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+ hobo johnson jerry perry the philharmonik banD oF Coyotes las pulgas DanCe gaVin DanCe ClouD hats tropiCali Flames

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Volume 30, iSSue 50

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march 28, 2019 | Vol. 30, Issue 50

Can’t stay sober

The distinctive droning of the hand-cranked hurdy-gurdy has started to waft through the streets of Sacramento.

Meet Bryan Allen, the Hurdy Gurdy Man, and see what drives him to spin the rosined wheel of street performance.

editor’s note letters essay + streetalk greenlight 15 minutes news feature stage dish Calendar

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Cover design by sarah hansel Cover photo of hobo johnson by luis gael jimenez

Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Kelly Hopkins, Julian Lang, Calvin Maxwell, Greg Meyers, John Parks, Perdea Rich, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Carlton Singleton, Viv Tiqui N&R Publications Managing Editor Laura Hillen

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.

Editor Foon Rhee News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Managing Editor Mozes Zarate Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Copy Editor Steph Rodriguez Calendar Editor Maxfield Morris Contributing Editor Rachel Leibrock Editorial Assistant Rachel Mayfield Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Amy Bee, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Joey Garcia, Kate Gonzales, Howard Hardee, Ashley Hayes-Stone, Jim Lane, Ken Magri, James Raia, Patti Roberts, Shoka, Stephanie Stiavetti, Dylan Svoboda, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack Creative Services Manager Elisabeth Bayard-Arthur Art Directors Sarah Hansel, Maria Ratinova Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Publications and Advertising Designers Nikki Exerjian Ad Designer Naisi Thomas, Cathy Arnold, Contributing Photographers Luis Gael Jimenez, Karlos Rene Ayala, Amy Bee, Nicole Fowler

Advertising Manager Michael Gelbman Sales & Production Coordinator Skyler Morris Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Kelsi White

Advertising Consultants Mark Kates, Michael Nero, Rodrigo Ramirez

Director of First Impressions/Sweetdeals Coordinator Reid Fowler Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Beatriz Aguirre, Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Mike Cleary,

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N&R Publications Staff Writer Thea Rood N&R Publications Editorial Assistant Caroline Harvey

Marketing & Publications Consultants Steve Caruso, Joseph Engle, Traci Hukill, Elizabeth Morabito, Luke Roling, Celeste Worden, Greta Beekhuis

President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner Nuts & Bolts Ninja Norma Huerta Director of Dollars & Sense Debbie Mantoan Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Accounts Receivable Specialist Analie Foland Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

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SMUD isn’t proposing an increase in that charge for residential customers.

But for 56,000 small businesses, the charge would rise to $25 in 2022 and $33 in 2028. They and other commercial accounts SMUD promotes itself as are also facing potential community owned since 1946. rate increases. For small businesses, with an average monthly bill of $167, the increases would be $7.90 First off, it’s far better to get your power from in both 2020 and 2021.

SMUD than PG&E, especially these days.

SMUD’s official policy is that its rates will The Sacramento Municipal Utility District be 18 percent below PG&E’s. At the end of charges lower rates and is generally well 2018, SMUD says its average rates were at least managed. And it hasn’t put residents in danger, 26 percent lower than PG&E’s and among the unlike Pacific Gas & Electric, which in lowest in California.

January filed for bankruptcy due Even though it’s a public utility, to all the lawsuits from deadly not as profit-driven as investorwildfires it caused. owned utilities, SMUD is The SMUD board Still, that does not mean facing many of the same is starting toward that SMUD is perfect, or that pressures driving up costs: another round of rate its customers are completely the increasing threat of wildoff the hook. fires, the need to upgrade increases, so it’s time to Indeed, the SMUD board technology, the priority to speak up. But remember: is starting toward another reduce carbon emissions and It could be a lot round of potential rate rising labor costs, including hikes—4.75 percent in 2020 pensions. worse. and another 4.5 percent in 2021, SMUD forecasts the need according to the general manager’s for 4 percent to 4.5 percent annual report released on March 21. rate hikes for the next decade. Lower For more than 557,000 residential increases would mean higher hikes in the customers, the average monthly bill of $114 future or cuts in programs and services, the staff would rise by $5.40 in both 2020 and 2021. says. At the same time, SMUD is encouraging There was a 1.5 percent rate increase for residenenergy efficiency by selling smart thermostats tial accounts in 2018. and offering rebates for energy-efficient appliSMUD says that the higher rates are needed ances. In late 2018, it put in place a “time of to increase reliability and safety and comply with day” rate as the standard, with higher prices regulations, and that it reduced the proposed hike between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. when power usage is from at least 6.5 percent by cutting operational highest. costs by $28 million a year.

The SMUD board is planning public workThen, there’s a “fixed charge” of $20.30 shops April 23 and May 9 before releasing a a month, which covers costs for billing, call rate plan for a public hearing on June 4. A vote centers, meters, poles, transformers and other is scheduled for June 24. Any rate hikes would equipment. While most municipal utilities have start going into effect January 1. such a charge as well, as of last year, SMUD’s So it’s time to speak up, if you want. But just was third highest in a list of 21 it provided. remember: It could be worse, a lot worse. Ω Photo by Foon Rhee

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Rules to live by Re: “Stephon Clark: One year later” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, March 14): As a former Oak Park resident for nearly a decade, I feel the need to respond to Pastor Damian Chandler’s comments worrying that his sons might one day be victims of a police shooting. Really, it’s very simple. First, don’t run around your neighborhood smashing in car windows. And, more importantly, if the police catch you in the act in the dark of the night and chase you into a backyard, raise your hands and surrender.

Do not curse and advance towards the officers, or extend your arms in their direction in a threatening manner. It’s pitch black, there’s a helicopter hovering above creating voluminous noise and in the heat of the moment that object in your hands may very well be perceived as a deadly weapon. The outcome, though legally justifiable, could once again be tragic.

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A permanent crisis Re: “The case for homeless shelters” by Jay Schenirer (Essay, March 7): Crisis? Is that what homelessness in Sacramento is?

The word “crisis” implies a time when a difficult or important decision must be made and infers a temporary situation. Homelessness, however, is a permanent problem here and has no way to improve. There is no political will to resolve it, either. A stupid little shelter here or there is pointless, no matter how much it costs.

What should be done is that the rich, who put people on the streets directly or indirectly, should be forced to pay for a gigantic stadium somewhere on the outskirts of town where all the homeless can stay, no questions asked, and have clean bathrooms and showers and access to healthy food.

The unfortunate homeless who live near many poorer neighborhoods are destroying any and all quality of life for those of us who happen to be fortunate enough to still live indoors.

when Democrats proclaimed African-Americans kept in slavery weren’t human beings with civil rights. Today Democrats uphold unscientific claims that unborn children aren’t alive human beings until birth, and therefore can be aborted at their mother’s “choice” Likely there were Republicans in the 19th century who thought standing against slavery would be the death of the Republican Party, and they were wrong.

Likewise today, uniting together conservative Christians to be the pro-life party above partisan politics will not mean the death of the Republican Party.

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by Scott Thomas Anderson (Arts & Culture, March 14): Don’t forget the Clancy Brothers’ song, “The Little Beggar Man,” another powerful ditty.

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5

essay

by Ron DwYeR-Voss

streetalk

by HannaH Yates

Asked At GuitAr Center on AltA Arden expresswAy:

Favorite current artist?

Jennifer Conle y musician

We want a zoo

Honestly, The Philharmonik. ...

[He] is my favorite artist. He’s probably one of the newest artists to come out that is an artist that’s like OutKast—a true musician and a lyricist as well.

Put a bigger Sacramento Zoo at the Sleep Train Arena site

Jesse ‘k Asset te’ HAnes

Five years ago, Sacramento leaders promised that when the Golden 1 Center opened downtown and Sleep Train Arena shut down, the Natomas site would not become another sprawl mall with low-wage jobs or tract housing.

Councilwoman Angelique Ashby said that the goal was high-paying, long-term jobs, and that residential development did not meet the bar. As Ron Dwyer-Voss, a 23-year Natomas resident and former a mayoral candidate, Darrell Steinberg expressed Natomas Unified School District trustee, is a member of We similar passion for seizing this opportunity to Want a Zoo. do something creative and big. The Sacramento Kings promised to “get it right.”

