Let's not lie: We Sacramentans have a fairly thick skin when it comes to upstart local bands hanging it up. Sometimes they just gradually fade out, or just seem to kind of stop playing without ever really formally disbanding, or move away and set up shop in another city. Rarely do we get the opportunity for a big farewell party like the one Prieta is treating us to on Saturday, December 17 at Beatnik Studios, which will at least soften the sting of seeing this Sammie-award winning humdinger of a band bounce. In what guitarist Mat Woods calls a "totally amicable decision," the five members of Prieta have decided to hang it up after nearly five years. If you want to follow their progressi

Local indie bands offered up a hearty dose of energy and a touch of theatrics to the 1,000-plus-person crowd at Cesar Chavez Park Friday night for the latest installation of the Concerts in the Park series. On the sidewalk leading up to the stage area, vendors were selling gyros, drinks, necklaces and earrings. The CHP had a tented booth, as did radio station Radio 94.7 FM and The Sacramento Press. The night’s diverse crowd included families, neon-haired teens and seniors, all basking in the glow of live music and sunshine. Friends spread out islands of blankets on the grass, and children ran around with balloons attached to their wrists. Siblings Juli and Tyler Lydell of The Dreaded Di

So I hear there's some sort of a wedding going on early Friday morning? Yeah, well, we've got some music going on too, just as an FYI... The Builders & the Butchers - In a music scene bursting at the seams with raw, albeit often streamlined indie rock, folk and pop talent, Portland is a hard place to make yourself stand out - especially with the Dream of the '90s still alive. From their jovially twisted cover art to a sound that fits the same description, say hello to Neil Young's journey to Hell's big top. At their hear, Builders and the Butchers are a bluegrass band, but that core influence has been compressed in a vice and inserted into a pegboard of dark folk and inventive indie rock

Happy Holidays, indeed! It's not even Turkey Day yet and the local calendar is locked and loaded with sonic happenings to keep you distracted from shopping for pumpkin pies. By the way, there's plenty in here for the No-Work Club next week...but even if you are strapped to the cubicle, it's only for three days, right? Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving, Sactown. Keller Williams - Jamgrassreggaefolk or Jazzfunkreggaetechnograss? You decide. Check out more on tonight's Keller Williams show (his first in Sactucky in a decade) in this killer Q&A with Williams and Sac Press' Lindol French. If you end up looking at real estate listings after searching him, your Google skills need as much work as yo

With no disrespect to the noble task of honoring our veterans, why is Wednesday the biggest drinking day of the week? Save your livers, No-Work Club, there's business to be taken care of this weekend - and by business, we mean sonic awesomeness. Neil Young 65th Birthday Show – OK, seriously, how much does this suck? What a thing to have happen to “Shakey” (as he is frequently called) on the week of his 65th birthday and in the wake of the reunion of Buffalo Springfield at this year’s Bridge School concert – and what a concert it was! The good news is that this week’s fire destroyed only an estimated 30% of the memorabilia that Neil Young kept in his non-descript San Carlos warehouse, but

When I hear the name The White Buffalo, I picture things like the The American Old West, Native Americans, and of course, bison roaming the plains. The man Jake Smith, aka The White Buffalo, is a big, bearded guy, and I think that type of imagery suits him.  I could picture him sitting in an old saloon, strumming his guitar and playing to a room full of frontier types. TWB played his first show in Sacramento last Friday night at Old Ironsides. His baritone voiced folk-rock brought a wide range of people out to the show, form hipsters types to an older crowd - I'd say there was more of the latter.  When I first heard his songs, it reminded me of the solo work that Eddie Vedder did for the

The White Buffalo, also known as versatile singer/songwriter/guitarist Jake Smith, brings his self-described "darker side of folk" to Sacramento this Friday.   With fan favorites The White Buffalo EP and full-length Hogtied Revisited under his belt, TWB continues to garner buzz by word of mouth and by touring constantly, performing solo and backed by a band (he'll be with a band this Friday). TWB has previously toured with Donavon Frankenreiter, Xavier Rudd, State Radio and Ziggy Marley, and his songs have been featured on the soundtrack to surfing movie Shelter and on FX series Sons of Anarchy.  The White Buffalo will play Old Ironsides with Prieta and The Kelps on Friday, July 16th, a

Friday marked the day many local musicians and fans had been waiting for: the first show of the 2010 Concerts in the Park series. The 15-week-long summer event takes place annually at Cesar Chavez Plaza at 5 p.m. every Friday. It is free and all-ages. There are also booths complete with henna tattoos and food to purchase, and a beer garden for those 21 and up. This year, 31 bands will take the stage. Friday, four of those bands showed the crowd what they were made of, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. The four bands were SIMPL3JACK, Dog Party, The Kelps and Kepi Ghoulie. Alternative punk rock band SIMPL3JACK kicked off the series by opening the show. All the age of 12, th

Friday marks the kickoff of the 2010 Concerts in the Park series at Cesar Chavez Plaza, located on 10th and J streets. Concerts in the Park is an annual free, all-ages event that runs during the summer at 5 p.m. every Friday and features local bands of various genres. Leading off this year's series is a lineup of four bands that fall under the indie/punk/hard rock genre. Headlining the show is none other than local legend and pop punk artist, Kepi Ghoulie. Bassist and lead vocalist of the former band, The Groovy Ghoulies, Kepi has continued his musical career and kept his fans. The full band consists of Kepi as guitar and vocals, Dino as bass and vocals, and Atom as drums and vocals. Fri

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) has released the 2010 schedule for the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The free, outdoor concert series will rock Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th and J streets) every Friday night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. starting May 7 though August 13. For the latest concert news, visit www.downtownsac.org/concerts. 2010 CONCERT SCHEDULE* May 7 - Kepi Ghoulie The Kelps, Dog Party, Simpl3jack May 14 - Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Low Down Dirty Dogs May 21 - Dance Gavin Dance Phallucy, Con of Man, Desario May 28 - Mike Farrell Aaron King & The Imperials, One Eyed Rhyno June 4 - Method Echo The Nibblers, Live Manikin June 11 - The Nickel Slots Los Blazing Hangovers

One could make the argument that The Clash's "London Calling" is one of the riskiest moves in rock history. After two well-received and straightforward punk albums, the quartet from London threw fans, critics and the entire rock world a curveball in 1979. Spanning at least three genres in 65 minutes, the double LP was not only twice as long as anything the band had recorded prior, but also about the last thing anybody expected from one of the founders of the British punk movement. It could be considered just as risky, then, that a concert promoter would find it feasible to actually put together a bill of bands of equally varying styles to cover the classic album in its entirety. However,