Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "luigis"

Monsters of Accordion to Play Luigi's

2009-08-30T03:24:22Z

The accordion is “the most maligned instrument in the world,” according to the Monsters of Accordion's website.

You can find out for yourself if that moniker fits at Luigi’s Fungarden, the music venue attached to the Downtown pizza joint, where the tour will be making a stop on Aug. 31. Seattle-based accordionist Jason Webley organized the tour and is also playing on all dates.

“I meet so many amazing, freaky accordion players in my travels now, and I am lucky to count many of them as my friends,” said Webley via e-mail.

The Monsters of Accordion came together “several years ago” when Webley was invited to play at an accordion shop in Oakland.

“The event was incredibly fun, and was perhaps the first time I became aware that there were other people playing something other than polkas on the accordion," Webley said.

That same night, Webley met two Bay Area accordionists, Daniel Ari and Aaron Seeman. “The next year, we decided to do a tour together, which was the first Monsters of Accordion,” he said.

While the current tour consists of Webley, Steven Iancu, Geoff Berner and Eric Stern, its lineup has changed with the past few iterations.

“It’s hard, actually,” said Webley of the task of picking performers each year. “At first we had the same players on the tour, but now that I’ve been doing the tour for a few years, my goal is to find the right balance between familiar face and new acts.”

Those acts are as unique as the instrument they play, and as such there is not a particular accordion playing music “scene” as there often is with other music styles.

Despite the fact that accordionists of Webley and company’s caliber are few and far between (Iancu hails from Tokyo, for example), the crowds at the shows “can be really diverse, just like the music played on the accordion," Webley said.

Webley takes his claim of diversity to heart. Though his influences don’t often show in his music, he draws inspiration from a broad range of artists and styles.

“I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and punk music,” Webley said. “Later I studied world music, classical music, and I have tried to steep myself in the works of the great singer-songwriters of different eras and geographies. But I think in the end, the earliest influences had the biggest effect on me.”

There are currently no plans to take the Monsters of Accordion tour past the West Coast, but Webley said he would “LOVE to do an East Coast Monster run someday!”

For now, the lucky residents of a few major cities in the west will have a chance to catch the folksy drinking songs, ballads and ribald tales as told by Webley and his equally eccentric contemporaries.

The all ages show starts at 8 p.m. Luigi's is on 1050 20th St. Tickets are $10.

Best Restaurants - a different take

2009-07-21T01:54:18Z

It's that time of year again - time for "Best Restaurants," brought to you by Sacramento Magazine.

After reading the readers' picks for each category, it made me wonder whether the results would be different for readers of The Sacramento Press. Our focus has been primarily on events and coverage of things in the Grid, whereas Sacramento Magazine covers a larger demographic including the suburbs.

There were four categories that stood out to me in Sacramento Magazine's Best Restaurants: Best Burrito, Best Pizza, Best Burger and Best Coffeehouse.

I live in the Grid and therefore have my own biases about restaurants that live in Downtown and Midtown. I prefer restaurants in this area to those found in the outlying areas. It would be interesting to see the results had it been limited to only restaurants in the Grid.

Best Burrito went to Chipotle, with Dos Coyotes coming in second and Ernesto's coming in third. Both Chipotle and Dos Coyotes are chains. The Grid has very few chain restaurants, and I wonder if the presence of chains amidst family-owned and unique Sacramento restaurants makes a difference in reader choice. Does the quality speak for itself?

Best Pizza went to Round Table. Granted, Chicago Fire and Zelda's picked up second and third place, but I wonder how a delivery-based chain is even allowed in the running. Did Hot Italian or Luigi's or Giovanni's make it in the top five?

For the category of Best Burger, there are quite a few restaurants that come to mind that did not make the top three. Jim Denny's, Whitey Jolly Cones and Nationwide Freezer Meats were all missing from page 115 for best burger. In-N-Out, however, took first place, the Squeeze Inn (deserving, in my opinion, one of the top three) made second and McDonald's placed third.

For Best Coffeehouses, Starbucks was voted first place, Peet's took second and It's a Grind made third. When I think of good coffeehouses, I think of the unique havens in the Grid. Temple comes to mind. So does Weatherstone and Naked Lounge. If I want ambiance and a coffee or tea that comes in a mug that was washed and that is reusable, I do not go to Starbucks. If I want free wi-fi that does not require a cellular account, I cannot go to Starbucks. If I want a swirled foam design on my latte, I will not go to a mass chain coffeehouse.

My coffee choices come from currently living in the Grid, although I did grow up in the suburbs.

After reading this list, I looked at Sacramento Magazine's website. At the bottom, it reads "Find the best that Sacramento, California has to offer at Sacramento Magazine Online. With fantastic features such as a restaurant guide, an entertainment and events calendar and monthly recipes, you’ll find everything you need to know about exciting Sacramento, California."

Now, I ask you - readers of The Sacramento Press - if you were to vote on Best Restaurants for The Sacramento Press (in the Grid), which ones would make your top three for best burrito, pizza, burger and coffeehouse?

Saturday: Luigi's Fun Garden spins pizza and vinyl

2009-06-19T04:16:11Z

Every year, Davis radio station KDVS holds a record swap where local record labels, record collectors and record stores can trade thousands of records. It's likely that a few CDs, T-shirts and turntables will turn up as well.

This year's event will be held Saturday in Luigi's Fun Garden, and music nerds, casual shoppers and passersby can get in for $3. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. people will be able to visit booths of more than a dozen vendors, including punk-rock labels Gearhead and Prank Records.

KDVS, Midtown Monthly and the 'Zine Symposium held July 11 will also have tables, according to event co-coordinator Heather Klinger. Also a DJ at KDVS, she's been coordinating the event with Tim Matranga for four years.

The event has been held ever since the mid-'60s and has always been an informal affair organized by volunteers. It has previously been held at the now-defunct Fools Foundation art gallery and several other locations.

"Community radio and vinyl just go together," Klinger said. "The swap is a great place to meet other like-minded music people in our community and even learn more about music."

As an added incentive, Luigi's Slice next door will serve breakfast pizza at 9 a.m. Many people arrive early, and more than 100 are expected to filter into the venue throughout the day.

"It's becoming harder and harder to find brick-and-mortar stores that sell vinyl records with so many of the independent stores closing down," Klinger added. "You can't replace the feeling of flipping through actual records."

Luigi's Slice and Fun Garden is located at 1050 20th St.

*Photographs courtesy Heather Klinger.