Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "beatnik studios"

Prieta's Saturday night 'so-long'

2011-12-15T02:20:20Z

Let's not lie: We Sacramentans have a fairly thick skin when it comes to upstart local bands hanging it up. Sometimes they just gradually fade out, or just seem to kind of stop playing without ever really formally disbanding, or move away and set up shop in another city.

Rarely do we get the opportunity for a big farewell party like the one Prieta is treating us to on Saturday, December 17 at Beatnik Studios, which will at least soften the sting of seeing this Sammie-award winning humdinger of a band bounce.

In what guitarist Mat Woods calls a "totally amicable decision," the five members of Prieta have decided to hang it up after nearly five years.

If you want to follow their progression in the Sacramento music scene since uprooting from Stockton, just follow their last three appearances at the Friday Night Concerts in the Park series at Cesar Chavez Plaza:

2009, opener for Kai Kln. 2010, second out of three behind Lite Brite. 2011, headliner. That's some serious momentum in this town, but that doesn't change the fact that the members were all ready to collectively move on.

They never released a formal full-length album, but their trio of EP's ("Hangar Demo," "Prieta," and "Sleep All Night") makes for a hearty shuffle of blues-blooded rock and roll on the ol' iPod, and had the makings of a band that was really getting ready to make some noise.

The noise they made while rattling the walls of Midtown's favorite venues with pleasing regularity over the last few years will have to do. It was a perfectly rough yet razor sharp nod to the likes of Buddy Guy, Black Sabbath, rebel-era Rolling Stones and bit 'o Zeppelin, juiced with a recognizable modern flair.

Their Sammie award was dished out most likely for their ability to turn filthy blood-in-the-mud blues licks into a gut-shakingly catchy alt-rock package. One minute, they're the long lost Joe Cocker. The next, they're the recently found follow-up to Josh Homme.

And I'd like to apologize in person for having on more than one occasion compared them to a certain early '90s rock band - which shall remain nameless.

Their farewell show is as much a celebration of the artists still playing in Sacramento as it is a farewell of the one that is braced to leave it - and that's a fraternity that will still include heavy doses of the individual members of Prieta.

Guitarist Skyler Henry mans the drums for Goodness Gracious Me, drummer Brian Breneman and singer Alex Ayers have already teed off a new DJ project called Master System (which Woods describes as "incredible") with regular gigs at the Press Club, and Woods and bassist Ian McLachlan are also working on some tunes together.

Thank you for the good times, ringing ears, sore necks and hangovers, Prieta. We'll miss you...

"It's gonna be a mess of great rock and roll" Woods said of "The Real Preita Farewell Show," which goes down at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 17 at the all-age (yet bar-equipped) Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St. Cover is $8.

Prieta's catalog will be in full force, and they'll get help on some jams, duets and covers from local friends and favorites Lite Brite, The Kelps, Goodness Gracious Me!, Reggie Ginn, Marcus Cortez, and the "for one night only" reunited Phantom Jets.

"The reason we're having all these other Sacramento musicians play our final show with us is to remind people how many great bands exist in Sacramento right now," Woods said. "There's so much talent here and people need to realize that. Not to mention, thanks to the tireless efforts of people like Jerry Perry and Ed Stoner, we still have some kind of a shadow of a live rock music scene."

Last Red Night?

2011-10-16T03:14:07Z

The Red Night poetry series will close at Beatnik Studios after a year that has featured Mary Mackey, Kathryn Hohlwein, Josh Fernandez, Sandy Thomas, Bill Gainer, Lara Kaapuni, Phillip T. Nails, Crawdad Nelson, James Lee Jobe, Mario Ellis Hill and numerous others, including B.L. Kennedy, who was featured in the first show with Charlene Ungstad.

Kennedy will join Ann Menebroker and Paul Fericano to close the popular reading series that has run the third Wednesday of each month since July 14, 2010, and has been well-attended by poetry and prose enthusiasts.

Organizer Genelle Chaconas, a Sacramento State alum, artist and poet, envisioned the series as a place “where our shared instinct to create would be celebrated.”

“She’s serious about wanting to present very different types of poets and their poetry,” Menebroker said. “I think she’s done a very enthusiastic job of emceeing the poets she’s invited to read. I can only hope she finds another place for her poetry venue.

“(She is) a growing and illuminating poet in her own right, who has an impressive interest in past events, which is refreshing,” Menebroker continued.

Although Red Night has focused primarily on poets from the greater Sacramento area, this final event will include the voice of Paul Fericano, who splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Santa Barbara. He is the co-founder of YU News, a parody news service, and the publisher of The Broadsider. He is widely published and recently performed with Menebroker in a tag-team reading, a concept he is promoting.

“Fericano writes of the human condition, but he also has a talented streak of humor in his work. His work has grown over the years and become even richer, better,” Menebroker said, adding, “Paul is a fantastically great reader!”

Poet B.L. Kennedy is a well-known name in Sacramento as one of the past hosts of the long-running “Poetry Unplugged” series at Luna’s Café and for projects throughout the Sacramento area. Kennedy was also presented both a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Community Service Award from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. He was the recipient of five new works in performance grants from SMAC and a new projects grant to help produce the film “I Began to Speak,” which he also directed.

About new projects, Kennedy said, “I am planning a special group reading of d.a.levy for next October, and I am also at work on an as yet untitled new collection of poems and a second edition of sonnets.”

“I asked Genelle Chaconas to be included in the last (event) so that I could give thanks to two poets that were major in helping shape my path in poetry,” Kennedy said. “I am both humbled and honored to read with (Fericano and Menebroker).”

“B.L. Kennedy and I have been friends for many years, and we've been on the same stage together many times, but it's been awhile, and I'm looking forward to reading with him,” Menebroker said. “B.L. has always been a dynamic reader and writes from the heart of his hopes and fears and longings with huge feelings and Kennedy Style.”

Menebroker is also a well-known Sacramento poet who doesn’t read publicly as often as some might like. Featured as the Nine of Hearts in the SMAC “Poets on Deck” (playing cards), she has authored over 20 collections, and her work can be found in “The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.”

About the term "meat poet" often applied to her work, she said, “I'm not a great fan of hooking names on movements in poetry. Poets are poets and we do tend to go through periods of writing a certain way at a certain time, but it's an accident of birth and current cultures and histories. My writing has changed a lot over the years; it is no longer so personal, so confessional. There isn't as much “me” in it, although no one can write and keep themselves out of the poem, the idea of it.”

Menebroker's newest book of poems entitled “The Measure of Small Gratitudes” published by Kamini Press in Sweden will be released soon.

These three poets rarely give public readings, so this is an opportunity not only to be at the closing of Red Night at Beatnik but to see and hear three poets, all with different styles, whose works complement one another.

Wednesday’s event begins at 8 p.m. and costs $5 at the door. Beatnik Studios is located at 2421A 17th St.

P.R. Brown's The Known and Travel exhibit

2011-10-04T08:26:28Z

Opening night of “The Known and Travel” gallery show took place during Beatnik Studios’ Final Friday. The opening for the P.R. Brown exhibit turned out to be a family affair that showcased the talents of the Brown family.

The Known and Travel exhibit also included a silent auction and wine tasting with proceeds going towards transforming the lives of orphaned and poverty-stricken children.

Several projects are supported by the nonprofit organization, 2Build 4Ward International. Friday’s event highlighted a major project, the building of an orphanage in Tuxpan, Jalisco, Mexico.

The UN estimates that over 10 million orphans live in Mexico and 2x4 International, operated by state workers, has partnered with communities to build an orphanage that will serve as a home for some of Tuxpan’s orphans.

Kristen Brown, CEO of 2x4 International, talked about the organization and the event.

“We started 2x4 International with workers who also work for the Department of Education and Department of Health and it’s completely volunteer work. One hundred percent of our proceeds go to our projects.”

Brown also spoke about work they’ve done in West Africa and other places. Information was displayed at the event. Several of the informational boards also featured artistic work by Brown’s sister Holly and their mother, Paula.

Kristen Brown’s work through 2x4 International is inspirational. Their work has also spread to projects in the Caribbean, where they built an educational center in Kingston, Jamaica. They’ve reached out to Ghana, West Africa with a clothes, book and toy drive for the Children’s Hospital and extended their work to other parts of Latin America, Japan and Africa with the Children’s Global Connection Project.

“Our major project is to build an orphanage,” said Brown. “We have three acres of land that was donated by Miguel de la Mora Morfin from Texas that’s located in Tuxpan in Jalisco and we have a Canadian architect committed to help with the project. One of the remaining things to acquire is the funds and that’s where the wine tasting and silent bidding will help.”

Having volunteered for the Peace Corps, Brown said that 2x4 International wanted to make sure money gets to the people. She helped create a nongovernmental organization in Mexico to distribute donated funds.

Several items are up for auction and will remain on the online bidding site until October 26. Log on to the website to view and bid on selected items.

As I walked around the gallery, many people viewed the artwork on the walls and placed bids on silent auction items. Complimentary appetizers were served along with a wide selection of wines. Raffle tickets for several gift baskets were also sold.

Besides being a photographer, P.R. Brown is also a graphic designer and Grammy nominated music video director. His exhibit showcased photography from his travels to India, Brazil and Cambodia, among other places. In the studio area of Beatnik a projector showed several videos that he directed. Highlighted videos included artists such as Slipknot, My Chemical Romance, Billy Corgan and many others.

P.R. Brown founded Bau-da Design Lab and much of his work can be found there. His works dig deep into the subconscious and inspire images of dark scenery and themes. P.R. Brown’s work is pretty intense and very interesting.

I talked to Greg Pond, gallery manager of Beatnik Studios, who then introduced me to P.R. Brown at the gallery. I was able to speak to him for a few minutes about his involvement in the event.

“My sister contacted me to see if I wanted to do a show and I said absolutely, so the photography exhibit that’s going on will stay up throughout the month and that’s my work. Other pieces are from another sister of ours and some are my mother’s. It’s a family affair.”

“I started as a graphic designer and I went into photography about 12 years ago and then into directing,” said Brown when asked how long he’s been working on his trade.

I asked what he directed and Brown explained.

“Music videos, commercials and I’m getting into features. Mainly the work that’s up here are the personal works that I do when I travel. It’s just me going out shooting. Other work is the fine arts side.”

Besides the travel photographs hanging on one side of Beatnik studios (on the left as you enter the building), there are other photographs on the right side of the gallery of fine arts created at his studio.

Brown is currently based out of Los Angeles and indicated he’s been there for 13 years. Brown lives in Topanga and his studio is in West Lake.

When asked if he’s had past showings or if he expects upcoming exhibits, Brown responded negatively.

“Honestly my sister was the driving force. I normally don’t show my work. I’m a commercial photographer and that’s what I do for a living and it never occurred to me that I should actually have a gallery show. This is only the second time I’ve ever done a gallery show. I did one for a Marilyn Manson album I did years ago.”

When asked which Manson album, Brown replied, “Holy Wood.” He continued, “I actually did all of them from ‘Antichrist’ through ‘Grotesque.’”

Brown also said that the woman photographed on a couple of the larger works on the right hand side of the gallery were of Marilyn Manson’s girlfriend.

Brown also said, regarding Manson, “He’s actually the reason I became a photographer because he was the first real person I ever shot.”

Brown went on to say that he moved from New York to L.A. to do the shooting and did a photo exhibit as a result. That was the only other time he’s done a gallery showing.

I asked him about his inspiration for the work he does and Brown indicated that he did not take photography classes and became involved out of frustration as a graphic designer. Some of the photography work was not suited for a project. Brown started to photograph images he wanted and fell in love with it. After graduating from college and 500 albums later, Brown picked up the camera and began using it for his art.

Brown is a fascinating artist. I could have gone for hours talking to him about his work. As I viewed P.R. Brown’s work on the gallery walls, I was drawn to the videos he’s directed and was fascinated by those as well.

Jerry Brown, Kristen and Paul’s father, was also on hand to show his support. Family support is always great to see and it showed the closeness of the Brown family.

Once the live auction came to a close, a drawing was held for several bottles of wine and gift baskets.

