustrations,” Fox said. “His wife is an artist too, so to pick me over that is just-wow.”

Blackburn released his solo album Things Turn Black When They Burn in July during the second annual In The Flow festival at Javalounge and Beatnik Studio.

Fox decided to honor Blackburn after his death by creating a painting titled, I Never Sing the Blues, specifically for the silent auction at the memorial.

Fox wasn’t the only one who donated his time and work to the silent auction on Friday night. According to Evie Turner, the coordinator of the event, many artists around the community collaborated to put together the auction.

“Over 40 pieces of art have been donated, by 25 different artists,” Turner said. “It was a complete donation. Any, sales will go towards the proceeds to the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund.”

Turner approached Kathy Blackburn after many artists around the community started e-mailing each other regarding ways to commemorate Blackburn. Turner then began the organization of the silent auction with all the proceeds going toward the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund.

“We knew that we wanted to do something that would benefit the music scene in Sacramento,” Turner said. “Byron’s passion was contributing to the next generation.”

The memorial fund will be used toward a scholarship for students interested in continuing their education in the arts, specifically music.

According to Kathy Blackburn, the scholarship is being administered through the Elk Grove Community Foundation.

“I’m a teacher at the Elk Grove School District, and I want to thank my school district, that has been so good to me through this whole thing, by making a scholarship that would go to a deserving Elk Grove student going into the field of music,” Kathy said.

Further criteria has not yet been established, and the amount of the fund has not been decided upon, but Kathy is hoping to raise enough funds to make the scholarship an ongoing one.

“His first goal was to build the arts and music community, and after that he said to protect the venue — if we don’t have a venue we can’t help the artists — and obviously after that it would be nurture the artists," she said. "Those, were his three goals.”

Donations can be made to the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund at Bank of the West on J Street.

Sacramento Fashion Week

2009-09-19T03:38:08Z

Victor Louis kicked off Sacramento’s Fashion Week with his One Night in Paris fall collection in front of about 500 people Thursday night.

Louis’s show at at Elks Tower Ballroom also displayed the work of seven other local designers.

“Those other designers are actually fellow (classmates),” Louis said. “I kind of did interviews at school and selected the best out of everyone.”

Louis and the other designers attend the International Academy of Design & Technology (IADT) charter school in Sacramento. It opened in 2006 and has about 500 students.

Louis has attended the institute for two years and will graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in fashion design and marketing in August.

“He’s just starting, but he already has the talent, the eye for fashion,” said Esther Amato, a local designer who is a fashion instructor at IADT. “He has a talent for it, we’re just here to enhance it.”

Amato, who has taught at IADT for a year and a half, was joined by instructor Wenting Gao in praising Louis.

“We came here as personal good friends,” Gao said. “We’re here to support him with respect and with love.”

Amato and Gao said they would like to see Louis market his clothing.

Louis’s goal for all of his shows has been to sell at least one of his designs. Amato said that Louis needs to focus on the marketing aspect of the industry as well.

“He has an eye for it already,” Amato said. “He just needs to distribute and sell it.”

Louis's goal now should be to sell three to four pieces from his collection per fashion show, Amato said.

Thursday night as he walked up on stage to a standing ovation, Louis accomplished one more of his childhood dreams, he said.

“I just never really pursued my dream,” Louis said. “And then, two years ago, I was like, 'You know, Victor, if you don’t follow your dream, you will never know if you're going to make it or not.'”

The audience appeared to be wowed by Louis’s catchy, trendy designs.

"I didn't realize that Sacramento had a fashion week. I heard about the show from a friend and decided to come." said Melissa Smith. "It was so elegant. He did a great job."

Many of Louis's designs from the “Amour de la Robe” couture collection had lace and metallic fabrics with ruffles and flowers. The collection was inspired by 1930s Paris fashion.

“The reason why I decided to do Paris is because I come from a really small family, very humble, not a lot of money. I’ve never traveled the world,” Louis said. “And I thought that if I researched Paris, then I could bring Paris into my art, and I could have one night in Paris, since I’ve never been there."

Louis’s designs had a touch of sparkle and glitter.

"(The nude) dress was absolutely insane," spectator Kristina Moreno said. "I was not expecting that, but it looked good."

The nude dress worn by Ebony Hunter certainly turned heads.

"I told Victor 'I don't care what you make me do or what you make me wear, just make me the finale model,'" Hunter said. " So I didn't really have a problem with it. I felt like I was well covered."

Hunter said that some of the models' parents didn't understand the dresses before the fashions were completed. But after they saw the final product, she said, they could appreciate it more.

"The grand finale dress represented the meaning of Paris as far as fashion and couture and vintage and pure sexiness," Hunter said.

