Sacramento Entertainment

Topical Thursday: Local artists offer weekly work

2009-04-27T02:42:39Z

Sacramento artists of all sorts have been asked by Richard St. Ofle and Jesse Vasquez to contribute to a weekly "participatory art project" on their new blog, "Topical Thursday."

On "Topical Thursday," Sacramento's most creative are asked to consider a topic and contribute their interpretation, in whatever form they choose, to the blog. According to St. Ofle, the contributors will be "mostly artists, but also writers as well . . . we wanted to limit it to people who do something creative, but not just visual art."

St. Ofle and Vasquez, themselves artists, reveal a new topic every Thursday, as the blog's name implies.

Past topics have included "guilty pleasures" and "secrets." Upcoming topics are: the American way, color, and the Mark Twain quote referencing "Lies, damn lies, and statistics." Says St. Ofle about the topics, "we want to keep them loose enough to be interpreted, or misinterpreted, but also thought-stimulating . . . we would never have a topic about grocery stores, we try to keep in the abstract."

“It was important for us,” says St. Ofle, “to create a format that kind of showcases a lot of our friends’ work on a week-to-week basis — we have friends that put together these incredible art shows, and then you don’t see anything from them again for six months, and this is a way of breaking that feast/famine cycle of good art.”

The blog is designed both to promote local artists and to serve as a creative exercise to produce ideas. Contributions have been made in written stories, drawings, photography, and links to websites, videos, and articles online.

St. Ofle said the artists' responses to his requests have been overwhelmingly positive. "I think people like that kind of brain exercise, doing something you wouldn't have picked for yourself."

For interested readers, Topical Thursday can be found here.

Asha Yoga: Alive and Well

2009-04-21T02:11:23Z

20th Street's Mars Complex has been the location for a lot of recent development, with restaurants, bars, yogurt shops, and now Sacramento's newest yoga studio, Asha Yoga.

Asha Yoga is owned and operated by Cori Martinez and Maureen Guildersleeve, two relatively newcomers to the area and longtime yoga practitioners who say they plan to make Asha Yoga into a public space and center for community, not just a yoga studio.

Before moving to Sacramento three years ago, Martinez lived in Hawaii, where she established and taught at her first yoga studio, Yoga Centered. She says that she saw the space Asha Yoga now occupies four months ago, shortly before meeting her business partner Guildersleeve, and immediately began preparing to open the studio. "It's easier to go faster when you've done it before, and you know all the steps," says Martinez about the speed with which Asha has been established.

Not just a studio, Asha is also a boutique store carrying a variety of clothes and yoga accessories, all of which are produced in "environmentally and socially conscious" fashions. Martinez jokes that the boutique is a way to "justify" keeping the space open all day, allowing for people to wander in and out and chat with the teachers or other students.

"We're pretty confident that we're creating something here that people want to be a part of,” Martinez says. “Even if you're not coming to yoga you can stop in and remind yourself about your yoga practice, ask questions, look around."

The space, designed by architect Catherine Reon of CRCW studio, was designed to create a sense of tranquility and richness through the use of materials like raw pine and dark bamboo. Much of the original concrete has been left in its natural state, and large lanterns illuminate the studio. The result is welcoming, grounding, and light.

Martinez says that Asha's motto, "Ancient wisdom, modern practice," is emblematic of the "blending" of knowledge and practices from classical yoga with the realities of modern life. "Most of us can't spend 10 hours a day meditating in a cave."

The classes offered at Asha are geared toward all skill levels, but are designed to be accessible to newcomers. The classes are divided between dynamic, balanced, and mellow yogi, names that are designed to be descriptive without using Sanskrit words that might discourage beginners.

Despite having opened only three weeks ago, classes at Asha are already attracting students, with most class sizes falling between five and 20 people. Martinez attributes the quick growth to a combination of extensive word-of-mouth advertising and the publicity generated by hosting several Second Saturday open houses in the months before the studio's official opening.

Martinez says that Asha will continue to host Second Saturday events, as part of their efforts to be a visible part of the Sacramento community.

Readers interested in class schedules and other information about Asha Yoga can visit ashayoga.com to learn more. Asha Yoga is located at 1050 20th Street, suite #110.

An Autumn Sky in springtime

2009-04-13T04:55:25Z

Luigi's Fungarden on 20th Street will be playing host to an album release party for one of Sacramento's homegrown songstresses, Autumn Sky, Friday, April 24. Also on the bill are The Early States and Adrian Bourgeois.

Autumn Sky (whose lyrical name is, amazingly, not a pseudonym) has been working on her first album, entitled All Which Isn't Singing, since 2007, and its release on the 24th will be the latest milestone in a lifelong musical journey. Sky can boast of having danced with Santa Barbara alt-rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket while still a toddler, proficiency with 14 instruments, and an appearance on NPR Sacramento's Insight program.

