Where we’re born is more than a location, it’s part of who we are. Where We’re Born, the stage play by Lucy Thurber, is a strikingly simple and honest look at a young woman’s struggle with life change, the desire to and difficulty of leaving the comfort of your home and history—however hurtful it may have been. It is not a story, but a more like a series of snapshots taken during the course of a few days when the relationships and potentially, lives of three people are forever altered. The catalyst for all of this is Lilly (Jessicah Neufeld), on a quasi-vacation from college. She arrives back in the small Western Massachusetts hill town she calls home just as a domestic crisis is unfoldi

“Laugh at yourself first before anyone else can.” Sure, those words were written over five decades ago by gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell, but they still ring true in every comedy club today. The ten talented comedians who performed at the Punch Line Comedy Club Wednesday night showed how self-depreciation can be one of the most entertaining elements of the show. Stand-up comedians are notorious for having the gift of somehow making all things taboo sound hilarious, and there certainly was no shortage of racial insults and sexual innuendos directed at each other as well as the audience members. A few of them poked fun at a friendly couple sitting up front who shared that they had been dat

Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame member and legendary Righteous Brother Bill Medley brought a crew of extremely talented individuals to Thunder Valley Casino Resort Friday, including daughter McKenna. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Righteous Brothers. The second half of the duo, Bobby Hatfield, died of a heart attack back in 2003; Medley now tours with the 3 Bottle Band and McKenna. Kicking off the show was a video showing Medley as he made appearances in various shows throughout his career, including the David Letterman Show and the hit television series, Cheers. As the video ended, Medley started to sing “A Song for You” while he was still offstage. After about a minute he start

Verge Center for the Arts has remained a consistent hub of creativity for Sacramento since they first opened their doors as a private art gallery in 2009. In 2010 they expanded into their current space—a 22,000 square foot warehouse in Downtown Sacramento—and organized as a nonprofit. Now home to 30 resident studio artists, plus extensive gallery and event space, Verge continues their mission of exposing Sacramento to the contemporary art and artists of the region. 2011 was a particularly big year for Verge. Among many other achievements, they had a more-than-successful Kickstarter campaign ($9,165 raised on a $7,500 goal!), won the First Place award of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Co

The first question presented to the panel was "What does Sacramento have that other cities don't have, and what don't we have?", and with that, the passionate discussion about 'The State of Live Music in Sacramento' was off and running. It was one question that fueled one-and-a-half hours of enthusiastic discussion. On Sunday evening The Sacramento Living Library (curated by Time Tested Books' Peter Keat and hosted by Midtown Monthly Editor Tim Foster) brought together five notable Sacramento music industry insiders to talk about music, politics, venues, history, and demographics. Jerry Perry (legendary Sacramento promoter), Brian McKenna (Abstract Entertainment), Rick Ele (KDVS), Mindy G

Armed with 20 vocalists, six band members and four crew members impersonating the legends of Motown, RPM Crown Productions brought their Hitsville USA Legends of Motown Tribute Show to Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Saturday. There was a sold-out crowd of diehard Motown fans there to enjoy some of the greatest hits from the Motown era. It was perplexing that more people weren’t up on their feet during some of the performances. However, after each performer finished their set they were met with more than a few people giving them a standing ovation. The all-star lineup included acts such as The Four Tops, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and even a brief break from Motown for a little bit of

Nathan Dale is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Sacramento. Some locals may remember Dale as the founding member of Sweet Vine back in the 90’s. The band went on to sign with Columbia Records, recording their self-titled CD at the famed Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York. The band toured nationwide before separating in the late 1990's. Dale currently tours with The Jackie Greene Band and has recently release his own CD, “Major Keys Parade.” After listening to his new CD, it became quite obvious that Dale is an extremely diverse musician. The album has a little something for everyone including a little rock, folk and even a tad bit of a Hawaiian sound. The CD starts off with

