Not only does this weekend hold the majority of Sacramento's Mardi Gras events (Mardi Gras is officially Tuesday, February 21 this year), it is also a three-day-er for many, given Monday's Presidents' Day Holiday. If your weekend's not already action-packed, or if you're looking to add a little bit more to your plate, here are a few viable options. If you're the type to get up and dance, head to The Park Ultra Lounge for their Mardi Gras Weekend Celebration, featuring two nights of decorations, masks, and beads galore. Friday night features DJ Scene and Saturday celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Bacardi Rum. If you prefer to hop around from spot to spot, there are two great pub crawls

November’s Second Saturday attendance appeared to have decreased this month. Two hot spots however thrived and attracted visitors to the monthly Second Saturday Art Walk. Art galleries and other establishments on 20th Street as well as businesses on K Street attracted large crowds. Downtown Sacramento’s K Street, in another effort to jump start the commercial area, opened for vehicle traffic on Saturday. A stage was set up on 12th and K Streets to accommodate an opening ceremony, a car parade, and other entertainment to celebrate the event. Classic cars paraded down K Street for the first time in over 42 years. Reminiscent of cruising down the boulevards of San Francisco or Los Angele

Yo, winter storms - we've got your summertime right here! The concert calendar this week will be doing a little work to help us all not "t-t-talk about the weather" (as my main man Dave Matthews would say) with the outdoor (covered) patio concert series at Sophia's Thai Kitchen in Davis teeing off with a pair of shows. Plus, it's a pretty safe bet that Mr. Deputy will be wearing shorts. Just sayin'! Zach Deputy – Isn’t this the guy who should be popping the tops off your beers at the bowling alley bar, or maybe explaining the difference in quality among products at your local “tobacco” shop? He’s got that laid back, flip-flop island vibe to him, the kind of dude you could shoot the breez

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

Old Ironsides was packed to the gills Saturday night for an epic three-band bill. Two of Sacramento's best young rock bands, Honyock and Walking Spanish, bookended San Francisco darlings Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers. All three played inspired sets, as you would know if you were there. If you weren't, well, you would be well served to attend their next Sacramento gigs.  Honyock is bringing their rare blend of folk, classic and new age rock to the Luna's on Friday, March 4. Walking Spanish will be bringing their searing high-energy indie rock, fronted by Jackie Greene's virtuosic kid bro Alex Nelson, back to Old I for their CD release party on March 25. And Nicki Bluhm and the Grambler

Sweet Jesus, I’ve finally done it – the biggest Sactown Rundown in history. It’s just that kind of a week here in Sacto, friends. With no disrespect to the amount of local talent that pours blood on the stages week in and week out, there were way too many “can’t ignore this” shows coming through town this week – and we’re not even talking about Eric Clapton at Arco or Escape the Fate over at Ace of Spades. Harlow’s is packed, and you’re going to have to pick at least one week night to go to work smelling of cheap hooch and leftover sweat. Did we mention that the initial High Sierra lineup is up? Too much to talk about this week, heads will explode! And much of this coincides with Beer W

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

Neil Young wins Best Rock Song. The Avett Brothers share the stage with Mumford & Sons and Bob Dylan. Wow, these were not the Grammys we know and hate! I’ll be the first to admit to being the type of music writer that has to look a few things up when the usually loathsome Grammy nods are announced – and I’m OK with that, especially with Sammies season coming up Boy, if we could actually get a few of these names below a golden gramophone sometime soon, now we’re talking! The Stone Foxes – The Stone Foxes did not kill Robert Johnson, and contrary to some misguided opinions, they are not flashing any irreverence towards the blues by saying that. The irony of the title of the folkloric “I K

Drifters, turn back! We’re keeping it good and local (kinda) this week as we celebrate our last weekend of theoretical playtime before Christmas all but consumes our ability to gobble up live music. We’re flanked by two gigs over the course of five days from one of the darlings of our local music family that have since relocated, but are spending a little time at home for the Holidays. I’ll be taking next week off to dunk my head in a giant bowl of eggnog, but keep your eyes peeled the week after for a special New Year’s edition of the Rundown once we’re done singing “O, Tannenbaum” – because Lord knows we need something to counter all the usual NYE nonsense of paying $50 for a cover band

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

This Tuesday people will (hopefully) be flocking to their polling places around Sacramento to vote. In honor of democracy, there are a few places around Sacramento who want to thank those who took the time to vote with special election day deals. Marilyn's on K (908 K St.) Guests with an “I Voted” sticker will get a discount on the cover charge ($3 instead of $5) to see the band MRQ at 8 p.m. MVP Sports Bar and Grill (2110 L St.) Guests with an “I Voted” sticker will be treated to the “Democrat Special.” Shots of Jack Daniels for $4, mixed drinks for $4, draft for $2. L Wine Lounge (1801 L St.) With the proper sticker, guests get happy hour all night: $3 beer, $6 featured wines and $4 c

