You may know 5th Ave from the Neighborhood Watch collective (State Cap, Dahlak, Random Abiladeze) or from seeing one of his live shows at Press Club, Second Saturday, or at Empire. His latest album No More Heroes was released in mid-July as part of his new group Delorean. Jon Reyes produced the album and is the other half of the group. No More Heroes offers a heavy blend of hi-fi and hip hop blends, with some funk and unusual samples. One of the standout tracks is "Chillin" featuring C-Plus and Dahlak, who are also local emcees. In the song they trade verses over a cow-bell-heavy beat. Another stand out track "My Most Favorite Emcee" is inspired by Kanye West's "Street Lights" but does a

With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, watching a Mexican folkloric ballet performance might be the perfect pre-fiesta event with its detailed costumes, complex dances and loud mariachi music -- all on one stage. The group Raices de mi Tierra has been around since 1995, and performs traditional Mexican folk dance. This year is their 14th annual show. The focus of the show is migration stories. Highlighted in this show will be stories of migration journeys told through a variety of dances. Although all the dancers originate from the country of Mexico, each group involved is from a different Mexican state and will showcase the vast amount of diversity in their songs, style of dance, and war

While some bicyclists seek the thrill of speed, it’s not for everyone, and a new group in Sacramento caters to those who would rather take a leisurely ride and enjoy the scenery. Sacramento Slow Riders is offering a group ride at your own pace. Every second and fourth Saturday of the month, anyone who is a kid, adult, senior and everything in between can take advantage of these bimonthly meetings. Starting Saturday, April 11, riders will meet at the bike kitchen at 10 a.m. The routes include Downtown, Midtown, East Sac and Sacramento's bike trail. Typically, the rides will go for an hour, and the length of the ride is about four miles. This Saturday will be more of a Midtown route just to

Velvet Leaf clothing uses beautiful silks, has edgy designs and a line of highly fashionable dresses. Looking at the clothes doesn’t lend the eye to the fact that they are all 100 percent organic. Becky 24, and Laura Carter 22, respectively, are the eco-friendly creators behind Velvet Leaf clothing. This high-end organic brand with fashion forward designs opened the doors of its first Velvet Leaf boutique between H and 11th streets in Sacramento. Early on they got the necessary press that they believe contributed to their success, Teen Vogue magazine did an article on them and that slowly got them more press.They recently did a fashion show in Los Angeles called Gen Art where the hottest

Take a walk around midtown and it won’t be long before you realize that Sacramento has a wealth of hair salons. Trendy, fancy, casual, fun salons -- it's clear that we live in a city that cares a great deal about its hair. Spring brings many new hair trends, and the Sacramento Press checked into a few salons to see what's new, what's next and what's hot. The economy hasn't had too much of a negative impact on salon owners, apparently. Many of them said that business has never been better. “Last year was one of our best years,” said Keri Carr, the owner of Honey Salon. The economy has had an effect on the styles that woman have chosen for spring. The boho/hippie look is popular and women

Local musicians get their own awards every year from the Sacramento News & Review. For a lot of them, it is quite the honor to be nominated and even more exciting to win. On Wednesday, March 25 at the Press Club, The Sacramento News and Review hosted a Sammie Nominees’ party, which included live performances from T.O.P. (The Other Poets), Citystate with Bones and Live Manikins. At about 10 p.m. a crowd of about 70 people gathered at the small stage of the Press Club to watch DJ/Producer Citystate play his latest productions. While newcomer emcee Bones waited for his part to come, he kept the crowed entertained with random dancing and jokes. After being a longtime producer and selling beat

Jab left jab right, swing and hook. Get low, bob, weave, and I'm dizzy. I look up and my partner tells me to keep going. I can barely gather up enough strength to put my hands back up, but I find it, somehow. I lift the 16oz gloves on my hands and start the punch combination over again. I'm dripping sweat like it was pouring rain on my face, and I’m not sure I’ll make it to the next class. Who knew boxing was so intense? When I first signed up for beginning boxing at Sacramento City College I knew there would be challenges, but I never thought that when I unwrapped my hands after class they would be shaking. Glancing at the stairs, I wonder how I will walk down them with my legs hurting

Hank Campbell had no journalism or media experience, but he is now the founder of scientificblogging.com. – a science website, not a blog, that gets a million readers a month and has articles written by Nobel Prize winners, professors and science authors. Based out of Folsom Campbell, a business man, saw the potential in a website like this and started it just as something he knew he would enjoy reading. "I didn't know enough to know that I didn't know what I was doing," he said "The site took off in a way I hadn't expected." In two years it has gone from being an unknown science site to being on the top-25 scientific publications list. Getting started took Campbell looking up the top si

On a very exciting Sacramento night, Autumn Smith represented the city's style to the fullest – high-waist sailor shorts over the opaque black tights with a barely there tear that made it her own. Of course, the essential black boot with the necessary pea coat are excellent choices. The vintage floral top and the all-round headband make her one of the best-dressed.