It would be easy to describe Sky's music as folk-pop and leave it at that, and indeed the melodic guitars and Sky's almost-warbled vocals are reminiscent of a host of acts painted with that brush, but there is a wry sense of humor and self-awareness in many of her songs that warrant a second, or even third, look.

In a live performance this humor is even more visible – in Sky's banter with the audience and in her self-deprecating introductions to her songs.

"I have a really big John Denver fetish," she confesses before launching into a cover of Leaving On A Jet Plane.

In addition to her album release show at Luigi's, Sky will be appearing on KDVS radio's Cool as Folk program on the 17th, and on the 22nd, she will appear at both CSUS, for a music video fundraiser, and return to NPR's Insight for a performance/interview.

Her MySpace page features several of her songs, as well as more information about show times.

Hidden in plain sight: my favorite lunch spot

2009-04-07T00:20:15Z

Bon Air is right on the corner of 26th and J Streets. You might miss it, because it looks just like a teeny little corner market where you would go to buy a pack of cigarettes or Brillo pads or candy bars – not the location of a deli so good I moved down the street to be closer to it. On the side of the building there's a giant mural of a really parched guy chugging what looks like a bottle of Snapple, which is pretty cool. If you or your friends like to take pictures and be photographers, you can't really beat a thirsty giant leering behind you while you pose.

Inside this unassuming building, some of the best sandwiches in downtown Sacramento await you.

Maybe you like your sandwiches with a dab of mayonnaise or with mustard applied sparingly. Maybe you only put one slice of turkey and one pickle in between the bread. Maybe you don't even need napkins to clean up once you've finished.

If this sounds like you, beware of Bon Air Market's sandwiches. Their sandwiches are loaded with toppings - so much so that you will probably need to shower afterwards, because, well, stuff will spill out. And after it spills out, you'll pick it up with your fingers and eat it anyway. Because if you're into sandwiches so filled with toppings and other stuff so that 'oozing' is an apt description, you've pretty much found your lunch spot.

There are a few tables set up inside, but I generally use the streetside tables when I indulge in one of their sandwiches.

There are more than 40 different varieties to choose from, 36 of which have illustrated placards bearing their name with a really neat picture. The faces of Marilyn Monroe, Richard Nixon and Homer Simpson stare back at you as you read the menu, advertising the sandwiches named Some Like it Hot, Watergate, and the Ding-A-Ling. There are several vegetarian choices on the menu as well, so if you don't want to have a pile of turkey or roast beef you can choose from avocados, sunflower seeds, and other green options.

Once you've ordered your sandwich, you pick out the bread and the cheese, make other customizations, it’s just a few seconds and "Bam!" – there's your sandwich. The workers are pretty quick, which comes in handy during the lunch rush, when the line extends out of the market and onto J Street.

Speaking of lunch, Bon Air is pretty strictly a lunchtime establishment. The deli closes at 4:00 on weekdays, and 3:00 on Saturdays, which rules it out unless you work downtown

Prices are pretty reasonable for the sheer amount of food you get, with most sandwiches running around $4. There is a special, which changes daily, if you want to save 75 cents. It's actually kind of bad, because I get full about halfway through the sandwich, but I keep eating because it just tastes so good. So I end up spending the next few hours feeling unpleasantly full and kind of dizzy.

Bon Air is not haute cuisine. If you're into simple sandwich fare and a ton of condiments slathered on your toppings however, Bon Air is definitely the way to go.

Reviewed: As Bees in Honey Drown

2009-03-15T23:36:03Z

If you had to sleep with one of the Three Stooges, which would it be? And what would your answer reveal about you? Sacramento's own Lambda Players graciously provide the answer in their production of Douglas Carter Beane's As Bees in Honey Drown.

Alexa Vere de Vere (played here by Kristen Wagner), a glamorous and mysterious woman with a seemingly inexhaustible Rolodex, poses the aforementioned Larry-Curly-Moe conundrum early in the play to Evan Wyler (Matthew Abergel), a writer newly “discovered” by New York's literary elite. Vere de Vere contracts Wyler to write a screenplay based on her terribly exciting and exotic life, and drama ensues.

Wagner's Vere de Vere is an affected, just-barely-over-the-top amalgam of Holly Golightly, Sally Bowles, and nearly every other leading lady of Hollywood's Golden Age. She tosses “darling” and “lamb” about as if she had just stepped out of a prohibition-era speakeasy — and it works perfectly here. Even her haircut evokes a certain “Liza with a Z” feel that will cause some patrons to go home and dig up copies of Cabaret and New York, New York.