The Sizzling Sirens delivered hell-raising hilarity and sinfully sultry stage sensations to Marilyn’s on K Saturday night. “Hell on Heels” was a burlesque variety show combining song, dance, music and mask work and original corsets from Isabella Corsetry, to create a modern burlesque experience. Jay Siren, executive director of Sizzling Sirens, said she founded the Sirens to create original, entertaining and themed pieces to incite a freshness of perception for their audience. Siren said that in March of 2008 she cast the first Sirens, and by July of that year they celebrated their debut with the Red & Black Event at Parlare Euro Lounge in downtown. “Discovering burlesque, I felt an inst

To quote Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, “The world is such a wonderful place/ The world is such a wonderful place.” Through and through, he’s absolutely right. But there are just some tragic and unfortunate elements of this world that we sometimes have to live with – the kind that tend to perpetuate the sale of cheap gin and handguns. I of course refer to the fact that Arco Arena is hosting back-to-back concerts on Friday and Saturday night by Justin Bieber and Nickelback. Hard to stomach the fact that we’ll probably see more heads each of these nights at the Big Gas Pump than at your average Kings game, all packed in to see a squeak jockey on anti-puberty meds and wearing a hair-met,

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

Blast from the Past: On Friday night, local promoter Jerry Perry unveils his footage from Nirvana playing the Cattle Club 20 years ago with a free screening, here is the lowdown. The Future is Coming On: Has anyone else noticed how many concerts are locked and loaded for the next couple of months? Atmosphere, Dave Matthews, JJ Grey, Devil Makes Three, Trombone Shorty - whoa nellie, we’re going to be busy here at the Rundown in September. Stay tuned… Here and Now: A little bluegrass, a dance party, and a sultry and slightly crazy songstresses for your weekend. Here’s what’s on deck: Hot Buttered Rum – Drums in a bluegrass band? Depending on who you talk to, it can either be a welcome add

NOTE: The Sactown Rundown will appear on Sac Press every Wednesday, with a focus on smaller club shows, festivals and events in Sacramento and surrounding areas. Fruit Bats with These United States – If you haven’t been to a show on the deliciously intimate patio at Sophia’s in Davis this summer, this is the one to catch. Hailing from Portland (by way of the Windy City), Eric Johnson’s long-time project the Fruit Bats has at times had to share its enigmatic front man with the likes of Vetiver and the Shins, but he always finds time to come back to the indie folk ensemble that he founded over 10 years ago. With an ever-rotating cast of characters, Johnson remains the centerpiece of the gro

  A Sacramento Comedy.Com Interview Getting to the essence of veteran comedian Doug Stanhope is both easy and difficult at the same time. He's so simple, yet so complex. Because of that, he is also completely controversial. Actually, to say that Stanhope is "controversial " is a vast understatement. Many people only know Stanhope through his short-lived hosting of "The Man Show" with Joe Rogan and his participation in the late-night, titillating "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials, which he said was only for the money. Stanhope's true fans know him as an outspoken, uncensored, honest and libertarian comic who looks at the world and questions aloud how we have turned a blind eye to how we ar

For a number of Sacramento's magazines, the phrase "labor of love" takes on a double meaning. Three of the best-known local magazine publications are run by talented couples. Sactown Magazine is run by husband-and-wife team Rob Turner and Elyssa Lee, and Midtown Monthly is run by married couple Tim Foster and Liv Moe. Sacramento's newest couple-run magazine, Submerge, is run by Jonathan Carabba, 24 and Melissa Welliver, 29, who are unmarried. This Saturday, their biweekly will be celebrating its two-year, 50th issue anniversary with a party at Marilyn's on K. It will feature live music from hip-hop artist TAIS, dub artist CHLLNGR (formerly Dub Defender) and DJ Mike Diamond. "I think (wo

There is so much to choose from this New Year's Eve in Sacramento. New Year's dancing venues are detailed in this article. Sacramento Press community contributor Barbara Ambler-Thomas wrote about the Empress Hornblower Cruise in Old Sacramento and Julia Beckner previewed several family activities. The following is a guide to several of Sacramento's New Year's Eve concerts featuring (mostly) local bands. Twitch Angry, White Minorities, Prylosis, Nekrosylum, Chernobog and Lycanthrope What: "New Year's Cancer's Evel" will feature metal and punk bands, hosted by music video and MySpace star Metal Sanaz. The event is also a cancer research fundraiser for the Derek's Wish Foundation. All age