"We've got quite a set here," announced MUTEMATH vocalist and keyboardist Paul Meany. "We've been around for eight years. That's a lot of songs to choose from!" Quite a set it was. Making an unconventional entrance from the back of the venue with instruments and Christmas lights in tow, the New Orleans electro-alt rock band went on to do a little face-melting for the packed house at Ace of Spades Wednesday night. The Grammy-nominated four-piece put on a sonic and visual spectacle, covering a massive setlist over more than two hours and sampling a bit from all their studio albums and EPs, including all 13 songs from their latest release, 2011's "Odd Soul." Aided by tons of frantic, colo

When Sacramento's own Sean Lehe (Isabella, Five Eyed Hand, The Coalition) joined San Francisco's Poor Man's Whiskey it elevated the already extremely popular band to a whole new level. Poor Man's Whiskey recently performed their Dark Side of the Moonshine to a sold out crowd at the Fillmore, yet This Saturday February 4th you can see then in the intimate and funky setting of the Auburn Event Center - and for only $15.00! I encourage all to search out this band, especially on You Tube! Here is what the critics say: "Emerging from the San Francisco bay area music scene this quintet has developed a sound that is eclectic and engaging. PMW has been winning over national audiences with their u

Country Joe McDonald Remembers Woody Guthrie's100th Birthday in Sacramento, Saturday, January 7, 2012. Woody Guthrie was born in July of 1912.  My father was born in January of 1911.  My dad always reminded me of Woody Guthrie.  Both men were short, wiry and grew up poorer than Job's turkey.  My father didn't play the guitar or compose songs and sing them.  He worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma and Kansas, not far from where Woody did much of his growing up.  My dad kept his job all through the not-so-Great Depression.  Woody WAS the Depression.  He lived it.  And so, a man who died too soon in 1967 lives on through his astonishing legacy of gritty, honest songs for working people. W

Hollywood rapper Mickey Avalon headlined a New Year's Eve show at Ace of Spades on Saturday. Supporting Avalon on the bill were 2ME, Richard the Rockstar, and producer Big Chocolate. Photos by Steven Chea.

A couple hundred people wanting to get an early start on 2012 partying headed down to Ace of Spades on Friday, where Oakland musician and frequent Sacramento visitor, Wallpaper., headlined an eclectic bill. Starting the show was Chaotic Fusion, a drummer and DJ duo. DJ Oasis spun radio hits – "Teach Me How To Dougie," "Ghosts 'n' Stuff," "Last Resort" – while Radio 94.7 on-air personality Casey Lewis drummed along to the beat. Performing next was Oakland-by-way-of-Panama Latin rap duo Los Rakas. Rhyming in Spanish over dancehall and hip-hop beats, the up and coming young pair were well-received by the slowly growing crowd. Headliner Wallpaper. took the stage next, with the men of the gr

Travel back through time with Broadway Sacramento's Rain, a Beatles tribute show that began as an offshoot of the Broadway production of Beatlemania. Rain ran on Broadway for 300 shows and 8 preview performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City and has also been a hugely successful national tour for years. Together longer than the Beatles, Rain has mastered every song, gesture and nuance of the legendary foursome, delivering a totally live, note-for-note performance. This multi-media show begins by taking us away to a time when four young men stepped on stage at the Ed Sullivan show and changed music as we knew it. Rain chronicles the journey America took with the Beatles,

As always, Sacramento steps up to the plate with holiday events of all sorts. At Sacramento365.com, we see a lot of events come through the site every day. Though there are myriad options in our Holiday Event section, we've narrowed down the list to 10 to get help you pick your Christmas Eve & Christmas Day festivities. Christmas Eve Events: Sure, the night before Christmas should be spent snuggled in bed waiting for Santa Claus, but why not get out and about during the day. Here are some options to keep you entertained around town: 1. Free Admission at Fairytale Town & Sacramento Zoo: FTT 10am-2pm; Zoo 10am-1:30pm Treat the kiddies to a day out while both Fairytale Town & the Sacramento

107.9 The End's Jingle Ball 2011 went down at Power Balance Pavilion on Thursday night. The concert featured performances by JoJo, Breathe Carolina, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, and Selena Gomez. Photos by Steven Chea

If you don't know Dirt Nasty (aka ex-MTV VJ Simon Rex), take a look at some of his song titles and you'll know what you're getting into: "Suck My D***," "Baby D***" and "F*** Me I'm Famous." It was all about the lowest common denominator at Ace of Spades on Saturday, as Nasty rapped for a crowd that was about half full. In addition to genitalia and sex, he also covered themes like cocaine use ("1980") and bestiality ("Animal Lover"). But that’s his shtick, so you were either there for the juvenile party raps or maybe to catch a glimpse of the actor who was in “Scary Movie 4” and an episode of “MTV Cribs.” "He's hot! I don't even know his music. I came for him!" said Melissa Renee, 19.