Live music was provided by Katie Jane, Exquisite Corps and Alyssa Cox. Katie Jane started off the evening on keyboards playing several songs. Her sunny disposition and sweet vocals came through, making for a delightful set.

The magnificent sounds of Exquisite Corps are always a delight to experience and many of their fans showed their support by attending the show. Exquisite Corps continues to be one of those bands that doesn’t disappoint and are always fun to watch. During their set, Bryan Valenzuela reminded fans that they were going to be performing during the SAMMIES with members from the Sacramento Ballet.

Alyssa Cox and The Flatland Band closed out the evening’s event. Many fans came close to the stage and cheered them on, showing their support. Alyssa Cox and the Flatland Band responded to fan support and put on a great show.

Final Fridays, hosted by Beatnik, is a great event for art and culture. In addition, some of Sacramento’s finest musicians come together to display their talents.

Representing Beatnik, Wes Davis and Greg Pond helped things go smoothly for artists and guests and provided a great atmosphere for this gathering.

The Known and Travel exhibit continues until October 26. Open online bidding will also continue until that date.

Next Saturday Beatnik Studios will host Second Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. P.R. Brown’s exhibit will be showcased; check the Beatnik website for further information.

For Love of Woman photo exhibit

2011-08-30T05:23:26Z

“For Love of Woman,” an exhibition by Robert R. Sanders, was well received at Beatnik Studios this past Friday. Sanders’ brilliant photo exhibition showcased his incredible talent which helped him win first prize in the Beatnik Studios Fine Art Competition held in February.

Sanders’ photographic art opening was also an auction event that will benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC). The NOCC had a table at the front entrance of Beatnik Studios where informational material was available for guests.

Robert Sanders was at the exhibit and spoke with guests as they arrived. Each photograph was available for bidding. Bidders filled out a registration form that allowed them to start the bidding process. Bidding continues online and bidders will be given updates as they are received. An auction button is located on the For Love of Woman website under each of the photographs.

I was able to speak briefly with Sanders to get a perspective on this exhibition.

Sanders indicates that he found out about the Beatnik Studios Fine Art Competition when he went to the studios during one of their Red Poetry Night events. The flyer on the door showed a deadline for the exhibit that had already passed. Sanders said he took the phone number from the flyer and gave them a call. As it turned out, he was able to submit his work.

As we talked, I found that Sanders is a man of many talents. He was the drummer for a band called Just Slightly Richer and played at various venues in northern California in places like Red Bluff, Redding, Sacramento, Susanville and neighboring areas. The band was together for two and a half years and did a couple of recordings.

Sanders pointed out that there were 36 photographs on display at the exhibition. I asked if they were done in a particular time frame or if they were works from different time periods.

“Everything that’s hanging in the exhibit is digitally done, including two of the pieces that were shot in 1995 with my first digital system,” said Sanders.

He also noted that “Shame” and “Shame II” were shot in 1995.

“I quit shooting with film in 1997.”

As Sanders continued to talk about his technique, I quickly realized that he was one of the earliest converts that went from film to digital.

When asked if it was difficult going from film to digital Sanders elaborated.

“It was natural procession for me. I actually started using Photoshop, a beta version, in 1991.”

Sanders was using Photoshop before most other users, and as a beta user, was involved in the product before it came out on the market.

Each photograph in the collection has a brief write up on the author’s thoughts and descriptions. I asked which came first, the photograph or the description.

“Some of them at the same time and with others the inspiration preceded the shot,” said Sanders. “In some cases, the inspiration got me to the photograph but the inspiration changed; the idea or the concept changed. Then I have what I call serendipity in some cases where you’re at the right place, with the right model and the right story to tell and it all comes together.”

The exhibit is filled with some magnificent shots done in color and black and white. Digital photography allows the photographer to shoot in color and edit the photo to make it black and white. I asked him if he preferred one form of shooting over the other.

“Going back to the first digital system I had, I shot in black and white. Out of the 36 pieces in the exhibit, there are probably seven of them that were shot without format. The others were shot in color and I converted to black and white. One of them I shot in color with the intention of it being black and white and went back to color as it was a better photograph.”

Sanders also discussed his involvement with NOCC.

“It seemed that every time I turned around I was bumping into a model, a very good friend or a relative that was telling me a story about a woman who had either contracted it or died from it. One of my dearest friends, her mother, was killed by ovarian cancer. It’s just such a cruel killer and nobody talks about it. For me, this is a disease that we need to talk about more.”

One of his pieces, “A Girl Walks Into a Bar,” depicts three women in a bar and each has an open parasol, the one closest to the camera holding one with three teal ribbons painted on it. The teal ribbon is the official cancer awareness symbol of the NOCC and Sanders used it for this shot.

When asked how long he’d been doing photography, Sanders replied, “I started shooting in 1973. I just had gotten out of the military and a good friend of mine gave me a Hassiba and I never looked back.”

One of Sanders’ friends, Dr. Dan, had flown in from Denver to see the exhibit and guided me through several of the compositions that he helped with. Dr. Dan described Sanders as a great mentor and great friend.

In the background, a DJ was spinning some tunes while guests enjoyed some hors d'oeuvre and drinks. The DJ, as it turned out, was Sanders’ son Dallas Debauch. Shawn Aveningo helped with much of the publicity and preparing the event and was at Beatnik making sure things went smoothly.

One of the models, photographed in “A Girl Walks Into a Bar,” was on hand as well. I asked her about her involvement and if she would describe the photo.

“The series took about three hours and we were each positioned in different spots in front of the bar. We really enjoyed working with Robert.”

Kat (Katerina Purrington) was a person with an interesting history. When I asked if she was from the area, she responded, saying she was born and raised in the same house here in Sacramento. Kat’s modeling work can be seen at her Model Mayhem page.

As we talked, Kat said she was a cervical cancer survivor.
“I jumped at the chance of doing this,” she continued, “I was 19 at the time. When Robert spoke about the project I was very much for it.”

I asked about her thoughts at finding she had cervical cancer.

“At that point I had an infant. I, of course, immediately thought about who would raise my baby.”

She has gone through some difficult times; having gone through that experience has made Kat a stronger person. She was proud to say that she had another son after that.

Hearing stories like Kat’s shows how the exhibit and those involved as cancer survivors, as well as friends of these survivors, can unite a community and make things more personal.

I also had a chance to speak with Mari Ueda-Tao, who was one of the women at the NOCC table.

“I have been a member of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition for about seven years now,” said Ueda-Tao. “I am a nine year ovarian cancer survivor. The mission of our organization is to promote education and awareness about ovarian cancer and bring information into our community, to educate women about ovarian cancer and increase the quality of life for women that have it.”

When asked if they had an office in Sacramento, Ueda-Tao said, “We have a group and we have monthly meetings but at the moment we don’t have a site. It’s a national organization and Sacramento has a chapter. We’re one of the larger chapters.”

Surviving cancer does not always mean that it won’t come back and as such, survivors need to take precautions to prevent it from returning.

“The probability of re-occurrence is higher within the first few years of diagnosis. Each year that you do not have a re-occurrence your chances are better,” said Ueda-Tao.

“We go to Sac State a lot. We talk to their women’s health and education classes. We’ve met some very supportive professors that invite us in at certain times,” said Ueda-Tao. She continued talking about the program saying, “We also have a program called Survivors Teaching Students at U.C. Davis and it involves talking to the med students when they go through their gynecologic cancer training. A panel of survivors tells their story and… our goal is to give a real story about what this disease is, what their symptoms were and how doctors listened, how we’re treated as patients and what we would want as patients. It’s really eye opening for med students because this is what they’re going to be doing. It’s a really fascinating program.”

As we talked, I came to the realization that we all know someone who has had ovarian or other types of cancer. At events such as this you meet people who have survived cancer and who have had signs that helped in diagnosing cancer or other illnesses.

“Ovarian cancer is less common than breast cancer but it’s more deadly,” continued Ueda-Tao. “There’s no test, there’s no detection and that’s why we’re here, to try to drum up some buzz about this in order to get funding so that we can get a test. For breast cancer, there’s a mammogram; for cervical cancer, there’s a Pap test or an HPV test; for ovarian cancer, there is nothing. This is why women get diagnosed later and why it’s so deadly. The later you’re diagnosed, the less chance you have in surviving. It’s kind of the cycle we’re trying to break free from.”

Ueda-Tao also addressed guests at the event.

“We are very humbled and proud by your generosity for our important cause. Ovarian cancer is the number one leading gynecologic cancer over all the other types of cancers. It is 90 percent curable if diagnosed in the early stages but less than 20 percent of women are actually diagnosed early. Overall survival rates of ovarian cancer are quite low and we have lost many sisters from this deadly disease. This type of platform brings awareness, support, education and that’s what this is all about.”

She continued, “We have three survivors here in this room.”

Robert Sanders also addressed the audience regarding his exhibit and affiliation with NOCC.

“This is an experience far from my imagination. The idea of actually having a one-man show is a highlight for me.”

Sanders went on to talk about the honor of this being his first show.

“I want to thank NOCC for their wonderful partnership that has come from this collaboration. This show is more than just art; this show is about all the women in my life who have touched me in one way or another.”

Sanders thanked friends who were in attendance and talked about people he’s known who have been affected by ovarian cancer. He became very emotional as he spoke, showing how much he cared for people he has surrounded himself with and thanking them for their support.

After Sanders' speech, three drawings were held and the raffle prizes were pieces of his work.

Although the festivities ended in the art gallery, Beatnik Studios continued with their Final Friday music venue in the back of the gallery. Scheduled musical entertainment included Jesi Naomi, Sherman Baker, and Dave Mulligan with Deren Ney.

The auction will continue through the end of September and Sanders’ work will continue to be on display at the gallery. Bids can be placed at the gallery or online.

A Second Saturday brunch is being planned for September and reservations are required. The brunch will take place at Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th Street (at Broadway) on September 10, 2011. Tickets for the event are available via Eventbrite.

September is National Ovarian Cancer awareness month. Learn more about the disease and help spread the word on this deadly illness. Log on to the NOCC website to see how you can become involved with the local chapter and perhaps participate in the Run to Break The Silence on Ovarian Cancer on September 17.

Beatnik presents "For Love Of Woman"

2011-08-23T04:02:13Z

The Sacramento area is constantly unveiling local art and talent and Beatnik Studios is one of its largest event spaces that is dedicated to bringing that talent to light.

“For Love Of Woman,” will be local 60-year-old artist Robert Sanders’ first show in his career. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday (and art will stay on display through Sept. 28) at Beatnik Studios, which is located at 2421 17th St.

“I truly believe that from women all things appear, and I hold them in my highest esteem and appreciation,” Sandars said.

His show includes 36 pieces spotlighting the beauty and inspiring stories of modern women. The proceeds from the reception and auction will go to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition because it will be shown through September, which is National Ovarian Cancer awareness month.

“Anytime we do a benefit like this, we always have a more successful show. It's a win-win situation, because people feel like they can purchase the art because it is for a good cause,” said Greg Pond, a 32-year-old who has managed Beatnik Studios for the past two years.

Beatnik Studios has been around for three years and is about 6,000 square feet complete with a kitchen and stage, which is used during the events hosted there that range from weddings to concerts to birthday parties.

“Generally an artist will contact me and show me their portfolio, and then I’ll decide who I'm going to actually show. In Roberts’ case, he entered a contest where the first-, second- and third-place winners got to have their own show in the gallery, and Robert won,” Pond said.

According to Sanders, “Home” was the theme of the contest, and the proceeds went toward finding children homes through adoption and foster care.

“Our criteria was, does it match the theme, how much skill does this person have, and does the body of work have what it takes to do a solo show, and Robert was a very established artist/photographer,” Pond said.

Sanders' winning piece is called “Foreclosure Nightmare” and is a photograph of a woman completely bound in ropes lying under a palm tree with a stilted house in the background ready to fall apart.

Sanders has shot commercially with Tony Hawk, Harley Davidson, Taylor Guitar, Ford Motocross, Rip Curl and many others.

“I do portraiture work, commercial artwork and have been shooting for a really long time. I was actually nominated for an Emmy for my animation work on a piece called “Eruption of Mount St. Helens” back in the early ‘80s and really started honing in on my photography skills in the early ‘90s more than anything else,” Sandars said.

