S 2014 01 23

Sorry,

not sorry see streetalk, page 4

BonnLair puB’s 20 years of Beer see arts&Culture, page 18

War on Water WaSte see scorekeeper, page 8 see Greenlight, page 12 see editorial, page 13

BY RAHEEM F. HOSSEINI

The FBI claims Sacramento is a Juggalo 'gang' epicenter. But local Insane Clown Posse fans say they're peaceful victims of profiling.

PAGE 14 Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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Volume 25, iSSue 41

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thurSday, January 23, 2014

Crazy at

City CounCil see news, page 9

building a

HealtHy S a c r a m e n t o

Don’t you Forget about Breakfast

by M i c h e l l e c a r l

W

hen you’re a high school student trying to get to class on time, the “most important meal of the day” can end up being an afterthought.

No wonder Tyler Mar has seen students clutching bags of cheese puffs and sodas on their way to first period.

Mar is the HealthCorps coordinator at American Legion High School, and he and a group of passionate students known as The Breakfast Club are trying to exchange that junk food for vanilla yogurt parfaits and whole-grain blueberry muffins.

HealthCorps is a health curriculum taught in schools across the country and several in the area, including Hiram Johnson, Luther Burbank, Sacramento Charter and McClatchy high schools. HealthCorps, which receives funding locally through the California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities grant, was created by Dr. Memet Oz and his wife, Lisa, to combat the obesity epidemic.

Mar is doing that at American Legion with a curriculum that teaches mental resilience, nutrition and fitness. His units have students roleplaying to come up with ways to resolve conflict. They learn how to read the nutrition facts label and come up with realistic weight loss goals. These are life skills students rarely get a chance to learn in regular high school courses, and if students aren’t learning them at home, how will they get this knowledge?

“What we’re doing in HealthCorps affects these kids in real life,” he says. “Some students have family members with diabetes. It really hits them.”

Some of Mar’s students have lost family members to obesity. One student even enlisted him to help teach her parents how to eat a healthy diet. Students are making positive changes in their lives thanks to what they’ve learned.

“WHaT WE’rE dOIng In HEalTHCOrpS affECTS THESE kIdS In rEal lIfE.” Tyler mar, HealthCorps coordinator, american legion High School

period and earn class credit for their work.

Mar’s students held a taste test in December to come up with the menu, which also includes lemon tea bread, bagels and other foods that are packaged for on-the-go consumption.

“Kids are generally not favorable to school lunches,” Mar says. “So the kids tried [the recipes] and voted. You can’t say you don’t like it if you voted for it.”

Students have started advertising the Grab and Go Breakfast with posters across the campus.

They hope to start serving breakfast next month.

BuIldIng HEalTHy COmmunITIES In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, community-based organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

Tyler mar, far left, and students in The Breakfast Club at american legion High School share healthy messages with the student body on posters throughout the campus. photo by louise mitchell

“We’ve had students rethink what they’re drinking and drink less sugar,” Mar says. “When they find out how much sugar is in soda they say, ‘I don’t drink that anymore. That’s crazy!’”

One group of students wants to take what they’ve learned and apply it to the whole school. That group is The Breakfast Club (which ironically meets during lunch, Mar points out). The group has studied how daily breakfast impacts student performance and brainstormed ideas for a new way to serve breakfast. With help from the school district’s nutrition services department and funding from the National School Breakfast Program, they have come up with a plan.

The Second Chance Grab and Go Breakfast program will totally revamp how American Legion serves breakfast, eliminating breakfast before school and delivering it to students on carts between 1st and 2nd period. The Breakfast Club students will prepare the meals during 1st

your ZiP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live.

Health Happens in neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools.

Health Happens with prevention.

paid with a grant from the california endowment 2 | SN&R | 01.23.14

www.SacBHC.org

January 23, 2014 | Vol. 25, Issue 41

25

Know your writes The past year saw its share of new SN&R contributors, as well as the return of film critic Daniel Barnes (who deserves congratulations on his acceptance into the San Francisco Film Critics Circle last weekend).

Now, there’s also a new scribe in the building, Janelle Bitker. Let’s quiz her.

STREETALK

04 05 07 10 14 18 20 21 24 25 26 28 35 43

Nick: Share something about yourself that most people don’t know.

Janelle: I learned how to skin a rabbit from a toothless woman on a farm in France, and I try to maintain a stash of similarly specific tales for moments like these.

That’s ... resourceful. How’d you arrive at SN&R? I’m from Alameda, an island-city in the San Francisco Bay. I got here maybe conventionally: I went to UC Davis, worked for the student newspaper and interned for a bunch of other media outlets, including The Sacramento Bee; the San Francisco Chronicle; and Marketplace, the public-radio show. I also like to think I got here by inviting you to the beer shop in Davis once.

LETTERS NEWS + SCOREKEEPER OPINION FEATURE STORY ARTS&CULTURE NIGHT&DAY DISH ASK JOEY STAGE FILM MUSIC + SOUND ADVICE THE 420 15 MINUTES COVER DESIGN BY BRIAN BRENEMAN COVER PHOTO BY SERENE LUSANO

That didn’t hurt. What’s your job title and what will you be doing here?

I am an ever-specific “staff writer,” but with a focus on music, the arts and culture. I like writing about weird things and talking to passionate people.

13

26

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Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Jessica Rine, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Steph Rodriguez

And when you’re not working (which will be never), where are your fave spots to eat in Sacto?

I have gobbled up many delights at Ella and Magpie, not that I can afford to eat at either of those restaurants.

Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Junior Art Director Brian Breneman Designers Vivian Liu, Serene Lusano, Marianne Mancina, Skyler Smith Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Steven Chea, Wes Davis, Ryan Donahue, Taras Garcia, Lovelle Harris, Shoka

Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Co-editors Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller Staff Writers Janelle Bitker, Raheem F. Hosseini Copy Editor Shoka Shafiee Entertainment Editor Jonathan Mendick Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Contributing Editor Cosmo Garvin Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Daniel Barnes, Rob Brezsny, Cody Drabble, Joey Garcia, Blake Gillespie, Becky Grunewald, Mark Halverson, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Greg Lucas, Garrett McCord,

Asking for a raise, already?! Last question: What one thing do you want to see Sacramento accomplish in 2014?

Artisanal toast. Definitely.

—Nick Miller

n ic kam@ n ews r ev i ew . com

Director of Advertising and Sales Rick Brown Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Joy Webber Advertising Consultants Joseph Barcelon, Meghan Bingen, Teri Gorman, Dusty Hamilton, Dave Nettles, Lee Roberts, Julie Sherry, Stephen Swanson, Mark vanHudson, Kelsi White Senior Inside Sales Consultant Olla Ubay Ad Services Specialist Melissa Bernard Director of Et Cetera Will Niespodzinski Client Publications Editor Michelle Carl Client Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer

Client Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Client Publications Staff Writer Meredith Graham Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Directors of First Impressions Alicia Brimhall, Matt Kjar Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Walt Best, Daniel Bowen, Russell Brown, Nina Castro, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Aaron Harvey, Wayne Hopkins, Brenda Hundley, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Wendell Powell, Lloyd Rongley, Duane Secco, Lolu Sholotan, Jack Thorne President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Nuts & Bolts Ninja Kalin Jenkins Human Resources Intern Aleasha Yates Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Accounting Specialists Renee Briscoe, Tami Sandoval Accounts Receivable Specialist Nicole Jackson Business Intern Allison Hill Systems Manager Jonathan Schultz Systems Support Specialist Joe Kakacek

Web Developer/Support Specialist John Bisignano 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Sales Fax (916) 498-7910 Editorial Fax (916) 498-7920 Website www.newsreview.com SN&R is printed by The Paradise Post using recycled newsprint whenever available.

Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in SN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. SN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.

Advertising Policies All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

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“I have to apologize all the time for being a jerk to my wife.”

Asked in Old Sacramento:

When was the last time you apologized?

Sandra Freeman

Scott Towner

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student

I have a form of autism.

When I say things that I don’t realize are mean and [people] get offended, I apologize to them, even though I don’t know what I did. Even though I don’t know I hurt their feelings, I still apologize, because people tell me when they are upset. My husband explains it to me. He is not mean.

A.J. Rime cashier

I did apologize to my last employer. I left suddenly.

I was working two jobs.

I ended up apologizing because I gave my two-weeks [notice] after I told them that I was willing to work more hours for them. I am glad I did. It felt good. ... To this day, they give me good references.

The one thing I always have to apologize for is for [hurting] my boyfriend, physically and accidentally.

I am always hitting him or stepping on his foot. I will throw my purse on the bed, and it will accidentally hit him. ... Usually when I open the fridge and he is standing there, I will close his toe in the fridge.

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The last time I had to apologize to somebody, it was for hurting their feelings. The reason why I hurt their feelings is because they hurt mine. My girlfriend cheated with my best friend, so I got revenge.

She deserved to be hurt, but it made me feel better to apologize. I had to be the bigger person.

D R I N K .

caregiver

I have to apologize all the time for being a jerk to my wife. Sometimes I get upset. My stepdad was a real jerk to my mom and to me. He never apologized for anything. He was really verbally abusive. I am not a jerk to the point where I am verbally abusive.

D I N E .

T R Y

[I apologized] to my father because I was an out-of-control teenager, and he was a single father.

I apologized for what I put him through because now I have a teenage daughter. She is putting me through it!

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1501 L S T R E E T SACRAMENTO, CA ( 916) 267-6823

Email your letters to sactoletters@newsreview.com.

SN&R wrong on smoking ban

smoking on outdoor patios within public spaces is needed to protect the health of all Sacramentans.

David Urman

via email

Re “Ban smoking?� (SN&R Editorial, January 16): SN&R gets it right so often, it’s disappointing to see the blockheaded editorial opposing Councilman Steve Hansen’s efforts to ban smoking on restaurant and bar patios extending LETTER OF into public space.

THE WEEK Business owners’ fears of lost revenue are cited, but such concerns are always raised about every proposed anti-smoking measure and have always proven unfounded.

Instead of legal restrictions, the editorial proposes a task force to “strategize on progressive ways ‌ to change smokers’ habits.â€? Oh, sure, like that’s going to work! We’ve had programs like that for 40 years. Nicotine is a powerfully addictive drug, and smokers will light up wherever it’s legally permitted.

Many smokers become addicted too young to fully comprehend the consequences. Later on, it’s a terribly difficult habit to break. So, smokers deserve our compassion. But a way must be found for them to satisfy their cravings without harming everyone around them. A ban on

Hip-hop and homophobia

Pro-arena group loses cred Re “Of Kings and jesters� by Nick Miller (SN&R News, January 16): Everyone is missing the primary issue.

That the press conference was held at a cemetery is a sideshow, unless it is found that the mayor’s office was involved in setting it up. And the city clerk has said that the Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork petitions containing names of dead people is not an issue. However, Joshua Wood claimed that signatures of dead people on the petitions were forged.

As quoted in The Sacramento Bee, “Our intentions were to highlight how disgusting it is to forge someone’s name who is deceased in order to get a political gain.�

The only way Wood could know at this point that any signatures on the petition were forged is if he or his minions did the forging. So, did Wood and company forge signatures on the STOP petition? Or is this just another lie he made up to get media attention and try to discredit those who want a public vote on the arena deal?

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Words can cause real harm Re “Bad rap� by Dylan Fremouw (SN&R Letters, January 16): I like to believe that it’s possible for public forums to be civil places where debate focuses on the merits of a subject rather than descending into irrelevance and snide remarks. Dylan Fremouw’s choice to call the artists in this article “gay� greatly challenged that belief.

It is one thing to disagree with another’s opinion—intelligent discussions are healthy and informative—but as soon as anyone

Shame on SN&R Re “Ban smoking?� (SN&R Editorial, January 16): So, SN&R is all for smoking in bars and outdoor restaurants. Could that be because SN&R gets a big chunk of revenue from tobacco advertising? Shame on you.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and now kills nearly 6 million people every year on this planet. In the United States, it kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides and fires combined. It is time for Sacramento to do what so many other cities have done— make outdoor dining smoke-free.

Valerie Barclay via email

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Re “Bad rap� by Dylan Fremouw (SN&R Letters, January 16): Thank you for the continued reminder of why I have and continue to avoid rap as a genre: the cultural homophobia. When you use “gay� as negative slang, how many gay rappers are you hurting?

Brad Carps via email

takes cheap shots at another’s character, they lose all credibility. It is even more disappointing when they use an already disadvantaged group as an insult. The practice is lazy and irrelevant, and the collateral damage within the LGBTQ community, and others, is appalling.

Please, feel free to disagree and discuss, but understand that your words can cause real harm, and the ones you choose in the heat of the moment can strike farther and deeper than you imagine.

Matthew Malone via email

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Crazy at city council See NEWS

See CAPITOL LOWDOWN

10

Affordable housing backtrack See BITES

11

Quick silver Researchers call fast-track approval of pesticide in children’s products needless, dangerous Tiny particles of silver could appear soon in children’s toys and clothing, embedded inside plastics and fabrics to fight stains and odors. by No one knows how the germ-killing Katia Savchuk particles, part of a new pesticide called Nanosilva, affect human health or the environment in the long run. But regulators have proposed letting Nanosilva on the market for up to four years before the manufacturer has to submit studies on whether the particles pose certain dangers.

That’s because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has backed approving Nanosilva through conditional registration, a fast-track process that recently has drawn criticism for oversight problems.

Unlike regular registration, it allows a pesticide to be sold before all required safety studies are in.

In this case, manufacturer Nanosilva LLC can move ahead, even though it hasn’t explored fully the potential health risks if the product were to seep out of plastic or be inhaled.

Nanosilva’s approval has renewed focus on the loophole, designed mainly to help the EPA speed up approvals of pesticides nearly identical to those already being sold.

Recent reviews have found vast problems with the EPA’s oversight of conditional registration. An internal audit showed in 2011 that 70 percent of all active pesticides had been conditionally approved. The audit also concluded that the agency used the label too broadly. Since then, its use has increased. Figures the This story EPA provided in December put the number originally appeared at 80 percent. at The Center for Thousands of pesticides kept conditional Investigative Reporting at www.cironline.org. status for more than 20 years, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental-advocacy group, found in 2010. The EPA says studies typically are due within four years.

And last year, federal auditors found the agency couldn’t reliably track how many products were conditionally registered or whether safety studies were submitted.

As a result, pesticides could linger on the market for years without critical tests, the Government Accountability Office warned in August 2013.

An unnecessary risk?

These aren’t new problems. At least seven independent reviews dating back to 1980 have noted flaws with the BEFORE

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9

The poverty gap

Nanosilver functions like a traditional pesticide with its antibacterial properties and is used in some children’s toys to make them last longer.

Researchers, however, worry about its long-term health effects.

agency’s systems for tracking pesticide registrations.

The EPA said it has enough data on Nanosilva to know that it’s safe while the manufacturer finishes testing, as the law requires. But some scientists and environmentalists say the agency is taking a risk on products that are hardly essential, like sports clothing that doesn’t stain or stink, or toys that last longer.

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

Samuel N. Luoma research ecologist, UC Davis

“You could allow some uses that are justified based on human well-being, such as medical implements, but to allow the possibility that nanosilver would be released in plastic on children’s toys, and your kid could chew on it and ingest that material before we understand its toxicity— that’s unnecessary risk,” said Samuel N. Luoma, a research ecologist at UC Davis.

“It doesn’t make any sense.”

Conventional silver has been used as an antibacterial product for centuries. It releases ions that are deadly for many bacteria and fungi.

Recently, scientists have broken down silver into particles more than 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair— some not much wider than a DNA strand.

They’re called nanosilver. Nanosilva is just one brand that contains them.

Nanosilver can be embedded directly into plastics, fabrics and other materials.

Companies say this helps products last longer. It also allows them to call items antibacterial and attract germ-conscious STORY

consumers. Nanosilver needs to be registered as a pesticide because it claims to kill bacteria and other live organisms.

Regular silver is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life but isn’t usually dangerous for humans. But scientists say nanosilver could pose unique hazards, and they know little about its long-term risks.

Animal studies show that nanosilver can slip into cells and build up in the brain, heart and other organs. The EPA doesn’t know whether nanosilver causes reproductive harm or cancer because there are no valid studies.

Scientists have warned that nanosilver may be more toxic than regular silver and act as a carrier for other poisonous chemicals. Besides human-health risks, researchers worry that nanosilver could kill fish and disrupt food chains.

The EPA argues that approving Nanosilva promotes innovation and lets consumers enjoy better products. The agency also says it didn’t give the manufacturer enough time to do safety tests.

The EPA didn’t ask for those tests until nearly four years after an independent scientific advisory panel counseled the EPA on how it should evaluate nanosilver in 2009.

And, in evaluating Nanosilva, the EPA ignored some of that panel’s advice.

The scientists told the agency to evaluate every nanosilver product separately. Just because one is safe doesn’t mean others will be, they said. The agency instead figured out many health and environment risks based on studies on particles that were different from those in Nanosilva.

The EPA said the tests were “scientifically appropriate.”

Nanosilva officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

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AFTER

This isn’t the first time the EPA has conditionally approved pesticides containing nanosilver.

In November, a federal appeals court overturned the approval of two nanosilver products, ruling that the EPA had incorrectly found they posed no risks to toddlers.

That decision didn’t affect Nanosilva because the EPA used different calculations in each case.

Pesticides and unknowns Regulators still are grappling with how to deal with nanomaterials. While only two companies have asked for EPA approval, hundreds of products containing nanosilver already are on the market, according to an inventory by The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.

The EPA also has fast-tracked other controversial pesticides, including ones linked to the collapse of honeybee colonies and tree deaths.

The EPA has reviewed some conditionally approved products to look for missing data and other problems. But it hasn’t traced the paper trail for all pesticides, as it told federal auditors it would do by last fall.

The EPA also doesn’t have a concrete plan for the main fix auditors prescribed, an automated tracking system to guarantee that studies arrive and get reviewed. Currently, pesticide managers sometimes rely on handwritten notes and memory to keep track.

“Until they figure out the system, they shouldn’t be using conditional registration,” said Mae Wu, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The EPA first told federal auditors it would develop an automated tracking system more than 25 years ago. Ω

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Paint it green

Dull Paso

The Sacramento City Council wisely gave the green light for more aggressive waterconservation policy last week, which includes things like “water police” and a ban on using a hose to wash cars. Good move—now, let’s up the ante and work to curb landscape and irrigation watering, including a prohibition on watering lawns. Spray paint it green, eh?

Enotria Restaurant Wine Bar, the ambitious, upscale dining destination down the street from SN&R in north Sac, abruptly shut its doors last week. Chef Pajo Bruich told the daily paper he was “blindsided” by the owner’s decision. Scorekeeper wishes him the best and hopes to see him in Sacramento for years to come. In the meantime, it’ll be hard to persuade new tenants to come to Del Paso Boulevard without the anchor restaurant.

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In a move that could do wonders to legitimize the currency, last week, the Sacramento Kings announced it would begin accepting online currency Bitcoin for tickets and merchandise. No word on whether you’ll be able to buy a Isaiah “Pizza Guy” Thomas jersey with Dogecoin anytime soon, however.

