Music and Art Performances

Britney Spears does it again on Femme Fatale World Tour

2011-06-18T06:37:52Z

What do fireworks, whips, chains and a pink convertible with a stripper pole all have in common?

Britney Spears’ Femme Fatale World Tour, naturally.

Spears pulled out all the stops Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion during the sold-out first performance on her 56-show tour.

While backstage minutes before showtime, Spears expressed her excitement over the start of her tour to her Facebook fans:

“It’s opening night BITCH!!!!!!!!”

The tour’s opener, up-and-coming female rapper Nicki Minaj, set the action-packed tone for the evening with a shoot-out scene opposite a ninja-like character. Minaj set the wardrobe bar high, donning a platinum blond wig, neon green shoes and black spandex with PVC-like detailing a la Lady Gaga.

She revved up the crowd’s energy with “Save Me” and “Moment for Life,” along with Young Money’s “Bed Rock.”

The audience vocalized their approval for Minaj’s spitfire rhymes but anxiously awaited Spears’ entrance. Near-hysteria broke out when Spears finally took the stage. The mostly female crowd erupted in deafening screams that sounded more like an audience of middle-schoolers at a Justin Bieber concert.

Her 22-song set pleased old and new die-hard fans alike. The show opened and closed with current hits, “Hold It Against Me” and “Till the World Ends” respectively and was sprinkled with classics like “...Baby One More Time,” “Toxic” and “Womanizer.”

Lesser-known but well-received was the body-thumping and appropriately titled single “Big Fat Bass” and the exclusive “Up N’ Down” from the deluxe version of her album “Femme Fatale.”

In typical Spears fashion, the flawless choreography and barely there wardrobe oozed sexuality throughout the entire show. Her costumes left little to the imagination, with bedazzled bras and panties-a-plenty, rear end-skimming cut-off shorts and a plethora of sequins and lace.

To allow Spears time for her multiple wardrobe changes, a film series played intermittently between the sets. In the short videos, a stalker-like character spies on Spears’ alter-egos through surveillance cameras. She outsmarts her would-be captor in perfect timing for her next song.

During “I’m a Slave 4 U,” a nipple-clamped “slave” (presumably the stalker) donning a ball, gag and other bondage gear, was whipped and tortured in a naughty video montage on the big screen.

Spears’ set designer clearly worked overtime preparing over-the-top props and stage effects for the tour. Along with smoke and lights, a swing hoisted Spears into the air and a people-mover created a floating effect. An oversized guitar and speakers fit for King Kong, motorcycles and pyrotechnics completed the visual ecstasy.

Spears ended the night by inviting pre-selected fans onstage to dance. With fireworks in the background and confetti cannons showering the audience, the jaw-dropping show ended with club hit “Till the World Ends.”

On a high from a successful tour kick-off performance, Spears posted another status after the show:

“Can't sleep. WAY too much adrenaline right now. Sacramento was on fire tonight...!”

A decade after her first hit, Spears is still on fire too. She did it again.

Spears will tour the United States until her Raleigh, N.C., show on Aug. 25. She will take a month-long break before heading to Europe, ending the tour in Portugal on Nov. 9.

Photo credit: Randy Miramontez, Randy's Fine Art Photography

Country in the Park full of great music, low on beer

2010-09-02T01:28:17Z

It was a sea of cut-off shorts, cowboy hats, and overalls at Capitol Mall on Sunday afternoon for Country in the Park 2010.

KNCI 105.1 managed to turn the intersection on Capitol Mall and Fifth Streets into a country music venue for the day. The gated-off intersection was filled with an estimated 11,000-12,000 country music fans, making this year one of the biggest in it’s 11-year existence, according to Mark Evans, program director at KHTK and KNCI Sacramento.

Due to budget cuts Gibson Ranch, where the concert is normally held, was unable to rent out the park to KNCI this year.

The singing of the national anthem and “God Bless America” with help from the crowd kicked off the day on a high and patriotic note.

Whiskey Dawn took the stage first, setting the bar high for an impressive lineup of talented country stars. Others included Sunny Sweeney, Eli Young Band, Jack Ingram and Dierks Bentley.

The day was close to perfect except for a minor upset when the beer taps ran dry about an hour before Bentley took the stage.

As part of the deal to hold the event downtown this year, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau ran and kept all proceeds from alcohol sales.

“I know they had planned on a bigger supply than had been gone through in previous years, but (for whatever reason), it was an enormous beer-drinking crowd that showed up,” Evans said.

Alcohol tickets were sold in advance at different booths than where the alcohol was actually served, and many people purchased multiple tickets to avoid waiting in lengthy lines.

