Here are some of the many music events happening in the Sacramento area this week. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com. Sacramento Area Concerts & Music Events Defending The Caveman at Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 1000 K Street in Sacramento. Continues WED-SUN. Show times are at 8PM or 7:30PM with some 2PM matinees. Tickets are $33.00 - $48.00. Friday, June 24th: Friday Night Concerts in the Park will feature Mumbo Gumbo & Los Blazing Hangovers at Cesar Chavez Plaza at 10 & J Street in Sacramento. 5PM/Free Saturday, June 25th and Sunday, June 26th: Foothills Music Festival at Gibson Ranch Park with Two Tone Steiny, Cream of Clapton, Sacred

Here's what we know so far, Greeneheads... As he confirmed in a recent blog post, Sacramento's favorite son Jackie Greene has just joined a new band called Trigger Hippy. The group also features Audley Freed and Nick Govrik (Black Crowes), Steve Gorman (Black Crowes, Stereophonics), and singer Joan Osborne. Yes, that Joan Osborne. This definitely qualifies as a "supergroup," albeit a bit of a random one (with a really cool name). This is hardly a first for Jackie Greene, who has also lent his talents to Phil Lesh & Friends, Skinny Singers (with Tim Bluhm of the Mother Hips), and will also be linking up with Bob Weir and Chris Robinson as a trio this summer. I think we see a Grateful D

Who ordered the Fixin’ to Die sandwich with the side of public romance and a Greene salad? Order up! Wednesday night’s G. Love & Special Sauce show at Harlow’s was filled with several intrigues and surprise moments, not the least of which was to watch how traveled front man Garrett “G. Love” Dutton attacked his new country-blues repertoire in concert for the first time on tour. But first, what could be considered the sweetest and possibly the slickest marriage proposal of all time has to be addressed. It was just that cool of a moment, even though it’s contrary to this reporter’s standard policy of addressing the music first and leaving the human circus for later. Dammit, I’ve been spe

Holy homecoming! We just wrapped up two back-to-back shows from local golden boy Jackie Greene last week at Marilyn’s and Blue Lamp, so what’s this I’m now hearing about two acoustic happy hour shows from him at the Torch Club next Thursday and Friday? Always appreciate the local love, Senor Greene. Just in case you need to be reminded, those shows will be packed, start cocktail hour early. We’re headed into some snappy territory on the local calendar with electronic music champions the Crystal Method also rolling into town next week to slap the woofers around at District 30; check out Sac Press’ Brandon Darnell getting up close with CM’s Ken Jordan. Not to mention that G. Love & Special

NOTE: This story is an opinion piece, based on this reporter's previous coverage of Jackie Greene, which dates back to 2004. At virtually any given time, in any town or city in America, there is a “next big thing.” There is that one musician or band tirelessly performing local shows and trying to make a name, but everyone in town who has seem them play is convinced that they’ve “got it” and are going to go the distance (Sacramento music pun is absolutely intended). Maybe we want it as much for ourselves, so we can say we say them in the small local clubs way back when. Maybe we just like seeing them play some tunes. Whatever the reason, we just know it’s going to happen – and it is a re

Writer’s note: This is a collaborative concert review between Sac Press reporters Lindol French and Aaron Davis. If you’re familiar with Lindol’s frequent concert reviews and the weekly Sactown Rundown, this should really be no surprise. LF: When Aaron first proposed a collaborative concert review, I thought to myself “what is this tall goofy S.O.B. talking about?” But then, myself answered “Say yes, you idiot! He can do all the hard parts, like remembering the songs, making notes about instrument changes et. cetera. You can drink Pabst and throw woo at chicks. It’s a win-win!” So I agreed. AD: Truth be told, I rarely have good ideas, but this one seemed like it would work. So far, utter