Natomas residents knew it would take some their social lives, and their place in the matrix time, but we rested assured that Sacramento was of life. The best among them provide broad not going to fill a hole in downtown by creating benefits to animals.” Fewer than 10 percent of another hole in Natomas. zoos, however, receive accreditation from the Yet that is exactly what is happening.

Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The city gave the land to the Kings as part Unfortunately, the quaint and nostalof the Golden 1 Center deal. The Kings spent gic 14-acre site of our current the next four years presiding over the Sacramento Zoo is a very site becoming the largest piece of difficult place to avoid animal blight in Sacramento. Then in cruelty and keep AZA November, the Kings rolled accreditation. Every out a truly uninspired plan The Sacramento Zoo parent who has taken for shops and housing. They their kids to see the big did not listen enough to the has a beautiful plan animals in Land Park community or our elected for the Sleep Train Arena hears that nagging leaders. They basically voice: “I can’t believe performed like an out-ofsite in Natomas—one we that gorgeous creature town corporation looking is confined to that little to make a quick buck and would be proud of as space. Hope the kids leave.

Sacramentans. don’t ask about that.”

Meanwhile, the If we are going to have Sacramento Zoo has a vision— a zoo, move it to the hole left a vision of a more humane, more in Natomas when the city gave educational and higher profile zoo away 100 acres. The Sacramento on the arena site.

Zoo has a beautiful plan for that site—one I have mixed feelings about zoos. Some are we would be proud of as Sacramentans. cruel. Others are amazing places for animals and A five-star zoo could be an anchor to more provide the only way many people will ever get to experience and learn about the earth’s creatures creative development ideas, and clearly, the Kings need help in the creativity department. Just and their habitats first hand. half of the entire 185-acre arena site would give But I’m not an expert. So what do the experts Sacramento one of the nation’s largest zoos, just say? The Humane Society of the United States smaller than the world-famous San Diego Zoo. argues that “accredited zoos and aquariums have That is good for animals and good for been a force for good in celebrating animals and Sacramento. It is also good for Natomas. Ω fostering understanding of animal cognition, 6 | sN&r | 03.28.19

music producer

My favorite artist in town right now is Basi Vibe, because I’m mixing his album and I can’t get it out of my head. I had a song stuck in my head and I thought it was Anderson .Paak and it was [Basi].

etHAn knox student

I’d have to say Periphery. … They are a progressive metal band, but … it’s a lot more melodic. They can do harder stuff as well, like they incorporate a whole bunch of different genres of metal within.

CArdel dAniels musician

I like Fuzz. Fuzz is one of my favorite musicians because Chris Woodhouse produced him, a guy from here in town. … I also like musicians that make good career choices. ...

stACi edwArds research administrator

My favorite [musician] is the guitar player from It Looks Like A Black Hole. His name is Ryan Fuller and he’s amazing. … They are [local], and it’s post-rock.

ke vin HArris musician

I listen to funk, play the funk, baby. … I grew up in the ’70s. … George Clinton, Earth, Wind & Fire, Average White Band, that type of thing … because that’s what I grew up listening to.

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Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power provides a similar intellectual framework from which to launch a tech regulation movement.

In 525 pages of insight, Zuboff makes the case that what she calls surveillance capitalism as practiced by Google, Facebook and other big tech companies is radically different than previous forms of capitalism.

Why? First, knowledge imbalance. The big tech companies know so much about us and we know so little about them. They know our fears, our friends, how long we sleep and when we ovulate, and they use that information for their benefit.

Second, unlike the industrial capitalism exemplified by companies such as General Motors, which tended to provide a higher standard of living for industrialized society, surveillance capitalism is having the opposite result. There is an obvious correlation between the everincreasing income inequality in America and the fact that three recently created companies—Google, Facebook, and Amazon—have a combined net worth of more than $2 trillion.

And finally, Zuboff reveals how these incredibly powerful, incredibly rich surveillance capitalists have a “radical indifference” to the impact their organizations are having. If it makes them money, they show no concern for the results: an increasingly polarized society, users who suffer from increased depression and anxiety, the decline of local businesses and news organizations.

Clearly something has to be done.

We should start by understanding the problem. It is the 7.5 billion of us who will have to suffer the consequences. Ω

newsletter at snrsweetdeals.newsreview.com

If you are an owner or director of Google, Facebook, Amazon or any other large tech company, this column is not for you. This column is for the 327 million Americans and 7.5 billion Earthlings who are having their personal data turned into mind-boggling wealth and power for a small group of people.

This column is for those of us who are seeing our political process being subverted, our privacy laws being violated, our local businesses failing because they can’t compete on an unfair playing field, our desire to communicate with friends being used to manipulate us into buying unnecessary things and a more anxious and polarized community.

The tech companies have proven repeatedly, beyond a reasonable doubt, that they are not trustworthy, that they are ruthless, that they violate agreements and that they are greedy. Since past behavior is good indication of future behavior, we should protect ourselves.

But what can we do?

The tech companies provide many wonderful services and easy access to tons of information. No one is proposing getting rid of them. But how do we change the balance of power?

In medicine, there is a maxim that doctors cannot recognize something that they do not know. If they do not know about malaria or AIDS, they will not recognize the symptoms in their patients.

The same is true for society. We cannot recognize what we do not understand.

And much of how the tech companies have been changing both our society and ourselves has been happening without our knowledge, and often without our consent.

To rein in the tech companies, we first need to understand what they are doing.

Like Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which provided the intellectual framework to launch the environmental movement, Shoshana Zuboff’s brilliant new book The

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03.28.19 | Sn&r | 7

15 minutes

by Maxfield Morris

ma x fie ld m@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Bryan Allen keeps the music of the hurdygurdy alive and in the streets.

PHOTO BY MARIA RATINOVA

Hurdy Gurdy Man

How often are you going out?

Bryan Allen has been a lot of things. He joined

Well, now, a couple times a week at least.

the army when he was a teenager and ended up in Germany for a few years. For a while, he worked construction in the Bay Area, and now he’s living in Sacramento. He’s a big guy with a firm handshake, a very full beard and a feathered hat. He also recently decided to become the Hurdy Gurdy Man. That means he doesn’t just play the hurdy-gurdy—a hand-cranked, spinning rosin-wheel string instrument—he commits to it. People have started recognizing Allen in the street from his busking, he says, and he plans on taking the performance to farmers markets and other venues. SN&R talked with the hurdygurdyist about his newfound role in the city.

Where do you go mostly?

How long have you been playing the hurdy-gurdy?

Are you kind of an introvert then?

Well, the hurdy-gurdy I haven’t been playing all that long—a year, a little over a year. But I’ve been playing music since I was a kid. I started playing saxophone in grade school and guitar all through high school, and I still play. I finally got a hurdygurdy about a year ago, and as soon as I did I just started busking more and more regularly.

How long had you wanted to play one of these?

A hurdy-gurdy? I got turned on to a hurdy-gurdy from a VHS cassette that I was given for my birthday, back in ’95 or [’96] … In the concert there was a performance, and they cleared the stage for this British guy, and he came out there with his hurdy-gurdy—and he had an especially special hurdy-gurdy.

Anyhow, that’s the first time I’d ever seen anything like it, and it left an impression. And I never forgot it. And y’know, you grow up, you join the army, you get married, you work, work, work, and there’s hardly money or time for a

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hurdy-gurdy. But anyways, life changes, and the opportunity arose, and the stars aligned and I got my hurdy-gurdy, 22 years later. And I got a mighty fine one. This one’s the real deal.

Midtown to Oldtown, Old Sac.

It’s more of a busking scene in San Francisco, right?

Yeah, but y’know, it’s not necessarily better. It doesn’t mean the people appreciate it more. They sort of expect it. You just get your picture taken a lot.

How did the busking start for you?

I’m not really a performer—that’s the weird part, the weird change in me, the performing part. I was never a performer, heck no. Right? I’m not a showoff or anything. But yeah, I’ve just been compelled to do it. It’s a high-risk high reward endeavor.

No, I don’t think so, not at all. I’m wide open. But anybody looking at me might think I was.

What kind of people respond to the music?

Well, first of all, the kids are amazing, right, they just lock on. It’s super neat, kids love it. They compliment me all the time, it’s just magic with the kids, thumbs up, you’re really good, get a lot of encouragement from kids despite their fathers not even looking.

What’s the goal?