Sacramento County wants on the government-transparency bandwagon. Citing the open-data policies of San Francisco County and the White House (pre-Edward Snowden, we’re guessing), local IT officials say they’re within six months of premiering their own open-data portal system on the county’s website. Similar to the federal government’s Data.gov, Sacramento County’s DTech (please find another name) would provide one-stop access to crime data, employee salaries, restaurant-inspection results, pending and completed service NEWS & REVIEW BUSINES requests, and more.

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STOP the vote “Anti-arena” groups checked off enough petitions to qualify a vote on city of Sacramento sports subsidies this June— and now it’s up to the city clerk to certify the initiative, which she must do before January 28. Or will a judge disenfranchise voters and determine the effort violates the city charter? More drama than a Kings fourth quarter.

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- 50

Minute by minute by minute

BEATS

What can be done about off-topic, random commenters at city council meetings?

The first city council meeting of the new year was yet another reminder that Sacramento’s civic engagement is, by at best, amusingly off topic and, at Nick Miller worst, in dire need of reform. n ic kam@ Consider: A young man named newsre view.c om Chad Taylor kicked off public comment at this first meeting of 2014 to address the timely and relevant issue of—water fluoridation.

“I want to know why this is not being addressed by anybody,” he demanded of the council. (Never mind that, as Councilman Steve Cohn pointed out, council has discussed fluoride on multiple occasions and as recently as two years ago.) Taylor focused on fluoride for his full two minutes of comment, even going over his allotted time until the mayor asked for his final thought.

Learn more about “My final thought?” Taylor said. the startup Public “Your final thought?” the mayor Innovation at http://public gently repeated.

“OK,” Taylor mumbled—then innovation.org. completely changed the subject to talk about gun-owner’s rights.

Subsequent public commenters on that January 7 evening addressed other dubiously germane matters, such as Sacramento’s need for a “national ranger force,” moonshine, metal detecting, terrorism and whether one should call 911 because of a dead bird on one’s front lawn.

One regular commenter, civilrights activist Tim Boyd, even got into a spat with a council member.

Boyd spoke of the disenfranchisement of longstanding Oak Park residents, returned to his seat, then started hollering at Councilman Jay Schenirer.

Mayor Kevin Johnson himself Whether moonshine had to intervene. “You know what … or dead birds, civic discourse oftentimes that’s just not the decorum, and now is off-topic at city you’re getting all out of bounds,” he council meetings. told Boyd.

It didn’t end there. Minutes later, Boyd returned to the podium—for the third time in less than 53 minutes—to speak for another two minutes, where he chided Councilman Schenirer for sneaking a bite of food on the dais, calling him “a total joke.”

After more than an hour, the actual agenda items of the night finally commenced. Which raises the question: Is this really the best way to go about civic engagement and public meetings?

Over the past decade, the city has tinkered with the rules of the citycouncil meeting game. A few years ago, it reduced the time for public comment from three minutes to two.

Community advocates such as Craig Powell at Eye on Sacramento, a government-watchdog group, have told SN&R that trimming publiccomment time down didn’t save the city any time at meetings and also “really degraded the quality of the public comments.”

But other observers of Sacramento civic debate, such as Ash Roughani of the Midtown-based “civic incubator” startup Public Innovation, says improving the quality of debate is perhaps less about time at the podium and more about how government interacts with the public.

“People who are most passionate about coming to existing council meetings generally have a hard-line position one way or another,” Roughani observed. He’s right: The average citizen, who may care about certain issues, probably never actually learns that they’re being debated, because they’re not tapped into the public process. Or they’re turned off by government’s antiquated, technology-unfriendly approach to civic interaction.

“Think about the dais,” Roughani said of the curved table where council members sit, “that’s a perfect example of things that feel outdated.” He called it “royaltyesque.”

Meanwhile, those who end up at meetings typically have their own personal agenda.

To amend this, Roughani says

Un-Fair Housing Sacramento County supervisors delayed killing an in-nameonly regional partnership that has mediated landlord-tenant disputes for half a century.

The Regional Human Rights/Fair Housing Commission faced dissolution at the end of this month, along with uncertainty over how to pay a roughly $2.8 million tab, primarily in the way of California Public Employees’ Retirement System liabilities.

The commission, which offers court mediation services and other rental and public-housing programs, operates as a joint powers authority made up of the county and four of its cities. While the JPA isn’t legally obligated to cover the outstanding debt, county officials promised to pay their share, especially since the commission primarily serves residents in the unincorporated county and city of Sacramento.

The commission operated a $600,000 annual budget during its salad days, but is down to about half that, with Sacramento County the only paying member of the JPA. “The ‘J’ part of the ‘PA’ is gone,” quipped chief financial officer Britt Ferguson at the January 14 hearing.

While supervisors gave a pass to the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova, which joined the JPA in 2008 and whose residents make up a slim margin of clients, they poked the city of Sacramento, a onetime funding partner and continued user of services. “The city withdrew funding and didn’t make other arrangements,” Supervisor Don Nottoli said.

Sacramento city officials say comparable housing resources are now provided through the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law as well as state and federal entities.

But McGeorge and Legal Services of Northern California have income eligibility requirements that the commission doesn’t, and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency hasn’t been adept at fielding referral calls, said commission appointee Dana Mitchell. “For two days, when we tried to refer calls from the city back to the city, it was bedlam,” she told supervisors. “So there’s not a plan.”

Rather than go with recommendations to wind down the commission, supervisors Nottoli and Phil Serna led an effort to fund the program through the end of February and examine keeping it alive. “I want to know where we’re going if we get to the edge of the cliff here, and either jump off or fall off,” Nottoli said. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

governments need to “break down the entire public-meeting process, from how things end up on the agenda, to how that meeting is posted, to how people find out about it,” and so on. He thinks that if Sacramento prioritizes such reforms, it will see more responsible civic engagement.

Of course, the city’s priorities are many—and tweaking public communications is not at the top.

Until that happens, leaders will continue to endure city council meetings such as the second one of this new year, on January 14.

“Think about the dais, that’s a perfect example of things that feel outdated.”

Ash Roughani founder Public Innovation

Mac Worthy, regular public commenter known for the catch phrase “pimping the people,” returned last week to speak about Dennis Rodman, North Korea and homosexuality in professional sports.

Lorraine Brown also was there this time to complain about the drought.

“We’re wasting water building automobiles,” she argued. “But we do need to water our lawn. Let’s have some common sense here!”

Worthy chimed in as well on water rationing. “When the ocean starts to go down, then we’ll be short of water.

People, we aren’t short of water.”

And then there’s David Adine, who had a very big problem. “[My] emergency probably makes me one of the most frustrated people in the entire world,” he told the city council.

“I know I’m definitely the most frustrated person in Sacramento.”

Why was he so upset?

He couldn’t access the Internet at the law library. Ω

Connector the dots Plans to build a long-awaited freeway connector through rural Sacramento County sped forward last week despite opposition from local farmers and ranchers.

On January 13, the Sacramento County Planning Commission unanimously recommended general plan amendments to accommodate the Capital Southeast Connector project over objections from the Cosumnes Community Planning Advisory Council that the project would disrupt its rural lifestyle and induce suburban sprawl. About 25 miles of the 35-mile-long project runs through the Cosumnes community.

First proposed in 2006, the connector would give commuters a direct route from Interstate-5 in Elk Grove to Highway 50 in El Dorado County, bypassing downtown traffic congestion and rural surface roads. The five-jurisdiction joint powers authority created to develop the connector says the project will generate 5,400 new jobs, $831 million in economic output and $23 million of indirect business-tax revenue.

According to principal civil engineer Dean Blank, most of the access issues raised by the Cosumnes CPAC will be addressed later in the planning process. But Sacramento County Farm Bureau executive director Charlotte Mitchell expressed concerns that the commission was acting too soon.

The board of supervisors is expected to vote on the planning commission’s recommendation on February 11.

(Cody Drabble) Ω

MOONSHINE

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On the brink Shocking facts on low-income California as governor, Legislature mull new spending plan As Gov. Jerry “Sam the Eagle� Brown was presenting his $151 billion spending plan for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, Maria Shriver published a report on low-income America.

There’s some shocking stuff in Shriver’s opus that Sacramento’s solons should use to weigh the soundness of their next 151 billion spending decisions. Briefly: More than 100 million citizens of the richest country on the CAS

by GREG LU planet live in poverty or teeter on its brink. The brink ain’t too caplowdown@newsreview.com bitchin’, either. Shriver defines it as a family of four earning $47,000 a year.

Of those 100 million people, 42 million are women and 28 million are children who depend on them.

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Greg Lucas’ state-politics column Capitol Lowdown will appear every-other week in SN&R. He also blogs at www.californias capitol.com.

Today, more than 40 percent of children in the United States are born to single or unmarried parents. Nearly three-quarters of those unmarried births are to poor women.

The 2012 census update shows a little more than one-third of California’s children live in singleparent households. Nearly 2.2 million California kids live in poverty—the highest number in the nation.

Women are a majority of the country’s workforce, a majority of its not-for-pay caregivers, a majority of college graduates, a majority of voters, but they’re also twothirds of the nation’s minimumwage earners and, on average, receive 77 percent of the amount a man is paid to do the same job.

The poor are people we know— usually single-parent families with a woman breadwinner who, as Shriver says in her report, are “one broken bone, one broken-down car, one missed paycheck—away from the brink.�

On the plus side, California is working harder than a lot of other states to yank folks back from the brink and help haul up those down in the poverty hole.

The main problem with poor people is a lack of money. California is giving them more. Minimum-wage workers will get $9 an hour starting on July 1, and $10 an hour beginning on January 1, 2016. “[It] will help families that are struggling,� the governor said succinctly of the increase.

California has also offered employees paid parental leave for a decade now—the first state to do so.

Last year, Brown expanded the list of family members and issues it can be used to cover.

Having this option is a big deal for lower-income workers, who without it face the Hobson’s choice of caring for a loved one or losing a paycheck and facing financial ruin. And the leave doesn’t cut into a business owner’s bottom line: It’s paid for out of the disability payments already deducted from employee paychecks.

One of the things the war on poverty fighters of a half-century ago were right about is the importance of strengthening families. That’s what Head Start and food stamps and, for all its deficiencies, Section 8 housing is about. Only a sieve-head could possibly believe that maintaining a job and caring for loved ones doesn’t build a stronger family.

Turning to the budget, the two biggest spending items are education—K-12 and higher—and Medi-Cal, the state’s health-care program for the poor. Just as it should be.

Education equals success. Shriver says one of the most important lessons girls can be taught today to improve their future is “college before kids.�

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the other day he backs preschool for every 4-year-old. Go for it! Whatever the initial payout, the longer term payoff will make it seem like chump change.

Should California take a victory lap? Not so much. But if “Your Tax Dollars at Work� lapel pins were distributed to the members of working families whose lives are improving, the soundness of a big chunk of the state’s public investment would be much more obvious. Ί

Growing apart Sacramento County supervisors give up the fight against economic segregation Economic inequality is widening. Class segregation in American communities is growing. And Sacramento County is abandoning one of the most powerful tools it has to promote social and economic integration.

Until now, the county has had a pretty forward-thinking set of policies on affordable housing. In 2004, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to make us the first local government in the country to ARVIN

by COSMO G adopt rules requiring developers to provide housing for “extremely low income” cos mog@ newsrev iew.c om residents—those families making 30 percent of the median income or less. The county required 15 percent of new housing overall to be affordable to low-, very low- or extremely low-income families.

Just as importantly as the numbers, the ordinance promoted “inclusionary housing.”

Developers wouldn’t just pay affordable-housing fees, they would also need to develop affordable units as part of their market-rate projects, set aside land, or pay higher fees to have someone else develop the affordable units.

The idea was to try to create a better mix of incomes in the community, so that lower-income families could afford to live near jobs and better schools and the same kinds of public amenities enjoyed by wealthier people.

The goal behind the inclusionary housing is not just to create more affordable housing, it is also to fight segregation and the neighborhood effects of concentrated poverty.

That’s important, given America’s growing economic segregation. A 2012 study from the Pew Research Center shows for three decades American metro areas have become more and more divided by income. A 2013 follow up by The Pew Charitable Trusts showed that this segregation makes it harder to climb out of poverty.

Sacramento was lauded for its aggressive affordable-housing program and promoting mixed-income communities. The Sacramento Bee editorial page even called the policy “revolutionary.” In a good way.

Developers hated it and spent the next 10 years sabotaging it. In 2005, they sued to block its implementation. They lost the lawsuit in 2006, and probably would have lost the appeal, too.

But the board of supervisors was changing, the representatives who voted for the plan were gradually replaced by more developer-friendly supes. In 2007, the board approved a deal to let developers off the hook for providing housing for extremely low-income families. In 2010, Phil Serna was elected to the board. He had previously worked as a consultant for the Building Industry Association, fighting against the county’s inclusionary rules.

Now Serna and his colleagues are directing county staff to come back with new rules that don’t put any requirements on developers to include affordable housing in their market-rate projects. Instead, they can just pay fees and BEFORE

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not worry about inclusion. The overall portion of new development required to be affordable is being slashed from 15 percent down to 10 percent, maybe less. The board is expected to approve the change on January 28.

Why? Between the developers’ monkeywrenching and the economic recession, the ordinance was never really given a chance to work. County planner Cindy Storelli says the affordable-housing rules need to be relaxed to stoke Sacramento’s lagging real-estate sector.

“In Sacramento County, it feels more stalled out,” said Storelli. “We’re trying to help those developers to get their projects going again.”

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Affordable-housing advocates say there’s no connection between inclusionary housing rules and the slow pace of building. Building slowed because of the recession. And there are studies showing new-housing production is more strongly correlated with factors like the local unemployment rate.

Storelli acknowledged that “There is no empirical evidence that shows the inclusionary ordinance is slowing the housing market. There is no way to evaluate that.”

This seems like a decision based on politics rather than one based on facts.

Storelli said that the county is still committed to planning mixed-income neighborhoods as a general policy, and developers will still help out with their fees. But housing advocates say the fees are too low to keep pace, and the new rules won’t require low-income housing to be built concurrently with the more profitable higherincome homes. “You can go years and years without producing a unit of affordable housing,” said Rob Wiener with the California Coalition for Rural Housing.

“This is just about caving to the developers and giving them the least painful alternative,” he added.

Supervisor Don Nottoli has been the lone holdout on the board, still arguing in favor of inclusionary housing. He’s the only supervisor left from the group who voted for the ambitious plan back in 2004.

Last week, Bites lamented the lack of progressive candidates running for county supervisor who are willing to take on the developers.

Sacramento’s backward move on affordable housing shows why that’s such a problem. Ω |

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Drought We need a regional water-conservation plan We are having a drought. Not an ordinary drought but a hundred-year drought. So, right-wing Christians, left-wing Christians, Muslims, Jews and others are all praying for divine intervention. I support these efforts.

Heaven knows we need them.

It is said that God works in mysterious ways. But God would be challenged to work in ways as mysterious as California water policy. It is making sense of that water policy that is the subject of this column.

To do that, we must start at the beginning, before man set foot on the planet. There was water, which came down from the sky and flowed through l

by Jeff VoNKaeNe streams and rivers to the oceans. And there was water j e ffv @n e wsr e v ie w.c o m that soaked into the ground to later be pumped up through wells.

When Europeans started claiming property rights in California, they treated water just like land, gold and minerals—property that could be owned. A property owner had water rights to the streams and rivers that flowed through God would be their land and even the water their property. But water challenged to under is different from other types work in ways as of property. Coal does not drop from the sky. Silver does mysterious not move underground from as California one property to another. But nevertheless, water rights were water policy. given away.

This seemed to work when there was plenty of water to go around. But now there are significantly more people with water rights than there is water to go around. And the current drought highlights this problem.

We have a complicated water-transport system, taking water from one area and sending it to another. This has allowed massive farming and urban development. One shortsighted solution to the water shortage has been to drain the underground water reserves. These reserves took eons to create, and draining them is not a sustainable solution.

The problem is that we have priced water so low that the market has allowed unsustainable agricultural practices and wasteful urban projects to develop. We grow citrus in deserts. We have water-sucking lawns in arid climates.

Jeff vonKaenel Raising the price of water would help to lower the is the president, amount used so that we would stop draining our reserve.

CEO and But this would require a rational water-management system. majority owner of the News & Review Which we do not have. In the Sacramento area, although newspapers in we have one regional water system, we have more than 20 Sacramento, water districts. Each water district has different sources of Chico and Reno. water—some comes from Folsom Lake, some comes from wells. Many of our local water districts have essentially chosen to deplete their stored reserves rather than choosing to conserve. This is wrong.

There needs to be a coordinated, regional water-conservation effort in which the local districts work together to solve this regional problem. Recently, the water districts earmarked $200,000 for conservation outreach. With 2 million residents in our region, this represents only one dime per resident. It’s a start. But we need to do much more. Ω

This Modern World

by tom tomorrow

Water ways Sacramento is not prepared for this latest drought.

We live in a fragile, beautiful place where two rivers converge, and are extremely fortunate compared to other parts of the state because, in most years, we have enough water.

Now, we face a difficult future. Not only have we just completed the driest year on record, we’ve also been growing in population and dealing with the concomitant increase in demand for water. The Folsom Reservoir is at a historic low; its operators have begun reducing its output to forestall the point at which some of the intake pipes for upstream cities will begin to pull in air instead of water.

At the same time, we’ve been offered a vision of what our communities could look like without water.

Across the country in West Virginia, a toxic leak left more than 300,000 people without access to water usable for anything but flushing down sewer pipes.

Emergency drinking-water supplies helped, sure, but the economic consequences were devastating.

Businesses and schools couldn’t function. Hospitals were in dire straits.

Water isn’t a luxury.

Our current situation must be taken seriously.

Without foresight on the part of our government agencies—and plenty of assistance from the public—what is now What is now an an inconvenience could easily become a catastrophe. inconvenience could The problem is, there are easily become a nearly two-dozen water agencies in the greater Sacramento area, catastrophe. and each boasts varying plans for conservation.

Let’s not wait until a crisis is here to start learning to live with less. Drip-irrigation systems need to become part of our zoning requirements, and rewards for low-water plantings need to be incorporated into city codes. Landscaping and the outdoors account for most of the region’s water use, so we’re going to need to drastically change the water needs for our outdoor and open spaces.

The California Remember: Sacramento’s climate is dry. In a department of Water normal year, we can expect roughly 21 inches of resources has drought rain—that’s roughly the same as the Sahel region of information, as well as Africa. The dams and irrigation we’ve built may have tips for conservation, promoted the illusion of a water-rich paradise, but as on its website at www.water.ca.gov/ the late author Marc Reisner wrote in his landmark waterconditions/ book Cadillac Desert: The American West and its drought.

Disappearing Water, “California, which fools visitors into believing it is ‘lush,’ is a beautiful fraud.”

The City of sacramento We heartily endorse Sacramento City Manager department of John Shirey’s recommendation of a “Stage 2 declaraUtilities maintains tion,” which will require water-use reductions of 20-30 water-conservation information at percent locally. Actually, we endorse more aggressive www.cityof reductions. This follows similar restrictions in Folsom sacramento.org/ and Roseville. The San Juan Water District is calling utilities/water/water for voluntary 50 percent reduction. conservation.cfm.

We also call upon our neighbors to practice good stewardship of our water, including basic conservation measures and responsible behavior.

This may or may not be a temporary situation: There’s also the possibility that a “new normal” is emerging as our climate changes. The question is whether or not we are willing to adapt to it.