The models used in Sanders’ show range in age from 24 to 42, depicting women in different shapes and sizes, but mainly highlight the younger women.

“My favorite piece is probably ‘Rosebud.’ It’s the first piece people will see when they walk through the door and is inspired by the movie 'Citizen Kane' and an exchange between Orson Welles, William Randolph Hearst and his mistress Marion Davies,” Sanders said.

According to Pond, the name Beatnik comes from the beat generation. It was originally used as a derogatory term for hippies, but ended up becoming a badge of honor.

“To us, it means living outside the box. We are doing something different with art trying and to make it a business. When you come here we aren't in suits and ties, just normal clothes and treating people like they are human,” Pond said.

On Friday Sanders will be the featured artist, but Beatnik Studios hosts a gallery event every last Friday of the month from 5 - 9 p.m. called Final Friday. A full bar is provided with eats and drinks and live music from local musicians after 9 p.m. The event is free, but there is a suggested donation of $5 to $10 to help pay the musicians for their time.

“Beatnik is a community. No one really gets paid: The work is all volunteer or friends; we also have a lot of interns from Sacramento State University,” Pond said. “It's always fun and exciting here because we just love photography, and we love Beatnik. It's not about rolling in the dough.”

Sanders' show does contain nudity and might not be suitable for children.

“I think my greatest transformation as an artist has been how I perceive my work, a place of coming to terms with myself,” Sandars said. “I'm very proud, but this whole process has also been so humbling.”

For more information visit Beatnik Studios online or take a look at Robert Sandars site.

Editorial note: Corrections have been made to this story after it was published.

Art Happens 2011

2011-06-07T19:22:59Z

The 2011 Art Happens, hosted by the Sacramento Artists Council, took place June 4 in Midtown. The venue was held inside the Sacramento Art Complex on 2110 K Street.

This was a benefit event to support art in Sacramento. Sutter Middle School and Nevada Union High School students exhibited works of art by their students. Artwork created by the students also helped their school art programs as ~~one~~ 100 percent of sales was given to the respective school’s art program.

The event was sponsored by Sacramento News and Review, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Press and others. A day full of art, music, food, wine tasting and great music contributed to the festivities.

The Sacramento Art Complex was full of guests and they were able to partake in activities at the main gallery where artwork by Nevada Union High School students was exhibited and available for purchase. A stage for performers was also set up here as was a prize table for raffle winners to select prizes. A merchandise table was also set up for musical guests to sell their CDs and other items. The Sacramento Press had also set up a prize wheel and give-away area and provided streamed live media coverage of stage performances.

The back patio had activities for kids and face painting by Christine Conklin and friends. Artwork by Kristen Hoard was being shown and sold. Coconut Al’s Catering cooked some delicious food in the back patio as well. Out in the sculptural Garden, Steve Cook’s artwork was available for viewing and purchase.

Susan Rabinovitz, at one point took the microphone to say, “Once again thank you so much for supporting Art Happens and the students and local artists. Thank you also for watching all of the great bands that have been playing and really hanging out with us today. It’s been awesome.” she then announced some winners from the raffle. In between acts she came up and announced raffle winners who were then able to pick a prize from a table that held all the prizes and winners had to be present.

The event is set up to raise money for art related scholarships and grants. Art Happens assists artists and musicians to exhibit and sell their product. Sponsor support creates most of the generated funds that go toward grants, scholarships and school artwork exhibits.

The event began at 11 in the morning and Julianna Zachariou, a 2010 Jammies winner and a Sacramento Artists Council scholarship 2010 winner, was scheduled to perform. When I arrived at the gallery Parie Wood, 2011 Jammies 3rd place and Judge’s Award Winner as well as Adam Lewis had already performed. I arrived when Alyssa Cox and the Flatland band were already on stage.

When I first arrived Alyssa Cox and her group had already started their set. I walked in and heard the sweet vocals and melody of “Less Than Comforting”. This was the first time I’ve heard them play and their melody was quite captivating.

I walked around the main gallery and looked at the art hanging on the walls created by Nevada Union High School students.

I met with Mark Rabinovitz, Vice President, Sacramento Artists Council and he filled me in on the art being exhibited. The Nevada Union High School of Grass Valley artwork was in exhibit at the Main Gallery and the Sutter Middle School gallery was set up towards the back.

Sutter Middle School’s art instructor Miss O’Neill said the art on exhibit was from the 7th and 8th grade classes and art club. “I’m their art teacher Miss O’Neill, the assignment was that it had to be something colorful, anything they chose had to have a rough draft and for their second coat they had to use all mix colors. They couldn’t use anything straight out of the bottle. That was the only criteria.” she said when asked to say something about their art.

Her enthusiasm was great to witness and her passion for the arts came through as she discussed her student’s work.

O’Neill is the only art teacher at Sutter Middle School. As friends and family members came to see the artwork she was able to direct them straight to where that particular student’s art was. All had a number to help identify each art piece and she seemed to know where each piece of art was situated.

In the back patio Coconut Al’s Catering was serving some delicious dishes. I tried their Pinchos which was skewered chicken with a very tasty Caribbean pineapple sauce. This catering service is available for private parties, corporate events, cocktail receptions and festivals. For more information on their services you can contact Coconut Al’s at 916-549-9517.

Other Coconut Al’s recipes offered were Steakbites, Chilean Empanadas, Spinach and Queso Blanco Empanadas, Tomato/cucumber/cilantro salads, Dan’s Potato Salads, Arroz con Pollo and guava based ribs along with other delicious dishes.

Alex Perez can provide further information on the items mentioned as well as other available dishes. Perez said they had been in business for about a year and a half and concentrate primarily on Latin cuisine. He lived in Puerto Rico for a while and had the chance to taste many of their best dishes. He’s also been to the Dominican Republic, Chile, Peru and was able to draw from dishes he’s been able to enjoy.

The food I tasted was delicious with spices that were quite tasty and not very spicy. Alex indicated that he’s been busy doing some graduation parties and other functions that have kept him busy.

The covered back patio was also used for children’s activities. Music from the front gallery was heard back there as well. As I returned to the front Alyssa Cox and the Flatland Band were finishing up their set.

Alyssa is a singer and songwriter whose vocals are quite pleasing. Her original songs and melodies are well accompanied by her backup vocals and band. I only caught a couple of their songs and wished I had gotten there earlier to catch more of their performance.

As I walked through the gallery I met resident artist Gary Garley who introduced me to Steve Cook (another resident artist). We talked about their current and future projects and each, as always, had something in the works.

Deborah Edward, from Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office came to the stage to say a few words. Edward is involved with the "For Arts’ Sake" initiative in Sacramento and indicated that the work being done at the event was a great example of things that should be going on around Sacramento to promote the arts.

Edward noted that she’s seen the growth of art in Sacramento and was happy to be at the Art Happens event noting the fine work the Sacramento Artists Council has been doing. “What I see when I walk around here today is artists who are established and artists who are new. We all know that art in the schools are really hard to come by today. A lot of schools in the area are not providing or are cutting back on art.” she said and again complemented the Sacramento Artists Council on their work.

After her speech Edward and I talked about the event and indicated Mayor Johnson has had a very busy schedule lately but wanted to show his support and Edward was glad to be at the function. She noted Johnson had participated in the Pride parade earlier in the day. I had also attended the parade but did not get a chance to see the Mayor. The parade and Pride event took place under a cloudy and at times rainy day.

Jaxx the 2011 Jammies winner soon took the stage to start their performance. After a quick sound check they dove into “The Unknown Return”. The talented young band from El Dorado Hills then played “March of the Elephants” a Jaxx composition.

After “Waterfall” they played Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” showcasing their guitar playing skills. From time to time one of the kids’ dads would go up to help with sound and stage as Jaxx played and enjoyed putting on a great performance. “Vagabond” an original composition came next and that song worked well with each player complementing each other and is one of their smoother and softer harmonic pieces.

“Debbie’s Rejoice” another of their original songs played to a receptive audience. The song started somewhat slow and increased in tempo to end with an energetic note. Another original composition followed as they played “Prisoner 13”. Their last scheduled song was “Tongues” another song showcasing their instrumental abilities.

As they were about to leave the stage they were told they could play some more and proceeded to play “Hey Joe”. They ended their performance by playing Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. After their last song they graciously thanked everyone for the opportunity to perform.

Susan Rabinovitz, Founder and Executive Director, Sacramento Artists Council came to the microphone and thanked Jaxx for their performance and announced other raffle winners and then introduced Fishlips.

Fishlips opened with a cover song by the Rolling Stones “Miss You”. “Crossroads” was another cover performed by Fishlips. They moved from one song to the next and in between encouraged visitors to take a look at the art and purchase something for a good cause.

I enjoyed their interpretation of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and Should Never Be” as well as the Jimi Hendrix tune “The Wind Cries Mary”. Actually their whole repertoire was quite excellent.

After a couple of more songs that I did not recognize they played The Doors “Roadhouse Blues” and then took a break. During the break more winners were announced.

An appropriate song was performed by Fishlips after their break as they launched into Bill Withers’ “Ain't No Sunshine”. My favorite cover of the night was their rendition of ZZ Top’s “La Grange”. Fishlips ended their set with their rendition of “Feeling Alright”.

Elaine Hunter was a member of last year’s winning Jammies band (One Eyed Rhyno) and was at the event to perform. As was the case with other performers and young artists she was supported by the presence of her parents and friends.

“Hello everyone I’m so happy to be here, my real name is Elaine Hunter, my stage name is Elaine Kate but what I really want to go by is Buttons del Rio.” she said and continued “I will be accompanied by Matt Swartzendruber but I would rather refer to him as Bobo (I did not get the last name).” She renamed the band since James Hunter is in London. Elaine, Matt and her brother James make up One Eyed Rhyno.

Elaine initially went on stage alone and began her performance starting off with an excellent interpretation of “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles. She followed with Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2AM)”.

This is the first time I’ve really been able to enjoy Elaine’s vocals and is the first time that I can remember not seeing her playing the drums. As part of One Eyed Rhyno she keeps rhythm for the band and it was such a delight seeing her perform and show her vocal range. Her personality and radiance makes the audience feel at ease and helps her voice draw the audience to her musical talent.

Elaine sang an original song she wrote “Some Day” and then followed with an interpretation of a Regina Spektor tune. Soon after she followed with a Corinne Bailey song “Like a Star” both which were very well done. Matt Swartzendruber sitting by her side on some songs switched back and forth between two guitars he had on stage.

In between songs Elaine noted she had walked around the gallery and liked the work and said her mom was an artist. Elaine went on to talk about a great painting her mom, Mary, had made of a cow. The audience enjoyed her description of the cow painting.

One of the first songs I ever heard Elaine sing was “Sea Of Love” by Phil Phillips, she still does a great interpretation of this classic and I was glad she sang it at this event. Matt accompanied Elaine for this last song and she mentioned that Matt was going off to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston after graduating from high school.

Currently there’s a “Sing Like Lady Gaga Competition” where the winner has a chance to meet Lady Gaga, have a sit-down with a representative from Lady Gaga’s record label and receive an autographed synthesizer. Elaine said she has entered the competition and if you log on to www.singlikeladygaga.com under the End Sacramento 107.9 tag you can help her win when you vote for her video. You can vote as many times as you want. Elaine then proceeded to play “Speechless” by Lady Gaga.

The final act was Musical Charis. I’ve seen them play several times and have yet to see the same line up twice. I’m not sure if I was around when they played their first song but I was able to enjoy “Changed” which can be found on their Electra City Church Bells EP.

Blake Abbey spoke to the audience about supporting local music and artists and helping by purchasing art. Abbey indicated they had played a show in San Francisco the previous night and Jessie Brune drove back after the show. She didn’t mind since it was, I believe she said, doughnut day and they stopped to get some coffee and a doughnut before coming back home.

Abbey introduced the next song “Big Ball” followed by “Eye Candy”. “Thank you guys for listening to us this next song is called “The Life” Abbey said introducing another song. Jessie called out “Buy art!” and Abbey emphasized that as well.

