Jazz enthusiasts should be aware of a new talent in town. If you haven't had the opportunity to catch the very beautiful and very talented Casey Lipka perform, opportunities abound this spring. When did you get into music? Music has always been a focal part of my life. As a kid, I would belt out pop songs, often along with my younger sister, in the car as we drove to school. My dad is a huge Beatles fan and plays guitar, so I was fortunate to grow up with live music in the house. My elementary school in Santa Monica, Calif., had a strong music and performing arts program, and it put on school-wide musicals each year. I was also exposed to Haitian music as one of the parents was from Ha

They already serve espresso ranked in quality the best two percent of the top ten percent of the world’s coffee, and now the Naked Lounge has also been dishing out a fair share of awesome talent, as well, in their recently opened Downtown Venue. With shows Thursday through Sunday, there’s a good chance you’re somewhere near this coffeeshop on one of those nights and there is no reason not to pay a minimal cover charge to hear one of these bands. It’s a place to have a beer and meet some interesting people, even if you only talk to the personable staff, some of whom you can also see performing on stage. Admittedly I’m here to promote my girlfriend’s show to be held on April 23, which is fa

Beatnik Studios was graced Thursday with performances by local jam band CFR and Oklahoma-based postmodern jazz band Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (JFJO). Beatnik Studios hosted the benefit show for the Music Never Stops Foundation, as part of an ongoing Winter Jazz Concert Series running through April. The collaborative photography studio, off Broadway on 17th Street, has become a space for community engagement and a venue for the jazz series, band launches, a music school and local craft fair, to name a few. There was a real sense of community to the evening as supporters danced to the music of CFR, which has performed at Second Saturday and other local venues and has many loyal Sacramento

Seven local musicians are getting together at Old Ironsides this Friday to not only pay tribute to music legend Sam Cooke but also help with the Haiti earthquake relief effort. "Havin' a Party: A Tribute to Sam Cooke" was originally going to be just a show about Sam Cooke until concert organizer Jerry Perry saw the destruction in Haiti from the Jan. 12 earthquake. Perry decided to put on a benefit show to help. "When things like this happen, we like to try to put together relief shows," said Perry, who also organized relief benefit concerts for Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11. "Whatever money we can raise through the door, we're going to take and give it to the Red Cross," he said. The

Brian McKenna is marking 20 years of booking and promoting shows in Sacramento. In the mercurial world of show business, that’s a long time. The event on Saturday also is his 40th birthday; McKenna figures the first shows he promoted in 1989 happened earlier in the year. But who wouldn’t want to throw a birthday party with a bunch of cool bands? “I decided to get all the people I started promoting shows with 20 years ago, who are also some of my favorite people,” McKenna says. The birthday-anniversary show at Harlow’s will feature Victoria, B.C. punk band Nomeansno, resurgent local stoner-rock combo Kai Kln, and Triclops!, a San Francisco band formed by members of Victim’s Family, Flesh

Native Sacramento guitarist, DJ and producer Early Times will return home for a performance at Harlow's on Friday. While his MySpace page lists his genre categorization as "Crunk/Dutch pop/Black Metal," Early Times' music is even more eclectic in reality. The sampling of songs on his profile ranges from the slap bass funk of "Doin' the Nasty," to the Hammond organ-inflected blues of "Black Panties," to the spacey, improviasational jam piece "DUI." His capability to play multiple styles has earned him collaborations with a diverse group of musicians both local (Tesla, Cake) and national (trumpeter Wynton Marsallis). Though he currently resides in New York City, Early spent his years in Sa

A week ago, I fell in love with new music for the first time since I stole my brother’s worn copy of Led Zeppelin’s Song Remains the Same album. I was fourteen and was smitten. Recently, a friend who road manages (I love his life), texted me, said he’d be in town with a new project at Marilyn’s on K Street, said he’d put me on the list—Tracy plus one. Normally, I avoid club bands I’ve never heard of, because they’re a dime a dozen and the best you can hope for is good in a sea of mediocre. But my LA pal is cool and has good taste, so I said why not. I wasn’t there five minutes, settling into a cush-backed chair, sipping refreshing water with bubbles, when they began to wail, and I felt tha

Fashion, music, art, Hipsters, hip hop-heads, well-dressed moms with their kids…Where can you find all this? Sacramento's very own MOD ’09, an electrifying fashion event that brought all kinds of people together. On the night of Saturday, March 7th, at the artisan building in north Sacramento hundreds of people came to support Sacramento's finest boutiques and designers. Movement of Design was organized by a large group of people that included boutique owners, designers and artists. Among those in the group was Paul Bricuela the owner of United State Boutique, Bricuela worked hard to get the music together and worked with designer Michael Hargis to fuse things together. "We basically wa

At 20 years old, Alex Nelson doesn’t yet know where his music is going or where it’s going to take him. It continually changes, like most gifted young musicians, Nelson is constantly practicing, learning, recording and experimenting with his music. As long as his music is changing, Nelson will be doing the same. Nelson and his famous brother, Jackie Greene, look a lot alike, but their music floats in different directions. With a blend of Japanese and Caucasian, they have an unassuming look about them that makes you want to learn more. Nelson has the ability to take his music as far as he wants. "Jackie and Alex are brothers who share much of the same inspiration but march to very differe

On a cold Friday night in a Rancho Cordova recording studio, Sacramento emcee C Plus, puts on head phones and steps up to the microphone. He reads rhymes from his notebook with intensity and a smooth flow. He plays it back with the beat, the song he just made is so intact that you wouldn't know that he's fighting a cold. Then, just like that, the last track is done, and The Purple Heart mix tape is complete. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, C Plus, aka Chaz Wheeler of the group State Cap, will put out his second mix tape of the year, The Purple Heart. If you ever doubted that Sacramento had hip hop artists worth listening to, this is the record that will erase them. The Purple Heart has 13 tracks a

 I recently wrote a piece on the "Death of the Record Store." I was very impressed by the amount of feedback that the article received, be it in the Sacramento Press, via email or in person. Inevitably the conversation led to fond memories about fun times and good music. I was reminded particularly of the live music experiences I've had. Along with the demise of too many record stores, I contend there is a serious lacking in the quality and quantity of live music available today, especially in the smaller to mid-size venues, and towns. While the experience of a big Grateful Dead show in Oakland was always a fun time, the smaller, more intimate performances of a Jerry Garcia Band show at

Hearing a common name like Eric Hutchinson might make you think back to high school, scanning your memory for a forgotten face. However, as VH1 may tell you and others who have discovered him already, Eric Hutchinson is an artist you oughta know. Hutchinson, who will be playing at the Blue Lamp on Tuesday, Jan. 20, has a sound that brings to mind aspects of Jason Mraz, Billy Joel, and Stevie Wonder. He plays the piano and the guitar, but he classifies himself as a song writer. "I consider myself a song writer first and then a singer and then an instrumentalist," he says. When asked to name something people may find surprising about him, he responded, "I'm pretty boring. I'm pretty unroc

Looking for a way to give back that involves music? Look no further than Fifth String Music Store this Friday, December 12th at 7 p.m.. The music store will be hosting a benefit concert to raise money and supplies for Loaves and Fishes. This will be the 6th annual concert that the store has put on to benefit Loaves and Fishes. Ross Hammond, a local musician, came up with the idea after he started working as an instructor for Fifth String. Hammond had spent previous years volunteering for Loaves and Fishes during the holidays and wanted to do more for the organization. Last year the concert raised $1200 in donations. All of the artists performing have some connection to the Fifth String s