A group of college friends conceived of an idea based on a passion: produce concerts that give back to the community. Formed in 1999, Concerts 4 Charity (C4C) obtained official 501(c)3 nonprofit status in 2002, and has since expanded from its humble beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts to several locations across the country, following the initial founders as they dispersed after graduating. Along with Worcester, chapters are now present in Portland, Maine; Ashland, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Sacramento, California. The Sacramento Chapter, run by founding member Clay Nutting, focuses on causes he is devoted to: music, arts education, and supporting the local music community.

It wasn't your mama's "Nutcracker" at the Crest Theatre Friday evening, when Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet Theatre collaborated with a quartet of contemporary Northern California bands for "Ballet + Live Local Music," a Concerts 4 Charity-produced event designed to "showcase Sacramento's diverse arts community while raising money to keep children involved in the performing arts." Sequestered stage left on floor level, bands DoomBird, Exquisite Corps, Drifting Shapes and Sister Crayon offered a moody, rhythmic mix of indie, electronica, world music (think big, big drums)  and trance-flavored numbers that provided the inspiration for the amazing, mind-bending work by choreographer Zara Haye

Two years after winning a Sammie award, fans of The New Humans were wondering when they’d get to hear a full record. After various production hurdles, on August 21st The New Humans will release what fans have been asking for: a surprising and entertaining EP entitled Avalanche. Much of the eight track record is filled with the same heart-pounding synthesizer-driven electro pop that we have come to expect out of The New Humans. Tracks like “All the Kids” and “Tremors” seem like parts of the same explosive song and together they open the EP with a bang.   “Fever,” their first single (now available on iTunes), is still their signature track. This big band-inspired and well-composed dance hit