Anne Shulock will join 69 other artists, completing one piece of art every day for 50 days in the third annual 50/50 show hosted by the 20th Street Gallery. She has been working on a painting a day for the past 43 days. Although it has not always been easy, she enjoys the process and is excited for the outcome. Shulock got started in art when her parents set a rule that for every sport she took up she had to pick up an instrument. The piano and violin were not things she felt she excelled at, so in the seventh grade she decided to give art a try. As she went through school she experimented with different styles. There was even a time in her life where she could tell that her art was goi

Fashion, music, art, Hipsters, hip hop-heads, well-dressed moms with their kids…Where can you find all this? Sacramento's very own MOD ’09, an electrifying fashion event that brought all kinds of people together. On the night of Saturday, March 7th, at the artisan building in north Sacramento hundreds of people came to support Sacramento's finest boutiques and designers. Movement of Design was organized by a large group of people that included boutique owners, designers and artists. Among those in the group was Paul Bricuela the owner of United State Boutique, Bricuela worked hard to get the music together and worked with designer Michael Hargis to fuse things together. "We basically wa

With so many things to do in the state's capital, here are some excellent music events in the next week to add to your calendar. The high energy of punk band Final Summation will be rockin’ out at the Fire Escape Sunday. Two of the band members have been around the Sacramento punk rock scene since the mid 90s. Bastards of Young, Get Dead, Down We Go and Lesson in Failure will be there as well. 6 p.m. all ages.$7. Fire Escape Bar and Grill 7431 Madison Ave., Citrus Heights. For more info visit myspace.com/finalsummation. Don't miss Grammy-winning producer Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings sing blues/Americana at the Powerhouse Pub in Folsom Sunday at 4 p.m. 21 and over.$10. Powerhou

At about 8:15 p.m. Friday night, to my surprise, I walked into a very empty Empire night club. I was feeling completely lost and confused, when suddenly two people walked in and asked the lady with the clipboard, "Are we in the right place for the casting call?" Sure enough I was right where I was supposed to be to try out for Paris Hilton's "My New B.F.F." The line was not out the door, I was actually the first one there. I sat down, got an application and filled it out while sitting on a big white couch. Some of the questions included, "What's your idea of a fabulous night out? What would your friends say are your best qualities? What's your typical day like?" Although the questions s

Do you remember the goofy kid in your class? What if that goofy kid turned out to be a rapper on the rise? That is exactly what happened to Ruthless Records recording artist, Hopsin. Wednesday, Feb. 25th, Hopsin will be in Sacramento performing with hip hop veteran Kool Kieth. A one-time aspiring actor, Hopsin discovered that music was his natural calling in 2001. He used to put acting before music, but when he read for parts, he couldn't always remember his lines. It was then he realized that music was his passion. Unsatisfied with the current state of the hip hop game, Hopsin is trying to break out of the routine formulated rapper. He does not boast about being a tough or dangerous g

On a cold Friday night in a Rancho Cordova recording studio, Sacramento emcee C Plus, puts on head phones and steps up to the microphone. He reads rhymes from his notebook with intensity and a smooth flow. He plays it back with the beat, the song he just made is so intact that you wouldn't know that he's fighting a cold. Then, just like that, the last track is done, and The Purple Heart mix tape is complete. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, C Plus, aka Chaz Wheeler of the group State Cap, will put out his second mix tape of the year, The Purple Heart. If you ever doubted that Sacramento had hip hop artists worth listening to, this is the record that will erase them. The Purple Heart has 13 tracks a

Even though Valentine’s Day is over, that doesn't mean the chocolate has to stop. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the L Wine Lounge will host its first wine and chocolate tasting. The tasting includes an informational speaker from Ginger Elizabeth chocolates, who will also provide a chocolate dessert bar. The L Wine Lounge will specially pair seven artisan chocolates and seven wines and will offer a unique chocolate cocktail. The cost is $45 per person and includes tasting of selected wine and chocolates. The tasting is from 1-3 p.m. Seating is limited, so to reserve a spot call the L Wine Lounge at (916) 443-6907

About a year and half ago a group of teens from the city of Sacramento's Youth Commission got together and started to plan the ultimate place for teens to hang out. The group consists of 17 and 18 year old David Schenirer, Julian Nagler, Laura Manler, Alison Brown, Myria Arroyo and Molly Bailey. Not only would it be a place to spend time, but it would also serve as a way for students to get job experience, do homework, and offer smoothies rather than coffee, because as the teens found out, teens don't like coffee. The proposal is called Vibe - an urban youth lounge and career center.   In order to fund the initial opening and first two years of operation, fundraising efforts such as a ga

Many of Sacramento's residents believe that they have few options when it comes to nightlife. The "sneak peek" fashion show this Saturday at the Distillery is an event to add to that list of things to do. Saturday, Feb. 7 will be a chance to see the latest pieces from four local designers' spring collections. The show was organized mainly by Chuck Taylor of L!fe crew and Noel C. Tavares of Faedrah clothing company. Both are Sacramento natives and current residents, and they have teamed up to bring a night of local designers. The list includes Agape, Martini Kisses and Amy Lola Marchiando. The show will also feature DJs spinning soulful hip-hop and a tribute to the late producer J Dilla,

About 30 people gathered in the Sacramento Press office Feb. 2 and learned how to convert everyday events in their lives into compelling news stories. The workshop was given by Holly Heyser, professional journalist in residence at Sacramento State and adviser to The State Hornet newspaper. The focus of the workshop was on helpful guidelines for how to turn ideas into news articles and how to find topics that are newsworthy. Heyser also went over the foundations of journalism and writing in general. The night started out with food for participants and introductions to some of the Sacramento Press staff. As everyone finished socializing, they sat down to start the workshop. Heyser asked

The sun shine's down on a very well put together Stephanie Casteneda. It would be hard not to take notice of this charming plaid shirt. The bronze scarf adds a little extra without taking away from the perfect boots. What would be a good outfit without a perfect pair of sunglasses.