I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, coming of age in the late 70s. Although I was closer to San Jose than San Francisco, the musical energy many associate with the area and the time saturated both. It was a time of super groups, huge venues, big hair and… transition. But one never knew if our friends’ club band would become the next ‘overnight’ sensation. Alas, none of my friends enjoyed that sort of success, though many do enjoy making a living from their passion still to this day. Since moving to the Sacramento area eight years ago, I cannot count all the people I have met who knew or grew up with one or more members of Tesla, one band of more than a handful that did make it big. Bu

The 2011 Jammies, Night of Contemporary Music, completion took place at the Crest Theatre on Friday the 13th. Danny Secretion hosted the Sacramento News and Review event and Jerry Perry was the director/producer of the Contemporary show. Finalists at the 9th annual Jammies for the evening were; Smack Jupiter, Jaxx, Into the Open, The Hungry, Southpaw Kings, Zach MacLachlan, Exhale, Conquest and Uncle Tony. A special performance by last year’s winner One Eyed Rhyno was also scheduled that evening. As guests entered the Crest Theatre they were given ballots with all the nominees on it and they were asked to vote for 3 bands. The show was scheduled to start at 8 and when I got to the theat

Nothing like a beautiful sunny day in Sacramento and nothing like the Sacramento Autorama to make use of such a wonderful day. The Annual Sacramento Autorama turned 61 this year and the show continues to enjoy great popularity. The title sponsor for the event was O’Reilly Auto Parts. Co-sponsors were Les Schwab Tires and Vintage Ford. Other sponsors were Meguiar’s, ARC Audio, Car Kulture Deluxe Magazine, Ol’ Skool Rodz, Hot Rod Hotline, Traditional Rod and Kulture, radio stations 98 Rock,96.9 Eagle and ESPN 1320. These sponsored helped the Sacramento Autorama hold another successful Autorama show. This year’s theme for the show was Route 66, the route is also known as the “Mother Road” o

A new downtown bar and grill is catering to a lunch and dinner crowd while still providing a venue to showcase local music and sports talent. Shenanigans  – located at 705 J St. in the building that used to house Image – opened Oct. 28, and local band Tesla was there for the grand opening, according to co-owner Max Archuleta. Shenanigans is the first joint venture by Sacramento natives Archuleta and Eric Schaefer. “Our concept is a sports bar and live music venue, but we kind of want to celebrate what Sacramento has to offer those areas of entertainment,” Archuleta said. The name is intended to make the concept somewhat vague. “We sat down and thought, hey, you know, we want to do som

 Looking for an explosive way to spend your Fourth of July? Well, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Fourth of July events in the Sacramento area. Sacramento Cal Expo will once again host an Independence Day Celebration sponsored by Coca-Cola and Miller Lite at the Miller Lite Grandstand near the East Gate entrance. The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance from Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers. State Fair mascot Poppy will also be there to entertain the crowds. Cal Expo’s media partner, radio station 107.9 The End, will provide music to the spectacular fireworks show, starting at 9:30 p.m. Parking for the event is $10, and general admission to

Some of the world’s top motocross stars took to the air Friday and Saturday in an acrobatic display that kept people on the edge of their seats from start to finish.   The occasion was the Gravity Slashers tour at Arco Arena. Ten riders from around the United States perform tricks that most riders only dream of doing. The floor of Arco Arena was equiped with four ramps and two landing pads. At one end of the arena was three ramps side-by-side, the middle ramp was wider to accomodate a snowmobile; with an elevated landing pad across from the ramps. A single ramp and landing pad were at the other side of the arena.   The star studded list of riders included: Derek Burlew Brody Wilson

Following nearly a week's worth of silence and with over a dozen advertisers lost, a Sacramento-based radio program returned to the airwaves with an apology in response to some off-color comments that drew national attention and criticism. Rob Williams and Arnie States, two-thirds of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show," apologized Thursday morning for comments they made two weeks ago in which they referred to members of the transgender community as "freaks," "fruits" and as experiencing "mental defects" meant to "draw attention to themselves." The comments made during the May 28th broadcast angered child advocacy and transgender groups, the effect of which was the withdrawing or cancellation

Amid a sleugh of advertiser withdrawals and facing heat from the GLBT community, Rob Williams, one-third of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" morning show, posted a statement on the show's website that can be summed up in four words:  "We have failed you." "We presented our opinions on a very sensitive subject in a hateful, childish and crude fashion," Williams wrote on his website, RobArnieAndDawn.com in a letter to listeners, "and then, given the chance to retract those remarks, we defended them." The response comes nearly two weeks following an on-air segment in which Williams and co-host Arnie States called members of the transgendered community "freaks," "fruits" and describing them as hav

In the wake of controversial comments made by morning show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States on KRXQ 98.5 FM, nine companies have responded by either discontinuing or agreeing not to renew advertisement support on Sacramento's rock station. The nine companies -- Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T and McDonald's -- all announced through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that they were withdrawing support from KRXQ, known on-air as "98Rock," which is the flagship station for the popular "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show." "McDonald's has a proud legacy of diversity and inclusion," read a statement prepared

Three companies have decided to pull their advertisement support from KRXQ 98.5, better known on-air as "98Rock," following a controversial discussion about transgendered children on the station's breakfast show "Rob, Arnie & Dawn." During the May 28th discussion, show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States read from a news article describing a male child in another state as being permitted to enroll in school as a female. "God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped. Williams and States then took turns receiving listener phone calls, during which they called transgendered people "freaks," "fruits" and claimed that t