In a city that boasts a thriving community of locally owned businesses, artists, musicians and writers, it’s no wonder that Sacramento has a stunning array of public art displays that have taken the form of murals on the sides of buildings throughout town. The works are concentrated in Midtown and downtown Sacramento, where the eclectic collection of stores and businesses creates the ideal canvas for some of the most visually impressive pieces of public art. Local artist Skinner – born Warren Davis III – said he thinks Sacramento needs more work like the mural he painted on the side of the Java Lounge on 16th Street near Broadway. Skinner said he’s commissioned to do work all over the w

Growing up in Sacramento, my high school years were infiltrated with punk music. I can still remember piling into Bojangles on Folsom Boulevard or Capitol Garage when it was on L Street and dancing my heart out, getting pushed all over the place and loving every minute of it. So, when Bastards of Young, Hounds and Harlots, Union Hearts and Dead Dads played for an all ages crowd at Javalounge on Tuesday, I thought I knew what I was in for: A lot of moshing and screaming was in order. Boy, was I wrong. I arrived at the show with mixed emotions. While I was eager to get back to my punk rock roots, I knew what an obnoxious fan I was at the ripe age of 16 and did not feel like having an arm w

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

Small bursts of laughter and sniffles filled a dark room, as more than 200 people watched a slide show commemorating the life of Byron Blackburn Friday night at Beatnik Studio. Blackburn, a local musician and partial-owner of Javalounge, passed away from cancer on Sept. 18 in his Sacramento home. During the memorial, bands such as The Inversions, The Alegria Quartet and Jalapeno Chocolates to name a few showcased their appreciation for Blackburn by performing in his honor. He inspired many people around the community, many of whom attended the memorial, including local painter Mark Fox. “He was such a positive person,” Fox said. “And he influenced me tremendously. He was always at all

On September 18, after more than two years of battling cancer, bassist and music enthusiast Byron Blackburn passed away. To celebrate his life and his impact on the local music and arts community, Beatnik Studios is hosting a memorial Friday, Oct. 16 from 7 p.m. - midnight. The evening will be filled with live music and art. A silent auction will raise money for the Byron Blackburn Memorial Fund. The fund will be used to create a scholarship for a student who plans on attending music school. All of the musicians performing have either played with Blackburn or are friends of his. The Inversions, RACE!!!, Nagual, Norfolk Jacket with Michelle Tsilas, The Alegria Quartet, Fo Shang! and the

The second annual In the Flow jazz festival brought music and art fans out to Broadway's hub with more than 30 bands, poetry readings and live painting. For $20, ticket holders were given wristbands that allowed entrance into all of the weekend's shows, which spanned five different venues along Broadway. For those who weren't wearing wristbands, several free performances were hosted at Records, Java Lounge and Records. The back-to-back schedules at the venues allowed for a constant stream of activity, and if ticket holders didn’t like one performance, they could walk down the street to the next one. The goal of the festival was to "showcase all of the different kinds of jazz you'll find

Sacramento jazz fans, get ready. The second annual In the Flow jazz festival starts Friday and will be invading four venues on downtown's Broadway. Last year's festival was held on the patio of True Love Coffeehouse. This weekend, Beatnik Studios, The Comedy Spot, R5 Records and Java Lounge are opening their doors for three days of live jazz performances. "Sacramento has an incredible jazz scene. We have great players with great, original ideas that span all things jazz and beyond," said Ross Hammond, the main coordinator of the festival. The idea for the festival was dreamt up during a coffee outing with Hammond, jazz musician Byron Blackburn and some of their friends. They wanted to h

Members of the Sacramento County Historical Society were treated to a guided sneak-peek tour of the Rock and Radio Museum and a talk from music collector Dennis Newhall and Mick Martin of Mick Martin's Blues Party Tuesday night. The museum, packed with Newhall's personal collection, normally only offers tours during Sacramento's Second Saturday Art Walks, but owner Newhall opened his doors to around 30 members as a part of the society's monthly meeting. As an example of one of Sacramento's low points in music and a nod to how far the city has come, the talk opened with a story of the cancellation of Lou Reed's show at the Memorial Auditorium after being oversold by just two rows. While t

Creators and founders of Sacramento's newest comedy magazine, The Set List , will be holding their first comedy showcase of the year tonight at The Java Lounge.  The show will feature comedians John Ross and Keith Lowell Jensen of the Coexist Comedy Tour, Ray Molina, Chazz Hawkins and Steve Ferris.  Unlike the traditional format you'd see in a club setting, these five comedians will be performing stand up comedy "in the round." Instead of each comic performing an individual timed set, they all share the stage at the same time, weaving in and out of each others' sets at will. This technique was made known by "Oddly Americana," a grouped formed by Molina and Ross in 2007. The show begins