One of the best hip-hop lineups to come through town in some time is tonight, so get your shoes on and get to Harlow’s for The Deadliest Catch Tour at 9pm. Chali 2na, from Jurassic 5, is touring on his release Welcome to the Fish Market, a teaser for his frequently delayed first solo album Fish Outa Water. He is performing with his band, so expect high-intensity funk jams and psychedelic looping to get the crowd dancing.

The three accompanying acts are equally stellar MCs: Gift of Gab from Blackalicious, Mr Lif and Lyrics Born. Mr Lif just released I Heard it Today which is even more politically hardcore and confrontational than his usual work. Gift of Gab and Lyrics Born both have local roots through UC Davis and their early work with the Quannum MCs. They have deep fan bases in Sacramento, so get to the show early if you are buying tickets at the door. Tickets can also be bought online or at The Beat.

My favorite thing to bring to my family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations is a bottle of wine for after dinner. Midtown’s Revolution Wines took care of both holidays for me with a release of an Old World and a New World port.

The release of St. Rey Port also signifies the launch of Revolution’s new port program. Winemaker Craig Haarmeyer will continue to make porto that is Iberian influenced and locally sourced. Vintages will also held back for aging and blending with future vintages.

Continue reading “Revolutionary reds” »

One of the great Sacramento cultural institutions is celebrating its (her?) 75th birthday this weekend. Midtown Monthly did a great salute to the history of The Old I in their November issue. With the same owners for these 75 years, it is also a celebration of Billie Jean Kanelos and her family. I particularly enjoyed the piece from Kim Kanelos, who began booking music there in the early 90s. Kim is also asking that people post their favorite Old I memories on their Facebook page.

MM hasn’t posted the issue to their website, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for printed material distributed for free throughout Sacramento. The Bee also did a brief interview with Billie Jean and her husband Sam.

Their November festivities culminate this Sunday from 1-6pm with DJ Larry Rodriguez and plenty of celebratory food and drink specials.

Old Ironsides
1901 10th Street

Most Sac State sports seem to slip under the radar, especially if it is not football. This year, the Hornets men’s soccer team is having their best season in history. They finished the regular season undefeated in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference play. For the second time in team history, they are the #1 seed in the upcoming MPSF tournament which begins in Denver today with the quarterfinal matches. The Hornets have a first round bye, which automatically advances them to the semifinal round. Two wins will result in an automatic invitation to the NCAA tournament, which will be a first for the team.

Brackets for the Men’s College Cup will be announced on Monday, let’s hope that the Hornets get an invitation!

Anoint my knees
Anoity nointy

Anyway, you may smell the gas smell enveloping Sacramento. I pray that this is not a 2012 sneak preview, as I am not ready to meet my maker. Pray for me, Sacramento, pray for me.

If you call PG&E, they already have a recording posted for callers. They are having many reports of gas odors, and this is due to “over-odorized gas” which is expected to dissipate by Friday.

Here is the question:

Over-odorized gas seems to imply that I am smelling the same gas that is always leaking, but I am simply noticing it because it is stinkier than usual. If I am only smelling the same gas as I am used to inhaling, but it has more of an odor, what does this mean? Should I be worried about normally occurring gas leaks that are simply stinkier than usual?

Are there any short-term or long-term public health risks exist from gas leaks? Or should I just drift off into ignorance and just continue to drink The Abyss from the Deschutes Brewing Company?

Following in the footsteps of incredibly successful beer weeks from San Francisco and Philadelphia, Sacramento area beer folks are planning the first annual Sacramento Beer Week for February 24-27, 2010.

This is nothing more than a mark-your-calendar kind of advisory, as this event is still in the early planning phase, but it would be interesting to hear from readers about what kind of events you would be interested in attending. Beer history? Brewing demonstrations? Food and beer parings? Beer sampling? Beer pong tournament? Pub crawl? Beer trivia contest?

If you are interested in hosting an event for Sacramento Beer Week, drop me a line at Stickie(at)sacrag(dot)com with your idea and I’ll pass along any serious inquiries.

Sacramento’s Agent Ribbons are taking a step today in opening the doors to wider exposure, more fans and (fingers crossed) a more successful career in the music biz. At 6pm they will appear on Demolisten, KXLU’s showcase of underground artists. Agent Ribbons performs Victorian Punk and Baroque Pop, with songs that are simultaneously haunting and whimsical, rocking and longing, beautiful and disturbing. This year, they expanded from a duo to a trio, which has added several beautiful new elements to their live shows, and have been busy touring the world and recording a concept album called Chateau Crone.

KXLU, the FM station of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, is known worldwide as one of the gold standards of college radio. Their diverse programming and dedication to cutting edge music has resulted in thousands of bands over the years lining up at their doors, clamoring for access to the playlist. Demolisten, which has aired weekly since 1984, is one of the primary gatekeepers of the KXLU airwaves. DJs Fred and Octavius have the difficult job of performing triage on the music of the day and deciding which acts need immediate attention.

Continue reading “Agent Ribbons on KXLU” »

The College Music Journal is one of the largest and most influential publications for the college radio industry. Seattle’s KEXP has won Station of the Year honors since the inception of their annual awards… until this year.

The hard work and keen ears of Sac State’s student run station KSSU was recognized with twelve nominations in major award categories. This year, KSSU defeated other stations that have paid professional staff, a larger audience and better funding with their tireless dedication to music and to our community. You should reward their efforts by tuning in and getting a taste of Sacramento’s only source for alternative radio.

2009 CMJ Awards for KSSU
Station of the Year
Music Director of the Year – Suzie Kuo
Biggest Community Resource
Best Use of Limited Resources
Best Student-Run Station

While dodging the ghosties, ghoulies, and drunk drivers this weekend, beer lovers should take note of Rubicon’s annual Hoptoberfest celebration. Throughout October, they have featured pale ales, IPAs and double IPAs from brewers across the West Coast. This weekend, all of these beers will be available along with two versions of one of Rubicon’s hoppiest offerings, Hop Sauce.

In addition to well-known standouts from Anchor, Speakeasy, Bear Republic, Firestone Walker, Lagunitas and Deschutes, make sure you sample some great beers that are rarely seen in the area. Sierra Nevada’s new Estate Harvest Ale is creating a huge buzz among beer lovers and is in limited supply. Russian River is best known for the legendary Pliny the Elder, but less appreciated is their stellar house IPA. Moonlight Brewing Bombay by Boat has been a Bay Area favorite for almost two decades but Sacramento native Brian Hunt generally limits his distribution to that section of California. Another Sacramento expatriate, Matt Sager, brewed the impressive Hopsaur for Great Basin. Iron Springs Casey Jones Imperial IPA will make you want to drive that train up to Fairfax to check out their small brewpub with an incredible beer menu.

Complete list of Hoptoberfest offerings after the jump.
Continue reading “Hoptoberfest at Rubicon” »

In the face of a public outcry over the possible closing of many of California’s 278 State Parks, the Governor has announced his alternative plan for funding our State Park system. As announced last month, all parks will remain open, but more than $14 million will be cut from the budget through various means. Services to many parks will be scaled back, including hours of operation, maintenance, staff, and educational opportunities.

After the jump, I will provide a summary of all cuts to Sacramento area parks. If you are planning on visiting any State Park, make sure you research the location to insure that your visit is not adversely affected. And, please, remember that we all own these parks. With reduced services, it is more imperative than ever that we all be good scouts and clean up our own messes, pack out what we bring in and leave no trace of our visit behind.
Continue reading “State Parks cutbacks announced” »