Will alternative energy ever become as popular as alternative music was in the 90s? Talking with Arnie Jensen, who co-owns an auto   repair shop called El Camino Smog and Repair, I get a sense that alternative energy shifts in the automotive world are already  happening, whether they are being noticed or not. In a SacTV.com video Arnie gives his views about the direction green cars are alreadymoving and where they are headed in the future.      Arnie compares different types of engines from steam to hydrogen to magnetic. He also explains  the concept of an emissions-free engine. It shows how far alternative culture has come since Nirvana blasted onto the scene in 1991, ushering in an era

Internet radio has been brewing since the dawn of the internet itself, but it hasn't been practical for most people until recent years. Pandora is the most popular internet radio service at the moment. What's monumental about Pandora is the Bay Area-based company now earns more revenue than any radio company. Radio still has strength during commute traffic, but the car is about to be invaded by multiple channels of internet radio. Although radio industry statistics point to 88 to 92 percent of the 12 and older population still consuming terrestrial radio (traditional AM or FM stations) on a regular basis, the amount of time people devote to the 20th century medium has dwindled the past de

Indie music is commonly thought of as edgy hard rock off-limits to the mainstream. That's the exact stereotype that has kept its culture under the radar for so long. it's perfectly hip to go along with that notion if that's what your small circle of friends are telling you and you happen to like music that is built on aggressive electric energy. The problem is, most people don't really like hard rock. Let me say that again. Most people do not like hard rock, even though some of the top selling bands of the past two decades fit that category. But as album sales have diminished over that same timeline, the overall indie scene has grown, but not because of punk or anything hardcore. The top

On Thursday, the Sacramento Press hosted a workshop to help writers get the most out of their interviews by discussing pre-interview techniques, how to create better questions and how to make the subject feel comfortable during the process. Guest Speaker Rick Ele was a DJ and radio host for 17 years for the freeform community radio station KDVS 90.3 FM in Davis. Ele has interviewed over 100 bands, musicians, authors and more. Even though he is no longer a primary DJ and host for the station, he still volunteers to host a show about once a month. "(My goal is) helping people find an ounce of courage to develop a rapport, do the research, which conveys you've put that effort into it and it

  The Features lead singer John Pride narrates a new mini-documentary video produced by SacTV.com called "The Features Return to Sacramento." He talks about his connection with R.E.M., who the Features opened for back in the 1980s. He also talks about his view of the local music scene when he came to town. Although the scene was not swamped with new wave acts, he found a way to make punk and new wave work in Sacramento, which was known more for blues and cover bands. The Features regularly packed local clubs such as Galactica 2000, Rock Factory and Lord Beaverbrooks. The video shows the band's July 30, 2011 performance at Harlows, which was a flashback festival that included Numonix, Tatt

Most people would jump at the chance to interview their favorite band, but when they actually sit down to do the interview, sometimes the questions and answers fall flat. With a limited time constraint and the pressure of hitting it off with the musicians you admire, the nerves and lack of preparation might make you wish you had a do-over when all is said and done. Rick Ele will help you get the most out of your interviews – with musicians or the chef at the new restaurant – at his Breaking the Ice Interview Workshop. The workshop will be held at the Sacramento Press office, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Thursday, April 19. Ele has been a DJ and radio host for 17 years at the freeform community rad

Chris Collins made a visit to Sacramento over the weekend to do some interviews as part of SacTV.com's exploration oflocal radio history. Collins was the host of the valley's top morning radio show in the 1980s, The (KSFM) FM 102 Morning Zoo.Collins worked for the station from March 1980 through November 1992. From the late eighties through early nineties, FM 102was the last music station in town to achieve double digit market shares, in an era before the internet and instant music on the gadget in your pocket.  FM 102 was a station that transformed top 40 radio from a grab bag carnival of sounds to electronic beats with a street vibe and a topical, anything goes morning show. Collins exp

Tuesday night, former Sacramento City College journalism professor Doug Herndon taught a workshop that outlined the basics of journalism. Attendees included both local, freelance and aspiring writers. “Journalism is the collecting, writing, editing and publishing of news,” Herndon said. Herndon started with an overview of the fundamentals of being a writer: *Providing information *Story Ideas *News value *Every story needs a hook *What it means to cover a story *The formula and format for journalism When providing information within a story, Herndon said it is important that a reporter weed out any natural bias or personal opinion. “It’s not my place to tell you what I think,” Herndo

Judging by the blossoming trees in Capitol Park and the skyrocketing pollen count in the air, spring has sprung in Sacramento. And with this change in weather comes the ultimate springtime holiday: Easter. In honor of the occasion, The Sacramento Press hit the streets to ask travelers at the Amtrak station: How do you like to spend Easter? Bernadette Stafford, 25, a social worker from downtown Sacramento, had a unique take on how she spends Easter. “I go to my parents’ house, and we harvest stuff from our garden as a way of giving thanks to Mother Earth,” she said. “It’s totally granola hippie stuff,” she added with a laugh. Stafford said she has never actually celebrated Easter itself