The purple one was in-the-house at Thunder Valley Casino Resort Friday. Okay, not The Purple One (as in Prince), but the 55 year old standup comedian Sinbad, who was decked out in a freshly tailored purple shirt. I also wouldn’t say “in-the-house,” more like in-the-tent, since it was held in Thunder Valley’s Holiday Pavilion. While it’s a tent, it’s extremely spacious and exquisitely decorated, complete with several bars, restrooms and a whole lotta seats. Sinbad put on a great show, playing to a full house of young and old alike. As soon as he hit the stage, he started talking about how this was such a great location for a casino like Thunder Valley. There’s nothing around for miles ex

Can you belive 2011 is practically over? New Year's Eve is this Saturday and if you're still searching for plans, we here at Sacramento365.com have gathered up some activities for you. If you're looking for a great, family friendly New Year's Eve experience, complete with fireworks, be sure to head to Old Sac for the New Year's Eve Sky Spectacular. But, for those of you who are looking for some adult celebrations--no kids allowed--here're a few options to greet 2012 (see even more in our Top 10 & Holiday Event Section). Sacramento nightlife is kickin'! 1. New Year's 2012 Bash with Mickey Avalon: Ace of Spades, 7pm Hailing from Hollywood, Mickey Avalon is known to the world as one of the

Sixty-two-year-old veteran rocker Eddie Money brought his Jingle Bell Rock tour to Thunder Valley Casino Resort on Thursday. Scheduled to appear was former Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm and former Jefferson Starship lead singer Mickey Thomas. The day before their performance at Thunder Valley, it was announced that Gramm would not be performing for the remaining tour due to acute laryngitis, so Gramm was not in attendance. As the concert kicked off with Money and Thomas taking the stage, the audience immediately started chanting, “Lou! Lou! Lou!” Money responded by explaining the situation and said they had added a couple of songs to their setlist to make up for the missing Gramm. This wa

Wow. What the hell happened out at Thunder Valley Casino Resort Friday night? It seems soft rock group Air Supply, playing to a packed house of lovesick fans, actually came out and rocked the house. I know. I still don’t believe it, but it’s all true! It was bedlam, I tell you. “Here I Am” thinking “Sweet Dreams.” What are the “Chances” I would find myself in a “Sanctuary” where “Me Like You” can feel “The Power of Love” “Everywhere,” only to have a real rock concert break out. Seriously! Air Supply started out innocently enough with “Even the Nights are Better,” and then segueing into “Every Woman in the World.” OK so far, but as veteran performers Russell Hitchcock (lead singer) and

Public Broadcasting’s KVIE studios in Sacramento was transformed into a concert venue Saturday night as Blame Sally took the stage for a fundraiser. This was not your run of the mill fundraiser either. KVIE recorded the performance and will be using the footage to produce a PBS Special, which will ultimately be used in pledge drives across the country and made available in DVD format. So why choose Blame Sally for such an event? KVIE is using Blame Sally to show women of all ages, middle age in particular, that you can accomplish so much more. In their 30’s and 40’s they put their individual careers on hold to start Blame Sally. As a role model, Blame Sally proves that women in their 30’

I was recently approached by Todd Wagner at Ninth Street Opus to help publicize an upcoming event over at Public Television’s KVIE in Sacramento. Ninth Street Opus represents a San Francisco all-female group, Blame Sally, scheduled to perform at the KVIE TV station on Saturday, December 3. KVIE and Blame Sally are working together to create a pledge program to help raise money for Public Television on a national level. KVIE will be filming Blame Sally during their performance and using the footage to produce a PBS special which will ultimately be used in their pledge drives across the country. I don’t think I need to go on about the value of public television and what it means for the co

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra mesmerized the audience Saturday afternoon at Power Balance Pavilion in the first of two Christmas shows. For those of you who may not be familiar with TSO, they are a progressive rock band that incorporates classical, orchestral, symphonic and progressive elements into hard rock and heavy metal. They are famous for their series of rock operas and storytelling. This was a high-energy show with a combination of lasers, lights, pyrotechnics and video screens all synchronized to TSO’s music. Dressed in black, the orchestra made their way on stage while chimes were playing. As they were assembling onstage, there were clips of Martin Luther King Jr. from the famo