I don’t know what the goal is … it’s the HurdyGurdy Man. It’s just to be there, to inspire, to inspire creativity, to remind people that there’s magic in the air. … Out of everything I know and everything I’ve seen, it just seems to me like it’s the best thing I could do with my life—to share and just resonate good vibes and interact with people, personally, intimately. Ω Check out Bryan Allen’s website at soundnoiseba.wixsite.com/hurdygurdyman.

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Shock and resolve Sacramento progressives react to the Mueller report, point to 2020 election

by SaSha abramSky

As news of Attorney General William Barr’s summary of special counsel sasha abramsky, who Robert Mueller’s report hit on Sunday teaches at uC Davis, afternoon, stunned progressives around is a columnist who Sacramento marshaled their thoughts. writes at truthout.org and an author, most For two years, as they had fought recently of Jumping at one Trump action after another, many shadows: the triumph had comforted themselves with the of Fear and the end of thought that Mueller’s team, The the american Dream.

Untouchables of our era, would find a smoking gun in the Russia investigation.

It seemed so clear—from the public statements made by Trump, from the private actions engaged in by many of 10 | SN&R | 03.28.19 NEWS ANALYSIS

those around him, from the successful prosecutions of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump 2016 campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and others, from Roger Stone’s indictment regarding his coordination with Wikileaks—that Trump’s interests and those of the Russian government were working in lockstep in 2016.

Then came Barr’s bombshell summary, barely 1,000 words in length.

Instead of detailing a smoking gun, it provided something akin to absolution.

Barr didn’t release the full report— presumably hundreds of pages in

length—but instead sent a short letter to Congress, in which he simply and tersely announced that Mueller’s team had found no evidence of organized collusion with the Russian state.

Jill Shallenberger, a steering committee member of Sacramento Indivisible and an organizer with NorCal Resist, said she was “left feeling very disoriented by Mueller’s apparent conclusion on collusion, because of the almost uncountable number of lies and contacts between the Trump administration people and Russians.”

Photo illustration by sarah hansel

“There’s a disconnect I don’t understand,” she added. “If anything, I am more alarmed than ever about the level of capture of key levers of power.”

Doug Treadwell, who is also part of the local Indivisible leadership, said he’s also confused.

Treadwell argues that even if there was no deliberate collusion, temperamentally Trump has shown himself time and again to favor autocrats such as Russian leader Vladimir Putin over democratic leaders who historically have been U.S. allies.

“It’s very evident,” Treadwell said. “He will not criticize Putin or any other strong leader around the world.”

Treadwell said he believes that the full report, if and when it is finally released, will show that while Trump may not have personally conspired with the Russian government, at the very least he tolerated a flirtation with autocracy that threatens to “change our form of government.”

Yet, perhaps with hindsight, the conclusion of no collusion ought not to have been a huge surprise given how

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why Joseph Mann still MatteRs see news

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Musicians on nightMaRe gigs see featuRe

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beatS

DiRty Johns hard it is to prove conspiracy, an action looping in many people in a coordinated series of actions, as opposed to individual acts of venality and corruption.

For all the general public knows at this point, the full text of Mueller’s report may well detail a host of individually sordid and in some cases criminal actions—the ones that already have resulted in convictions of close Trump aides—while not finding that they were coordinated enough to qualify as collusion.

Yet Barr’s summary, designed to take all nuance from the findings, cherry-picking the quotes to look as unambiguous as possible, was crafted to generate screaming headlines favorable to Trump. For anyone who has studied this administration’s propaganda techniques, that should have been anticipated.

why no obstRuction of Justice?

More surprising to many than the collusion finding, however, was Barr’s decision not to move forward on potential obstruction of justice charges, despite Mueller being unable to fully exonerate Trump on that issue.

They point to Trump’s myriad public comments and tweets aimed at trying to intimidate witnesses, and his conflicting statements about why he fired then-FBI Director James Comey.

“It looks like a full-on assist Barr gave to Trump,” Shallenberger said. “I am deeply troubled by that; it’s a clear tipped ball to Trump.”

Now, the push should be to make the full text of the report available both to Congress and to the general public, says Barbara O’Connor, a longtime Sacramento State faculty member who ran the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media for many years, an ex-national board member for the AARP and current chairwoman of California’s Emerging Technologies Fund.

But, at the same time, she said she hopes that progressives, while they wait for congressional committees to access the report, don’t go down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, as so many did in rejecting the findings of the Warren Commission after John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Too much continued talk about collusion and impeachment, O’Connor fears, will undermine the positive

message that local, state, and federal progressive candidates need to pitch as they paint an alternative vision of what the country could look like in a postTrump era.

“They have to move on to what it would mean for the country if they were elected, with a positive message,” she said.

looking to 2020

those bearing the burden of climate change. And nothing that happened Sunday has changed that basic moral calculus.

“I’m lashing myself to the mast to fight” against Trump’s reelection, “the fight to hold the House, to take back the Senate, to take back the White House,” Shallenberger said.

“I fear the emboldening of white nationalists, of anti-immigrant voices in the administration,” she said. “I feel like the most vulnerable people in our country, including immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, their vulnerability is increased. I’ll fight with everything I have for the protection of our democracy, our neighbors, the most vulnerable among us, our communities.”

Across the progressive community, there was an acknowledgment of the short-term boost that Mueller’s report will likely provide Trump and of the fact that it probably has taken impeachment off the table at least for now.

But there was also a determination to fight tooth-and-nail to defeat Trump and Republicans a stackeD in 2020.

“I’m focused on systeM making sure that “I’m focused on making For some, Mueller’s in 2020 Trump sure that in 2020 Trump report spoke to doesn’t succeed more general, doesn’t succeed again, and again, and it has systemic probnothing to do it has nothing to do with the lems surrounding with the Mueller Mueller report.” how power tends report. We must to protect power.

Dennessa Atiles be organized in “Our laws president of Wellstone Progressive our communities favor the powerDemocrats of Sacramento County and reach out ful,” said policy to underserved consultant and lobbyist populations,” said Glenn Backes. “It’s damn Dennessa Atiles, an Elk hard to indict a cop or a Grove-based spokesperson president when the laws and the for California-wide Indivisible law enforcers are designed and inclined to StateStrong and president of Wellstone give them a pass.”

Progressive Democrats of Sacramento “We live in an era, that no matter County. how damning the video evidence While Atiles said that Trump’s is—evidence we see with our very own base will receive a shot of energy, she eyes—we still have to suffer district doubts that independents, who have attorneys, attorney generals and politirevolted against Trump’s leadership cal liars who tell us that killer cops and of the country over the past two years, corrupt kings can do whatever they will suddenly flock back to his political want to us,” Backes added. camp. “No, I don’t think it will take the He pointed to the Stephon Clark case wind out of the anti-Trump sails at all,” and the current debate in the Legislature she said. over changing state law about when After all, people didn’t join groups police officers can use deadly force. He such as Indivisible after the 2016 elecsaid Assembly Bill 392 will save lives tion solely because of the perception of and “prevent police violence against Russian dirty tricks, nor did millions unarmed and defenseless people by more voters side with Democrats over setting a decent enforceable standard for Republicans in the 2018 midterms just use of deadly force. The special interest because of the Mueller investigation. cop lobbyists are using all their political Most were animated by a disgust at muscle, political money, and political Trump’s racism, his demagoguery, his tricks to stop it.” Ω crude behavior toward women and his administration’s treatment of vulnerable groups: refugees, the poor, those needing help with health insurance costs,

The largest prostitution-related sting in Sacramento County this year swept up 10 women ages 18-to-34 on solicitation charges.

The March 6 operation crystallized a statistical fact in what is anecdotally known as a hub for illicit sexual activity: Despite what law enforcement officials tell the public about their efforts to crack down on traffickers and pimps, they continuously arrest many more of the women they say are likely to be exploited.

According to arrest summaries reviewed by SN&R, the Sheriff’s Department targeted a stretch of Stockton Boulevard known as the “stockton stroll,” sending undercover officers posing as johns to approach the women in question, negotiate a sex act in exchange for money “or other consideration,” and then arrest each woman when she made “an overt act indicating her intent to complete the transaction.”

Arrest summaries state that undercover officers recorded their conversations with the arrested women and noted that all but one of them possessed unwrapped condoms.

Senate Bill 233 would disallow cops from using condoms to arrest someone on prostitution-related charges.

