The Grove at the Radisson rocked to a funky soul beat on Friday night, as Oakland’s Tower of Power brought their trademark horn-driven sound to town. The excited crowd gathered in the cleared dance area in front of the stage to sip cocktails and reminisce about their Tower of Power fan experiences. People from the Bay Area, Los Angeles and even one couple from Arizona recalled the first time they danced to the powerhouse band. Several people wore vintage T-shirts from concerts five, 10, even 30 years ago. Fans have generally sought out the group’s concerts multiple times over the 43 years the band has been in existence. But before the music started, another type of celebration took cen

A longtime friend of the homeless and down-and-out, the late Greg Bunker will be officially recognized for his service to the Sacramento area at a benefit concert Friday. A city resolution honoring Bunker for his 21 years with Francis House will be delivered Friday night. “Greg was a generous man who left a lasting impact on our community,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said Wednesday. “He was a tireless advocate for the homeless and (worked) hard to serve those less fortunate.” Bunker died from a heart attack last December. “His contributions to Sacramento will surely be missed,” Johnson said. The resolution, which denotes Friday as “Greg Bunker Day,” comes as Francis House doubles its operati

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers. Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events

Francis House’s Feast of the Streets on Wednesday will be a bittersweet celebration of both the 20th anniversary of the event, and the life of former Executive Director Greg Bunker, who died in December. “About 1,000 people came to his memorial service, and this is sort of our memorial for him,” said Forrest Reed, program director for Francis House. The banquet will kick off with a four-minute video of Bunker’s life. Francis House is a nonprofit organization founded in Sacramento 40 years ago that offers counseling services, hotel vouchers and help getting California identification to people in need, such as homeless people. Feast For the Streets is the biggest fundraiser for Francis H

Francis House held a benefit concert from 7 - 10 p.m. Friday night at The Guild Theatre. The concert featured Victoria Vox and The Boulder Acoustic Society. The concert was held in memory of Greg Bunker, former executive director of Francis House, who passed away unexpectedly days after Christmas last year. About 100 people attended. The music was an old-fashioned folksy blend of eclectic sound. The Boulder Acoustic Society opened with keyboards, drums, upright bass and banjo. The keyboardist switched to accordion and the drummer to a marching band bass drum. Victoria Vox, 32, lives in Baltimore, Md. She sings and plays ukulele. She said she finally quit her day job in 2003 to tour and

Happy Green Beer Day, everyone! Yes, we all know how big the De Vere’s party in Cesar Chavez Park is going to be, and thanks to them for putting it on. But assuming the hangover from Thursday doesn’t drop you like “Two and a Half Men” for the rest of the week, don’t sleep on some fine shows on deck. Slainte! Art vs. Science – Fortunately for people that don’t like techno, the definitions of what actually constitutes “techno” are beginning to broaden - look no further than the fact that many techno acts are starting to employ live drums (read: Pretty Lights), which is one of the tasty elements of Sydney, Australia’s Art vs. Science. They’re generically self-billed as a rock band that hap

As Francis House of Sacramento continues to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, this very important institution will honor the memory of Greg Bunker, Executive Director, who passed away December 28, 2010 with their upcoming 20th Annual “Feast for the Streets Food and Wine Gala”, April 27, 2011 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in downtown Sacramento. Feast for the Streets is the largest fundraiser for Francis House and is highly regarded as one of Sacramento’s premiere food and wine tasting events. With the sudden passing of Greg Bunker in December, Francis House wants to celebrate his life’s work for the homeless and destitute in a way that he would have wanted. Forrest Reed, Acting Direct

 (Sacramento, CA) The sudden recent passing of the Francis House Executive Director and longtime homeless advocate Greg Bunker on December 28, 2010 has put a poignant and resolute exclamation point on the sustaining efforts of the forty year old poverty resource & counseling center. Francis House, holds a number of fundraising events yearly. The upcoming March 18 concert with singer/songwriter and ukulele star Victoria Vox & The Boulder Acoustic Society is the fifth show in their benefit concert series, but the first with a new title inspired by Bunker: "Give Them Hope.” “Greg had just shared his new manta with us—“Give Them Hope”—captured in the ornament gift he first handed out to all o

With the city and county of Sacramento still in the depths of recession, 2010 saw a focus on homelessness as services were cut and unemployment was at 13 percent. An ongoing issue with Sacramento’s homeless that was still not seeing notable progress even as the year ended was the Safe Ground movement, which seeks to find designated spots in the city for homeless to camp. In April, about 50 people spoke at City Hall advocating for Safe Ground Sacramento. They were still at it in July, and they remained a presence at Tuesday night City Council meetings. In a controversial move, the City Council changed its public comment portion from the beginning of the meetings to the end, which many s

Supporters from the Sacramento area and beyond came to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Francis House on Friday night. Francis House also launched their campaign to raise $250,000 to expand their building. “We are one-fifth of the way there with the $50,000 seed grant from Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, owners of Cache Creek Casino Resort,” said Mike Zeglarski, a member of the Francis House board of directors. The expansion will enable Francis House to provide more services, with extra space for counseling and classrooms. Francis House hopes to ass classes such as substance-abuse counseling. Francis House is a faith-based community that provides life-changing opportunities through resource

"Sold!" announced the auctioneer, as one of the 200 available prize packages was claimed for $1,400. The 19th annual Feast for the Streets was in full swing Wednesday night, with more than 700 participants gathering for food, wine, prizes and a silent auction. Now in its 40th year, Francis House put together the yearly fundraiser, with one simple goal: "To break $90,000," said Program Director Forrest Reed.  Last year, the event raised $88,000, all of which is used directly on clients of Francis House. The center, located on C Street downtown, sees around 20,000 - 30,000 clients per year, or 1,600 monthly, providing counseling and resources for needy families and individuals. This year,

Tuesday morning, Mayor Kevin Johnson was joined by a handful of Safe Ground supporters for a weekly press conference inside City Hall. After reiterating his goal to end homelessness in Sacramento, he invited Sister Libby Fernandez and Greg Bunker, the respective executive directors of Loaves and Fishes and Francis house, as well as a homeless man named Thomas Jackson Ashmore III, to speak. Johnson spoke about his meeting over the weekend with campers at the recently vacated 1220 C St. campground owned by Mark Merin. At the camp site, Merin had also been involved in a property dispute over the land with the neighboring Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez residence. Johnson mentioned that a compr

Though homelessness is not a new problem, the number of homeless people in Sacramento has increased over the last few years because of the state's budget crisis and cuts to federal programs. On June 30, hundreds of county shelter beds became unavailable, forcing more homeless onto Sacramento streets. In answer to the shortfall, Safe Ground Sacramento was inaugurated on July 1. Organized by community members, nonprofits and businesses, Safe Ground seeks to provide the homeless with a safe place to be. Hundreds gathered that day for a rally and march to kick off the movement. Among them was Jacoby Shaddix, the formerly homeless lead singer of local band Papa Roach. The city of Sacramento e