OMG! I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to write this after the Chippendale’s performance at Thunder Valley Casino Resort Wednesday night. It was only after taking a cold shower and having a glass – scratch that – a bottle of wine that I was able to start thinking clearly. What? No! The water heater went out and a “glass” of wine is how I like to end my day. My intent on writing this is to warn any unsuspecting women who may decide to take in a show like the Chippendales’. Don’t. Seriously, nobody liked the show! It was quite obvious that every woman in the place, which was around 99.9 percent of the people, couldn’t stand the show. I couldn’t believe it! I was completely dumbfoun

Mom-and-pop stores and locally owned businesses are often the ones that suffer when consumers tighten up their budget during tough economic times. With the local economy in mind, The Sacramento Press asked locals if they were given $100 to spend on a locally owned business in Sacramento, how would they spend it? "I support a lot of the small businesses throughout Sacramento, or mom-and-pop (stores), because they are the bread and butter of today's economy,” Financial Analyst Soua Lee, 27, said. Lee, a Rosemont resident, said that he would spend it on groceries at Vang’s Market, a grocery store. "I have to say, I would spend my $100 on a place called Crimson and Clover. It's a reall

Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone played to a full house of old diehard Herman’s Hermits fans at Thunder Valley Casino Resort’s Pano Hall Sunday night. That’s not to say everyone in the audience was old, just older than most. The Noonatics, those who carry around vinyl albums and old Herman’s Hermits 8-tracks, may have known what they were in for, but I sure as bloody hell wasn’t. The 64 year old rocker joined the British band as the lead singer (Herman) at the young age of 15. You do the math. I went to see Herman’s Hermits to relax and enjoy some oldies but goodies, so when Noone took the stage and started singing, “I’m Into Something Good,” I was thinking, “Ahhhh, this is perfect.”

The Cirque Shanghai’s Bai Xi put on a breathtaking show Thursday and Friday night at Thunder Valley Casino Resort, playing to a standing room-only crowd both nights. Bai Xi translates to “100 amazing acts.” However, I only counted 16, but they were 16 amazing displays of physical strength and grace. The show was full of spectacular colors, talented young men, women and a number of young girls. It was a magical night with some mind-boggling performances and a variety of visually stunning costumes. As the show opened, the performers started in the back of Pano Hall dressed in spectacularly colorful costumes. Working their way through the audience with a winking parade-style dragon and wavi

  In the mood for a low-country Regina Spektor-meets-Jimmy Buffett-on-whiskey act followed by a Dave Matthews crossed with a beached-out Buddy Holly number? Well, you can... this coming Tuesday, November 8 at the Naked Lounge in downtown Sacramento (1111 H St.), starting at 8:30. This all ages show features two of California's up-and-coming, on-the-scene singer-songwriters, Jo Elless (www.joelless.com) and Mike Macchia & Tyler Canaday (Mike's Lost and Found, http://www.youtube.com/TheMikeMacchia). Midwest and northeastern roots, with a little dixie thrown in for good measure, Jo Elless is a Berklee-trained multi-instrumentalist who arranges her songs for wind orchestra (all of the instru

Seventies musicmakers Midnight Star and A Taste of Honey packed Pano Hall at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort Friday night, keeping the audience on their feet for most of the show. A late start didn’t dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm as Grammy Award-winning A Taste of Honey, featuring original band member Janice Marie Johnson, stormed the stage. Johnson was decked out in a pink sequin dress and high heels and sporting her bass guitar. As soon as the band kicked into gear, the audience was on their feet, as the band played all their hits like “I’m Talking About You” and “Disco Dancin’.” After a quick wardrobe change into an orange kimono, Johnson sang her hit song “Sukiyaki” as the audience