Now is a very good time to get started. Ω

On saving a dying medium Around this time last year, I was editor-in-chief of the position. I admit there is something ideologically UC Davis student newspaper. And I was telling disturbing about student fees paying the salary of by everyone that we were going to die. a nonstudent, though it’s also done at some other Janelle Bitker I cut The California Aggie’s weekly producUC campuses. There’s also no expiration date tion from four days to one, slashed salaries and on the fee. It would really be saving The Aggie. told the next editor that my actions would not Forever. save the paper. They would only buy some time But who knows what the news media will for a more radical plan. look like in five or 10 years?

Now it’s all coming Future student journalists should It isn’t fair to let UC together. Last week, wrestle with that predicament Davis’ 99-year-old student-government leadand prepare for off-campus ers passed a bill that will ambitions instead of indefinitely newspaper wind up put a fee referendum on holding onto life support. online only, run by the next campus ballot.

Critics have taken to If enough students vote Facebook to complain and student volunteers “yes” in February, it will campaign against the fee. who produce little bill each undergrad $9.30 Some points are fair. But it annually and generate and learn even less. also isn’t fair to ask a group of roughly $300,000 to students to work 30 hours per An online version of this support the newspaper. week for less than $1 per hour, essay can be found at as the newspaper editors do now. And it isn’t www.newsreview.com/ Please note The Aggie is currently financially fair to let UC Davis’ 99-year-old newspaper sacramento/ independent, and that respected student newspageburner/blogs. papers at UC Berkeley and UCLA also collect wind up online only, run by student volunteers student fees. who produce little and learn even less. No Totally biased as I am, I support the plan. more learning lab. No more accountability. No More details about The Aggie’s finances can be more public sphere. read in The Sacramento Bee, though it should Sadly, it’s too late to have these debates. be noted that the Bee reporter once applied to Because if The Aggie’s fee doesn’t pass, the head the The Aggie and is, therefore, also totally newspaper will very likely die later this year. biased.

Then, where will future SN&R reporters figure Here are some contentious details: Money out how to write? Ω will be put aside to fund a full-time business BEFORE

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The FBI claims Sacramento is a Juggalo 'gang' epicenter. But local Insane Clown Posse fans say they're peaceful victims of profiling.

BY RAHEEM F. HOSSEINI

RAHEEMH@NEWSREVIEW.COM

PHOTO BY SERENE LUSANO

Despite having a spotless criminal record, Brandon Bradley says he’s been approached three times by Sacramento County law enforcement for being a Juggalo.

He and his favorite band, Insane Clown Posse, are suing federal agencies for designating Juggalos a “hybrid” criminal gang.

B

efore Brandon Bradley knew what was happening, on that dark street in Citrus Heights last January, two cops in bulletproof vests cornered him near a guardrail as they took photos of his tattoos and clothing, and accused him of being in a gang.

“I was really scared and just wanted to get that situation over with,” Bradley, now 20, recalled during a recent interview at his apartment.

Like a million other fans, Bradley is a passionate devotee of Insane Clown Posse, an ecstatically deranged rap duo out of Detroit. Since the early ’90s, the group has thrilled followers and vexed music critics with its trashy brand of horror-laced hip-hop, selling 6.5 million poorly reviewed albums in the process.

The band’s most ardent admirers—dubbed “Juggalos”—sport body art and, sometimes, scary-clown face paint to affiliate themselves with ICP and its “horrorcore” genre.

But ever since the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center released a February 2011 report on emerging crime and gang trends within the Juggalo community, being “down with the clown” has become synonymous with gangbanging in states like California, where at least four Juggalo subsets have been identified.

Sacramento is an epicenter of this disputed gang activity, with cliques in Stockton and the counties of El Dorado and Solano. Unconfirmed rumors of a Juggalo crew in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood once circulated as well.

Of the six law-enforcement agencies that SN&R contacted, however, none could cite an example of Juggalo-related gang activity in recent years. Some had never even heard of them.

“Those are the ones who paint their faces like clowns, right?” one lieutenant wondered.

Yet, to date, 69 Juggalos have been validated as gang members in Sacramento County.

Despite a spotless record and plans to become a correctional officer, Bradley believes he’s now on that list. “To look up to somebody that’s looking down on you, it feels very upsetting,” he said.

Earlier this month, Bradley joined music idols Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope in Michigan as co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice. The complaint slams federal authorities for painting an entire fandom with its “hybrid” gang brush, even while BEFORE

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acknowledging that the “majority of fans exercise their lifestyles in a peaceful manner.”

This isn’t the first clash between personal expression and government overreach. But it just might be the first time the clowns aren’t laughing.

FAN OR MENACE Squatting on an old TV set in his tidy apartment, Bradley—soft-spoken with a brown buzz cut and nappy chin hair—was just a youngster when a neighbor turned him on to Insane Clown Posse’s brand of demented hillbilly rap.

Before last year’s frightening encounter with Citrus Heights cops, Bradley said he was stopped and hassled twice for being a proud and inked Juggalo.

The most recent encounter occurred 12 months ago. This is how Bradley remembers it: He was hoofing his way along a darkened bike lane when the swirling reds of an unmarked patrol cruiser crept up on him. Two male officers exited the vehicle and commanded Bradley to stand in front of a guardrail with his back to them. They snapped photographs of his jacket, with its encircled logo of a cartoon “hatchet man,” a symbol of Juggalo fandom.

The cops then ordered him around and took photos of his face and tats.

Then the interrogation began, just like the first two times.

“They were asking a lot of questions that didn’t have anything to do with the stop, but they decided to harass me based on what I like musicwise and what my body looks like,” Bradley said. “You don’t know

the 2012 bicycle stop that Bradley described.)

Bradley should hope he isn’t on a gang list. The consequences of such a designation are dire: Law enforcement can track his whereabouts and log each new encounter with him in a file that can be used in court if he’s charged with a crime. If he’s ever convicted of a felony, the validation could result in an automatic 25-year sentencing enhancement. And if he’s ever a victim of crime, Bradley would be ineligible to receive state victim compensation.

Local criminal-defense attorney Keith J. Staten said a gang validation sticks for five years, longer if law enforcement chooses to renew it.

Bradley may never know whether he’s on the list, as law enforcement isn’t required to notify anyone who’s 18 and older that they’ve been labeled a gang member.

To get unvalidated, Staten explained, Bradley would have to go through an official “drop-out” process that involves him turning over any information he has about the “criminal gang” to which he belongs. In other words, he would have to narc on his fellow music fans.

Being a Juggalo has already exacted a toll.

When Bradley visited Sacramento Police Department headquarters to

“ Listening to music doesn’t make you a criminal.”

JUSTIN “FAYGO” CLARK HOMELESS SACRAMENTAN AND “RETIRED” INSANE CLOWN POSSE FAN

The legal complaint, filed two weeks ago by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, alleges that a Citrus Heights police officer stopped a bicycling Bradley in or around September 2012 and questioned him for 15 minutes about his musical tastes and tattoos, which include a Twiztid band logo couched inside of a retro-looking Batman symbol on his inner right forearm. After writing down his answers, Bradley said the officer let him go with a warning: Get a bicycle light.

About a month later, Bradley said he was crossing a street in downtown Sacramento when a sheriff’s deputy stopped him and accused him of being in a gang. According to Bradley, the deputy took his wallet and identification and ran a background check. The deputy eventually let Bradley go with another warning: Use the crosswalk. |

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how to take it emotionally. You just feel kind of stuck in a corner.”

He and his attorneys think the officers entered him into a database of nearly 15,000 validated gang members across the region.

A Citrus Heights Police Department spokesman, Officer Seth Dexter, will confirm only that the January 2013 contact happened, but said he “can’t divulge any gang-validation stuff,” because it’s considered proprietary intelligence.

Generally speaking, Dexter said officers submit their reports of possible gang encounters to detectives in the special-investigations unit for review before official validation paperwork is filed.

The officer added that he was somewhat surprised that Bradley was one of six plaintiffs in the ACLU suit, given his limited contact with local authorities.

(Dexter said he found no record of |

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inquire about a career, he says he was told he would need to remove his tattoos before he’d be considered.

Bradley’s co-plaintiff and fellow ICP fan Scott Gandy claims he’s been blocked from military service, while two other plaintiffs in the suit say their careers have been negatively affected.

“I can’t do the main thing I want to do in life,” Bradley said. “Everything that I really want to do that’s big and good for me, I’m literally not able to do because of music.”

‘JUGGALOS ARE A GANG’ Sacramento-area authorities have long had a scattershot track record of differentiating true gangsters from the poor and brown.

In 2007, West Sacramento cops and prosecutors tarred two mostly Latino neighborhoods with a gang |

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injunction and lifetime curfew, despite vehement protests from residents and the ACLU. An SN&R analysis of data shows the number of validated gang members in Sacramento County shot up 33 percent in just over two years, to 14,821 today, due largely to authorities expanding their definition of what it means to be a gangster.

“You’re spreading your net wider, so now you’re obviously going to get more,” Staten posited.

Meanwhile, some agencies won’t even turn over the criteria by which they determine gang affiliation.

Citrus Heights’ Officer Dexter talked SN&R through the 10-item list his and other Sacramento County agencies employ. It includes admission of being in a gang; being arrested in the company of gang members; regular association with known gang members; being photographed with known gang members; being snitched on by a rival gang member; and displaying tattoos, clothing or other indicia associated with a specific crew, among other things.

Anyone who falls into three of those boxes is subject to an official validation.

Because of the FBI’s hybrid gang designation for Juggalos, just about any of those items apply.

Attorneys for the ACLU of Michigan contend that the entire process is way too one-sided.

“Putting people on a criminal gang list before any hearing raises serious constitutional issues,” said cooperating counsel Saura J. Sahu.

“No matter what you think of gang lists in general, we can all agree that a person should not be placed on a gang list merely for being a fan of a music group.”

The FBI declined to comment on how gang-validation policies are set, citing the ongoing Juggalo lawsuit as its reason. But, as the National Gang Intelligence Center opined in its report, Juggalos “exhibit many of the same characteristics as a traditional gang such as throwing hand signs, wearing matching tattoos, and dressing in similar clothing.”

This could similarly be said about the Girl Scouts of the USA or Grateful Dead fans.

“What about Dead Heads?” Staten cracked. After all, they travel in large groups from city to city and use and sell dope, he said. “Hell, we can make anything a gang.”

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PHOTO BY LOVELLE HARRIS

Shawn “Joker” Kline, a karaoke and wedding deejay who sometimes sneaks in his favorite Juggalo-style music, says he was once stopped by an officer who tried to goad Kline into saying he was in a gang.

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“It’s one more thing that they can do to invade your privacy and delete your rights,” added Shawn Kline, a fellow Sacramento Juggalo who deejays under the moniker “Joker.”

The gang designation riled Kline up so much, he slapped two big hatchet man tattoos on the back of his forearms in protest. “If I’m walking away, you see my pride right there,” he told SN&R. Which may be why there are conflicting beliefs, even within law enforcement, about how to categorize Insane Clown Posse lovers.

“This is not a simple yes or no question,” Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Dan Morrissey explained via email, adding that the community is divided between law-abiding citizens and leaderless, unstructured criminal sets.

“Juggalos are a gang,” declared Citrus Heights police watch commander Jay Mackanin. “I know sometimes they say they’re not, but they are.”

If they are a gang, they aren’t much of one.

In the last year, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department recorded only 13 calls for service that listed the word “Juggalos” in the content of the call, Morrissey noted.

Dexter counted “less than 10” such incidents in Citrus Heights,

with a few involving narcotics and at least one weapons charge.

“Nothing that would make me say, ‘Geez, we have this huge Juggalo problem in our city,’” he added.

Going back five years, Elk Grove police recorded only one Juggalorelated crime, in 2009, when a couple of young clowns scrapped with a 19-year-old jogger with whom they had a previous beef.

And in the city of Sacramento, police spokesman Officer Doug Morse recalled citing a Juggalo a few years ago for marking up a public restroom

Insane Clown Posse at a young age, when someone handed him a tape.

The band’s junky-sounding early stuff, filled with darkly metaphorical morality tales about battling one’s inner demons, served as a cathartic outlet for King, whose parents struggled with drug addiction.

“I never knew my parents sober growing up,” King shared over piping classical music inside a tony East Sacramento coffeehouse. “It let me get over those things.”

But it would be a few years before King, a married father in his 30s,

white dudes who paint their faces like demon warlords and mosh to psychedelic acid rap, it’s also kind of true.

King offered up an experiment to test the hypothesis.

“In your free time, if you do a Facebook search for ‘Juggalos against,’ just that term, you’ll find hundreds of Facebook groups based off of fighting homophobia, [supporting] suicide prevention, civil rights,” he said.

He’s right on the money. In addition to the above causes, there are multiple Juggalo Facebook pages

“Juggalos are a gang. I know sometimes they say they’re not, but they are.”

Jay Mackanin police watch coMMander, citrus heights

with a permanent marker, but that was it. Even his gang detectives resisted terming Juggalos a gang.

“They’re not seeing that trend, that violent-crime trend, to really satisfy that [definition],” Morse told SN&R.

Demon warlorD SamaritanS Much like Bradley, local hip-hop artist Robert “Brutha Smith” King came to

16 | SN&R | 01.23.14

identified as a Juggalo. For him and Bradley both, along with two other fans interviewed by SN&R, it wasn’t the cartoonishly violent rhymes about peeling cats and snuffing chickens that demanded their allegiance.

It was ICP’s underlying message that everyone deserves respect—black or white, rich or poor, gay or straight.

“Just being a good person, that’s what it is,” Bradley said of what it means to be a Juggalo.

As crazy as that may sound regarding a bunch of scary-looking

devoted to ending domestic violence, bullying, pedophilia, stereotypes and—wait for it—gangs.

“And that was happening long before the hybrid gang classification,” King added. “It was a natural result of being a Juggalo.”

ICP’s message of acceptance, camouflaged as it is in loud, angry blasts of hatchet-wielding rap, has resonated with legions of poor, dispossessed youths who often feel judged and discarded themselves.

People like Justin Clark, a “retired” fan who still answers to the nickname “Faygo,” which is the cheap Detroitbased soda ICP drenches concertgoers in at shows.

The 33-year-old Clark is homeless, a population law enforcement fingers as the prime driver of Juggalo-related criminal activity. But Clark’s no clown-faced homey; he’s a progressive activist who chooses the streets over his friends’ couches because it keeps him plugged into various causes, including Occupy Sacramento events and organizing a “poor people’s campaign” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “Where I can be would take me away from where I need to be,” he reasoned.

As for the gang designation and the shoddy treatment that young homeless Juggalos sometimes experience from Downtown Plaza to the malls in Reno, Nev., Clark points to the two Santa Ana cops recently acquitted for fatally pummeling a schizophrenic homeless man during a videotaped altercation in 2011.

“Listening to music doesn’t make you a criminal,” he said. “If you want to find criminals, look at the ones who are beating people to death.”

Or chasing them out of the park.

King used to organize familyfriendly barbecues to collect clothes and food for the homeless multiple times a year. But during one Juggalo gathering on Memorial Day 2012 at Howe Park, he said police cars started rolling by in 15-minute intervals, driving up on the grass and along the walkway. On the fourth or fifth pass, officers exited their vehicles and

walked through the crowd of roughly For Bradley, the press conference 70 Juggalos. was a surreal moment, sitting beside He said an organizer walked over his heroes. Even more so when he got to explain that they had a permit to be up to face the bright lights of the bigthere and were doing something for city press and read his own statement. charity, but was “To be able brushed aside. to stand up for a The officers whole bunch of approached a people that are man they said afraid or aren’t was drunk, able to stand up hauled him off for themselves and shut the … it’s a really party down. magical thing,” “That entire he said. “It gathering, that means the world. entire barbecue, I can’t describe was to gather how good that food for a homefeels.” less shelter,” At the time King said. “And of the interview, they were coming Bradley wore there and harassan ICP T-shirt ing people who with the duo weren’t breaking animated onto the law.” a fake comicSacramento book cover. His BRANDON BRADLEY police logs apartment walls JUGGALO, ON HOW IT include no are slathered in FEELS TO BE HARASSED mention of the trippy-colored

BY LAW ENFORCEMENT alleged incident posters and on that date. lithographs As a result, depicting ICP King said Juggalos now avoid Howe and the big carnival tent they’ve Park. He hasn’t organized a charity pitched for all their fellow freaks. He’s event in more than a year. also dedicated generous space on both inner forearms and one of his calves to the artists he loves.

He goes to the shows, sure, but also to local gatherings just to hang In many ways, Insane Clown out with fellow Juggalos. One of the Posse’s two members—portly lead hip-hop loyalist’s closest Juggalo rhymer Violent J and skinny hype buddies is a “country nerd,” Bradley man Shaggy 2 Dope—are the most said. “All the people are really good successful losers in pop music. to me and to each other.”

Sure, they’ve sold millions of Yet scrutiny from law enforcement albums, draw thousands to their persists. King says he was pulled over annual “gatherings” events and have 11 times in a two-year span beginning their own record label and cable show in 2010 by police in Galt and Lodi. on Fuse network. But outside the The enforcement stops ceased the warm-soda embrace of their rowdy moment he took a hatchet man sticker fans, ICP doesn’t get much love: off the back of his car, he added.

Critics deride their stuff as dumb and “They kept asking me, ‘What are derivative. Eminem beefs with them. you?’ Like they wanted me to say the Quasi-celebrity Tila Tequila once got word,” King said. feces literally thrown at her during one While the FBI and Justice of their four-day shows.

Department have until March to And now ICP is on the governrespond to the ACLU complaint, ment’s shit list.

King believes his community should The rappers say they’ve already spend the interim putting its own suffered one canceled show as a house in order. He says Juggalos like result—their annual Hallowicked him can do a better job of reaching event in Michigan—and that they’re out to the younger fans and steering hemorrhaging ticket sales because them away from more literal interfans don’t want to be seen in groups pretations of ICP’s lengthy catalog, of more than three, lest they be which, on the surface, can come off accused of gangbanging. as provocatively nihilistic or just At a January 8 press conference downright misogynistic. announcing the lawsuit in Detroit, “There’s an open door to everyViolent J, born Joseph Bruce, summed body. That’s also a double-edged up the gang designation thusly: sword, though. We get people that “bullshit.” aren’t very good, that throw that “It’s just music, you know,” he moniker around,” King said. “I would continued. “If it’s not your cup of never say that we’re a bunch of tea, that’s fine, but believe me, it’s white-knight awesome people who go just another form of music, and we’re around doing great things. We’re just proud of it.” a fandom, you know?” Ω

“ You don’t know how to take it emotionally.

You just feel kind of stuck in a corner.”

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BonnLair, a cozy British-style neighborhood pub, celebrates 20 years of friendship, soccer and beer

Tracey Strong (left) hangs out with pal Monica Miller on a comfy couch at BonnLair.

18 | SN&R | 01.23.14

BonnLair owners Dave and Bonnie Boyet opened their neighborhood joint in 1994—several years after Dave answered an ad that read “British pub for sale.”

Bartender Casey Wadle pours another draft. Sorry, no whiskey (or tequila or Jägermeister shots).

Period.

Revisiting Tower Records See NIGHT&DAY

20

Once a cheater ...

See ASK JOEY

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Post-Cold War kids See FILM

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The cuddle puddle See SOUND ADVICE

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BonnLair patrons Matt Siek (left) and Dave Schultz enjoy a brew (or two) and good conversation.