“Using condoms as evidence of sex work is terrible policy and undermines anti-HIV efforts,” Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, the Democrat who authored the bill, said in an emailed statement. “We should be encouraging safer sex practices, not criminalizing them.”

A sheriff’s spokesman said he was unfamiliar with the operation and declined to look into it.

Sacramento County has seen sexually transmitted diseases rise sharply in recent years, according to public health data.

“This is why this is so important,” said Kristen DiAngelo, cofounder of the Sacramento chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project, a supporter of the legislation. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

evicteD foR oRganizing?

Eliza Deed is known for showcasing her singing voice at improv events and on social media. Now she’s worried that using that voice to speak up for fellow tenants in Carmichael has led to a retaliatory eviction.

In December, Deed held a know-your-rights meeting for neighbors at the Trees at Madison apartments, following the first eviction notice she received after misspelling the name of the complex’s new ownership group on a money order.

The complex’s owner, Pearl Investment Company LLC, eventually backed off the eviction. However, Deed says she heard from so many other renters who were having problems with Pearl Investment that she continued organizing tenants at the Trees at Madison and two other properties Pearl owns.

On March 19, just weeks after the year lease on Deed’s apartment expired, Pearl Investment served her with another eviction notice. This time there was no cause listed. Deed believes it’s direct retaliation for her advocacy.

“It’s because I’ve been organizing and more tenants are coming to me to share their issues,” Deed said.

Asked this week why Deed was served with a no-cause eviction, Pearl Investment co-owner Darryn Begun denied it was retaliation.

He declined to offer further explanation by press time.

Deed’s eviction notice came just six days after Tenants Together, the state’s largest renters’ rights group, announced it was sponsoring new legislation to protect renters from landlord retaliation.

Authored by Sen. María Elena Durazo of Los Angeles, Senate Bill 529 would make it illegal to evict a renter for participating in a tenants association or rent strike. (Scott Thomas Anderson)

03.28.19 | SN&R | 11

Rapper Keak da Sneak— real name Charles Kente Williams—has been confined to a wheelchair since his August 2017 shooting in Richmond. He’s headed to prison in April.

“I don’t want anybody to get it He’s looking at me like he knows I’m misconstrued and think I don’t want a super-criminal.’ I went into the gas to do the time and face up to my station, came back out, and he’s parked mistake,” he said. “I mean, I did get by my car. While I’m walking up, he caught with a gun. But right now, I’m asks me if I’m on probation or parole.” not in the greatest health to be in some Williams was on probation from a filthy cell, you know what I mean?” previous firearms conviction, giving Speaking from his home the officer authority to search near Sacramento, Williams his car. The officer found a used a raised voice to gun, which the Amador be audible over the County district wound vacuum attorney later alleged removing bacteria had been stolen. from infected Williams was bed sores on his charged with four backside. One felonies and one is the “size of misdemeanor, a tangerine,” he court records said grimly. He show. All but one Keak da Sneak can’t feel anything of the charges were Bay Area rapper below his knees eventually dropped: and is bound to a felony possession wheelchair. of a firearm while on Though he has a probation. strong support system of friends He requested ankle-monitored house and family, including his wife, Dee arrest as part of his plea bargain— Bowens, his new reality is a difficult Bowens started a Change.org petition one. in hopes of swaying the court—but “I have days where I wake up was denied. He was granted a 60-day crying, man,” he said. “I can’t walk, extension in late January, pushing the you know what I mean? I’m used to beginning of his sentence to April 11. doing things on my own. I’m trying Over the past few months, Williams to get better to where I need less has turned to the media to protest what assistance, but it’s been a real humbling he believes is a lack of compassion from experience.” the court and a lackluster investigation Keak da Sneak is generally credited by the Richmond Police Department into with coining the term “hyphy” on his seemingly targeted shooting. He sees record and helped introduce the Bay his own case as but a symptom of the Area hip-hop movement to national society-wide sickness that also led to the audiences by featuring on E-40’s 2006 February 9 killing of 20-year-old rapper single, “Tell Me When To Go.” He is Willie McCoy, who was reportedly a celebrity in Oakland—and that puts a startled awake while sleeping in his car at mark on his back. His first brush with a Taco Bell in Vallejo and shot 25 times death came in January 2017, when a by officers. stranger trying to rob him and a friend “It seems like it always happens after a nightclub show in Tracy led to like that,” Williams said. “The cops are a struggle and Williams getting shot in always taking us out and then getting the buttocks. off like they didn’t do anything, like No longer able to afford a security they were in the right.” detail like he had at the height of Meanwhile, Williams’ lengthy his popularity, he says he bought a court battle has drained much of his handgun to protect himself. A couple financial resources. Despite the physiof months later, the gun was in his cal difficulty of leaving the house, he’s car when he stopped at a gas station performed semi-regularly since his driving home from a casino in Amador seven-month hospital stay in order to County. That’s when he saw a sheriff’s pay his attorneys and medical fees, and deputy at a stoplight. help support Bowens once he’s locked “I feel somebody eyeballing me, so up. But aside from the occasional I look up and he’s watching me from show, he’s not getting out much. the intersection while I’m pumping my “I’m in a wheelchair and stay in the gas,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, this house all day,” he said. “I’m already on is racial profiling at an all-time high. house arrest.” Ω

“I have my days where I wake up crying, man.”

Photo by Joel Galvan

da Sneak attack A Bay Area rapper living in Sacramento started carrying a gun after he was shot twice. Now he faces prison in a wheelchair.

by Howard Hardee

Bay Area rapper Keak da Sneak remembers somebody trying to open the driver-side door of his car at a Richmond gas station one night almost two years ago. What he saw next is burned into his memory: Bright flashes from the barrel of a gun, one after another.

“They seemed like they were never going to stop,” he told SN&R in a recent phone interview.

Keak put his car in gear and attempted to drive away, but couldn’t move his legs. A bystander pulled him out of the slowly moving vehicle; someone else called an ambulance.

12 | SN&R | 03.28.19

Struggling to breathe and losing consciousness on the pavement, he prayed that God would save his life.

Keak—his real name is Charles Kente Williams—survived August 21, 2017, despite being shot eight times and falling into a three-day coma.

But he still fears for his life today: In the midst of a grueling recovery from several life-saving surgeries, he’s set to begin a 16-month sentence in state prison next month for a gun charge he picked up about two years ago in Amador County. Having been to prison before, he expects inadequate medical care once he’s incarcerated.

building a

HealtHy

Sacramento

City of Sacramento takes environmental focus

by Edgar SanchEz With temperatures rising everywhere, scientists have sounded an alarm and the community is responding: Global warming endangers the entire planet.

“The GPU must address eight topics,” Remi Mendoza, a senior planner for the city’s Community Development Department, told the guests.

When Sacramento residents attended a recent “open house” meeting for the city of Sacramento’s General Plan Update (GPU) — or the city’s policy guide — environmental concerns were a main point of focus. For instance, Laurie Rivlin Heller, who teaches part-time at Woodland Community College and is retired from the California Natural Resources Agency, believes global warming can be mitigated if people advocate for anti-pollution measures in their own backyard.

Topics will range from transportation and housing to land use, and will address environmental justice for the first time ever.

“Most of the changes need to happen in local communities, with local governments, citizens and businesses” said Heller, who is part of 350 Sacramento’s effort to encourage these entities to adopt clean energy strategies and turn away from burning fossil fuels, which releases gases and chemicals into the air and contributes to climate change.

As Sacramento — her city — prepares for its GPU, Heller will make her voice heard during the two-year process that will shape the blueprint for Sacramento’s growth through 2040.

So will her friend, fellow Sacramentan Oscar Balaguer, a retired environmental scientist from the state Water Resources Control Board. Balaguer and Heller were some of the 30 residents who heard a project overview from city staff during the open house event at Sacramento’s City Hall.

Environmental justice stems from SB 1000, a new law mandating that municipalities listen to historically-discriminated communities during General Plan revisions.

“MoSt of tHE CHaNgES NEEd to HaPPEN iN loCal CoMMuNitiES, witH loCal govErNMENtS aNd BuSiNESSES.” Laurie rivlin heller, Woodland community college faculty

An important part of addressing environmental justice will be incorporating the feedback of disadvantaged communities, as mandated by SB 1000. This law will help give these communities more of a voice in goals, policies and objectives.