Musical Charis talked amongst themselves as to which song they should play next. I guess this type of interaction is what separates them from other bands that may have a set list and perform only the songs on the list. Musical Charis seems to improvise what songs they play. With revolving band members on stage I guess that can happen but at the same time this gives Musical Charis the charm that brings in new followers especially when they involve the audience to participate.

The song decided upon was a song written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore and recorded by Johnny Cash in ’63. That year it was number one on the Country Charts and number 17 on the pop charts. They introduced “Ring of Fire” saying, “This one was written by Johnny Cash’s wife, June.” There’s actually a great story behind the song, its meaning, about who wrote it and why.

Somewhere in the middle of the song someone forgot the lyrics and they stopped for a couple of seconds and continued to perform the song until they finished. They are so much fun to watch them play and interact with each other.

Musical Charis always has a couple of tambourines around so that audience members can join in the fun. They asked if anybody wanted to play and someone onstage pointed out Byron Tobin who usually plays the congas but was not around to join the band when they started. He took up a tambourine and joined his pals on stage for “Jezebel”.

“Tell Me”, another sweet harmony followed and then they took a break giving Shawn King and Bradley Abbey, two members from the Musical Charis School of Music a chance to take the stage and perform. They had played at the Hot Lunch Concert Series with Musical Charis on Thursday and seemed more confident as they performed a couple of songs.

Musical Charis took the stage one more time to finish off the musical entertainment for the day. By this time it almost seemed more like an intimate house party. “Anatomy” preceded a short improvisation of “Hey Jude”. They pointed out Adrian Bourgeois who was in the audience and invited him to come up on stage. Musical Charis ended the evening playing “Forward”. Musical Charis is scheduled to perform at Harlow’s on June 16.

Thus ended the 2011 Art Happens event with a cozy musical ending to a great day of art, food, wine, beer and musical entertainment. Community support allowed the two schools to raise $1000 to save their art programs. A successful event ending to a delightful day of community partnership.

In the Flow Festival

2011-05-09T06:43:05Z

A five-day festival filled with music by 40 groups in five Midtown venues is about to engulf the Sacramento scene.

The In the Flow Festival, an annual event going from Thursday to May 16, will be bringing out improvisational players of jazz, rock, blues, electronic, poetry/spoken word and visual art.

Co-organizer and guitarist Ross Hammond, 33, addressed why it was created.

Hammond said it is important to create a music event in Sacramento and bring out the unknown and/or unrecognized talents.

“I knew enough people and acts, so we decided to put something cool together,” Hammond said. “It is a celebration of creative music and art. It is the music, art and poetry community just coming together and presenting their craft.”

The other innovators behind the celebration are Rob Woodworth and the late Byron Blackburn.

Among the many local performers this year, there will be jazz and improvisational musicians from Los Angeles.

Composer Vinny Golia, 65, will be performing with various people in the festival, but he is also bringing his group Vinny Golia Sextet.

Golia has performed at the festival for the past three years.

“My music is a mixture of jazz, rock and folk tied together,” he said. “It is a blend that is challenging for listeners and the players, compared to other music. It has a groove, it can swing, and at times it is serene, other times noisy.”

A night of poetry and music mixtures at Luna’s Cafe titled “Poetry VS. Band” will consist of regional poets trading verses with area jazz musicians.

Bassist Shawn Hale, 39, will be performing with multiple groups, and he will take part in the “Poetry VS. Band.”

“I am looking forward to the many fantastic musicians,” he said. “The event as a whole is a great thing to be a part of. Looking forward to it starting.”

Among the many events, on Saturday there will be free performances at Phono Select Records.

“There are not many events like this in other cities, where you can see a very wide selection of music, be exposed to live music instead of iPods or CD players,” Golia said. “It is live. People making music in the spare of the moment, you cannot beat that.”

The festival started in 2008 as a Midtown event. It relocated to Broadway and now is back to Midtown.

“Our original venue closed and we needed a bigger space,” Hammond said. “For two years we were at Beatnik Studios on Broadway. We moved back to Midtown this year after being persuaded by Dal Basi, owner of Phono Select Records.”

They are now working with Explore Midtown to make the In the Flow Festival a celebration of Midtown culture, Hammond said.

A f ull-festival pass costs $30, which includes a festival T-shirt. Tickets for individual days cost $10. Tickets can be purchased online or at Phono Select.

Antiquite Maison Privee, one of the venues, plans to cater, but for the most part Hammond said the surrounding Midtown business restaurants will be the best places for food.

The five venues are Antiquite (2114 P St.), La Raza Galeria Posada (1022 22nd St.), Luna’s (1414 16th St.), Phono Select (2312 K St.) and the Press Club (2030 P St.).

All the locations are walkable and bike-able, Hammond noted.

“The event is so dynamic,” Hale said. “There are different performers, and it’s got a little bit of everything as far as what people may enjoy for music. It is such an artistic and community-inspired event. To miss out you will be missing out on a great essence of Sacramento.”

Sactown Rundown - April 8-13

2011-04-08T20:01:03Z

Sorry we're a little late this week with the Rundown, y'all! Tax filing procrastinators, unite!

My story and interview with Mr. Garrett "G. Love" Dutton will be up later on this weekend, in preparation for his show at Harlow's on Wednesday night. I won't lie, I can't wait to hear some of those new Avett Brothers produced tunes, played by the Sauce!

Meantime, there's a chance for you to unleash your inner Diamond this weekend, and a little more fun on tap for Second Saturday weekend. Cheers!

Super Diamond - If you're a regular reader of this space, you know our general disdain for cover bands at Rundown headquarters. Sure, we all like to hear our favorite tunes souped up and busted through the amps...but it's about as unoriginal as you can get! Likewise, there's some sort of a stigma about being born after 1970 and being a Neil Diamond fan. Is that because he often wraps his songs in cheesy orchestral arrangements and collects granny panties like Charlie Sheen collects crazy? Who really cares about that or the cover band bias when we're talking about Super Diamond. "The Surreal Neal" and his band have made quite a name for themselves - dare we say it, even among those who wouldn't necessarily qualify as Neil Diamond fans, except for those who can't resist a little "bah-bah-BAHHH!!!" when it's played at the bar. It's the place for be for fans of "the greatest song writer of this or any generation" (thank you team Zahn/Black/Biggs). 8 p.m. Saturday. Ace of Spades, 1517 R St. $18.95. www.aceofspadessac.com.

The Ferocious Few with Buster Blue (hey, that rhymes!) - We were somewhere around San Francisco, on the edge of the Mission, when the drugs began to take hold. There is nothing on this Earth more twisted and depraved than a man at the depths of a Ferocious Few binge. Had we deteriorated to the level of dumb beasts...when listening to this pair of chord-mangling ruffians from San Francisco, that twist bluesy punk rock (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club style) into a score that was somehow left out of the soundtrack to Hunter S. Thompson's twisted visions. The Ferocious Few are joined by Buster Blue, Reno's answer to San Jose's the Mumlers, an orchestra of ramshackle Americana delivered somehow with irreverence and homage at the same time. 10 p.m. Friday. Sophia's Thai Kitchen, 129 E St., Davis. $5. 21+. www.sophiasthaikitchen.com.

ZuhG with Random Abiladeze - One of Sactown's finest emcees does things the old school way, with poignant lyricism over voice modulators and bling, with performance gusto over rollin' with a posse. In short, "Skills Before Swagger." Random teams up, as usual, with funk fried local rock act ZuhG. This show is a dual CD release party for both acts, with Random's "Indubitably" and ZugH's "Free Love" both debuting. 7 p.m. Saturday. Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St. $12. All ages. www.randomab.com.

If you are planning or promoting a concert in the Sacramento area, or just know of a show you’d like to see featured in the Rundown, shoot me an email.

For a complete listing of Sacramento area music happenings, check out Ann Freeman-Clement’s Concerts, Music Events and the Local Music Scene every Friday on Sacramento Press.

Francophone culture, heritage celebration at Beatnik

2011-03-17T17:24:39Z

Belly dancers, authentic Mediterranean food and music by The Dunes will highlight culture in south and eastern Mediterranean French-speaking countries Sunday at Midtown’s Beatnik Studios.

The annual Fête de la Francophonie French Heritage Festival will introduce Sacramentans to the culture, food and customs of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon, said Beatrice Hildebrand, executive director of the Sacramento chapter of the Alliance Française, which hosts the event.

The event has been held throughout the United States since the 1980s, she said.

“Every year, the month of March has been dedicated to celebrating francophone cultures from all over the world,” she said. “We try to focus on one particular region of the globe, because to celebrate all the francophone cultures is very difficult – you have everything from Tahiti in the Pacific to Switzerland in Europe.”

Last year’s focus was on French culture in North America, specifically Louisiana and Quebec, Canada.

“What we’re going to do is try to touch on the different aspects of the cultures – the food, the music, the dress, the customs,” she said.

Tagine, a typical Moroccan dish, will be the subject of a food demonstration, and The Dunes, which includes members from several of the highlighted countries, will play a concert.

“They sing in French, Arabic, a dialect from the Berber region and English,” she said.

The guitarist and co-founder of the Bay Area band, Reda Bouali, said he is looking forward to playing in Sacramento and bringing the band’s style of music to the Capitol city for the first time.

“It’s a mix of North African and Western music,” the native of Algeria said. “I would say fusion, but usually when you use the word fusion, people think it’s jazz. We play a mix of North African rhythms and melodies and some rock, pop, funk and anything that can marry with different parts of North African music.”

Bouali said the event is a good opportunity for the band, but also for Sacramentans.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to discover something that isn’t that popular in the United States,” he said. “I think it’s very rich. The culture in general is very rich. It’s got Arabo-Islamic culture, the Berber culture for thousands of years and all these passages from the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire and most recently from the French colonization that impacted Algeria quite a lot.”

As for the dinner that will be served – couscous with both meat and vegetable options – Bouali said it is quintessential North African fare.

“Couscous is our most popular dish,” he said. “We make couscous for all kinds of events – for weddings, for family gatherings, for religious holidays.”

Tim Abdellah Fuson sings, plays bass and plays the guinbri, which is a version of an acoustic bass banjo, for the band. He is the band’s lone American member, but he studied music in Morocco.

“It’s a real interesting time with what’s been going on in North Africa the last few months, so it’s nice to be reconvening in a framework of French speaking nations,” he said. “It’ll be a nice opportunity to meet other folks familiar with that part of the world and discuss some of the ups and downs, mainly ups, that are going on over there.”

Given current events, a round-table discussion will be held on the current political climates in the countries, since it was a Tunisian fruit vendor who kicked off the upheaval that is currently sweeping North Africa and the Middle East.

“We planned this six months ago. We had no idea this would happen, but it’s perfect to talk about,” Hildebrand said.

Fuson added that one of the band members has a unique perspective on those events.

“Our keyboard player from is from Tunisia and was actually in Tunisia when all of those events went down,” he said. “I’m hoping he’ll be willing to share his experiences over there.”

In addition to the concert, food demonstration, belly dancing and dinner, attendees will be able to see the Lebanese film “Caramel,” and there will be activities for children.

Hildebrand said between 100 and 150 people attended last year’s event, and she hopes to see about 120 come through this year.

“It’s good to have those kinds of numbers,” she said. “During the concert, it’s good to have them in the room, and people start dancing. It’s a good time.”

General admission is $45, with a $10 discount for Alliance Française members. College students get in for $20, and children ages 12-18 are $15. Children under 12 get in for free.

For tickets, call 453-1723 or e-mail af@afdesacramento.org.

Beatnik Studios is located at 2421 17th St.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

LGBTQ Homeless Youth Fundraiser

2011-03-11T00:54:30Z

Homeless in America come in all colors, all ages and their number continues to grow. Homelessness in Sacramento is also on the rise. This past Tuesday, March 8, 2011 a fundraising reception was held at Beatnik Studios for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) homeless youth of Sacramento.

The humanitarian issue of homelessness is addressed differently depending on the areas that it affects. In Sacramento and other cities little has been done to meet the needs and challenges of the LGBTQ homeless youth.

These challenges are being addressed by the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center along with individuals and community groups. As a result The Sacramento LGBTQ Homeless Youth Initiative was created by these groups to address this issue.

