October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In Sacramento, the festivities kick off with Blues for Life at The Torch Club , a live music festival & pasta cook-off from 1pm to 7pm on October 2.   Ten bands, 10 restaurants, and a five-year Sac town tradition, this event is the primary fundraiser for Albie Aware, a foundation that brings preventive care, support, and education for those with breast cancer or seeking assistance for early detection and treatment.   “If treated early, cancer fatality can diminish with the proper care,” commented Doug Carson. In 2002, his wife Albie Carson, a 50 year resident of Sacramento, lost the battle with cancer because the tumor was caught too late. This

Just to maintain a little perspective - while our "summer" weather thus far has been a little abnormal and certainly not conducive to our usual late Spring ballyhoo , we really can't complain that much, can we? That said, the unseasonably late rains of 2011 have claimed another victim, and it is tonight's Friday Night Concert in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza, which has been cancelled due to inclimate weather, according to a news release from Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Fear not, revelers! Tonight's bill, which was to feature venerable local festival act Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers, Tess & the Hip Trash and Kyle Rowland, has been rescheduled for Friday, August 19. That just mean

Five bucks. It sure doesn't go as far as it used to. What follows is a short list of things that you can purchase for $5: 1.25 gallons of gas 1.33 gallons of milk 3.875 songs on iTunes 2.86 tacos from Chando’s or 4 from Lalo's (Lalo's are better anyways) 1 foreign or microbrew at Streets of London, if it's happy hour A large white mocha or caramel macchiato or pumpkin latte or whatever the hell the kids are drinking these days .8333 $5 foot-longs from Subway ($5 foot-longs actually cost $6. It's tough all over.) A Sunday Chronicle and a bagel with butter (maybe) 3 pictures of this chick with the slogan of your choice written on her face 1 picture of that same slogan on a piece

It's not every day you get a chance to see the next big thing before they blow up. It's more like every fourth or fifth day. . . depending on how many gigs Walking Spanish is playing that week. This week, four is the magic number. They are playing Wednesday night at The Torch Club, following up Saturday night's gig at The Naked Lounge. Walking Spanish recently released my favorite album of 2011, "Wishbones," and may not be long for venues as small and awesome as these. Alex Nelson (lead singer, guitarist and songwriter) and the boys (Timothy Picchi on bass, Christopher Haislet on keys, Robert Mills II on drums and Thomas Gunterman on violin) put on a phenomenal, high-energy rock show,

In late February I went to a show at Old Ironsides, my first. I had come to see Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, an Americana rock group from San Francisco that I had previously seen absolutely dominate a set at High Sierra Music Festival. The other two acts on the bill were local bands Honyock and Walking Spanish. It's not surprising that a band with a nationwide reputation and fan base would enlist a couple local stalwarts to join them on stage and ensure a packed house. What was surprising, to me at least, was that Walking Spanish wasn't opening for Nicki Bluhm. Nicki Bluhm was opening for Walking Spanish. Knowing what an incredible show the Gramblers put on, I was skeptical (apprehens

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

Old Ironsides was packed to the gills Saturday night for an epic three-band bill. Two of Sacramento's best young rock bands, Honyock and Walking Spanish, bookended San Francisco darlings Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers. All three played inspired sets, as you would know if you were there. If you weren't, well, you would be well served to attend their next Sacramento gigs.  Honyock is bringing their rare blend of folk, classic and new age rock to the Luna's on Friday, March 4. Walking Spanish will be bringing their searing high-energy indie rock, fronted by Jackie Greene's virtuosic kid bro Alex Nelson, back to Old I for their CD release party on March 25. And Nicki Bluhm and the Grambler

Old Ironsides is playing host to San Francisco’s Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers Saturday night. If you haven’t seen Nicki Bluhm perform before, you really should. Here’s your chance. If you have seen Nicki Bluhm perform before, well, then, I don’t have to tell you. I’ll see you guys Saturday. Mrs. Bluhm has been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell and pretty much every other great leading lady of rock ’n’ roll. She is reminiscent off all of them at times, while retaining a voice all her own — comforting, smoky, velvety, textured, whiskey-tinged, beautiful. The Gramblers most recent album, “Driftwood,” features members of The Mother Hips (including her hu

Snow in Sacto? They tell us it’s coming – but perhaps an equally rare occurrence is the kind of weekends we’ve been having in this town over the last couple of months. You’ll never catch me on the bag-on-our-local-concert-scene bandwagon, but I’d be lying if I said that weekends like these happen all the time in this town, with the Stone Foxes ripping the roof off over at Old Ironsides and ALO thumping a sold-out Harlow’s crowd in the face, both on Saturday night. That’s at least two sold out nights at Harlow’s in the last month. Well done, Sactown! Let’s keep 2011 big and weird! Greensky Bluegrass with Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players – The street cred meter and hipster thermom