Aside from Vere de Vere, much of the play has references, both subtle and obvious, to campy movies, plays, and other cultural touchstones. However, audience members do not need knowledge of this background to enjoy the play, so feel free to bring the straightest man you know — Bees doesn't restrict itself to a tiny niche audience.

The space in which Bees is performed is rather small, but manages to avoid feeling cramped. The sets are spare and minimal, keeping attention focused on the actors and forgoing gaudy detail. Director Bob Cooner choreographs his actors proficiently, and the end result is a performance space which feels bigger than it is.

Community theatre is often the subject of jokes and scorn, but the Lambda players have definitely put together a solid production. An evening spent at the Studio Theatre watching As Bees in Honey Drown is not a wasted one

As Bees in Honey Drown is playing at the Studio Theatre, 1028 R Street, from March 13 to April 18. For tickets and reservations, visit lambdaplayers.com. In recognition of the recession, the Lambda Players are reducing the price of all tickets to $13.

Folk musicians grace Marilyn's on K

2009-02-24T07:05:34Z

"Girl meets girl. Girl becomes boy. Girl and boy become a band," and this Wednesday, that band will play in Sacramento, at Marilyn's on K street. Sacramento native Joe Stevens and his partner Ingrid Elizabeth are two halves of the folk/routes duo Coyote Grace.

Stevens and Elizabeth formed Coyote Grace after spending several years playing music together in Seattle, where Stevens attended Cornish College of the Arts. They released their first album, Boxes and Bags, in 2006, and soon after embarked on an 11-month, 37-state tour to promote it.

The pair traveled in a 1978 Chevy RV, affectionately named "Harvey the RV," playing music wherever they could and living the lives of modern-day troubadours, with all the advantages and disadvantages that entails.

"We didn't know too many people out there(in the south),” Stevens said, “so we spent a lot of time just rolling around, looking for places to stop and pee, and played music on the side of the road when we could."

Coyote Grace's appearance at Marilyn's is part of a larger tour to promote their new album, Ear to the Ground. The group will be touring California and the Southwest over the next few months, with a larger loop across the United States planned for the summer.

"That's just sort of what we've been doing for the last couple years," Steven said of the album's title, "we've been with our ear to the ground, looking for our next place is to lay down some roots. We've since settled a little bit, put down some roots in Sonoma County and Santa Rosa, but we're still on the road a lot of the time, so the title of the album sort of speaks to that."

Stevens' own roots are deeply musical. His father and grandfather were both studio singers, while his mother taught children's choir for most of Stevens' his life. "There's been music all over my life, and I'm appreciative of that," he said.

Although he grew up in Sacramento's Greenhaven neighborhood, Stevens has not lived in Sacramento since the age of 15.

"I actually haven't spent too much time out in the scene or anything. We've done some shows in town, but mostly if we're here it means we're resting after a long tour, so we haven't been around too much," he said. He went on to say that it was nice to return to Sacramento as a new person, and reacquaint himself with the town.

When asked about the group's "Girl becomes Boy" history, Stevens explained: "It's definitely part of our story. I am trans, and that means that I was born female, and when Ingrid and I first met, I was still female.

"When we started playing music together then, it was a little bit of a different setup - two sopranos. About six months in, I realized that there was something I had to take care of, and I transitioned to male. And we continued to play music together, and we recorded a CD, and that's the story."

While Coyote Grace is associated with several LGBT organizations and events, Stevens said he is happy to play music across cultural lines. "I don't mind being associated at all with my roots or where they come from. But I'm finding myself much more now a musician first, and a transguy second."

Coyote Grace's music and tour schedule can be found on their website. Fans can also find them on Facebook and MySpace. Their first album, Boxes and Bags, can be purchased on iTunes. Their Sacramento show is on Wednesday, Feb. 25th, at Marilyn's on K. The show starts at 8:00.

Bollywood at the Crest

2009-02-18T05:15:12Z

Valentine's Day conjures images of roses, chocolate, and flowers... but elaborately choreographed song-and-dance numbers? Absolutely -- if you spent the evening at the Crest Theatre's Valentines Day Mega Bollywood Show.

The show featured Jeffrey Iqbal and Darshana Menon, winners of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2008, a musical talent competition popular in India and broadcast around the world on satellite TV. Iqbal and Menon performed songs both together and separately. They encouraged audience participation, at one point leaving the stage briefly to dance with the audience.

The songs were sung in Hindi, but between songs the performers and announcers talked to the audience in a mixture of Hindi and English. Menon also performed a brief song in French, as well. The language barrier was negligible, however, with the energetic and infectiously fun atmosphere needing no translation.

Audience members sang along, clapped their hands, and danced in the aisles and in front of the stage.