Fashion week isn't often associated with Sacramento. “This is unlike anything that has happened in Sacramento,” said Steve Ayers, owner of Elk Tower ballroom. “Truly unlike anything in Sacramento, very elaborate, amazing and over the top.”

Louis had approached Ayers’ daughter, Katherine Ayers, who was also one of his models, about using the venue with its 1920s décor.

“I found (The Elk Tower Ballroom) online. I looked at like 35 places, I went all over Sacramento,” Louis said. “As soon as I walked in, everything was exactly how I wanted it.”

Louis produced and directed the show, with the help of a several sponsors whom he met in April at a workshop in Napa.

“Victor Louis came to Behrens Photo Workshop as our feature designer and all of the photographers loved his designs, “ said Cara Lane, toastmaster and professional speaker.

After learning that Louis had been chosen by Magnum Opus to display his collection during Sacramento’s Fashion Week, photographer Mark Behrens, toastmaster Cara Lane and Jared Newland for Mathew Allen Weddings & Events, D.J. & MC, became Louis’s main sponsors for the event.

They began planning the show in June. Louis is donating more than half of the proceeds to Ready for Life, a charity for homeless children.

“I wanted to help someone in the community,” he said.

Above and beyond helping a charity, Louis brought fashion to the area.

"This is by far the best show I've ever seen in Sac," Melanie Long said. "I can't wait to see more of his stuff."

Photos by : Anthony Bento Sacramento Press

"Xanadu" opens in Sacramento

2010-01-01T03:04:15Z

Making the second stop of a thirteen-city tour, Broadway’s "Xanadu" has made its way to Sacramento.

The musical production, directed by Christopher Ashley, brings drama, comedy and a bit of 21st century lingo into a must-see production.

"Xanadu" takes place during the 1980s in Venice Beach, Calif. where an artist named Sonny Malone, played by Max Von Essen, struggles to satisfy his artistic hunger. After creating the chalk drawing “The Nine Sisters," Sonny’s creation comes to live with one purpose — to artistically inspire him.

The romantic comedy also features Elizabeth Stanley as Kira or Terpsichore, the muse of dance, who becomes Sonny’s inspiration and love interest.

Even though there is a romantic aspect to the production, it focuses more on the comical side, which audience members really enjoy. Throughout the show, modern lingo used by the cast such as “word,” “true that,” “baby’s daddy” and many others were heard throughout the Community Center Theater.

Audience member Kate Sullivan said she appreciated the incorporation of current lingo.

“I really liked 'Bitch, I don’t know your life!' " she said, while snapping her fingers and smiling. “I don’t think there was anything terribly inappropriate (about the lingo). I mean I don’t think you’d take a kid to this anyways because they wouldn’t get the jokes.”

But the lingo wasn’t the only thing exciting audience members.

Throughout the production, the cast blew everyone away with their powerful voices and charm.

“I’ve seen the movie and I didn’t like the movie,” said attendee Alexia Cameron. “But I thought in this production the cast was crazy good, and all of their voices were so strong and all of them were very attractive.”

Although the singing was excellent, toward the end of the show there was a malfunction with the microphones that made people like Cameron gasp.

Cameron said she was a bit disappointed with the sound because she was afraid she would miss a good line.

Even through technical difficulties, the show was a success. The production had more than 1,700 attendees during opening night. Company Manager Susan Guszynski said it was a good turnout, especially since opening night was between two holidays.

She said Sacramento’s audience was especially pleasant throughout the show.

“I was listening to the opening of the show and I thought the audience was very engaged and were smart and were getting it,” Guszynski said.

If you have not already seen the show, don’t fret. The show will run until Jan. 10 at the Community Center Theater. Ticket prices range from $18 to $65.

For more information about "Xanadu," visit californiamusicaltheatre.com.

Chalk it Up! photo essay

2009-09-08T14:53:19Z

Thousands gathered at Fremont Park for the 19th annual Chalk it Up! Festival.

Families enjoyed face painting, live music, food and the hundreds of chalk creations that lined the sidewalk squares.

Here is a glimpse of this weekend's activities.

Capital Choreography Competition at the Crest Theatre

2009-10-19T07:13:56Z

Lights inside the Crest Theatre were dim, the spotlight was bright and nothing could be heard besides the feathery footsteps of the Sacramento Ballet dancers during the first annual Capitol Choreography Competition Friday night.

A crowd of about 600 experienced the talent of three choreographers from around the world who created 18-minute dances in six days. The choreographers, chosen by Ron Cunningham and his wife, Carinne Binda, artistic directors for the ballet, were Viktor Kabaniaev, resident choreographer of Diablo Ballet; Amy Seiwart, artistic director of Im'ij-re and choreographer in residence for the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco; and Matthew Neenan, artistic director of BalletX and choreographer in residence for the Pennsylvania Ballet.

