Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Greg Majewski

The new crop of local metal (Part 3)

2009-12-27T01:56:15Z

The Origin and Evolution of Death Metal

Death metal began in the mid-'80s with Florida band Death, led by the guitarist/vocalist generally credited as the creator of the genre, Chuck Schuldiner.

In its beginning, the style incorporated simple, down-tuned riffing, fast drumming that alternated between the snare and bass drum (known as the “blast beat”) and deep growls about gore and generally violent topics. From its primitive early sound, death metal soon developed into a thriving scene in its home state, with bands such as Morbid Angel and Obituary evolving the primitive topics to lyrics influenced by H.P. Lovecraft and the occult.

Lyrics weren’t the only aspect of the genre that matured. By the start of the '90s, Schuldiner decided to draft a new lineup of skilled musicians to complete his vision of a more complex sound. 1991’s Human, with its changing time signatures and spiraling guitar solos, is generally regarded as the watershed release for technical death metal. Soon fellow Florida acts Atheist and Cynic followed suit, further developing death metal’s acceptance of other genres, especially jazz. Death metal had reached its adolescence.

As more musicians formed bands and crowded the scene, competition increased for bragging rights over who was the fastest, heaviest and most accomplished musician. Albums such as Atheist’s Unquestionable Presence in 1991 served as showcases for the members’ virtuosity and skill at their respective instruments.

The aforementioned band Cynic had an especially progressive view of the sound of its early days. Guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal began to feel the effect of growling his way through his band’s increasingly melodic and cleanly played songs. For the band’s 1993 debut, Focus, he sang using an instrument called a vocoder to give his vocals an ethereal, robotic presence.

“Cynic is kind of the direction I want to go in,” said Curtin of his band’s desire to push its abilities. “We got Cruz [vocals] right after we recorded the demo and it freed me up because I was doing these crazy guitar parts and trying to do vocals over them was tough. I’ve been getting into a lot of jazz lately and that’s what I’ve been learning in my lessons at Skip’s.”

Curtin’s willingness to experiment with his band’s sound is reminiscent of the ambition many of the members in the first wave of death metal had, but he wants to incorporate even more innovations.

“I think we purposely write music that we can’t play so we eventually become good enough to pull it off,” said Curtin. “What I’m trying to do is move in the direction of adding improvisation to sections of already written music. It’s quite an interesting idea for metal, because you don’t really find many people doing jammed things because it’s all written stuff. Too long has metal been this rigidly defined structure. In our newer material we’re looking into creating parts of the song where we kind of have a skeleton of what we want to do but we’re jamming.”

Conducting From the Grave’s technically demanding songs require the members to concentrate on playing more than their stage presence. This sound sometimes has made it difficult for Abernathy and his bandmates to connect with their audience.

“The shows we play depend what local band we're with at the time,” said Abernathy. “All the bands we toured with for the first album were hardcore-influenced bands so there was a lot of moshing for them, but not us. I felt like people were watching us with crossed arms, but maybe they were watching us to watch the technicality of what we were doing.”

National Impact and the Big Picture

Despite different opinions about the local metal scene, all three bands agree that touring is not so much about stage presence or competition, but building a following in Sacramento and especially across the nation.

“We find a lot more love out on the road than we do at home and that’s why we do so many shows,” said Barnum. “I think no matter what, as long as you perform well when you play live and put out quality albums, eventually someone’s going to notice and you will get something out of it. You just have to keep working as hard as possible, and even when it’s a bad show you just try to play well and even if you only make three fans, that’s all right. Because those fans will bring back 12 the next time and those 12 will bring back 30. Touring is really hard, especially when you’re losing money.”

The difficulty of stretching one's reputation from a midsized city like Sacramento to gigs in cities and scenes all over America can lead a band to move.

Of the three musicians, Barnum is the only one with a desire to leave. Perhaps his status as the oldest band member interviewed gives him a broader perspective on his career.

“There might be a point in time where I may want to go and do Dismal Lapse somewhere else but probably with different members, unless they wanted to move as well,” said Barnum. “I would like to do that eventually and I can transfer my school and do all that kind of stuff. And there’s are culinary campuses in other cities.”

Curtin and Abernathy are content to stay in town for stability and to strengthen their following.

“It’s a great scene and we love playing locally, so we will stay here and make changes when we need to,” said Curtin.

Abernathy echoed this sentiment, claiming, “We are definitely not planning on leaving any time soon. Sacramento is our home and we love it.”

All three bands may be at different stages of their careers, but their respective futures look positive. Malevolent is on the cusp of its first big break, preparing to shop around its soon-to-be-repackaged demo to numerous starter labels. Dismal Lapse is looking to go from where Malevolent will likely be in a few months to where Conducting From the Grave is currently, Barnum excitedly mentioning his band’s CD release show the day after Christmas at The Boardwalk as the beginning of a new era for them.

Though Abernathy and his bandmates are the most successful of the extreme metal bands in town, he speaks about his ideal future as if it is still just out of reach.

“It is my goal to make a living playing music and doing what I love,” said Abernathy. “That’s the way to be happy in life."

Images of Malevolent on Part 1 taken from the band's MySpace.

Images of Dismal Lapse on Part 2 taken from the band's MySpace.

Images of Conducting From the Grave on Part 3 taken from the band's MySpace.

The new crop of local metal (Part 2)

2009-12-27T01:45:22Z

A Delicate Balance

Though they tour fairly regularly and received positive reviews for their 2008 debut, the five members of Conducting From the Grave know that playing their type of music rarely becomes a lucrative endeavor. To make a living, Abernathy and his bandmates work day jobs and play music at night or take breaks from work to tour.

“I’m like the one unlucky guy who doesn’t have a job that lets him go on tour and still have the job when he comes back," said Abernathy. So we toured for, like, six months at the beginning of this year for the album, and I came home and had no job. So I just said, ‘Damn, we’re leaving on tour in a few more months again so I won’t even try to find one. I did for a while but no one was calling me back, so I started giving guitar lessons. But there’s not a whole lot of money in it.”

Like many musicians looking to make their passion a career, Abernathy lives with his parents to save money while he expands his band’s reputation through touring and label contacts.

As for the other members of the band, drummer Greg Donnelly works for his dad’s feed store in Elk Grove; guitarist Jeff Morgan works at the Grateful Bread downtown; and bassist Steven Lovas works at Guitar Workshop and repairs instruments. Tanuis still lives in Connecticut, working security for shows that come through the area, writing lyrics and flying to Sacramento to practice with the band and record vocals for the albums.

The three members of Dismal Lapse are in the same situation, struggling to find jobs that will allow them to tour extensively and then return to their position upon returning.

Barnum works full time at Earth Family Foods, an organic distributor in Grass Valley. Bassist Jason Brehm is between jobs and guitarist Evan Gravatt has been building a career as an electrician for the past few years.

To further his job prospects, Barnum has been attending the International Culinary Schools at The Art Institute of California in Sacramento. Balancing more than 30 hours of work, class and his developing career as a musician is a trying experience that Barnum seems to shrug off.

“It’s one of those things where you close your eyes and pray for the best,” he said. “I definitely want Dismal Lapse to continue to be a full-time band, but I hit a time in my life where I needed a change, but I will be done with school in about a year and a half and after that we can get back out on the road more. But we can still do three-week tours a few times a year.”

Malevolent is the youngest band of the three; some of the members are only a few years removed from high school. The five of them have jobs that allow them to play fairly consistently.

Curtin teaches guitar at Skip’s Music, while fellow guitarist, Marcose Walton, works at Starbucks. The other three members – vocalist Cruz, bassist Bob Petrie and drummer Greg Chastain – either work part time or live with their parents.

“It’s getting to the point where we are going to have to start quitting our jobs so we can spend as much time as possible on music and taking it to the next level,” said Curtin.

The Local Scene

All three bands have concentrated not only on honing their skills, but on building a following around Sacramento. Curtin, Abernathy and Barnum have varying opinions on the local metal scene and how they relate to other bands and fans.

“I think Sacramento is really tough for bands,” said Barnum. “The fans here are just really picky about what shows they go to. People aren’t willing to pay five bucks to see a local show and these days it seems like you have to be some huge band.”

Curtin’s view on the local scene is more optimistic and collaborative.

“Everybody in the Sacramento scene knows everybody,” he said. “It’s such an incestuous heap. Everybody has played in bands with each other. There is nothing but love. We all have big dreams to eventually make money out of this, but no one thinks, ‘Oh, we’re better than you.’ We’re all doing what we do and helping each other. If one person wins in this place, everyone does.”

The relationship Conducting From the Grave has with other bands runs deeper because of the group's East Coast connection and emphasis on flashy guitar work.

“With us and the style that we play, we are more of a musicians' band,” said Abernathy. “We always seem to be a musical favorite of the bands we play with but not a crowd favorite. Usually other bands we play with watch our set more than the other bands they tour with."

Abernathy mentions a growing trend in modern heavy music: the increasing technical abilities of bands. More metal acts of this generation are pushing the limits of their sound and developing on the foundation built by earlier bands in the genre.

The new crop of local metal (Part 1)

2009-12-27T01:42:10Z

Sacramento has occupied space within the large world of heavy music with just two names: Deftones and Tesla. The former, an alternative rock band with metal influence, was a major player in the same mid/late '90s scene that consisted of Korn, Limp Bizkit and, to a lesser extent, Tool. Tesla is arguably the first mainstream band out of Sacramento to be branded “heavy metal," releasing albums throughout the late '80s and '90s and making a comeback in recent years with a three-album streak in 2007.

But what about the bands in Sacramento's underground music scene? The one who ply their trade in the underground -- playing to a devoted local following of kids interested in complex, modern heavy music -- and looking to expand their names to scenes outside the city’s boundaries.

The current state of underground metal operates within the parameters of any other niche genre. A number of labels specializing in the music release the material with essentially no direct financial benefit to the band. Instead, acts make moderate profit from hard touring, selling merchandise at shows and converting new people to their music, thus ensuring more shows with larger crowds.

With labels acting as stepping stones to (hoped for) bigger things, artists must balance the work they love with other demands.

Maintaining this delicate act is a rite of passage for any act looking to get to the next level. For three local bands, each in their own stage of the journey, the pursuit of getting paid for what they love to do continues to push them along.

Brian Curtin, guitarist of young metal band Malevolent, said his interest in playing music began like many in the current generation of musicians.

“My older brother played guitar and he listened to a lot of Tool,” said Curtin. “That kind of inspired me to get into playing guitar. I joined the Stairway to Stardom program [at Skip‘s Music] in 2003 and I got together with Greg, our drummer.”

For an ambitious musician looking to start a band, Stairway to Stardom proved to be a perfect jumping-off point not only for one’s musical career, but for learning the dynamics of participating in a group of differing personalities with a similar desire to make music.

“It’s eight weeks and about $250 to 300 for the whole summer, and you get placed in a band with musicians of a similar age group, experience level and stylistic interests as you,” said Curtin. “They give you a coach, generally a pro musician from that area. I think it’s a great program because it’s one of the only ones that shows you what it’s actually like to be in a band.”

Malevolent has released on demo, Diabolical Machinations, and has finished an album in hopes of attracting label attention.

“We feel like we are relatively new to the game and we have only been on one tour,” said Curtin. “It’s getting to the point where we need to make changes before we start shopping our s***. And we are preparing to send out our demo as a press pack and trying to get signed.”

Curtin, 20, is realistic about his band’s future in the metal scene. He seems to have adopted a “one day at a time” ethos to success.

“The way we look at it is that you don’t want to jump in without knowing,” said Curtin. “Because if you make this badass album and you have somebody watching you who could hook you up later down the line and you f*** up and you’re not ready to do what you’re supposed to do, then all is for naught, and it’s back to square one.

"We have worked very hard on playing the music precisely and we pushed ourselves way harder than we have in the past on the new album.”

Labels and Contracts

Chris Barnum, drummer/vocalist for Dismal Lapse, has reached that next level. In late 2007, Barnum and his band (at that time known as Bled) signed to Deepsend Records, a small metal label based in Maine. Unfortunately, Dismal Lapse’s road to success had one major speed bump.

“At the end of that year [2007], the band The Bled contacted us before our national tour and told us they were going to go after us for the name,” said Barnum. “So even though we had the name longer than they have, they had money for lawyers because they’re signed by a huge label and we aren't.

"We got screwed out of our name and were not able to sell our merch and our CD didn’t come out in time for our tour since it had to stop being pressed because it had the wrong name on it.”

Without the money to fight the larger band, Barnum decided to cut his losses and change the name.

“It was kind of a troublesome start with Deepsend because we had this name change and didn’t have the CD for the tour, so that hurt our exposure,” said Barnum. "We’re trying to get on a bigger label so we can get on better tours and not have to do all the work ourselves.”

The band’s contract ended recently with the release of its debut full-length album, Eon Fragmentation. Dismal Lapse signed to a one-album deal only, so they are free to look for another label.

“We really want to find a home on Willowtip Records,” said Barnum. “There are a lot of bands we consider good who are on there. And we would get some money for tours, but like I said, we’re not greedy people, but we’d just like to be musicians and not have to worry about all the business that we’ve had to deal with for the past nine years.”

Bled started in 1999 with Barnum on guitar and vocals and numerous lineups filling in around him. After yet another drummer left the band in 2006, Barnum decided to make the switch to drums with no prior experience.

“I kind of expressed interest in playing but never took it seriously. But when we lost our drummer for the last time, I got a cheap drum kit and started practicing every day,” said Barnum. “I’m kind of a driven person and when I want something, I go for it."

Learning the drums was not challenging for Barnum, nor is it unusual for metal musicians to change instruments in a band out of necessity. What is unusual is that Barnum continued kept his duties as the vocalist while he honed his skills behind the kit, ensuring the band would stay a trio. In the studio, Barnum has the freedom to sing without having to play at the same time, but live, he employs a headset microphone to growl along to Dismal Lapse’s technically demanding songs while keeping time.

“Evan [guitarist] writes a lot of the riffs now that he’s fully implemented in the band,” said Barnum. “As we progress, I’m writing less guitar parts because he is writing more stuff that I really enjoy playing to now.”

John Abernathy, lead guitarist and founder of Conducting From the Grave, is much like Barnum in that he has been the leader of his band since the beginning, and he also had to overcome problems just before releasing his debut album.

“We recorded our album, When Legends Become Dust, with our old vocalist, Drew [Winter]," said Abernathy. "But we didn’t really get along with him on the tour for that record. We called our current vocalist, Lou Tanuis, because we had stayed with him when we toured out in Connecticut and he wanted to sing for us. We had to rerecord the album with him. Sumerian Records told us, ‘You guys will do a lot better' because the studio we went to originally wasn’t very professional.”

Conducting From the Grave formed in 2003 after Abernathy graduated high school and many of the friends he played music with left town for college. He decided to pursue music and set out to find new members.

“I got an eight-track tape recorder and I just started recording guitar tracks on my practice amp,” said Abernathy. "'When Two Blood Types Coalesce’ from the EP was the first song I wrote. And I shopped those tapes around to drummers who wanted to play that type of music and the band was formed.”

Conducting From the Grave signed to Sumerian Records on the strength of its self-released EP, Trials of the Forsaken, and two demos.

“Sumerian seemed like the coolest beginning record label, so that’s why we signed with them,” said Abernathy. “The guys who own that run the Summer Slaughter tour. Also, huge bands were coming from there and getting great opportunities like The Faceless and Born of Osiris, and we thought, ‘If they can do that for those metal bands, let’s see what they can do for us.’”

The band and label had a rocky beginning, similar to Dismal Lapse’s first months with Deepsend. According to Abernathy, the deal almost fell apart, but he and his band are relieved at the results.

“We signed a really cool deal because it’s only for two albums, so if we’re not happy after the second album we can go somewhere else,” said Abernathy. “If we wanted to now, we could shop around and find another label to buy us out of our contract.

“Sumerian kind of put us on the back burner with this album and they admitted to that, and said, ‘Hey, you guys had a frontman change and dropped from some tours because of [the change].’ In the summer of 2008 we were supposed to do a tour with Whitechapel and A Different Breed of Killer but we had to drop that to rerecord the album. So they didn’t promote the album that well."

Comedian Bill Burr to begin a series of shows at The Punchline tonight

2009-12-10T23:44:32Z

Employing a style he has dubbed “uninformed logic,” stand-up comedian Bill Burr has spent the better part of two decades refining his sardonic outlook on everyday life. An L.A. resident by way of Massachusetts, Burr lived in New York City for nine years before heading west to further his career in television and film. He is set to record his second one hour stand-up special for Comedy Central at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco on Dec. 17, but will first do a string of performances at The Punchline in Sacramento Dec. 10-13.

“I’ve been working on the new material since the night I said goodnight on my last special, which was November of 2007,” said Burr from Los Angeles International before hopping on a plane to Ohio, where he was scheduled for a few warm-up dates. “The second you tape it and you know it’s going on TV, you know that the hourglass has been tipped over and you have a certain amount of time to write basically another 45 minutes.”

Most of Burr’s act is comprised of his own personal opinions, which, he admits, are not based on any concrete facts. His comedy is a refreshingly simple alternative to many comics’ well-researched observational humor.

A running theme in Burr’s act is overpopulation and the effect of humans on Earth’s ecosystem, a heady subject tackled in layperson’s terms.

“The thing I’m struggling with right now is that you have compassion as a human being, right?” said Burr. “And you contemplate death and all that type of stuff, but the world is overrun with human beings. There’s too many of us.”

Burr’s onstage persona works because it isn’t a persona at all. Rather, his stream-of-consciousness observations give the audience the feeling of simply watching a normal person explain his viewpoints without any pretense.

“You really get into that whole mindset of ‘I can’t say that, that’s not me.’ Like, you get a guy who’s decided he’s going to work clean," he explains. "And then he’ll say the most foul and hilarious, f***ed-up joke in the Green Room, and the other comics at the show are on the ground laughing. I think [my onstage persona] is basically who I am. I mean, I’m not yelling and jumping around as much, but there’s always the entertainment factor you have to take into consideration.”

On June 8, Burr brought his stark, Darwinian observations to “The Late Show With Conan O’Brien,” becoming the first comic to perform on O'Brien's new late-night program.

“That was a huge compliment for me as a comedian,” said Burr. “I ended up being the guinea pig though.”

After a pair of appearances on “Chappelle’s Show” and a few bit parts in other television shows, Burr finally got his first speaking role in a major feature film alongside Tina Fey and Steve Carell in “Date Night.” Though his character, Detective Walsh, only has nine lines in the film, Burr was enthusiastic about being on set. And he realizes fame takes time.

“Usually when I’m in a movie my character doesn’t even have a name,” said Burr. “So at least I have a last name."

Though Burr’s career has grown exponentially steadily in the past few years, from brief features on stand-up showcases to numerous appearances on Comedy Central, his new material will show just how much he has come to know himself.

“I’m more coming to terms with my anger and I also have more paranoid thoughts than in the last special,” said Burr. “I would like to maybe go three years between this special and the next one. By then, I figure I will be married and have a kid, so it will be totally different."

“I would never tell an embarrassing story about my kid to make his going to school horrific,” said Burr. “I’ve done some stuff about my family but I’m always conscious of the fact that I’m the one who made the decision to get into the public eye. I don’t think it’s fair to drag people in who just had the unfortunate luck to be related to you.”

Whether the happiness and challenge that comes with being a parent will make his comedy lighter or that much more tense is something fans will just have to wait for. Until then, you can hear a childless but no-less-frustrated Burr Thursday-Saturday at The Punchline.