Neil Young is on borrowed time. He’s had brushes with death ranging from childhood diabetes to epilepsy to a major brain aneurism that nearly killed him in 2005. Instead of killing him, it gave us all “Prairie Wind.” Not to mention that the ol’ rock and roll lifestyle isn’t exactly marketing material for your average life insurance firm – and Neil has been a part of it for the better part of a half-century. Such is the continuing cycle of one of the true legends of rock and roll as he celebrates his 65th birthday, which was on Friday. In commemorating “Shakey's” birthday, Jerry Perry did what he does best on Saturday night at Harlow’s and arranged a troupe of local acts (with a little h

It looks like the costume party has started early this week - who are these offensive ruffians dressed up in orange and black, racking up runs against the Fighting Nolans like notches on the bedpost after Saturday night at the Zebra? 20 in two games? Are you kidding me? Viva los Gigantes! Priority one this weekend: Games three and four. Priority number two: Halloween bar crawls, house parties and general incognito shenaniganry. Oh yeah, there's also some tunes a-brewing. Happy Halloween, Sactown. Fishbone - "You know, we would have loved it if we had been a breakout band, but the bottom line is that I’m in a band where, for the most part, I got to make exactly the music I wanted to mak

To quote Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, “The world is such a wonderful place/ The world is such a wonderful place.” Through and through, he’s absolutely right. But there are just some tragic and unfortunate elements of this world that we sometimes have to live with – the kind that tend to perpetuate the sale of cheap gin and handguns. I of course refer to the fact that Arco Arena is hosting back-to-back concerts on Friday and Saturday night by Justin Bieber and Nickelback. Hard to stomach the fact that we’ll probably see more heads each of these nights at the Big Gas Pump than at your average Kings game, all packed in to see a squeak jockey on anti-puberty meds and wearing a hair-met,

Sidewalk chalk isn’t just for kids, anymore. This Labor Day weekend, Sacramentans can get in touch with their inner child at the 20th annual “Chalk it Up! to Sacramento” chalk art festival in Fremont Park. Saturday through Monday, 200 professional artists will be on their hands and knees, creating two-by-four masterpieces on the sidewalk. Non-professionals can purchase their own squares for $10, which includes a box of chalk. A communal space with communal chalk on the interior of the park will also be available for kids and adults alike to chalk it up. Darby Flynn, president of Chalk it Up! said this type of event is special to Sacramento. “We want to make sure that our arts remain vi

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

July’s Third Saturday event at the Downtown Plaza, courtesy of Sacramento News and Review had a full schedule of music, dance, fashion, comedy, art and most important booths from local vendors selling arts and crafts. Tais and Adam Saake hosted the event. This is the first time I’ve seen both of these guys together and they seemed to have developed an almost stand –up comedy act working off each other. They helped the event go smoothly as they introduced act after act and gave vital information about the vendors and the show. I think Adam and Tais have a good stage presence together. Musical performances for the show were put on by Walking Spanish and Michelle Waugh. I got a chance to wat

Heavy traffic and having to stay over time at work caused us to miss the first act of the night. It gave me and one of my sons time to get a beer before sitting to enjoy the second act though. In the beer garden, of all places, I met a friend from back when I was an elementary school teacher. My friend, Kathy, was also a teacher at the same school and we taught together for a few years. Her husband Steve was there as well and we got a chance to catch up. It so happens that two of my students from the same school were there as well, although at first glance I did not know who they were. Karlee and Katie Wootan were in the (it hurts to say if since it made me feel a lot older) beer garden en

 It’s a cool April evening, but inside Clubhouse 24 in downtown Sacramento the densely packed bodies of concertgoers have the mercury rising steadily. The first band of the evening causally sets up its equipment as the audience chatters. The atmosphere is relaxed, however in the corner of the venue the bartender is working at a feverish pace. As the band finishes its set-up and waits for sound check, the bartender grabs a nearby friend to pour drinks as he pushes his way toward the soundboard. As he works to balance the various instruments with the vocals and drums, he hears his interim bartender shout: “You’re out of Ice!” When asked how hard it is to set-up, promote, and run a second Sat

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

At 20 years old, Alex Nelson doesn’t yet know where his music is going or where it’s going to take him. It continually changes, like most gifted young musicians, Nelson is constantly practicing, learning, recording and experimenting with his music. As long as his music is changing, Nelson will be doing the same. Nelson and his famous brother, Jackie Greene, look a lot alike, but their music floats in different directions. With a blend of Japanese and Caucasian, they have an unassuming look about them that makes you want to learn more. Nelson has the ability to take his music as far as he wants. "Jackie and Alex are brothers who share much of the same inspiration but march to very differe