Public hearings on the city’s GPU are planned throughout Sacramento, starting this spring. The county is also conducting a GPU.

Countering climate change is a priority for laurie rivlin Heller and oscar Balaguer, who attended a recent “open House” for Sacramento’s general Plan update. Photo by Edgar Sanchez

The city’s General Plan was last updated in 2014, under conditions that have since changed. As part of the GPU, staff will prepare a Climate Action Plan with a new “framework for programmatic greenhouse gas emissions” reductions.

“We will be involved with the GPU from beginning to end,” Balaguer said of the community, to ensure the final plan appropriately responds to climate change.

The California Endowment financially supports some nonprofits working to include community perspectives in the GPU.

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

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, communitybased organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

learn more about the Sacramento general Plan update at www.Sac2040gPU.org www.SacBHC.org 03.28.19

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Photo courtesy of the mann family

EVENT SCHEDULE

SAT

Pop-Up Shop @ 12 pm Opening Party @ 6 pm @ Urban Roots

SUN

SATURDAY, MAY 11 – FRIDAY, MAY 17

Meet the Designer Pop-Up Shop, Workshops & Panel @ Shelf

Dismissing Joseph Mann Mann’s siblings lack standing to sue city and cops who killed him

by Raheem F. hosseini

ra h e e m h @ne w s re v i ew.c o m

Joseph Mann

MON

The Business of Design UX Portfolio Workshop Business Ethics Lecture Cafe Chat with Sac DESCO

TUES

Mural Tour & Mixer Design & Cannabis Designing for Vulnerable Communities Pop-Up Panel: Civic Tech

WED

Protoyping Your Designs Making Your Print Interactive What’s Next: Exploring Your Future in Design

FRI

THURS

High School Student Exhibit Food Styling Workshop Story of Federalist Bite of Design Design with Beer in Mind Bringing Sacramento’s Past into Your Designs Designing a Community Community Mixer / Closing Party

Get full details: designweeksac.com 14 | SN&R | 03.28.19

Local civil rights attorney Mark Merin stood in the parking lot of the Meadowview light rail station as the crowd prepared to march for Stephon Clark on the one-year anniversary of his killing by police.

Five days earlier, Merin suffered a legal setback in connection to a separate police shooting: His wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Joseph Mann’s three brothers and two sisters was dismissed.

U.S. District Court Judge William B. Shubb based his March 13 ruling on the legal question of standing. In short, parents and children can file wrongful death lawsuits. Siblings can’t—not unless the deceased was living with them at the time he died.

“It’s absurd to limit your right to sue for damages … based on whether you’re cohabiting or not,” Merin vented.

Mann’s death—from a hail of police gunfire on a North Sacramento sidewalk in July 2016—anticipated the sustained public outcry over Clark, but hasn’t achieved quite the same notoriety. While Clark’s name continues to inspire protests, Mann’s story is being quietly revised in the courts.

On July 11, 2016, 911 fielded two calls about an erratic man performing karate moves and waving a knife in front of an apartment complex. One caller said he saw a gun. Mann, a 51-year-old former state worker who struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, didn’t have a gun.

The first officers to respond treated Mann cautiously, not as an immediate threat. They trailed behind him in idling cars, issuing loud-speaker commands to surrender. Mann was ignoring those commands and running toward a police SUV when Officers John Tennis and Randy Lozoya zoomed onto the scene.

Tennis told his partner he was going to hit Mann with their car. Lozoya can be heard on the in-car video saying to do it. Mann narrowly dodged their squad car twice. He scampered over a concrete island to the other side of the street. Tennis and Lozoya ditched their sedan and jogged to within 15 feet of Mann. Mann held a knife. His hand inched up. They opened fire, striking him 14 times.

Six months later, the Sacramento County district attorney’s office ruled the shooting justified. The Police Department, however, determined its officers

had violated its use-of-force policies and fired them.

An earlier civil suit against the city resulted in a six-figure settlement for Mann’s father. Mann’s siblings were dissatisfied with the terms, saying it didn’t force the Police Department to make the changes necessary to prevent another policeescalated killing.

“I was still upset, because I felt like nothing really had been accomplished,” Robert Mann told SN&R in December 2017. “So what, you gave my dad a few dollars. But what about the accountability? What about the transparency that we been asking for? We’re seeing none of that. We continue to see police shooting after shooting after shooting after shooting. And no officers are being convicted.”

Four months later, an unarmed Clark was shot multiple times in his grandparents’ backyard, by two officers who mistook his cellphone for a gun.

This month, the DA cleared them, too.

Merin filed an amended complaint in December 2018 illustrating how close Joseph Mann was to his siblings, even as he struggled with drug addiction and mental illness. His belongings were split between three of his siblings’ homes, where he sometimes bunked or bathed. His driver’s license listed Robert’s address as his own.

Along with monetary damages, the Mann siblings were seeking a judicial order to the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute Tennis and Lozoya for violating Mann’s civil and constitutional rights. Merin said he planned to appeal the case’s dismissal to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Shubb struggled over the question of standing before ruling against Mann’s siblings. In a September 2017 ruling that allowed the case to move forward, the judge noted that existing case law was inconsistent.

“It is sometimes said that tough cases make bad law,” Shubb wrote. “Here it might more appropriately be said that bad law makes tough cases.” Ω Web extra: to read more about the legal controversy surrounding this case, an extended version can be found at sacblog.newsreview.com

03.28.19

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photo by lindsey byrnes

THE 2019 SAC R AM EN T O M USI C AW AR DS

WinneRS

consci8us

dance gavin dance

Artist of the YeAr; releAse of the YeAr; Music Video; ProgressiVe rock/ Post-hArdcore

Dance Gavin Dance

This year, more than 40,000 votes were cast in SN&R’s Sacramento Area Music Awards, far exceeding participation the past four years.

More than 250 artists were nominated in 29 categories in the 27th SAMMIES awards.

You voted. Here are the winners.

Nominees are selected through a combination of recommendations by promoters, venue owners and music experts in the community; popular vote among readers; and from our editorial staff. Winners are chosen purely by popular vote.

Thanks to everyone who participated in SN&R’s tradition of celebrating the local music scene, including the artists who put themselves out there and the experts who recommended nominees: Scott Holbrook, Paul Willis, Gabriell Garcia, Thomas Mackerness, Patrick Hills, Art Luna, Maya Wallace, Mindy Giles and Mark Kaiser.

Our annual Music Issue also has stories on some of the artists who are defining the city’s artistic renaissance. Read about them here.

—Rachel leibRock and Mozes zaRate

16 | SN&R | 03.28.19

The 13-year-old post-hardcore band still explores the frontiers of experimental rock, and with its 2018 album Artificial Selection, dared to take another giant leap in 14 songs. The album never takes shortcuts for radio play: Tirelessly technical guitar melodies waltz to heady rhythms, bloodletting screams and soul-pop vocals soar. The band had a great 2018 performing at Concerts in the Park and Aftershock, and toured globally for its eighth record. Travel between dimensions in the animated music video for “Son of Robot,” and read about cofounder and guitarist Will Swan’s record label for hardcore underdogs on page 28.

LiSTen To: “Son of RoboT”

New Artist

Band of Coyotes These open-mic soloists formed a pack last June, and they’re casting a spell of woolen blues and Angus and Julia Stone-style ballads onto the music scene. Check out their 10th St. Sessions live video series on YouTube, and learn about their untamed species of sound on page 23.

LiSTen To: “HYPnoTized”

lifetiMe AchieVeMeNt AwArd

Jerry Perry for more than 30 years, Perry has been Sacramento’s music scene champion. An event promoter for the storied Cattle Club in the ’90s, he introduced the city to deftones and Cake, but also out-oftowners such no doubt and Green day when they were on the rise. Countless friday night summer concerts in Cesar Chavez Plaza, the annual Chalk it Up!

festival and SAMMieS awards shows make Perry one of Sac’s most prolific event promoters. Perry recently suffered a stroke and is recovering. Read about his legacy and health on page 20.

donATe: GofUndMe.CoM

creAtiVe AchieVeMeNt iN suPPort of the Music sceNe

Girls Rock Sacramento This summer day-camp turns teens and pre-teens into rock stars. Led by a team of local musicmakers including Larisa bryski, a former Skips Music Stairway to Stardom director, the organization empowers girls of all skill levels and music genres to find their voice through songwriting and performance, culminating every year in a showcase at Ace of Spades.