The Punchline is at 2100 Arden Way Sacramento, CA.

London Calling gets the tribute treatment at Old Ironsides

2009-12-08T04:12:26Z

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, Jerry Perry, concert promoter extraordinaire, took a huge gamble anyway and collected 11 of the area's finest bands to cover all 19 tracks in sequence. Judging by the sardines-in-a-can feel of Old Ironsides on Saturday night, the payoff was huge for both Perry and every pint-swinging rock fan in the venue.

The Secretions opened things on an appropriately raucous scale with the title track and "Brand New Cadillac," with guitarist/vocalist Paul Filth hoisting his axe in the air, striking the now classic pose on the cover of the album at the end of their two-song set.

Such conciseness and organization was a welcome and unexpected trend throughout an evening stuffed with more bands than the bar's backstage can likely hold. Changeovers were quick and painless, aided by the wise decision to leave the drums and amps onstage, so each act only had to bring their stringed (and, in some cases, brass and key) instruments for each set.

Both Bastards of Young and Stars and Garters brought their own individual sounds to the more offbeat tracks. The former nailed the meandering halftime shuffle of "Jimmy Jazz" while the latter's glittery silver guitar and all-American looks brought out the rockabilly undertones in "Rudie Can't Fail" and "Spanish Bombs."

Underage emo act The Kelps brought the punk back to the crowd, with everyone singing along to the chorus of "The Right Profile" -- "And everybody say, 'Is he alright?'" The young band was entrusted with one of the toughest and most loved songs of the night in "Lost in the Supermarket." They bravely added an explosion of punk energy at the end that brought their set to a satisfying close.

"Funny story about The Kelps: None of them are 21 so they have to get the hell out now," said Perry before The No Goodnicks took the stage to finish off the first disc with the call and response of "Clampdown" and "The Guns of Brixton."

Armed Forces Radio started the second half of the record with "Wrong 'Em Boyo" and "Death or Glory," while The Broken Poet brought an analog Moog keyboard to the urgent "Koka Kola" and the piano driven "The Card Cheat."

To finish off the last side, The Various Artists took "Lover's Rock" and "Four Horseman," and Tom H and Jessi played a rendition of "I'm Not Down" with only guitar and vocals.

Local ska quintet Storytellers squeezed onto the stage for the appropriately laid back "Revolutionary Rock." Trombonist Marcus Faccini throttled his instrument as he leaned into the crowd while the rest of the band maintained the reggae vibe of the track.

Final Summation ended the main show by playing "the song that wasn't supposed to be on the album," "Train in Vain." It was a sufficiently energetic finale that led into a string of miscellaneous songs from the Clash discography. Armed Forces Radio and Bastards of Young both came back to run through a few more songs, while Broken Poets closed the medley with "I Fought the Law," itself a punk-infused cover of a song originally recorded by The Crickets.

Perry took the stage as the band took down the set behind him, not only thanking everyone for coming, but also acknowledging the night's success by adding there may be another similar show in the near future at an all-ages venue so kids like The Kelps could play and stay. The crowd's cries for "one more!" after the last song are certainly an indication of a much larger audience for this musical chairs of local bands.

Greg Majewski on "Another group of California's finest honored at the Hall of Fame"

2009-12-04T00:32:30Z

Sorry Anthony, I completely forgot to give you photo credits!

Another group of California's finest honored at the Hall of Fame

2009-12-03T05:14:51Z

It must have been a surreal experience for those on the RT at 10th and O streets to spot the likes of John Madden, Carol Burnett and George Lucas walking down the red carpet in their awards-show best at the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Anyone who actually got off at the stop may have caught Burnett's signature Tarzan call or had a chance for Lucas to sign any surface capable to be written on. Dozens of others, however, thought ahead and brought glossy “Star Wars,” “Terminator” and sports stills for Lucas, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Madden to sign, respectively.

The occasion for this "who’s who" of California’s best, 13 in all, was their induction into the state’s Hall of Fame (Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver were hosting, not being inducted). Before the evening’s ceremony, the honorees received a justified red carpet treatment for their accomplishments.

Bestselling author Danielle Steel’s gold jewelry glowed in contrast to her simple, black outfit. Burnett was just as warm and funny off camera as she has been since the mid-1960s, even taking time to joke with a group of young girls carrying signs reading “I love Carol."

General Chuck Yeager, being one of the bravest American men in history, was remarkably down-to-Earth considering he’s spent so much of his life thousands of feet above it. Though Andy Grove looks like any other conservatively dressed businessman downtown, he is responsible for every major advancement in computing and technology in the past half century with his invention of the silicon-based chip.

Rafer Johnson could have easily beaten his fellow inductees down the carpet in a footrace, but instead chose to saunter along with the confidence that can only come with being one of the greatest Olympic athletes in history.

Lucas brought massive amounts of cheers from both the journalists lined behind the press area to get pictures and rows of fans, including a kid on his dad’s shoulders holding a lightsaber. Madden was even bigger in person than on his numerous television gigs, with a broad smile stretched across his face amidst the camera flashes.

A few of the inductees were honored posthumously, with a relative or someone knowledgeable about their body of work accepting the award on their behalf. Joan Kroc’s daughter, Linda Ardell Wendfelt; Harvey Milk’s nephew, Stuart Milk, and numerous California pro gay rights politicians; Fritz Scholder’s sister, Sondra Clark; state historian and expert on Hiram Johnson Dr. Kevin Starr; and Henry J. Kaiser’s granddaughter, Carlyn Kaiser Stark represented their corresponding person of honor.

Once inside the museum’s auditorium, the people of the evening took their seats onstage.

“When I first moved to California my parents thought I had lost my mind,” Shriver said, opening the ceremony. “They thought nothing serious happened here, but I made the Hall of Fame to show everyone that amazing things are done here. This is where people can dream big and imaginations can run wild."

Shriver’s husband was next, appropriately introducing the first inductee of the evening, bodybuilding guru, Joe Weider.

“We don’t give up and we don’t give in,” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “That is what I love about Californians. This man gave me the opportunity to come over to America when I was 21 and he is the reason I am here today."

Shriver spoke about Joan Kroc, whose philanthropy helped numerous organizations.

“Joan made sure my mother’s work with the Special Olympics would continue with her generous contributions,” Shriver said.

Each inductee got a chance to speak about another person before hanging a medal around the recipient’s neck.

Madden delivered his speech on General Yeager in his trademark rambling game-calling style.

“Only in California can a guy who doesn’t fly induct the greatest pilot ever,” said Madden. “He famously popped in a piece of Beeman’s gum before he took off when he broke the sound barrier in his jet. I mean, here’s a guy who is about to be the first person to travel faster than the speed of sound, and all he needs is a stick of gum."

Yeager himself spoke of why he did his best work in California, saying, “I flew there the most because they didn’t have airfields in West Virginia, where I was raised."

George Lucas spoke about Andy Grove, giving him his respect for his effect on modern technology.

“The cell phone, video games, computers, TVs, modern automobiles and anything else that operates with a processor, he made it all possible,” Lucas said. “Of course this means that expressions such as 'lol,' 'btw' and 'ttyl' are all partially his fault. He became successful by thinking big, creating small and bringing people together."

Burnett was honored by Stuart Milk, who spoke of the legendary entertainer’s influence on his adolescence.

“My Saturday nights as a young gay man questioning himself were brightened by her,” Milk said of Burnett. “Even though many male entertainment stars played one on TV, there was now an actual woman in their realm. She was the first queen of variety television."

Burnett closed the evening by speaking about her own experiences as a struggling actress working in a movie theater in Hollywood.

“I was a good usherette,” Burnett joked in her patented comedic delivery. “It was the manager who was nuts! But when it came time to place my star on the Walk of Fame, guess which building I decided to put it in front of?"

California Hall of Fame to honor its fourth group of inductees

2009-11-30T03:40:49Z

For the fourth year, the California Hall of Fame will induct a group of individuals who have changed the state for the better. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday at the California Museum, the site of the hall of fame. The 13 inductees are:

Carol Burnett (comedienne and actress)

Andy Grove (former chairman and chief executive officer of Intel Corp.)

Hiram Johnson (California governor and U.S. senator)

Rafer Johnson (Olympic gold medalist in decathlon)

Henry J. Kaiser (industrialist and founder of Kaiser Permanente and the Kaiser Family Foundation)

Joan Kroc (philanthropist and widow of the founder of McDonald's)

George Lucas (director and producer)

John Madden (NFL player, coach and commentator)

Harvey Milk (politician and gay rights activist)

Fritz Scholder (Native American artist)

Danielle Steel (New York Times bestselling author)

Joe Weider (body builder and founder of numerous fitness magazines, competitions and organizations)

General Chuck Yeager (test pilot, and first to break the sound barrier)

“The inductees don’t necessarily have to be born in California,” said Ashley Robinson, curator and press liaison at the museum California History Museum, 1020 O St. “They do have to have been successful in their careers or done their best work here."

The hall of fame was founded by Maria Shriver, wife of the current governor and a former journalist, in 2006 to honor remarkable achievements of people in California.

“When Gov. Schwarzenegger was elected in 2003, she began a mission to tell the story of our state,” Robinson said.

The museum inducts about a dozen people each year, and “generally shoots for less to make it more special," she added.

Possible inductees are nominated by the public in January and voted on by a special committee over the next few months.

“We start with a list of about 20 and whittle it down, and then Gov. Schwarzenegger and Mrs. Shriver vote on the final choices,” Robinson said.

Shriver will talk at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and the ceremony will start at 6 p.m.

An exhibit honoring each person will be on display at the museum for a year, displaying artifacts and items related to the inductees’ work. Examples include costumes and memorabilia from “Star Wars” for Lucas, artwork by Scholder and documents related to Milk’s work in San Francisco.

These pieces aren't always easy to come by.

“It’s tough to put some of those exhibits together,” Robinson said. “A few of our honorees don’t have any living relatives, and for others it was difficult to find some of the items we have on display."

Old Ironsides ends month-long 75th anniversary celebration in style

2009-11-23T23:07:32Z

To commemorate the end of a month-long celebration of its 75-year existence, the historic bar Old Ironsides held a final party on Sunday.

The Sacramento institution melded new and old, representing the vast changes in culture from its 1934 founding though the rest of the 20th century.

“Old time” drinks from each decade were back on the menu to give patrons a taste of what past generations enjoyed. Obscure concoctions such as the Moscow Mule (a 1940s drink with vodka, lime and ginger beer) were suggested alongside more popular fare like the Harvey Wallbanger (1970s) and the Washington Apple (2000s).

A few waiters kept a constant rotation of sampler platters circulating the two main rooms. Modern sandwiches like sun dried tomato garden burgers mixed with classic crinkle cut French fries and hamburger patties on toasted sourdough to provide a balance for partygoers old and young.

Nostalgia ruled the day, fueled mostly by a flat screen TV in the barroom running a slide show of photos spanning every decade since Old I’s inception. Crisp, digital images from the not so distant past were bookended by fuzzy Polaroids of heavily sideburned patrons from the 70s and black and white, magnesium lit windows to Sacramento’s bar scene a half century ago.

In the second room, a DJ spun classics from each decade, switching CDs between each tune to ensure a variety of eras. Frank Sinatra’s iconic rendition of “Let’s Fly Away” clashed with funk numbers like “Brick House” and Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” had people breaking out their best malt shop moves. The patrons, perhaps fueled by the irresistible $1 Pabst Blue Ribbon deal, danced with equal energy to every track.

There was a fairly consistent flow of attendees the entire afternoon, many staying for all five hours. If the crowded dance floor, packed booths and innumerable empty martini glasses and beer bottles were any indicator, this local hangout will stay afloat for another 75 years.

Greg Majewski on "Some Assembly Required will show vintage toys at Railroad Museum"

2009-11-18T21:15:59Z

Friday is actually the 20th, so sorry for any confusion on that.

Some Assembly Required will show vintage toys at Railroad Museum

2009-11-18T05:29:48Z

If you miss the childlike innocence of Christmas, your chance to be a kid again will begin Friday.

The California Railroad Museum’s "Some Assembly Required" exhibit begins Nov. 17 and runs until Feb. 20, 2010. The event will showcase a variety of toys in its main lobby room.

“It’s not like our past exhibits because it doesn’t just focus on trains,” said museum librarian Cara Randall, who also researched the history of the toys on display.

Most of the toys are from the 1950s, with a few from the early 1960s and the oldest from the 1870s.

“Our oldest toy is a puzzle set that a shoe company gave away to customers as a promotional deal when they bought a pair of $3 shoes,” Randall said. “It is all made of wood and the idea is to put it together in order to make a train."

Aside from a few board games and puzzles, "Some Assembly Required" will focus on moving toys and vehicles, much like the modern Tonka manufacturer’s trucks.

“These are all from the 1920s-50s, and most are made from steel,” Randall said of the heavy equipment toys. “They will be in our ‘sandbox’ display, which is a place we made to replicate how kids would have played with them in the original time period they were made."

Though they may be sturdy and built to take a beating, the toys are strictly off limits to attendees.

“Many of these toys are so old that we’re afraid they may break if we let people play with them,” Randall said.

In time for the holiday season, the exhibit will also feature a window display from a Bullock's department store dating back to 1956. Bullock's stores were mostly located in California, with some in Arizona and Nevada.

“We decided to kick off Thanksgiving weekend with this display to put people in the holiday mood,” Randall said.

“The window display will feature toy trains running on tracks much like those seen in films from the time. I think we’re just trying to keep this exhibit as lighthearted as possible."

Preparations and research for the exhibit began in September.

“I learned so much about toys in a really short time,” she said. “It was my job to read about the history of what we have on display so we could match the time periods and make it uniform."

With all the research and work by Randall and the other employees, "Some Assembly Required" promises to be an entertaining experience for kids who may not play with toy trucks anymore to adults who looked forward to unwrapping them during the holidays, Randall said.

“It will be fun to show some younger people what toys were like before the video game era,” she said.

Ten 22 holds soft opening last night, opens today

2009-11-13T23:59:29Z

After months of careful planning, countless focus groups and likely many sleepless nights, the big day is finally upon Terry Harvego. Today Harvego opens his new restaurant, Ten 22. So with every obstacle overcome but today’s first day of business, one wonders how Harvego feels.

“I’m not nervous — I’m very confident and I just want to do this now,” Harvego said at Thursday evening's soft opening. “Sure, there will probably be some mistakes the first day, but it is what it is. I know it will be great."

Ten 22’s soft opening the night before its grand opening the next day was a laid-back affair, with the 100 or so attendees inside the restaurant’s simple, refined interior fully living the business’ motto, “Eat Drink Relax."

Waiters moved from the standing groups of chatting people that dotted the softly lit main room, taking drink orders and shuffling trays of appetizers along the way. Salmon and cheese served on toasted baguette slices, open-faced pulled pork mini sandwiches and thin-crust margherita pizza were some of the more popular platters making the rounds.

“We will have about 20 to 30 items on the daily menu," executive chef Andrea Reiter said. “This is the first brand new restaurant I’ve ever worked on, so I’m really excited. One of my favorite dishes is the braised short ribs because they have a really unique taste that’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before."

With the menu generally falling under what Reiter calls “American cuisine with a twist,” Ten 22 is family-friendly without being “kiddy."

While kids are most certainly welcome, Ten 22 has an impeccable variety of adult beverages. As expected, the bar area’s tap selection rivals most actual bars in town, with 24 beers available on draft and four in the bottle.

"I can’t wait until we open tomorrow," bartender Rich Miramontes said. “I start at 4 p.m. and the bar is open until 11 p.m. I love this place because there’s really nothing like it in Old Sac."

Ten 22’s uniqueness is what drew general manager Richard Beyerl to the restaurant, as did a little help from the Web.

“I actually found out about Ten 22 on careerbuilder.com,” Beyerl said with a laugh. “I had a restaurant elsewhere in the Central Valley but when we close I decided to look for something in Sacramento since my wife owned a restaurant here and we only saw each other on weekends. This restaurant is in you’re in Old Sac but you don’t feel like you are."

Among those in Old Sac Thursday evening were Mayor Kevin Johnson, who stopped by to say a few words about the new establishment.

“We are very thankful for this family,” Johnson said of the Harvego’s, including Terry’s father, Lloyd, who owns The Firehouse on the next block. “Sacramento is a city that emphasizes strong family values and a sense of community, and they truly represent this."

When asked before his speech if Ten 22 will become the new hot spot for Johnson and his fellow politicians, he replied, “Well, I have to try the food first, so we will see!"

Johnson and the rest of Sacramento will finally get a taste of something new now that Ten 22 finally opened its doors to the public at 11:30 a.m. today. Go try it for yourself at 1022 Second St.

Photo credits to Jonathan Mendick.

Greg Majewski on "Live Band Karaoke at Marilyn's a great way to spend a Tuesday night"

2009-11-12T08:00:52Z

I would have taken more pictures but my camera ran out of batteries as it so often does.

Live Band Karaoke at Marilyn's a great way to spend a Tuesday night

2009-11-12T08:00:01Z

If your friends have ever tried to get you to sing karaoke but you’ve been intimidated by the fear of being onstage alone, Rockstar Live Band Karaoke has eliminated your last excuse.

Every Tuesday night at Marilyn’s on K, a live band takes the stage to provide backup for anyone who’s had enough liquid courage to sign their name to the sheet and belt out a selection from a growing list of more than 200 popular songs. The band, who also performs as a cover band by the name of Johnny Favorite, is made up of:

Adam Donald: guitars and vocals
Scott George: lead guitars
Gerry Pineda: bass
Larry Shiavone: drums and vocals
David Van Dusen: keyboards and vocals

After a few warm-up tunes beginning at 9 p.m., the band finally kicks into the real set, drawing from a massive repertoire of songs from every genre of music.

Tuesday, Nov. 10 alone yielded such club singalong classics as Steve Miller Band’s “Joker,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” the last of which had the brave singer’s friends arm in arm on the dancefloor swinging their pints to the rhythm.

The house band isn’t afraid to branch out, either, offering Tool’s brooding “Sober” and Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” the former sung by a stalky 20-something with a shaved head, and latter being a new addition for the week.

Donald, the band’s unofficial frontman, raises his glass between each song, giving a mandatory “cheers” to everyone in the bar and encouraging the more timid patrons to find a favorite tune and get on the list.

“Chickening out” is highly frowned upon and results in the would-be performer’s name being unceremoniously crossed out from the list.

With no cover charge or commitment to actually participate in the festivities, Live Band Karaoke is just about the most fun you can have on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday night.

Leon Russell to play Harlow's

2009-11-10T05:29:52Z

What do The Band, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and half of the Beatles have in common? Aside from making some of the finest popular music of the 20th century, all of these artists have collaborated with Leon Russell.

The long-haired and bearded organist/singer-songwriter has been working behind the scenes (and occasionally in the spotlight) with an innumerable amount of music’s heavy hitters for half a century.

“I've been lucky to work with so many great musicians,” Russell said via email a few days before his show at Harlow’s on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Russell began his music career as a session musician, working live and in the studio with the previously mentioned acts and many more, but never a permanent member of any one band. His abilities as a versatile performer enabled him to branch out to multiple genres with ease.

When the time was right, Russell was able to make the transition from sideman to full solo artist.