“How is it possible to run out of beer at a country concert, of all places?” asked one concert attendee, Karley Spaulding, referring to country songs’ constant references to drinking.

While refunds were offered to those who still had tickets in hand, many decided the lines were too long, and some even left before Bentley took the stage. As some vocalized their frustration, security guards braced themselves in front of each booth that served alcohol in case anyone became unruly.

Despite the upset, the show continued, and the true country fans stayed for the reason they came: the music.

Fans went wild when Ingram joined Bentley onstage for an impromptu duet, and their love for Bentley was obvious as the cheers grew louder with every song.

Bentley belted out his catchy hits like “All my exes live in Texas,” “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do” and “Every Mile a Memory.”

He won over the crowd’s hearts, saying, “The prettiest girls are in California! Put that in my Wikepedia!”

Bentley drove the crowd even more crazy when he proclaimed, “I love me some Old Sac!”

The love was mutual.

Photos taken by Kati Garner

Steve Miller Band draws fans of all ages to Raley Field

2010-07-21T19:45:58Z

Raley Field was packed with around 6,000 Steven Miller Band fans Saturday night. Some lifelong fans, some who’ve adopted their penchants for classic rock from their parents, and all ready to rock.

"[Steve] put on a good show. I did not start listening to his music until I was in college, which was not too long ago, and it just goes to show how music (and the national debt) can span across generations,” said Ron Rosenberg, who frequents many a concert at Raley Field.

Young, old, and everything in between gathered to welcome Steve Miller Band to Sacramento on its first visit to the region since 2000.

While expectations of the band’ return to Sactown were high, the energy was pretty underwhelming, and the crowd got off to a slow start despite opening with classics like “Jet Airliner” and ”Take the Money and Run.”

Fans were mellow still when songs from their newly-released blues album “Bingo” were sampled, and the cheers and applause seemed like more of a courtesy from the ho-hum crowd.

Fortunately, by the end of the night Miller, and his men picked the energy up a couple notches and classic rock concert antics were in full effect. This might have had something to do with “Space Cowboy,” “Abracadabra,” and, of course, “Joker.”

The unexpected star of the evening was high school freshman and extremely talented Dillon Brown from Corona, Calif., who jammed alongside Miller and his crew for “Fly Like an Eagle” and (after much begging from the crowd) an encore of “Jungle Love.” The crowd went crazy for the talented Brown, who who had no problem keeping up with the band.

Brown is a participant in the “Kids Rock Free” program, establish by the Fender Center.

Miller took the opportunity in between sets to promote the program, which provides free and low-cost musical education to children ages 7 up to 17 and also tell stories about lost guitars and other anecdotes that left the crowd a little lost.

In the end, it seemed like the only thing that drove the crowd mad and made them crazy was the lack of consistent enthusiasm from the band. Better luck next decade?

Photo credit: Michael Althouse, http://overflowstuff.blogspot.com/ and http://25yearplan.blogspot.com

Second Saturday to welcome new gallery space

2009-10-09T05:06:25Z

Get ready Second Saturday, there’s a new gallery in town.

Bridge to Art, KLSC Studio and AIM HIGHER are coming together on Second Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of a 10,000-square-foot collaborative gallery, the “U20 Artist Studio Club”.

“With this particular location at U and 20 streets, you can truly have it all: great artworks in huge spaces, free parking, very good restaurants, easy freeway access and no mobbed congestion feeling. We call it a breathable fine art experience,” said Kevin Santos-Coy of KLSC Studio.

The daylong celebration will feature live music, art from children's group "KidzArt" and more than 200 original landscape, abstract, figurative and architecture paintings.

To raise money for breast cancer awareness, an artist will be creating a cast sculpture of a model that will later be donated. Glass, turned wood, and already-created body casts will also be on display.

The music will span the genres, with a lineup including Todd Morgan and The Emblems (Swing and Bebop), Luanne Trainor (harp), AIM Higher Jazz Ensemble, DJ Casper K and others.

AIM HIGHER, a service provider to adults with disabilities, offers fine arts classes by art professors. Works created by some of AIM’s clients will be displayed on Saturday.

The studio club is part of the larger “Expanding Sphere Project,” (ESP) which Santos-Coy describes as “ a concept designed to begin the process of identifying walkable microcosms outside the epicenter of Second Saturday art locations.”

Bridge to Art regularly partners with art-oriented individuals, groups and organizations to raise money for the arts, educate and help promote local artists.

When the owner of the building, which previously housed a dance studio, learned of Bridge to Art’s mission from Santos-Coy, she proposed collaborating on a project that’s art-oriented and benefits the community. From that collaboration, ESP and U20 were created.

