The barbershop. In the African-American community it’s the unofficial “town square”. As Cedric the Entertainer (as Eddie) in the movie “Barbershop” described it, ”it’s the cornerstone of the neighborhood.” What better gathering place, then, to kick-off the Stockton Boulevard Partnership’s Old Hwy 99 Festival Concert Series than the Master Barber & Beauty Shop? (4340 Stockton Boulevard) On May 12, 2012, from 1pm to 4pm, guests will be treated to the music of opening band Harley White Jr. Orchestra and headlining band McNasty. This FREE concert, presented by the Stockton Boulevard Partnership, was created to promote the neighborhood and the vitality of the Stockton Boulevard business cor

From across the pond by popular demand, Oxford University's all-male a cappella group is back in town for a free show with The Spokes at Luigi's Pizza in Downtown Davis this Saturday, March 24th, at 8PM. The Spokes, local all-female a cappella talent from UC Davis, co-hosted a show with Out of the Blue back in 2010 at Davis' own Delta of Venus Cafe. Back in the states for their 2012 U.S. West Coast Tour, Out of the Blue is very excited to perform in Davis once again. Out of the Blue was recently featured as a semi-finalist on Britain's Got Talent, and with the release of their newest CD, "Rush", the men of Out of the Blue are just hitting their musical prime. See their amazing semi-final

HellaCappella, the most highly anticipated a cappella concert of the year, will take place Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at 7:30pm at the ARC Pavilion on the UC Davis Campus. Hosted by UC Davis’ amazing, all-female a cappella group, The Spokes, HellaCappella is an exciting collaboration between a cappella groups of all shapes and sizes. Hailing from various northern Californian universities, this year’s dynamic lineup includes show-stopping performances by two-time champions of the International Competition of Collegiate a Cappella, The Men’s Octet from UC Berkeley, Cloud Nine from UC Santa Cruz, NBC’s The Sing Off a cappella competition finalists On the Rocks from University of Oregon, and

Davis musician Antoinette Clinton, who goes by her stage name, Butterscotch, is releasing her first EP this fall called “Perfect Harmony.” A music video directed by Robyn Twomey for the album’s title track is going to released online in a few weeks. Butterscotch, who is known for her incredible beat-boxing, will be doing a lot more than just recording music. She will also be performing at the fifth annual Davis Jazz and Beat Festival on Oct. 22. The event will include her along with many other performers and will be located at 521 First St. in Davis. In recent months, she has traveled to places as far away as Hong Kong and Germany. “A lot has happened lately,” Butterscotch said, referri

If ever a grand entrance was to be had, last night was it. Usher, the reigning king of R&B, started his two hour concert at Power Balance Pavilion by being pulled across the arena on an elevated platform. The platform, which started in the back of the arena, rose through a plume of smoke to reveal Usher standing in the middle wearing a black jacket and helmet. As the platform approached the main stage, Usher leaped off and immediately started his first song. About half-way through his concert Usher would once again jump aboard the platform and sing to the audience while hovering about mid-way out into the stadium. This, like every other theatric, had the audience singing and yelling with

There was a surprisingly small turnout for Sugar & Gold and Yip Deceiver, two quality indie acts, at Blue Lamp Saturday night. Maybe the numerous free options of Second Saturday kept folks away, but, despite the numbers, both groups turned out solid performances. Yip Deceiver — featuring Of Montreal members Davey Pierce and Nicolas Dobbratz — took the stage late and kicked things off with their take on experimental electro pop, performing songs including "Sadie Hawkins Day" and "For All the Haters." Pierce bantered with the crowd constantly — "People who know me, who truly know me, know I like two things: karaoke and meth. We're going to do some karaoke, because that's fun for us." — and

Attention hipsters and indie dance music fans! Head on over to Blue Lamp this Saturday to catch indie dance duo Sugar & Gold with special guest Yip Deceiver. Shaking off comparisons to MGMT and Hot Chip, the San Francisco-based S&G weave together elements of funky disco, melodic electro and smooth R&B to create dance-heavy pop grooves with their unique signature. Rated "Best Local Dance Band" in 2007 by SF Magazine and "Best Party Band 2008" by SF Weekly, S&G are known for their energetic, outrageous live shows that will have you sweating in your skinny jeans. Davey Pierce (Of Montreal) side-project Yip Deceiver opens. Sugar & Gold and Yip Deceiver perform at Blue Lamp this Saturday at

After 40 years of performing together, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Earth, Wind & Fire (E,W&F) brought the 1970s’ back to life on Wednesday night at Thunder Valley Casino. Without skipping a beat, the energetic band delivered a crowd pleasing performance to approximately 4000 people at Thunder Valley’s new outdoor amphitheater. The stage, which is removable when concerts or outdoor events are not planned, offers Placer County another exceptional venue for star performances. Unlike their earlier days, E,W&F no longer bases their performances on over-the-top theatrics; instead, they have opted for a well choreographed light display, full background ensemble and audience attention to

The Sacramento Unity and Diversity Music Festival originaly Scheduled for May 2nd was rained, so we were forced to reschedule. Festivites were ready to get started bands were lined up, vendors and food booths were ready to go. People started lining up at the gate and down it came.. The City of Sacramento allowed us to cancel this event and come back with more strength and blessings. We know this is going to be a one of a kind festival, one that Sacramento has never seen. There will be Reggae, R&B, Salsa, Soca, Gospel Rap, Praise Dancers, Rock, and Dance Toops. We are working to bring All of Sacramento together with one rythem, one beat, one LOVE. You can purchase your tickets online at www