B

onnLair, the affable British-style pub and home away from home for East Sacramento, turns 20 this month with a weekend of celebrating, and never mind the large framed poster or the shirts that say “Established 1993.”

“Yeah, those are wrong,” said Dave Boyet, who owns BonnLair with his wife, Bonnie.

“We opened January 29, 1994; ’93 was when we spent most of the money. In hindsight, that poster was a mistake, wasn’t it? I’m really not a marketing guy.”

No, he is not.

And that’s just one of the charms of Sacramento’s most perfect casual tavern.

As Sacramento, and pop culture in general, trends toward louder, bigger, more electric styles, BonnLair, on J Street between 36th and 37th streets, remains what it has always been: an earnest haven of community cheeriness and a place where you become a regular by walking in the door.

Calling anything a Cheers-like bar has become a cliché, so let’s just say in the search for neighborhood bars, this pub with no pretensions, a laid-back disposition and a sly sense of humor is the holy grail.

“We just wanted to make a living,” Boyet said. “This was where we wanted to hang out.”

This is where a lot of people have wanted to hang out for two decades, including the hundreds of dependable regulars (some have their own mugs on hooks above the bar), the people who moved away from Sacramento but come back often, the Sacramento State University students and other rookies who drop in and find an authentic British pub. (It actually is. More on that in a bit.) And they seem to end up becoming entangled in each other’s lives.

“So many of us have become friends, real friends, not bar friends,” said Jenny Willis. She was hanging out in the back patio on a recent Friday night. “Weddings, graduations, funerals—parties, of course—we all show up for each other.”

“Later on, we all sleep in the same bed,” said Fritz Wagner with a deadpan delivery.

“It can get awkward,” Willis said.

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OK, people can get silly, too. That’s kind of the point.

“You just come in and instantly relax,” said Christina Morgado, another in that back-patio group. She’s a Sacramentan but was visiting from her current home in Salzburg, Austria.

“And the age goes from 21 to 88, but no one seems out of place. Everyone treats everyone like they’re regulars.”

A strong soccer dependence runs through the pub, too, like BonnLair’s insistence on opening for every World Cup match—even at 4 a.m.— and its two decades of mounting local teams.

It sponsors teams made up of bar patrons and friends (who, naturally, become bar patrons) and of kids of customers and friends.

“It’s pretty rare to find somebody in town who plays and hasn’t played for or against Celtic,” Boyet said. The teams started with the name Celtic, introduced Young Celtic for the youth teams, then when Boyet and others turned 40, they added Celtic Old Boys.

“When we hit 50,” he said, “we became Celtic Relics.”

The celebration for all of this runs from Friday, January 24, through Sunday, January 26, with lots of food, specials, silliness and, well, beer. Like every day there, really.

In those 20 years, BonnLair has never been closed, not for holidays, blackouts (it has a hand-crank cash register) or even a wedding. (Staff locked the front door to stop interruptions, but the back door and bar were open.)

BonnLair, for all its hominess and nonmarketing charm, is also something of a groundbreaker for Sacramento. It was the city’s first no-smoking bar (and, ironically, because Boyet built a smoking porch out front, the pub and porch now attracts smokers who have just a few places where they can smoke and drink their beer), it helped introduce the region to some of the great beers of Europe, and it became a local template for how to do pubs right.

And all Boyet wanted was a place to hang out. It was an idea he got when he was living in south London.

“There was a pub near where I lived,” he said. “It was run by a family, everybody knew everybody, the sons were working there. I didn’t know anybody, but I would go in and it was always great.”

That was in the early 1980s, when Boyet was a professional dancer, mostly doing character

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dance, which is a something of a combination of ballet and classical folk dance. He toured the United States and Europe and taught at the San Francisco Ballet, and that is definitely not a usual path for the guy-grows-up-to-own-bar-inold-neighborhood story.

Here’s the short version: Boyet was a collegiate runner at Sacramento City College and then UC Santa Barbara. He was an athlete, and he was fit. After college, working in the corporate world, he met a girl.

“There’s always a girl, isn’t there?” he said.

He met her at a wedding, went to watch her dance in San Francisco, and thought, “I’m as good as those guys.”

“So many of us have become friends, real friends, not bar friends.”

Jenny Willis BonnLair patron

Turned out, he was. He left his job to dance, moving to Los Angeles, then London, then San Francisco, dancing as a pro for 15 years. He married the girl and divorced by the time he was 27. That was when he discovered that London pub.

“I was thinking this would work in East Sac,” he said. “A dancer has a short career. I wasn’t 30, but I knew I wanted to open a pub.”

In the middle of his dancing life, he reconnected with Bonnie. They’d been an item back in Kit Carson Middle School, also in East Sacramento. She’d also been married and divorced. They got married in 1985, and by the end of the decade, were in Sacramento planning for that pub.

Boyet poured through newspaper want ads (reminder: No Craigslist. No Google. No Internet.), looking for pieces that might add up to a publike bar. Then he saw an ad that said, “British pub for sale.”

“I went, ‘Huh? What?’” Boyet said. “‘A whole pub?’”

A wealthy woman who lived in Sacramento was moving back to her native South Africa.

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She’d bought an interior of an English pub, had it shipped to Sacramento and planned to ship it to South Africa for a room in her new home. She measured the house. It was too big.

Boyet bought it but was nowhere near ready to open his own place. Instead, he stored it with his mother, who by then had moved to West Sacramento.

“For a couple years,” Boyet said, “my mom’s garage was the best looking pub in Sacramento.”

That pub is the majority of BonnLair’s interior, which has a cozy bar, high-backed wood booths, two living-room areas, lots of mediumdark wood accents, gentle lights and a general sense it could have been built by elves.

“It’s all so homey,” said Casey Wadle, a longtime bartender there. “The vibe of the place kind of makes people behave. Subconsciously, you just know this isn’t a bar for shots or screeching.”

Actually, it’s only a bar for beer and wine.

No spirits. It’s also a family operation. At the beginning, Dave and Bonnie tended bar; Dave’s sister, Janine, was their first manager; and their twin sons, Shawn and Conner, both tended bar when they turned 21.

Boyet had been collecting pub-appropriate knickknacks in Europe, but when BonnLair opened, decided not to use them. All he hung up were three framed pictures over booths across from the bar.

“We just waited for people to bring us stuff,” Boyet said. “That felt more natural. Like those two plates with pictures of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. They belonged to Betty’s mom.”

Betty would be Betty Madden, and if anyone embodies the spirit of BonnLair, it’s her. Madden, now in her early 70s, is from the neighborhood, has been coming for almost all those 20 years, and she hangs out with everyone, including some of the youngest regulars. She was the first to get a personal mug over the bar.

“I’m safe here,” she said. “These people keep me young.”

“Not that young,” one of her “friends” said.

If you boiled down BonnLair, you’d get this: When Madden got divorced a few years ago, she had one big concern. She wanted to be the one with BonnLair visiting privileges. He got the divorce. She got the bar.

“Best deal I ever made,” she said. Ω For more information on BonnLair and the pub’s anniversary events, visit www.bonnlair.com.

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For the week of January 23

wEEKLy PICKS

Art of Beer Invitational Friday, January 24 Sandwiching the word “beer” with “art” and “invitational” in an event title is a pretty good indicator that Sacramento takes its beer scene seriously.

More than two-dozen breweries come together to celebrate the art of this cherished BEER libation, along with physical works of art. $10-$112.50, 6 p.m. at the Aerospace Museum of California, 3200 Freedom Park Drive in McClellan Park; http://artofbeerinvitational.com.

—Deena Drewis

Decoding Your Dog with Melissa Bain Friday, January 24 It’s one thing to have a dog. It’s another to live in harmony with it. Learn some of the basics at this discussion with Melissa Bain, author of DOGS a new book on dog behavior. Free, 7:30 p.m. at Avid Reader, 617 Second Street in Davis; (530) 758-4040; www.avidreaderbooks.com.

—Jonathan Mendick

Spirit of Uganda

T

O F M U S I C N O S TA L G I A

ower Records is long gone, but its legacy is forever etched into the fabric of Sacramento. For example, just about every music nerd and former employee who grew up or lived here between the ’70s and the aughts has a Tower story to tell. Mine: When I was 13, I had a bar mitzvah, and requested only Tower gift cards. A couple hundred bucks later, I had a solid start to what’s now a 1,500-album-or-so collection of music in CD, vinyl and digital (sorry, Tower) formats.

Now that we’re all nostalgic for the good ol’ days of the analog era, here’s another cool story: Tower, which went bankrupt and shuttered all its U.S. stores in 2006, boasted amazingly creative graphic-art departments. Blending music and art, the chain’s in-store designers made incredible promotional displays, unique three-dimensional mixed-media pieces aimed to spruce up the feel of the stores and create an inviting environment for customers. Their story is being told in the documentary Art Gods: An Oral History of the Tower Records Art Department, screening this Sunday, January 26, at the Crest Theatre, located at 1013 K Street.

Art Gods—produced, written and directed by Bay Area musician and filmmaker Strephon Taylor—is a 72-minute film that blends historic and modern footage, interviews and photos.

The new film, which premiered in San Francisco last month, also features old audio of Tower founder Russ Solomon discussing the employee culture, which encouraged personal creativity at each location (and there’s that old-school record-store “feel” we all miss). Stay for a Q-and-A with the filmmakers, cast and crew after the 2 p.m. screening. Tickets cost $10. More information is at www.novemberfire.com.

—Jonathan Mendick

Sunday, January 26 A cast of 22 youngsters ages 8-18 represent the orphaned children of Africa in this performance.

Spirit of Uganda, in partnership with Empower African Children, is an PERFORMANCE experience rich with ART the nation’s traditional dance, song and drums. $25-$54, 3 p.m. at the Mondavi Center, 9399 Old Davis Road in Davis; (866) 754-2787; www.empowerafricanchildren.org.

—Jessica Rine

Joystick Warriors: Video Games, Violence & the Culture of Militarism TueSday, January 28 This film, which is being shown by Sacramento Area Peace Action, shows the link between violent video games and real-world violence—if it’s not already obvious enough that pretend killing FILM isn’t going to translate well into real-world behavior. Free, 909 12th Street, Suite 118; (916) 448-7157; www.sacpeace.org.

—Jonathan Mendick

Pickling and Fermented Foods TueSday, January 28 Aside from being tasty and hip accoutrements for sandwiches, salads, etc., pickles and fermented foods are your digestive tract’s BFF. Impress both your friends and your intestines COOKING by learning the basics of quick pickling and fermenting. $35-$45, 6:30 p.m. at the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Learning Center and Cooking School, 1914 Alhambra Boulevard; (916) 868-6399; www.sacfoodcoop.com.

—Deena Drewis

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dine out and save!

Beyond the burrito Cielito Lindo Mexican Gastronomy 3672 J Street, (916) 736-2506, http://cielitolindomexicangastronomy.com The 3600 block of J Street is quickly becoming a mini gourmet enclave. With Juno’s Kitchen & Delicatessen, The Cultured & The by Ann Cured, and now, Cielito Lindo Mexican Martin Rolke Gastronomy, it’s a destination for more than just the good beer at BonnLair.

Chef and owner Ramiro Alarcon opened Cielito Lindo in September 2013, and it’s quickly earned a loyal crowd. As part of the original team at Tequila Museo Mayahuel on K Street, Alarcon calls his cooking “gastronomia Mexicana con sabor a memoria,” or Rating: “Mexican cuisine with flavor memories.”

HHH 1/2 Whatever you call it, this is definitely not a taqueria.

The idea here is to offer dishes that are more Lunch for one: upscale and reminiscent of Alarcon’s culinary $10 - $16 travels throughout Mexico. He presents subtle preparations of dishes less familiar to many Dinner for one: Americans. The attention to detail and service $20 - $25 is especially apparent.

Instead of cheese-blanketed entrees, diners can order upscale dishes such as enchiladas de mole: tortillas wrapped around amazingly H FLAWED moist, flavorful chicken, bathed in a housemade mole poblano. The sauce has a million HH HAS MOMENTS wonderful flavors, but with none of the bitterness you sometimes get from packaged moles.

HHH A fresh agua fresca of celery and pineapple APPEALING arrived at the table a brilliant green and the HHHH perfect accompaniment to the enchiladas.

AUTHORITATIVE The portions here are quite generous. A HHHHH green salad with fruits and nuts was big enough EPIC for a meal, even without the optional meat or seafood topping. The inclusion of berries seemed odd in January, although they’re surely in season in Mexico during winter. The addition of copious citrus sections and toasted cashews went well with the slightly sweet pomegranate vinaigrette.

The restaurant’s empanaditas de salpicon con papas are little turnovers standing up amid a drizzle of ancho sauce. The crust features a bit of leavening that makes it both crunchy and a bit fluffy, something the diners at my table really liked. The filling of beef, potatoes and vegetables tastes well-flavored and just a bit spicy.

The kitchen seems especially skilled at Still hungry?

Search SN&R’s cooking meat. Most of the dishes we tried “Dining Directory” featured moist, flavor-packed meat rather than to find local restaurants by name the overly oily or dry fillings you find at some or by type of food. Mexican restaurants. The grilled lamb chops Sushi, Mexican, Indian, were the only exception, but barely. They were Italian—discover it so small, they hardly needed cooking, so were all in the “Dining” section at served a bit overdone. Fortunately, they were www.news saved by the rich brown sauce and fantastic review.com. nopales salad alongside.

The tacos de arrachera are a better example of what Cielito does right: Three soft tortillas enclose marinated strips of meltingly good steak, topped with roasted poblano chilies, lots of fresh cilantro and crema. They’re drippy, but worth every napkin on the table.

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During a recent dinner here, we veered toward the spicy sautéed shrimp, but instead found ourselves waylaid by the huachinango en salsa de cilantro (red snapper in green sauce). I was thrilled with the moistness of the fish and the fresh complement of corn, spinach and silky cilantro sauce.

Instead of cheeseblanketed entrees, diners can order upscale dishes such as enchiladas de mole.

The menu is meatcentric, but the kitchen is vegetarian friendly as well. The crema de rajas poblanas, fully vegan and similar to a Mexican minestrone, is full of chickpeas, poblanos and onions in a rich broth uniquely flavored with vanilla and epazote. A bowlful would be a great meal on a chilly day.

Dessert was the one off-kilter experience.

Everything tasted quite delicious—including the slightly zingy ancho-orange flan and the cannelloni filled with warm rice pudding. It’s just that the descriptions are misleading. The pudding is described as a “savory recipe of rice sorbet,” and a pretty plate of orange mousse in a chocolate cup is called “orange pudding.”

That aside, Cielito Lindo is nonetheless a great addition to the city. With Sacramento’s long history of Mexican heritage, diners are lucky to have such a skillful chef ready to educate palates beyond burritos and chimichangas. Ω

purchase gift cards for up to 50% off Kupros: $20 for $10 Sawasdee Thai Cuisine: $25 for $12.50 New Helvetia Brewing Co.: $20 for $10 Clark’s Corner: $30 for $15 Vallejo’s: $20 for $9 Big Bowl Noodles: $20 for $12 Bistro Michel: $50 for $25 Vampire Penguin: $10 for $5 Sal’s Tacos: $10 for $5 3 Fires Lounge: $25 for $12 The Union Bar & Restauraunt: $25 for $12.50

All fur coat and no knickers

Years ago, I heard a report that some clothing and accessory items labeled as faux fur were actually made with real fur.

That’s crazy! I’ve been avoiding purchasing fur-trimmed togs since. And then, last month, The Humane Society of the United States reported that a handbag at major retailers, Nicole Lee’s Fabiola Faux Fur Trim Satchel, in fact consisted of real rabbit fur, not faux, as its name and label state. How can one tell? Look at the root of the hairs—does it look like your cat or dog’s coat? It might be: According to HSUS, “More than 75 million animals, including rabbits, raccoon dogs, mink, bobcats, foxes and even domestic dogs and cats, are killed annually to make ... fur products.” Use the guide at http://tinyurl.com/fakefur for tips on telling them apart.

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Downtown Darna This Palestinian restaurant serves an excellent baba ghanoush that, instead of being blended into a smooth paste, is served chunky and studded with eggplant seeds. Its smoky, deep flavor is balanced out by a lemony brightness, and it’s good on the somewhat flabby pita bread with which it’s served, but it’s even better on the house-made za’atar bread. Chicken-breast kebabs are not particularly flavorful but have some char from the grill, while the falafel and chicken shawarma are underwhelming. Do order a side of tabbouleh salad, however. It’s pretty to look at—bright-green chopped parsley studded with white grains of bulgur—and tastes refreshing. Palestinian.

925 K St., (916) 447-7500. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHH B.G.

Where to eat?

Here are a few recent reviews and regional recommendations by Becky Grunewald, Ann Martin Rolke, Garrett McCord and Jonathan Mendick, updated regularly.

Check out www.newsreview.com for more dining advice.

Downtown & Vine This tasting room and wine bar spotlights the local farm-to-glass movement. Here, diners can order 2-ounce tasting flights of wine. Choose three from the same vintner to compare styles, or mix and match to contrast similar wines from regional wineries. Wines are also available in larger pours and by the bottle. Wine is meant to be enjoyed with food, of course: The menu offers a wide selection of tidbits and hearty dishes.

Worth sampling: the goatcheese stuffed peppers, chilled Spanish-spiced shrimp, and a cheddar-and-apple melt. Or try the ambrosial Wine Country sandwich, with salty prosciutto, sweet fig jam, oozy mozzarella and peppery arugula on grilled

bread. There are also a variety of flatbreads loaded with topping combos like capicola, three cheeses, piquillo peppers and green onions. The bread for these is nicely crunchy but not too chewy and comes across as more than a pizza trying to be fancy. American. 1200 K St., Ste. 8; (916) 228-4518. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH AMR

Midtown The Coconut Midtown The food here travels a path between standard and inventive. Creamcheese wontons, for example, aren’t the epitome of culinary Southeast Asian traditions, but damn it if they aren’t delightful. Soft cream cheese and chives in a crispy wrapper and served with a sweet chili sauce?

Nothing wrong with that. The fresh spring roll is at least fresh in ingredients, if not in creativity. Mere cigarettes of lettuce and tofu are simply a means to getting the sugary peanut sauce into one’s mouth. The chicken larb—a spicy minced-meat salad—is fragrant and intense.

Mint, chilies, basil and iceberg lettuce are drenched in a spicy lime dressing punctuated with a heavy hand of fish sauce.

The Coconut has warnings in its menu about which dishes are spicy, but unless you’re a newborn kitten, trembling and mewling, you might not even be aware of the chilies in your food.

Thai. 2502 J St., (916) 447-1855.

Dinner for one: $10-$15.

HHH1/2 G.M.

Zia’s Delicatessen Zia’s Delicatessen isn’t really about trying every sandwich: It’s about finding your sandwich. In addition to a large selection of salumi, there’s the worthy eponymous offering, served with a wedge of zucchini frittata, a slice of provolone, romaine lettuce, grainy tomato, and a simple dash of vinegar and oil that adds tang. Order it hot, so that the provolone melts into the bread. Also tasty: the hot meatball sub with small-grained, tender meatballs bathed in a thin, oregano-flecked tomato sauce that soaks into the bread.

