Fear not, Rundown Nation…we’re back! Rundown Headquarters had to be shut down for a little while, while yours truly was tending to a three week gig as a substitute molder of young minds – and it is wrong that I got a little misty-eyed when five or six of them gave me the “oh Captain, my Captain” send-off, “Dead Poets Society” style on the last day of class? If it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right! But now that summer is in full swing, let’s get rolling… School’s Out for Summer Fest with Alien Ant Farm – Any way you slice it, there are eight youngs bands out there who will always be able to say that they opened for Alien Ant Farm – not a bag nugget for the ol’ rock and roll resume when

Sacramento’s outdoor summer concert scene is growing, as 40-year old Chris Pendarvis, owner of Naked Lounge and Orphan, is adding the Oak Park Concert Series in McClatchy Park. It’s added to a lineup that includes Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza, Curtis Park’s Music in the Park at the end of June and Friday’s kickoff of Pops in the Park in McKinley Park. The organizers of the free Oak Park Concert Series said they hope to revitalize one of Sacramento’s oldest neighborhoods and make use of the hidden treasures in McClatchy Park. Throughout the summer months, beginning on June 18, Oak Park Productions and Naked Coffee will host performances on one Saturday every month through S

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

Sweet Jesus, I’ve finally done it – the biggest Sactown Rundown in history. It’s just that kind of a week here in Sacto, friends. With no disrespect to the amount of local talent that pours blood on the stages week in and week out, there were way too many “can’t ignore this” shows coming through town this week – and we’re not even talking about Eric Clapton at Arco or Escape the Fate over at Ace of Spades. Harlow’s is packed, and you’re going to have to pick at least one week night to go to work smelling of cheap hooch and leftover sweat. Did we mention that the initial High Sierra lineup is up? Too much to talk about this week, heads will explode! And much of this coincides with Beer W

Don’t worry, Sactown, this week’s Rundown has been crafted so that playoff viewing won’t be a conflict (hangovers notwithstanding). We’ve got some ferociously creative names on deck throughout the remainder of the week, and a ton more brewing over the next few, including a four-concert indoor series out in Davis from the same folks who handle the summer stock at Sophia’s, and a three-day festival at the ToHo. Stay tuned to Sac Press, it’s gonna be a winter party! If you are planning or promoting a concert in the Sacramento area, or just know of a show you’d like to see featured in the Rundown, shoot me an email Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights – Certainly fortuitous timing of today’

Truth & Salvage Co. plus Monophonics at two different venues in one night equals the most unproductive Sunday in history. There’s your Sactown Rundown math lesson for the week. It was a heck of a Saturday evening, with Truth & Salvage Co. throwing down an Americana rock wallop of a set last weekend at Harlow’s. It seems like these six guys from North Carolina have officially earmarked Sacramento as a “must stop” when they head out West on tour, so if you haven’t caught them yet, we’ll be sure to let you know next time they come through. And yes, they did indeed dedicate a song to Sac Press’ Lindol French. Wow. Soulive – There’s no denying that an album full of instrumental jazz Beatles

First off, here’s a little reminder about Smashing Pumpkins at the Crest Theatre on Monday; Tickets.com indicates that the event is sold out, but some day-ofs may still pop up. Best to try the Crest directly for any hope of catching Pumpkins 2.0. Aside from that whopper of a local show, here’s the other fun on deck for your Labor Day weekend, after you pour beer on the coals and head out on the town! Chalk it Up Festival – Now, we certainly don’t want you to step over those awesome sidewalk drawings that our local conglomerate of chalk-stick Rembrandts will be spinning on Labor Day weekend – but, from a music standpoint, this lineup just keeps getting more and more awesome, and this year

NOTE: The Sactown Rundown will appear on Sac Press every Wednesday, with a focus on smaller club shows, festivals and events in Sacramento and surrounding areas. Fruit Bats with These United States – If you haven’t been to a show on the deliciously intimate patio at Sophia’s in Davis this summer, this is the one to catch. Hailing from Portland (by way of the Windy City), Eric Johnson’s long-time project the Fruit Bats has at times had to share its enigmatic front man with the likes of Vetiver and the Shins, but he always finds time to come back to the indie folk ensemble that he founded over 10 years ago. With an ever-rotating cast of characters, Johnson remains the centerpiece of the gro

Saturday, The Smiths/Morrissey cover band This Charming Band (TCB) will be performing at East Sacramento's Blue Lamp. TCB, originally from Los Angeles but now calling San Francisco home, formed in 2005, when front man "Orlandissey," newly aware of his Morrissey-impersonation skills, posted a Craigslist ad seeking fellow The Smiths tribute musicians. "We believe that the music of The Smiths still interests people and brings them together because the words of Morrissey and the music of Johnny, Andy and Mike are timeless" Orlando said. "Morrissey's lyrics transport you into 'his' England where love, acceptance and kindness are lacking and so desired which one could argue is true in our pres

Leading a band is like managing a kitchen, according to Jason Boggs. As both executive chef of The Shady Lady and lead singer of The Snobs, Boggs is qualified to make the analogy. "A lot of the same stuff that goes on in a kitchen goes on in a band on tour: drinking, bad tempers and egos to worry about," Boggs said. "You're trying to make a group of guys work together and most of the time they're misfits not [fit] for regular society." In order for the "misfits" to form a cohesive band, The Snobs created rules. Boggs, who played saxophone for local ska/reggae band Filibuster, was banned from playing saxophone. "It was the other guys in the band protecting themselves from me [playing reg