With the cover art pattern used on their seminal debut LP, "Highly Refined Pirates," as their backdrop, and a light show on acid, Seattle's Minus the Bear thrilled a packed house at Ace of Spades on Monday night. The band is wrapping up their 10 Year Anniversary Tour, celebrating a decade of music and performing “Pirates,” released in 2002, in its entirety. The popular math-rockers put on a tremendous performance for a very jazzed audience. Featuring guitarist Dave Knudson's signature complex finger-tapping guitar work - used on every song on “Pirates,” the band combined powerhouse indie band swagger with down-to-earth Northwestern charm. Songs like "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Wa

It was a nearly sold-out show at Ace of Spades Sunday night. Thrice, hailing from Irvine, Calif., headlined an excellent post-hardcore bill. Opening for a healthy-sized audience was the band, Moving Mountains, an intriguing group of musicians who captured the room's attention immediately. With a complex and multi-layered sound, their atmospheric rock songs set a great tone for the rest of the night. Atlanta-based O'Brother was musically in the same vein; a melodic three-guitar sonic assault marrying the atmospheric with the distorted. A solid showing, but when they went ambient, they went ambient. At times they seemed to meander as some songs drifted slowly past the five minute mark. Mai

After an original Oct. 20 show date that had to be rescheduled, alt-rock powerhouse Foo Fighters performed at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday night for about 10,000 fans. Opening the show was fantastic L.A. punk band The Bronx, playing as their alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx, which is less a gimmick than you might think. What started as a lark for the punk band has grown into a love that has seen the band release two mariachi albums and gain a following, and, yes, they stay true to the authentic mariachi style of music as well as wear black charro suits. The band performs in a variety of ways, sometimes incorporating mariachi into their punk set, sometimes performing as a punk band and m

As Dave says it, “There are 2 kinds of Folk Music, quite Folk Music & Loud Folk Music, I play both”, but as one who has seen Dave in many configurations, this line does not begin to explain a Dave Alvin show. On October 14th, Dave (along with the Guilty Ones) will be making their way up from Sacramento Town to the gold rich foothill town of Auburn, as Dave continues to claim his name as “The King of California”,( at least when it comes to songwriting, rippin’ Fender Stratocaster riffs, and incredible vocal phrasings). The Auburn Event Center (& Roadhouse) will play host for this very special and rare evening of fun! - (BTW if you have not been to Keep Smilin' show at the Event Center you a

Raley Field was a rock venue for those who showed up Tuesday night for Incubus. Fans trickled to the front of the stage for opening artist AWOLNATION, leaving seats available for the mellow rockers who chose to sit over standing in the pit. AWOLNATION’s loud, blood-rushing sound engulfed the eardrums of the early birds. They played songs off their debut album, “Megalithic Symphony,” including the radio hit single “Sail,” which was received by cheers. The stage was set up at the outfield line allowing for better acoustics, harnessing the sound before it escaped into Sacramento River. By 8 p.m., the surrounding stage area was packed and seats were filling up. Assigned seating was overloo

Although the band lost its original guitar and bass player in 2009, it doesn't appear that Las Vegas' Panic! at the Disco has lost any fans. Performing for a sold out crowd at Ace of Spades Monday night, handsome lead singer Brendon Urie and company had fans in a tizzy from the get-go as a steady stream of clothing landed on stage after the first song. "Wow. Thank you!" said a surprised Urie. Panic!'s set focused mainly on their debut album, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" and 2011's, "Vices & Virtues." They played only two songs from 2008's well-received album, "Pretty. Odd." They included "That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" and "Nine in the Afternoon." The Panic! pop was a bi

The corner of 20th Street between J and K Street usually serves as the unofficial epicenter for Second Saturday in Midtown, a monthly celebration that seems to be slowly losing it's focus on the art and music culture aspect of the event in recent years. This past Saturday, however, something was different. The Sammies, Sacramento's annual music awards show, turned 20 this year, and that afternoon there was no mistaking that music and hometown love reigned supreme over excessive drinking and partying. I sat on my patio just around the corner from the celebration, listening to the sweet sounds of the best of the best in Sacramento, before heading out around 7pm. By the time I had reached th

If you’ve ever longed to see a Broadway Musical onstage, with a live 18-piece orchestra, here’s your chance, and in Sacramento! The Runaway Stage is presenting The Drowsy Chaperone through Oct. 2, 2011, with a cast of 19 talented performers. Singing, dancing, acting, they do it all with incredible talent and timing. A campy 1920s musical comedy within a play, the show is narrated by “the man in the chair” - played by Steve Minnow. He shows us how to beat the blues by listening to old musical comedy records. (yes, records). My favorite line is when he drops the needle on his antique record player and says “You hear that static. I love that sound. To me, it’s the sound of a time machine sta

If you're looking for an example of a band in the middle of making it big, look no further than The Joy Formidable. Formed in North Wales, the now London-based power trio has been riding a monster wave of success this year, touring and playing major U.K. and U.S. festivals – Reading, Coachella, Lollapalooza – and garnering praise from critics and their musical peers alike.  They made such an impression on Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters earlier this year that he took to Twitter to sing their praises: "I would like to personally thank The Joy Formidable for writing the song of the year "Whirring". xxx Dave". The band will open several dates with Foo Fighters in November. The band has a massiv

The Rock Away Labor Day Autism Awareness Event will be held on Sept 5, 2011 at the West and North steps of the Capitol Building in downtown Sacramento. The event kicks off at 11 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 7 p.m. The Rock Away Labor Day show will feature a diverse lineup of live music, fashion shows, comedians, dance groups, a face painting area for children, raffles and more. The event is free of charge and is open to the public. The purpose of the event is to have a day of enjoyment in a family friendly environment, to create more awareness about autism, and to provide educational and community resources on the subject. In addition, a part of the proceeds from the vendors who will

Blvd Park is a former Sacramento band, newly transplanted to Seattle after the end of their “New American Dream Tour” in May. They are coming back to play a special show at Harlow’s Thursday night with Keri Carr Band and Kate Gaffney with Steve Randall. Founding member Brian Ballentine recently spoke to The Sacramento Press about the upcoming show. What brings you back to Sacramento? One of our friends down there is getting married. We haven’t been there in a while. It’s been half a year I think. Have you ever played Harlow’s before? Yeah, we played Harlow’s about a year ago with Split Lip Rayfield before, I think about two years ago. What are you expecting from this show? A coupl