“I was playing on some Joe Cocker records that Denny Cordell was producing,” Russell said. “I had a couple of songs I wanted to submit to him for Joe Cocker, ‘Delta Lady’ and ‘Hello, Little Friend,’ I think was the other one. This was after the session. And when Cordell saw me [perform those] he was kind of flabbergasted because I had been sitting there all quiet and then started doing all this singing and he got interested in me as an artist. And it was because of him I pursued a solo career."

In 1970, Russell released his eponymous debut, driven by the lead single, “A Song for You."

The track has been covered by nearly 50 artists, the most popular rendition being from Herbie Hancock and Christina Aguilera, which was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals” in 2005. Many of his other popular songs have followed a similar path of acclaim, proving his versatility not only as a musician, but composer and songwriter.

“Alan Jackson's recording of 'Bluebird' arranged by Alison Krauss was wonderful,” Russell said when asked which version of his songs was his favorite. “That's the way I should have originally done it."

As for Thursday’s show, Russell has great things planned for his audience.

“We will play some songs by me and some by others,” Russell said. “Mostly ones I like. I have a great band. Jack Wessel (bass) has been with me for 28 years. Chris Simmons is on guitar, Brian Holder on drums and Brian Lee on organ."

With so many years of creativity, one wonders how Russell continues writing new material.

“I am inspired by my family,” Russell said. “My daughter, Sugaree [27 years old], who toured with me as part of my band for over 6 years, is releasing her first record soon (Jan. 5) on Leon Russell Records."

Russell can also count some of the best-known musicians of our time and a legion of fans to be a part of his family as well.

Tickets for Thursday’s show are $35. Doors open at 9 p.m., show starts at 10 p.m. Visit Harlow’s’ ticket page to purchase.

Greg Majewski on "Comedy Spot brings laughter to midtown"

2009-11-10T00:41:17Z

Great photos, quotes and story. Professional as always. Sounds like a cool place and I'm glad they were able to get in a better facility.

Bob Saget melds classy and dirty at the Crest

2009-11-08T02:07:09Z

By now, Bob Saget’s public transformation from blue comedian to household name beloved by millions of families nationwide — and the subsequent corruption of that image with a return to his original style — has been repeated more times than the footage of crotch abuse he narrated on “that video show,” as he refers to it.

Suffice to say, Saget’s material is a far cry from his hugs-and-lessons role as Danny Tanner on “Full House,” a character he played perfectly due to his clean cut, family-friendly looks. Nothing is sacred, from his former costars to his own mother, who originally inspired him to go into comedy because he wanted to say things she didn't want him to.

“Don Rickles called right before this show and said he wanted me to open for him,” Saget said after his performance at the Crest Theatre Friday night. “He said any guy who looks like Clark Kent and says the stuff I say is perfect. And he didn’t even ask – he told me I was opening for him."

Surprisingly humbled words from a guy who has his own openers. Friday, San Francisco-based comic Joe Klocek warmed up the audience.

Klocek’s set was mainly based on his observations as a stand-up in the city by the bay.

“It’s easy being a comic in San Francisco, because all I have to is wake up and look outside,” Klocek said.

Other jokes centered on the city’s homeless population, including a particularly hungry man punching a pigeon out of the air.

“That bird was clearly surprised," he said. "No pigeons send their young out into the wild and warn, ‘Careful, sometimes people punch.'"

Animals were ripe for parody during the evening, as Saget’s notoriously dirty set consisted of numerous references to horses, dogs and even elephants in various compromising situations. The only one of these jokes fit for print was about a video of an elephant backing up until an unsuspecting man behind it was neck deepin its business end. Saget wanted to use the footage for “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” but the producers deemed it inappropriate, so he instead performed the bit using his signature high-pitched narration for the crowd.

Saget’s report with the audience was comprised of deadpan asides to screaming women (“why thank you, witch lady”) and yelling, intoxicated men (“you’ve been smoking that stinkweed, haven’t you?). When an attractive blonde in the front row walked out to go to the bathroom, Saget dropped the microphone and pretended to follow her offstage without missing a beat.

“Seinfeld said that it isn’t a monologue so much as a discourse with the audience,” Saget observed later. “It really is a special thing."

Another “special thing” Saget had in store for the packed house was a closing series of songs played on his guitar, including the classic, “My Dog Licked My Balls."

He even paid homage to his father, who influenced Saget with his risqué jokes that would “cheer us up in tough times.” The song was a running story of false rhymes where the listener anticipates an offensive word at the end of each line but instead gets a continuation without any vulgarity.

The set ended with a heartfelt thank you to all of his fans and a lengthy meet-and-greet session after, made more impressive by the fact that he was standing the whole time only a few days after having knee surgery. While his act may be dirtier than the “backroom” at your local video store, Bob Saget is still one of nicest guys in show business.

Dia de los Meurtos at Zocalo

2009-11-04T04:35:48Z

For the third annual year, local Mexican restaurant Zocalo hosted its Dia de los Muertos celebration on Monday, Nov 2.

The holiday (which in Spanish literally translates into “day of the dead”) celebrates the life and death of loved ones who have passed on over the past year. It is largely celebrated throughout Mexico, America and Canada.

As with any festival, celebrating Dia de los Muertos properly requires an exacting eye for tradition. Much like its food, Zocalo saw to it that its party was as authentic as possible.

Burning candles illuminated the large shrines in the center of the entrance to the restaurant, allowing patrons to read the names on tags hanging from numerous trees around the altar.

While dozens of such tags in honor of family members were on display, photographs of many celebrities who died recently also stood around the heavily-decorated table.

Images of Sen. Ted Kennedy, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were among the recognizable portraits on display.

Skulls (calaveras in Spanish) could be found all over Zocalo. Most of the waiting staff and numerous attendees even wore black-and-white face paint to embody the dead and represent skeletons.

A traditional fire dance by Martina Lopez began on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and led a procession in a square around the premises and back to the entrance.

Lopez swung two burning globes attached to chains around her body in varying patterns, the flames tracing orange arcs through the cool autumn night.

“It’s sort of scary when you first start doing it,” Lopez said. “But then you get burned a few times and you just get used to it!"

Those burns were well worth it, she said, as Dia de los Meurtos was a lively celebration.

Greg Majewski on "Minus the Bear stays flawless at the Boardwalk"

2009-11-02T20:43:50Z

Thanks. It's pretty tough to maintain objectivity when reviewing one of my favorite bands. Didn't get many usable pictures since there was a 6'3", mop topped indie kid standing right in front of me.

Minus the Bear stays flawless at the Boardwalk

2009-11-02T20:24:48Z

A love letter to Minus the Bear:

Dear criminally underrated Seattle indie rock quintet,

I love everything about you.

For instance, the way you balance complex time signature changes and finely honed musicianship with catchy pop sensibility. It takes a truly skilled collective to make music this intricate seem so natural.

Or the fact that Jake Snider’s bittersweet lyrics about lost innocence and simpler times are relatable not only to high schoolers who are experiencing the subject matter for the first time, but to grown adults twice their age who have been through it numerous times and have the benefit of hindsight. I love that Snider can make potentially corny lyrics like “It’s rare to feel this expensive/But next to a girl like her/It’s impossible not to” sound earnest and heartfelt. He delivers every line with a soft, no-worries croon that sounds as effortless as his band’s transitions.

Other things that make me love you:

Erin Tate walking a thin line between machinelike precision and manic liveliness on his drum kit and always finding room for jazzy fills between the notes.

The very same guitar taps Dave Knudson used to send neck-tatted hardcore kids into a frenzy at Botch shows in the late '90s have been altered ever so slightly to compel star-crossed teens to sway in each other's arms.

Your fans recognize your songs from the first few taps on said signature golden axe. Said fans sing along to every line of every song as if they’ve lived each narrative. They sang even louder than usual at the Boardwalk on Halloween night to alleviate the abuse on Snider’s sore throat.

You played Sacramento even though you had to cancel the night before because of Snider’s lost voice.

You played in costume for the first five songs until the stage lights proved way too hot for your attire. Cory Murchy’s banana costume was the wacky antitheses to his normally reserved demeanor.

Murchy always raises his right hand from his bass in between songs to give the thumbs-up sign to the crowd as if questioning whether the cheering contingent is enjoying the set.

Alex Rose replaced Matt Bayles on keyboards on 2007’s "Planet of Ice" and has since become an indispensable factor in the band’s maturity. His playing on the new single, “Into the Mirror,” fills the gaps between tapping and bleep, blip, bloop electronics to add an organic, analog feel to the track without overpowering the mix.

You don’t ignore any era of your discography and still play the “old stuff” in equal measure, even though it displays a schoolboy innocence and naivete your more recent material eschews for a darker tone.

You saved fan favorite “Pachuca Sunrise” for the encore and jammed on its ending for another few minutes because you knew we weren’t ready to go home yet. You could have used that time warp when daylight-savings time kicked in to play for all eternity, and no one would have complained.

May you rock every venue like you rocked the Boardwalk on Saturday. Everything was flawless, as usual. My love for you rivals that reserved for my future children.

Sincerely,

Greg

One Scary Nite a rowdy, spooky good time

2009-10-31T02:05:29Z

The irony of Flavor Flav hosting a Halloween party is that people actually dress in his everyday outfit for a celebration of this most dark of holidays.

The Public Enemy hype man and unlikely reality TV phenomenon arrived at the red carpet for the One Scary Nite Halloween party at the California Auto Museum with business partner Deon Taylor and retired Kings star Bobby Jackson. The trio hammed it up for the row of photographers, Flav flashing his gilded grill and trademark clock necklace while costumed party-goers yelled “Yeah boy!” as they filed into the horror-themed interior of the museum.

"I loved to go trick-or-treating when I was younger, but now I have kids so I take them," Jackson said. "I was gonna dress up as the hunchback but my costume was a little snug. I don't really have a favorite candy, but I do love Wathamacalits."

Inside, strobe lights cut through the darkness of the entrance where hired, professionally detailed ghouls with “Monster Staff” signs pinned to their backs dragged themselves around the room. Jason Vorhees sneaked behind unsuspecting victims and held his blood-drenched knife to their throats for photos while Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers rounded out the classic horror flick posse, aided by a small army of zombies in various states of decay.

A haunted hallway separated guests from the real action in the main room, where a massive dance floor lay in front of a stage equipped with a state-of-the-art DJ rig pumping club hits like Lady Gaga’s “Pokerface.” Werewolves and other such beasts shook their furry moneymakers with Playboy bunnies while go-go dancers grooved on three raised platforms on the floor.

Aside from the standard gruesome fare, more adventurous partiers traded comfort for creativity. The Master Chief from the wildly popular “Halo” video game series patrolled the room in full armor and weaponry, a Russell Crowe-style gladiator looked for combatants and a man with a huge stack of dollars with eyes on the top balanced on his shoulders was “the money you could be saving with Geico."

Co-host of the evening and “Good Day Sacramento” entertainment reporter Mark S. Allen stopped the party to say a few words.

“For a long time Sacramento needed a party like this,” Allen said. “Now we have one and it’s all thanks to you guys!"

Deon Taylor’s local enterprise bearing his name used a large screen hanging behind the stage to loop preview clips of the company’s “Nite Tales” TV series, a new horror program that will feature Flavor Flav essentially playing the same role as the Cryptkeeper from the classic “Tales From the Crypt” show.

The clock finally struck midnight and everyone converged on the center of the dance floor for what was promised to be a very special surprise performance. A red-suited Michael Jackson moonwalked onstage for a tribute to the sorely missed pop icon. Classics like “Billy Jean” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” were performed flawlessly, but the real highlight was a fitting rendition of “Thriller,” with the entire monster cast joining for the song’s famous choreographed dance sequence.

After the special entertainment exited, all eyes were directed up at a plastic bag full of $5,000 attached to the rafters of the museum. The bills rained down on the crowd in a flurry of green and were snatched out of the air and then scrambled for on the floor until the music kicked back on and everyone danced into the night with a bit more cash in their pockets.

Photos 1-7 by Jonathan Mendick.

Photos 8-14 by Cindy Saechao.

Interview quotes and press organization by Tina Armour, who got us on the red carpet.

Greg Majewski on "Interview With Minus the Bear's Erin Tate"

2009-10-27T04:12:56Z

The new single can be heard here: http://www.imeem.com/minusthebear/music/3uCtTqaa/minus-the-bear-into-the-mirror/

Interview With Minus the Bear's Erin Tate

2009-10-27T03:21:56Z

A few weeks before Minus the Bear’s scheduled appearance at the Boardwalk on Saturday, we called drummer Erin Tate to talk about the new record, touring and the influences of progressive rock, new producers and the fairer sex:

SP: So what is an average day like on tour for you guys?

E: Depends on the day. It can be anywhere from just sitting around doing nothing and watching movies or sometimes we attempt to write music, which doesn’t happen very often. And sometimes we drink a lot of beer.

SP: You just finished recording the new album. What can you tell us about that?

E: It took us a really long time. [Laughs] It’s definitely a Minus the Bear record. But it’s kind of the first time we worked with an outside producer. On our first record, we worked with Steve Fisk. But since then we’ve kind of just been doing stuff ourselves and working with Matt Bayles, who also used to be in the band [keyboards]. So it was a pretty different process for that reason. We learned an awful lot from Joe [Chicarelli]. He’s a very intimidating and inspiring man. We really dove into sound and into the individual sounds more than we ever have. So we’re all really psyched on it and think it turned out pretty well. It’s my favorite thing we’ve ever done.

SP: Why did you decide to go with a different producer than Matt this time?

E: Just to try something different. We’ve kind of been doing the same thing for almost our whole career so it was just kind of time and even Matt knew it was kind of time. Needless to say, we could go back and do the next one with him. We are all fans of the stuff Joe has done.

SP: A lot of bands who have worked with Matt, like Isis and Mastodon, have switched producers. Is he looking for new clientele?

E: He is still busy as hell. I never see him because he’s always working. Me and him go out for beers twice a week when he gets off work but I tried to make plans with him like three days ago but he’s working straight for over a month. I think the time just kind of came for the bands to check out other people and stuff. We’re kind of at a transitional period where we kind of want to try some different things.

SP: How do you feel like this one is different from your old material?

E: Well, maturity has kind of been a factor throughout our band. I kind of feel like each record we kind of grow up a little more. We are now all officially a group of 30-year-old men. I think this record has some stuff that’s poppier than we’ve ever done. And then there’s some stuff that’s more mellow. Like the new single we released the other day [“Into the Mirror”]. It’s kind of laid back and different than "Planet of Ice."

SP: “Into the Mirror” is going to be on the new album?

E: Yeah, and we’re self-releasing a seven inch [vinyl] that will be available online but then we’ll also have it for this tour. It will be that song and then a B-side song that won’t be on the record.

SP: Why did you guys decide to bring female lead vocals back on “Into the Mirror”?

E: It was something we had been talking about doing for awhile. That section of the song when we were writing it was instrumental. And it was an idea that one of us thought of having a male’s perspective the first half of the song and the female perspective. Lyrically, Jake [Snider, vocalist/guitarist] had the lyrics written out and it just kind of made sense. And we brought the idea to Joe and he totally latched onto it and thought it was a great idea.

SP: So who is the singer?

E: Rachel Flotard. She sings for a band called Visqueen from Seattle and she also sings with Neko Case. We’ve been trying to take Visqueen on tour for years because we love them and Rachel is a really good friend of ours and she’s obviously insanely talented.

SP: Are there any more tracks with her or any other guests on the album?

E: There’s a girl named Ellie from Mexico that sang on a song, too. She’s really talented. We had recorded the song and kind of out nowhere Joe was like, “I think we should have some Spanish singing here. I know this girl who would be perfect for it.” So she sang in Spanish on one of the songs because it has this theme to it that seemed kind of fitting. We sent her the song to do a demo of it and we are kind of like, “That sounds like a really strange idea.” But she sent back the track and it was just f****** great.

SP: What is the writing process like for you guys?

E: It’s been kind of different every record. The first few Dave [Knudson, guitarist] and I would work. Like Dave would have a guitar riff and I would go down and me and him would arrange stuff and I would help him do other stuff. Then the other guys would come in and help put the finishing touches. And then "Planet of Ice" was more of a record where all five us were in the room and it was also our first record with Alex [Rose] playing keyboards instead of Matt, which made a huge difference in the songwriting process.

The new record is kind of a combination of both. One thing that was really different about this record was that normally we’ll start writing a song and work on it until it’s done. Then we’ll go back and see if it needs revisions later, before we record. This record we did large groups of jamming where we would go into the rehearsal space and play a bunch of stuff and basically never finish anything. And the next day we would go back and work on something completely new. We pretty much record everything we do at practice so we have days and days and days of rehearsal tapes so we would go back over and listen to stuff and go, “This is a really good riff so let’s work on this.”

SP: Was your original sound when you first formed just a combination of all your influences from all of your different bands?

E: It’s a combination of where everyone was at the beginning. I think the reason that every record is so different is that reason. Granted we all agree on a lot of music. But Dave was in a brutal metal band, and Corey and I were in a weird, arty, screamy band, and Jake was in a really mellow band, and Matt had never even been in a band at that point. Each time we go into the songwriting process you learn something new each record. So it changes every time and each year that goes on you hear some band that you didn’t think you’d like. Before we did "Planet of Ice" we kind of all had started really getting into a bunch of prog rock stuff that we’d all heard but were not necessarily that into. And all of a sudden it just hit us. Like, “King Crimson is the s***!”

SP: You’re playing Sacramento on Halloween. Do you guys do anything for that holiday? It seems like something you might take advantage of.

E: This will be the eighth year where we’ve been on tour for Halloween and I think we’ve only done something once. Maybe we will this time. Our merch girl, Amy, and I were just discussing it yesterday and she was asking if we were going to do anything. We didn’t last year and we all felt dumb about it. The last time we did we were in Albuquerque and we were in weird outfits and for me personally it was really hard to play because I was being constricted by this weird robe. I think I was a monk or something.

SP: Are you going to play a lot of new songs on the tour to test them?

E: I think we’re playing three. Both the songs from the 7” and then one other new one, which I believe is the opening track on the new record.

SP: Is the record still planned for early 2010?

E: In theory. We’ve got to find a record label.

SP: Suicide Squeeze isn’t putting it out?

E: No. We did everything ourselves and went into it kind of to see what happens. We may put it out ourselves or maybe Suicide Squeeze will put it out, who knows?

SP: Have you found any prospects or anyone you’ve been talking to?

E: Everything is still totally up in the air. We’re just kind of concentrating on getting this next tour done and we’ll figure it out from there.

Sacramento Comedy Spot to Relocate to Bigger Building

2009-10-22T03:23:36Z

Since 2005, the Sacramento Comedy Spot has offered unique improv, sketch and standup comedy at its original location at 1716 Broadway. Come Nov. 6, the venue will not only be moving, but making a significant upgrade in facilities.

That Friday will mark opening night for the club at its new location at the MARRS building at 1050 20th St.

"We started talking to Michael Heller, the owner of the building, in the middle of the summer," said Brian Crall, former member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, managing director of the Sacramento Comedy Spot and instructor of the improv classes there. "It was around September when we finally decided to make the move."

The new space is considerably larger than the previous building, Crall said.

"Right now we are only able to fit about 40 people in our current location, but the MARRS building will allow about twice that," he said.

Almost everything about the new building gives Crall and his business partner, Ron Dumonchelle, the ability to double their artistic endeavors.

"Our old place can only fit one class at a time, but now we have two rooms, so we can even have a show going in one and teach a class in the other," Crall said. "And now we can schedule four shows a week, where we used to only be able to do two."

All of this means not only new business opportunities for Crall and Dumonchelle, but exciting new options for Sacramento's burgeoning comedy scene.

