It was a wake-up call of eye-opening proportions. It was a smooth, delightful sound experience. It was simply soulful and stimulating. Call this group your favorite urban bohemian coffee shop brand in a cup — Starbucks, Old Soul Coffee Co., Peet’s, Java City — whichever you choose. It was exactly as group members Lawrence Dinkins (also known as NSAA) and Ross Hammond described it: Electric. Poetic. Coffee. The group’s moniker coined by Dinkins was an on-target summation of what they represent. “As Lawrence likes to say, I’m the electro part, Lawrence is the poetic part, and we both like to drink coffee,” Hammond said. “It’s poetry and folk songs over guitar and electricity. We try to mak

Who says summer has to end in August? Well, the organizers of the Crocker Art Museum’s “Jazz At The Crocker” summer music series agree.   In fact, the museum is prolonging the spirit of summer with its “Jazz At The Crocker” every third Thursday of the month beginning at 5:30 p.m. and going to 8 p.m. in the E. Kendall Davis Courtyard. This month, the Crocker featured the renowned Roger Smith jazz band.   The band consists of bandleader and keyboardist Roger Smith, drummer Brian Collier, bassist Curtis Ohlson, guitarist Jeff Tamelier, saxophonist Jon Skinner, saxophonist Tom E. Politzer and vocalist Carol J. Toca.   “The Crocker has been doing this for 15-20 years—it’s a popular series

What is it about walking into a jazz club that elicits an immediate sense of cool? Harlow’s transformed its nightclub into a swanky jazz club on Saturday night for “An Evening With Duke Ellington.” Onstage was The Vivian Lee Quintet paying tribute to the great jazz musician by playing several of his classic songs. The quintet is composed of lead vocalist Vivian Lee, Ron Foggia on piano, Paul Klempau on bass, Jeff Minneweather on snare drum and joining them for this special night on saxophone was Joe Berry. The snare drummer beat the drum in triple time. The saxophonist made the instrument talk — mastering scales and riffs. The bass player plucked the strings with precision. The pianist

Attending the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival (SEMF) EP release party for Dusty Brown held Saturday at 9 p.m. at The Townhouse Lounge meant  I had to be prepared for a one-of-a-kind experience.  When I  walked into the dimly lit lounge there was house, techno and hip-hop music blasting over the speakers and a chalk board that displayed the bands performing for the night.  The talent for the event featured TAIS, Melee Beats and headliner Dusty Brown. The clandestine lounge has two floors. DJ Rockbottom spun hip-hop music on the first floor and DJ MooOkie spun music for the crowd on the top main floor. The variety of onstage talent and DJs gave everyone something to listen to. “I’m e

Extraordinary. Contemplative. Soul-stirring. Awe-inspiring. The Japanese film “Departures” brought these words to mind at opening night of the Japanese Film Festival. The three-day festival began Friday at 8 p.m at the Crest Theater with showing the solo feature film "Departures" followed by double features, “K-20: Legend Of The Mask” and “Throne Of Blood” on Saturday, and “White On Rice” and “Memories Of Matsuko” on Sunday. The festival started out with the shocking film “Departures” Friday night. That’s right, I didn’t say “The Departed,” as in the Martin Scorsese movie. With a title like “Departures” and perhaps without reading a synopsis, audiences would have been clueless as to what

La Raza Galeria Posada's canary yellow walls set a vibrant tone Thursday for the gallery's latest offering in a Latin cinema series. “This series is about highlighting the films that are coming out of Portuguese- and Spanish- speaking countries,” said Michael Collett, the gallery's education manager. “We want to give a broader perspective to Sacramentans that not everyone who speaks Spanish is Mexican,” he continued. “There’s a whole Spanish-speaking world out there and those people have issues similar to us here in the States.” The series is a part of the New Latin American Film Series held Thursdays at 7 p.m. in July. Thursday featured the Argentinean film “El Secreto de su Ojos” (The

I once heard the saying that laughter keeps you young. If that’s true, Sacramentans who attend the upcoming ‘Comedy For The Soul’ showcase should retain their youth and have plenty of fun laughing.   Sacramento entrepreneur and comedian E. Clark had a recent chat with me to discuss his inspiration for comedy, comedic success and to highlight a few details of the newest show he’s producing.   “I wasn’t fulfilled with a nine-to-five…I wanted something more…and as a comedian you can say what you want to say and not be restricted,” said the UC Davis college graduate.   The comic traded in his job for something he was more passionate about. However, E. Clark's love for laughter began much

It was a "Soulful" weekend indeed! Following on the heels of the V101.1 Soul Jam, the Sounds Of Soul Awards rounded out the weekend’s music events. The awards ceremony was held Sunday evening at The Crest Theatre. The show displayed a variety of talent in the categories of R&B, jazz, hip-hop and gospel. Several local performers graced the stage in an exciting line-up, which kept audiences curious to see which artist and genre would come next. Although the event headlined Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Tatyana Ali as the host, she was unable to attend. Despite her absence, promoters and emcees of the awards ceremony said "the show must go on." The audience agreed and the show never skipped

Remember the good old days of music, when the beat made you move and the dances had names such as The Smurf, The Wop, The Running Man, The Hammer and The Snake? Those times came to mind Friday at “Super Summer Soul Jam” at the Radisson Hotel, with phenomenal performances by Lisa Lisa, The Jets and Tony! Toni! Tone! Radio station V101.1 hosted the party to mark a decade in the business. For those who loved the music and dances of the '80s and '90s, the concert brought to mind one word … epic.. Promoters Mike Rogers and Henry Ramos told The Sacramento Press before the concert how the fun came to be. “I put together a list of 20 performers and sent it to V.101 for them to pick a group of

The sights. The sounds. The smells. Oh my! The Bicycle Film Festival, held Friday through Sunday, was an exciting outdoor event.   Seeing tons of bicyclists flocking to Fremont Park for opening night was surreal. Hearing cyclists talk about their vintage bikes relayed the camaraderie they felt. And the smell of gourmet pizza was tempting as it wafted through the air. All ages strolled, many with gelato in hand, toward Fremont Park to get a seat before the show started.   The Bicycle Film Fest has been held overseas and across the nation. The event celebrates all things bicycle through film, art and music. The restaurant Hot Italian hosted the event's primary indoor site.   Brendt Bar