ViSiT: GiRLSRoCkSACRAMenTo.CoM

liVe PerforMer

Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers Hobo Johnson’s viral live audition for nPR’s Tiny desk Concert was divisive on the internet, and the folk-rapper opened a what-is-real-art rift among fans when he released a music video for the recorded version. What was better, frank Lopes admitting his feelings to millions of smartphone users from a backyard, or the music video’s choreographed dance in Star Wars costumes? You can learn more about Sacramento’s latest claimto-fame on page 18.

iSTen To: “PeACH SCone” (THe L LiVe VeRSion!)

Blues

Katie Knipp Last november, blues-Americana maven katie knipp released her fifth album, Take it With You. The 10-song mardi gras

marathon launched her to the Top 10 billboard blues Album charts nationwide.

She strives to be the first of her kind to reach major airwaves: a mother of two kids, a 20-year blues multi-instrumentalist and piano teacher. opening for Grammy-winner Robert Cray at the Crest Theatre last year, she’s well on her way.

LiSTen To: “i don’T SinG foR YoU”

couNtrY/AMericANA/Alt-couNtrY

Amanda Gray She marks her second consecutive win in this category, and you’ll be hearing from Amanda Gray soon. She plans to release a solo eP and embark on a West Coast tour in 2019. A competitive singer since she was 10 years old, her voice is center stage to her alt-country sound. flanked by steel-string acoustic guitar and violin, it’s deep, dynamic and powerfully somber.

iSTen To: “WeeP foR Me WiLLoW L TRee”

coVer BANd/triBute BANd

MoonShine Crazy MoonShine Crazy isn’t a “tear-inyour-beer” country band. That means no sad song requests and no crying on the dance floor. it provokes jigs and gyrations through modern and classic country, and popular rock songs old and new. keep an eye on the band’s calendar, because it does a decent job of selling out shows.

ViSiT: MoonSHineCRAzY.CoM

deejAY

DJ Elements dJ elements has an impressive turntable resume. He’s spun for the kings, Lil Jon, Steve Aoki and LMfAo. He plays a big role in creating a dynamic

playlist for downtown nightlife, holding residencies at The Park Ultra Lounge, Mangos and Social Nightclub.

VISIT: djeLeMeNTS.coM

ElEctronica/ExpEriMEntal

My Cousin Vinny You might have seen Vinny turn tables for thousands of people at concerts in the Park last year, opening for the electronic duo Rituals of Mine. The artist with a name that references the joe Pesci mafia comedy is also developing original music, inspired by the global bass and EDM he normally twists.

VISIT: SoUNdcLoUd.coM/ MYcoUSINVINNY

EMcEE; Hip-Hop/rap

Consci8us 2019’s champion lyricist is also an educator driven to help others find their purpose. Read more about him and other socially conscious hip-hop artists on page 28.

LISTeN To: “FReedoM”

Folk/BluEgrass; singEr/songWritEr (tiE)

Jessica Malone In 2018, Malone was the SAMMIeS Artist of the Year, and took home awards in the Singer-Songwriter and Folk/Bluegrass categories as well. Steep yourself in Americana meditations woven with earthly instruments in her 2017 albums Miles Left to Walk and The Waiting Hours.

LISTeN To: “PoRcH SWINg SUNdAYS”

Funk

Joy and Madness Formed in 2013 from another great funk band called The Nibblers, joy and Madness are 2019’s funk royalty. The eight members are all world-class musicians, and their frantic vibes are like medicine for mood swings. Be cool with their 2015 eP Little Bright World.

indiE

rock

House of Mary

Island of Black and White The year’s lone Hall of Fame inductee plays everything: rock, blues, alternative, folk. They keep the energy upbeat, and the five are all really good musicians.

Lead vocalist chris Haislet is particularly fun to watch for a stunt he performs live, playing an accordion while riding a unicycle. congrats on making the Hall of Fame. Read the full list of inductees over the last 27 years on page 32.

Aubrie Arnoux and Spencer Byrnes worship Stevie Nicks, and the duo’s mystical folk-love tales will remind you of the singer-songwriter and her days in Fleetwood Mac. House of Mary’s second album will release this year. Meantime, listen to their 2017 Release of the Year nominee clout.

LISTeN To: “MoRe PRoBLeMS”

Heather Evans

LISTeN To: “HeRe I AM”

Jazz

City of Trees Brass Band New orleans style second-line is alive and well in Sacramento. If you hear a parade of brass blares coming your way, don’t run. Let city of Tree Brass Band kidnap you into its blusterous

celebration of life.

VISIT: cITYoFTReeSBRASSBANd.coM

MEtal

A Waking Memory A Waking Memory are metal-scene newcomers, and their hotheaded deathcore nihilism—influenced by bands such as Suicide Silence, Slipknot and Thy Art is Murder—is a humbling beatdown in a good way. catch a bad dream or two with their eP These Words Were Written in cold Blood.

LISTeN To: “IT’S YoUR FUNeRAL”

producEr/EnginEEr

John Morris john Morris has been putting local artists’ dreams to the soundboard at Tanglewood Recording Studios since 1992.

At the Folsom Lake HQ he built from scratch, Morris has recorded some noteworthy Sac talent, including jessica Malone, Frankie and the defenders, and dana Moret & Mr. december.

ISTeN To: “MILeS LeFT To WALk” L BY jeSSIcA MALoNe

rockaBilly

punk/post-punk

Life of the Afterparty If crunched guitars and smooth vocals inspired by The killers, green day and Twenty one Pilots sounds like a party, then the tunes of this Folsom alt/punk trio are what you’d enjoy putting on repeat following that. Their untitled debut album drops in April.

LISTeN To: “doN’T WASTe MY TIMe”

Ode to Saturday “every day is Saturday.” That’s the mantra of deiy Leone and jordan kalé, an avante-garde R&B duo worth your curiosity seven days a week. Their eP Last Saturday Night just dropped on March 24, with a full album planned next.

LISTeN To: “HIgHeR”

rEggaE/JaM

Arden Park Roots These SAMMIeS Hall-of-Famers are so proud of their hometown, they’ve included an entire Sacramento neighborhood in their band name. And we’re proud of them: their Sublimestyle rock-reggae songs have been a part of Sac’s musical dNA for 12 years. congrats on the fifth SAMMIe.

LISTeN To: “UNdeR THe SUN”

Yay for california Riot Act, and yay for Auburn as a music town that has its share of great players. This is the band’s second consecutive win in the category.

A new album is on the way, but for now, bask in their ’90s hard rock-influenced LP Welcome to california.

singEr-songWritEr (tiE)

Heather Evans A Veteran songwriter who recently traded the cleveland music scene for Sac, evans heads the Sacramento Songwriter Circle, a community of some 30 musicians looking to grow in their craft together. Follow her vlog on YouTube, where she aims to write 12 songs in 12 months.

LISTeN To: “20 YeARS FRoM NoW”

tEEn

Paper Airplanes The indie-emo band may not be old enough to drink, but we can all drink to them and their SAMMIeS win this year.

Vibe with their frankly somber and simply catchy eP The giving Tree.

LISTeN To: “deAd SUN”

World Music House of Mary

California Riot Act

There’s a close-knit community of rockabilly acts in Sacramento, from The Twilight drifters to dyana & The cherry kings. Frankie and the defenders are particularly electric, going full-swing on songs that harken back to the decade of elvis Presley and the Stray cats. check out their 2017 album, Women cars and guitars.

LISTeN To: “oNe TWo THRee”

r&B/soul

LISTeN To: “SHook doWN”

Hard rock

Frankie and the Defenders

Achilles Wheel genres can’t really contain Achilles Wheel, the Nevada city/Placerville band that wants you to dance to rock ’n’ roll, roots and a global pallet of grooves. get the full experience live, or check out their 2016 record Sanctuary.

LISTeN To: “SANcTUARY”

LISTeN To: “A MeASURe oF MAN”

LeARN MoRe ABoUT THe ARTISTS AT SAMMIeS.coM.

03.28.19 | SN&R | 17

frank Lopes, aka hobo Johnson. photo by luiS gael Jimenez

SA C R A ME N T O M U S I C A WA R D S

WInnER

Hobo JoHnson’s sudden fame and the Sacramento folk-rapper’S upcoming album

by Luis GaeL Jimenez

F

our years ago, Frank Lopes was living out of his car.