"Sketch comedy classes have been moved from Saturday to Thursday night, so we hope more people can make it out since it won't be taking up their weekend," Crall said. "There will also be a new advanced standup class for people who are ready to take that next step."

Improv classes will still be offered for $19 per month for people to attend as many as they can on Wednesday and Thursday nights, according to Crall.

"All of our classes are great because we have this awesome core group of people who all hang out together and generally enjoy learning about comedy," Crall said.

The new schedule of shows is as follows:

Friday 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 p.m.: Anti-Cooperation League.

Sunday 8 p.m.: Amateur shows for anyone who wants to sign up. ("You are guaranteed time to perform," Crall said.)

Thursday 9 p.m.: standup comedy showcase.

"Saturdays will be the biggest for us," Crall said. "We will also host a late-night show called Dare and Dare at 11 p.m. Basically, it's like truth or dare but without all the boring truth stuff."

The Sacramento Comedy Spot will also aim to attract bigger names with its expanded space.

"We are trying to get mid-sized comics to appear, people you have seen on TV and movies," Crall said. "Overall, we're looking to bring alternative comedy back and give it a better home."

Greg Majewski on "Sacramento Horror Film Festival Offers Four Days of Fright"

2009-10-21T22:24:49Z

I forgot to post a link to the Web site: http://www.sachorrorfilmfest.com/

Sacramento Horror Film Festival Offers Four Days of Fright

2009-10-21T19:18:09Z

As Halloween looms over us like a full moon on a blustery autumn eve, we find ourselves in the mood to curl up in front of our favorite slasher film for a healthy dose of murder and mayhem.

But if you dare to leave the comforts of home and celebrate the seasonal bloodlust with likeminded souls, the Sacramento Horror Film Festival is here to provide the scares. Now in its third year, the four-day event will be sure to fill your every dark desire.

“The city of Sacramento didn't have anything resembling a horror film festival," said Tim Meunier, founder and festival director. "And with my past experience I decided it was time to give the city what I felt it needed. I grew tired of going out of city and state to visit sub par horror film festivals and give them my tourist dollars. I felt I could provide a better experience back in my home town."

Meunier founded the festival in 2007. It was an immediate success, drawing horror icons such as Tony Moran (the unmasked face of Michael Myers in “Halloween”) and Tony Todd (the title role in “Candyman”) to sign autographs, take pictures and participate in Q & A sessions.

This year will feature WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, who stars in “Albino Farm,” on Friday, Oct. 23. The creators of “Repo! The Genetic Opera” will attend Saturday’s marathon. On Sunday, Oct.ober 25, William Lustig will be in attendance to voice his commentary on his slasher film “Maniac."

The event has not only attracted celebrities, but filmmakers from all over the world.

“We are an international film festival,” Meunier said. “We screen films that originated from Brazil, France, Japan, all the way back home coast to coast. We are screening more than 50 independent films and out of those 50, 13 are local."

Meunier’s said his preparations for the festival are grueling, beginning with a call for entries and the subsequent reviewing of the films for about 10 months.

“I do a survey among fans and peers and decide on which film to attempt to acquire for our 'retro' screening,” Meunier said. “Once we have some ideas, I contact the actors and directors of that film and attempt to book an appearance at the festival for them to do a live commentary of the film."

When asked which of the films he has seen are his favorite, Meunier refused to play favorites.

“Being asked that is like being asked which child is your favorite," Meunier said. “They all are special. I had to review hundreds of films over the past year to select the 50 best of the best and so I really enjoy all the films we screen."

Meunier realizes that even the most rabid horror fan may not be able to sit through the festival’s proposed gauntlet.

“The live commentary is a very popular program at our festival,” Meunier said. “We then begin contacting local bands that fit within our horror demographic as well as potential other forms of live entertainment to help break the monotony of film viewing for the patrons at the festival."

Average audience turnout for last year’s three-day event was 2,100 people, but Meunier expects more this year given the extra day to make room for even more films.

There’s no rest for the wicked, and Meunier lives the adage to make sure he can put together the best string of scares he can.

“Our third annual event hasn't even gone underway yet and I'm already planning exciting things for our fourth annual event,” Meunier said. “I'm always thinking ahead. It’s a challenge, so at minimum it's a year's worth of dedication."

The festival runs Oct. 22-25 at the Historic Colonial Theatre. Tickets are available at R5 Records and at the theatre's box office during the festival. Four-day all-events passes are $50, but individual day tickets are available as well.

Brian McKenna Celebrates Birthday at Harlow's

2009-10-19T05:02:45Z

“I remember when I turned 40. Yeah, way back in seminary school,” quipped alt rock legend Mike Watt upon mention of local rock promoter Brian McKenna’s birthday. Then he and his band, The Secondmen, flew into another extended jam.

Watt and Co. were part of a celebration of the life and times of McKenna, who hit the big 4-0 Saturday, and also has spent half of those years putting together gigs in Sacramento. That showed at the party, the lineup for the evening read like a who’s who of early-'90s greats, including Kai Kln and NoMeansNo.

The Secondmen alternated between laid-back blues grooves and frenetic psychobilly freakouts. Though more than a decade McKenna’s senior, Watt was absolutely reckless, smashing drummer Jerry Trebotic’s cymbals and putting a few more pockmarks on his well-loved Gibson EB.

Melodic duties were shared equally by Watt and keyboardist Pete Mazich, who hammered away on the keys of his modified Hammond B3 organ. Trebotic kept the performance together, punctuating any lulls in the din with breakneck solos. Give an octopus a sack of amphetamines and drum sticks for half his tentacles and you’re on the right track to describing Trebotic’s sound. The band's every note was played with gusto, whether it was a half-tempo shuffle or dirty, punk-infused bass riff. By the end of the set, Watt had as much sweat on his instrument of choice as his bandmates did on their faces. He calmly put his glasses back on and sauntered off the stage, his gig bag swung nonchalantly over his shoulder.

Guitarist Sherman Loper began Kai Kln's performance by playing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” with his EBow, but the rest of the local stoner rockers' hourlong set was decidedly not kid friendly. Somewhere around the halfway point, a male stripper appeared from backstage, swaggering back and forth and stopping to sing a few notes into the microphone as the band jammed on another killer riff from the seemingly endless stock Loper and fellow six stringer/vocalist Gene Smith have at their disposal. Men leaned over the stage, extending dollar bills while the unnamed and goateed dancer swatted away their attempts with his whip. Minutes after he exited the stage, the hairy tease emerged again (wearing more clothes this time) to take over vocal duties for “Kong” from Kai Kln’s 1992 full-length Vigoda, which they performed in its entirety. It was a form of homage to the band's origins, back when McKenna organized shows for them. An obvious reference point for the band’s sound is Palm Desert pioneer Kyuss, but the Sacto quartet brought a more party-oriented vibe to the night that fit the occasion.

Not content to relax at his own party, the birthday boy could be seen ducking through doors and running backstage to make sure the evening went smoothly. McKenna He is clearly most comfortable among the rattle and fuzz of rock shows, no matter how stressful the job seems to anyone looking on. What better way to make sure your party is perfect than by organizing it yourself?

The gray-haired members of Victoria, B.C., NoMeansNo closed the festivities, opening their set with a reverb-drenched dirge reminiscent of Seattle neighbors The Melvins. Then they switched pace and kicked into a string of rough-hewn punk tracks, guitarist Tom Holliston tearing off dissonant licks as brothers Rob (bass) and John (drums) Wright sent counterrhythms careening into each other. Experimentation has marked the 30-year-old act, and they brought just about all of their facets to the stage, transitioning from throbbing math rock to thrashy hardcore to an off-kilter sea shanty ballad about “a girl with no face."

Eclecticism couldn’t save NoMeansNo from curfew, though, as a stagehand poked his head through the curtain to signal the end of the night. The affable Rob nodded and proceeded to lead his band into at least three false stops before stomping through another avant-anthem. Finally, the stage lights dimmed midsong and the crowd was forced to stop rocking and vacate, but not without singing “Happy Birthday” to the man of the night, who gave a friendly send-off to a sea of sweaty contemporaries.

Old Sacramento Ghost Tours Offer Fun and Fright

2009-10-15T06:24:19Z

If family-friendly fright is your preference for Halloween fun, look no further than Old Sacramento Ghost Tours. Presented by the Old Sacramento Living History Program, the annual tour of haunted locales is now in its ninth year of humor and horror. Throughout its run, the tour has evolved to keep patrons coming back.

“Every year the script changes--all new ghosts and all new stories. Even the tour route is different this year,” said Janessa White, Public Programs Coordinator for the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation, via e-mail. “For the first time, the tours will begin in the Eagle Theater, a replica of California's first theatre."

Tour-goers will be led through an hour’s worth of spooky buildings trusted with the tales of "gunfights, lovers' quarrels and business deals gone bad,” according to the event’s press release. Additionally, actors will embody fictional characters from the Old West to create scenes for the audience.

“I would have to say the shootout or the commentary of the Grunnett brothers, a pair of very amusing morticians, [is the most popular part of the tour],” West said.

The tours run Oct. 16-17, 23-24 and Oct. 30. Tours start at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Entrance is $15 per person or $12 for children under 12. Not recommended for children under the age of six. Maximum people for one group is 20.

Witchapalooza Combines Costumes, Rides and Fantasy

2009-10-12T03:40:50Z

The second day of Witchapalooza brought rows of vendors to a small covered section of Cal Expo on Sunday.

With Halloween quickly approaching and fall already in full swing, most of the booths focused on costumes and items for the spooky event. It seemed that each vendor was dressed for the occasion, whether as a wizard, witch or other horrorific character.

Local all-girl pop rock act Adhara opened the festivities, playing covers and original songs. High schoolers and other fans swayed to the squeaky-clean sound and soulful inflections of lead singer Athena Marie. Danceable and melodic, the band’s tunes began the day on a bright note, in contrast to more edgy tone of the main area.

A running theme seemed to be steampunk, a subgenre of fantasy culture that focuses on Victorian-era fashion with a futuristic, science fiction emphasis on technology. Many booths featured clothing and accessories appropriate to the style, while those running them wore goggles, top hats, vests, pocket watches and even holsters carrying model flintlock pistols. Novels that influenced the genre, such as Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” also were for sale, as was an assortment of jewelry and trinkets.

Numerous vendors featured costumes and merchandise from “Harry Potter” and its latest successor, the wildly popular “Twilight” series. Calendars adorned with glossy photos of Edward Cullen and other vampires and werewolves sat across from wands, hats and cloaks in a clash of the fantasy titans. Bearded men dressed as professors from Hogwarts School tended the booths.

In another connection to the film world, two actors in the horror genre appeared at the event. Malcolm McDowell, famous for his portrayal of Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of “A Clockwork Orange,” sat behind a table stocked with production stills awaiting signature.

Kristy Swanson, mostly known for playing the title character in the 1992 movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer," sat next to McDowell with her husband and "Skating With Celebrities" partner Lloyd Eisler. Swanson signed autographs on wooden stakes and posters of "Buffy" and posed for pictures with families. She seemed surprised when one fan commented on her bit role in “Dude, Where’s My Car?” responding with a smile, “Oh, yeah, I did do that one!"

For kids, the biggest attractions were the rides. Bungee cords attached to a V-shaped pole swung riders into the air and pulled them back like a rubber band. The more adventurous thrill seekers did flips in mid-air, screaming at their weightlessness.

That sound should make those who put together Witchapalooza in this, its first year, very happy.

Kevin Martin Helps Paint the Town Purple

2009-10-11T01:33:42Z

It took less than five minutes for word to spread from the entrance to Casa Robles High School’s football field to the bleachers down the path that Kevin Martin was on the premises. In a surprise appearance, the Sacramento Kings shooting guard arrived at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 to meet with fans and watch some of the varsity football game between the home team and Folsom High School. Wearing nothing that showed his affiliation with the Kings, Martin finally was noticed by a few observant teens, who promptly asked for autographs and then told everybody within ear range who the incognito star was.

Clusters of high schoolers gathered around Martin, gazing up at the 6’7” athlete.

“You’re way taller than I am!” said one Casa Robles cheerleader.

“Only a little,” he joked.

It seems that just about every cheerleader on the field got a picture with Martin, their braces reflecting the flash from their friends’ camera phones, who then switched places so they could snap a shot with the 26-year-old.

The standard signature went on a pamphlet outlining the Kings' schedule, as well as on small footballs Martin occasionally tossed to kids willing to “go long” to catch them.

Soon the crowd was producing everything to be autographed, from shoes and hats to their arms. Desperation called for quick thinking, resulting in makeshift surfaces such as the backs of cell phones. One resourceful girl even gave Martin an empty Skittles wrapper, which she claimed would go on her “wall of really random stuff.”

When Martin was asked to name the strangest request for an autograph he had ever heard he said a precedent had been set that night.

“Actually, a kid just asked me a few minutes ago to sign his tooth. I’d say that takes it for the weirdest one. I didn’t do it for liability reasons."

Martin’s interaction with fans was lighthearted, and he made time to speak with anyone who wanted to talk sports.

“Did your team play last night?” Martin asked a younger football player in his jersey.

“Yeah," the boy responded nervously.

“How did you guys do?”

“We lost,” said the teen.

“That’s OK, so did we,” Martin responded, with a grin that visibly lifted the boy’s spirits.

While most of the fans were of high school age, some parents and families got in on the action.

Lifetime Sacramento resident Ian Webster was stopped by a Kings cameraman to record a sound bite to be posted on the team’s Web site.

“I’ve been a fan of the Kings since I started watching basketball,” said Webster. “Kevin Martin is my favorite player, and I didn’t even know he was coming.”

He seemed optimistic about the Kings' coming season.

“I can see them starting to pick it up after the last couple of years,” said Webster, who has been to 10 games in the last two seasons. alone.

All of this fan interaction comes natural to Martin, who enjoys not only local appearances, but traveling abroad.

“I went to Indonesia this summer, which was an unbelievable experience,” he said. “Throughout the year we do a lot of Paint the Town events. The Maloofs set a pretty high standard for us, so we have that expected of us.”

Though he played football in high school, Martin said he focused on basketball while at Western Carolina University.

“Football is still my sport, though, so I love coming out and watching a few games a year here."

Stars Wars: In Concert to Come to Arco Arena

2009-10-08T03:40:36Z

"Star Wars" fans will be in for a treat on Oct. 9 and 10 when "Star Wars: In Concert" will make its Sacramento debut at Arco Arena.

"[The show] is a fully multimedia, full-evening concert that takes two hours, which includes a 20 minute intermission," said David Barber, the North American press representative for the tour.

Clips from each movie will be used to tell an abridged version of the story, effectively summing up the entire adventure in roughly one-sixth of its actual length.

"Lucasfilm cut the montages to fit John Williams' cut-downs of the music made for the event especially by Williams — all custom work," said Barber.

Narrating the entire show will be none other than Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO and will be on stage to guide the audience through the entire show.

"[The] audience will experience the music played live by an 86-piece orchestra and sung by an 80-person chorus, the Star Wars Symphony Orchestra and Choir, to specially edited scenes from all six 'Star Wars' films — including special effects such as laser displays and other surprise effects," said Barber.

Barber also said there will be an exhibit featuring "over 70 items including original concept art, music manuscripts, costumes, props and other archival items," some of which will be shown to the public for the first time ever.

"[The exhibit] is in the concourse lobby areas of the arena — the corridors that go around the outside of the arena seating areas in a circular fashion," said Barber. Each piece of the exhibit travels in its own self-contained box on one of 12 trucks.

The tour started on Oct. 2 and is currently in L.A. at the Nokia Theatre before making the trek to Sacramento. Friday’s show starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s at 3 p.m. Doors open two hours before. Tickets are $75, $55 and $35. Pricing determines where the seats are, meaning the most expensive tickets are the closest to the stage.

Zombieland Will Chew on Your Funny Bone

2009-10-08T00:57:25Z

Zombie films work on one basic principle: catharsis. The unbridled joy of putting oneself in the blood-caked boots of the movies' protagonists as they discover new and creative ways to bring the walking dead to a satisfyingly gruesome demise is what has kept the genre (ahem) alive since George Romero first applied makeup to severely underpaid extras in 1968's "Night of the Living Dead." With "Shaun of the Dead" a few years ago, undead flicks got an unsolicited but hilarious reanimation by mixing slapstick comedy into the genre's already darkly humorous styling.

Enter "Zombieland." Though a zombie comedy (now a bonafide subgenre with its own portmanteau: zomcom) like its British counterpart, that's where most comparisons end. "Zombieland" is the young, hip, wisecracking hotshot to "Shaun of the Dead's" intellectual, mature take on Z-Day. A thinking man's comedy "Zombieland" is not. What it is, however, is the unexpected feel-good film of the year.

Ruben Fleischer finally makes the next step from directing music videos for the lies of Kanye West and M.I.A. in his feature film directorial debut here, and while the requisite jitters aren't completely absent, he takes chances few in his place would have the confidence to take, bucking numerous trends in the name of comedy.

"Zombieland" begins by planting the viewer firmly in the action. No eerie establishing scene or character introduction at the outset means instant transportation straight to the core. Our protagonist, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), narrates us through a crash course in the beginning of the end of days, and after that it's back to the plot and problems at hand.

A running gag from the opening scene is a set of rules compiled by Columbus to help him and anyone watching survive in a world inhabited by ravenous brain munchers. The rules are presented on-screen throughout the film in similar style to that of the recent Volkswagen ads, with the words hanging from different objects as the characters pass by and continue with the action unabated by the cues.

Seemingly, the purpose of this breaking of the forth wall is an attempt for the movie to completely ignore another zombie film convention: suspension of disbelief.

"Zombieland" knows it's a movie, and it wants its audience to know that it knows. Had this been a darker film like some heavier handed fare ("28 Days Later" and its sequel), the device wouldn't work at all and would serve to remove the viewer from the tension present. Instead, this makes the whole presentation a high-fiving romp through an otherwise desolate world. Parts even feel like a video game, which is a compliment in this case, as opposed to past fodder like "Doom."

Shortly after the introduction, Columbus crosses paths with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), his devil-may-care foil. Harrelson was made for his oneliner-dropping, natural born zombie killer role. He not only gets some of the biggest laughs, but his character also relishes every chance he gets to crush skulls, resulting in some truly vicious action sequences.

Not long after Columbus and Tallahassee meet, we are introduced to two decidedly gun-loving sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and the younger Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). By now, the pattern of naming has become apparent. Each character is signified by his or her hometown, as opposed to a real name, for the purpose of not getting too attached to one another in the event someone gets a nice helping of flesh gnawed from his or her bones during the adventure.

Each of the characters is given time for enough backstory to make them relatable, but not too much to slow the film down. The group eventually forms a family of sorts, despite the girls' trust issues that enable them to take advantage of Columbus and Tallahassee's misguided views on women in the apocalypse. Wichita and Little Rock score just as many kills as the boys, and the comedic effect of a preteen girl who won hearts in "Little Miss Sunshine" just three years ago now wielding a rifle with deadly accuracy against throngs of rabid moving heaps of putrescence is completely delivered on.

As for our lovable, rotting villains, they are strictly of the new-school style of zombies. No longer content to simply shuffle along haplessly in search of their next meal, these undead are smarter than your average flesh hunter. They not only run, but also are capable of ambushing the survivors at their most vulnerable, quite literally catching people with their pants down, which leads to Columbus' wariness of restrooms and backseats.