A tuna sandwich is sturdy, if not exciting. It is just mayonnaisey enough, with tiny, diced bits of celery. A rosemary panino cotto with mozzarella could benefit from a more flavorful cheese. For a meatier option, try the Milano: mortadella, salami, Muenster; all three flavors in balance. The turkey Viareggio has a thin spread of pesto mayo, and the smoked mozzarella accents rather than overpowers. American. 1401 O St., Ste. A; (916) 441-3354. Meal for one: $5-$10. HHHH B.G.

Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co. The restaurant, by the same owners as Midtown’s The Golden Bear, sports a firefighting theme (a ladder on the ceiling duct work, shiny silver wallpaper with a rat-and-hydrant motif, et al) and a bar setup that encourages patrons to talk to each other. An interesting wine list includes entries from Spain and Israel; there are also draft cocktails and numerous beers on tap. The brunch menu

is heavy on the eggs, prepared in lots of ways. One option is the Croque Madame, a hamand-Gruyere sandwich usually battered with egg. This one had a fried egg and béchamel, with a generous smear of mustard inside. The mountain of potato hash alongside tasted flavorful and not too greasy. The menu also features pizzas and housemade pastas, but one of its highlights includes an excellent smoked-eggplant baba ganoush, which is smoky and garlicky and served with warm flatbread wedges and oil-cured olives. The bananas foster bread pudding is equally transcendent, accompanied by very salty caramel gelato, pecans and slivers of brûléed bananas. American.

1630 S St., (916) 442-4885. Dinner for one: $20-$40. HHH1/2 AMR Thai Basil SN&R readers consistently vote this place among the city’s top Thai restaurants for this paper’s annual Best of Sacramento issue. And for good reason. The restaurant’s tom yum soup may be one of the best foods served in the City of Trees. It features an incredibly savory broth with layers of flavor. Likewise, the tom kha gai—a coconut-broth soup—is a veritable panacea against Delta winds and the morose rains that follow them.

Salads make up a large part of Thai cuisine and should not be overlooked. Larb gai consists of simple shredded chicken over mixed greens, cucumber and tomatoes. Fresh mint and a chili-laden dressing heavy with fish sauce and vigorous squeezes of lime juice pull it all

Happy Hour

$5 off any order of $20 or more

together for an addictive and satisfying lunch. One of Thai Basil’s true highlights is its homemade curry pastes. These carefully balanced constructions of basil, lemongrass, shallots, chilies, kaffir lime leaves and other ingredients come together to form truly authentic pastes that, when roasted, have been known to drive hungry Sacramentans into a berserk craze. Service here is impeccable. Thai Basil has earned its reputation and will likely continue to keep it for years to come. Thai. 2431 J St., (916) 442-7690. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH G.M.

South Sac Yang’s Noodles Chinese food

East Sac Istanbul Bistro Turkish chef Murat Bozkurt and brother Ekrem co-own this paean to their homeland, with Ekrem usually at the front of the house, infusing the space with cheer. Turkish cuisine features aspects of Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern flavors. The appetizer combo plate offers an impressive sampling. Acili ezme is a chopped, slightly spicy mixture of tomatoes, cucumber and walnuts that’s delicious paired with accompanying flatbread wedges. For entrees, try the borani, a lamb stew with garbanzos, carrots, potatoes and currants. The meat is very tender, while the veggies arrived nicely al dente. Also good is the chicken shish plate (souvlaki), which features two skewers of marinated grilled

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chicken that’s moist and succulent. There are also quite a few choices for vegetarians, including flatbread topped like pizza, with spinach and feta or mozzarella and egg. Turkish. 3260-B J St., (916) 449-8810. Dinner for one: $15-$20. HHH1/2 AMR

is endlessly complex and diverse with “Eight Schools,” or regional styles, including Taiwanese cuisine, which is served at Yang’s Noodles.

Except this isn’t really traditional Taiwanese food (you won’t find dishes such as glutinous pancakes served with oysters and egg, or mushrooms steamed in hollow bamboo stalks, for example).

This is, however, perhaps the only place in town that serves niu rou jian bing (sliced beef rolls)—a specialty of northern China—and the ones at Yang’s hit the spot.

This is basically the Chinese version of a burrito: meat (thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce) plus veggies (diced green onion, cucumber and cilantro) wrapped in a large, flat and circular carbohydrate crepe (a thin Chinese pancake made out of flour, water and green onion).

Elsewhere on the menu, Yang’s eponymous noodles, featured in various dishes, are homemade, alkaline and chewy. Chinese. 5860 Stockton Blvd., (916) 392-9988. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH J.M.

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Wicked West Pizza & BBQ This popular destination for kids’ sports teams and birthday parties also caters to adult diners with good food and healthy options, such as organic whole-wheat crusts.

Gluten-free and vegan choices are also available. With a texture closer to Chicago style than New York style, the pizzas are tasty but quite filling. Choose from house-made sauces and fresh toppings, or pick from one of the inventively named presets. The Old Lady is especially good, with pesto, potatoes, spinach, lots of veggies and a zingy balsamic drizzle. The biggest secret here, though, is the barbecue.

Wicked West delivers with shredded, tender meat that’s lightly smoky and tossed with a vinegar-based sauce. The pork ribs are dry-rubbed and toothsome, while the tri-tip is well cooked but leans toward a dry texture. A bit of sauce on the side would fix that right up. The chicken is rubbed with olive oil and herbs and rotisserie-smoked to produce a moist and juicy result.

Pizza/Barbecue. 3160 Jefferson Blvd. in West Sacramento, (916) 572-0572. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH AMR

Arden/ Carmichael El Forastero Mexican Food Despite being an eatery founded by three brothers from Mexico,

the menu here resembles the type of Mexican food found in Southern California: a blend of American fast food, TexMex and traditional Mexican dishes. There’s menudo on weekends, but also french fries hiding inside burritos and buried underneath steaming piles of carne asada. For a taco or torta filling, try the adobada, a pork marinated in a red chili sauce. Or, try two of the most famous San Diego-style Mexican dishes, both delicious but full of calories: the California burrito and carne asada fries. The latter consists of a plate of fries topped with carne asada, cheese, sour cream and guacamole. A California burrito is basically an order of carne asada fries wrapped in a tortilla—which, surprisingly, isn’t even the fattiest-sounding dish on the menu. That distinction most likely belongs to the hangover-curing Super Breakfast burrito, with bacon, chorizo, ham, fries, eggs and cheese—all wrapped in a tortilla. It’s incredibly rich and hearty. Mexican.

5116 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael, (916) 488-1416.

Dinner for one: $5-$10.

HHH1/2 J.M.

Selections include stir-fried eggplant; curried chickpeas, lentils; and a creamy, spicy and hearty chicken tikka masala. Regular menu items include baba ghanoush, which tasted a bit bitter, and chicken kebab. The Mediterranean Nacho and chicken panini are examples of what the restaurant does well: culinary mashups that aren’t derivative, but instead rely heavily on flavor and innovation. The paninis are standouts: The bread is sweet, thicker than one might expect, and pressed nicely on a grill, with char marks on both sides. On a takeout order, the grilled chicken panini somehow retained all the smell of a smoky grill for the car ride home, and tasted equally smoky and delicious once consumed. Mediterranean.

1120 Fulton Ave., Ste. I; (916) 486-1140. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH1/2 J.M.

Stirling Bridges Restaurant and Pub This British- and Scottishthemed gastropub offers an adequate beer selection and an extensive menu that goes beyond standard deep-fried pub fare. Try the Irish onion soup, a French onion-styled soup kicked up with Irish whiskey and Guinness beer.

Or order the house-made veggie burger—it’s one of the tastiest black-bean patties around. The most unusual dish on the menu is the Scottish Mafia Pizza. Topped with

FreshMed Mediterranean Cuisine This restaurant broadens the definition of “Mediterranean.”

In addition to the usual options—gyros, hummus, falafel, etc.—it also serves dishes from a wide range of cultures. For example, FreshMed offers a $6 Indian and Pakistani lunch buffet.

a sweet resolution

ILLUSTRATION BY MARK STIVERS

West Sacramento

turkey pastrami, potatoes, cabbage and Swiss cheese, it falls short with its too many flat flavors to actually benefit from their unusual pairing.

Thankfully, there’s Tabasco sauce on the table. Pub. 5220 Manzanita Ave. in Carmichael, (916) 331-2337.

Dinner for one: $10-$20.

HHH1/2 J.M.

Auburn Carpe Vino This quaint wine shop and restaurant boasts excellent service and food. Try the musque de Provence pumpkin soup—it’s lighter than your wallet will be when you leave, but one bite and wallet be damned. The flavor is exquisite with whispers of vanilla and pops of pumpkin seed.

A cider-brined pork chop, bejeweled in bacon and prune and sitting atop a bed of savoy cabbage, defies expectations. A quartet of lamb meatballs corseted in harissa, mint sauce and yogurt is surely the dish to convert anyone who (confusedly) refuses lamb. The restaurant—being primarily a wine bar—does not serve anyone under the age of 21. Those of a legal drinking age, rejoice, for there will be no parent cooing to a child to settle down.

American. 1568 Lincoln Way in Auburn, (530) 823-0320. Dinner for one: $50-$75. HHHHH G.M.

Chicken soup for the spice lover

Chicken soup is probably the standard cold-relief food in the United States. But for me, instead of chicken noodle it was a pork-wonton soup made by my Chinese mom. These days, I’ve learned to fight colds with Southeast Asian noodle soups like hu tieu, pho and khao poon. The first two are staples in Vietnamese cuisine, but most recently, I’ve become a huge fan of the latter, a dish perhaps most popular in Laos. Here’s what it is: curry-chicken stew, rice noodles, fish sauce, lime leaves, cabbage, bean sprouts, mint, chili peppers and, occasionally, coconut milk. In other words, it’s far more flavorful than chicken-noodle soup, and its spiciness can act as a makeshift nasal decongestant. My favorites come from Laos Kitchen (6227 Franklin Boulevard), The Spot (6048 Stockton Boulevard, Suite 170), South East Asian BBQ (557 Eleanor Avenue) and Asian Cafe (2827 Norwood Avenue). Note: My Cambodian in-laws make a similar soup called nom pachok.

—Jonathan Mendick

Midtown

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D on’t mi ss your opportunity to be seen in S N&R ’s a nnua l dining guide: Indulge.

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My husband is a drunk and a loser who cheated on me and moved in with the girl when I kicked him out. As soon as I filed for legal separation, he started calling me and coming on to me.

His mother and sister call me, too, all the time. They say that he is straightening up, that he went to Alcoholics Anonymous, and that he just needs to grow up. They say that he tells them how much he loves me. I just want

by JOEY GA him and his family to leave RCIA me alone. They don’t even care that I was cheated on, a s k j o e y @ne w s re v i e w . c o m and they weren’t there for me when I was hurt by him.

Joey He went to one AA meeting in two wishes smokers months! He’s still living with that would drive with their girl, too, while he’s acting hot for windows closed. me. What should I do?

Be grateful for your strength. You are determined to climb out of a dysfunctional family; I trust you will be free. As you move forward, accept that your husband’s family will not understand your choice.

They act as if love means honoring the marital commitment even if your spouse will not. But this is the 21st century: You are not obligated to stay married to an addict.

Addiction and marriage don’t mix, unless the addict is married to another addict.

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Ditch the drunk cheater

Got a problem?

Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review.

Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@ newsreview.com.

Being fully met is at the heart of modern marriage. Your husband’s addiction makes him incapable of giving himself fully to you. His affections are split between his passion for self-destruction and his guilt about blowing up his life.

That’s the reality of addiction.

Addiction and marriage don’t mix, unless the addict is married to another addict, such as someone who is profoundly codependent. A codependent’s desperate need to be needed and to be in control means she or he is hardwired to rescue.

Yes, that means a codependent personality will create or contribute to creating scenarios in which he or she swoops in to save the day.

Hopefully, this explanation allows you to see your husband’s family more clearly. Your husband’s mother and sister want you to

remain married to him, even if doing so harms you. It’s their way of saving him. They appear committed to protecting him from taking responsibility for his actions (the affair) and inaction (drinking). He responds by checking out of reality (drinking) and checking out of marriage (the affair).

The next time your husband’s mother or sister calls to update you on his life, say “Thank you.”

Be thankful that they believe in him, thankful that you are done, and thankful that you can see their unhealthy behavior. Then excuse yourself, hang up the phone and get on with living.

I am so sick of sitting at a concert that I paid top dollar to attend and having to listen to people talk smack at decibel-busting levels about their friends, dates and family. I have turned around and asked them to shut up. I have tried talking over them. I have complained to event organizers. Nothing works.

What can I say to get these people to be respectful in public?

Try: “God’s in a meeting. May I help you?” Or: “I’m typing up your problem as we speak, and I’ll send it off to Ask Joey at the Sacramento News & Review. Check the newspaper over the next few weeks for your answer.”

You could also take a page from the man-on-a-train playbook and tweet out the juicy tidbits you overhear. And, if a person you have reprimanded tells you to mind your own business, kindly remind that individual that his or her decibel level ensures your investment in their crisis. Then again, you might just have to accept that we can’t control other people’s failure to be conscious in public spaces. Ω

Meditation of the Week “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy, and you don’t need an appointment,” says a little sign on the wall of a friend’s office. Let’s test that theory together. I’m a judge for the Sacramento Chocolate Salon on Saturday, January 25, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Citizen Hotel (926 J Street). Join me!

Who’ll stop the rain?

NOW PLAYING

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Closer Than Ever

When the Rain Stops Falling Time’s arrow doesn’t always fly true.

The damage silence can do to a family is epic, and Andrew Bovell’s play about the by Kel Munger repercussions of silence does it justice. Set in, variously, London; Adelaide, Australia’s ecologically fragile Coorong coastal area; the noted Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park; and the desert mining and herding town of Alice Springs, When the Rain Stops Falling is a story of family dysfunction wrapped up in the colonial enterprise, with a bit of climate change thrown in the mix.

The story opens in 2039, when a rainstorm drops a fish—that’s right, a fish, a very rare thing in 2039—at the feet of Gabriel York (Bert Andersson), who is awaiting the impending visit of the son he abandoned when the boy was 7.

As the story unfolds, we learn that his father, Gabriel Law (Justin Muñoz) was abandoned at the same age by his father—a fact of which his son is not aware.

5

An engaging and talented quartet of singers (Nicholas Adorno, Kristen Heitman, Jerry Lee and Andrea St. Clair) perform this “bookless” musical— all singing, no dialogue—by Richard Maltby Jr. and David Shire. At its best, it’s a collection of musical short stories, character studies and memory pieces. Even at its weakest, it’s entertaining and perfectly enjoyable. Robert Marra directs, and pianist Samuel Clein and bassist Rod Verette provide impeccable musical support.

levels. For those familiar with Australia’s past, it will resonate as a sort of karmic justice, while those seeking a thoughtful family drama will find that, as always, karma is a bitch. Ω

3 Trojan Women For its season opener, Resurrection Theatre presents a production of Seneca’s Trojan Women, adapted by Howard Colyer: a logical choice for what the theater describes as a season devoted to women’s stories. This is the United States premiere of Colyer’s adaptation of Trojan Women, which focuses on the consequences that befall the women of a community destroyed by war and controlled by their Greek conquerors.

No one is particularly happy after the fall of Troy—the lonesome Greek soldiers or the women who have lost heroes, homes and hope.

Resurrection Theatre has created a handsome set inside the expansive California Stage space: a damaged Trojan courtyard where the fate of both the conquered and the conquerors are dramatized.

However, Colyer’s story is a creative concept that stumbles along the way, which is probably why this adaptation hasn’t been embraced by many theaters. First is Colyer’s presumption that the audience is familiar with the Greek Trojan War and its various characters, and since most aren’t, the story oftentimes is confusing and doesn’t stand on its own. And the switch to modern dress doesn’t jive with the dialogue, setting and Greek chorus from way back when, while having a woman play Astyanax also makes little sense.

There are some good performances among the leads, breathing life into the story while tackling difficult dialogue, most notably Mark Urquhart as Ulysses, Maggie Adair Upton as Hecuba, Sabrina Fiora as Cassandra, Stephanie Hodson as Andromache and Amber Lucito as Helen. The large supporting cast is enthusiastic and energetic, but needs a bit more time to gel, which hopefully will happen during the play’s run.

When the Rain Stops Falling, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday; $10-$16.

Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; www.bigidea theatre.com.

Through February 8.

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Theatre, 2711 B St.; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. P.R.

Wells Fargo Pavilion, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; www.sac theatre.org. J.C.

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Young Frankenstein

The Conductor: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

This B Street Theatre Family Series play about slavery is geared toward kids, but doesn’t ignore the reality that black children were sold and parted from their parents, or the considerable risks that abolitionists faced when helping escaped slaves find their way north. Lanky actress Atim Udoffia shines as Tubman: cool under pressure, determined to bring her “passengers” to freedom. Sa, Su 1 & 4pm. Through 2/28. $15-$20.

B Street Theatre, 2711 B St.; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreet theatre.org. J.H.

Sacramento’s Runaway Stage Productions presents the classic story in a more intimate setting with exciting leads, striking sets and a great live orchestra. This community theater manages to breathe life and soul into the story and the big ol’ lovable green lug. This production comes alive with funny lines, some clever song lyrics, talented musical actors, and creative costumes and sets. The gifted cast really delivers the goods: David Holmes is a very enthusiastic Frankenstein; Amy J. Jones is an enticing Inga; Eduard Arakelyan is the funny sidekick, Igor; Ruth Phillips is the fierce Frau Blücher; Jennifer Zimny is a funny, frigid fiancée; and Michael Cross is a most endearing Monster. F,

WELL-DONE

5 SUBLIME–DON’T MISS

Sa 8pm; Su 2pm. Through 1/26.

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Elemeno Pea

In playwright Molly Smith Metzler’s Elemeno Pea, the help is busy keeping an expansive Martha’s Vineyard family compound neat, tidy and ready for whoever or whatever

$18-$25. Runaway Stage Productions at the 24th Street Theatre, 2791 24th St.; (916) 207-1226; www.runawaystage.com. P.R.

Short reviews by Jim Carnes, Jeff Hudson and Patti Roberts.

Jon Weber can play 20,000 different jazz tunes on this one piano.

Piano man Once merely the musical accompanists to jazz singers, trumpeters, saxophonists and guitarists, jazz pianists took center stage during the bebop era of the 1940s and never looked back. Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock paved the way for current jazz-piano stars Brad Mehldau, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Jon Weber, and today, jazz pianists and singer-songwriters Norah Jones and Diana Krall have possibly the largest followings of any living jazz musicians. This week, Weber—host of NPR’s Piano Jazz With Jon Weber—brings a multifaceted performance titled From Joplin to Jarrett: 100 Years of Piano Jazz to Folsom’s Harris Center for the Arts. With music spanning a century, personal anecdotes, research and analysis, Weber will break down all you need to know about jazz piano. Thursday, January 23, through Saturday, January 25, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, January 26, at 2 p.m.; $12-$39. Harris Center for the Arts, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.harriscenter.net.

—Patti Roberts

Trojan Women, 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday (two additional 7 p.m. shows on Thursday, January 30, and Sunday, February 9); $15-$20. Resurrection Theatre at California Stage, 1725 25th Street; (916) 223-9568; www.resurrectiontheatre.com.

Through February 15.