Guests at the Beatnik Studios mingled while enjoying Michael “Custom Chef” Shugert’s catering. As I enjoyed the food I chatted with Roy Bishop and partner Bill Johnson. Roy and I talked about Los Angeles as it turned out we grew up around the same area down in Watts and East L.A. Mr. Bishop lived around the skid row area in L.A. around 5th and Main Streets. It’s unfortunate but that area is still considered skid row.

As Mr. Bishop talked about L.A. he reminisced about living in the downtown L.A. area during in the Zoot Suit time period. Having an older sister in Sacramento he made the move up here during adolescence where he went to school in Sacramento and Woodland. He’s been here ever since.

Roy Bishop was there to support the fundraising and pointed out some of the dignitaries on hand. He identified Wendy Hill for me. Wendy is the Executive Director of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. Roy indicated that she was going to be moving on to work at the State Legislature.

After a while Wendy Hill took the microphone to welcome guests at the event. “My name is Wendy Rae Hill; I’m the outgoing Executive Director at the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center. I’m so happy and welcome to all of you here tonight. It’s amazing to see this turnout.” said Wendy as she introduced herself and talked about the event.

A new initiative in Sacramento called the Homeless LGBTQ Youth Initiative brought guests to the event. Wendy also indicated that the co-chair of this event was Paul Curtis. “I started the center last May,” Wendy said as she gave a short background history. “Over the summer I noticed as I was coming to the center and opening up. There was about 6 to 8 young people that identified themselves as LBGT that would grab their backpacks and their belongings off the back deck and scamper away for a few hours and then sometime during the day came in to the bathroom and clean up or just hang out.” Wendy said.

Wendy said that she decided that instead of just closing her eyes to this she decided to act on what she saw. Wendy invited them in and talked to them about their circumstances. Sitting with these young people Wendy learned a lot about this special population of LGBT youth and young adults.

“I asked them to go around and count the number of their friends that they know of who are in that transition age, that 18 to 24 age group.” Wendy said. She indicated that there are approximately 32 youths in the Midtown area that fit the category. Wendy and Paul got together with other community leaders and talked about solutions to this problem.

This group talked about the services needed to be provided in the Midtown area for these homeless youth. Common characteristics were evaluated and Wendy indicated that “Most of them were either kicked out by their families or had to get out of their home at about age 18. Many were not prepared to be on their own. Few of them had a family history of poverty or homelessness meaning that once they were out on their own they had no idea what to do.For this youth the coping skills were just not there."

“It was their orientation or gender identity that was the reason why they no longer had that family.” Wendy said as she talked about this group of the homeless population. “The last common characteristic common for this group was that one of the reasons their parents, their family sited for kicking them out or pushing them out was religion.”

Wendy continued and said they identified that most of these kids, unless they were in the child welfare system or homeless system, prior to age 18 there are very few services available to them. She said, “That’s where tonight comes in. This fundraiser tonight is essentially raising the seed funds to move forward with a number of problem areas.”

Problem areas identified to be worked on were: creating an assessment system to evaluate needs, build a host housing program and provide support for the hosts that house young people. Creation of a Service Provided Training for these LGBT youths. Life Skills Training classes are also needed, as is the creation a mentoring and job training program, an emergency fund, a P.R./Communications program and fundraising.

Paul Curtis thanked those who helped put together the program. “We had a goal at the beginning,” said Paul. “The goal was, I thought, let’s see if we can raise 15 to 20 thousand dollars. I’m proud to say tonight that we met our goal.” Paul said and received cheers and applause from the audience. Paul indicated that in these economic times it’s hard to ask for funds and said, “It shows that our community really wants to embrace issues like this where there’s a huge need in our community.”

Paul thanked honorary co-chair and new County Supervisor Phil Serna. Mary Hernandez who donated the remaining campaign funds from her run for the City School Board election try was also recognized as one of the main contributors. Mary came on stage to say, “I wanted to thank the LGBT community because really you were my rock, you were my base when it came down to hitting the streets and help spread the word. First of all thank you very everything that everybody did on behalf of me and on behalf of my campaign.” Her contribution was appreciated and the guests thanked her.

Paul Curtis thanked the many individuals and organizations for their donations and acknowledged them for their contributions. He later continued, “This is just the start of the program, we have a long way to go. This gives us the seed money. The goal for this program is not keep it going with a community fundraiser every year, we’ll do something like this, but it will important that we out to the State and Federal Grants.”

Shahera Hyatt, Consultant, California Homeless Youth Project was introduced. Shahera has written her research brief; “Struggling to Survive: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning Homeless Youth on the Streets of California” and is available on the California Homeless Youth Project web page.

Shahera informed the audience that copies of her report were available in a couple of areas in the building. “We know that in the state of California up to 200,000 youth experience homelessness over the course of a year. Up to 40% of them identify as LGBTQ. In researching this report I not only consulted literature on this population but also interviewed LGBTQ homeless youth themselves but also the service providers across the state.” She wanted to get a better picture on the unique challenges and strengths of this group, her findings can be found on the very interesting brief she wrote.

Wendy came back on stage to thank sponsors and remarked that the program will also require volunteers to share their expertise. Wendy pointed out that volunteer sheets were around the studio for those that wished to sign up.

Wendy invited Supervisor Serna to say a few words before the. “I’m very energized this evening to play a very small part of this great effort.” Serna said. He talked about his efforts to address homelessness in the Sacramento area but specifically around the American River Parkway. “I’m very honored to be associated with this effort and what I would like to do in the interest of being very proactive. I would like to set a new goal tonight if it’s okay. I would like to commit to raising at least another $5,000 by the end of April.” Serna said and received many cheers. “But that means everyone in this room has the commitment to collectively match that.”

The challenge was issued and Serna ended by saying, “You need to reach out to your friends, colleagues, workers and family members to help me match that so we can raise an additional $10,000 by the end of April.”

With the final comments made the food and drink areas acquired more visitors. New friends and contacts were made and the opportunity to meet people involved in the LGBT community ended the evening. Janice Steele, Pastor, of the Imani Community Church was on hand and we talked about the event. Her church is on 2100 J Street and said that the LGBT community is welcome to attend where they can meet people who are willing to offer support and, as their motto says, “Practice Radical Hospitality.”

New initiatives, information and websites regarding the LGBTQ (and non-LGBTQ) homeless community can be found at the following sites:

Cahomelessyouth.library.ca.gov
cahomelessyouth.library.ca.gov/docs/pdf/StrugglingToSurviveFinal.pdf
www.SacCenter.org
www.sacramentostepsforward.com
www.endhomelessness.org
http://www.calyouth.org

Black Friday at Beatnik Studios

2010-11-28T08:22:47Z

Beatnik Studios hosted its Last Friday art showings for November. Musical guests were The Dreaded Diamond and Exquisite Corps. Art surrounded the walls on the entrance area and a fashion show took place in the Beatnik studio area in the back of the building.

I got the opportunity to listen to one of Dreaded Diamond’s songs as they were ending their set when I arrived. . Exquisite Corps followed and I was able to enjoy some of their set. The last time I saw them was at the Chalk It Up event in September and enjoyed their venue. Their unique blend of a cello, violin, drums, guitar and vocals always makes it a joy to listen to.

(Exquisite Corps)

A charity fashion event benefiting Feeding America took place in the back area of Beatnik Studios as well. The Fashionable Black Friday included a fashion show and a raffle of various sponsor donated gifts.

A pre-photo shoot took place but I did not have the correct credentials to get in. This gave me an opportunity to enjoy Exquisite Corps' music. Also, while waiting for the actual Fashionable Black Friday to start I had the opportunity to briefly chat with some students from Los Angeles’ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Some of this design school graduates, from the Sacramento area, have come back to Sacramento to practice their trade. Tiana Vega and Shamini Shanmugam, two FIDM graduates, are two designers that have had showings in Sacramento.

Some students from FIDM were on hand (I mistook them from models). Alana Johnson, Ness Rose, Jasmine Rose, Gabriel Barnes and Curtis Brown were there to enjoy the fashion show although not all of them attend FIDM.

Exquisite U Beauty Boutique, located on Fulton Avenue did the hair and makeup for the majority of the designers. Transformations Makeup Institute also provided some of the same services for the fashion show.

The proceeds for the evening went to Feeding America and it will help feed the over 10 million hungry families during this holiday season. Macys contributed several of the evening’s raffle prizes. Music during the show was provided by DJ Hot Shot.

Some of the designers for the evening were Latiya showing her Tailand Designs clothing. Her line of clothing was very well put together and the audience appreciated this part of the show.

During the evening, and before the Aubrey Jade collection was shown, the singing of Happy Birthday preceded her collection. We were then told the story as to how this event came about. “Thank you, thank you, originally that’s how we got started doing this event. I wanted to do something special and meaningful for my birthday a couple of years ago and this how I came up with this type of event. Macys was doing an event throughout their stores nationwide. They had a dinner party, all the proceeds from their dinner party they would match and decided to take it a little bit further. They wanted to go a little bigger and beyond and I said well let’s do a fashion show and everything we made they matched. We’re very appreciative of them and thanks to everyone.” said the designer of the Aubrey Jade collection.

Designer Tui Toele’s fashion wear were also exhibited and the final designer was Sandra Arnold showing her Chinyere Designs. The Fashionable Black Friday event was, I believe, quite successful.

Back at the front area of the Beatnik Studios, Exquisite Corps had already finished their show and the main hall was empty. The Last Friday’s art showings also exhibited works of Judy Keen, a glass artist, as well as works by Mark A. Kooy and Suzon Lucore. I hadn’t heard of Last Fridays at the Beatnik before but hope to be there again.

Photos:

1 - Exquisite Corps

2 - Alana Johnson, Ness Rose, Jasmin Rose, Gabriel Barnes, Curtis Brown

3 - DJ Hot Shot

4 to 20 - Fashionable Black Friday Fashion Show

Sactown Rundown - Oct. 21-27

2010-10-20T22:34:42Z

To quote Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, “The world is such a wonderful place/ The world is such a wonderful place.”

Through and through, he’s absolutely right. But there are just some tragic and unfortunate elements of this world that we sometimes have to live with – the kind that tend to perpetuate the sale of cheap gin and handguns.

I of course refer to the fact that Arco Arena is hosting back-to-back concerts on Friday and Saturday night by Justin Bieber and Nickelback.

Hard to stomach the fact that we’ll probably see more heads each of these nights at the Big Gas Pump than at your average Kings game, all packed in to see a squeak jockey on anti-puberty meds and wearing a hair-met, and a group of guys I wouldn’t trust to do a parking lot show at the Woodland Wal-Mart.

Antidote, quick!

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – Perhaps a little clarification is in order here – no one in this band is actually named Jacob Fred. There’s no need to try and understand why they decided to name their band “Jacob Fred,” and it’s even more futile to try and figure out what the hell these guys are thinking when they sit down to compose their acid-washed brand of fusion jazz. Maybe they’re not thinking at all, which is the true nature of most great music. Maybe someone let them out of their padded cells for awhile and turned them loose, allowing them to pioneer some jumpy, janky and head-scratching jams that only the most daring and slightly insane could pull off while sounding like Herbie Hancock and Bill Frisell’s gold star students? Works for us! They’ll be showing off some tunes from their newst album “Stay Gold,” released in June, along with Evarusnik and the Kairos Quartet. 8 p.m. Friday. Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St. Call for cover. www.beatnik-studios.com.

SambaDa – Looks like these Brazilian hip-shakers from San Francisco have gotten popular enough that they needed a bigger spot. Once regular visitors to Old Ironsides, they’ve upgraded the floor space over to the Blue Lamp; but who really wants to try and do a faux-samba at Old I’s, anyway? Not to mention how tough it would be for the whole band to fit – there’s nine of them! If you were to surgically remove most of the hip-hop elements of Ozomatli and maybe give them a little flamenco augmentation while they were under, you might have something resembling SambaDa, a vivaciously energetic outfit that goes heavy on the horns and percussion and just as heavy on the heat with a fusion of rock, funk, jazz and World-beat rhythms. No opener tonight, folks, the whole night is theirs! 9 p.m. doors/ 10 p.m. show. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd. $10. 21+. www.myspace.com/bluelamp.