"We're going to start off with a song about the flavor of love," said Menon, as she took the stage. It's a safe bet that she wasn't talking about VH1's reality dating show - Bollywood, like any art form, has been changing and evolving for all of its history, but it has kept true to its roots in traditional Indian drama and literature.

Much of the audience was composed of families, with young children sitting next to their parents and grandparents.

According to Crest Theatre staff, the audience, which filled approximately three-fourths of the Crest's main theater, was "smaller than expected, probably because of Valentine's day, and the Amgen race."

The evening's mood was mostly upbeat and happy, but at one point the ongoing economic recession did have an influence. A young girl in the audience repeatedly admonished her father against buying refreshments from the Crest's concession stand, saying "Dad! We can't afford that! The economy is too bad!" Despite this singular case of terribly adorable worry, the show went on.

Love on the cheap

2009-02-13T00:45:56Z

Buffcastle, one of midtown's newest boutiques, is hosting an evening of speed dating, live music and unlimited wine for everyone who finds themselves sans sweetheart this Valentine's day. Says owner Liz Liles, "everyone's gonna be in love."

Festivities will take place in the courtyard behind the Buffcastle shop. The normally empty courtyard will be filled with tables, and the dates will be timed and limited to three minutes each. Liles has also dedicated an unused area of her shop as a "kissing corner." New couples can take advantage of a photobooth to document their first date.

Dating will commence at six in the evening, this saturday. Live music will begin at eight. Buffcastle is located at 1115 21st street, in between K and L streets. Admission is two dollars per person.

Short Shorts at the Crest Theater

2009-02-06T00:57:26Z

Looking for octopi, out-of-body experiences, and a romance that takes place entirely in a public restroom? You'll find them in some of 2009's Oscar-nominated short films, which will be showing at the Crest Theater from the sixth to the twelfth of February.

Ten animated and five live-action short films are being presented, with entries from all around the world. The live-action and animated films are being shown on different programs, with each program requiring a separate ticket for admission. In addition to the five Oscar-nominated animated films, five "Commendable" films are also being shown on the animated program.

Many of the films have already gotten critical acclaim, among them "Oktapodi," an animated short by the French Director Julien Bocabeille, which follows two octopi as they attempt to escape from a restauranteur, and "New Boy," a live-action short by Irish Director Steph Green, an adaptation of a short story about a nine year old African refugee named Joseph experiencing his first day of school in Ireland.

The Crest Theater is located at 1013 K street, with parking available in the garage on 10th and L streets. Movie times and other information on the Crest's upcoming events can be found by calling (916) 442-7378 or by visiting the Theater's website.

Will any readers be attending? Does anyone have a story or opinion about the Crest or any of the short films playing?

Science Comedy: It's Infectious!

2009-01-22T02:12:42Z

"I'm not a doctor, although I do play one in the broken dreams of my parents." So says Brian Malow, a Bay Area-based comic and "day shift astronomer". Combining a sharp but down-to-earth sense of humor with a subject matter that ranges from the bottom of the ocean to the farthest reaches of the universe, Malow is "Earth's premier science comedian," and this Thursday he can be seen at Sacramento's very own Punch Line comedy club.

Although he has performed many times before in Sacramento as part of a standard three or four person bill, January 22nd marks the first time Malow will bring his full show, "Rational Comedy For An Irrational World." While local comedian Kieth Lowell Jensen will provide an opening act, the show is mostly Malow, and will be followed by a Q&A session, where Malow takes questions from the audience on "anything they want to ask... and I do my best to answer them and be funny."

While his material covers topics like quantum physics and time travel, a doctorate is not necessary to enjoy Malow's shows. He describes himself as an "enthusiast" and an "educated amateur," and says that most of his audiences are people just like him: Average people who happen to have a passion for science. Malow does perform for all-scientist groups however, and says that on those occasions "I can speak exactly the way I want to speak. Make the geeky references I naturally make and the crowd is in perfect sync with me. We're on the same wavelength."

Malow has been a stand up comedian for years, and says "the science was always there in my regular club act. But I always had a few bits that I knew were too obscure for typical comedy club audiences." As his act progressed, he realized that the bits he regularly omitted were his favorite jokes, and decided to begin billing himself as a science comedian and started seeking out performances for science organizations.

Malow has performed for a diverse cross-section of groups, ranging from colleges like Stanford University and Modesto Junior College, to corporate events with Apple, Microsoft, and Texaco. He has also appeared on TechTV, the Discovery Channel, and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Several Science-Advocacy groups count Brian Malow among their members. He is on the advisory board of the San Diego Science Festival, and he is also currently working with the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) which is making a massive nationwide effort this year to promote science this year, involving over 500 organizations.

Clips of Malow's comedy can be found here, and his website and blog can be found here.

Malow will be appearing at the Punch Line comedy club on January 22nd, at 8:30.