Images by Kelly Christofferson   New exclusive SacPress images by Barry Wisdom The Sacramento Theatre Company is ending its 2011-2012 season of “Mystery, Music, and Mayhem" with the return of a huge hit for STC 20-some odd years ago, the highly successful Howard Ashman-Alan Menken collaboration, “Little Shop of Horrors." It won’t be a mystery if this new STC production turns out to be its own smash hit. As for the music, Ashman’s lyrics and Menken’s music are equally infectious and the cast and band gave a wonderful performance. The two went on to do several successful and award-winning collaborations with Disney. There is lots of mayhem, mostly of the human-eating plant variety. Ashman

Ace of Spades hosted the tour finale of the Glow Sticks for Breakfast Tour Sunday night, featuring performances by Hyper Crush, Benzi, Silver Medallion and Sacramento band Playboy School. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's DJ project with Spencer Peterson, Black Cards, was also scheduled to perform, but the duo had to pull out a few days before the show due to an ankle injury. Playboy School kicked things off in the early slot with a lukewarm set as people trickled in. Benzi livened the mood up with an electronic/Top 40 set that had a few guys raging, and a while later Silver Medallion came out and grabbed the mic, adding some organic energy to the stage as he ran around, whipping his lo

Critically acclaimed Nashville-based singer/songwriter Mat Kearney has added West Coast dates to his current tour and will make a stop in Sacramento on April 10 at the Colonial Theatre in Oak Park. Sounding at first like a solo effort from Coldplay's Chris Martin, Kearney's latest album "Young Love" is a punchy collection of playful, summer-ready tales of love, pain and redemption. Kearney's current tour has included several sold-out shows at places including the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, House of Blues in Boston and Ogden Theatre in Denver. The second single from the album, "Ships in the Night," was recently performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and is the featured music in

  Couture Press assembled a team of local and Bay area designers for an afternoon of music, fun and fashion on Sunday, March 18. The show, “Where Dreams Begin 2012,” also included several hair and makeup artists who displayed their magnificent talent in front of a packed house at The Station Bistro and Lounge in Roseville. The Couture Press event, showcasing spring 2012 collections, did a great job putting the show together. Dericka Porter, Couture Press CEO and President, welcomed guests to the event. Porter also introduced the musical duo of Rich and Crystal, who entertained at various intervals during the show. Crystal Marie walked the runway besides showcasing her vocal talents durin

Springtime is right around the corner and everyone is invited to take a break from Sacramento city-life to experience the awakening of nature. The Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL) is hosting, "Spring Open House on the Farm", Sunday, April 1, 2012, from noon to 4:00pm. Springtime is a wonderful time to experience everything the Farm on Putah Creek - Center for Land-Based Learning's educational farm - has to offer you and your family. There are miles of walking trails along Putah Creek, a bountiful organic market garden, hedgerows in full bloom, and many diverse species of birds and wildlife. A sampling of the many hands-on activities includes hayrides, guided educational walks alon

The Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento hosted Carnaval 2012 on Saturday night. The event was held at 1616 I Street amidst a venue full of festive music, dance and traditional Brazilian celebration. Brazilian food and drinks were available for guests, as well as information about the Brazilian Center and the services that it provides. The Brazilian Center for Cultural Exchange of Sacramento is a local non-profit organization that strives to assist at-risk children and bring the community together through culture, education and social justice. Several acts were featured on and off stage as they provided an evening of lively entertainment. Fenix Drum and Dance and the Hen

The 62nd Sacramento Autorama once again brought the premiere custom car show on the west coast to town. From Friday to Sunday thousands of vehicle enthusiasts visited the Cal Expo Fairgrounds to enjoy a fun-filled weekend of bicycle, motorcycle, motor boat and classic car exhibits. The theme for this year’s Autorama was "Futuristic" and the Main Hall of Building A housed vehicles that fit the theme. Some of the finest hot rods, boats, custom vehicles and motorcycles from across the U.S. and around the world made their way to the fairgrounds to compete for awards. Not only were motorized vehicles up for awards but also unicycles, bicycles, mini-bikes and even a stroller or two. Nea