Sizzling Sirens with Sexrat – Mark it down: This may be the only time you ever hang out with gals with names like Lucinda Button, Tenacity Jane and Meowie Wowie and you won’t be at a strip club. You also won’t have to spend the whole next day trying to wash off the pungent perfume and shame and wondering where all your dollar bills went either. The Sizzling Sirens’ burlesque show does it the old fashioned way; admittedly naughty, but with a swagger and style that harkens back to the good old days of (very) high heels and hooch parlors. Before the corsets get strapped up, local stalwarts Sexrat will be kicking things off with their chunky indie alt-rock (think Mike Watt pounding PBR’s and playing horseshoes with the Meat Puppets). 9 p.m. Saturday. Marilyn’s on K, 908 K St. $15 adv./$20 d.o.s. 21+. www.marilynsonk.com.

Mark Your Calendars: Neil Young Birthday Show – Only one day late for “Shakey’s” 65th Birthday, Jerry Perry hosts a group of local and visiting bands that will be digging into his epic catalog that spans the last five decades. Bands include Reggie Ginn, David Houston with strings, usual suspects Walking Spanish and Saucer, as well as out-of-towners the Silent Comedy (expect to see another gig from them pop up on the calendar as well, we’ll keep you posted). A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Bridge School, which Young himself chairs and for which he hosts this weekend’s annual Bridge School Benefit concert. Nov. 13. Harlow’s, 2708 J St. $10. 21+. www.harlows.com.

For a complete listing of Sacramento area music happenings, check out Ann Freeman-Clement’s Concerts, Music Events and the Local Music Scene every Friday on Sacramento Press.

Concerts in the Park

2010-07-25T06:55:28Z

One of my favorite Sacramento bands was on the line-up for Friday’s Concerts in the Park. Musical Charis, Prieta and Lite Brite were the headline acts for the evening. We got to Cesar Chavez Park on time (almost) to catch Musical Charis on stage. The weather, as it has been true in the past few days, was still very warm.

Musical Charis had 7 members on stage. Several instruments were being used; a bass, 2-3 guitars, 2 keyboards, drums, and several lead and backup vocals. A definition of charis indicates that it means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech”. I couldn’t think of anything in that definition that did not fit while Musical Charis played.

As they played their set of what I think were original songs, their music was soothing and also got many people in the audience dancing in front of the stage. They have a recently released cd that was on sale and for those who did not have money, I believe, could get a cd with one of their songs or they could download a free mp3 from their website. Overall their show had a great variety of sounds and their on-stage presence was very upbeat, their set was very enjoyable.

After the Musical Charis played their set it was, again, time to patronize the vendors in the beer garden. At this time it was already beginning to get crowded. Pietra started to play while we were at the beer garden. Their brand of music was a bit more on the hard rock side. Their guitar players (Mat Woods and Henry Skyler) impressively had a hard hitting sound. Vocals were provided by Alex Ayers (also at keyboards) and Brian Breneman played drums.

Prieta has been around the Sacramento area for a while. They were scheduled to play at Old Ironsides on Saturday July 24. At the Concerts in the Park they rocked the audience for quite a while and even if the weather was not so hot their music heated up the place. Their vocals and guitar playing, at times, sound like Soundgarden Sometimes I wonder if some bands, that hear others say that they sound like another band, take the observation as an insult or a compliment. My comparison is meant as a compliment. Follow Prieta on their myspace web page, if you go to one of their upcoming shows, I can assure you that they won’t disappoint.

Friday’s concert was another great Jerry Perry Downtown Sacramento Partnership production. Tonigh I noticed that some venues that take place over a certain amount of time in the same place bring new crowds to the shows. At other events such as Concerts in the Park you see some of the same faces (like mine) over and over. There were some kids walking around that I see time after time so today I decided to ask these kids a few questions. At first I thought they were like interns or something like that because they go backstage quite often. I talked to this kid named Eli who was telling me he was a musician with a band in the works and introduced his bass player, “This guy over here, he’s my bass player Dylan”. Eli was saying that they had taken the place of the Musical Charis at Thursdays Hot Lunch Concert Series and he seemed very enthusiastic as he mentioned that. It turns out that Eli is, in a sense, another Jerry Perry production. Jerry Perry is his dad.

The last act of the evening was Lite Brite. I have seen them play before and they were the band I was looking forward to seeing. I had once read they were branded as a band playing indie rock. When I’ve seen them, to me, they have a much harder sound more like hard rock or punk and at times I can hear the Robert Plant and Kurt Cobain influences in Eddie Underwood’s voice. Matt Underwood plays the drums and they’re complemented with Robert Lander’s bass playing. I’ve seen Robert working at the Starbuck’s on J Street across from the Spaghetti Factory. Seeing some band members at “regular” jobs sort of throw people off. Lite Brite's upcoming shows can be found at their myspace website.

This was one of my favorite nights of the Concerts in the Park series. On Sunday July 25 all the bands that played here will also be on hand at the Beatnik Studios with Goodness Gracious joining them for a benefit concert. Beatnik is located on 2421 17th Street.

Photos:

1 - Jerry Perry Presents Concerts in the Park

2 to 6 - Musical Charis

7 to 10 - Pietra

11 - Eli Perry (left) and Dylan (right) with friends (Megan, Nikki, Sarah and Haley)

12 to 14 - Lite Brite

Red Night Poetry premiere Wednesday

2010-07-12T02:12:44Z

Genelle Chaconas remembers the first time she read poetry in public quite vividly. It was a few years ago at Luna’s Poetry Unplugged open mic.

“I was shaking head to foot,” she said. “A fire truck blared past, three lines into my poem, and someone from the crowd shouted, ‘Start over!’ I thought I was going to just disappear.”

After a timid finish, the audience erupted in rowdy applause. Chaconas decided to speak with the host, longtime Sacramento poet B.L. Kennedy.

“That’s how I got to know B.L. Nobody else knows more about what’s going on artistically in Sacramento,” she said.

Three years later, Chaconas is organizing her own reading at Beatnik Studios. Along with Charlene Ungstad, Kennedy will be the featured poet at the inaugural event.

The reading, called Red Night Poetry, was inspired by William S. Burroughs’ book “Cities of the Red Night.” The title suits the gallery space since Burroughs was a famed “Beat” poet.

Chaconas brings a more serious approach to her poetry readings.

“We need to foster an environment of acceptance and fun loving freedom,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean no standards of rigor will exist. What I hope to bring forwards is a reiteration that poetry needs to be respected as the powerful tool it is.”

Asked if poetry is making a comeback, Chaconas replied emphatically.

“Poetry doesn’t need a comeback as it is something inside and outside of ourselves that must always exist,” she said. “What does need to happen is a new realization that poetry deserves respect, that to respect art is to truly respect the self.”

In addition to featured poets, there will be an open mic with a five-minute limit per reader. The event will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. with a $3 cover. Beatnik Studios is at 2421 17th St.

Photo:

Genelle Chaconas at a poetry reading. Courtesy of Chaconas.

Food & photography workshop this Saturday

2010-07-07T01:45:22Z

Food journalist Elaine Corn and photographer Morgan Ong will be hosting a hands-on cooking and food photography workshop at Beatnik Studios starting Saturday. The two-day workshop will be on July 10 and 17 from 9:30 a.m. to noon and will cost $90 per person.

Corn hopes the workshop will enhance the increasing interest in food photography and blogging online.

"With blogging and food photography, I thought we'll just get the two together," she said. "We'll eat and style a little and everyone will get a chance to shoot their food."

Attendees can expect to improve their cooking and photography skills in many areas. The workshop will cover knife-work, knowing when food is done, camera setting adjustments, and props and styling.

Corn has been a food journalist for more than 25 years and has worked all over the country. She is a former food editor for The Sacramento Bee and led that section to many awards from the Association of Food Journalists. She currently covers food as a contributing reporter for Capital Public Radio. One of her more recent features was Broadway: Around the World in Thirty Blocks.

She is also the author of six cookbooks and received the Julia Child and James Beard cookbook awards for Now You're Cooking: Everything a Beginner Needs to Know to Start Cooking Today.

Ong has spent the last several decades as a photographer for The Sacramento Bee, Associated Press, Knight Ridder and McClatchy Newspapers. He has had work appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Time and Newsweek.

"This is a way to increase their awareness of how food can be better presented in either blogs or postings online," Ong said about the workshop.

Ong said people can bring whatever cameras they use on a regular basis, whether it's the camera on your cell phone or a digital SLR.

The class will be very hands-on, with the participants most likely cooking something out of one of Corn's cookbooks. Those attending should plan on eating what they cook.

"Everyone will get a chance to cook," Corn said.

No prior sign up is necessary. Attendees can bring payment on the first Saturday of the workshop.

Images courtesy of Elaine Corn.

Summertime Earth Ball Supports CREE

2010-06-14T05:11:56Z

On Saturday night, we arrived early at Beatnik Studios for the Summertime Earth Ball, a night of entertainment, to support the Center for Rural Empowerment (CREE). CREE a nonprofit organization promotes community development and environmental protection globally. (www.conservationforpeople.org)

The cocktail attire set the ambiance for a classy event with a worthy cause. Artwork by Lorenzo Ortiz covered the walls of the first room and served as conversational pieces for the guests.

CREE's table held informational brochures, photographs from past projects and artwork for raffle prizes. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Skuja, CREE’s founder. He told me of the group’s projects in Sri Lanka, Africa, and Tanzania. Skuja spoke of CREE’s focus: “All of our projects look at how to alleviate poverty and environmental conservation. Where I see CREE as unique is it is not me imposing ideas from the outside, they are from the village, locally led.”

In the back room, DJ Nuyo spun music while live bands, The Resurrection Men and Robustitron, kept the guests moving and grooving. Vodka 360 sponsored the open bar, where the alcohol was flowing freely, including my favorite specialty drink, “Peach Tree Hugger.” Once the guests were loosened up, many posed in front of the CREE logo photo booth for fun professional photos.

I was curious about the turn out of an event held during Second Saturday, but it attracted a crowd. The guests were clearly enjoying themselves and by the end of the night were flashing the glow stick jewelry, party favors. Summertime Earth Ball was a fun event and a good cause, with the all the proceeds benefiting CREE.

"Photo Credit: Lindsay Calmettes of www.beatnik-studios.com"

In the Flow brings jazz to Sacramento

2010-05-17T02:43:57Z

Music flowed from Beatnik Studios on Sunday during the third annual In the Flow Jazz Festival. Musicians from all over the West Coast played, including Nels Cline. The guitarist from band Wilco played Saturday afternoon.

“My friend Byron and I, we came up with doing just a festival of jazz to let local and regional artists play,” said Ross Hammond, the event’s co-founder. The festival started at the True Love Coffeehouse three years ago, and moved to its current location at 2421 17th St. last year.

Hammond said the celebration has been growing steadily. “The first year was kind of more Sacramento, then we added some Bay Area stuff, and now there’s a lot of other people from up and down the West Coast,” he said. “It’s getting a little bigger every year.” This year's event was sponsored by the Greater Broadway Partnership, a nonprofit business association.

The Rich Halley Trio came from Portland, Ore., to play. “It has a really good energy to it, a really good feel,” Reed said. The band, together for about 35 years, played Sundayafternoon for about 20 people.

The audience about doubled for a performance by The Reminders, which features Vinny Golia, Tom Monson, Lisa Mezzacappa and Ross Hammond.

“The main thing is that it’s very eclectic,” Hammond said of the festival. “It’s got a lot of different styles.” He said there’s electronic, noise and rock music, something for everyone. “If you don’t like what you’re listening to, you can just hang out for a second, then you’ll like the next thing.”

The lineup moved quickly. After the Rich Halley Trio, the audience was told to move into the next room. As soon as everyone was settled, Joe Berry and Tim Metz began to play. It was a day of moving from one jazz experience to the next.

“It’s a place to showcase talent,” said Mindy Giles from Swell Productions. “You don’t often get to hear something like that on the radio.”

The festival will close Monday with a tribute to local jazz bassist Byron Blackburn. Blackburn, who died in September, recorded an album with a sextet before his death. The Labor Day Session will be released at Luna’s Café & Juice Bar, 1414 16th St., with a special performance by Blackburn’s band.