"I love the Sacramento Ballet, their dancers are so talented," said spectator Tina Suarez-Murias. "So I wanted to see what different choreographers would work up for them."Audience members received a wooden chip that would be used to determine the People's Choice Award.

And a panel of five judges, chosen by Cunningham and Binda, named the top choreographer.Cunningham, who has been with the Sacramento Ballet for 20 years, started the competition to generate more audience participation.

The event was modeled after several television competitions, including "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol", in which audience participation is crucial."We came through a very difficult time last year with the ballet," Cunningham said. "It was pretty challenging financially. So we wanted to do something different this year to show that we are different and that we have reinvented ourselves."

The panel consisted of Buck Busfield, artistic director of B Street Theatre; Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming for the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts; Linda Goodrich, chairwoman of the Sacramento State Dance Department; Molly Lynch, University of California at Irvine dance faculty member and artistic director of the National Choreography Institute; and Ruth Rosenberg, former artistic director of the Ruth Rosenberg Dance Company.

Seiwarts piece wowed the crowed and won the People's Choice Award, but stealing the show was Neenan with his interactive piece. Busfield praised Matthew Neenan's great use of space.

"I think (Matt's piece was) very economical and had great whimsey and fun to it," Busfield said. "And the use of space was incredible, you know, I thought they were going to pop up behind me."

The choreography of Neenan's piece, The Ratio, was tailored to the Crest Theatre. At one point in the performance, some of the male dancers leapt from the stage and stood next to the wall.

The dancers were off the stage as much as they were on.

Dancer Alexandra Cunningham said she enjoyed bringing to life the diversity of Neenan's piece.

"I really liked how Matt used the space. I really enjoyed how he utilized the curtains and the stage," she said. "And the movement is a little more of my style."

The winner of the competition was to receive a cash prize and a Tiffany's and Co. piece, courtesy of the jeweler in the Roseville Galleria.

The People's Choice Award, On The Frail Wings by Seiwarts, consisted of two movements. The first consisted of pairs showcasing modern moves, such as arabesque (leg extended back, with one arm extended forward and the other backward) and penchee (an extreme arabesque, with the dancer close to the ground).

In the second movement, dancer Roberto Cisneros dominated the stage, with other dancers in supporting roles.Panel judge Ruth Rosenberg said she appreciated the detail in Seiwart's piece.

"I did really like the look of Amy's piece, specially the lighting." she said. "I thought it was very strong for that dance, it really created a mood."

Ballet subscriber Paul LeBeouf said he enjoyed Seiwart's use of male dancers."It seems like the guys have really taken on a new level," he said. "My wife and I love modern ballet and modern dance, and we really liked her kind of format."

Seiwarts was a dancer with the Sacramento Ballet from 1991-99, and also danced with the Smuin Ballet and Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. She also has danced in a Kabaniaev ballet.

"I'm just so proud to be on a stage with both Viktor and Matt," she said. "I've known them both for so long and I respect them both so much."

Even though Kabaniaev didn't win an award, his piece, Almost a Story Ballet, was not overlooked. It involved many group grand jetes (long, horizontal jumps). Dancer Roy Gan praised the dance's freedom.

"Each piece had its own feeling and the dynamic and movement were very, very different in each," he said. "In Viktor's piece, I guess it expresses more freedom of movement for me."

Before each performance, the choreographers explained their dance background in a three-minute video interview that included short clips of the dancers during rehearsals.

The Oct. 24 performance will have a different panel of judges.

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the competitions.

For more information on Saturday's competition, visit www.sacballet.org/index.php/upcoming_events.Photos by: Nallelie Vega

"One Man Band" Release at Harlow's

2009-11-09T05:58:06Z

Local musician Ryan Hernandez blew away the audience at Harlow's on Saturday with his powerful vocals, acoustic guitar and passionate performance during his “One Man Band” CD release party.

A crowd of about 200 gave the 25-year-old a standing ovation during the release party.

Adrianne Harrel, who has been following his music for three years, said Hernandez adds a personal touch to his music.

“I really love his covers because it puts a little soul to the songs that you hear on the radio,” she said. “ I think he’s an amazing acoustic artist with broad talent beyond his years.”

"One Man Band," which was recorded in a month and a half, has 12 tracks with covers such as “Blackbird" by The Beatles and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Hernandez has been performing around Sacramento for the past five years in venues such as Thunder Valley and Bistro 33. He was featured in Sacramento Magazine’s Best of Sacramento Entertainment in 2008. “One Man Band” is his first CD.

“This CD I did mainly covers, ranging from like '70s to newer stuff and basically is kind of a play on the instruments that I can play,” Hernandez said.

