Record stores have been on the decline in recent years, thanks to online downloading and piracy, but don’t tell Phono Select Records owners Dal Basi and Nich Lujan that. Loyal customers to the store would be the first to tell you otherwise, as well. Phono Select is here for the long haul. On a sunny, green spring afternoon, a customer locks his bike up outside the midtown shop and walks inside, where a few others already browse the aisles of vinyl and CDs, the shelves of cassettes and ’zines, and racks of T-shirts and other accessories. Paintings by local artists and photographs of rock ’n’ roll icons line the walls. Behind the counter, co-owners Basi and Lujan go about their work, the fo

One of California’s highly regarded Mexican folkdance companies, Compañia Mazatlán Bellas Artes (CMBA) is bringing their folkloric dance spectacle to Three Stages Performing Arts Center in Folsom, CA next week. Friday, May 18, 2012 7:30 PM Three Stages Folsom Lake College 10 College Parkway Folsom CA 95630 Phone: 916-608-6888 Tickets: $20 (children), $25-$39  https://www.threestages.net Under the artistic direction of 2011 Maestro Award winner Steven Valencia, twenty-six exceptional young dancers (ages 16-30) and a live Latin American music ensemble present a passionate rendition of Mexican culture and heritage, both past and present. For lovers of fine ballet folklórico dance, the “Cora

On June 23, 2012, Sacramento will be treated to the Sacramento Chef Challenge, an annual fundraiser for people with developmental disabilities that features an "Iron Chef" style cooking battle, Cake War competition, gourmet food sampling, beer and wine tasting, live music and more! For $25 a piece, guests are treated to a culinary extravaganza beginning with fair from local restaurants, wineries and breweries including The Couch Sports Lounge, Two Rivers Cider, Terra d’Oro Winery and Morgan’s Restaurant. The first of two competitions will pit three professional chefs in a head to head battle for culinary glory. Chef Challengers will have three hours to prepare and sample an original menu

Ace of Spades hosted the tour finale of the Glow Sticks for Breakfast Tour Sunday night, featuring performances by Hyper Crush, Benzi, Silver Medallion and Sacramento band Playboy School. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's DJ project with Spencer Peterson, Black Cards, was also scheduled to perform, but the duo had to pull out a few days before the show due to an ankle injury. Playboy School kicked things off in the early slot with a lukewarm set as people trickled in. Benzi livened the mood up with an electronic/Top 40 set that had a few guys raging, and a while later Silver Medallion came out and grabbed the mic, adding some organic energy to the stage as he ran around, whipping his lo

. ‘A Thousand Kisses Deep’   Music Preview by Gary Chew Writing an aphoristic line defining Leonard Cohen may be as simple as taking a line from a song by him. “You live your life as if it’s real.” It’s one of the best lines in the haunting song “A Thousand Kisses Deep,” which is also the name of the concert of Cohen works scheduled for May 5 at the 24th Street Theatre. Fifteen Northern Californians will perform the all-Cohen program through song and recitation. Another line that might relate the essence of Cohen also comes from his pen: “Love is the only engine of survival.” Although Cohen isn’t describing himself with these phrases, the man offers his listeners much to think about

Old Soul, the city’s popular Midtown coffee house will open its doors to a benefit for WEAVE, the Sacramento organization dedicated to preventing violence against women on Saturday, April 14 in a Second Saturday reception from 6 to 9 PM. Rubicon Beer will be poured and receipts will go directly to WEAVE. WEAVE was established in 1978 as a nonprofit organization to serve domestic violence survivors and their families in Sacramento County and its Safehouse is the only state recognized, confidential shelter serving all domestic violence victims in the County. It offers counseling and school-based prevention services and has been honored by numerous government agencies and private institution

Critically acclaimed Nashville-based singer/songwriter Mat Kearney has added West Coast dates to his current tour and will make a stop in Sacramento on April 10 at the Colonial Theatre in Oak Park. Sounding at first like a solo effort from Coldplay's Chris Martin, Kearney's latest album "Young Love" is a punchy collection of playful, summer-ready tales of love, pain and redemption. Kearney's current tour has included several sold-out shows at places including the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, House of Blues in Boston and Ogden Theatre in Denver. The second single from the album, "Ships in the Night," was recently performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and is the featured music in

Sacramento's ever popular dance band HIP SERVICE returns to Harlows for a night of dancing and soulful surprises. Nationally recognized as "Best Dance Band in America," the 14 piece HIP SERVICE collective promises to deliver a memorable night of funky dance grooves. "There ain't no party like a Hip Service party!" We couldn't have said it better ourselves. Guest host for the evening is the beloved Sacramento radio personality Lee Perkins, hosting a benefit show for Soles 4 Souls. Bring an extra pair of shoes for donation, wear your most comfortable dancing pair and we'll see you on the dance floor. Usually a sell out, so buy yours in advance. Saturday, March 31 10 pm Ages 21+ Harlow's