Thanks to those of you who came to the "Writing about Wine and Spirits" workshop in March. Read the recap here. We have two journalism workshops planned for April. Clare Noonan will teach a workshop on interviewing techniques at The Sacramento Press office from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 7. Noonan has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky. She currently edits 11 East Bay Patch.com sites. She worked at The Modesto Bee for more than 20 years as a reporter for business, news, feature and sports while also copy editing. She also worked as assistant news editor and assistant city editor in charge of the Crime and Safety beat during her time at The Bee. She has be

It’s that charitable time of year again. During the holidays, many feel compelled to share with those around them. In the spirit of the holiday, The Sacramento Press set out to find people who do give back and where they do it. A few givers wished to remain anonymous. One man shared that his family adopts a couple of families for the holidays, buying gifts for them instead of each other. A woman said she donates to the local county animal shelter and the Best Friend Animal Society, a no-kill animal shelter. Another man said his family donates to an organization that provides animals to families in Africa. A couple said they donate to Sacramento Loaves & Fishes and the Salvation Army in do

The new-look Kings took the hardwood on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns for the first exhibition game of the year and came away with a 109-95 victory against their Western Conference rivals. It was a time to let Head Coach Paul Westphal see how the younger guys have improved and give him a chance to figure out who will be on his final roster. For the fans, it was a time to have renewed enthusiasm. A time to see the future. A time for hope once again. For the players, it was and a chance to bang on someone else besides each other. For the training camp hopefuls who wandered into town a few weeks ago, it was a chance to prove they belong. And at the end of the day, most everyone seemed

It all began just like any other training camp gathering. The players hit the floor to do some stretching, jogging and even doing the “monster walk” to get flexible and be ready to bang some bodies. It was a day like any other day this past week. Except this time, there was a major difference. The practice had been moved out of the Kings’ practice facility and over to Arco Arena. Oh, and one more thing. There were people watching – lots of people. The Sacramento Kings raised the curtain on their new-look team on Sunday for all to see for the first time since making some major acquisitions and building their team with draft picks in the off season. It was the first scrimmage held this y

It was like driving up to Mendocino County and getting out of the car only to find yourself standing in the Land of the Giants – big, strong redwoods that could be seen out of every corner of your eye. The evidence was clear. The new direction has been established. This year, the Kings will not go quietly into the night. The abundance of wingspans and altitude was on display as the Sacramento Kings opened their 26th annual media day at Arco Arena on Monday. With all the local news outlets and many national folks on-hand, the question of the day was clearly the acquisition of several new big men and how the team’s newfound height would impact the team. “I think we’ve changed our team rad

In the second part of my two-part look at the Kings prior to training camp and preseason activities, I focus on the forward situation and possible lineups that Head Coach Paul Westphal could throw out there to start the season. Since going to print with part one, the Kings have added one more forward to the roster. Marcus Landry is a 6-foot 7-inch second-year forward out of Wisconsin who is also Carl Landry’s younger brother. Add to that the previously mentioned forwards – Conner Atchley, Darnell Jackson and six-year pro Antoine Wright – and you’ve got four players vying for maybe one spot. I think that this is so much easier to do than calculating what the staff will do with the guard s

The life of a minor league manager is not all sunshine and roses. As River Cats Coach Tony DeFrancesco tells it, you do it all – oversee the pitching, the hitting, the defense – anytime you do any extra work, you are out there on the field. “Responsibility is number one. You’ve got to prepare them each day to go out and succeed,” Coach D said. “The game doesn’t just start at 7 o’clock – we are out there at 2 o’clock every day, and before you know it, we are working on specifics to make each player better.” Tony admits that at times he and the staff can be a little hard on the players or seem insensitive, but they do it for the right reasons. They try and get them motivated to become majo

The Sacramento Press office was buzzing with questions at the Interviewing Techniques workshop on Tuesday, June 30.  Holly Heyser, Faculty Adviser for The State Hornet and Professional Journalist in Residence at Sac State, went over the key steps to a good interview.  About 12 people showed up and learned a lot about one another, firsthand accounts of what it's like to be a historian, what it's like to be a part of a television show and what it was like to offer aide to New Orleans residents as a part of FEMA. The Sacramento Press holds regular journalism workshops each month on various topics.  To sign up for the e-mail list and receive invitations to future workshops, please e-mail j

For those of you who missed our first Interviewing Techniques workshop, given by Sactown Magazine's Senior Editor, Martin Kuz, we'll be having another one on Wednesday, April 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Molly Dugan, an Assistant Professor of Journalism and Communication Studies at Sacramento State, will discuss how to tailor your interviews toward articles that you would be writing for Sacramento Press. Attendees will learn the art of interviewing and the types of articles that work best for our site. We'll serve food at 6:30 p.m. and the workshop will start at 6:45 p.m. Our office is located at 431 I Street, Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as the Starbuc

Experienced journalists, students, photographers and community members delved into the art and science of interviewing during the Interviewing Techniques workshop given Thursday at the Sacramento Press office.   Martin Kuz, Senior Editor from Sactown magazine provided an in-depth approach to interviewing. Kuz has been a journalist for 15 years and has worked for alternative weekly and daily publications such as the Los Angeles Daily News, the Cleveland Scene, the Las Vegas Sun and has also been a staff writer for SF Weekly. He has won awards for a variety of stories, including a profile on Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson, the U.S. Military's reluctance to divulge details on non-co