Santos-Coy hopes to continue expanding the sphere of art beyond just Midtown with future ESP events.

One of the project’s goals is to encourage attendees to make more regional art tours beyond Midtown.

The project also will focus on developing the area around U20 as well as bridging relationships with the art community in the five blocks surrounding the space. This includes Verge Artist Collective, Gale Hart Studio, Mickey Abbey Stained Glass and others.

Two hundred to 300 people are expected to view the studio throughout the celebration.

“The most exciting part of opening exhibition night is seeing the community gather and sometimes overhearing the intelligent conversations that the arts evoke, often between people whom have never met before,” Santos-Coy said.

In addition to art and music, food and drinks will be provided by Jasmine Mediterranean Cafe.

The event is free but tips for the musicians and donations are encouraged. All donations will go to the artists and future exhibitions.

The grand opening celebration will be from 2 p.m. until 9.

U20 Artists Studio is at 1925 U St.

'Altar Boyz' harmonize in comedy

2009-07-16T06:30:50Z

Move over, Jonas Brothers. There’s a new boy-band in town and they’re determined to save the souls of Sacramentans.

The off-Broadway musical hit "Altar Boyz" opened last Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Pavilion and kept the audience laughing and toe-tapping the entire 90 minutes.

The comedic story of five Catholic boy-band members, as passionate about saving souls as they are about their clothes being glitzy, will run through Sunday.

The group leader Matthew (Devin DeSantis), "sensitive" Mark (Jamison Scott), street-smart Luke (Ryan Nearhoff), "Latin lover" Juan (Andres Quintero) and the Jewish, yarmulke-sporting Abraham (Tim Dolan) are a talented cast that keep the audience laughing, line after line.

Using the "Sony DX 12 Soul Sensor," the boys attempt to sing and dance their way to salvation of the 999 souls in the audience that need it. The numbers fluctuate throughout the musical until it’s down to four and the boys struggle to save the final few as well as keep their group together despite solo offers.

The audience is invited to join in the action, too. In the Pavilion’s courtyard, ticket holders are invited to confess their sins on an index card. During a "confession session," the boys read several sins out loud and attempt to absolve them with humorous solutions and naughty double entendres.

Juan helps one audience member who covets her neighbor's ass (donkey) by suggesting she feed it a carrot in hopes that she might be allowed to pet or even ride it. Luke tells another that although his girlfriend might be "Mary Magdelicious," he should save his virginity for later.

The audience can’t help but clap their hands to the rhythm of catchy lyrics like "Who needs a G-E-D? I got my B-I-B-L-E!" and songs like "Jesus Called me on my Cell Phone." But don’t worry, the Altar Boyz reassure, they didn’t incur any roaming charges.

The boys make light of religious topics with pop-culture references abounding, discussing Lethal Weapon and Luke checking into rehab for "exhaustion," and subtly poke fun at boy-banders with over-the-top dance performances (conga line, anyone?) and serenading.

The somewhat-flamboyant Mark tells the audience of his struggle growing up and feeling different while being harassed by "thuggish Episcopalians." The audience is ready for a confession of his sexuality when he admits to an entirely unexpected confession.

Audience members of all faiths can appreciate the lightheartedness of the religious-themed musical, and comedy aside, the cast are more than talented in the vocal and acting departments. Dolan, Quintero and DeSantis have all held roles in various tours of "Altar Boyz."

Photos courtesy of California Musical Theatre and Charr Crail.

Altar Boyz taking stage for comedy-packed musical

2009-07-13T04:22:42Z

The longest-running musical to hit New York stages in years is coming to the California Music Theatre.

Opening Tuesday for one week only, the "Altar Boyz" are ready to serenade the audience and entertain Sacramento for 90 minutes of high energy comedy.

Based on the book by Kevin Del Aguila, the musical comedy tells the story of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham, five small-town Catholic boys hoping to make it big in the musical world.

After playing for bingo halls and youth groups, the boy band sets its sights on New York. The ups and downs of their journey are told through a series of songs, dance routines and hold-your-stomach hilarious scenes.

“I think the show is funny because it exposes some of the ‘idol worship’ the public places on pop bands. It is also very cleverly written,” said Chris Bower, director of marketing and pubic relations for California Musical Theatre.

The all-star cast members are sure to please with three actors from previous “Altar Boyz” productions and Jamison Scott (Mark) from the recent Broadway revival of “Grease.” Devin DeSantis (Matthew), Andres Quinero (Juan) and Tim Dolan (Abraham) have all held roles in productions of the musical in the past.

Songs like "Girl you Make Me Wanna Wait" and "Jesus Called me on my Cell Phone" make light of sometimes-serious religious topics as well as poke fun at boy bands all in good fun.