Snow in Sacto? They tell us it’s coming – but perhaps an equally rare occurrence is the kind of weekends we’ve been having in this town over the last couple of months. You’ll never catch me on the bag-on-our-local-concert-scene bandwagon, but I’d be lying if I said that weekends like these happen all the time in this town, with the Stone Foxes ripping the roof off over at Old Ironsides and ALO thumping a sold-out Harlow’s crowd in the face, both on Saturday night. That’s at least two sold out nights at Harlow’s in the last month. Well done, Sactown! Let’s keep 2011 big and weird! Greensky Bluegrass with Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players – The street cred meter and hipster thermom

“All those doctors and those psychics/ they’re all right and they’re all wrong/ It’s like trying to sing every word/ when you should just hum along.” –Dawes “I fell in love twice/ Once with sex and once with pain.” –Shannon Harney “When a Ford man turns to Chevy/ the angel gets his wings.” –Jonny Corndawg Just another day at the office in Davis, CA – soul snapping indie Americana lyricism with white-hot jams, Its a Wonderful Redneck Life, and sultry hippie chicks who will devour your head after mating (and you will gladly let her). What a night with these three gems at Odd Fellows on Tuesday. Social D who? My partner in crime Lindol French has you covered with a full recap of the show

Before we get into it this week, Sacramentans, allow me to entice you with a couple of treats for your ears. First off, G. Love has offered up a free download of the title track from his forthcoming album, “Fixin’ to Die,” and it’s a beaut! Set for a February 22 release, the album was produced by Seth and Scott Avett, a.k.a. the Avett Brothers. Has there been a better combination since someone stuffed peanut butter into a chocolate bar? Hardly! Hey, speaking of drinking, check out today’s Daytrotter session from Canada’s the Sheepdogs; specifically, “I Don’t Know.” It will turn your cubicle into a saloon. If that doesn’t get your motor running for some live music, I’ll be happy to pay y

With no disrespect to the noble task of honoring our veterans, why is Wednesday the biggest drinking day of the week? Save your livers, No-Work Club, there's business to be taken care of this weekend - and by business, we mean sonic awesomeness. Neil Young 65th Birthday Show – OK, seriously, how much does this suck? What a thing to have happen to “Shakey” (as he is frequently called) on the week of his 65th birthday and in the wake of the reunion of Buffalo Springfield at this year’s Bridge School concert – and what a concert it was! The good news is that this week’s fire destroyed only an estimated 30% of the memorabilia that Neil Young kept in his non-descript San Carlos warehouse, but

Before we get into this week’s happenings, a quick observation from this weekend’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco: Jackie Greene just continues to get better and better. It really doesn’t seem like that long ago that the wiry young singer in his early twenties was our “next big thing” here in Sacramento, when he was playing regular gigs at Harlow’s and the Torch Club – but doesn’t every town have their own soon-to-fade “next big thing” going at pretty much all times. But now, here he is, playing a main-stage closing spot at a festival that drew an estimated 600,000 people. We tried to tag him as “the next Dylan” or stuff him into the bluesman category, but give Jack

 Fairytale Town hosted Sacramentan performer Jackie Greene at a fundraiser in their park Friday, the first in a series of such concerts this summer. The prominent folk rocker sold out the show and entertained the crowd with his original tunes as well as covers of the Grateful Dead. Greene is touring with bassist Phil Lesh of the Dead. “I love Jackie!” Valerie Sheppard, 52, said. “He has turned me back onto music. Original, just a person that is self-taught, writes music, just awesome.” The concert benefited Fairytale Town, including its weeklong camps and free-admission days for children with disabilities. Most of the summer concerts are geared toward children and families, but some, s

"Great cities deserve great art," Mayor Kevin Johnson said as he addressed an audience of 400 Thursday night at Sacramento State's University Theatre. The occasion was the final monthly meeting of the For Art's Sake initiative, an effort to revitalize the arts in Sacramento. Good Day Sacramento's Mark S. Allen hosted the event. The main objective of the evening was the unveiling of the organization's Creative Action Plan, a detailed guideline to invigorate the local art scene over the next four years. The three central goals of the plan are as follows: to strengthen cultural infrastructure, improve access to the arts and arts education and invest in talent and the creative economy. At th

