“Take your time to shine!” encouraged the band evaluator. The shy saxophone player nodded and jumped back into her jazz solo. Constructive feedback and encouragement were the focus of Saturday’s Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival held at California State University, Sacramento. The event brought elementary school through college level jazz players together for a day of performances, evaluation by professional musicians and educators, clinics and opportunities to jam with the pros. Approximately 200 youth musicians in 30 bands filled the music building with the lively sounds of traditional jazz. Band names were as improvisational and free as the jazz form they play. “Stinky Cheese Hobo

The Midnight Masquerade Charity Fashion Show flaunted a cornucopia of fashion designs and styles – from pop art-inspired dresses to “Star Wars” costumes – by Sacramento State students Tuesday at the Sacramento State University Union Ballroom. More than 200 people attended the two-hour charity event, which helped raised funds for the Autism Center for Excellence at Sacramento State or A.C.E., a program by United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento that provides socialization training programs for children ages 8-12 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. SFA donated part of the proceeds from the event in the amount of $300 to UCP. To welcome guests, while keeping with the midnight m

Four Sacramento State University students are facing disciplinary actions from the college for their participation in the three-day sit-in sy Sacramento Hall, which ended April 16 at 3:30 a.m. with police in riot gear. Last Thursday, the students – Nora Walker, Yeimi Lopez, Amanda Mooers and Mildred Garcia – had their first hearing inside Lassen Hall with a disciplinary officer, as many of their supporters stood in front of the building wearing tape across their mouths and carried signs with messages like “Defending education is not a crime” and “Silence is the quest before the storm.” In recent weeks, the protesters ignited a proverbial flame on campus that spread across an estimated 1,

Sacramento State Public Relations students and Will Travers, the Chief Executive Officer and founder of BORN FREE USA, will be training, stretching, lacing up their running shoes and donning their favorite animal costumes for the Kaiser Permanente MaraFUNrun & Fitness Walk on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 8 a.m. The students and Travers are running the maraFUNrun for BORN FREE USA; a Sacramento- and Washington D.C.-based international wildlife nonprofit conservation and protection organization. To help bring awareness to BORN FREE USA and its motto of “keeping wildlife in the wild,” the students and Travers will be running the 2.62 miles in BORN FREE USA gear and some will be participating dressed

“R-U-N! R-U-N! Run, run, run!” locals shouted from their lawns, dressed much more warmly than the Run to Feed the Hungry participants flowing through Sacramento neighborhoods. Around 30,000 people ran, walked, or jogged in the 17th annual race, which had 5K and 10K routes, that began and ended at Sacramento State University. Despite the chilly Thanksgiving weather, participants were in high spirits. Friends, family and coworkers spent the morning huddling in the sunlight or by heat lamps, drinking Peet’s coffee and eating fruits and donuts for pre-race fuel. Classic rock music filled the air and pumped energy into the crowd as the race time approached. “This is perfect weather,” Sarah Do

A big crowd gathered in front of the Capitol West Steps on September 15 to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day and their relationship with California. Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration started at 6:00 in the evening with Gustavo Ortiz (Univisión 19) and Lili Reyes (97.9 FM) serving as the event’s Masters of Ceremonies. The California Highway Patrol Color Guard and the GZA, Mexican-American Fraternity from Sacramento State University contributed to the presentation of colors. Rocío Valdez, dressed in mariachi clothing, sang the U.S. and Mexican national anthems while the crowd waved the flags of both nations. The President of the Fiesta Patrias Committee, Omar González, gave the welcome ad

The city of Sacramento is back at the drawing board — literally — on its efforts to set up a streetcar connecting to West Sacramento. A new study to plan the streetcar route in Sacramento has received $310,000 in federal grant funds. An additional $90,000 from a local source will help pay for the study, according to a July 27 report from the city’s Transportation Department. The City Council signed off on the new funding Tuesday night. “What we’ll be doing now is looking now more broadly at the best routes for that system on the Sacramento side,” Councilman Steve Cohn said Wednesday. In the most recent plan, the streetcar would run from West Sacramento City Hall, across Tower Bridge an

Latin alternative rock band El Marauder capped off the Spring 2010 lineup of California State University, Sacramento, Unique's weekly Wednesday Nooner concert series with an impressive and energetic performance. The Modesto-based five-piece band showed off its musical talent, utilizing guitar solos and driving drums to sound like a Latin-and-punk-influenced Foo Fighters. El Marauder wasn't afraid to mix it up either, throwing in some reggae as well as a longer experimental song to end their one-hour set, which featured songs in both English and Spanish. El Marauder played on the outdoor Serna Plaza stage and drew a crowd of around 50. The band members were clearly having a good time, con

               Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and Sacramento State Public Relations students are celebrating in an unconventional way,bringing awareness to a different kind of cause, organ and tissue donation. On April 1, Sacramento State Public Relation students teamed up with Donate Life California, launching the “What’s Your Legacy?” campaign. The mission of the students’ campaign is to educate the community, increase the number of people on California’s organ and tissue donor registry and ultimately save lives. Across the country, more than 100,000 men, women and children are in need of life-saving transplants and 21,000 of them reside in California. Sadly, one-third

 It was an awkward afternoon for one-man electro rock band Sevenrepeat. Sevenrepeat played to a virtually empty room at California State University, Sacramento, Wednesday as part of Sac State Unique's weekly Nooner concert series. About three students were in the room at any time, filtering in and out through the set. While Mac Valentine, the man who makes up Sevenrepeat, must have been disappointed, he didn't give students a good reason to stay. The sound was heavy and thick, comparable to Nine Inch Nails or a heavy Depeche Mode, but none of it was very creative. The music had droning beats and loops playing in the background as Valentine would add to the noise by playing a distorted g

 Prominent anti-racist author and speaker Tim Wise spoke about the continuing reality of racism in the United States to an audience of more than 700 students at Sacramento State University Wednesday. Wise opened his lecture, "Colorblindness and its Consequences: How Ignoring Race Deepens the Racial Divide," with a personal story. He told the audience about when he lived with nine guys in Louisiana and one of his roommates made a pot of gumbo but never cleaned it up. Wise said the gumbo sat on the oven burner for more than a day and a half before the mess and smell compelled him to clean. "It didn't matter that I didn't make the mess. The only thing that mattered was that I didn't want to

Human trafficking in Sacramento was the subject of a conference Friday at Sacramento State. "Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in the Central Valley" was hosted by My Sister's House, a local nonprofit organization that, according to board President Darrel Woo, helps victims of domestic violence, with a focus on the Asian/Pacific Islander community. "My Sister's House is about saving lives," said Woo, adding that victims of human trafficking and domestic violence are often one and the same. "They are interconnected," he said. "Many victims suffer in silence." Woo said that this conference, the second hosted by My Sister's House, is important because Sacramento is home to many traf

 Professional football is coming to Sacramento. The United Football League is moving the California Redwoods from the Bay Area to Sacramento for the fall 2010 season, UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue announced at a press conference today. "It's an exciting day for the UFL," he said. The California Redwoods, which played in San Francisco and San Jose last year, will be relocating to Sacramento for the UFL's second season. The new season marks the UFL's expansion, with two more teams being added and the season length extending from six games to 10. The Sacramento team will be renamed, and fans can submit a team name at the UFL's website. Mayor Kevin Johnson was at the press conference we

Jack's Mannequin, Fun and Vedera stopped at Sacramento State on Thursday and provided three hours of great indie rock. 1,100-plus fans were at the University Union Ballroom to catch the fifth stop on the "Sing For Your Supper" tour. Vedera, celebrating the Feb. 2 release of its album "Stages," opened the show with a 20-minute set that showcased the vocal strength of lead singer Kristen May. May's performance was easily the highlight of the set, with the band adding lush piano and guitar pop arrangements that were simultaneously intimate and energetic. Fun was up next, and it lived up to the name. The band's unconventional arrangements incorporated trumpets, keyboards and a xylophone, al

The Grammy-award winning Latin fusion band Ozomatli will be performing at the Sacramento State campus, in the University Union Ballroom, on Oct 29.  Ozomatli's music is known as an urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga, according to the band's website.  More than a decade ago, 14 years to be exact, Ozomatli formed in Los Angeles to play at a labor protest. Since then they have been involved with "community activist events, protests, and city fundraisers," their website states.  Ozomatli's indigenous LA music has been played by The Los Ang

As California’s deep budget cuts smash Sacramento State professors and students with furlough days, fee increases and terminated classes, money woes are also slamming a non-profit firm on campus. University Enterprises, Inc. reported an estimated $8.79 million shortfall in its projected and actual revenue for the fiscal year which ended June 30. This is UEI’s account of last year’s reductions: lease revenue, $3 million; investments, $4.1 million; retail sales, $1 million; copy and graphic, $.12 million and contracts, $.57 million. UEI operates the campus bookstore, copy and food services, administers contracts, provides grants and acquires and renovates properties. According to executive

Sacramento, CA- A brush fire on the campus of Sacramento State University broke out Saturday afternoon, between the buildings and the railroad tracks. The fire was against one of the buildings however firefighters made a quick attack and the structure was saved with no internal damage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation but believed to be arson. Subjects in a red car were witnessed setting the fire. At the time of posting, full details are not available, but check back for follow-up information.