The musical comedy first debuted in September 2004 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and since opening off Broadway in 2005 has crossed the country and made its way as far as Korea and Hungary.

"Altar Boyz" has won prestigious awards such as the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and the Broadway.com Audience Favorite Award in 2006 and 2007.

While final ticket sales have not been determined yet, Bower predicts that around 1,600 will be in the audience on opening night.

Tickets can be purchased at Wells Fargo Pavilion, online at www.sacramentomusiccircus.com or by calling (916) 557-1999.

Showtimes are 8 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, and at 2 p.m. matinees Thursday and Saturday.

The Wells Fargo Pavilion is located at 1419 H St.

Ticket prices are as follows:

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Sunday Evenings: $50
Thursday Matinee: $41
Saturday Matinee: $50
Friday/Saturday Evenings: $53

Images are courtesy of California Music Theatre

Alley is 'field of dreams' for Second Saturday artists

2009-07-10T03:12:56Z

If you're planning out your stops for the upcoming Second Saturday Art Walk, head for the alley in the center of 18th and 19th Streets and I and J.

From 6 -10 p.m., BridgetoArt.com, KLSC Studios and Doolittle Properties are packing a musical and art overload into the open space.

The idea for the festival was first conceived when longtime high school friends Kevin Santos-Coy of Bridge to Art and KLSC and Jeffrey Doolitte of Doolittle Properties met at Weatherstone Coffee about a year and a half ago. The conversation turned to the congestion of the streets and how nice it would be to have an open area for artists to perform.

Inspired, Doolittle immediately offered up his own back lot. After Doolittle reassured Santos-Coy that he knew what he was getting into, he went to work planning the first Alley Arts Festival, held in May 2008.

"After looking at it, and envisioning the 'field of dreams,' I realized that we could have it all.., a comfortable space for artists to self-represent themselves, some installation art, performance art, a live paint wall and live music stage," Santos-Coy said.

The first festival, held in May 2008, was a sort of practice run, and Santos-Coy kept it small due to permits and prohibitions.

Since then, musical artists from all genres and skill levels have rocked the alley. Santos-Coy has hosted Reggae group Double Lion Band, solo rock guitarist Ruben Lopez, folk rock singer Brian Ballentine and spoken-word group FuhShang! among many others.

Santos-Coy, who is also the music coordinator for Midtown's Jasmine Cafe, gives all artists a chance to voice their artistic messages through whichever medium they choose. One recent artist he invited is Ana Candioti, an Argentinean who has been hired by governments to document nomadic native people while living among them. Other past artists have included aerosol artist "Fondle" and the OD Brothers, who brought their 1960 army truck that's been converted into a large boom box and painted like a love bug.

Saturday's live-music guest of honor will be Sacramento's Stereo Earth, a group Santos-Coy likens to a marriage between Bob Marley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also performing will be Sonata Malay singing her "super sexy and sultry Motown-sounding" originals and guitarist Ruben Lopez.

While the musicians take the stage, art-lovers can peruse and purchase works from 12 different artists.

"By meeting the artist at Alley Art's 'pop mart,' collectors are able to meet, greet and deal directly with the artist. I believe this process, although unconventional, provides the highest level of empowerment to esteem and create confidence in the artist’s development in a casual, fun environment ," Santos-Coy explained.

If that's not enough art and music, The Sacramento Drum Circle will be putting on a free two-hour performance. If onlookers are inspired to join the beat themselves, the group gathers every Sunday at McKinley Park.

The Alley Arts Festival will be held monthly and continue until October, culminating with a final altar installation exhibition honoring ancestors.

The festival is free and all ages are welcome to attend.

Santos-Coy described his goal for Sacramento. "My charge is to have Sacramento compete with Paris, New York, L.A. and S.F. when it comes to the arts"

Weekend jazz festival flows down Broadway

2009-06-29T02:04:12Z

The second annual In the Flow jazz festival brought music and art fans out to Broadway's hub with more than 30 bands, poetry readings and live painting.

For $20, ticket holders were given wristbands that allowed entrance into all of the weekend's shows, which spanned five different venues along Broadway. For those who weren't wearing wristbands, several free performances were hosted at Records, Java Lounge and Records.

The back-to-back schedules at the venues allowed for a constant stream of activity, and if ticket holders didn’t like one performance, they could walk down the street to the next one.

The goal of the festival was to "showcase all of the different kinds of jazz you'll find in the area...not smooth jazz though....yikes," said Ross Hammond, who was the weekend's main coordinator and also a co-founder of the festival.

