Will alternative energy ever become as popular as alternative music was in the 90s? Talking with Arnie Jensen, who co-owns an auto   repair shop called El Camino Smog and Repair, I get a sense that alternative energy shifts in the automotive world are already  happening, whether they are being noticed or not. In a SacTV.com video Arnie gives his views about the direction green cars are alreadymoving and where they are headed in the future.      Arnie compares different types of engines from steam to hydrogen to magnetic. He also explains  the concept of an emissions-free engine. It shows how far alternative culture has come since Nirvana blasted onto the scene in 1991, ushering in an era

Building a home recording studio to produce the indie music album of your dreams can take a lot of time and work but the end result is worth it if you want the best sound without sacrificing artistic control. Many bands become frustrated with their recordings at expensive pro studios because the finished product doesn't meet the standards of the music industry or the artist's own expectations. Part of that problem has to do with the clock, which adds stress when studio time is limited. At the same time the clock drains a budget that also may be limited. You can end up with a recording that costs over $10,000 but does not sonically measure up to the major label recordings heard on radio, wh

Who gives a shout out to the Central Valley? Well, someone from the Central Valley. This week, Cake played twice for eager Central Valley crowds. The local band performed for happy Cakesters at Freeborn Hall on the UC Davis campus on both Thursday and Friday nights. Friday night, the Memorial Union hall was at capacity, 1,775 people deep. On Thursday, nearly 1,300 people came out to sway and nod with Cake. An hour before the show on Thursday night, fans were already lined up outside, ready to vie for a good spot in the community center hall. Thursday night drew a devoted crowd with one (especially) veteran fan who declared she’s been to over 20 Cake spectaculars over the years. The alt

No discussion on alternative rock circa 2000 would be complete without mention of Papa Roach and their radio-ready hit single “Last Resort,” especially if you were in high school or college during that time. The Vacaville band (also known for singles “Scars,” “Forever” and “Lifeline”) broke out of Sacramento and went on to sell more than 10 million albums worldwide. They return this weekend for a two-night stand at the recently opened venue Ace of Spades, touring behind their seventh album, "Time for Annihilation." More alternative rock than nu-metal now, the band can probably still be counted on to deliver a high-energy rock show filled with heavy guitars, sharp hooks and “guy liner.”

This Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., Sacramento's Scottish Rite Center will open its doors for Indy Euphoria, "Sacramento's Vinyl Toy, D.I.Y. & Indy Comix Show." The event will feature live art, a charity auction, film screenings, hundreds of vendors, celebrated comic book guests, seminars and workshops. "Indy Comix" is an umbrella term for projects that fall outside the realm of mainstream superhero comics. According to Indy Euphoria founder, Anthony Leano, it encompasses comics that are "alternative, underground, independents or small press, self-published, new brow, and low brow." The art represented by Indy Euphoria steps away from the mass-produced and toward that of a singular, h

One of two dedicated rock stations in Sacramento has bid adieu to the alternative music format. KWOD 106.5 FM, which had been broadcasting alternative music since 1991, relaunched Friday morning under a new format that plays hits from the 1990s — expanding its genre to include rock, pop, alternative, dance, conteporary urban R&B and more. Along with a format flip come new call signs and a new nickname: KBZC 106.5 FM "The Buzz." The format flip isn't so much because people aren't tuning in, but instead because the alternative rock format is failing as a business model. "The last few years have been very challenging for KWOD," a statement prepared by program director Curtiss Johnson read.