The Chinese New Year Culture Association celebrated the Year of the Dragon at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center Saturday. As with many other ethnic and cultural events that take place in Sacramento this Chinese New Year celebration’s popularity has grown since its start 15 years ago. The CNYCA might have to look for a larger venue to accommodate visitors to the next event, since the parking lot was full by the time the event was scheduled to start at noon. The CNYCA put together a wonderful cultural event package with the help of several Chinese community organizations and individuals. They host the event to introduce and promote Chinese culture to the general public and other ethnic g

Trash Film Orgy Productions (TFO) put together an enjoyable evening of games, dance, live music and a special showing of “Monster from Bikini Beach.” The event was held on Friday night as a fundraiser for TFO’s next full length film. The event, hosted by Sacramento’s On the Y began with a game of Bikini Beach Bingo. The bingo game was played during the showing of “Monster from Bikini Beach” and fans were given simple instructions on how to play the game; every time a bingo item appeared on the screen players checked off the item and took a drink. As soon as they had a bingo combo they could choose a prize. The game continued but then the game changed to bingo blackout. Some items on th

"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

Stunning dance skills were exhibited by 15 belly dance performances on Sunday night. Dancers in gorgeous and very colorful outfits took the stage and delighted a full house at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse. The Sacramento Raks! Belly Dance Gala Show returned to the Clubhouse for a delightful evening of alluring dance performances. Live, authentic Middle Eastern music was provided by Flowers of the Nile. Middle Eastern cuisine was also available for guests to purchase during the show. Dancers Ayre Briar and J.R. performed an inaugural performance as Shupa Da. The music of Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye Blue Sky” accompanied their first dance. The Shupa Da dancers wore similar outfits and a pur

The Woodlake Hotel, located on 500 Leisure Lane in Sacramento, hosted this weekend’s Winter 2012 SacAnime convention. Formerly known as the Radisson Hotel, the Woodlake Hotel opened its doors to over 5,000 visitors who came to see several of their favorite voice actors and celebrity panels, enjoy Café Hoshi, play games, and attend how-to workshops, music video contests, and live concerts. Most important of all was the time spent enjoying each other’s company. The event began on Friday morning and had many well organized activities for the thousands of fans that attended. The multi-talented Vic Mignogna was the first guest to participate in a question-and-answer (Q&A) session with polite

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

Sacramento art galleries hosted small crowds of visitors during the last Second Saturday of the year. Many visitors took advantage of the smaller crowds to do Christmas shopping. Galleries and other businesses sold art, crafts, gift certificates and other items to Christmas shoppers. Festivities in Sacramento began earlier in the day with the annual Santa Parade. Thousands of children, along with their parents, lined the parade route. The parade started at the corner of 9th and I Streets and an anticipated crowd of over 25 thousand watched. The annual parade began at 10 a.m. and participants included marching bands, cheer squads, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, several floats, car clubs,

The Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music enchanted an audience of approximately 350 guests at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The free holiday concert was hosted by the Central Library on Sunday afternoon. The Sacramento Public Library invited the public to celebrate music performed by the 85-member ensemble. Musicians played to a full house which has been common for many of the events held at the Central Library. Sacramento Youth Symphony and Academy of Music’s Artistic Director, Michael Neumann, presented the Academic Orchestra and the concert also featured the Saltarello Flute Ensemble and the Clarion Clarinet Ensemble. Neumann addressed the audience by welcoming and t

There are many holiday traditions that we all have and share. A tradition held by many around the world is listening to, participating in or performing “The Nutcracker.” Friday night the Sacramento Ballet hosted “Inside the Director’s Studio, Through the Dancer's Eye: The Nutcracker,” where dancers talked about “The Nutcracker” and shared their personal points of view. Artistic director Ron Cunningham welcomed guests to the event, saying the dancers would talk about their experiences and how they prepare for shows. Cunningham also called the audience’s attention to a Sacramento Ballet calendar featuring the photography of resident photographer Keith Sutter. Cunningham noted that the cal

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