Art Several art galleries throughout Sacramento hold monthly artist receptions usually on the Thursday before their respective Second Saturday Art Walk. During this time guests can attend gallery receptions and enjoy intimate conversations with artists. Sol Collective, in celebration of its 7th anniversary, is hosting the work of several artists. An opening reception was held on Friday March 9. Art by Shaun Burner, Jose Di Gregorio, Dana Iske, Miguel Perez, Trent Liddicoat, Carson McWhirter, and Trisha Rhomberg will be on exhibition at Sol Collective until April 14. Sol 7 is the first art exhibition of the year at Sol Collective and features an exhibition consisting of various style

As part of its annual Black History Month speaker series, the Sol Collective through its Sacramento Activist School Group program is sponsoring “Malcolm and Martin: Tales of two legacies in Black History”, on Wednesday February 15th. Guest speaker Rashad Baadqir will examine the comparable and contrasting histories, philosophies, legacies and impacts that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X have had on modern African-Americans post the 1960’s civil rights movement era. Baadqir, author of the book “The Browning of Europe, Multicultural Challenges and Perspectives of a changing Europe” is a Sacramento based Multicultural Competency Consultant, Lecturer and contributing cultural issues writ

A young black male raised without a father, expelled for assaulting his teacher in fourth grade finds poetry mentors who help cultivate his gift for words and turn him into a beacon of hope in his community. It's the kind of adversity-overcoming story that fuels the inspirations of Hollywood filmmakers. It is also the real-life story of Sacramento Area Youth Speaks poet/mentor Andre Tillman, otherwise known as Dre-T. "I would say ages six through eight were my troubled years," Tillman says, recounting the incident that got him expelled from grade school, "I remember knowing it wasn’t my teachers fault." It was right around this time that a young, frustrated Andre Tillman would discover wh

Norcal Noisefest 2011, Sacramento's fifteenth annual gathering of experimental musicians and noise artists, returns this week for a six-day noise marathon featuring over 50 performers from across the continent. Starting on Wednesday September 28 and running every day until Monday October 3, this year's Noisefest has expanded in both time and space: on Thursday night, simultaneous shows will occur in both Sacramento and San Francisco, followed by an on-air Noisefest performance on KDVS, 90.3 FM, in Davis. All other performances take place in Sacramento--at the Naked Lounge downtown, the Geery Theatre in Midtown, Luna's Cafe, and Sol Collective at the edge of Curtis Park. Noise is difficul

What is Liberation Permaculture? When posed this question, creative organizer Rafael Aguilera’s answer is amazing pasta sauce. “It’s not all about gardening. It’s about village alchemy. How do we identify who has needs or skills in our own neighborhoods and work together? Is some guy growing tomatoes and has too many while another guy down the street has an incredible recipe for pasta sauce?” And as simply as that, the concept of permaculture is boiled down. Bill Mollison, who is credited with helping develop permaculture as a systematic process in the 1970s defined it as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than pro

The Crocker Art Museum will host a screening of “Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano” on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. This documentary provides insight into the realities and politics of contemporary Cuba by following some of the pioneers of Cuban hip hop to their homes, the stage, and as they travel abroad for the first time. From 5:30-6:30 p.m., one of the film’s subjects, DJ Leydis, will perform live in Friedman Court. Tickets are $6 for Museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Presented in collaboration with Sol Collective, the film will be introduced by director Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, a graduate of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and will be followed by a Q & A. The screening is

Born in Brazil, Zuzuka Poderosa now resides in New York City where she is a big part of the Latin movement responsible for bringing Moombathon from the underground to the forefront. Zuzuka Poderosa is a sultry, unapologetic Brazilian dancehall vixen who spits Portugese rhymes over block rattling bass. Known as The Queen of Baile Funk, Zuzuka is also a DJ that packs New York City night clubs with Tropical Carioca funk, a street poet known worldwide, and a name to watch in the coming year.  Last year Zuzuka electrified Sol as part of the Global Hood Music series. Alongside DJ Righteous Trash, Zuzuka brought the spirit of Brazil and swagger of New York to the West Coast and had a blast doing

The upbeat rhythms of Chico Mann were brought to Sol Collective on Thursday, April 28. Bringing his East Coast sound to Sacramento, Chico Mann delighted his audience with his mixture of Cuban beats, freestyle and a great electronic sound. The event was part of the Global Hood Music Series that showcases artists rooted in traditional ancestral music and who have grown up in a global technological era that helps them create unique global music. Straight out of New Jersey, he has been exposed to Latin rhythms since birth and is now sharing his own style with his fans on this tour. As I made my way into Sol Collective I was introduced to Andrew “Defeye” Bell who wears several hats for the C