Sacramento, California – March 15, 2012 – Point West Rotary, one of the largest Rotary clubs in Sacramento, will host its 10th Festa di Vino – A Celebration of Food and Wine – on March 31 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento. When does the opportunity arrive to allow you to dine at 20 restaurants in one night or go on a wine-tasting tour to visit more than 25 of the top local wineries in one day? “Never,” you say. “That’s just not possible.” Well, the time is now. Point West Rotary of Sacramento is providing a special opportunity for you to do just that. On Saturday, March 31 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, you can enjoy great food and wine at this 10th Annual Festa di V

"We've got quite a set here," announced MUTEMATH vocalist and keyboardist Paul Meany. "We've been around for eight years. That's a lot of songs to choose from!" Quite a set it was. Making an unconventional entrance from the back of the venue with instruments and Christmas lights in tow, the New Orleans electro-alt rock band went on to do a little face-melting for the packed house at Ace of Spades Wednesday night. The Grammy-nominated four-piece put on a sonic and visual spectacle, covering a massive setlist over more than two hours and sampling a bit from all their studio albums and EPs, including all 13 songs from their latest release, 2011's "Odd Soul." Aided by tons of frantic, colo

When Sacramento's own Sean Lehe (Isabella, Five Eyed Hand, The Coalition) joined San Francisco's Poor Man's Whiskey it elevated the already extremely popular band to a whole new level. Poor Man's Whiskey recently performed their Dark Side of the Moonshine to a sold out crowd at the Fillmore, yet This Saturday February 4th you can see then in the intimate and funky setting of the Auburn Event Center - and for only $15.00! I encourage all to search out this band, especially on You Tube! Here is what the critics say: "Emerging from the San Francisco bay area music scene this quintet has developed a sound that is eclectic and engaging. PMW has been winning over national audiences with their u

Country Joe McDonald Remembers Woody Guthrie's100th Birthday in Sacramento, Saturday, January 7, 2012. Woody Guthrie was born in July of 1912.  My father was born in January of 1911.  My dad always reminded me of Woody Guthrie.  Both men were short, wiry and grew up poorer than Job's turkey.  My father didn't play the guitar or compose songs and sing them.  He worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma and Kansas, not far from where Woody did much of his growing up.  My dad kept his job all through the not-so-Great Depression.  Woody WAS the Depression.  He lived it.  And so, a man who died too soon in 1967 lives on through his astonishing legacy of gritty, honest songs for working people. W

Hollywood rapper Mickey Avalon headlined a New Year's Eve show at Ace of Spades on Saturday. Supporting Avalon on the bill were 2ME, Richard the Rockstar, and producer Big Chocolate. Photos by Steven Chea.

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

Travel back through time with Broadway Sacramento's Rain, a Beatles tribute show that began as an offshoot of the Broadway production of Beatlemania. Rain ran on Broadway for 300 shows and 8 preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City and has also been a hugely successful national tour for years. Together longer than the Beatles, Rain has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance. This multi-media show begins by taking us away to a time when four young men stepped on stage at the Ed Sullivan show and changed music as we knew it. Rain chronicles the journey America took with the Beatles,

As always, Sacramento steps up to the plate with holiday events of all sorts. At Sacramento365.com, we see a lot of events come through the site every day. Though there are myriad options in our Holiday Event section, we've narrowed down the list to 10 to get help you pick your Christmas Eve & Christmas Day festivities. Christmas Eve Events: Sure, the night before Christmas should be spent snuggled in bed waiting for Santa Claus, but why not get out and about during the day. Here are some options to keep you entertained around town: 1. Free Admission at Fairytale Town & Sacramento Zoo: FTT 10am-2pm; Zoo 10am-1:30pm Treat the kiddies to a day out while both Fairytale Town & the Sacramento

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.

With the cover art pattern used on their seminal debut LP, "Highly Refined Pirates," as their backdrop, and a light show on acid, Seattle's Minus the Bear thrilled a packed house at Ace of Spades on Monday night. The band is wrapping up their 10 Year Anniversary Tour, celebrating a decade of music and performing “Pirates,” released in 2002, in its entirety. The popular math-rockers put on a tremendous performance for a very jazzed audience. Featuring guitarist Dave Knudson's signature complex finger-tapping guitar work - used on every song on “Pirates,” the band combined powerhouse indie band swagger with down-to-earth Northwestern charm. Songs like "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Wa

It was a nearly sold-out show at Ace of Spades Sunday night. Thrice, hailing from Irvine, Calif., headlined an excellent post-hardcore bill. Opening for a healthy-sized audience was the band, Moving Mountains, an intriguing group of musicians who captured the room's attention immediately. With a complex and multi-layered sound, their atmospheric rock songs set a great tone for the rest of the night. Atlanta-based O'Brother was musically in the same vein; a melodic three-guitar sonic assault marrying the atmospheric with the distorted. A solid showing, but when they went ambient, they went ambient. At times they seemed to meander as some songs drifted slowly past the five minute mark. Mai