I wasn’t planning on going out Saturday night. I was tired from work, I had fallen behind on my movies to watch from Netflix, I just figured I’d lay low, maybe pop into Old I for a little while for a fix of live music if the mood hit me later in the evening.

Then I got a call from my buddy, Jerry Perry. “Hey, I’m going to see Sal Valentino at The Palms tonight. You interested in going?”

Yes, I was, for two main reasons. First, I had not been to The Palms since they moved to Winters. I’d been to a good amount of shows in the old Davis barn location, but Winters just seemed so far away, especially when there are usually several good options for live music on any given weekend night here in town.

Continue reading “Valentino Day” »

Regarding the Grammy Awards, what exactly is the difference between “Record of the Year” and “Album of the Year”?

I thought the record one meant a single song, but there is also a “Song of the Year” award.

Where there any locals in the mix this year? I know that Fair Oaks artist Mary Youngblood has won two Grammy Awards for her Native American music in the past.

Ah yes, the mellifluous sounds of that great American art form Jazz will be in the air this weekend. Whether you’re a neophyte or a whatever-the-opposite-of-neophyte-is, you can enjoy the world’s most perfect music.

FRIDAY- As reported by the intrepid Chris Macias in the Bee, Mat Marucci and his trio will be performing Thursdays through Saturdays at Three Monkeys. Read the piece to find out how important it is to have just one steady gig going on downtown. My favorite quote from the article is from Marucci, saying “This is great, because downtown is the hippest part of town.” Coming out of the mouth of anyone but a veteran musician, this would sound trite. Keep swingin’ man!

SATURDAY- We’re still more than three months away from the orgiastic wonderfulness that is the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. But don’t be too sad; you can get your Dixieland fix on Saturday night at Sac State’s Capistrano Hall where local star Bill Dendle will be performing with the legendary “Fast” Eddie Erickson on banjo and guitar, and the incomparable Bob Draga on clarinet (among others). This concert will help raise funds the Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival, so go and have fun. Remember, it’s for the kids.

SUNDAY- Go support Sacramento’s favorite son, Russ Solomon, at his new enterprise R5 Records by picking up a copy of Miles Davis’s “Kind Of Blue.” If you already have it, then pick up the new Cyrus Chestnut album. C’mon, I know you want to. Hell, his name is Cyrus Chestnut, how could it be bad?

The canceled Jason Isbell show last week was a disappointment to many, but to me it brought two fortunate things. First, was a free poster printed for the gig given as a consolation prize. Like the ones that are handed out in San Francisco after shows at the Fillmore or the Warfield or the more local Asbestos Press silk-screened posters you may have seen around town, it’s printed on thick paper that will last being tacked to the wall for at least a year. The design is a symmetrical mirror image split down the center featuring lightning bolts, oil derricks and the front ends of a classic Ford Mustang all on semi-glossy silver. To be honest, I haven’t had the chance to listen to Jason Isbell’s solo effort that he left the Drive-By Truckers for, but the imagery all fits with the down-home working stiff cowpunk that I’ve come to expect from DBT.

Continue reading “Shows Shows Shows Galore” »

A photo of Tom Brady is a blog post’s
ticket to Google success

Two free events coming up this weekend that I wanted to make sure to mention. First of all, don’t forget Saturday is Museum Day. Free admission to 25 local museums from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Forecast calls for rain at least part of the day on Saturday, possibly in the afternoon, so maybe an after-lunch trip to the train museum will be just what the Dr. ordered for your weekend.

Continue reading “Weekend events: Museum Day, Harpeth Trace @ The Firehouse” »

I wrote a year ago about the new Shins album and their Sacramento connection — Omnibus records and current Mt. St. Mtn. co-founder Mark Kaiser. Well, that’s probably their coolest Sacramento connection, but as of this weekend it is definitely not their most domestic-abusingest connection. Continue reading “Another Shins Sacramento connection” »

I played “Rock Band” for the first time last night (with our own The Game Guy, natch). If you have not played “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band,” you must know that they are probably the most fun things invented in a long time. They are like a video game you would invent inside a dream (like the giant fighting robot holographic gladiator game I dreamt of once). I rocked the drums on “Wanted Dead or Alive” and aped Jagger on “Gimme Shelter” (which was semi challenging as the game made me also sing the female backup vocal).

One of the unlock-able “bonus” songs in the hottest new video game around is “Time We Had,” a track off the latest release by The Mother Hips, a Chico-based California rock band who has rocked the Sacramento area since the early 90s. It got me thinking…what would an all-Sacto “Rock Band” set list look like?

Continue reading “Local connection for “Rock Band”” »

I went out and about to several shows since Thursday and caught some cool acts, which I recommend for your consumption.

Lite Brite: A young Sacramento three-piece band that reminds me of what you might get if Sonic Youth met The latter-period Jam. But they don’t slavishly ape their influences; it’s more the occasional feel to the music here and there. They also pulled off a nice cover of Led Zeppelin’s “In the Night,” not an easy thing to do.

Kevin Seconds & The Altruistics: The latest rock project from Sacto’s resident punk rock legend. The music seems to me a mix of hardcore punk with melodic pop sensibilities. The band is tight, and, as always, Mr. Seconds has a very deft touch with songwriting.
Continue reading “Sac’s got bands” »

We are lucky, here in Sacto, to have a wealth of gifted musicians able and willing to share their talents with us.  We are unlucky, here in Sacto, to have a glut of lowlife nogoodnicks who can’t keep their dirty mitts off of other people’s stuff.   Unfortunately, these two groups too often come into contact.  Such was the case last night when local bass and fiddle player Patrick “Junior” Skiffington had his ride stolen from in front of his downtown (4th & T) abode.

So, I ask you, the good people of Sacramento, to be on the lookout for a 1983 Oldsmobile Omega (nothing but the best in early 80’s sedanage), puce with brown interior, license # 5ZAF758.  If you see said auto, call the local authorities and report.   Thank you, good citizens.

Last night I went to the Three Dollar Thursday at Old Ironsides, or as I like to call it, “343,” since you get three bands for three bucks. (I shoulda had a career in ad writing!) Anyway, the bands were Bright Light Fever, Prieta and Broken Poet. Broken Poet offered up with a serviceable, if unremarkable, set of poppy punky music. It was OK, just not all that exciting. Bright Light Fever is one of the few bands on the local level right now who seem capable of getting a label deal from somewhere. They are tight and have some cool songs in the modern indie rock vein. To me, they sound like Hot Hot Heat only more rockin’.

But the band I really wanted to see was Prieta. Continue reading “Prieta is not a car” »