STORY

FOUL

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRIS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Back and forth through time (London in 1959 and 1988; Australia in 1988, 2013 and 2039), the play gives us the story of how Gabriel York came into existence—the history, the why and wherefore of his identity, about which he knows nothing. We see, even as the characters suffer, the damage inflicted by silence and secrets; the long-term damage enacted upon the next generation by parents trying to spare them.

Brian Harrower has designed a simple set that makes use of multimedia images projected on a blank sheet to apprise us of the time and location shifts. With direction by Kirk Blackinton (assisted by Scott Divine), this makes the play surprisingly easy to follow.

The ensemble cast is excellent, with special kudos to the four actresses (Carrie Joyner, Linda Montalvo-Carbone, Katrina Muñoz and Ruby Sketchley) who play two women at different life stages.

When the Rain Stops Falling manages to work—as time and history do—on multiple

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Th, F 8pm; Sa 5 & 9pm; Su 2pm.

Through 2/23. $23-$25. B Street

W 12:30 & 6:30pm, Th 6:30pm, F 8pm, Sa 2 & 8pm, Su 2 & 7pm. Through 2/16. $12-$35. Pollock Stage at

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PHOTO BY BENJAMIN T. ISMAIL

A hard rain’s a-gonna fall.

may drop on by. The grounds and buildings are so sprawling that when the sister of the family’s personal assistant comes to visit, she gets to stay in the family’s huge beachside guest house that she mistakes for the family’s main mansion. It’s not exactly an East Coast-modern Downton Abbey, but Elemeno Pea does explore the discrepancies of family fortunes vs. working for a living, new money vs. old, and the attitudes and expectations that come with both. Tu 6:30pm; W 2 & 6:30pm;

—Jonathan Mendick |

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save up to 60% off theatre tickets

Ryan’s hope Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit reboots a franchise that was never exactly a franchise in the first place—not in the movies, anyhow. Author Tom Clancy by Jim Lane created the character in his first novel, The Hunt for Red October, then continued in others, some set earlier than Red October, filling in Ryan’s story as they went along. Clancy took Ryan from his early military retirement after injuries from a helicopter crash, through his rise at the CIA and to two terms as U.S. president. In the movies, Ryan has been played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October (1990), Harrison Ford in Patriot Games (’92) and Clear and Present Danger (’94), and Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears (2002).

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upcoming Jan 12 - Feb 23 B street theatre / “elemeno pea”: $35 tix for $14 Jan 14 - Feb 15 arden playhouse / “sibling schemes”: $18 tix for $9 Jan 17 - Feb 2

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EXCELLENT

Now it’s Chris Pine’s turn, who gives us a Ryan that more or less follows Clancy’s arc, though born 40 years later. This Ryan is an American college student in England when the September 11 attacks hit, and he enlists in the war on terror (rather than Clancy’s Cold War, as remote to today’s moviegoers as the War of 1812). He’s still invalided out of the service, but this time the chopper crash happens in Afghanistan. He still meets and courts med student Cathy Muller (Keira Knightley), and by movie’s end, they are well on their way to the altar.

While recovering from his injuries, Ryan is approached by Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner), a character original to Adam Cozad and David Koepp’s screenplay, and persuaded to work for the CIA as a stockbroker, keeping an eye on financial matters in the name of national security—the mole of Wall Street.

An undercover investment banker isn’t the most promising idea for an espionage thriller, so we’re pretty sure something big will draw Jack Ryan away from his cubicle. Sure enough, he catches wind of some suspicious activity having to do with U.S. Treasury bonds. We know this because we catch a glimpse (for about seventrillionths of a second) of transactions flashing across Ryan’s computer screen, and we see Pine furrow his brow.

Well, there’s nothing for it but to send Ryan to Moscow—ostensibly for his Wall Street firm, but really for the CIA—to get to the bottom of all this activity. And that’s where Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit really gets going.

That’s where Ryan—after a brief unpleasantness with a would-be assassin, whom he disposes of by drowning him in his hotel bathtub—crosses paths with Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh, who also directed).

Cherevin is the brains behind what Ryan rightly deduces is a sinister scheme to bring down the U.S. economy, and their first meeting comes off in classic Bond-and-Goldfinger fashion, as a series of probes, parries and politely veiled threats. It also contains the movie’s most memorable exchange: Cherevin: “You Americans always think you’re direct. Maybe you’re just rude.”

Ryan: “You Russians always think you’re poets. Maybe you’re just touchy.”

Ryan’s girlfriend Cathy surprises him by turning up in Moscow, where their confrontation brings on the second-mostmemorable exchange: “I’m in the CIA.” “Oh, thank God! I thought you were having an affair.” It also brings Harper out of the background, and the three of them must think on their feet and come up with an elaborate ruse to hack into Cherevin’s computers and figure out what he’s up to. This central scene, played out over dinner at a tony Moscow restaurant, is the movie’s strongest and most suspenseful sequence.

A movie like this can hardly get by without the obligatory car chase at speeds approaching the speed of sound, and the screenwriters dutifully provide one.

A movie like this can hardly get by these days without the obligatory car chase at speeds approaching the speed of sound, and the screenwriters dutifully provide one, but at least they wait until the action moves back to New York, where we can believe that the hero knows his way around.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a decent enough first cut, slick and stylish, and it should make a decent sequel fallback for Paramount Pictures, in case they can’t lure Tom Cruise back for another round of Mission: Impossible.

Chris Pine as President Ryan—now there’s something to look forward to. Ω

by daniel barnes & JiM lane

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12 Years a Slave

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Director Steve McQueen and writer John Ridley tell the true story of Solomon Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man of color in 1841 New York who was kidnapped into slavery, finally freed in 1853, and wrote a book about his years of bondage. Ridley and McQueen take only minor dramatic license with Northrup’s extraordinary narrative—such abductions were all too common in pre-Civil War America; what’s extraordinary is that Northrup got free again— and the movie is searing and indelible. Even the most despicable characters are given their full dimension with no trace of 21st-century hindsight. The movie’s centerpiece is Ejiofor’s remarkable performance, giving it a core of unquenchable humanity. Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o shines as a tormented slave woman, as does Alfre Woodard in a striking cameo. J.L.

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Tracy Letts’ dark comedy of an Oklahoma family’s secrets comes to the screen severely trimmed (by Letts himself), but with a stellar cast. Some of the original’s depth and texture is sacrificed; what remains focuses on Meryl Streep as the drug-addled matriarch and Julia Roberts as her eldest daughter. Others are flawlessly cast—Ewan McGregor as Roberts’ estranged husband, Abigail Breslin as their daughter, Margo Martindale as Streep’s sister, Chris Cooper as her husband, Benedict Cumberbatch as their son, Juliette Lewis and Julianne Nicholson as Streep’s other daughters—but without the prominence they had on stage.

Those familiar with the play will be able to fill in the blanks; others may wonder why this soapy diva bitch-match won a Pulitzer Prize. Director John Wells imparts the air of a TV drama. J.L.

- Richard Roeper, RICHARD ROEPER.COM

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Two newlyweds (Alison Miller and Zach Gilford, heading a no-name cast) return from their Dominican Republic honeymoon to find she’s pregnant, but things quickly start going wrong. Writer Lindsay Devlin tells us up front—before the movie even starts—that the wife is carrying the Antichrist, which means the only suspense comes from wondering how the movie’s Satan worshippers found two people who haven’t seen Rosemary’s Baby. (They find two more honeymooning in Paris at the end, setting up the threat of endless sequels.) It’s just another “found video” horror movie (a genre that’s already worn out its welcome), even though in this case, nobody sees the video but us. For some reason, it took two directors (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, both with limited experience) to pull this turkey together. J.L.

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Her

Lone Survivor

In 2005, a team of Navy SEALs (Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster) drops into the Afghan mountains to ambush a high-level Taliban warlord—but are ambushed themselves, unable to call in air support or rescue. Based on a real operation, the movie has grueling scenes of combat, some of the most realistic and harrowing ever seen.

But writer-director Peter Berg and writer Patrick Robinson (adapting the memoir by Marcus Luttrell, the “lone survivor” of the title) never get around to establishing the characters as individuals. This makes the closing array of names rather confusing (we’re never really sure who the movie is talking about). Besides, the title is the ultimate spoiler, so there’s little suspense.

We know only one will survive, and since only Wahlberg is billed above the title… J.L.

Frozen

After years of lucratively reimagining old properties like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast as live theatrical spectacles, Frozen is a blatant attempt by Disney to reverse engineer its own Broadway-bound cash cows.

Everything in the film feels constructed with an eye toward the inevitable splashy stage adaptation, right down to the big opening number, a sweeping ode to the awesome power of large blocks of ice (no, seriously). Frozen empties a promising box of mismatched characters, tones and plot strings on to the screen, including a genetic “curse,” magical trolls, a plethora of scheming royals and a wisecracking snowman, but never quite figures out how to fit them together. Much like recent Disney princess adventures Tangled and Brave, the limber visuals and appealing heroines can’t hide the smear of on-the-fly rewrites, as the film frequently loses track of its own moving pieces. D.B.

NEWS

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE ®

The Great Beauty

The mopey romantic that Joaquin Phoenix plays in Her is the direct opposite of his Freddie Quell from The Master, yet this is no less of a tour-de-force performance. Spike Jonze’s graceful Her offers up a near-future metropolis where humans have fully integrated with their personal technology, living lives seemingly ruled by creature comforts, yet still mired in human fears and frailties. In an attempt to fill the void from a recent separation, Phoenix’s Theodore Twombly purchases a brand-new OS1, the world’s first artificially intelligent operating system. Voiced by Scarlett Johansson, OS1 promptly sets about organizing Theodore’s life, but his disorganization is largely emotional, and she evolves to meet his needs so efficiently that they begin to fall in love. Ultimately, Her develops into a kinky and affecting meditation on love’s limitless potential, and the human limitations which keep that potential out of reach. D.B.

Devil’s Due

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ANOHANA THURSDAY, JANUARY 23 @ 7:00PM

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Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty, Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee for best Foreign Language Film, boasts inventive and opulent visuals that are sumptuously over-the-top. It’s a vision of modern-day Rome as a disco-ball-lit crypt, a place where even youthful decadence is in decay.

The protagonist Jep (Toni Servillo) is a longtime lion of Rome’s fashionably debauched scene, a writer who only produced one highly regarded novel before wasting his next four decades as a sleazy journalist. Upon turning 65, he begins to question his life of nihilism, especially reflecting on the adolescent love he can barely remember. Clearly indebted to Italian maestro Federico Fellini, Sorrentino essentially takes the paparazzo from La Dolce Vita, ages him several decades, stirs in some 8 1/2-like stylized self-analysis, and shoots it all with the lavish colors and swirling memory structure of later Fellini works like Amarcord. D.B.

August: Osage County

BEFORE

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David O. Russell’s ecstatically cinematic American Hustle tells a hypergroovy version of the late 1970s Abscam operation, in which the FBI enlisted con artists to help them catch corrupt politicians. Right from the opening shots of Christian Bale pasting and swirling an elaborate comb-over onto his bald forehead, this is a film all about false fronts and reinvention, the latter a subject Russell knows very well. Everyone in the overwigged ensemble is good, but Bradley Cooper is a revelation as a nakedly ambitious FBI agent. Buried under a dirtbag beard and a hideous nest of curls, Cooper is deprettied enough to let us fully see what an honest and forceful actor he has become. American Hustle might have even been great had Russell not tried to pull a hustle of his own, reaching a facile conclusion that hinges on emotional relationships we never knew existed. D.B.

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THE GREAT BEAUTY

WED/THUR: 10:10AM, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:45PM NO PASSES

PHILOMENA NEBRASKA INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

American Hustle

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“A DELIRIOUSLY ALIVE MOVIE.”- Manohla Dargis, New York Times

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The Nut Job

In a city park, a maverick squirrel (voiced by Will Arnett) hatches a plot to rob a nut store—the same store that some humans are using as a front to rob a neighboring bank. Written by Daniel Woo, Lorne Cameron and director Peter Lepeniotis, this animated feature combines a dull, needlessly complicated story, uninteresting characters both human and animal (despite the presence of such voices as Katherine Heigl, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Maya Rudolph, Stephen Lang and others), lame sight gags and even lamer puns. It all adds up to a crashing bore, without a single frame worth watching. As if to confirm the basic problem with many animated features today—that they feel like over-extended cartoon shorts—this one was actually expanded (“distended” would be a better word) from an 11-minute short. J.L.

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Saving Mr. Banks

In 1961, author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) reluctantly agrees to let Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) film her Mary Poppins books, and the script conferences prompt memories of her childhood in Australia and her loving but feckless father (Colin Farrell). Written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith and directed by John Lee Hancock, the movie is as heartwarming in its way as Mary Poppins—and one senses, almost as much of a fantasy. Marcel and Smith include so many dubious touches in their script that it’s hard to take their word for anything. Travers’ lifelong loathing for Disney is entirely glossed over, and Hancock can’t quite mesh the grim tone of the flashbacks with the seriocomic scenes set in 1961. The movie works best as a showcase for Thompson’s tart performance as Travers and Hanks’ folksy turn as Disney. J.L.

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The Wolf of Wall Street

Passes are in limited supply.

Each pass admits two people.

Director Martin Scorsese and writer Terence Winter go careening through the life of stock-market huckster Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), from his small-time beginning through his drug-addled reign as an amoral master of the universe to his downfall at the hands of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI. The obvious model is Scorsese’s masterpiece Goodfellas (1990), but it lacks the narrative drive—besides, stockbrokers don’t have the same vicarious charge as gangsters, no matter how crooked they are. It’s a movie of great bits and pieces—Jonah Hill as Belfort’s slimy partner, DiCaprio’s surprising flair for physical comedy—but the whole is less than the sum of its parts: The early energy dissipates almost completely over a seemingly endless three hours. This wolf huffs and puffs, but he doesn’t blow the house down. J.L.

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A motor-mouthed security guard and cop wannabe (Kevin Hart) wants to prove to his girlfriend’s cop brother (Ice Cube) that he’s worthy of both the girl and the force, so he rides along with him on patrol. Your reaction to this semilame action comedy will depend on your tolerance for Hart’s line of profanely caffeinated patter; for some of us, a little goes a long way.

When the story is as predictable as this one with nothing to take your mind off Hart’s constant yapping, it’s enough to set your teeth on edge.

Ice Cube’s character strikes an attitude of angry exasperation toward his unwanted partner, leading one to wonder if the actor may have felt the same way on the set. It would be hard to blame him if he did. John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill and Laurence Fishburne lend reliable (albeit autopilot) support. J.L.

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

Soundtrack Album on Warner Bros. Records

THIS FILM IS RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, BRIEF VIOLENCE AND SEXUALITY. SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN. No purchase necessary. While supplies last. All federal, state and local regulations apply. A recipient of prizes assumes any and all risks related to the use of a ticket and accepts any restrictions required by prize provider. Paramount Pictures, Sacramento News & Review, and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a prize. Prizes cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. Sponsors are not responsible if, for any reason, winner is unable to use his/her ticket in whole or in part. Participating sponsors, their employees, their family members and their agencies are not eligible. Tickets are first-come, first served and seating is not guaranteed. Theater is overbooked to ensure capacity. See ticket for full disclaimer information.

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Wild Cub recently completed its first tour of the United Kingdom, and, as its frontman explains, the experience was just further proof of how crazy by Brian Palmer this past year has been for the Nashville quintet, be it the scope of its gigs or the rerelease of its 2013 album Youth.

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the opera house saloon presents

If this pic doesn’t scream “sad little happiness,” then nothing ever will.

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zeppelin live a tribute to led zeppelin

friday january 24 tickets on sale now!

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finally getting to encounter it and bring their own life into the music.”

The songs on Youth are filled with energy and diversity. “Straight No Turns” is a funky piece of electro-pop, and listeners will be hard-pressed not to find themselves dancing to the synth-pop track “Wishing Well.” Still, this album takes some unexpected turns as well. “The Water” is a chill ambient track that occasionally bubbles beneath the surface yet manages to avoid sounding too raucous.

Or there’s “Summer Fires/Hidden Spells” which, with its engaging percussive rhythm that mixes pleasantly with the rest of the song’s beats, can only be classified as tribal pop.

And the lyrics?

DeWitt may say that he cuts and pastes lyrics together in fragments so that the listener can fill in the narrative gaps, but that’s not to say that he wrote them without conscious effort.

“I was focusing on what [writer] Walker Percy calls the ‘sad little happiness,’” DeWitt says. “[It’s] his idea of that malaise where you realize that it’s not about the big moments, and it’s not about these tiny moments. Rather, it’s somewhere in the middle where the beautiful, interesting things are happening in life.”

PHOTO BY ALLISTER ANN

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Nashville band Wild Cub roars into town with its mix of catchy pop and raw emotion

FRI 01/24

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Tiny, beautiful things

Catch Wild Cub on Saturday, January 25, 6:30 p.m. at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, located at 2708 J Street; cover is $12.

Learn more about the band at www.wildcub music.com.

“We had had a short trip planned [for earlier last year], and then our world changed,” says singer-songwriter Keegan DeWitt. “We signed with Mom + Pop [Music] records and began this whole adventure, which is now leading to the record coming out everywhere instead of just on Bandcamp.”

To be sure, Youth has garnered the band much attention since its original digital release.

Publications such as Paste, Spin and Nylon praised the music, and the band also toured heavily across the United States, with stops at South by Southwest, the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza. Heavy support from Sirius Satellite Radio’s Alt Nation show further boosted the band’s global profile.

Still, while DeWitt says that exposure was crucial to Wild Cub’s success, such exposure has, more importantly, increased the power of the band’s songs themselves. In other words, the more people who hear their music, the more the songs expand in meaning.

“When I construct the lyrics for a song, I always feel like they’re fragments, these little flashes or glimmers of memories or images,” says DeWitt. “I just give you pieces because I always feel like people’s interpretation and people’s own history and emotions add greater depth to the music than I ever could.”

The songs written for Youth, he adds, are finally coming into their own.

“Although the material has been gestating for a while, [the record is] only now really starting to take on its shape and have the full density that we hoped for because people are

“ When I construct the lyrics for a song, I always feel like they’re fragments, these little flashes or glimmers of memories or images.”

Keegan DeWitt Wild Cub And for DeWitt, a lot of what is beautiful and notable has to do with music and the arts—or at least, that’s where it begins.

“My drive as a creative person is emotion,” DeWitt says. “The most resonant emotions are when you’re so terrified you’re filled with happiness somehow, or you’re totally upset, but somehow there’s light, doubt, hopefulness and happiness mixed in with that. There are so many different layers to these moments.” Ω

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Co-op cuddles and ’90s nostalgia Living-room shenanigans: I was cuddled on the cuddle puddle.

That is to say, I was sitting reasonably close to several other people—some who I had just met that evening—on an elevated couchlike surface that residents of Eye Street Co-op affectionately call the “cuddle puddle.” And so, we cuddled on the cuddle puddle because it provided the best view, and there was lots to see.

It was a living-room show on steroids—the cute kind—in the cozy, Midtown residence last Thursday night. About 40 friends and friends of friends covered the floor, while Mason jars of beer, wine and freshsqueezed OJ were passed around.

There was soup—both vegan and not vegan—and cornbread and other shareable goodies. There was a disco ball, a woman knitting and a small dog scurrying around. There was no bouncer, and the guests were invite-only.