Hammond, himself a jazz musician, made an appearance with Vinny Golia on Saturday at Beatnik. He said that there is a huge jazz scene in Sacramento and the festival is a way to make people aware of the artists' presence.

“It was really hot, but the people were fun and I liked that there were so many performances to choose from,” said Mathew Zvonicek, who attended the festival Saturday evening.

Other highlights of the weekend's various shows included Byron Blackburn's CD release at Java Lounge Friday evening featuring Tom Monsoon, Alex Jenkins and Hammond. Jacob Felix Heule, Arom Shelton and Tony Dreyer performed a unique jazz set at Records on Saturday, using unusual techniques like scratching cymbals with drumsticks and vibrating objects on their drums.

Beatnik had a constant flow of talented musicians coming through its photography studio all weekend, including DJ Tommy V, the Harley White Orchestra and Tony Passarell and the Thin Air Symphony.

Jazz music wasn't the only form of art that made an appearance at the festival, however.

Java Lounge hosted the "Scary Art Collective Reception" Saturday to showcase works by local artists like Kathy Blackburn, who also has work on display at Beatnik. The walls of the cafe were filled with paintings and drawings of skeletons, owls and ghouls. Music served as the background to the reception, with five groups performing during the afternoon.

Saturday, a group of artists from the Pacific Art Collective in San Jose set up an art station in front of Beatnik, open to anyone who wanted to stop and paint. They said their inspiration for the music and art collaboration comes from "live paintings" that are popular in the Bay Area.

On Sunday, The Comedy Spot hosted music, poetry and the spoken word with Josh Fernandez, Frank Andrick, Mike Farrell and other artists.

Hammond and the other organizers were given a grant by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission that made the festival possible and enabled them to give all money raised through ticket sales to the artists.

The festival also received sponsorships from Swell Productions, The Greater Broadway Partnership and local businesses like Sacramento’s Skip's Music and Kline Music.

"We're planning on doing this festival annually, so just mark your calendars now," advises Hammond.

A.ll photos were taken by Paula Aguirre

Broadway gets In the Flow for weekend jazz festival

2009-06-27T00:39:08Z

Sacramento jazz fans, get ready. The second annual In the Flow jazz festival starts Friday and will be invading four venues on downtown's Broadway.

Last year's festival was held on the patio of True Love Coffeehouse. This weekend, Beatnik Studios, The Comedy Spot, R5 Records and Java Lounge are opening their doors for three days of live jazz performances.

"Sacramento has an incredible jazz scene. We have great players with great, original ideas that span all things jazz and beyond," said Ross Hammond, the main coordinator of the festival.

The idea for the festival was dreamt up during a coffee outing with Hammond, jazz musician Byron Blackburn and some of their friends. They wanted to hold a jazz festival that really represented Sacramento and would showcase new and creative music. From that desire, In the Flow was born.

The organizers of the event have been given a grant from the Sacramento Metro Arts Commission and sponsorship from the Greater Broadway Partnership, enabling them to not only expand the event this year but allowing all proceeds from tickets sales to go directly to more than 20 artists and groups performing throughout the weekend.

While all of the performances are worth checking out, some of the must-sees this weekend are Byron Blackburn's CD release, Vinny Golia, the Harley White Orchestra, Nagual, Tony Passarell's Thin Air Symphony and the poetry/music showcase.

"[In the Flow] is trying to push some musical boundaries while at the same time showcase all of the different kinds of jazz you'll find in the area," Hammond explained.

Also making a special appearance is George Holden, a light show extraordinaire that will be putting on the famed "Abercrombe Liquid Lightshow." Holden has been putting on his psychedelic light shows since the 1960s and has done lighting effects for bands like the Grateful Dead, Dooby Brothers and Carlos Santana. He's bringing his strobe lights, black lights, ink and gels to Broadway for the weekend to give a special performance at Java Lounge from 8 p.m. to closing Friday night and Beatnik Studios from 11 a.m. to closing Saturday and Sunday.

In the Flow differs from Sacramento's popular annual Jazz Jubilee, which focuses more on "Dixieland" jazz, the main form of jazz coming out of New Orleans and Chicago in the early 1900s. In the Flow will have something for almost every jazz fan, except smooth jazz followers, and will be showcasing a broad span of local and regional jazz musicians, artists and poets.

"We're planning on doing this festival annually, so just mark your calendars now for the next decade or so," Hammond advised.

Tickets are $20 for the entire weekend and can be purchased at R5 Records. R5 is located at 2500 16th St. in Sacramento.

For the complete festival schedule, visit myspace.com/intheflowfestival.

Photos are of last year's In the Flow festival and were taken by Tommy Van Wormer