Above all the drama of most recent films in the genre, fun is the name of the game in "Zombieland." A cameo halfway through the movie featuring a legendary comedic actor is the best surprise since Tom Cruise's role in "Tropic Thunder." Other reviewers have given his identity, but we'll leave it a secret for full effect.

If "Zombieland" has any shortcoming, it's that the film is too short. The old saying is "Always leave them wanting more" and the 81-minute run-time will leave many viewers clamoring for another scene of lighthearted but no less visceral mayhem. But then again, who doesn't want to further explore the fine art of undead destruction?

Escapism is "Zombieland"'s gift to moviegoers. In a year with no clear Oscar contender, it's refreshing to see a film sidestep the fray and go for sheer entertainment before the heavies come in to make us exercise the very same grey matter those pesky living dead crave so much.

8/10

Everyone Is German on Oktoberfest

2009-10-05T21:25:48Z

It’s tough to tell if Prince Ludwig and his wife Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen would approve of a dueling beer bong performance at the 199th anniversary of their wedding, but the first night of a two-day Oktoberfest party at the Turn Verein in Sacramento was home to this unlikely of concerts.

For 42 years Sacramento's German community has been celebrating its heritage with anybody who wants to join in. The $10 admission allowed attendees to partake in traditional German music, dancing and great company.

Food and beverages were distributed using tickets, with one dollar buying a single meal ticket. Beer and sausage were just three tickets, potato salad was two, and some of the larger meals, such as roast chicken or the authentic pig's knuckle, were nine. Economy was the key, and $10 for two German beers, a sausage and a side was an unbeatable deal, especially for the quality.

In typical Oktoberfest fashion, the beer was the biggest draw. It isn't often one can sample the products of world famous breweries like Spaten and Hofbrauhaus, and even more rare to do so for only $3 a pint, but all of the major German beers were present and accounted for.

While Spaten's flagship pilsner flowed through most of the taps, several Oktoberfest styled beers were also on the menu. Richer than the pilsners and with a reddish copper hue to reflect the changing of the seasons, these beers are heavy on the malt and thus are perfect for the cooler months.

And the purveyors take pride in what they do, evidenced when one of the pourers tapped a new keg of Paulaner Oktoberfest and gave yours truly the first beer from it on the house on account of the inevitable foam that builds when fresh beer runs through the line.

Like all annual festivals, the central theme to Oktoberfest is tradition, and our local take on the biggest party in the world stuck pretty close to its roots. Men in lederhosen and women in dirndls performed German dance numbers as a modernized polka band played waltzes to accompany them.

Whenever the hundreds of people in the main hall quieted down from the dull roar common for most of the night, the band's singer would raise his Maß (liter) mug in a proust, shouting the phrase popularized by "The Man Show" -- "Zicke, Zacke, Zicke, Zacke, Hoi, Hoi, Hoi!" -- before leading everyone in taking massive gulps from their cups, glasses, and, in one true partyer's case, a massive glass boot.

The cuisine was as authentic as it gets. Bratwursts on kaiser rolls were the most popular (and reasonable) item, but the huge helpings of chicken most closely emulated the dishes served at the real thing 5,500 miles away. Those who really wanted to get traditional went one step further and ordered the pig's knuckle, though only the hardiest of hearts actually dined on the steaming platter of skin and gristle.

There was absolutely no Americanization in any of the food; no compromises whatsoever. Weisswurst, a type of sausage made with veal that is far less popular than its darker cousin, was even available for those who weren't feeling like pork that night.

All of the beer and meals could be bought on both floors of the Turn Verein, with the second floor featuring a rock band performing covers of The Beatles and other popular fare, while music act on the main floor was far more traditional, right down to their clothing.

In short, the gathering at this year's Oktoberfest was absolutely massive. Like the party in Munich, getting from one side of a room to another required strategic planning and execution by way of weaving through throngs of very contented people. If Ludwig and Therese had been there that evening, the smiles, food and ample beer supply would surely be enough to satisfy them.

City Charter Review Committee Holds Meeting in District Seven

2009-10-02T04:06:26Z

A meeting held in the Riverside Boulevard Elks Lodge at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday marked another in a series held by the City of Sacramento City Charter Review Committee (CRC).

Moderated by CRC vice chair JoAnn Fuller, the two-hour discourse between the roughly 25 citizens of District Seven and members of the council addressed issues involving the strong mayor initiative and the tentative decisions surrounding it.

Each proposal was presented on a separate page in a packet handed to everyone. A dry erase board was set up that had charts for all to read.

The first question posed was if the mayor should sit and vote as a member of the City Council. The committee felt that it might be important for the mayor to sit at the meetings in order for him to be more connected with the rest of his council.

When a citizen asked what would happen to the city manager, CRC member Alan LoFaso responded that he would continue to be a charter officer.

The subject of the mayor having veto power was also raised.

“So would it then take a super-majority to respond to a strong mayor’s veto?” asked citizen Warren Burns.

LoFaso responded in the affirmative.

Burns pointed out that if the strong mayor initiative is voted into action, the mayor can not only veto a law, but he can also use his spot on the council to vote against it again if the other members wish to overturn his veto.

The most controversial subject during the meeting was the question of who should appoint and remove certain members of government.

“A strong mayor would be able to appoint anyone he wanted to the role of city manager, which could cause a split among the members of the City Council,” warned CRC member Chester Newland.

This subject brought LoFaso back to the microphone to explain the three most common catalysts for political change in city government:

1. There is a scandal or major event in the city’s government, which prompted San Diego’s conversion five years ago.

2. A dynamic elected official enacts the change.

3. Cities get larger.

“There has been no compelling problem with Sacramento’s government that has given us the need to change the whole thing,” said LoFaso.

Burns expressed further skepticism at the ability of the strong mayor to hire and fire government employees, especially a city manager.

“If the mayor can appoint anyone he wants to city manager, he will be able to put a crony in the place of a perfectly competent person to further his agenda,” argued Burns. “I moved to Sacramento in 1968, and I’m afraid the strong mayor initiative could cause turmoil among many citizens, forcing them to move.”

As for other city employees, non-union workers would not be protected by a civil service support system, according to Fuller.

Sacramento’s budget was the last major topic discussed.

Under a strong mayor, the budget would be proposed by him or her. The council can make changes, which the mayor can then veto. If the council does not override the mayor’s veto by the new fiscal year, the budget goes into effect.

Fuller posed the last question of the evening, taking a poll of the citizens present who would be in favor of adding term limits to the mayor’s stay in office, and only a few were.

The State Archives to Offer Free Open House Saturday

2009-10-01T05:30:41Z

October marks Archives Month in most of the states in the union, and for the sixth consecutive year, California will be participating. To celebrate, the State Archives will be hosting an open house at 1020 O Street on Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.

Stephanie Hamashin, an archivist who will be working the event, spoke about what attendees can expect.

"The most important part of the exhibit will be both of California's constitutions," Hamashin said. "We haven't had the 1849 one on display in five years, and the one from 1879 is about the same. What is major is that both have never been shown simultaneously."

Due to the fragile nature of the documents, special lighting will be used to show them in their protective cases. A California Highway Patrol officer will guard the room. Both are written on animal hide, allegedly from goat, according to Hamashin.

"Our archivists will be here to answer questions about the artifacts and documents," Hamashin said. "They include students, interns and actual archivists."

Twelve organizations will be at the archives showing pieces from their collections.

"People from repositories like the Society of California Archivists, U.C. Davis and Sac State will be there," Hamashin said.

Hamashin said an added bonus is that anyone interested can get a behind-the-scenes tour where they will see where the documents are stored and how the displays are cared for.

"Dr. Thomas Clark, who is a professor at Sac State, will speak about the history of the constitutions at 5:45 p.m.," Hamashin said. "They are vital documents to our history because they represent the birth of the state itself."

Oct. 10 will see another major event for the archives, Family History Day.

"That day we will be showing people how to do research about their lineage and genealogy from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.," said Hamashin. "Both of these Saturdays are the biggest exhibits of the year for us."

Entrance to the State Archives is free on both days, as is parking around the building. More information on the archives can be found here. You can also call the archives at (916) 653-7715.

Greg Majewski on "Interview With Del Tha Funky Homosapien"

2009-09-30T04:03:27Z

The only thing I will say is that sampling has been an integral part of hip-hop since its very beginning. If The Sugarhill Gang never used an instrumental version of "Good Times," we wouldn't have "Rapper's Delight." And where would the genre be without that track?

San Francisco Mime Troupe Brings Biting Satire to Sac

2009-09-30T03:54:15Z

Leave it to a performance collective from San Francisco to deem our nation’s current economic state to be a subject for parody.

The city’s half-century-old Mime Troupe (which, as one of our other writers Tina explained in her preview, has actors who actually speak) gave its last show of the season to an audience of 100 or so locals at Southside Park on 2115 6th St.

Titled “Too Big to Fail,” the almost two-hour long play was a wry commentary on how America got into its financial crisis, told through a style mimicking African parables.

The main story followed newlyweds Filije (Adrian C. Mehia) and Jeneeba (Velina Brown), who don’t have much money and are in need of a loan. After the marriage, Filije is approached by a witch (BW Gonzalez), who offers him “the best magic in the world: credit,” which he accepts.

The couple is forced to give the goat (Lizzie Calogero) they received as a wedding gift for collateral after they default on a mortgage on their house. Filije decides to travel to the big city to erase his family’s debt, while Jeneeba stays in their hut to deal with the increasing greed in their hometown. The tale is split in two, narrated the whole time by the energetic character credited only as the Storyteller (Michael Gene Sullivan).

References to pop culture and satirical comedies abound. A spoof of the Knights Who Say Ni! scene from the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail appeared near the beginning of the play, where the people in the city can’t say the word “share,” much like the knights in the film, who can't say "it." The Storyteller used call and response with his audience, prompting phrases such as “Save us, for we cannot save ourselves.”

Filije finally reaches his first city and finds that everybody wears special glasses that make objects around them green, thus they see money instead of reality. They initially label him a “freedom hater” and a “communist” after he tries to explain that not everything can be privatized.

When Filije finally gets them to take their glasses off, the citizens see that their entire infrastructure is in shambles while the corporations get bigger.

Eventually, Filije escapes and crosses the ocean to the big city. There he finds a blue collar worker who accompanies him on his quest to find the credit company’s building. The pair make it to the main office but find no one is there, and it is then that the worker reveals himself to be the demon Kodo the Great (Ed Holmes), the boss of the firm.

Kodo offers Filije a job and, after taking it and changing into the suited businessman he and his wife always hated, he returns to his hometown. The story ends happily, though, when Filije arrives just in time to save his wife from being burned at the stake by the other villagers after she is labeled a witch.

Filije and Jeneeba get their goat back after they right the wrongs in the town and challenge everyone to live within their means instead of going into debt because of overuse of credit cards.

“Too Big to Fail” proved to be a profound, intelligent commentary, with double meanings and allegories in nearly every scene. It’s disappointing we will have to wait until the next season for more shows. More people need to see this play and hear its message sooner rather than later. The troupe travels around California performing free shows, so make sure to look for a new show next year. Information can be found at its website.

Greg Majewski on "Interview With Del Tha Funky Homosapien"

2009-09-29T07:02:01Z

I completely forgot to give Jonathan Mendick credit for his awesome photos!

Interview With Del Tha Funky Homosapien

2009-09-29T05:30:56Z

With six full-length solo albums, a founding role in seminal Oakland hip-hop crew Hieroglyphics and too many side projects and one-offs to count in his two decades in the game, Teren Delvon Jones, aka Del tha Funky Homosapien (or whatever variation of that spelling he feels like using on any given week), has long presided as the gateway between the independent and mainstream.

Del’s first two albums were recorded for Elektra, one of the larger labels in the early 90s, who terminated his contract in 1998 without warning before the release of his third LP, Future Development. Undaunted, Del instead pushed further underground, choosing to put all subsequent material out on Hiero Imperium, a label he co-owns with other similar artists.

While he achieved commercial success with his debut album's single, “Mistadobalina,” Del’s first true mainstream recognition came when he penned the two memorable verses for the hit Gorillaz track, “Clint Eastwood,” in 2001.

In the years following his early millennium comeback, Del occupied himself with the aforementioned side-projects and his first solo album in eight years, 2008’s Eleventh Hour.

The record received mixed critical reception, prompting Del to release his latest record, the sarcastically titled Funkman (The Stimulus Package), for free download from his website. After a recent tour showcasing the new material, Del made his way to Sacramento on Sept. 26 for a brief set at the 28th and B St. Skatepark Hangar.

The Sacramento Press took refuge from the blazing Sacramento afternoon in a climate-controlled white minivan where the somewhat reclusive emcee was waiting and working on his omnipresent laptop after the show.

Clad in a Skull Candy shirt and baggy blue pants with a camo Plan B Skateboards hat over covering his turquoise doo-rag, Del looked more casual than most rappers, eschewing flashy jewelry for the nose and lip ring combination he's had for the past few years.

The Funky Homosapien gave us a candid, one-on-one interview. The following are Del's opinions on various topics taken from the half-hour conversation, which can be heard in its entirety by clicking on the following links. Warning, files contain some profanity:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

The importance of learning music theory:

If you’re really into the music, you will naturally grow to that point where you’re tired of just working with samples and other people’s music and admire that so much you want to do that yourself. It got to the point where I did as much as I could with samples and I had to step it up to a keyboard.

I can write a little bit and I can read a little bit, but I’m like preschool with it. It takes me a long time to read music. I can read drum patterns better, so I find myself doing that.

But there was a point where I started getting real depressed and I started thinking, “What I got to do to sell?” Once I started learning music theory, that’s when that all vanished.

Sampling sounds in the hip-hop world:

People want to try to sue you for anything. If I sample one tone from somebody’s record because I like the timbre of that tone, that doesn’t mean that you should be able to sue me. You only got seven notes you playing anyway, so if that’s the case then everybody’s stealing from everybody. How many combinations are there? It’s a finite number, actually.

Like if I had a hit song and somebody rapped over it, yeah, I’d want to sue them. Because they’re getting paid off of my song. But if you take a part, and you do it [your own way], like you can tell that somebody did something to it, that’s the whole art of hip-hop.

Respect for hip-hop from other communities:

I definitely want people to respect hip-hop more. I don’t think it should be dying like it is and just fading away.

People in certain communities will look at this like it’s trash. Like if I want to get respect in the classical community they’re going to laugh at me. Like, “That ain’t music, you’re not playing the same old cats’ music over and over again the same way they did it. That’s the only thing that’s dope. That’s not dope."

Unoriginality in hip-hop:

I think the problem is there’s not enough solutions, actual solutions. Everybody’s complaining and they just state the facts. Like, “We dope deal, we shoot up people.” Ok, we know that, now what can we do about that? You don’t have any kind of suggestion or anything? You’re just gonna leave me with that news? It’s already frustrating.

Instead of just complaining about it, like, “Hip-hop is dead,” I’m trying to actively do something to show that it can grow.

They’re still trying to whoop that dead horse. Like, “You gonna keep buying it because it’s gangster.” Like, that’s not why we bought it. We bought it because it was interesting. Now, it ain’t no more, so leave us alone.

Inspiration for lyrics for his different projects:

My regular Del s*** is just everyday. Just real, what’s going on. I just have a crazy way at looking at stuff. But Deltron [a sci-fi-themed project with Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and DJ Kid Koala] takes more concentration, a bit more thought and planning. That’s the reason it ain’t done yet.

Musical tastes and their influence:

Funk is the core. Got a lot of funk, jazz occasionally. I like more funky jazz. The whole realm of black music, but anything that’s funky and got a beat to it I’m gonna fool with. Soul music, in that realm. But I like rock, too. Classic rock, stuff like that. Bands like Cream or Traffic. Frank Zappa is a big influence.

Put it this way: Me personally, I could understand Frank Zappa. So in my mind that tells me that I can do what he do. I’m not saying that I can write a composition the way he do, but I’m sure if he had the ability to use something like Live [music composition software for computers] back then, he’d have been juiced.

Record labels:

Oh, they suck like they always do. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about every single person that works for the industry, it’s just the machine and the people at the top are… they have access to be able to say how something works that they have no idea of what’s really going on. And it’s all based on money.

I want some money, too. But I’m not willing to sell my ass for it. My integrity means more and it lasts longer.

Piracy of music:

“Why don’t you just let people do whatever they’re going to do?” Cause you’re not gonna stop piracy. The whole point of crackers and hackers doing that is to see if they can do it. So the harder you make it to do, the more fun it is for them to crack it! That’s the whole point and they don’t get it. No matter how much you do to it.

There’s been times where I’ve been on the Internet and I’ve wanted to get something, but I couldn’t download it, so I was like, “Ok, I’m supposed to wait for you to send it to me?"

Posting his music online for free download:

I’m proud of my music. I have confidence in my music. “Try it out, you’re gonna respect me,” is what I’m saying.

Making music for enjoyment instead of profit:

That’s how it used to be. People bought these records because these dudes was incredible. But they didn’t make it for money. They made it because they was trying to release what they had to release throughout the day. That was their only joy or whatever. Was just doing their music. Now, it’s just commerce for a lot of people.

Yeah, I mean it’s a fringe benefit that I get some money out of it.

That’s really all I do. Fools write their 16 bars and they think that’s something. “Yeah I got a hot 16.” I’m like, “Dude, come on.” I be throwing away raps, I write so many raps. Hella raps, I don’t even use them. Just to express myself and it’s fun to do. Like, that’s entertaining. Combining rhymes to me is entertaining. So I just do it to entertain myself. It just so happened to turn into something that we could make some money off of.

Defining and developing his style:

I try to keep it as basic as possible, just basic character defects in people.

I mean I rap about the same stuff pretty much, but I go about it a different way because I’ve never been a gangster.

How the hip-hop scene has changed:

More commercialism. Just watered down. And people forgot about the origins. What it was about in the first place. Basically it was about avoiding conflict. “I’m gonna be fresher than you with my mind. I’m gonna break dance fresher than you. I’m gonna beat you with my graffiti piece.”

Attitude towards modern, commercial hip-hop:

I ain’t blind to it. But I don’t listen to radio. Like 50 Cent. He’s rhyming, but that’s like pop now. So it’s just the right place at the right time, but I think it’s gonna need a change in music. People are tired of hearing the same old thing.

Projects in the near future:

Automatic Static is coming out, that’s on the website. That’s three bucks, and I know ya’ll can afford it. Working on an album with A-Plus called Hypnotize, so that’s gonna be tight. Tame One and me did an album, Parallel Uni-Verses. Working with Psalm One, too. Attractive Sin. I don’t know what to do with that, so I might just give it away. And Parallel Thought produced that album. And I’m working on another album with Parallel called Delphonic.

Artists with whom he'd like to collaborate:

Snoop. Sugar Free. I’d love to collaborate with Sugar Free. He’s tight. He does things with vocals and with his voice that other rappers would be scared to try.

Spike and Mike Test the Limits of Taste at Sac State

2009-09-26T03:38:50Z

If there's one thing "The Simpsons," "Family Guy" and "South Park" have taught us, it's that cartoons are not just for kids. While audiences in other countries have known this for quite some time, it wasn't until Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation premiered in 1990 that America received its first wake-up call in the form of shocking, perverse and all-around hilarious hand-drawn shorts.

The marathon has introduced a slew of new talent in the years following its inception, bringing a slew of depraved choice cuts to a following looking to engage in this annual reverie of irreverence.