Photographed performances:

1. The Rich Halley Trio

2. Guitarist Joe Berry and drummer Tim Metz

3 and 4. The Reminders

In The Flow is coming this weekend!

2010-05-12T19:53:18Z

*Note, there is a bias here because I'm directly involved with the Festival's organizaiton, etc.
-RH

In The Flow 3!

The 3rd annual In The Flow Jazz/Improvisational Festival will be at Luna's Cafe, R5 Records and Beatnik Studios this weekend (Friday, 5/14 through Monday, 5/17). The lauded young improvisational music festival will feature musicians from all over the West Coast, including Vinny Golia, Nels Cline, (guitarist from super group Wilco and the Nels Cline Singers), Lovely Builders, Gerry Pineda, Tony Passarell, Henry Robinett and many more.

In The Flow 3 Festival, produced by area guitarist Ross Hammond along with a group of volunteers, will post up over thirty music groups at two major locations--Beatnik Studios at 17th & Broadway and new this year, the venerable Luna’s Café at 16th & N Sts. Tickets are $10 per day or $30 for a 4-day pass. Tickets are available at www.intheflowsacramento.com. “All of the artists presented are representatives of Sacramento, Los Angeles, SF/Bay Area and Portland. In The Flow 3 is a great chance to experience what artists from out West have to offer,” says Hammond.

The returning title sponsor of the weekend events at Beatnik is the Greater Broadway Partnership Neighborhood Association, in conjunction with the Jazzhouse and SMF Music.

Pre-fest events at Russ Solomon's R5 Records (corner of 16th & Broadway) and also Records at 1618 Broadway will be announced shortly.

Friday night, May 14 will feature a special night of poetry and music collaborations at Luna's Cafe. The event, hosted by local poet phenom NSAA (a.k.a. Lawrence Dinkins) will be a night of surprises as regional poets trade verses with area jazz and creative musicians.

On Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 In The Flow 3 returns to Broadway for two full days of music and art at Beatnik Studios. This year there will be terrific jazz and improvisational musicians from Los Angeles (Nels Cline, Vinny Golia, GE Stinson, Steuart Liebig, Tom McNalley), Portland, Oregon (Rich Haley), The Bay Area (Phillip Greenlief, Scott Amendola, Darren Johnston, Lisa Mezzacappa), Grass Valley (Randy McKean, Murray Campbell), plus Sacramento and Davis (Ross Hammond, Tony Passarell, Electropoetic Coffee, Alex Jenkins, Gerry Pineda). Over twenty different groups will be playing throughout the weekend.

In addition, there will be a special showing of regional visual artists Mark Fox, Nicole Fox, Milton Bowens, Greg LaTraille and Kathy Blackburn at Beatnik Studios all weekend during the Festival.

Monday, May 17 will be dedicated to late Sacramento bassist and In The Flow co-founder Byron Blackburn, as his final recording session will be released at Luna's Cafe. The Labor Day Session CD features Blackburn along with Ross Hammond, Tom Monson, Phillip Greenlief, Jaroba and Tony Passarell. The remaining band members will be playing music from the new CD. Since November 2009, a weekly jazz/improvisational series at Luna’s, “Nebraska Mondays” named in honor of the Nebraska-born Blackburn, has grown in popularity.

A detailed 8 page program guide (available in late April at many Broadway and Midtown restaurant/cafe/shop locations, as well as greater Sacramento locations) will give fest-goers both artist bio info and a handy walking map to the neighborhood cafes restaurants and businesses.

More information, and tickets can be found at www.intheflowsacramento.com.

Jazz Concert at Beatnik Studios

2010-02-13T01:31:33Z

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 fans.

Following CFR’s funky, danceable set, JFJO emerged from its road home -- a mystery trailer in the backyard of Willie's Burgers -- and broke into “Sensation of Seeing Light.”

The music opened with a false start, then built and picked up before careening into a full-on jam session.

Considering JFJO has been in the game for 16 years, the band seems young. This may have something to do with the chronically evolving lineup. JFJO broke out in 1994 as an eight-piece band with emcees and horns. Since 2008, the reconfigured lineup is has been an instrumental quartet.

You’d expect the sound to be stripped down, but it was as complex as ever, with piano and acoustic bass layered with lap steel guitar and melodica.

JFJO is known for its progressive take on classic styles. Accompanied by a 45-piece orchestra at the Oklahoma Mozart Festival in June, the band will exhibit its “Ludwig” project, a contemporary reinterpretation of Beethoven’s third and sixth symphonies.

The music was sweeping; it built and relaxed. JFJO's “Trampoline Phoenix,” about (guess what) the joys of jumping on a trampoline with friends, struck me as something that would play on a Wes Anderson submarine -- something you wouldn’t want to dance to but makes you grin.

By the set’s finale, I was forced to reassess. Lots of people were moving, and not just the hardcore jam-band groupie dancers.

One of the most enthusiastic of these dancers was Andrew Larson, a Sacramento City College student and South Land Park resident.

“This band takes jazz in a whole new direction,” he said.

For more information, visit CFR and JFJO on MySpace.

The next night of the Winter Jazz Concert Series is February 25th at 8 p.m.

That 1 Guy at Beatnik Studios

2010-01-23T07:15:15Z

"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 set the stage for one of the most unique and musically creative shows to ever hit Sacramento.

The crowd contained people of every race, age and gender group showing the transcendental abilities of That 1 Guy's music.

The show, which ran late into the evening, was a one of a kind experience. That 1 Guy played hits from several of his albums with the help of his own inventions, or in his words, "The rest of the band," the Magic Pipe, the Magic Saw, and the Magic Boot.

The Magic Pipe, a seven-foot-tall instrument consisting of pipes, strings, and triggers connected to a drum machine plays notes all over the sonic map. The way he handles the instrument, however, is what makes it special. One minute, it is played with a bow like a cello. The next with fingers like a stand-up jazz bass. The next with a drumstick as a percussion instrument. All the while hitting triggers with his hands and feet to simulate an entire band.

With a singing voice that could stand alone, That 1 Guy's musical talent and understanding is always present.

The Beatnik Studio offered an unusually intimate performance. The crowd actively spoke with That 1 Guy while on stage and was allowed to sit on the floor feet from the performance.

"That 1 Guy and the Magic Pipe Packs a Wallop!" hit stores Wednesday and is available online at www.that1guy.com

Visit www.Beatnik-Studios.com for their schedule of concerts and events.

You Know, That 1 Guy

2010-01-21T04:25:46Z

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 Festival in Australia. Silverman says its among his favorite events and one at which about 15,000 listen to him play.

His one-man act started as a bet with a Bay Area club owner when Silverman was in college. Silverman performed 400-plus shows in one year with five bands. The bet was that if Silverman did the show alone he could keep the $50 that the band normally split. Silverman almost called the bet off the night before the show and described his time on stage as "one of the most awkward, terrible experiences ever."

By the end of the show, however, everything had changed. As the audience applauded, Silverman's uncomfortable experience was transformed into "one of the most rewarding nights of my life."

"People produce the best stuff when their back's against the wall," Silverman says, adding that he enjoys "never really knowing exactly what you're doing."

His method seems to work. Silverman has won awards at the Edinburgh Music Festival, toured with Buckethead of Guns N' Roses and produced several hit albums.

The Magic Pipe, That 1 Guy's stage centerpiece and Silverman's invention, is a one-of-a-kind instrument consisting of metal piping, two strings, 13 trigger sensors and other electronically connected pieces. He uses this instrument, to produce orchestral, full-bodied songs accompanied by lyrics.

That 1 Guy's new album, "That 1 Guy and the Magic Pipe Packs a Wallop!" which became available Wednesday.

For ticket sales and additional information,contact Beatnik Studios at 916-443-5808 or online at www.beatnik-studios.com.

For additional information, album purchases and tour schedule for That 1 Guy, visit www.thatoneguy.com.

Music Never Stops Foundation offers scholarships, concerts

2010-01-13T06:06:41Z

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 an open jazz jam session.

"I taught briefly as a public music teacher and the resources were very slim," Schmidt said. "The administrators that were trying to deal with holding their programs together didn't have much attention, help or resources."

After years of teaching private lessons in local music stores, he decided to teach music in his own home before opening the Earthtone School of Music in 2006. The school aims to create a studio-like environment where teachers can communicate with other teachers and students can speak to other students.

A group of business owners and some parents and students in the studio, realized there was a greater need, Schmidt said. The group wanted to bring awareness to the community about the lack of resources for music education.

They pooled resources and set out to develop an outreach program to cultivate an understanding that there was a need. In September, the group was recognized as an official nonprofit, with the mission to fund private music lessons using festivals and concerts to generate funds.

The nonprofit will give scholarships to under-18 students who need financial help. Each scholarship will be awarded on a case-by-case basis, with the awards including everything from an experience in a summer jazz camp to a year of private instruction.

The foundation is made up of a board of directors which includes business owners, parents of music students and Schmidt as president. There is also a small event committee to assist in scheduling concerts.

Since not a single applicant has reached the foundation so far, Schmidt hopes the Winter Jazz Concert Series will raise awareness of the organization. The Winter Jazz Concert Series will be followed by the to-be-scheduled Music Never Stops Foundation Festival.

At the festival, a group of musicians will attempt to play the world record-breaking longest jazz song, to prove that "music never stops."

"We will be running the same tune in shifts of musicians," Schmidt said. "The song will start by a particular group of players and, as their shift winds down, the next group will be ready to be passed the torch. It will be 45-minute shifts for 24 hours."

The tentative schedule for the Winter Jazz Concert Series is as follows:

Jan. 14: Winter Jazz Concert Series Kickoff featuring Capital Jazz Project and the Rio Americano High school Jazz Combo. Ends with an open jazz jam.

Jan. 28: Earthtone School of Music Faculty Jazz Ensemble, open jazz jam

Feb. 11: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

Feb. 25: Swing Dance Ball with Atomic Jump Revival, dance lessons at 8 p.m., band begins at 9 p.m.

March 11: Folsom High School Jazz Ensemble, open jazz jam

March 25: CSUS Jazz Ensemble, open jazz jam

April 8: Swing Dance Ball with Atomic Jump Revival, dance lessons at 8 p.m., band begins at 9 p.m.

April 22: Adam Jenkins Trio, open jazz jam

All events begin at 8 and end at 11 p.m. at Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St. Concerts cost $10, $7 for students. $50 pre-sale tickets for the entire series are available at Beatnik Studios and musicneverstops.org. Musicians who show up at the door for the jam sessions with the ability to play at least two recognizable jazz or bebop standards are admitted with a sliding scale donation.

Photograph depicting music students courtesy Earthtone School of Music.

Organic Capital Sustainability Celebration

2009-12-09T03:40:43Z

"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," Brooks said. "Twenty percent of California's energy is currently used in water pumping and treatment. The ramifications of this in times of high cost, non-sustainable energy sources is also of concern to me."

The funds raised will go to "Restore the Delta" to support education about upcoming water challenges, Delta farmers and agriculture and furthering other food and water causes, according to Brooks.

Restore the Delta is a grassroots campaign committed to making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta fishable, swimmable, drinkable and farmable to benefit all, Brooks said.

The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St. Admission is free but donations of $10 to $25 or more is suggested. For more information, visit the Sacramento for Democracy website.

Cinco de Alchemist: A Celebration of Transformation

2009-11-06T22:37:03Z

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 focused on serving the Alkali Flats and Mansion Flats neighborhoods of downtown Sacramento.

In 2007, Alchemist CDC and the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association began the city’s first urban farm stand at J. Neely Johnson Park in Alkali Flats. In 2009, they began a farm stand at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park neighborhood. The farm stands operate from May through October.

Urban farm stands bring improved access to fresh, seasonal, locally grown vegetables and fruit to people and communities who can benefit most from it. An urban farm stand is different from a farmers’ market. Whereas farmers’ markets involve many different producers selling their produce in a large area, farm stands involve a single vendor who resells produce they have purchased from various local farmers. The farm stand is smaller and less complex than a farmers’ market and requires less coordination and fewer people to operate.