He first became intrigued with music in the eighth grade while attending Natomas Charter School, a performing arts school. He first picked up the drums and then moved to guitar and vocals. And he kept expanding to a large range of instruments, including piano, base, organ and a variety of string instruments.

Hernandez said he tried to use all of his musical abilities in the CD, which he recorded with longtime friend local music engineer Jasynte Harris.

“I knew he deserved an opportunity to make it,” Harris said. “He’s extremely talented and he has a lot of patience and perseverance.”

Harris met Hernandez six years ago during an open-mic performance at a local bar.

He said Hernandez's musical abilities in that first performance impressed him, especially since Hernandez had no professional training.

“The thing with Ryan is his voice is so good that it’s hard to find someone with as good as voice as him without lessons, “ Harris said.

Hernandez said he expects to begin recording a second CD of his own music soon. ~~He said he plans to stay in the Sacramento area because of his following.~~

Kirstin Paulsen is happy to hear that.

“He’s a really good talent, I’ve been a follower for a couple of years,” she said. “And it’s great that the community is getting to hear how great his voice is.”

Photos by: Nallelie Vega

Higher Education Bill Suspended

2010-01-12T06:21:39Z

Assembly Bill 656, authored by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, was suspended after a second hearing at the Assembly Committee of Revenue and Taxation on Monday.

AB 656, proposing an oil and gas severance tax with revenue going to California's higher education system, was introduced last February and went through the first hearing in May, but the hearing was canceled by Torrico.

During the second hearing, Chairman Charles Calderon and the Revenue and Taxation Committee said they believed the bill needed further discussion and a possible decrease of the 12.5 percent tax rate originally proposed to a more reasonable 6 to 7 percent.

"The real truth here is the bill is going nowhere--it's not getting off the floor," Calderon said during the hearing. "Until we can function properly at the proper as constitutional form of government without these initiatives tying our hands in terms of what we can do and what we can't do, we are not going to solve that here today."

Calderon said he believed the bill would be more successful if the tax percentage was decreased by half. He said the bill was not meant to pin one group against another, but one group would benefit more.

During the hearing the opposition's presence overshadowed the proponents of the bill. The 30 supporters of the bill present at the hearing were no match for the 350 "red shirts," a nickname given by Calderon to the opposition because of their red "Save Our Jobs" shirts, who rallied and cheered outside.

Many of the opponents were from Kern County as well as Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties to name a few.

Among the sea of red was Assembly member Jean Fuller, 32nd Assembly District representative, who took the lead for the opposition. Fuller, whose district mainly consists of Kern County, including cities such as Bakersfield, Ridgecrest, Tehachapi, Taft and Kern River Valley, said AB 656 would greatly impact her district because many oil companies reside in those areas.

"Please understand there are areas of Bakersfield and Kern County that have unemployment rates as high as 30 percent," Fuller said, adding that 70 percent of oil companies in California are located in her district. "This bill would kill thousands of jobs in Kern County and other parts of the state. Today I learned, as (people) came up and told me all the places they were from, how devastating it would be."

She reputed Torrico's arguments regarding California being the only state producing oil without a severance tax by adding that if the bill passed, California would be the highest taxed state on oil extraction. She said even though California does not have a severance tax, many of the other states producing oil, such as Texas and Alaska, don't have high corporate taxes, like California.

She said focusing on one industry and putting the burden on that industry to fix the problems in higher education was unreasonable.

But Torrico and supporters of the bill disagreed. He said the bill was not meant to target small businesses but larger oil corporations, such as Shell and Cheveron. He said more than 70 percent of oil extraction businesses are run by bigger oil companies.

"I am not prepared today to talk to you about reducing the percentage, but I am prepared as we go forward to talk about added protection to small businesses because I think that was the focus of the testimonials today," Torrico said, adding that the bill has made an exemption for stripper wells, oil or gas wells that only produce up to 10 barrels a day for any 12-month period. Stripper wells are mainly owned by smaller companies.

He said the bill isn't intended to hurt small businesses, it's meant to improve higher education. Torrico said California should stop overlooking students because they are the future of the state.

Robert Torres, President and CEO of Associated Students Inc. at Sacramento State, agreed.

He said many California graduates in professions, such as teaching, criminal justice and nursing, went through the public school system of higher education.

"This bill is a solution to investing in higher ed--to ensuring that California's future is bright." he said. "The CSU alone is the economic drive for California, along with the UC's and community colleges. Investing in CSU is investing in California."

Proponents of the bill also addressed the lack of support during the hearing. Torrico said the committee should not overlook the lack of attendance from supporters.

"We have collected 50,000 signatures in support of this bill," he said. "Obviously there isn't 50,000 people here, but we have 50,000 supporters of this measure," he said.

The committee is due back to deliberate the suspended file within the next month.

For more information about the bill, visit leginfo.ca.gov.