On Thursday, the 90-minute compilation was screened free of charge to a few hundred brave viewers who congregated in Sacramento State's Union Ballroom. Of the 28 clips, here are a few that got the most favorable response from the crowd, and are thus recommended a click on their respective hyperlinks attached to the titles. Note: I couldn't find many of them, you'll just have to wait for a DVD or another tour.

"A Peach for the Teach"
By Erica Pitt

An anthropomorphic peach competes with an apple for a teacher's attention, only to react in horror to its opponent's fate. It helped that the peach had cute anime-style eyes that showed tons of expression. Drew tons of "awww's" from the audience until the unexpected ending.

"Frog"
By Chris Conforti

This is a smoothly hand-drawn story of a frog who is chased into a pool, and his Homeric journey back to the marsh he calls home. It's funny to trace how he gets from one place to another. The end essentially starts his quest over again.

"Rats on Cocaine"
By Apocalypse Cartoons

The title is literally the only thing about this cartoon that's fit for print. It pretty much says it all. Lots of drug use and other — much more disturbing — situations, all involving a male and female rat, made this early short the first shocker of the night.

"Willowz"
By Plug Ugly Films, Michael Sladek

Timelapse video was taken from an overhead camera of the animator drawing on pages of a notebook and ripping them out to tell the story. The medium was a simple pencil and crayon combination, but the message was a biting commentary on the repression of individualism. The last frames were brilliant.

"Lapsus"
By JP Studio

This was my personal favorite of the festival. By using the contrast of black and white, a nun is shown crossing over a screen cut in half by the two colors. The shapes she transforms into are unpredictable and very creative.

"Happy Tree Friends, Can't Stop Coffin"
By Mondo Media, John Evershed

Mondo Media presents another installment in the infamous series featuring cute woodland creatures meeting graphically visceral demises while a cutesy soundtrack plays in the background. This got the most cheers from the audience even from its opening music. Compared to previous episodes, this one was actually tame.

"Yellow Sticky Notes"
By Jeff Chiba Stearns

The only short that was touching instead of funny. Stearns tells a self-reflective flip book-style story using pen on its titular writing material. One segment on 9/11 brought a complete silence to the ballroom.

"Dr. Tran"
By Lone Sausage Productions

A continuation of an established series, this was hilarious as always to those who have seen the previous videos but lacked context for anyone in the audience who was new to Tran's bizarre story. Essentially, the whole series is about a young boy who is a worldwide star, but he continues to deny his popularity even when people recognize him and a disembodied movie trailer-esque voice in his head shouts random slogans championing his abilities.

"Puppet"
By Patrick Smith

Smith tells a dark tale of a man who creates a hand puppet that comes alive and attacks him, making him hit himself. The puppet gets stronger and more creative as the film goes on. It's one of the longer clips, but deservedly so.

And there you have it. Go find these and watch with anyone who has an open mind. Enjoy the much underappreciated world of animation aimed at people who grew out of Nicktoons years ago.

And if anyone who was at the showing is wondering why I didn't include "Chirpy Returns," the answer is simple: It's the single most disgusting cartoon I have ever seen. I can't even give a hint as to what it's about because every aspect of it is vile and wrong. Some people laughed, some cringed, but most just stared in disbelief. This short alone pushes the festival's description to its limits. I won't post a link, so research at your own risk.

Del Tha Funky Homosapien to Help Save the Skatepark Hangar

2009-09-24T04:14:14Z

While the skateboarding and hip-hop worlds have crossed paths many times before, the mix will hit locally Saturday when Oakland underground star Del tha Funky Homosapien headlines a show at the 28th and B Skatepark Hangar.

Tion Torrence, aka Bukue One, is Del's manager, as well as a skater and emcee himself.

"I work with Rich, our main promoter in Sacramento, and I told him that Del and myself were down to do a free event — skate related — and he put it all together for us," Torrence said via e-mail.

"We have been working directly with lots of skate brands to further strengthen the bridge between hip-hop and skateboarding, so [they've] been doing a lot of skate events lately."

Balancing these interests is not only easy for Torrence, but integral to his professional and recreational life.

"The management opens doors for me to incorporate the elements of my life that I love," Torrence said. "If I'm out on the road with Del I'm gonna get to rock a set, as well as check out the local skate parks on tour. If we are at a skate event, performing, I get to perform, manage and skate … they actually go hand in hand."

Torrence's history with Del stems back from 2000, when he was assistant to his previous road manager. "We kept in touch and when they parted, he asked if I'd be down to manage him," Torrence said.

Saturday's show is a benefit to save the Skatepark Hangar. The park has been in financial trouble recently and is taking donations. Del's performance will be the second year in a row he has appeared at the venue.

"Our intention with the event is to give back to the skate community and Del fans in Sacramento," Torrence said. "Rich had informed me that the Hangar was fighting to stay in business and it'd be great if we could do the event there. Perfect!"

Doors for the show open at noon, and it scheduled to end around 4:00 p.m. Local artists Chase Moore and Verbalistic will open up the show, and an array of skaters will also be performing. Entrance is free, but a donation of $5 to the skate park is suggested.

Del's website and a link to a free download of his latest album can be located here.

Proponents of Health Care Reform Gather for Change

2009-09-23T03:45:29Z

Activists for health care reform gathered in front of the Blue Cross building across from the Capitol Tuesday.

Amidst cries of "Blue Cross, you're no good; treat the people like you should," the 100 people in attendance marched in a wide oval on the sidewalk. After a half hour of alternating rallying cheers, Laurie Comstock was invited to speak to the crowd. She told her personal story of how the health care system impacted her.

"I lost my health care in August when it almost doubled from $260 to $450," Comstock said over the megaphone. "It became too much for me to afford, so I had to drop it."

After her speech, organizer Lino Pedres of SEIU read a new policy drafted for Blue Cross and other health care providers. He then announced that he and a few volunteers would enter the building to deliver the proposal. Roughly five minutes later the volunteers appeared again, telling the gathering that security would not let them into the main offices to speak with anybody.

The main stipulation of the policy is as follows: "Wellpoint/Blue Cross will not use any resources -- including funds, employees, and facilities to oppose any aspect of the health care reform proposals supported by President Obama and being considered by members of the United States Congress."

Pedres stayed and continued his attempt to get access, but was unsuccessful.

Once the rally ended and the people dispersed, Comstock explained her situation in more detail.

"I am a self-employed deposition court reporter," she said. "After they raised my monthly costs, they also made me pay $1600 out of pocket just for continued coverage. I had never had a medical bill that was that much, so I figured it was not worth the cost."

She also explained struggles in other states.

"I have a friend in Oregon who actually comes down here every three months now to deal with bigger, more expensive procedures, because they cost even more there" she said.

While Pedres is covered under SEIU's plan, he is fighting for those who are not so fortunate.

"It is very difficult to have to take children to the hospital with no health insurance," Pedres said. "We are protesting against the companies' prevention of everyone getting health care. I don't care how we figure it out, one way or another, but coverage should be provided for those who need it."

Benefit for Camp Courage at Greens Hotel

2009-09-22T22:46:18Z

Camp Courage, a two-day training camp for activists seeking to fight for gay rights, will be receiving a sizable boost in funds thanks to a fundraiser benefit at the Greens Hotel on Thursday. The camp was inspired by the "Camp Obama" program that taught community organizing strategies to supporters of the president's campaign last year. The camp's goal is to prepare for a campaign for gay marriage in 2010, hoping to reverse Proposition 8, which passed in 2008 and declared: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California."

"This is the first Camp Courage to take place in Sacramento," said Cynthia Dall, the fundraiser for the city's branch of the camp. "We really need to get Sacramentans out there for their support."

The fundraiser will feature a no-host bar, appetizers, a five-course dinner, DJ and live music and speakers from Camp Courage, who will explain what the program is all about.

Sponsors include Darrell Steinberg, Sacramento Young Dems and The Coffee Garden.

Food will be provided by Joshua Ploeg, also known as "The Traveling Chef." Ploeg is the author of numerous vegan cookbooks, including his latest, the Proustian "In Search of Lost Taste." For the event on Thursday, Ploeg's plates will be vegetarian with some vegan focus as well.

Musical guests are varied, and, like the chef, are providing their services for no profit.

Aside from DJ Larry Rodriguez, the other music acts are Dog Party, Christine Shields and Phil Franklin, Thomas Bixby, and a possible appearance by Willie Winant, who is practicing to perform with John Zorn.

The strangest act in the lineup is Dog Party.

"They're a two-piece sister act consisting of an 11-year-old on drums and a 14-year-old who sings philosophical lyrics," said Dall. "I first saw them at another event, and thought of them when I was planning for this one. Their content is really deep, like 'Do you see what you think you see?'"

Artists are encouraged to bring their work to hang and even sell that night. To have pieces put on display, they must bring them to the hotel by 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

"We promise to take good care of them," Dall said with a laugh.

Prices will be on a sliding scale from $30-$65, depending on how much the attendee can afford. Kids 12 and under get in for free.

Artists can contact Rebecca at 916-852-7409.

The Camp Courage event will take place from Nov. 7-8 at the Elks Lodge on 11th and J streets.

Anyone interested in signing up for the camp or finding more information can do so at http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/campsacramento

The Greens Hotel is on 1700 Del Paso Blvd.

Dave Brubeck Takes Five at the Radisson

2009-09-20T01:18:57Z

The use of the word legend to describe an artist often draws cries of hyperbole. In a musical climate where acts become blockbusters seemingly overnight and evaporate into obscurity just as quickly, it's all too easy to forget about a truly enigmatic icon like Dave Brubeck.

Aside from a stint in the army during World War 2, the 88-year-old jazz pianist has been composing and performing since he graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1942.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of "Time Out," an album for which descriptors like "landmark," "innovative" and "groundbreaking" were coined.

Critically panned upon its release, the seven-song exercise in odd time signatures single-handedly changed the perceptions of jazz for casual and serious fans alike, and is now considered a classic in the genre, as well as being the first jazz album to sell a million copies.

Paul Desmond's smooth saxophone lines helped ease the jarring time signatures of bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, while Brubeck laid melodic piano runs over each performance. The album -- especially its hit single, the now-standard "Take Five" -- was a perfect melding of odd meter changes and occasional excursions into international music styles, all made accessible with memorable leads that belied the material's complexity. The outlandish post-modern cover art and heady musicianship on "Time Out" cemented it as a cornerstone of the new era of jazz, leading the way into the 60s with a different take on the genre.

On Friday, Sept. 18, Brubeck made a rare Sacramento appearance at the center courtyard of the Radisson Hotel, eschewing his regular performances at his alma mater, which is also home to an institute that bears his name.

A quartet from the Dave Brubeck Institute opened the night. While the members were just barely old enough to vote, they played with a refined touch that mirrored Brubeck's own classic lineup.

Aside from a few covers, the four skilled young players performed original pieces, the first of which was composed by saxophonist Chad Lefkowitz-Brown. The song, called "Still Here," began with a quick-ride cymbal workout from drummer Corey Fonville, which was anchored by bassist Zach Brown to form a sturdy foundation for the lead instruments that gave meaning to the composition's reaffirming title. Both Lefkowitz-Brown and pianist Noah Kellman got a solo, provoking call and response interplay between the two instruments before Fonville took the song home with rolling tom fills.

"315" was next, a tune from Kellman named after his hometown's area code in New York. In keeping with the city theme, the song had a pronounced urban feel to it, with a strong, upbeat tempo and an incredible bass solo. The quartet finally converged into one after a few minutes of rhythmic experimentation and locked into a swinging melody that lasted for the rest of the number.

If Marian McPartland is jazz piano's reigning queen, then Dave Brubeck is, without question, its king. This fact was made apparent once again when Mayor Kevin Johnson gave Brubeck a key to the city of Sacramento in return for the autographed piano key Johnson had once received from him. The award is another in the string of many Brubeck has received over the years, including a recent announcement from the Kennedy Center that he will be honored for excellence in the performing arts on Dec. 6.

All of this seemed to roll off of the man of the night, who seemed to simply want to sit at his throne and play the instrument he has mastered over the years.

When all awards and honors are given and done with, what's striking about Brubeck is his humility. He eased into his piano chair (no longer a stool, presumably for back comfort) and entered his own world, where myriad melodies, tonalities and rhythms cohabited and cooperated in ways which no other living jazz musician can coax with such ease.

Brubeck's set was mostly comprised of a Duke Ellington medley, a nice mix of songs and styles that brought cheers from the 1,000 or so people in attendance, especially when he finished his first solo. He smiled uncontrollably, likely the same expression he's always had during his thousands of previous concerts. At one point Brubeck let out a loud, "Oh!" in reaction to bassist Michael Moore's proficient use of his bow during a solo.

A tune called "Travellin' Blues," about Brubeck's wife, Lola, waiting at home while he toured, was an emotional centerpiece to the concert. The four players hinted at a groove before joining together for the refrain. Saxophonist Bobby Militello played a powerful solo comprised of massive sustained notes that could have easily been a heart-wrenching Bessy Smith ballad had they been vocalized.

In between songs, Brubeck spoke about his life as a musician. The next day's lengthy itinerary had the hard-touring road veteran slightly nervous.

"We're heading to Redwood City to play, and then it's on to Monterrey for the [annual] jazz festival," Brubeck said. "Rather than stay in a nice hotel for the rest of the day, we just keep going onto another gig; but that's the way we live, if you can call that living. Getting there and playing, though, that is the living."

During another break Brubeck mentioned that in 1958, President Eisenhower commissioned his quartet to play in various nations across the globe to spread good will.

One country was Turkey, where he and his bandmates were inspired by the regional music enough to compose Time Out's "Blue Rondo à la Turk." He then announced he would not play said piece that night, citing the tune in the challenging 9/8 time signature as a "real finger buster."

When someone in the front row requested "Take Five" instead, Brubeck responded with mock indignation -- "If that's what you want, then that's what you're going to get" -- before his fingers nimbly counted out the opening notes of the signature number.

Militello echoed the late Paul Desmond's sax melody perfectly and the rest of the band rode the song's groove until they broke for drummer Randy Jones to hammer out an extended solo filled with dramatic cymbal crashes and harrowing snare rolls. The rest of the members were as transfixed as the audience, with Brubeck even standing up to peek around his piano to watch the sticks fly before settling back in to return the piece to its central theme.

Before the audience noticed, almost two hours had passed and the quartet was still playing.

To end the set, Brubeck joked with the crowd by playing the melody of the nursery rhyme "Go to Sleep, Little Baby" before going into a final tune.

In total, the audience rose three times to give a standing ovation before sitting down after realizing that Brubeck was not going to forfeit his throne before he played every last note he could. The man clearly lives for music, whether playing it to audiences the world over or a quasi-hometown gathering. He is, as the Library of Congress has designated him to be, a living legend.

Photo credits to Jonathan Mendick. I don't know what technial wizardry he used to get these shots. He made the best out of a pretty rough lighting situation and came away with some great images.

Local Businesses Celebrate Mexican Independence

2009-09-16T03:36:37Z

Sept. 16 marks the anniversary of Mexican Independence Day, the date in 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Mexican priest, held an early morning mass and rang the bell of his church to encourage his people to fight against Spain for their freedom. The call signaled the official beginning of Mexico's war for independence. While Hidalgo was captured and executed the next year, Mexico won the war a decade later and became its own country.

The event is often confused with Cinco de Mayo, which is more popular in America. This date commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which the Mexican army won against the French on May 5, 1862. It is mostly celebrated in the state of Puebla, and though some other regions recognize it, Mexican Independence Day is the true nationwide holiday for Mexico.

To acknowledge the most important moment in Mexican history, several Sacramento restaurants and businesses will be holding their own festivals. Many are celebrating the event all week long. Here are a few activities happening in our community to in honor of Mexico's Independence:

Popular Mexican restaurant Zocalo is hosting a celebration starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

"We're starting the party then because the holiday falls on a weekday and we know people have to go to work the next day," manager Gabriel Rodriguez said of the night's expected liveliness.

Zocalo is also hiring a mariachi band, a band playing norteño-style music, and folklorica ballet dancers performing traditional numbers.

"There will be a professional jimador [a farmer who harvests and prepares agave plants] from Mexico who will do a demonstration on how to carve agaves and produce tequila," said Rodriguez.

The main event of the night is a tasting hosted by Herradura, which will feature the maker's top-shelf tequilas. Tickets for the event are $10. Tasters can also sample other brands from Zocalo's selection.

Ernesto's Mexican Food is celebrating from Monday through Wednesday. The downtown eatery is having drink specials and live mariachi performances on the day of the event. Margaritas made with Cazadores tequila are $7.

"We will also have girls from Tecate who will be handing out free prizes like shot glasses," said general manager Mel Barzola.

"While we are offering the drink specials those days, Wednesday is the major party with the music and dancing," said Barzola.

The restaurant has been celebrating Mexican Independence Day for almost all of its 18 years in business.

"It seems like most of the places are sort of doing their own thing and not really having one big festival together," added Barzola.

The local art scene is also joining the festivities. Private collector Larry Hoover will be opening his exhibition on Tuesday to coincide with the date. Hoover will be showing 30 masks from his his collection of 150 at La Raza Galeria Posada, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. ending on December 31.

The exhibit, called Sacred & Shared, will also host numerous programs for the public, including workshops and demonstrations by master mask makers and lectures about their craft.

The masks are from all over Mexico, demonstrating the diversity and widespread importance of the medium to the nation's culture.

Flogging Molly Whips the Radisson into Shape

2009-09-12T03:32:15Z

“Oi’ve been drinkin’ a bit, I ’ave,” admitted a rather sizable fellow at the ATM in the Radisson Hotel lobby where Flogging Molly was set to perform.

The familiar thup, thup, thup of dispensing bills prompted the green-shirted concertgoer to exclaim, “It’s like the freakin’ lottery and I win every time!” Though once sober he would likely lose his faux Gaelic accent, everyone in attendance was an honorary Irish lad or lass.

Three things are certain at a Flogging Molly show:

1. Incalculable amounts of Guinness will be consumed.
2. A few rowdy fans will engage in fisticuffs at some point.
3. The band will instill a camaraderie in the crowd few musical acts can achieve.

The first two generally go hand in hand. And while our aforementioned friend celebrated the night early and without incident, the same cannot be said for two ladies during the third song of Flogging Molly’s set. Long story short, one tried to cut in front of the other to get closer to the stage; pushing ensued and the offender had her glasses knocked off before the sparrers’ boyfriends could separate them.

Aside from the requisite skirmish, the rest of the evening was a family-friendly affair, with everyone from kilted punks to parents with kids on their shoulders raising their fists and pints to welcome the act to Sacramento.

Rare is the band that can have its audience singing along to the opening song, but Flogging Molly’s rousing opus “What’s Left of the Flag” compelled the all-ages crowd to shout its chorus of “Walk away me boys, walk away me boys/And by morning we'll be free/Wipe that golden tear from your mother dear/And raise what's left of the flag for me” along with frontman Dave King.

The L.A. Celtic punk septet’s notoriously energetic show stayed firing on all cylinders until King announced that they would break things up a bit with something they’d never done in California: an acoustic set.

A gorgeous rendition of “Us of Lesser Gods,” off of last year’s Float album, began the mini-break from Flogging Molly’s faster numbers. King dedicated “The Sun Never Shines (On Closed Doors)” to the song’s subject, his “dear old mum,” and sang with passion in her honor.

While the crowd clearly appreciated the break, they would not be lulled into a false sense of security, given Flogging Molly’s unique ability to transition from sentimental ballad to raucous punk anthem at the drop of a (pork pie) hat. The switch went smoothly, as the refrain of “Laura” had everyone feeling like they “could have danced on the sun.”