When the first musician took the stage—er, empty spot on the floor—the room fell silent. Chico singer-songwriter Fera started things off with some endearingly nervous banter and a sweet, indie-folk sound.

He noted that he had never played for a crowd so large. Then, Scott Ferreter—from local alt-rock band Cove—delivered some heartfelt, folky acoustic jams. He noted feeling honored to play for such an esteemed audience, i.e., his mom and elementary-school buddies.

And while the cuddle puddle got cuddlier and everyone sunk into the warmest sea of fuzzies, Zoe Boekbinder prepped to play with Danah Olivetree on cello and Dorota Szuta on violin in what they dubbed the Tampon String Band.

The Oakland-based, Canada-born singer-songwriter’s sound conjures up images of vintage record players; her voice rich, bluesy and wise.

In the middle of her set, Boekbinder explained her latest projects. One is called 100 Songs in 100 Days, which is exactly what it sounds like. But that doesn’t make the feat—writing and recording one new song per day for 100 days—any less impressive. The second project is a collaboration with the inmates at “New Folsom Prison”—she’s been playing concerts and teaching workshops there for the last two years, and the upcoming album is planned as a benefit to bring more arts to prisons.

During her set, Boekbinder began to play a song co-written by a man on death row.

BEFORE

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NEWS

“Sorry, this is kind of a downer,” she said, as the small dog cried and the house collectively melted.

It was a co-op, after all.

—Janelle Bitker

jan el l eb @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Tied to the ’90s: Now a resident of Brooklyn in New York City, Lee Bannon could have elected not to include Sacramento in press materials for his new LP Alternate/Endings, recently released via the Ninja Tune label. Certainly, the full length in many respects represents a severing of ties to the body of work Bannon made since producing various mixtape rappers in his Rocklin and Midtown apartments.

Largely known for producing and deejaying for Brooklyn rap prodigy Joey Bada$$, Bannon’s record makes a clean break from hip-hop by immersing itself in the skittish drum patterns of jungle and drum ’n’ bass.

Alternate/Endings features a Bannon who’s disembodied from his backpack past, although he’s not forgotten his roots entirely. In an interview with The Guardian, for example, he pegged Sacramento as the source of his interest in jungle.

It’s not widely known, but Sacramento’s EDM history, particularly jungle, dates back to the late ’90s with the 916 Junglist crew—which celebrated a 15-year anniversary in May 2013.

Alternate/Endings is spring-loaded on the front end by “Resorectah” and “NW/WB,” the latter liberal in its sampling of threatening barks from Death Grips’ MC Ride and RZA. A feeding frenzy of sirens and alerts, “NW/WB” sounds like an everythingand-the-kitchen-sink approach to what Bannon’s done up to this point. It’s a manic accumulation of touchstone influences processed into one track.

The album is not without its lulls.

Throughout, Bannon lapses into common tropes of jungle and seems unstable with the rapid-fire BPMs in places. Take the outro for “Readly/ Available”: While the track is cathartic, its impact is temporarily muted by a downward spiraling for five minutes of entrancing repetition.

Still, great moments exist: the “Readly/Available” piano outro, the ethereal bliss disrupted by glitchy terror blips on “Phoebe Cates,” the FM dial R&B cranked to warp speed on “Value 10.” It’s not a perfect debut, but it sets the bar high and resurrects a genre largely absent from popular discussion for the last 20 years.

upCOmINg Jan 29

Ladies Night In / An upscale networking event Reunion Nightclub: $50 tix for $12.50

Jan 30

Zion I / Assembly: $16 tix for $8

Feb 7

St. Lucia / Assembly: $13 tix for $6.50

Feb 20

Rehab / Assembly: $15 tix for $7.50

Feb 26

paradise Fears / Assembly: $25 tix for $12.50

MaR 13

Infected mushroom / Assembly: $20 tix for $10

aPR 11

Bombay Bicycle Club / Assembly: $20 tix for $10

AND mORE...

Concert listings for Ace of Spades are only available for review on our Sweetdeals website.

w w w. n e w s r e v i e w.c o m

—Blake Gillespie |

F E AT U R E

STORY

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24FRI

Chk Chk Chk (!!!)

Throw Down 5.0

Assembly Music Hall, 8 p.m., $13

PHOTO COURTESY OF CARMONA-DESIGN.NET

24FRI

Midtown BarFly, 9 p.m., $5

When a band’s name is a trio of exclamation points, thus leaving it up to interpretation as to how to actually pronounce said name, DANCE/PUNK you get a sense of where this band’s head is. Chk Chk Chk’s (or !!!) music and videos only enhance this feeling. The “And Anyway it’s Christmas” video features almost four minutes of nothing but a fire in a fireplace, and the one for “Californiyeah” cleverly has various shots of film playing out within three illustrated exclamation points. And then there is the music itself: With the downright ebullient disco pop of “One Girl/One Boy” and the equally dance-heavy “Slyd,” there is no end to the fun on the band’s latest release, 2013’s Thr!!!er. 1000 K Street, www.chkchkchk.net.

During Thanksgiving, I ended up at a party called “Twerksgiving.” I know, right? But the promoters had transformed their compact Midtown venue—tucked behind my favorite breakfast spot, Bacon & Butter—into a mini rave, complete with brilliant LED lights, loud beats and girls with Hula-Hoops. It was unexpected for the grid, but awesome. My brother was rollin’. My friend lost his phone.

It was like we were 18. And it’s all happening again this Friday when Requiem Events DANCE presents Throw Down 5.0: The Resolution. Bad nomenclature aside, this 18-and-over dance party is the only thing of its kind in Sacto. Shake yo’ ass. 1119 21st Street, www.facebook.com/ requiemevents.

—Brian Palmer

—Nick Miller

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24FRI

25SAT

Velvet Underground Tribute Show & Benefit

Los Rabanes

Center for the Arts, 8 p.m., $12-$15 In 1967, when most bands were singing about peace and free love, the Velvet Underground released The Velvet Underground & Nico.

Singer Lou Reed sang about heroin, prostitution and sadomasochism—not ROCK exactly in line with the Summer of Love movement, but the group inspired many bands in the ’80s and ’90s. This show is a benefit for the drug-and-alcohol treatment center Community Recovery Resources, featuring local artists and musicians playing their favorite Velvet Underground or Lou Reed songs. Performers include Lorraine Gervais (pictured), Lasher Keen, Meri St. Mary and Jay Tausig. 314 W. Main Street in Grass Valley, www.thecenterforthearts.org.

—Aaron Carnes

Assembly Music Hall, 8 p.m., $15 It’s been 10 years since Latin Grammy winners Los Rabanes performed in the United States. Emilio Regueira, Javier Saavedra and Christian Torres are stopping in Sacramento as they tour on the heels of their December 2013 release, Urban Rock.

The album’s title may describe the music the Panamanian band’s now performing, but the guys will also likely pull from 2007’s awardwinning Kamikaze, 2011’s Demons on Fire or 2012’s Rock Latino. Los Rabanes is where Latin meets metal and hip-hop and straightup rock. Often classified as ska-punk or punk-rock, this band doesn’t slip easily into any category. Also PUNK ROCK performing are La Noche Oskura, Pro Mañon and DJ Fili Sainz.

1000 K Street, www.twitter.com/losrabanes.

—Trina L. Drotar

26SUN

27MON

28TUES

29WED

Emery

Bastards of Young

Eagles

Pregnant

Assembly Music Hall, 6 p.m., $15

The Press Club, 8 p.m., no cover

Emery’s musical journey has been a trek.

Pushing itself hard to find its identity, the Seattle band produced its 2011 album, We Do What We Want, with the intention of melting off some faces—and it succeeded. The music is cohesive hard rock with pulsing beats, precise guitar and ethereal synth sounds topped by enchanting lyrical vocals by lead man Toby Morrell. Backed by Matt Carter on guitar, Josh Head on keyboard and Dave Powell on drums, Morrell performs largely self-written songs exploring faith, personal POST-HARDCORE struggles and his recent embarking into fatherhood. The Classic Crime, This Wild Life and Peacemercentio open the show.

1000 K Street, www.badchristian.com/ band/emery.

Sleep Train Arena, 8 p.m., $46.50-$186.50

Monday night is just as good as any for a punk-rock show, according to the guys of Bastards of Young. In fact, the show in quesPUNK tion is cover-free, and features the Bastards with support from friends in the Shell Corporation and Call Me Snake. What’s more is the guys are set to film a music video directed and produced

by Kevin Seconds for their song tentatively titled “Good Grief.” The song will be featured on their new album, still untitled and in the recording process. Bastards invite everyone interested to show up to the video shoot, party down with tall cans in hand and smile for the camera. 2030 P Street, www.face book.com/youngbasterds.

Bows & Arrows, 8 p.m., $5

In spite of The Big Lebowski’s The Dude hating the Eagles, the group has countrysoft-rocked its way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and earned six Grammy Awards during its 30-year career. It even survived a hiatus between 1980 and 1994. Interestingly, the Eagles have a Sacramento connection: Current bassist Timothy B. Schmit told me a few years back that he grew up in a trailer in Sacramento’s Casa Grande Mobile Village and still visits his mother and ROCK family in town every couple of months. The rockers released a History of the Eagles documentary in 2013 and are currently on a tour of the same name to support it. 1 Sports Parkway, www.eaglesband.com.

—Steph Rodriguez

—Jonathan Mendick

There are moments in Placerville artist Pregnant’s many records that aren’t so much music, but rather sound-collage art.

Core member Daniel Trudeau pieces together a kaleidoscope of sounds and instrumentaEXPERIMENTAL tion—samples, synths, drums, electronic noises, guitars, textures—which makes for a truly mesmerizing experience.

Trudeau creates an odd shape out of it all.

When he sings, his tender and emotional voice evens it all out. It’s filtered chaos, an auditory madness that very cautiously flirts with pop music. His songs jump around from ambient, glitch, chillwave and even into some psych pop. But it’s always heavily nuanced and layered. 1815 19th Street, www.danielis pregnant.com.

—Jessica Rine

—Aaron Carnes

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com

BEER AFICIONADOS

MONDAY

TRIVIA @ 6:30PM

- January 23 -

TUESDAY

dustbowl revival

TACO TUES

merrygold

$1 TACOS, $2 CORONAS, 2–8PM

7pm • $10adv

WEDNESDAY

OPEN MIC

Coming Soon - January 25 -

the nibblers mojo green 10pm • $10adv

SIGN-UPS AT 7:30PM

Jan 31

Moonshiner Collective

Feb 01 Tempest Feb 02 The Cheeseballs Feb 06 Feva In Da Funkhouse Feb 07 James Garner’s tribute to Johnny Cash

AWARD WINNING LOCAL CRAFT BEERS ON TAP

THURSDAY

KARAOKE @ 7:30PM OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK

- January 24 -

- January 29 -

stick men

royal southern brotherhood

7pm • $25adv

8pm • $20adv

Feb 08 Steelin’ Dan Feb 09 Duncan Sheik Feb 10 Secret Chiefs 3 (members of Mr. Bungie) Feb 12 Bettye LaVette Feb 13 Denver J Band Feb 14 ALO

DOORS OPEN AT 11:30

Feb 15 Martin Luther

LIVE MUSIC

- January 30 -

JAN 25 RUBBIDY BUPPIDY

FEAT. DYLAN CRAWFORD OF MASSIVE DELICIOUS

SIERRA COLLEGE EXIT OFF 80 4007 TAYLOR RD www.COUNTRYCLUBSALOON.net COUNTRYCLUBSALOON.net

JAN 31 BELL BOYS FACEBOOK.COM/BAR101ROSEVILLE 101 MAIN STREET, ROSEVILLE • 916-774-0505

BEFORE

|

NEWS

parade of lights

- January 24 -

JAN 24 MUSICAL CHARIS

|

F E AT U R E

STORY

Feb 16 The Duhks

wild cub

6pm • $10adv

follow us hArLOwSnITeCLuB

6pm • $12 All ages

hArLOwSnIGhTCLuB hArLOwSnIGhTCLuB

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

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AFTER

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NIGHTBEAT

THURSDAY 1/23

ASSEMBLY MUSIC HALL 1000 K St., (916) 832-4751

List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

BADLANDS

SUNDAY 1/26

LOS RABANES, PRO MAÑON, LA NOCHE OSKURA; 8pm, $15-$20

EMERY, THE CLASSIC CRIME, THIS WILD LIFE, PEACEMERCENTIO; 6pm, $15 Sin Sunday, 8pm, call for cover

Tipsy Thursdays, Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Saturday Boom, 9pm, call for cover

BAR 101

Karaoke, 7:30pm, no cover

MUSICAL CHARIS, 9:30pm, $5

RUBBUDY BUPPIDY, 9:30pm, call for cover

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

BLUE LAMP

THE BOARDWALK

CREEPER, TECKNICIAN, THE REALIST,

BOWS & ARROWS

GENTLEMAN SURFER, BATTLEHOOCH, ART LESSING & FLOWER VATO; 8pm, $5

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 WEEKING, WHITE RECLUSE; 8pm 1815 19th St., (916) 822-5668

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

DJs Trenix, Tripz, Luigi, Selly, 8pm, call for cover

FACES

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

REAL ONE, NINJA LOC, JUSSI, KILLA GABE & BP, A-1, YAK; 7:30pm, $12-$15 DAVID HOUSTON, DOG PARTY, COVE, HONYOCK, CORY BARRINGER; 6pm, $8

GUERO, ROYAL JELLY, 7pm Tu; AUTOCOCOON, PREGNANT, PRACTICE, 8pm W, $5

Dragalicious, 9pm, $5

Queer Idol, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5; DJ Alazzawi, 9pm W, $3

PETER PETTY & THE DOUBLE P REVIEW, NICHOLAS BROOKS; 8pm, $22-$25 DJ Elements, 9pm, call for cover

Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

BRIAN BROWN, HANNAH KILE; 8pm, no cover

THE CHICK P’S, WE JUST MET, MIKE MULLEN’S TRIO OF ONE; 9pm, $5

SPANGLER, DELTA CITY RAMBLERS; 9pm, $5

THE GOLDEN BEAR

DJ Shaun Slaughter, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Crook One, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Whores, 10pm, no cover

WALKING TALL, 9pm-midnight, no cover

THE FUNK ROCKERS, 9pm-midnight, no cover

Trivia night, 7:30-9pm Tu, no cover; Karaoke, 8pm-midnight W, no cover

STICK MEN, 8pm, $25

WILD CUB, 6:30pm, $12; THE NIBBLERS, MOJO GREEN; 10pm, $10-$12

ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD, 9pm W, $20-$25

2326 K St., (916) 441-2252

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

HARLOW’S

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693

DUSTBOWL REVIVAL, MERRYGOLD; 8pm, $10-$12

LEVEL UP FOOD & LOUNGE

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

2431 J St., (916) 448-8768

1050 20th St., (916) 706-2636

LUNA’S CAFÉ & JUICE BAR

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M, $5-$20; Comedy night, 8pm W, $6

THE CONSTELLATIONS, 8pm, $5

DAVID HOUSTON & STRING THEORY, 8pm, $6

MARILYN’S ON K

TURKUAZ, 9pm, $8-$10

SEAN LEHE AND FRIENDS, 9pm, call for cover

PLAYBACK THE HITS, 9pm, $5

Get Down to the Champion Sound, reggae and dancehall deejays, 10pm, $5

Gothic, industrial, EBM, ’80s, synthpop dancing, 9pm, $3 before 10pm; $5 after

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

Ace of SpAdeS thursday, January 30

for todAy

like moths to flames - stray from the path the plot in you - fit for a king kingdom of giants

saturday, february 1

berner spyda the boss - young gatlin bobby hooper

Comedy and talent showcase, 7pm, no cover

kArl denSon’S tiny univerSe saturday, february 15

the enGliSh beAt sunday, february 16

the brothers comatose

eve to adam - new years day awoken shadows

eScApe the fAte Monday, february 17

reign & playah k

i see stars - capture the crown ice nine kills - myka relocate

too $hort wednesday, february 12

breAthe cArolinA mod sun - ghost town - lionfight

All Ages Welcome!

thursday, february 13

saturday, february 8

AttilA friday, february 21

phAntoGrAm

COMING

SOON

02/22 02/26 02/27 03/01 03/13 03/15 03/20 03/21 03/22 03/26 03/30 04/04 04/15 04/17 04/21 04/25 04/27 05/21

Tickets available at all Dimple Records Locations, The Beat Records, and Armadillo Records, or purchase by phone @ 916.443.9202 |

SN&R

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01.23.14

Greatest Stories Ever Told live music series, 8pm Tu, no cover

1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95814 www.aceofspadessac.com

friday, february 7

the devil mAkeS three

Trivia night, W, call for cover

Roger Carpio spinning vinyl, 5pm W, no cover

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

MIDTOWN BARFLY

Industry Night, 9pm, call for cover

Wunderbar w/ Adam J., Shaun Slaughter, 10pm, no cover

1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931 908 K St., (916) 446-4361

Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu; Northern Soul, 8pm W, no cover

Hip-hop and R&B deejay dancing, 9:16pm Tu, no cover

LOWBRAU

32

Mad Mondays, 9pm M; Latin video flair and Wii bowling, 7pm Tu

Get Down to the Champion Sound reggae night, 9pm-2am, $3

SPLIT SCREENS, EPSILONA, BROKEN VOICE CLUB; 8pm, $5 LORRAINE GERVAIS, MOUNT WHATEVEREST, ROB KOPP, JENN KNAPP; 8pm

314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

FOX & GOOSE

TAJ HE SPITZ, 8pm, call for cover

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 1/27-1/29

Trivia, 6:30pm M, no cover; Open-mic, 7:30pm W, no cover

TOO MUCH FICTION, CHRISTIAN DEWILD THE FUNICELLOS, TIKI LOUNGE BAND; 8pm, $6 LIZARDS, LAVA PUPS; 9pm, $5

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

Hey local bands!

SATURDAY 1/25

!!! (CHK CHK CHK), FINE STEPS; 8pm, $13

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

DISTRICT 30

Want to be a hot show?

Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

FRIDAY 1/24

The Grouch & Eligh Dom Kennedy J Boog Tierra Umphrey’s McGee The Expendables The Wailers Memphis May Fire Eoto Moonshine Bandits & The Lacs Reverend Horton Heat Yonder Mountain String Band All Time Low Mogwai The 1975 Drive-By Truckers Julieta Venegas Christina Perri

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN 1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

THURSDAY 1/23

FRIDAY 1/24

SATURDAY 1/25

AMRCNDREAMING, FURSCHITZEN GIGGLES, INSTAGON; 8:30pm, $5

MAC RUSS, RUBBUDY BUPPIDY, MISS MADDY’S F STREET STOMPERS; 8:30pm

VINNIE GUIDERA, JOSH GRAYEM, PATRICK NEHODA AND JUSTIN NELSON; 8:30pm, $5

Jazz session, 8pm M; KNOCK KNOCK, THE FOXTAILS, DTCV; 8:30pm W, $5

WILLIAM MYLAR, 5pm; THE POLYMERS, THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE; 9pm, $5

THE INFAMOUS SWANKS, THE LEFT HAND; 9pm, $5

Karaoke w/ Sac City Entertainment, 9pm Tu, no cover; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover

EMBRYONIC DEVOURMENT, DEAD IN SECONDS, HANG THE KODE; 8pm, $5

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

OLD IRONSIDES

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504

ON THE Y

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

TRACY GRAMMER, 7:30pm, $20

670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731 13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825

THE PARK ULTRA LOUNGE 1116 15th St., (916) 442-7222

PARLARE EURO LOUNGE

Top 40, 9pm, no cover

1009 10th St., (916) 448-8960

PINS N STRIKES

3443 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove; (916) 226-2625

SUNDAY 1/26

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 1/27-1/29

Open-mic comedy, 9pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover

RITA HOSKING & COUSIN JACK, 8pm, $20 DJ Konflikt, 9pm, call for cover

DJ Peeti V, 9pm-2am, $15

Top 40, Mashups, 9pm, no cover

DJ Club mixes, 10pm, no cover

BUNKS, MR. P CHILL, MIKE COLOSSAL; 8pm, no cover

INNERSOUL, 9pm, $5

Revolver with Undertow and Stellar 8pm Wednesday, $5.