Broke, homeless and jobless, he recorded and produced his first album out of his newfound living quarters— aptly calling it Hobo Johnsons 94 Corolla.

Now, the 24-year-old is lighting an American Spirit in a luxury Subaru. We’re in the underground parking garage of his new Midtown apartment. He’s struggling to figure out how to connect his phone to the SUV’s Bluetooth.

“I just bought it today,” he says, navigating menus through a shattered iPhone screen.

“The car or the apartment?” I ask.

Upstairs, cardboard boxes and touring cases scatter a barren living room. Atop a crate, an empty Corona Lite tall-boy indicates the move was recent.

“No, the car.”

“I thought you didn’t have a license.”

“I don’t. I also haven’t driven in a really long time, so this is going to be interesting,” he says, managing a 15-point turn out of the garage.

We were picking up where we left off a year ago: before Lopes signed a record deal with Warner Bros., sold out shows on three continents and got mentioned on Snoop

18 | SN&R | 03.28.19

RiSe and ‘fall’

Dogg’s Instagram. Before his songs peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and he started recording his third album, The Fall of Hobo Johnson, which will release at the end of this year. Back in March 2018, when Lopes still considered quitting music.

“Frank.”

“Yeah?” he says as he merges onto an existential nightmare: Highway 50 at 5 p.m. on a Monday.

“Are you ready to be famous?”

“Dude. Nooo,” he said before draping a smile, “Not at all.”

The smile crumbles into concentration as traffic slows to a crawl. “I don’t want to be famous. I just want to make music.”

As long as I’ve known him, it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.

The rise In Sacramento, it’s hard to break into the national scene.

“No one’s really watching,” Lopes says.

“You release music, you play your shows, nothing happens.”

94 Corolla didn’t bring the success he expected, but it did establish him as another local artist on a mission. He gigged at openmics around the city, eventually catching the attention of guitarist Derek Lynch at a Del Paso Heights show in May 2016.

“It was one of those open-mics where there are 10 people there and they’re all performing,” Lynch says. “[I’m] talking to some people backstage, and ‘Sex and the City’ comes on.”

“Sex and the City” is Lopes’ love song for people struggling to love themselves. He pleads with a potential lover to see past his acne, ignore the smell of dirty socks filling his tiny room and look into his soul—a tunnel into the naked mind of a nervous 20-something.

It’s that open vulnerability that got Lynch to leave his band Caliscope and join Hobo Johnson full-time, becoming the first member of Lopes’ backing quartet, the LoveMakers.

“Frank was just doing something different,” Lynch says. “He wasn’t trying to be cool onstage, he was just Frank.”

They performed at open-mics across town, eventually meeting musician Jordan Moore, who offered to help film a new project. Two weeks later, Moore left work early at a Roseville restaurant to meet at Lynch’s house in North Oak Park.

“When I get there, Frank tells me that he has 45 minutes before he has to go to work,” Moore says. “And then he tells me, ‘I’m going to play 10 songs’ … I thought we were going to shoot a video, but this

fool’s telling me he’s going to play an hour set.”

Lopes was late to work, but the Live from Oak Park video series garnered tens of thousands of Facebook views and doubled the band’s page-likes within hours.

Performing between two sun-bleached love seats in a trashed backyard, Lopes finally found an audience.

He recruited a full band—David BaezLopez on bass, Ben Lerch on drums and Moore on guitar and keys—and in 2017, Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers recorded its first studio album, The Rise of Hobo Johnson.

But even after playing Art Street, Concerts in the Park and sold-out shows locally, the music world outside Sacramento didn’t bite.

“I tried to get an internship with the [Sacramento] Kings because I didn’t want to make music anymore,” Lopes says. The Kings rejected him. “I was so disappointed in what I was doing, and I was so tired of being disappointed.”

‘Peach scone’ With “Peach Scone,” the band got their big break.

The live performance video was submitted first as an entry to National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest.

Competing with more than 5,000 other artists, the video used the Live from Oak Park formula, with Lopes looking into the camera as he confessed his love to a woman in a relationship. Also shot in Lynch’s backyard, the video added the full band’s energy. They howled the chorus: “I love the thought of being with you / or maybe it’s the thought of not being so alone.”

“Peach Scone” didn’t win, but the video went viral, amassing millions of YouTube views within days and attracting the attention of Reprise Records, the Warner Bros. label founded by Frank Sinatra.

Music critics picked apart what they called Lopes’ neurotic performance. Twitter users claimed the lyrics were nice-guyesque—a man who thinks basic politeness towards women entitles him to earning her attraction. YouTubers uploaded parody videos mocking Lopes as being needy or clingy.

He was also tagged as a symbol of gentrification. Black Lives Matter Sacramento accused him of appropriating hip-hop culture and Oak Park, because the band used the historically black neighborhood’s name in their Live from series. BLM hand-delivered a list of demands to Lopes’ home, including that he delete the Live From Oak Park videos and post a public apology.

continued on page 20

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continued from page 18

“At first, I was a bit taken aback by it because I support Black Lives Matter,” Lopes said. “At the end of the day, those conversations are needed because a lot of people want to sweep that shit under the rug, and the more that happens, the less things get done.”

He publicly apologized, but BLM staged a protest at his soldout Ace of Spades show on May 12, blocking the venue’s entrance and forcing a late start. It was peacefully dispersed by police.

Lopes took the protest hard. It was his last show in Sacramento before leaving on a seven-month series of tours. His hometown sendoff became bittersweet.

“I wasn’t mad at Black Lives Matter, but I had to get away from Sac for a while,” Lopes said. “It was better that way.”

The ‘fall’ Tucked in a studio away from the Howe Avenue traffic nightmare, Lopes mixes the first track on The Fall of Hobo Johnson, his third album and first new release under Reprise.

The song is called “Happiness.”

The bass rattles the velvet walls of Gold Standard Sounds. The production value is unlike anything he’s made before. Lopes worked with producers in Los Angeles to write some of the songs, at the request of the label. The producer who wrote the hook just came off having the No. 1 song in the country.

He turns down the volume of the speakers a little bit as he scrolls through a recording program on his MacBook.

“Do you think you’re any happier than you were before all of this Frank?” I ask.

“Yeah, but not for the reasons people think,” he says as he starts the song’s hook. “Being successful at music hasn’t ‘cured me’ or anything [laughs]. I still worry about the same shit I always have.”

“What do you mean?”

“I still worry about the same shit everyone else worries about: family, love and all of that.” he says. “Hobo Johnson has given me success, but it’s not like the rest of my life has come up with it—it’s separate.”

Lopes pauses the music. “It’s just made it so I have to figure out the rest of [life] now.”

He adjusts a digital knob on his laptop and restarts the song. Ω 20 | SN&R | 03.28.19

Jerry Perry

photo by maria ratinova

S ACR AM EN TO M US I C AW AR D S

WinneR

Alive

kicking Let’s ceLebrate Legendary music promoter Jerry Perry

by Chris MaCias

I

t was a scene out of Sacramento circa 1993: A crowd packed tightly with smiles and sweaty brows as garagerockers Kai Kln chugged on 1970s-style guitar riffage. At the front of the pit was Jerry Perry—as ubiquitous as a Marshall stack and distortion pedals—the local music ringmaster of more than 30 years.

This December night at Harlow’s, Perry was seated in a wheelchair. He suffered a major stroke last July, and the show helped raise money for his recovery. A who’s-who of local musicians were on the bill: Kevin and Allyson Seconds, Jonah Matranga, Little Guilt Shrine and Kai Kln. They were among the artists who defined Sacramento in the early 1990s and beyond, when the Cattle Club brought locals together like a siren song under Perry’s guidance as a promoter and scene champion.

No matter what clubs come and go, which bands break up or go mainstream, Perry is the Sacramento music scene’s glue and guiding light. He never bailed during rough times, when the Cattle Club folded, or when his local music newspaper, Alive & Kicking, ceased publishing in 2008 after 17 years. He kept pushing with a breathless run of shows. He booked bands for the annual Donate to Chalk It Up! Festival, the Jerry Perry at SAMMIES awards show, GoFundMe.com/ help-for-jerrymore than a decade of free and-lindaFriday night concerts in perry.

