A couple hundred people wanting to get an early start on 2012 partying headed down to Ace of Spades on Friday, where Oakland musician and frequent Sacramento visitor, Wallpaper., headlined an eclectic bill. Starting the show was Chaotic Fusion, a drummer and DJ duo. DJ Oasis spun radio hits – "Teach Me How To Dougie," "Ghosts 'n' Stuff," "Last Resort" – while Radio 94.7 on-air personality Casey Lewis drummed along to the beat. Performing next was Oakland-by-way-of-Panama Latin rap duo Los Rakas. Rhyming in Spanish over dancehall and hip-hop beats, the up and coming young pair were well-received by the slowly growing crowd. Headliner Wallpaper. took the stage next, with the men of the gr

107.9 The End's Jingle Ball 2011 went down at Power Balance Pavilion on Thursday night. The concert featured performances by JoJo, Breathe Carolina, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, and Selena Gomez. Photos by Steven Chea

If you don't know Dirt Nasty (aka ex-MTV VJ Simon Rex), take a look at some of his song titles and you'll know what you're getting into: "Suck My D***," "Baby D***" and "F*** Me I'm Famous." It was all about the lowest common denominator at Ace of Spades on Saturday, as Nasty rapped for a crowd that was about half full. In addition to genitalia and sex, he also covered themes like cocaine use ("1980") and bestiality ("Animal Lover"). But that’s his shtick, so you were either there for the juvenile party raps or maybe to catch a glimpse of the actor who was in “Scary Movie 4” and an episode of “MTV Cribs.” "He's hot! I don't even know his music. I came for him!" said Melissa Renee, 19.

The decibel level at Ace of Spades was raised to an ear-splitting high as prog-metal band Mastodon took the stage Wednesday, along with guests The Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang. A sea of shaggy-haired metal heads packed the small venue to the brim, and the smell of spilled beer and old leather permeated the crowd. Portland-based band Red Fang took the stage first, to an astonishing large following despite only recently debuting in the music scene two years ago. The band delivered an impressive set, with a heavy sludge metal sound reminiscent of The Melvins mixed with the bluesy riffs of Kyuss. The band got the crowd energized immediately upon opening, headbanging between growled vo

After an original Oct. 20 show date that had to be rescheduled, alt-rock powerhouse Foo Fighters performed at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday night for about 10,000 fans. Opening the show was fantastic L.A. punk band The Bronx, playing as their alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx, which is less a gimmick than you might think. What started as a lark for the punk band has grown into a love that has seen the band release two mariachi albums and gain a following, and, yes, they stay true to the authentic mariachi style of music as well as wear black charro suits. The band performs in a variety of ways, sometimes incorporating mariachi into their punk set, sometimes performing as a punk band and m

After a slightly flawed but excellent nonetheless One Scary Nite 2, expectations were high for the third annual installment of the "Deon Taylor Enterprises presents: One Scary Nite" Halloween party, which went down at the California Auto Museum Thursday night. Familiar attractions returning this year included "Mad Scientist" Jack Sparx with his Tesla coil, huge propane fireballs and deranged laugh, stilt walkers, fire dancers, go-go dancers and many bloody, gory "staff monsters" and zombies who shuffled around the venue with a vacant look in their eyes, grunting at passing partygoers. Absent this year were the red carpet and arrivals, the national musical act (last year it was Bell Biv D

Raley Field was a rock venue for those who showed up Tuesday night for Incubus. Fans trickled to the front of the stage for opening artist AWOLNATION, leaving seats available for the mellow rockers who chose to sit over standing in the pit. AWOLNATION’s loud, blood-rushing sound engulfed the eardrums of the early birds. They played songs off their debut album, “Megalithic Symphony,” including the radio hit single “Sail,” which was received by cheers. The stage was set up at the outfield line allowing for better acoustics, harnessing the sound before it escaped into Sacramento River. By 8 p.m., the surrounding stage area was packed and seats were filling up. Assigned seating was overloo

California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) put on its game face this Thursday as it went up against undefeated, 11 win, Northern Arizona. CSUS’ current ranking was 5-8. Thursday’s match also marked CSUS’ opener game into the Big Sky conference; Arizona arrived with an already 2-0 Big Sky lead. The match started promptly at 7pm with the national anthem and a half-filled stadium. Low attendance did nothing to impede the noise factor in the gym. Though they were few, loud fans filled the stadium with hoots and whistles as the volleyball match started. Sac State’s cheerleaders and dance team were in full force with green and gold pompons, while nearby parents applauded and stomped their f

Scanning the Harlow’s crowd an hour or so before Le Butcherettes were slated for the stage, you would have found lead singer Terri Gender Bender leaning against a large pillar, her small foot tapping in rhythm with the hard drumming coming from Diciembre Gris, the second opener. This small metronome action would have been the only outgoing behavior exhibited by Terri, who, off stage, seems quiet, docile and introverted. When approached by fans or curious bystanders, Terri offered the same genuine smile and sweet responses, a reaction surprisingly different from what you would expect to come from a bawdy woman known for her bloody apron uniform. That is until Ms. Gender Bender got on sta

The sun was still hanging lazily in the sky as an enormous crowd filed into Midtown's cozy Ace of Spades venue to see hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg Friday evening. The famed indo-puffing, gin and juice-drinking rap veteran is no stranger to the Sacramento area, as just only seven months ago, the "Doggfather" performed at UC Davis' Freeborn Hall to an enthusiastic college crowd. Now, hot off the heels of his 11th studio album, Doggumentary (which debuted at No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200), the rapper returned to show Sacramento he's still one of hip-hop's best in the game. The small venue filled up quickly, with a diverse crowd ranging from young to old, longtime fans to curious new fans. On