The Press Club Hip-hop and punk

Asylum Downtown: Gothic, industrial, EBM dancing, 9pm, call for cover

PJ’S ROADHOUSE

DJ Old Griff, 9pm, no cover

OPTIMIZTIQ, 9pm, $5

RADIO HEAVY, 9pm, $5

POWERHOUSE PUB

JOHN CORBETT BAND, 10pm, call for cover

TAKE OUT, 10pm, call for cover

THE VERGE, 3pm, call for cover; COVER ME BADD, 10pm, call for cover

MICK MARTIN, 3pm, call for cover

Country Karaoke, 9pm M, call for cover; DJ Alazzawi, DJ Rigatony, 10pm Tu, $3

Top 40 w/ DJ Rue, 9pm, $5

Top 40 Night w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9pm, $5

Sunday Night Soul Party, 9pm, $5

REVOLVER, UNDERTOW, STELLAR; 8pm W, $5

5461 Mother Lode, Placerville; (530) 626-0336 614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

SOL COLLECTIVE

Microphone Mondays, 6pm M, $1-$2

2574 21st St., (916) 832-0916

STONEY INN/ROCKIN’ RODEO

ACES UP, GEORGIA RAIN; 9pm, $5

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm

Country dance party, 8pm, no cover

Comedy open-mic, 8pm M; Bluebird Lounge open-mic, 5pm Tu, no cover

THE STATION

Salsa w/ Mike Del Campo, Mr. DJ Omar, 8:30pm, no cover; $5 after 9:30pm

SOLSA, 9:30pm, $10

Salsa with Mike Del Campo, 8:30pm, no cover; $5 after 9:30pm

Domingos Latinos with Mr. DJ Omar, 9pm, $5-$10

Blues jam session, 8:30pm Tu, no cover

TORCH CLUB

X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; RED’S BLUES, LITTLE JOHNNY; 9pm, $5

PAILER AND FRATIS, 5:30-7:30pm, no cover; MIND X, 9pm, $8

JOHNNY KNOX, 5pm, no cover; MURALI CORYELL, 9pm, $8

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover; THE CRUX, 8pm, $5

ISLAND OF BLACK & WHITE, Tu; COFFIS BROTHERS & THE MOUNTAIN MEN, W

1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023

1100 Orlando Ave., Roseville; (916) 728-1166 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

Tracy Grammer 7:30pm Thursday, $20.

The Palms Playhouse Folk

All ages, all the time CLUB RETRO

Hot 103.5 Highschool Takeover, 6pm, call for cover

LUIGI’S SLICE AND FUN GARDEN

KARLEE AND CONNOR, GRANT CHESIN, ADELYNN LACKEY; 8pm, $5

SHINE

J.KRAGE & THE DECLINERS, A YAWN BIG WATER BEAT, ORANGE MORNING, WORTH YELLING, LINO ALIBANI; 8pm, $5 MIKE ANNUZZI; 8pm, $5

1529 Eureka Rd., Roseville; (916) 988-6606 1050 20th St., (916) 552-0317 1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

ABSENT MINDS, REBEL RADIO, THE COMMUNITY, THE MOANS; 8pm, $5 Open jazz jam w/ Jason Galbraith & Friends, 8pm Tu, no cover

1000 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

FOr tIckEts tO aLL shOWs VIsIt assemblymusichall.com

For Rentals or Private Parties please contact AssemblyMusicHall@gmail.com

fri jan 24

!!! (chk chk chk) Fine steps | 8pm

sat jan 25 @ 8pm

ianc, K-ottic, mK smith, aileron

sun jan 26 @ 6pm

thu jan 30 @ 7pm

Upcoming ShowS feb 09 feb 13 feb 15 feb 20 feb 22 feb 26 feb 28 mar 01 mar 02 mar 05 mar 08 mar 11 mar 13 mar 14 mar 15 mar 17 mar 21 mar 22 mar 23 mar 24 mar 25 apr 05

sat feb 1 @ 7pm

dj mustard BEFORE

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NEWS

fri feb 7 @ 7pm |

FEATURE STORY

|

sat feb 8 @ 6:30pm A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

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this or the apocalypse bobby coldwell the siren show rehab some Fear none paradise Fears incredible’ me baeza we butter the bread with butter sunny ledFurd ghost oF the robot we are the in crowd inFected mushroom rachel barton pine the siren show protest the hero the Kin Kumande’s live experience alesana being as an ocean blacK lips headbang For the hwy

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what’s on your

horizon?

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VOted 3rd best ’13 420 physician in sac!

—A Different Jose Good news. Jose was found guilty of assault on a federal officer after being arrested at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s raid on Oaksterdam University in 2012.

The charges carried a potential term of eight years, but the feds really only wanted him to do about a year.

Gutierrez’s lawyers (E.D. Lerman and J. Tony Serra) argued for no jail time, stating that the beatBEALUM ing he received at the hands of the feds during

by NGAIO his arrest was punishment enough. Judge William B. Shubb seemed to agree with his lawyers, stating that Gutierrez “was dealt with severely,’13and injured a sk420 @ ne wsreview.c om more than the injury he inflicted.” The judge also said he didn’t think straight probation would be sufficient and that house arrest wasn’t appropriate, either, because “sitting at home is no punishment.”

Gutierrez was sentenced to five years probation and 300 hours of community service at the Oakland Public Works Agency. When I talked to him a few days after the sentencing, he said, “About a week before the sentencing, a friend of mine asked me what I thought the best possible outcome could be. I thought about it, and told him that if I could get 300 to 500 hours of community service and walk out of the courtroom, that would be the best. I guess I put it out to the universe, and it came back to me.”

’13

’13

420 Doc MeDiCAL MArijuAnA evALuAtiOnS

—Johnny Outdoorseed It’s a bit of a mixed bag. Out in Tuolumne County (I spelled it right on the first try), the planning commission just recommended that a proposed ordinance to ban dispensaries, outdoor grows and many indoor grows be sent to a committee for rewrite. Many medical-marijuana patients spoke against it. See what happens when people show up and participate?

The meeting is scheduled Cities shouldn’t be for February 4. Be there.

The city of Live Oak in able to supersede Sutter County has banned state law. all medical-marijuana growing. That ordinance has been upheld in court.

Out in Fresno County, the board of supervisors passed an ordinance banning all growing of marijuana in unincorporated parts of the county. Marijuana-activist lawyer Joe Elford has already filed to appeal the Live Oak ruling to the California Supreme Court and he says that Fresno could also be looking at a lawsuit. “Fresno County is now inviting a legal case against them,” he told The Fresno Bee in an interview. “It’s hasty action Ngaio Bealum that could end up costing taxpayers money.” is a Sacramento comedian, activist Remember that Proposition 215 allows MMJ patients and marijuana expert. to grow up to 12 immature plants and six mature ones.

Email him questions Prop. 215 is state law. Cities shouldn’t be able to at ask420@ supersede state law. At least, that’s the argument. The newsreview.com. reality is that until the state Legislature comes up with some kind of comprehensive medical-marijuana law, we will continue to have these costly court battles. That is, unless stoners get off their asses and vote these city officials out of office. There are three seats up for grabs in the Fresno County supervisor race. The election is June 3. Perhaps the MMJ activists there can find a suitable candidate. Vote. Ω |

NEWS

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F E AT U R E

STORY

’13

’13

Sacramento

How is the battle against growing bans going?

BEFORE

’13

winter COMPASSiOn SPeCiAL

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

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BEFORE

|

NEWS

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last o harvesf markdo t wns big jar s ref a 10 of lect donati f on

FEATURE

STORY

| A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R

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’13

Massage Therapy

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

Combination Massage Open Daily 10am - 10:30pm Walk-Ins & Couples Welcome

All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a current valid business license or somatic establishment permit issued by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to run a printed advertisement.

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BEFORE

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NEWS

|

FEATURE

STORY

Certified Massage Practitioner Maggie

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ANNA

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| A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R

Violet Massage 3260 J St #A Sacramento 95816 (916) 442-1888

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| 01.23.14

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MASSAGE THERAPISTS

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All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

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| A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R

| 01.23.14

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42 | SN&R | 01.23.14

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Actor Casey

Affleck appreciates the nurturing power of his loved ones. “My family would be supportive,” he says, “if I said I wanted to be a Martian, wear only banana skins, make love to ashtrays, and eat tree bark.”

I’d like to see you cultivate allies like that in the coming months, Aries. Even if you have never had them before, there’s a good chance they will be available. For best results, tinker with your understanding of who your family might be.

Redefine what “community” means to you.

John Koenig says we often regard emotions as positive or negative. Feeling respect is good, for example, while being wracked with jealousy is bad. But he favors a different standard for evaluating emotions: how intense they are. At one end of the spectrum, everything feels blank and blah, “even the big things,” he says. “At the other end is wonder, in which everything feels alive, even the little things.” Your right and proper goal right now, Taurus, is to strive for the latter kind: full-on intensity and maximum vitality. Luckily, the universe will be conspiring to help you achieve that goal.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Manufac-

turing a jelly bean is not a quick, slambam process. It’s a five-step procedure that takes a week. Each seemingly uncomplicated piece of candy has to be built up layer by layer, with every layer needing time to fully mature. I’m wondering if maybe there’s a metaphorically similar kind of work ahead for you, Scorpio. May I speculate? You will have to take your time, proceed carefully and maintain a close attention to detail as you prepare a simple pleasure.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

I understand the appeal of the F-word.

It’s guttural and expulsive. It’s a perverse form of celebration that frees speakers from their inhibitions. But I’m here today to announce that its rebel cachet and vulgar power are extinct. It has decayed into a barren cliché. Its official death fromoversaturation occurred with the release of the mainstream Hollywood blockbuster The Wolf of Wall Street. Actors in the film spat out the rhymes-with-cluck word more than 500 times. I hereby nominate you Sagittarians to begin the quest for new ways to invoke rebellious irreverence. What interesting mischief and naughty wordplay might you perpetrate to escape your inhibitions, break taboos that need to be broken, and call other people on their BS and hypocrisy?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): At her

Otherwordly blog (http://other-wordly. tumblr.com), Yee-Lum Mak defines the Swedish word “resfeber” this way: “the restless race of the traveler’s heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together.” You might be experiencing resfeber right now, Gemini. Even if you’re not about to depart on a literal trip, I’m guessing you will soon start wandering out on a quest or adventure that will bring your heart and mind closer together. Paradoxically, your explorations will teach you a lot about being better grounded. Bon voyage!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): How does

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) has had a major impact on the development of ideas in the Western world. We can reasonably divide the history of philosophy into two eras: pre-Kantian and post-Kantian. And yet, for his whole life, which lasted 79 years, this big thinker never traveled more than 10 miles away from Königsberg, the city where he was born. He followed a precise and methodical routine, attending to his work with meticulous detail. According to my analysis, you Capricorns could have a similar experience in the coming weeks.

By sticking close to the tried-and-true rhythms that keep you grounded and healthy, you can generate influential wonders.

a monarch butterfly escape its chrysalis when it has finished gestating? Through tiny holes in the skin of the chrysalis, it takes big gulps of air and sends them directly into its digestive system, which expands forcefully. Voilà! Its body gets so big it breaks free. When a chick is ready to emerge from inside its egg, it has to work harder than the butterfly. With its beak, it must peck thousands of times at the shell, stopping to rest along the way because the process is so demanding. According to my analysis, Cancerian, you’re nearing the final stage before your metaphorical emergence from gestation. Are you more like the butterfly or chick?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I’m not sure

where to go from here. I need help.” I encourage you to say those words out loud, Leo. Even if you’re not sure you believe they’re true, act as if they are.

Why? Because I think it would be healthy for you to express uncertainty and ask for assistance. It would relieve you of the oppressive pressure to be a masterful problem solver. It could free you from the unrealistic notion that you’ve got to figure everything out by yourself. And this would bring you, as if by magic, interesting offers and inquiries. In other words, if you confess your neediness, you will attract help. Some of it will be useless, but most of it will be useful.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Dogs have

a superb sense of smell, much better than us humans. But ours isn’t bad.

We can detect certain odors that have been diluted to one part in 5 billion. For example, if you were standing next to two Olympic-sized swimming pools, and only one contained a few drops of the chemical ethyl mercaptan, you would know which one it was. I’m now calling on you to exercise that level of sensitivity, Virgo. There’s a situation in the early stages of unfolding that would ultimately emanate a big stink if you allowed it to keep developing. There is a second unripe situation, on the other hand, that would eventually yield fragrant blooms. I advise you to either quash or escape from the first, even as you cultivate and treasure the second.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Whatever

adventures may flow your way in the coming weeks, Libra, I hope you will appreciate them for what they are: unruly but basically benevolent; disruptive in ways that catalyze welcome transformations;

BEFORE

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NEWS

BREZSNY

a bit more exciting than you might like, but ultimately pretty fun. Can you thrive on the paradoxes? Can you delight in the unpredictability? I think so. When you look back at these plot twists two months from now, I bet you’ll see them as entertaining storylines that enhance the myth of your hero’s journey. You’ll understand them as tricky gifts that have taught you valuable secrets about your soul’s code.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The

Aquarian author Georges Simenon (1903-1989) wrote more than 200 novels under his own name and 300 more under pseudonyms. On average, he finished a new book every 11 days. Half-a-billion copies of his books are in print. I’m sorry to report that I don’t think you will ever be as prolific in your own chosen field as he was in his. However, your productivity could soar to a hefty fraction of Simenonlike levels in 2014—if you’re willing to work your ass off. Your luxuriant fruitfulness won’t come as easily as his seemed to.

But you should be overjoyed that you at least have the potential to be luxuriantly fruitful.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): When I’m

older and wiser, maybe I’ll understand the meaning of my life. When I’m older and wiser, maybe I’ll gain some insight about why I’m so excited to be alive despite the fact that my destiny is so utterly mysterious. What about you, Pisces? What will be different for you when you’re older and wiser? Now is an excellent time to ponder this riddle. Why? Because it’s likely you will get a glimpse of the person you will have become when you are older and wiser—which will in turn intensify your motivation to become that person.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785.

And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

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F E AT U R E

PHOTO BY LOVELLE HARRIS

by ROB

For the week of January 23, 2014

STORY

Last of the boss jocks If video killed the radio star, then deregulation and the corporate consolidation of radio stations killed the disc jockey. Ronnie Rush, cut from the same cloth as celebrated radio personalities such as Wolfman Jack, Rick Dees and Casey Kasem, was an on-air personality for decades. His smoky, booming voice, coupled with a love for classic rock catapulted him onto the airwaves at local stations like KHYL Cool 101.1 FM—that is, until the modern business of radio drove him off the air. Turning to his pre-radio experiences as a roadie and road manager, Rush released his memoir, Life of a Roadie: The Gypsy in Me (Wise Media Group, $19.95), and launched his own concert-promotion company, Ronnie Rush Productions.

Booking classic-rock acts, such as America and Rush, he sees it as a way to keep his love for music alive as well as live up to his personal mantra: Never give up. Never give up.

Never give up.

What inspired you to become a deejay?

I wanted to draw on my own personal experience, and that was people telling me how I had a great voice. I thought I would go into a nightclub and spin records, and maybe a program director would come in and say, “Hey, kid, you’ve got a great voice. You want to be on the radio?” That never happened, so after a couple of years of that, I decided to investigate and find out just how I could get to that next level on the air, and I found from calling program directors at various radio stations that [I needed experience]. I decided to go to school [for broadcasting], and actually just before I graduated, I was on the air in Placerville, and the next night, I came back to school, and [my classmates said], “Ronnie, we heard you on the radio.” I was 30 miles away, so that was kind of surreal for me, to realize I could be far away and people far away could hear what I was saying.

Can you recall a particularly interesting moment on the air?

A girl called the studio one day—I was doing 7 p.m. to midnight—and she said, “Hey, Ronnie, I’m in my bedroom, I’m under the covers, the lights are out.” And I said, “Well, would you like me to play a song?”

And she says, “No, I just want you to keep talking.” I said, “Well, is there a song I can play for you or for your boyfriend?” I don’t know if she was teasing me or not, but those are the kind of the calls you get [sometimes]. I stayed away from the flirting thing, and I just played a song for her, and she was happy about that.

It’s been said the “golden age” of radio is dead. Thoughts?

Well, when I was on the air, I was playing all the hits, all the time, live. I was raised in Southern California listening to The Real Don Steele and Machine Gun Kelly at 93 KHJ Los Angeles, so raised as a teenager on Malibu Beach, everybody had the little transistor radios, [and] the “boss jock” was the thing in the ’60s and ’70s. When a corporation would come in and buy the smaller corporations, it set us at a disadvantage, because eventually, you can’t go down the dial and work because the people who own the station you’re at own the one down the dial.

Before these big corporations came in to play, I remember back in the ’60s and ’70s every station on the dial was owned by a different company, because that was the law until it was changed later on.

It’s pretty much automated now, sterile. There’s no feel to it, and for me, I had to be live. They have a thing called tracking, where you go down the hall and you pretend you’re on the radio, then they air it later, and I didn’t like that. I wanted to be live, in the moment, and that’s real rare right now. So, I just decided to get out of radio and bring the artists to town, and just do the concert thing.

Why write a book?

After the recession hit in 2008, 2009, I thought I’d take a couple of years off and just write my memoir. [One day], about 3 in the morning, I got up [and was inspired] from being around the groups that I was with [when I was a roadie], and watching how they [would] create a song at 3 in the morning, and then after a couple of months in the studio, you’re driving in your car in Hollywood, [and] the song’s on the radio. So, I thought I got to witness that creativity, [and] I was inspired by that same kind of energy to write. It’s more than just the music end of it: The roadie, the road manager, concert promoter and my time in radio, it has a storyline to it.

Whoever is reading it, I hope they benefit from it and realize you can do something [great] despite [the challenges] ahead.

What do you miss about being on the radio?

The spontaneous thing, that’s what I miss. You go in the studio, you plug your headphones in, you turn the mic on, and you’re live. Everything is in the moment, and that’s sort of where my energy was, in the moment. I was talking, whoever was listening to the signal in the car on Highway 50, or whatever, would hear me instantly. Ω

For more on Ronnie Rush, visit http://ronnierushproductions.com. |

A RT S & C U LT U R E

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AFTER

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01.23.14

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SN&R

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3,956 lbs of food donated donate d Congratulations to Sacramento’s Medical Marijuana Collectives and Patients for making the 1st Annual Collective Giving Canned Food Drive a success!

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