Alchemist CDC also operates an internship program for youth ages 14 to 18. According to their website, the “program focuses on providing the interns with knowledge of the benefits of fresh produce to overall health and disease prevention, as well as the differences in conventional and organic produce.”

Land Park resident Fiona Castleberry interned with Alchemist from May through October in 2009, and she attended the Cinco de Alchemist party. Castleberry worked as a volunteer at the new farm stand in McClatchy Park, and she said it was especially interesting to see how a new farm stand was set up.

“I was a bit skeptical before I started,” she said. “I really wasn’t sure there would be a lot of interest there in a farm stand, but it turned out to be a great success, and I learned a lot.”

Cinco de Alchemist was held at the newly renovated Beatnik Studios. Alchemist board president Wendy Carter said they looked at several spaces in Sacramento, but knew right away that Beatnik was just right. Beatnik did seem the perfect match for the event with its simple, elegant decor and wide-open spaces with room for guests to stand and talk or just lounge on the couches.

Carter and other Alchemist board members were pleased with the success of the event. Many of the guests stayed for hours chatting with old friends and new acquaintances, enjoying wine and beer from local producers.

“Alchemist is very appreciative of the support that everybody has shown us,” executive director Davida Douglas said in an e-mail. “The event exceeded our expectations and we are thankful to everyone that made it out to the event, and to the donors and supporters.”

Yet, there was a bit of uncertainty in Carter’s outlook about the future of Alchemist.

“We are in an in-between phase where it’s getting more difficult to raise the funds necessary to continue and expand our efforts in the community,” she said. Carter cited the economy as a huge strain on the funds available through grants and on the ability of the individual donor to give.

Carter said she has high hopes for the future of Alchemist and for better food access in her community.

“One of the things I have talked about is possibly operating the farm stands year round,” she said. “The farm stands have the best produce available in my opinion, and I miss it when it isn’t there.”

Board Secretary Jessica Pearson also has big dreams for the future of the community and its access to fresh, healthy food. She sees a future where the urban farm stands have become self-sustaining, integral parts of their respective neighborhoods and can be operated solely by the people who live there.

According to Alchemist’s website, alchemy is the medieval science that sought to transform base metals into gold. The Alchemist Community Development Corporation, true to its name, is seeking to guide the transformation and growth of the Sacramento community by putting the tools to do so in the hands of the people who need them most. If the outpouring of love, community and dedication present at Cinco de Alchemist is any indication, the future is golden for this organization and the communities it serves.

Byron Blackburn - a musician to be reckoned with

2009-10-15T06:59:39Z

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 Jalapeno Chocolates and others will be playing throughout the memorial.

Artists from Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose have donated just under 40 pieces for the auction. Some of the artists include Carlos Villez, Cinder, Deborah Barba, Evie Turner, Jill Allyn Stafford, John Stuart Berger, Mark Fox, Nicolas Caesar, Skinner, and Yoli Manzo.

Blackburn wasn't always a musician. He picked up the bass only six years ago after a friend of his needed a bassist in his band, Kro-nose. He had never played before but he was willing to learn and since then the Sacramento music scene has greatly benefited from his support and encouragement.

"He wasn't there to serve himself. He was there to serve the music," his wife Kathy Blackburn said. "It was about building community, giving a helping hand, guidance or a venue."

Byron and Kathy became part owners of the Java Lounge "because he cared so much about the music there," she said.

The couple invested their time and money into the all-ages venue to make sure there was a place for musicians and artists of all levels to come and be creative.

"What’s great about Java Lounge is they like to show art from a variety of backgrounds," Evie Turner, friend of Byron and one of the organizers of the memorial said. "It’s a good place for people who are breaking into the art scene to have a place to show. You can easily be rejected [elsewhere], but [Byron] never turned anybody away."

His friends remember him as a driving force and proponent for newer artists trying to make a name for themselves and break into the scene.

"[Byron] is the most supportive, most encouraging and biggest fan of local music; he really loved it a lot," Ross Hammond said. "If you played a gig, and there was three people there, guaranteed Byron was one of them."

Hammond has played with Byron at many shows and played guitar on his latest CD, Things Turn Black When They Burn. Hammond is also an organizer of the memorial.

Ryan Offield, bassist for The Inversions, also knew Blackburn through music and hosted the Weatherstone music series for about nine or ten months with him.

"He got some of the best jazz and rock talent available from SF through to Sacramento through him networking well. People wanted to be around him," Ryan Offield said. "He got world-traveling musician Ulher Birgit and Gino Robair into Weatherstone. My jaw just dropped at [what] he achieved - by pure good will."

Blackburn was diagnosed with cancer two and a half years ago, according to his wife, Kathy.

He endured two surgeries and many rounds of chemo, but didn't let the cancer bring him down.

"He always said, 'I have cancer. Cancer doesn't have me," Kathy said.

He was determined to do as many shows as he could, she added. "He probably did 300 shows in 365 days."

Offield remembers the first time he saw Byron after the diagnosis. "He wasn’t going to be deterred at all. no matter how afraid of it or intimidated he was, he was so aggressive toward it," Offield said. "[Byron said] 'I’m going to get the best doctors in the world. I’m going to look into traditional medicine, eastern medicine. This isn’t going to beat me."

Byron spoke on Capital Public Radio's Insight in June about his album and his fight with cancer.

"As I made this CD ... I really felt at the time that I was making it that it really had nothing to do with my illness," Blackburn said. "But when I got done and I listened to the music, it struck me that the music was very informed by what I was going through with my health."

"I didn’t know if this was going to be my last opportunity to record or what the future held for me in terms of playing so I really tried to just open up my heart and get a snapshot of what it is we had been doing for the last couple of years in live situations."

Kathy Blackburn said that music was one thing that kept his mind off of the pain the cancer caused.

"[Byron] said it was only when he was playing music that none of [the pain] was in his brain," she said. "I’d drag him to some gig and he’d be in terrible shape, [but when he started playing] you could see him light up and feel so good."

Hammond and Offield agreed that his appreciation of music went above and beyond anyone else's they knew.

"Everytime he would play a show with you - it could have been the greatest or the crappiest show – he would shake your hand and thank you for playing," Hammond said.

"He was excited about rehearsal. He was excited about gigs, about everything," Hammond added.

"[Byron] would inject himself into situations with players who were extremely talented and he wouldn’t be happy until he could sit and play with confidence," Offield said. "He was such a constant protagonist for getting everyone together and for working on things."

While he may have been hard on himself, Blackburn was nothing but encouraging toward others.

"He was so patient and energetic about everyone’s talent," Offield said. "He allowed everyone to go about being their best."

Beyond the music, his friends and colleagues say he was a joy to be around, regardless of how well you knew him.

"I would stop in [Java Lounge] once a week and what was fantastic was you didn’t just go in for a quick cup of coffee," Turner said. "He made you feel like you were welcome in his home. You weren't just a customer, you were a family member."

Offield said his signature grin put people at ease.

"When he was telling a story, he would get wrapped up in it and would have a serious look on his face," Offield said. "As soon as he was getting to the punchline – he had a huge grin from ear to ear– a Cheshire cat smile."

Byron recorded music for the last time on Labor Day with Ross Hammond. His wife Kathy had it playing on the stereo during his last moments.

"He always said his number one goal is to build the art and music scene in Sacramento. His second goal was to protect the venue and nurture the artist," Kathy said.

Friday, the art and music scene in Sacramento will give back to him.

"It will be a combination of somber and celebration," Offield anticipates. "[Byron] loved life too much for anyone to go about [this] in anything but a celebratory way."

The event is free. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the video slideshow will begin at 7:30 p.m. The musicians will begin performing at 8 p.m.

Cash and checks are the only form of payment accepted for the silent auction items.

Donations can be made to the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund at Bank of the West on J Street.

For more information on the event, visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141857289846

Beatnik Studios is located at 2421 17th Street.

Below are some of the art pieces that will be up for sale at the auction.

Photos provided by Kathy Blackburn. Paintings above were done by Kathy Blackburn.

Art by Mark Fox

"Too Late To Go To Rehab" by Carlos Villez

"Halloween PartyBot" by Cinder

"Saint Byron" by Nicolas Caesar

BLVD bring 'dance party' to Beatnik

2009-07-24T02:40:29Z

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 hop and rock styles. The concert kicks off the second leg of the band's North American tour, which also ventures into Canada.

BLVD features traditional rock instrumentation with a guitar, bass and drums. MC Souleye raps lyrics while the band plays danceable riffs.

When the band first formed, it was a trio consisting only of McIntosh on drums, Curtis Sloane on electric guitar and Tripp Bains on bass.

Their approach was to play a live version of what has traditionally been a studio-based music: techno. When recording their three studio albums, McIntosh and Sloane also worked with music samples and digital gear.

Then, about three years ago, at a show in Tucson, Arizona, the band met MC Souleye, who had been touring with Bay Area-based DJ Bassnectar. Souleye collaborated with BLVD until recently, when the band members collectively decided he would front the band full-time.

Souleye appears on 10 of 11 tracks on BLVD's fourth album, Music For People, 2008. The band members have recently been describing their sound as live electronic and electro-hip hop while Jambase.com and Okayplayer.com call them "livetronica" and "trip-hop."

They recently finished recording their fifth album, which will continue in the same vein. It was produced by music veteran Jeff Saltzman, who has worked with bands like The Killers, The Offspring and The Sounds.

"The confirmation that we would have [Saltzman producing the album] was a big moment," McIntosh said. The band recorded the new album over the course of 30 12-hour days. The groups still does not have a release date for the album.

"It was really amazing to spend that amount of time with someone who has made so many great records, and get all his input and advice on what we're doing," McIntosh added.

"It's a positive, uplifting message, combining cool retro riffs and solid hip hop beats," Souleye said.

"We're moving a lot between tempos and trying to create a journey of sorts with people dancing [and] connecting with each other," McIntosh said. "The audience [Friday] can expect a dance party for sure."

Those who attend the show can also expect to hear at least half of the new album, Souleye explained. Maybe even a brand-new song that's never been played before.

"My favorite thing in the entire world is performing, and you'll hear that from each one of us - it's what we live to do," Souleye added. "It's an amazing feeling to be there."

The show begins at 9 p.m., and tickets cost $10 at the door. Opening are DJ G.A.M.M.A., DJ Whores and DJ Mener. Also featured at the studios during the show will be art from the Stilldream Collective.

Beatnik Studios is located at 2421A 17th St.

Photograph courtesy Megan Krouse

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

Crown City Rockers at Beatnik Studios Friday

2009-06-04T06:47:40Z

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, and tickets can be purchased online here.

More information on the band is available here.

Author's Note: Accompanying promotional photo courtesy of SBL Entertainment.

Beatnik Studios to host "boobie" fundraiser

2009-05-15T19:21:19Z

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.

With 100 tickets already sold, Erickson is close to her goal, and with Davis helping her out with promotions around the city and online, she hopes that a lot more will also show up on Saturday.

The money raised will go towards different aspects of breast cancer awareness, including education, finding a cure and wigs for chemotherapy patients who’ve lost their hair.

There are two bands lined up to perform for the evening. Makosa, an afro-jazz band, and ZuhG, who have been nominated for the Sacramento Area Music Awards (a.k.a. the “Sammies“) and have a combo funk-rock-jazz sound.

Davis and Erickson have also been working together to recruit help from local vendors and musical artists to stock the bar and put on a show for guests. Sacramento brew favorites Pyramid Brewing, Hoppy’s and Rubicon will be selling beer at a no-host bar, and Sofia’s Italian restaurant will be catering complimentary appetizers.

Donated prizes from the raffle include ski lift tickets to Diamond Peak and Sugar Bowl, two tickets to the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, an Aveda salon and spa gift basket and gift cards to Hoppy’s and Jack’s Urban Eats along with others.

All sales from the bar will be donated and after the first $500, 100 percent of ticket sales will go towards Erickson’s fundraising effort. Also, all money generated from raffle tickets and a $1-per-spin prize wheel from Gold’s gym will be donated as well.

The bash begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the door.

Beatnik Studios is located at 2421 17th St. For information about future events at Beatnik, visit beatnik-studios.com.