Local Americana musicians Richard March and Tyler Ragle are not afraid to get political. Their new song "Gold Star Café" includes a café conversation about politics, praises for President Obama and criticism of the public for not being involved enough in politics. "Thank God this young man got the vote/But he alone won't save this boat/Gonna take 'all hands' to get her right/So we can sleep at night," March writes. Saturday at Javalounge, the local country-influenced folk duo will play a CD-release concert for their five-song EP Kings and Thieves, their first release as a duo. Davis-based singer-songwriter Nat Lefkoff will open the show. March lived in the Bay Area until age 30, when h

Local son Jackie Greene will be returning to Sacramento for a "surprise" show at the Blue Lamp on Monday night. Greene and his band, with guests promised, will be playing his first show in town in some time. The last time he played the Blue Lamp, he sold the place out, and this show is expected to do the same. But tickets are available only at the door, starting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, and while the admission is cheap - $10 - you will also need to bring a can of food (or any sealed, non-perishable food), as the show is to help provide "a holiday meal for the less fortunate," according to an email from Greene's management. The Blue Lamp is  at 1400 Alhambra Blvd., at N Street. The phone is

It was a combination of a songwriting workshop and heartbreak over a girl that jump-started Americana singer Elliot Randall's career. "I think that every songwriter gets into songwriting because of a girl," he said. "Songwriters can write about heartbreak all day long if (they) experience it." Heartbreak or not, Randall has made a name for himself in a relatively short time. Since his debut album, Take the Fall, came out in 2007, he's had the chance to open for some of his childhood heroes: Creedence Clearwater Revisited and the Steve Miller Band. On Friday night, at the Fox and Goose Pub, Randall and his four-piece band will play the first concert of a California tour that he is co-hea

Winning a Grammy was not the defining career moment for Indigo Girls band member, Amy Ray. Working closely with R.E.M. didn't make the mark either. It was opening for the Grateful Dead. Ray described the unforgettable memory that stands out most from her 30-year music career. "It was a moment of playing this huge stadium [with] 30,000 people, and we were sure nobody would be listening to us. But that's not what happened." Adds Ray, "People really clapped and they loved us, and it felt like we kind of made our mark in some way, and were able to do something, just, really hard." The Grammy-award-winning duo, which also includes singer/songwriter Emily Saliers, will be playing at this yea

Playing music outside is like playing to the ocean, local musician Kate Gaffney said. "If you're standing near the ocean, anything that's ever bothering you, you can just toss it out into the sea, and the sea will just engulf it and you won't have to worry about it again." On Friday, the Philadelphia-native singer/songwriter will be headlining Concerts in the Park. Opening for Gaffney are Boulevard Park, West of Next and Christopher Fairman & The Stilts (click on links for MySpace). Gaffney first visited California during a college internship, instantly deciding it was the place for her. After earning her bachelor's degree from Penn State, she moved here and took a job at Sacramento Coun

I can honestly say that I am proud to be a Sacramentan. Even more so since I began working on the events calendar for Sacramento at the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau! I have pretty much lived in the Sacramento area my whole life and never before did I realize that there are so many things going on- all the time! This weekend is packed full of Festivals, fundraisers, music & theatre and hopefully by reading this you are prompted to get out and have some fun! And please do note that there are many more things happening that I may not have mentioned...in order to keep these articles concise, I narrow them down to a few events. Feel free to add events in the Comment section at the bo

Jackie Greene has gone from a relatively unknown artist playing the original Marilyn's nightclub on K Street to becoming "Prince of Americana" according to the New York Times, but this Saturday he's back at Marilyn's on K as part of the singer-songwriter duo Skinny Singers. Skinny Singers -- Greene and Tim Bluhm of the NorCal band Mother Hips -- started as a lark by the two friends. They released an album called Skinny Singers Strike Again! in 2007 and play shows when they're not performing with their respective bands. In an email interview, Greene said he enjoys playing with Bluhm because it is "much more relaxed and low-key. It's a good escape from the normal hectic shows." One reason