After an original Oct. 20 show date that had to be rescheduled, alt-rock powerhouse Foo Fighters performed at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday night for about 10,000 fans. Opening the show was fantastic L.A. punk band The Bronx, playing as their alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx, which is less a gimmick than you might think. What started as a lark for the punk band has grown into a love that has seen the band release two mariachi albums and gain a following, and, yes, they stay true to the authentic mariachi style of music as well as wear black charro suits. The band performs in a variety of ways, sometimes incorporating mariachi into their punk set, sometimes performing as a punk band and m

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) conducts several walking Tours in the downtown area. The walking tours introduce visitors to people, places and events that have created California history. DSP’s mission is to establish downtown Sacramento as a vibrant business, cultural and entertainment destination in Sacramento via private and public partnerships consisting of residents, visitors and investors. This Friday they conducted a Rock & Roll History Tour and Pub Crawl. The tour began at the corner of 9th and J Streets at one of the entrances to the Concerts in the Park held at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The walk began at 6 in the evening. By this time, Wahnder Lust had begun their set at t

On Wednesday night, Dive Bar held its grand opening. The "New K Street" has been covered ad nauseum here and (and here and here and here. . . .) and elsewhere. George Karpaty's new "entertainment complex" is big news, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I put on my press hat, my dance pants and my shiniest shirt and headed over. The block was already bumping when I arrived a little before 8 p.m. I went to Dive Bar first, but my contact was nowhere to be found, the mermaids had yet to arrive and the bar was seatless. I decided to to take my leave and begin my night with a beer at the pizza "joint" next door. Pizza Rock was bustling. The huge dining room was close to packe

This Halloween night I did not buy candy for the little trick or treaters. Actually I was not even home to hand out treats instead I went over to Old Ironsides on 10th and S Streets for an evening of music. Old Ironsides hosted their annual Dead Rock Stars Show. It was billed as an evening where musical guests played selections from their favorite musicians, the dead ones. Jerry Perry, the master of ceremonies for the show, started off by attempting to perform a standup comic routine. Dressed up in Halloween costume he was assisted by his wife dressed up as Poison Ivy. Jerry was dressed up as D. Weed. In regards to his comic routine, one guest put it in perspective by saying “I hope he do

Before he was a political activist and lecturer, Krist Novoselic was a founding member and bassist of Seattle-based Nirvana, one of the most influential bands in history. After Nirvana ended when lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, Novoselic became proactive in politics, using his celebrity to draw attention to his causes, which include promoting election reform and increasing voter turnout. Thursday night he spoke to a group of roughly 150 in the University Union ballroom at Sacramento State. Free and open to the public, the chiefly student audience was a mix of the politically minded and curiosity-seeking. “The last I heard about Krist Novoselic was that h

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

When word first hit the streets that long time local promoter Jerry Perry was sitting on a video recording of Nirvana playing at the Cattle Club 20 years ago, it didn’t take long for friends in Sacramento’s music community to begin shouting “here we are now, entertain us.” “Everyone was asking me ‘can I come over and watch it’ or ‘can you burn me a copy,’” Perry said. “Everyone under the sun was saying ‘I’ll have a BBQ and you bring the movie.’ I probably turned down the BBQ invitation about four times.” “We did not want to let bootlegs (of the performance) get out everywhere, we wanted it to be really special and we didn’t want to exploit it,” Perry added. “So I thought, why don’t we ju

Yes, that really did happen here. The complaints and rumblings about music in Sacramento have been mounting for years: a perceived disconnect between the local music scene and the community, the glaring lack of consistent all-ages music venues in the downtown area and a debilitating middle child syndrome caused by big name touring acts that often pass the Capitol City over for gigs in the Bay Area. In the face of the retrospective on local music provided by Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s newest walking tour, it becomes hard to find anything to complain about. Entitled “Locally Grown, Internationally Known: The history of the Sacramento Music Scene,” this hour-long tour offers not onl

"Unfortunately, I'm the idiot [who] came up with the world's worst f***ing band name," said Kai Kln drummer Neil Franklin. "It comes back to haunt me when I have to explain this name and try to pronounce it." Kai Kln (pronounced "kai" as in "kaiser" and "klin, but ignore the vowel," Franklin said) formed in Carmichael and played its first gig in August 1989 at Southside Park. When the four-piece headlines the inaugural End of Summer Fest concert in Cesar Chavez Plaza, it will be the 20-year anniversary of the band's first performance. Friday's concert, which is a continuation of Concerts in the Park, will also feature opening band Prieta, a 2009 Sammie award winner for best rock band. Pr