The band finished its set but returned soon after among cries of “one more song!” from audience. Our enthusiasm was rewarded with not one but two tunes, the last of which was “Every Dog Has Its Day” from the band’s classic debut, Swagger. Bridget Regan’s fiddle wailed, Dennis Casey tore off a searing guitar solo and King (the act's sole native Irishman) danced a jig as his band brought the night to an end.

Fat's Turns 70

2009-09-11T06:28:49Z

The booming drums and clanging metal of a traditional Chinese lion dance kicked off the 70th anniversary of Frank Fat’s, Sacramento’s oldest operating eating establishment.

A red and white lion, each moved by two dancers inside the costumes, moved to the rhythm, winding around the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and the Motor Inn Garage next door where the party was being held. After a few dances, the lions led a procession inside the garage to signal to all in attendance that the night had officially begun.

Jerry, Frank Fat's youngest son, opened the night by inviting all members of the family on the stage.

“I don’t think anyone could have seen this location becoming the seed of the entire franchise,” Jerry said of the first restaurant on 806 L St.

Jerry’s sister, Linda, organized the event to give the profits from the $125 tickets to the Sacramento Crisis Nurseries and also decorated the garage with festive red sashes and flowers.

“The values my father instilled in us were simple: work hard, get an education, always be respectful to others and give back to the community,” Jerry said.

After his introduction, Fat turned the stage over to Mayor Kevin Johnson, who remarked on not only his love of the restaurant's food, but also its importance to Sacramento’s history.

“We have made a resolution marking September 9th as Frank Fat Day,” Johnson said.

Former KCRA and KOVR news anchor Stan Atkinson was the host for the evening. Atkinson proceeded to speak of the history of Fat’s and the significance of the day.

“I hope you all feel the essence of karma today,” Atkinson said. “Frank, Mary and Wing must be smiling right now at the chosen date. Nine is a very important number in Chinese culture, and to celebrate the anniversary of this place is a definite sign of good luck.”

Chairman of the California Democratic Party John Burton explained that “so many deals were made at Fat’s.” He also spoke about the famous Napkin Deal, which celebrates its own anniversary a day after the party.

The 22-year-old deal is considered a major turning point in California politics, prompting a truce between insurance companies, trial lawyers, doctors and manufacturers in return for their support in changing California’s civil liability laws. Democratic Senator Bill Lockyer mediated the discussions and scribbled the stipulations of the agreement on a white napkin. A copy of the napkin exists in the form of a large poster hanging in Fat’s.

Councilmember Robbie Waters presented the official resolution for Frank Fat’s Day to Jerry Fat before the night’s band, Clean Slate, took the stage.

As a few brave partygoers danced to funk-infused covers of “My Girl,” “It’s Not Unusual” and “Good Times,” the rest helped themselves to choice selections from the numerous restaurants in the Fat chain.

Among the offerings were eggrolls, potstickers and numerous types of sushi. Pork was definitely the dominant flavor of the night, as nearly every food station featured a dish made with the meat, ranging from pulled pork sandwiches to deep fried pork dumplings. One table even featured a full roast pig which had been cubed for people to easily place hunks on their plates.

No occasion featuring food from Fat’s would be complete without the restaurant’s signature banana cream pie, and this night was no different. The famous dessert was served bite sized in miniature tart dishes with a generous helping of whipped cream on top.

The two bar tables offered about a dozen wines, a few different beers and an array of liquor for mixed drinks. Attendees happily sipped their drinks and moved from one platter of delectable samples to another.

The night ended as people slowly filtered out of the garage's three massive doorways, everyone's stomachs a much more full and the Crisis Nurseries' funds likewise.

Ten 22 to Bring Stylish, Reasonable Eating to Old Sac

2009-09-05T01:35:55Z

The exclusive preview tasting at Ten 22 on Wednesday, Sept. 2 found myself, fellow Sacramento Press reporter Jonathan Mendick, and members of our local media peers Sactown Magazine, Capitol Public Radio and Sacramento News & Review happily sipping on sweet, summery cocktails on the balcony of a posh loft above the skeletal framework of the soon-to-be restaurant and bar in Old Sac. Conversation and laughs were exchanged as owner and host extraordinaire Terry Harvego gave us a preview of the tasteful upholstery of the restaurant's interior. But how did we get here?

The evening started out innocently enough as Harvego led our party of eight into the cluttered expanse of what will be the restaurant’s main room.

“This place will be 6,900 square feet,” Harvego, who also owns The Firehouse, said. “There will be seating for 16 to 18 at the bar alone. We’re also trying to get seating outside on the boardwalk, but Old Sac does not allow that at this time.”

Ten 22’s bar will be the focal point for passersby on the street.

“It’s tough to see inside the stores from the street, so we’re hoping that people will walk by and see activity in the front area of the restaurant,” Harvego said. “But if we didn’t have the thin, tall doors, we wouldn’t be part of Old Sac.”

As for the bar’s focus, it is mostly beer.

“There will be 24 beers on tap,” Harvego said. “And aside from your standard choices, most of them are local or from Northern California.”

The same goes for the wine, too, but Ten 22’s quantity of tap beers alone already rivals or completely decimates every other bar in the area.

Harvego also decided to put in a 55-person banquet room. The secret behind that number, he said, is that tour buses hold that many people. In terms of seating, it seems Ten 22 is ready for anything.

This all brings us back to the reason we were really there: free food and drink.

We retreated from the humid Sacramento air and finished our cocktails in the climate controlled dining area of the as-yet-unrented apartment that doubled as party central for the night.

Harvego’s consulting executive chef, Irie Gengler (also from The Firehouse), brought in a few bowls of freshly roasted assorted nuts, and the two asked us whether this should be a permanent substitution in lieu of bread. Opinions differed on that subject, but everyone agreed that the nuts themselves were well-prepared and excellent. The saltiness was just the right compliment to the aforementioned sugar-dipped cocktails we were greeted with, called Vanilla Slides.

As we sat around the table and looked over the evening’s menu, Gengler disappeared and Harvego produced an array of bottles from the refrigerator, one of which was a 22-ouncer of Rubicon IPA. Harvego graciously poured each person’s desired wine and beer, and we soon received our first course, baby spinach salad with roasted pecans and Granny Smith apples.

The dressing was noted as “seeming simple but quite complex in taste” by a few of the guests. The tangy juices of the apples meshed with the sweetness and the pecans added a hearty crunch to each bite. Small clumps of bleu cheese dotted the plate, rounding out a great beginning to a meal.

Our next course was a beef au jus sandwich, the aroma of which had everyone’s immediate attention. The texture of the beef was superb, just tender enough to chew easily but thick enough to be a “man pleaser,” as one of our constituents called it. A quick soak of the bread in the au jus before each bite made the dish a definite hit, and the portions were perfect for a quick but filling lunch for a worker on the move.

For our final entrée, we were treated to coriander-dusted halibut in a light leek sauce. The fish sat on top of a generous helping of mashed potatoes, which helped absorb the sauce for extra flavor. Everything was prepared to perfection and loading up my fork with a hunk of halibut, a dollop of spuds and a little dab of sauce was a joyful endeavor that combined a beautiful spectrum of flavors.

Every sip (or rather, gulp) of my beer was a joy. I’m a huge fan of IPA and the spicy hops they assault one's taste buds with, and Rubicon’s take on the style is no exception. To say it has a hop presence is an understatement. It doesn’t so much taste of the flower as it does coil a few shoots of it around a bat and whollop you over the head with it. And it’s got a finish like the Sahara. If these sound like unwanted characteristics, you probably aren’t a hophead, much like the people in the test groups before us who voted against the inclusion of Pliny the Elder on the beer list. Russian River’s flagship beer is a complex double IPA and is, in this humble beer nerd’s opinion, the finest in its class.

Nine o’clock rolled around and we realized that we had been eating, drinking and talking for an hour past the evening’s initial end-time, definitely a good sign. We piled in the elevator and headed out on the quiet boardwalk, all a little warmer and certainly more full than when we had arrived. Ten 22 is slated to open its doors on (when else?) Oct. 22, and if you want to do your part in helping our city’s burgeoning restaurant scene along, head over to 1022 Second St. and welcome another great eatery to the family.

Photo credits to Jonathan Mendick.

Eat Wings for a Good Cause

2009-09-04T03:20:55Z

Looking for an excuse to chow down on some buffalo wings? Hooters will be holding its first Wingfest at 11 a.m.Saturday, Sept. 5 at William Land Park. The event isn’t just to see which people can stuff the most spice into their mouths; it’s also a fundraiser for the George Mark Children’s House, a hospice program for children with terminal illnesses.

“I remembered hearing about a wing-eating contests in Buffalo, which is where the dish is from originally,” said Frank Chopski, owner of the Hooters restaurants in Sacramento, Natomas, Rancho Cordova, Fresno and Honolulu. “We’ve done so many other events, like golf tournaments and motorcycle shows, and I thought this would be great to try. This is our first one, but we're hoping it will be annual.”

William Land Park was the ideal location for the event, not just because Chopski knows the people who run the golf course, but also because of the natural shade it provides.

“There are always just a lot of people around there on the weekends anyway, so hopefully they will be drawn to it even if they didn’t know about it," Chopski said.

The main event of the day is the wing-eating competition, which will feature all local contestants.

“No professional eaters are allowed to compete,” Chopski said. “We held contests at all three Hooters locations every Thursday in August, so we have a dozen competitors who have made it the finals. The first to 30 wings is the winner.”

The champion gets a trip for two to Honolulu and a free meal at the Hooters there.

Eaters and spectators will be treated to three live-music acts throughout the day.

“Our lineup is a Tom Petty tribute band called The Refugees, a Lynyd Skynyrd tribute band called Gator Alley and Guitar Shorty, who is a great blues guitarist and is also Jimi Hendrix’s brother-in-law,” Chopski said. “If you like Stevie Ray Vaughn and really great blues rock, you’ll love him.”

The day will also feature an amateur wing sauce competition, where judges will vote on the best Buffalo-style concoction.

“That contest’s winner will get a trip for two to Las Vegas and $200 in gambling money," Chopski said.

Hooters will generate hype for the event with a race at RPM Race Place Motorsports n the night before.

“We will have 16 teams of four racing in go carts,” Chopski said. “The catch is that every lap they have pull to the pit area and someone has to eat five hot wings before they can get back in the race. Each team paid $400 to compete in the race, and RPM will give all of that to George Mark.”

Anyone looking for a day of good music, food and beer should head to William Land Park at 11 a.m. to kick off the day’s festivities. Tickets are $10 and available at all three Sacramento Hooters locations. The event is all ages.

Greg Majewski on "Lebowski Fans Gather at Capitol Bowl"

2009-09-01T21:51:39Z

It was a pretty good party. Bowling, white russians and what have you. There were no rugs so the room was not tied together, which was a bummer, man.

Lebowski Fans Gather at Capitol Bowl

2009-09-01T01:59:54Z

Every cult film worth its weight deserves a convention for fans to get together and celebrate their love for all things related. The Coen Brothers' classic noir spoof The Big Lebowski got its due with Lebowski Fest, which started in Louisville, Ken. in 2002 and has since gone national, sparking events in major cities across the United States.

Last year, Capitol Bowl in West Sacramento decided to get in on the action and held its first party in honor of The Dude and Walter's misadventures, and the party returned Sunday, Aug. 30.

"Two of my friends, Lori and Michael Blanchard, wanted to hold an event to raise money for a few charities they were part of," said Brandy Benten, bartender, talent booker and organizer of the first Big Lebowski Party at Capitol Bowl. "I decided it would be fun to tie that in with the movie because I'm a huge fan."

According to Benten, last year's event drew 150 people, many of whom dressed as their favorite characters from the film. The turnout this year was significantly less.

"I think the economy has something to do with it," said Capitol Bowl Manager Chris White. Despite the advertisements on the radio, in newspapers and on the Internet, only about 25 people gathered for the costume contest, bowling and trivia.

The movie itself was played on a screen inside the bar this time, as opposed to being shown on all of the televisions in the alley as it was last year."

"Everything sort of happened at once during the first one," White said. "Everybody wanted a little more structure this time, so we decided to separate the contests to make sure we could get more people involved."

The $20 admission fee got attendees two hours of bowling and entries in costume and trivia contests for a chance to win prizes such as bowling shirts, drink mixers and apparel from Capitol Bowl.

"I think the event is great because it kind of says that bowling is cool again," White said. "It kind of has this reputation of being something that only old men do, but I play in a league and I'm pretty sure everyone there is younger than me."

While this year's event didn't bring as many people as the first one, most who came were in costume. Several Dudes battled it out for best lookalike, as did two impressive Walters and many minor characters, including a dead ringer for enigmatic porn director Jackie Treehorn. In the end, the opponents made peace and laughed over a few White Russians just as the real Dude would have wanted.

"We wanted to make the event part of the actual Lebowski Fest this year, but it was too late," White said. "But next year we will make sure to be a part of the big deal. It will be much better."

The Dude would most certainly abide to that.

Greg Majewski on "Anime convention celebrates fans"

2009-08-31T21:06:18Z

A Cloud costume. Nice! What was the sword made out of? You definitely gave a great account of the event. It must have been a memorable experience for someone who is not into that scene. Did the convention make you curious about anime and the culture? Also, your pictures are wonderful, Anthony. The colors are very vibrant and richly detailed. Did you put some more on Flickr?

Monsters of Accordion to Play Luigi's

2009-08-30T03:24:22Z

The accordion is “the most maligned instrument in the world,” according to the Monsters of Accordion's website.

You can find out for yourself if that moniker fits at Luigi’s Fungarden, the music venue attached to the Downtown pizza joint, where the tour will be making a stop on Aug. 31. Seattle-based accordionist Jason Webley organized the tour and is also playing on all dates.

“I meet so many amazing, freaky accordion players in my travels now, and I am lucky to count many of them as my friends,” said Webley via e-mail.

The Monsters of Accordion came together “several years ago” when Webley was invited to play at an accordion shop in Oakland.

“The event was incredibly fun, and was perhaps the first time I became aware that there were other people playing something other than polkas on the accordion," Webley said.

That same night, Webley met two Bay Area accordionists, Daniel Ari and Aaron Seeman. “The next year, we decided to do a tour together, which was the first Monsters of Accordion,” he said.

While the current tour consists of Webley, Steven Iancu, Geoff Berner and Eric Stern, its lineup has changed with the past few iterations.

“It’s hard, actually,” said Webley of the task of picking performers each year. “At first we had the same players on the tour, but now that I’ve been doing the tour for a few years, my goal is to find the right balance between familiar face and new acts.”

Those acts are as unique as the instrument they play, and as such there is not a particular accordion playing music “scene” as there often is with other music styles.

Despite the fact that accordionists of Webley and company’s caliber are few and far between (Iancu hails from Tokyo, for example), the crowds at the shows “can be really diverse, just like the music played on the accordion," Webley said.

Webley takes his claim of diversity to heart. Though his influences don’t often show in his music, he draws inspiration from a broad range of artists and styles.

“I grew up listening to Michael Jackson and punk music,” Webley said. “Later I studied world music, classical music, and I have tried to steep myself in the works of the great singer-songwriters of different eras and geographies. But I think in the end, the earliest influences had the biggest effect on me.”

There are currently no plans to take the Monsters of Accordion tour past the West Coast, but Webley said he would “LOVE to do an East Coast Monster run someday!”

For now, the lucky residents of a few major cities in the west will have a chance to catch the folksy drinking songs, ballads and ribald tales as told by Webley and his equally eccentric contemporaries.

The all ages show starts at 8 p.m. Luigi's is on 1050 20th St. Tickets are $10.

Keith Lowell Jensen and Friends Hit the Punch Line

2009-08-28T02:55:37Z

If there is a lesson to be learned from Keith Lowell Jensen’s headlining set at the Punch Line, it’s to never solicit religion at his door, lest you wish to be treated to an all-nude male revue starring the local comic.

The hypothetical situation was one of the older bits that made it into KLJ’s hour-long routine on Aug. 26. The show was in celebration of his first album of stand-up, To the Moon… Live at Luna’s.

Hosting the night and warming up the crowd was Marcella Arguello. At 6 feet 2 inches tall, the hard-hitting San Franciscan towered over her male counterparts, a fact she didn’t shy away from.

“I can kick all of your asses if you back-talk me,” she joked before introducing the first comic of the night, John Ross.

The original Christian comedian on the Coexist? Comedy Tour, Ross played off his awkward demeanor and nerdy looks. “I’m like the gayest-looking Mormon ever,” he commented about his well-kept appearance. He also admitted that he likely lost his religion after Coexist?’s run, which brought loud applause appropriate for the night honoring a staunchly atheist comedian.

Ray Molina’s dry, deadpan humor was next. While many of his jokes would be offensive if they were told by a more energetic performer, the fact that he delivered them with a straight face made the bits that much more disturbing and hilarious. Few stand-ups can make people laugh uncomfortably at controversial subjects like abortion and social justice like Molina.

The self-described “lewd and crude” Kelly Price brought the energy back to the crowd with her decidedly adult-oriented act. Somewhere between Lisa Lampanelli and Roseanne Barr in terms of influence and style, Price had everyone in tears with detailed explanations of her exploits as a newly divorced woman in her 30s looking for love without all that pesky romance that goes along with it. None of her jokes are fit to print here, so seek her out next time she’s on a bill if you’re in the mood for dirty jokes told by someone who wouldn’t look out of place driving a van full of kids to soccer practice.

After Price finished her set, the time had finally come for the man of the night. Keith Lowell Jensen took the stage with punk music blaring in ironic contradiction to the finely pressed suit he was wearing. Aside from the aforementioned bit on answering the door in the buff, KLJ mostly riffed on newer material he had been working on since he recorded his album in April, plus a few from the CD itself.

Jensen’s biting commentary on religion and the way society perceives it was still prevalent in his act, but it was interspersed with bits on his imminent transformation into a father in October and why he is “hella gay at being straight.”

Also included was his now-standard observation on the world of pornography and why there isn’t a sub-genre just for him called “Not F****** Disgusting.”

By the time the night ended, the audience had been hit with a solid three-hour block of comedy, which wasn’t too shabby for $15 ticket price and a free copy of KLJ’s CD.

Drexel University Offers Veterans Free Education

2009-08-27T02:36:20Z

Starting this fall, the Sacramento branch of Drexel University will offer any of its graduate programs free of charge to veterans who qualify for admission.

Titled the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, the act was put in effect by the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). It is targeted to veterans who have served in the armed forces since 9/11. Any veteran who has served 36 months of active duty after Sept. 10, 2001 is eligible.

The stipulations of the offer were discussed at a meeting for prospective students on Aug. 25 at the university. Tobey Oxholm, senior vice president of Drexel, hosted the meeting.

“For any of you who are certified veterans, we will make sure your cost is zero,” Oxholm said.

Drexel's Director of Veterans Services Jeffrey Linskens spoke to the 10 veterans present via video chat from his office in Philadelphia. Oxholm "beamed him in" using a computer screen and microphones to demonstrate the technological capabilities of Drexel's classrooms.

Linskens discussed the more specific numbers. Veterans will be eligible for full scholarship 15 years after the end of active duty. They will get stipends of $1,000 a year in books and $1,700 per month for housing.

“I am not aware of any school of Drexel’s caliber that has allowed admission to all of its programs for the Yellow Ribbon Program,” Linksens said.