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

Walls of colorful graffiti art surrounded audience members. Images of break dancers flashed on the wall behind the stage. Latin-infused hip-hop rhythms pulsed out of the speakers. The Sol Collective hosted a concert Sunday night with an exciting and eclectic lineup of artists with performances starting at 9 p.m. Billed originally with headliner Anita Tijoux and A-Plus of the Hieroglyphics, attendees got more artists for their money with performances by Century and Los Rakas added to the evening’s talent. It was a celebration of hip-hop being transcendental of cultural differences. “Arts, culture and activism” is the mission of Sol Collective, said the Andrew Bell, director for marketing

Artists have spent the last few nights preparing Sol Collective for an anniversary show Friday. But they're not installing framed paintings and sculptures. Sacramento's very own activist art collective is celebrating six years by becoming art. Show organizer Shaun Turner, a 29-year-old muralist, has brought together at least 19 artists from Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Colombia, by way of New York, to create art on the interior walls and ceilings of the building at 2574 21st St. The big, bold pieces are the artists' way of giving back to a community organization that has given so much to so many of them, said Turner and local artist Gabriel Romo, who also goes by the name 2

Brazilian Baile Funk Queen Zuzuka Poderosa came to town straight out of Brooklyn. Zuzuka started a 4 day west coast tour at Sol Collective in Sacramento. Natalia Linares set up an interview with Zuzuka before her performance. The Sacramento Press: Your music is very catchy and is mostly in Portuguese. You do mix in a line or two in English; do you plan to do any recordings in English? Zuzuka: I’m starting to sing in English because I’m trying to get past the fear of, you know, being self conscious about it. There have been a few songs where I’ve thrown in an English hook which I’m going to do tonight. I try to do the same thing in other languages like with Spanish. I’m looking forward t

Hip hop artists from around Sacramento gathered to put on a great show hosted by Sol Collective. Mentes Diferentes presented a gathering of some great local hip hop artists who collaborated and put on energetic sets that followed in quick succession one after another. Artists that were scheduled to participate , on the October 15 event, were Mean Doe Green aka Doey Rock, The Desperados, Brown Hustlas, A.R.A.B., Peso Harlem with DJ LOS. Task 1 joined in the freestyle session and entertained the audience as well (as usual). Catching me by surprise, I missed part of his rap but I heard him rhyme something with "the Sacramento Press" while looking my way. Just like he entertained during the

Show for all ages Day one of this year’s Norcal Noisefest was held on Friday, October 1 at Luna’s Café on 16th Street. About a dozen acts showed off their unique Noise (music) making abilities. Some of these acts, probably like people back in the Paleolithic Age, used any available material to construct music making instruments for their performance. Styrofoam, 10 gallon plastic water bottles, tin foil, bricks, soda cans, nails on a board, sticks, and other rudimentary noise making instruments were used to make rhythmic sounds. None of the shows I witnessed used the nails screeching down a blackboard but it would have been interesting. Traditional instruments played their part with some

Walking through the doors of Sacramento's new hot spot, Sol Collective, on a weekend night might feel like entering a house party full of old friends. That is, of course, if your old friends are all artistic and the house is an open gallery space, but nonetheless, the vibe is welcoming and relaxed. The lights are low, the crowd is diverse and the entertainment is exemplary. Before you know it, you've had an amazing night and are destined to return to the venue. But Sol Collective is not merely a venue. The term represents not just the physical space, but also the collaboration of people making it all happen. The project is a branch of the nonprofit organization Freedom Bound Center, which

Wine and eclectic beats never sounded so good. Design Within Reach, a trendy art furniture studio Downtown, came alive Wednesday evening, providing a popular hot spot for the first ever Wine and Beats event, created and hosted by Rai-Mon Nemar. Nemar, founder of LEGENDmag and budding sommelier, has a contagious passion for both wine and music. Nemar said he noticed subtle changes to the characteristics of wine while listening to albums. "I was writing an article one day reviewing an album, sipping on wine," he said. "By the time I completed the article I thought, 'All I need in life is wine and beats.' So I started comparing bottles of wine to certain albums and was amazed at some of the