Beatnik Studios was graced Thursday with performances by local jam band CFR and Oklahoma-based postmodern jazz band Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO). Beatnik Studios hosted the benefit show for the Music Never Stops Foundation, as part of an ongoing Winter Jazz Concert Series running through April. The collaborative photography studio, off Broadway on 17th Street, has become a space for community engagement and a venue for the jazz series, band launches, a music school and local craft fair, to name a few. There was a real sense of community to the evening as supporters danced to the music of CFR, which has performed at Second Saturday and other local venues and has many loyal Sacramento

   "Rhythmically dazzling," says Melody Bowman, an attendee of That 1 Guy's Thursday night concert at Beatnik Studios. "You think you have the Magic Pipe figured out then That 1 Guy pulls out the Magic Saw and the Magic Boot."    That 1 Guy, the one-man band of Berkley, California, performed for his second time at Beatnik Studio this Thursday. This was the second stop on this year's tour promoting his new album "That 1 Guy and the Magic Pipe Packs a Wallop!"    Alvi McLeary of Cosmic Family Lighting provided an amazing laser light show and sound that truly brought the show together.    The show was opened by Pops the Beat Wizard, a local act specializing in electronica. Pops se

What can you do with a cowboy boot, a hand saw, some metal pipes and string? A whole lot says Mike Silverman, performing as That 1 Guy on Thursday at Beatnik Studios. Don't miss your chance to see this one man band and his invention, The Magic Pipe. Silverman, who grew up in the Bay Area, was introduced to music by his father's vintage stand-up bass. He says he remembers banging on it until he could reproduce sounds he liked. The instrument and being "in the right place at the right time" to his present career. That 1 Guy has performed internationally and has large fan bases in places such as Europe and Australia, as well as the United States. He plays annually at the Woodford Folk Festi

School music programs are dying, according to guitar teacher Monty Schmidt. There are rare programs that have lasted for decades thanks to parental support, but in neighborhoods where families struggle financially, you don't see them, he said. So how does a student who can't afford private lessons learn to play an instrument? Scholarships. That's what Schmidt's Music Never Stops Foundation aims to give, though not a single student has applied so far. This Thursday, the group will kick off their publicity and fundraising efforts with a Winter Jazz Concert Series at Beatnik Studios. The Rio Americano High School Jazz Combo will open for Capital Jazz Project and the concert will end with a

"Water, water everywhere" will be the theme for the fourth annual Organic Capital Sustainability Celebration Dec. 10. Organic Sacramento will be hosting the awareness event that highlights Northern California water issues. "Each year different local issues are addressed and the individuals and groups that have worked with these issues are acknowledged and honored," said William Brooks, Central Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council The event will include food, live music and a silent auction as well as guest speakers. "I'm looking forward to hearing more from the individuals that are personally involved with the issues, and those that have solutions to our current problems

Sacramento’s Alchemist Community Development Corporation hosted a party and fundraiser to mark its fifth anniversary Thursday evening, and veggies never seemed so cool. At “Cinco de Alchemist,” about 150 guests enjoyed delightful offerings from local restaurants Mulvaney’s B&L, The Waterboy, Taylor’s Market, Magpie Caterers, Mikuni and more. Live music by Caribbean Jazz and Musical Charis complemented the celebratory mood. Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 by Wendy Carter, Lisa Nelson and Chris Aguirre to promote equitable community development in Sacramento. The nonprofit group believes that the overall health of the region depends on the health of urban centers, and they are currently

On September 18, after more than two years of battling cancer, bassist and music enthusiast Byron Blackburn passed away. To celebrate his life and his impact on the local music and arts community, Beatnik Studios is hosting a memorial Friday, Oct. 16 from 7 p.m. - midnight. The evening will be filled with live music and art. A silent auction will raise money for the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund. The fund will be used to create a scholarship for a student who plans on attending music school. All of the musicians performing have either played with Blackburn or are friends of his. The Inversions, RACE!!!, Nagual, Norfolk Jacket with Michelle Tsilas, The Alegria Quartet, Fo Shang! and the

Sacramento brings out the superhero in BLVD, said the quartet's lead vocalist, MC Souleye. Despite being based in San Francisco, the band members feel a unique connection with Beatnik Studios in Sacramento. Drummer Dylan McIntosh grew up in Sacramento, and the group has made many friends from playing shows in the area. Before their show there three months ago, band members pulled into the back of Beatnik Studios. They emerged from the doors directly onto the stage. "I felt like I was Batman coming out of a cave or something," Souleye recalled. Friday, at Beatnik Studios, the super-quartet will save the day once again with its unique style of dance music, which blends electronic, hip ho

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

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 h

The hip-hop and jazz group Crown City Rockers will be playing an all-ages show at Beatnik Studios on Friday. The doors open at 8 p.m. and the band begins at 9 p.m. The five-piece band is self-described as a "genre-blending collective whose music is all together original, powerful and provocative," mixing an "organic blend of lush, funk-drenched grooves, riveting classic soul samples, sharp live instrumentation and old-school rhymes." Originally formed in Boston in the late '90s, the band later relocated to Oakland, Calif. where they currently reside. The band is scheduled for an album release this fall. Beatnik Studios is located at 1724 17th St. in Midtown Sacramento. Admission is $10

Photography, music and great food and drinks from popular local joints will collide on Saturday, May 16 at Beatnik Studios during their “Boobie Bash” breast cancer fundraiser.  “I belong to a networking group, and the president introduced me to Katie [Erickson], who was looking for a venue to do this event,” said Wes Davis, co-owner of Beatnik Studios, a photography studio in downtown Sacramento. Erickson is a participant in the upcoming Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which will take place in San Francisco on July 11 and 12.  The walk has a goal of each walker raising $1,800 for the “Avon Breast Cancer Crusade,” and Erickson is on her own personal crusade to raise even more than that.