For students who wish to take some courses online, Drexel will still pay for their education as long as they take one course in person.

To qualify for the program, veterans must meet the admission requirements and obtain a certificate from the VA.

Drexel University of Sacramento is located at One Capitol Mall, Suite 260.

The main campus of the university was founded in 1891 in Philidelphia, Penn. by financier Anthony J. Drexel and offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The Sacramento campus, which focuses exclusively on graduate studies, opened its doors on Jan. 5, 2009. It ranked 6th in U.S. News' list of "Schools to Watch" last year.

Application deadlines differ for the various graduate programs, which can be found here.

More information on the Yellow Ribbon Program can be found here.

Keith Lowell Jensen at the Punch Line

2009-08-25T20:49:16Z

After years in the comedy business, local comic Keith Lowell Jensen is set to release his debut comedy album and is celebrating the career milestone with a CD release show at the Punch Line on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Jensen's other endeavors include a documentary film about panhandling called Why Lie, I Need a Drink, multiple blogs touching on subjects from his inability (or unwillingness) to keep a job to sea monkeys and a book titled The Atheist Survival Guide, due out in November. It seems Jensen has done just about everything but a comedy album. So why is he just getting around to it now?

"Well, they say, 'Be in the right place at the right time,' and I guess I just decided to be everyplace," Jensen said over the phone, laughing. "I’m a big comedian biography reader, and one of the reasons I got into doing sketch and other stuff was looking at some of the comedians' careers and thinking, 'This is something every comic has in his background, and maybe I ought to try some of this.' I ended up really enjoying it and maybe lost my focus on standup for a bit to get into sketch."

Jensen's first big standup performance came in his teenage years when he was a regular attendee at Spike and Mike's Animation Festival.

"I used to watch Mike [Gribble, the late co-founder of the festival] and be mesmerized," Jensen said. "I guess he saw me and thought, 'Oh, this kid's into it.' After a while he stuck me on stage to introduce a show."

The catch was that Jensen would perform Mike's set. "He knew that I knew his material, and so he put me on stage so I could do it," Jensen said. The experience gave him confidence, and each night Jensen would "slip in one or two of my own jokes until I had my own set."

"I’ve been doing it ever since," he said.

The successful Coexist? Comedy Tour was the next step in Jensen's standup career.

Filling the atheist slot in the lineup composed of Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist comics, Jensen sharpened his set, focusing on religion and science. But the material recorded over three nights in April at Luna's Cafe and Juice Bar differs from Jensen's normal routine in that it focuses more on storytelling and family matters.

"Well I love Cosby, and I’ve had a strange relationship with his influence," Jensen said. "He’s such a storyteller, and the first thing I wanted to do in comedy was to be that, but the first few times I got on stage I got scared away from that because it’s so hard. And just in the last two years I've really come back to it."

The final track on the album is a nine-minute story, a possible step in a new direction for Jensen.

"Religion has always been a part of my life," Jensen said. "I’m an atheist who comes from a very religious family, so the storytelling will certainly have aspects of that in there. But I’m not entirely sure where it will go next, and I’m kind of always surprised."

Wednesday's show at the Punch Line will see Jensen headlining a handpicked lineup of performers.

"Kelly Price will be opening, and she will be doing her own lewd and crude comedy show," Jensen said. "She is just a hilarious female comic. And then Ray Molina, who is one of the most unique entities in the Northern California comedy scene. He has a really mellow, deadpan delivery, but it's very personal. John Ross will also be there, and he was the original Christian comedian on the Coexist? Comedy Tour."

Marcella Arguello will host the party. "She's a finalist in the third round of the Purple Onion Comedy Competition in San Francisco," Jensen said. "I did an all-female comedy show a few weeks ago at Luna's, and she was awesome."

Jensen's headlining slot after openers he picked himself only means one thing to him: "I must be really full of myself to think I can follow all of them. I should have picked the worst comedians so I could look better!"

The show starts at 8:30 p.m. at 2100 Arden Way, Ste. 225. Tickets are $15 and include a free copy of Jensen's album, To the Moon... Live at Luna's. The show is for 18 and over.

The Punch Line's Web site can be visited here: http://www.livenation.com/venue/punch-line-comedy-club-sacramento-tickets/

State Fair Gets Weird, Wild and Wacky

2009-08-21T02:57:27Z

The 156th annual California State Fair will open its doors Friday.

The fair has evolved steadily since its inception, and this year is no different. Among old favorites, this year's run will feature many new exhibits and attractions. The theme of the fair is Weird, Wild and Wacky, and the zone by the same name is the center for most of the new attractions.

The new events at the Weird, Wild and Wakcy Zone (WWW) include an exotic bird show hosted by professional bird trainer Nancy Kobert, a fire pixie performance featuring fire eating, breathing and dancing and the Optical Oddities & Illusion show that will focus on the wonders of human perception. Las Vegas magician and "Master of Variety" Will Roya will perform his one-man show daily at the WWW and PG&E's Solar Stage, which will not only provide power for the other stages in the zone, but also bake cookies for kids.

Also in the WWW is the Floriculture -- A Garden of MAGnificent Proportions, where attendees can experience what life would be like if they were the size of a bug.

"The Floriculture is something we have every year, but we attach a new and different exhibit to it each time," said Norb Bartosik, CEO and general manager of Cal Expo. "The entrance of the Garden will be set up like a giant magnifying glass that makes everything larger than life."

"You also don't want to miss Candy Nation," Bartosik said. "It's an exhibit that gives a walk-through history of American candy, and there's a 20-foot-tall rock candy mountain people can walk on. Just something to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth."

Butler Amusements Inc. is the new carnival operator at this year's Magnificent Midway, which will offer three of the rides from Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

"We had to get them after our old ride contractor had prior commitments in Pomona," Bartosik said. "The owner of Butler actually bought the rides last year. We felt we would do something special to honor Michael."

The three rides are the Balloon Samba, which simulates a hot air balloon, a swing ride called the Wave Swinger and the Jeep Ride, which gives riders the experience of driving in a 4 x 4 vehicle.

Bartosik also added that the first 5,000 people through the fair's gates every Friday will get a ticket to ride one of the rides for free.

The tractor pull will make its first appearance in 20 years at the fair. "We figured since our theme this year is Weird, Wild and Wacky, it would be a good time to bring it back," Bartosik said. The event will take place on the first Saturday of the fair at the Miller Lite Grandstand and will feature supercharged tractors competing by pulling weights.

As for other live performances, Frank Olivier will host his "Twisted Cabaret" at 4, 6 and 8 p.m. daily. The show is a wild mix of vaudevillian comedy including juggling, magic and knife throwing.

"He puts on an incredible show, and it will probably be some new material and classic stuff," Bartosik said. Olivier's show is known for its large cast of characters, mostly played by the star himself. Mimes, psychics, yoga masters, cross-dressers, pickpockets and whatever else Olivier decides to add in are sure to amaze the audience.

The lineup for concert performers is as diverse as it has been in past years. David Cook, winner of American Idol's seventh season, will kick off the festivities on opening night of the fair. The Beatles cover group The Fab Four and MC Hammer are among the other dozen acts set to perform during the fair's two-and-a-half-week run.

"There will be something for everyone who comes in," Bartosik said. "I know I've walked through the park five times now, and I still haven't seen everything!"

For more information, visit bigfun.org

Rally for Budget Change at Capitol

2009-08-20T03:45:22Z

Members of The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Drug Policy Alliance, ACLU of Northern California and Families to Amend California's Three Strikes gathered on the south steps of the Capitol on Tuesday, August 17, to speak in opposition of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to the state prison budget.

Zachary Norris, director of the Books Not Bars campaign, hosted the rally and introduced the members of the coalition.

"We must address this elephant in the budget," Norris said before leading the crowd in chants of "books not bars" and "schools not jails." Norris and his fellow speakers urged legislators to rethink their policies on incarcerating petty criminals. California's 75 percent recidivism rate for convicts was a primary concern.

"Wake up, California," said Natasha Minsker, death penalty director of the ACLU of Northern California. "It's time to stop imprisoning people for petty crimes."

"If you don't go to prison in the first place, you don't have to worry about recidivism," said assembly member Jim Bell. "I'd like to send people to get their Ph.D.s in the UC system rather than in prison.”

The coalition stressed the importance of rehabilitation programs in the place of imprisonment for those found guilty of drug-related crimes.

“Drug treatment works, and we know it works," said Laura Thomas, a representative of the Drug Policy Alliance.” We could use the $1 billion for drug treatment instead of sending people to prison for petty drug crimes." She closed by saying, "Keeping people in the community works."

While Norris agreed with some of the governor's decisions, such as "converting some felonies to misdemeanors," he and the other groups were against all juvenile correctional facilities. "The average cost of one juvenile detainee is $234,000 per year,” Norris said. "We are wasting our money on recidivism."

"Waste is not a noun, it is a verb," said assemblywoman Nancy Skinner. "Something doesn't become waste until you waste it. We are wasting people."

More information about the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights can be found here.

Greg Majewski on "'Cats' Out of the Bag and into the Circus"

2009-08-19T21:57:29Z

Did the Broadway style of the play seem hampered by the intimate nature of the Music Circus?I'm kind of curious if it translated well because the original show is so big. Also wonder if they made any significant changes to the performance.

Greg Majewski on "River Cats filling seats despite recession"

2009-08-17T19:38:29Z

How long is the team contracted in Sacramento? I actually didn't know much about the history, especially that they were from Vancouver. Hopefully they'll stay here for awhile.

Greg Majewski on "Early Times to Play Hometown Show at Harlow's"

2009-08-13T05:02:41Z

Thanks to Brian McKenna for hooking me up once again! He got me into the High on Fire show and gave me the ability to contact Early Times on short notice. All around awesome promo guy.

Early Times to Play Hometown Show at Harlow's

2009-08-13T04:57:05Z

Native Sacramento guitarist, DJ and producer Early Times will return home for a performance at Harlow's on Friday.

While his MySpace page lists his genre categorization as "Crunk/Dutch pop/Black Metal," Early Times' music is even more eclectic in reality. The sampling of songs on his profile ranges from the slap bass funk of "Doin' the Nasty," to the Hammond organ-inflected blues of "Black Panties," to the spacey, improviasational jam piece "DUI." His capability to play multiple styles has earned him collaborations with a diverse group of musicians both local (Tesla, Cake) and national (trumpeter Wynton Marsallis).

Though he currently resides in New York City, Early spent his years in Sacramento building his reputation in the local scene. His past nominations for nine different Sacramento Area Music Awards, including Best Rock Band, Best Blues Band and Best Jazz Band, showcase the broad scope of his influences. He made the move to Manhattan a year after winning the Critics' Choice Award as Sacramento's Best Guitarist in 1997.

"I try to make it out to Sac once a year," Early said via phone en route to Sacramento from Minneapolis, Mo. MN. "It's pretty much around this time, too. There are plenty of people in the music scene there I'm still in contact with."

As for his categorization, it seems that the wide space of "multi-genre" is the only one Early is comfortable occupying. "You pretty much have it with that classification," Early said of his sound being described to him as "broad and tough to pin down." "When I was in Sacramento, I would play a jazz club for a few nights, then a blues club and maybe a rock club, all in the same week sometimes."

The show this Friday will be a mix of old and new songs from Early's career and will "probably include some improvisations here and there," he said.

Early's lineup will include his longtime rhythm section of Neil Franklin (drums) and Artis "A.J." Joyce (bass). The main guitarist will be The Sacramento Press' own Sales Manager, Sonny Mayugba. Aside from the main lineup, the set will also include appearances from a range of other local musicians. "I'm not sure who will be making it out, but whoever does will be sitting in and joining whenever," Early said. "It's always a big party when I play."

A compilation CD of unreleased tracks, titled Sacramento's Most Wanted: 1990-1997, will be available at the show. "It's pretty much a bunch of stuff I did awhile back but never found a spot for," Early said. "Most of the songs have been played live, and I like them all enough to have them on the record."

His adventurous and unpredictable blend of genres is sure to thrill the crowd at Harlow's. The show starts at 9 p.m. at 2708 J St. It is 21+.

Early Times' biography and samples of his music can be found here:

http://www.myspace.com/earlytimesband

Greg Majewski on "Lincoln exhibit's hours extended"

2009-08-12T20:12:33Z

Wow, that's a lot of people coming into the museum! I wonder what the average number is when there is not a large exhibit like this. Have you been to it yet?

Greg Majewski on "KRS-One helps out with Washington Neighborhood Center"

2009-08-11T21:19:11Z

Yeah, it's great to see that a legend like KRS-One isn't too big to come out and help people in need. He certainly practices what he preaches. Guess that's why the call him "The Teacher."

Greg Majewski on "TFO: Totally Friggin Owesome"

2009-08-11T20:58:01Z

Man, bummed I'm going to be in L.A. for the last one. This sounds like so much fun! How did they lure Bruce Campbell from his presumably pimped out pad to appear in 2001?

Greg Majewski on "High on Fire at Harlow's"

2009-08-11T20:44:00Z

Thanks for the kind words. I had never been to Harlow's before and I was really surprised they played such a classy place. I don't know what the capacity is, but the entire standing area was packed shoulder to shoulder. Early Man killed as I expected them to. My only gripe was that they mostly played stuff from their two EPs and not from their full length, Closing In, which is one of my favorite metal albums of the past few years. They've been catching a lot of flack for the whole "hipster" thing, but I don't think that's any fault of theirs. Red Tape totally surprised me. My friend and I watched them warm up when the place was pretty much empty and they seemed promising. When they finally started, though, they lived up to my expectations and more.

Sweetwater Reopens in New Location

2009-08-11T02:38:34Z

Sweetwater Restaurant and Bar will have its grand reopening Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The eatery stood on 57th and J Streets for nearly five years before relocating to 19th and S. Owner Brad Ross said he is excited for the opportunities the move will bring.

"Our lease ended on the old location, and, though we loved the place, we thought it was time to move," Ross said. "The people in the new area dine out more, and it really is the next hot spot in Midtown because it is still developing. People move down here for the great places to go out."

One of the major differences between the restaurant's old location and its new spot is the layout of the main area, Ross pointed out.

"The original place was partitioned off into three different areas, but our new restaurant is one big room," Ross said. "It will be much livelier," he added with enthusiasm.

As for the new business opportunities, Ross said that while catering was never a major focus, he and his partners will have many more options because of the "huge amount of business in the area."

"Catering used to be word of mouth, with people wanting to have our food at their event after coming into our restaurant and trying it for themselves," Ross said. "We will draw much more attention being in an area where thousands of people work."

By far the biggest change at Sweetwater will be its new value-driven menu.

"We're adapting to the economy by not having any item over $17," Ross said. "Also, there will be no time restrictions on the menu. You can have a burger for lunch or dinner. We're honestly just happy people are coming in."

The new Sweetwater on 1901 S Street will open its doors at 5:00 P.M.

High on Fire at Harlow's

2009-08-10T22:00:34Z

As if imitating one of the mighty beasts that haunt his band’s album covers, High on Fire's Matt Pike stands before his audience, arms outstretched, as a devilish grin peeks through his drapes of sweaty, matted hair. Pike proceeds to tear into another crushing riff on his custom nine-string guitar and the crowd responds accordingly; fists pumping to the beat, hair cutting gleaming swaths through the air thick with beer and the unique blend of bodily aromas that only a metal show can provide. Such was the scene at Harlow’s Saturday night.

Before Pike and his band took the stage, the opening acts built up the necessary fervor. Red Tape kicked the night off with an energetic set filled with dirty riffs played with a punk attitude that didn’t skimp on the melody. Guitarist/vocalist Jeff Jaworski even closed the performance with a NOLA-inspired groove straight from the bayous that compelled the early-comers to stomp their boots in unison.

Brooklyn retro thrashers Early Man were next, and the quartet ripped through a string of aggro anthems that echoed the glory days of the Bay Area, complete with Flying Vs, vintage cutoffs and pauses for a few generous gulps of Bud. Frontman and co-founder Mike Conte’s lips were curled in a perpetual Dave Mustaine snarl as he spat throwback gems like “All right, so you wanna fight/My fists are sticks of dynamite.” For 45 minutes, the classy club in downtown felt like a dive in the dilapidated back alleys of San Francisco.

When it finally came time for the headliners to take the stage, the standing area was packed end to end with metal dudes and dudettes eager for the Oakland collective to whip them into shape.

And what a workout it was. Despite its beanstalk appearance, Pike’s shirtless, heavily tattooed form dominated the stage as it writhed to the vicious tom work of drummer Des Kensel and murky rumbles of bassist Jeff Matz.

Five new tracks off the trio’s as-yet untitled fifth album made their second live appearance after a gig in Eureka the night before. The only one that was actually intelligible through Pike’s gravely Lemmy Kilmister growl was “The Mystery of the Elm,” but it and the other four were dripping with as much fury and sludge as anything in the decade-old act’s arsenal.

If Pike is indeed the underground’s Lemmy, and High on Fire is its Motörhead, then the band’s “Ace of Spades” is “Devolution.” The guys ended the night with the track, which opened their breakthrough 2005 record, Blessed Black Wings. Pike perched his foot authoritatively on the monitor as he shot his fist at the crowd to the syllables of the song’s titular refrain. The entire front row shouted the chorus back between bouts of moshing. Pike absorbed the energy and burned it instantly as he sent the night crashing down with one final dramatic rake across his guitar.

Greg Majewski on "Review: (500) Days of Summer"

2009-08-10T19:28:09Z

This movie sounds similar to High Fidelity in feel and concept. Would I like it if I enjoyed that film? Also, the soundtrack looks pretty solid.

Greg Majewski on "Sacramento Concerts & Music Events This Week"

2009-08-07T21:41:13Z

I had no idea HIgh on Fire were playing tomorrow. Saw them in Eugene a few years ago and they killed. And they're with Early Man to boot!

Greg Majewski on "Street Interview"

2009-08-06T22:08:17Z

One thing I would love to get people's opinions on is Sacramento's growth in general. I've lived here all my life and seen the city transform from a reasonably large area with a small town feel to a city on the verge of hitting the next phase of its evolution. It would be great to hear what a varied group of residents think of the changes.

Greg Majewski on "Shoe guy shines as bright as his shoes"

2009-08-06T21:57:59Z

I was surprised at the fire thing as well. You'd think the last thing you would want a shoeshiner to do is to set your foot on fire. Is it some sort of chemical reaction with the polish?

Greg Majewski on "Too Short Center of Attention at Center Court"

2009-08-06T21:17:28Z

The link between the Bay Area and Sacramento hip-hop scenes definitely needs more press, so it's good to see it getting some attention with this article. Random story: My friend and I were walking around downtown Eugene a few weeks before I graduated and we saw a huge line of people in front of the WOW Hall (one of the town's few all age venues). Ends up Too Short was supposed to perform that night but got stranded in Alaska and never showed. Everyone in front of the venue looked pretty disappointed. I don't think he had an opener or anything on that night either and the crowd just got their money back.

Greg Majewski on "Flags of Our Fathers Author James Bradley to relate common virtues of the American Experience"

2009-08-06T21:02:01Z

Tickets are expensive but worth it. That is a very impressive lineup.

Greg Majewski on "Aaron Young: rising Sacramento soul singer"

2009-08-06T20:57:11Z

It's great to see profiles on local musicians. Sacramento has a sorely underrated music scene. The fact that he has had so many ups and downs is inspiring and there is definitely potential for a longer feature on his experiences in the music business.