The afternoon was creeping towards evening as we arrived at the Crocker Art Museum, ready to escape the heavy warmth of the outside air. This month’s Art Mix greeted us with craft tables and the proclamation of tonight’s theme, French Twist. We started out by taking in a lecture on the drawings of the French … Continue reading
Launch Festival certainly knew who to call on to throw one hell of a party to kick off their first night in Cesar Chavez Park. But how does one begin to describe the spectacle that is a live Girl Talk show? There really is no comparison to make, no precedent set. Describing Girl Talk’s set … Continue reading
Babs Johnson Gang is a band who continues to do their own thing, making music they want to hear, not music that they’ve already heard. They are a far cry from the punk or singer/songwriter scenes that are big in Sacramento, but still manage to crossover into both, carefully mixing a plethora of genres together … Continue reading
The music of Minus the Bear is a swirling eddy of brightly colored sound that subsumes and disguises the deeper darker currents of their sparse but poignant lyrics. Understanding their songs necessitates more than just casual attention; one must devote time, careful listening, concentration, and an almost literary mindset to their music. A Cinderella story … Continue reading
Listening to Imagine Dragons is like being inundated with a tide of ragged glory and post apocalyptic glee. The Las Vegas based band puts their finger on your pulse then gets impatient; grabs your wrist, then runs off with you into the sunset. Though just recently making it big on the music charts, Imagine Dragons … Continue reading
Geographer creates their own space. Their music, when listened to carefully, wraps itself around you and cocoons your mind. Which is exactly the intention of the self-proclaimed creators of “soulful music from outer space”. “We think that [our music] creates a space you can get lost in, where you’re floating in the music your listening … Continue reading
When one considers the etymological history of the word rad, the reader’s mind probably arrives in a late ’70s/early ’80s Southern California skate park or beach front. Sacramento thrash punks RAD are certainly connected to that time and place, both stylistically and ideologically. The band’s minute-long songs are swollen with catchy guitar hooks (courtesy longtime … Continue reading
Unless you’ve caught Parquet Courts live in the past 5 months (which, let’s face it, considering the ferocity of their recent tour schedule, wouldn’t have been that difficult a task), it’s been a while since they’ve shared new tunes. Aside from the brief B-side burst of “Smart Aleck Kid,” people haven’t heard new “properly recorded” songs from … Continue reading
STREAM TY SEGALL’S SLEEPER, OUT NEXT WEEK ON DRAG CITY Since announcing the release of Sleeper, all’s been pretty quiet on the western (Ty Segall) front, relatively speaking, of course. We are talking Ty here! Without sharing any pre-release tracks or official videos (wha?!), we’ve been keeping the lid on nice and tight leading up to Sleeper‘s imminent release. … Continue reading
Maybe we were a little late as we entered the Ace of Spades, but as we crossed the threshold, the bass drum took hold of our heartbeats and rewrote our pulses. FFG, a local opening act number one was already on stage, but their brand of skater boy pop punk pulled us into the increasingly … Continue reading
Combining jazz, blues, folk, and something more, guitarist Ross Hammond has serenaded the Sacramento area for years. Though Hammond keeps a low profile for his talent, he certainly brings something unique to the stage, whether he’s playing alone or collaborating with another artist. Hammond’s music conveys his emotions fluidly and flawlessly to his audience, creating … Continue reading
Duk is an all instrumental band based out of Southern Ca. Their first album, Early Worm Gets The Bird, is the start of something very special. The album falls somewhere in-between gypsy punk, and Balkan folk with just a hint of dixieland. The band is proclaiming themselves “Gypsy Jazz”. Made up with … Continue reading
With their debut release in 2010, Fitz and the Tantrums made a name for themselves for being the band with so much soul, it oozes out of their pores and into your eardrums. Pickin’ up the Pieces was received wholeheartedly by music critics, radio stations, and the like, that it quickly found its place in … Continue reading
The Moans’ music is a straightforward, high-energy brand of rock ‘n’ roll, supported by lyrical references to Mary Shelley, George Romero, and cloning. A recipe certain to attract both geeks and punks. This is a perfect combination for the Ramones-esque side project of Matt Bennett (West Memphis Trio, The Dumb Fox, Shitty Ramones), Danny Secretion … Continue reading
The Where House was a short lived but delicious piece of the Sacramento music scene. Not only was there a ton of heart and friendship that floated throughout the artistically painted walls, there was a surplus of phenomenal bands, both local and touring that hit the stage. This Friday, May 31st, will be the very … Continue reading
The evening was warm and the line snaked along the sidewalk, a creature of black skinny jeans and black band shirts. Inside, the Ace of Spades literally vibrated with sound as local band Journal, the first act of the evening, played their set. It was an enthusiastic bout of video game inspired metal that got … Continue reading
The busy boys of Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits are at it again. On the opening night of the 2nd leg of their tour at the Press Club here in Sacramento, TUBE was able to get a few words in with lead vocalist Corbett Redford, vocalist and lead guitar player Dan Abbott and … Continue reading
The weekend, like most festival weekends in Davis, was hot. The quad at U.C. Davis had become a world unto itself. Multicolored tents had sprung up over night, bringing with them booths, climbing structures, and stages. As we wandered through previously non-existent paths, peering at the sheer multitudes of different goods for sale, we were … Continue reading
Family Photo is a fresh-faced freshman band straight out of the suburbs of Sacramento who play a jazzy form of indie pop. They have dubbed their style ‘dismantled pop’ due to their tendency to play havoc with popular song structures. The band started in the summer of 2011 after going to high school together and … Continue reading
Built to Spill could easily be called a phenomenon. A group of men that gel like something that would make Bill Cosby jealous. With a sound that mixes elements of folk and rock, mix in some blues, and ultimately end up with a sound more ethereal than anything, BTS really is a band for everyone. … Continue reading
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