Month: February 2008

Morning conversation

Actual conversation I had this morning while waiting for a bus by the Downtown Plaza:

SCENE: Downtown plaza. COOLDMZ, casually dressed and devestatingly handsome, is approached by normal seeming early 20s YOUNG MAN.

YOUNG MAN: (Looking at the cloudless sky) Beautiful day.
COOLDMZ: Yeah… Bit chilly, but nice. It’s going to be in the 60s today.
YOUNG MAN: Yeah, it’s nice. (Beat.) So, what do you think of this North American Union they’re gonna do?
COOLDMZ: The what now?
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Have a Jazzy Weekend

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?

“Paging George Oscar Bluth”

“GOB, please report to the security desk.”

Bob Shallit reports in today’s business section of The Bee that the Arden Fair Mall security team members are now using Segway (nee “Ginger”) scooters to monitor the goings-on, both inside and outside of the mall.  If only they had these back in ’06.

No word yet on if each scooter will play a continuous loop of this Segway anthem.

Raze the roof

The building formerly known as Carlos Murphy’s/Bleachers/Asian Buffet/European Buffet Featuring Sushi and Waffles is now gone.

I noticed that it had been knocked down last week, and in its place is a pile of rubble surrounded by a chain link fence.

This is the place that was across from Cal Expo and across from the relatively new (though still with as asinine of a parking lot as the older locations) Kaiser building.

Just thought you should know, and I hope this isn’t where Radio Matthew was planning on going for his 21st birthday.

Humbug Willow Creek

Humbug Willow Creek
From the City of Folsom Website

The most fun thing about Humbug Willow Creek just might be that you can tell people it is “out by the soy sauce factory,” because that just sounds so absurd. But there is indeed a Kikkoman soy sauce factory, out in Folsom near Sutter Street. And next to this salty & aromatic spot of industry you’ll find the Humbug Willow Creek Parkway. (Coincidentally it is also adjacent to a Sake tasting room (I am not making this up) which begs the question of whether there are nice yellowtail in that creek, and some wasabi plants.)

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Shows Shows Shows Galore

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”

Where There’s Smoke There’s Firemen

In case you should see smoke billowing out of the old Arnold Palmer Cleaners on Arden and Eastern, don’t bother calling the fire department. They’re the ones who set the fire.

The upcoming expansion of the Bel Air on the same corner is to be put on hold until April while the local fire station uses the now empty and soon to be demolished AP Cleaners for training exercises. Just thought you’d like to know.

Weekend events: Museum Day, Harpeth Trace @ The Firehouse

Tom Brady
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”