Cesar Chavez Plaza and countless gigs in between.

Perry might not play an instrument, but he is Sacramento music.

The scene is much quieter on a recent visit to the Midtown home he shares with his wife, Linda. It’s a few blocks away from where the Vortex once stood, an all-ages dance club that was Perry’s entrance to music promotion in the 1980s.

He moves slowly with the help of a walker, wearing a Bruce Springsteen T-shirt and sweatpants. It has been a long day, with visits from three therapists.

He’s lucky to be here. Linda Perry says the brain trauma he suffered was equivalent to

someone who’d been in a high-speed motorcycle crash. He’s learning how to walk and talk all over again. Meanwhile, his son Eli is filling the family’s promoter role, booking bands at the previous editions of Chalk It Up! and the Shamrock’n Half Marathon as his dad recovers.

The prognosis is promising as Perry rewires his brain and strengthens through extensive therapy.

Jerry might not pLay an instrument, but he is sacramento music.

Like everything with Perry, it all comes back to music. After his stroke, the community he helped grow gave back tremendous moral support and donations: $30,000 was raised via GoFundMe. Deftones and Cake pledged $5,000 each. Another $10,000 was raised at the sold-out Harlow’s benefit.

The electricity of shows, from his Harlow’s benefit concert to a recent outing to see Muse at the Golden 1 Center, revs up his spirit.

I ask him: Jerry, remember when Nirvana played the Crest Theatre? Remember when Kurt dove into the crowd during “Love Buzz”?

He nods his head back and forth, his bangs sweeping across his forehead.

Just mentioning classic shows or reminiscing about Sacramento’s music scene lights up his eyes. The Perry many know—pacing anxiously in front of a club, gushing about new bands he’s discovered, ranting about the politics of running all-ages venues—is still here.

Along with Brian McKenna and his partners in New View Productions, Perry helped introduce Sacramento to its new favorite bands.

Think of No Doubt pulling up in a cramped van, a young Pearl Jam billed as “Mookie Blaylock” opening for Alice In Chains, or Green Day long before it graduated to arenas.

Perry and his team rank among Sacramento’s greatest musical tastemakers, the kind who brought Nirvana to Sacramento three times before the band became another Target T-shirt.

You know, the Cattle Club was like a second home for us. When we were all jumping around at a show, we knew we were part of something bigger.

The words don’t quite form, but you sense the flashback in his eyes to that 350-capacity spot on Folsom Boulevard. The random pole in the middle of the main floor. Dennis “The Master Bastard” Yudt heckling the crowd from the DJ booth. The fire pit on the back patio where future band mates exchanged numbers, and lifetime friendships were formed.

The Cattle Club was an all-ages oasis on an otherwise barren strip of Folsom Boulevard. On so many nights, pilgrims in Little Guilt Shrine and Dinosaur Jr. T-shirts walked from cars parked under the Highway 50 overpass. The 21-plus folks bellied up to the bar between sets.

Others jockeyed for a position in front of the small stage, or ordered gigantic steak fries from the small kitchen.

The place was pure Sacramento in its love of music and who-cares attitude towards décor, a proving grounds for Deftones, Cake and Far before they got signed. It’s where Bay Area bands such as Primus and Fungo Mungo grew a fan base in Sacramento.

It almost didn’t matter who was playing; Funky Blue Velvet, Phallucy or FMK. The Cattle Club will always go down as one of Sacramento’s ultimate rallying spots for music—equal parts janky and electrifying— guided by Perry’s passion.

The Sacramento music scene has changed a lot since those flying-the-flannel Cattle Club days. Ace of Spades, Café Colonial and Holy Diver are the latest spots catering to all-ages sets. The former Cattle Club is now a barbecue joint, and some of the scenesters are grandparents now. No matter how the music community evolves, it doesn’t feel the same without Perry.

Jerry, I hope you’re feeling the love coming back your way. We’re here for you. You’ve always believed in Sacramento music and the talent we have here.

He breathes deep and responds with a single word.

“Always,” he says slowly. “Always ... always.” Ω

T u o k r o w d a b y l n o The is o d T ’ n d i d u o y e n o The

M b e r s h iP e M w e n h iT w e g g Pa c k a in in a r T l a n o s r e Free P exP: 3/31/2019

916.442.3927 | www.capitalac.com | conveniently located at the corner of 8th & p 03.28.19

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Straight to

Dreamville

C

by Olivia MOnahan

hristian Gates wandered J Street late one night last September looking for J Cole. The rap star was in town for his Golden 1 Center show, and that probably meant he was staying at a luxury hotel downtown.

“I lugged around my laptop, my keyboard, everything you would see me with at a show,” Gates says. So he could perform, he dragged pounds of equipment to the Sheraton, the Sawyer, the Citizen and “whatever places that he or his people might have been staying.”

Watch “Drugs” on YouTube and Facbeook. Follow him at facebook.com/ thephilharmonik.

The PhilharMOnik’s new single is about the sacramento struggle Cole is also on AEG Presents). Its sister company, Goldenvoice, puts on Coachella.

The new album’s first single, “Drugs,” starts with a new dawn.

Violins and chirping birds paint a sunrise. Tinkling ivory slides through; a happy, head-bobbing symphony.

Until the first lyrics hit—then an uplifting soundtrack transforms into a too-close-to-home tale rife with social commentary: “Approaching the first of the month / I don’t think I have enough / to even afford my rent / I’m losing my will to live,” Gates says. “Once I hit age 26 /

“ rents keeP going uP because ProPerty owners are snatching uP land from the black and brown folks they are Pushing out, and some folks aren’t sure where there next meal is coming from. this song is all of that.”

The Philharmonik

The Philharmonik

Photo by maria ratinova

22 | SN&r | 03.28.19

Gates, aka The Philharmonik, hoped to persuade Cole to guestfeature on a song. Hours passed with the possibility of getting mugged on the street, arrested for being a public nuisance—or moving a step closer toward his dream.

“By the end of the night, who ended up recording me? J. Cole’s brother Zach,” Gates recalls. “Somewhere, J. Cole has video of me. I know it.”

Few Sac artists are making bigger waves than Gates. His music perfectly melds new and old sensibilities; bygone vibes and thoughtful lyrics slather in hip-hop.

He’s a recipe for a rising star, a genuine spirit with a growing fan base and a work ethic that verges on overzealous. His self-titled debut album The Philharmonik hit heavy rotation last year, but his forthcoming album Transcendentalism may turn the tide for the 25-year-old.

This week, Gates signed a talent deal with AEG Presents, a subsidiary of one of the largest event promoters and talent buyers in the the world (J

I’m off of my mom’s coverage / When she said get a real job / I probably should have listened.”

And the prechorus: “The other option on my mind / Is not one that I’d usually try / But for the first time in my life, I think I might sell drugs.”

The music video stars members of Sac’s creative community, a pink gorilla dancing behind a grand piano on an otherwise empty stage, and Gates in a Coogi sweater, a la The Notorious B.I.G. “Sacramento is on fire right now, but they aren’t fueling us in the right ways,” Gates says. “Rather than trying to figure out how to invest in our artists, they spend millions on artists outside of us. Rents keep going up because property owners are snatching up land from the black and brown folks they are pushing out, and some folks aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from. This song is all of that.”

Art imitates life imitates art. The old tome rang true when Gates made a

risky decision last December—pay the rent or spend it on a last-minute ticket to New York City to perform on Sway Calloway’s Doomsday Cypher.

Cyphers are a sacred space within the rap culture, where wits and lyricism act as your sword and shield in rap battles. The Doomsday Cypher is meant to be a celebration, where artists bring their best wordplay to the stage.

Calloway’s platforms gather millions of viewers, collectively. His radio show Sway in the Morning airs on Eminem’s station Shade45. Kanye West, Chance the Rapper and other hip-hop legends have appeared on it.

“When I got the call about flying out to New York ... it was only with about two weeks notice,” Gates says.

“So I bought my tickets with my rent money, because fuck it, right? If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out.”

Onstage, he joined nine other “hyenas,” Sway’s nickname for hungry emcees who aren’t yet lions. One artist drove 23 hours from Dallas to rhyme a few minutes.

When it was Gates’ turn, veteran producer DJ Premier dropped the beat.

“To be honest, I don’t want to be the king of the hill / If it’s only going to hinder all the ways I can heal,” he rapped. “If coping with my trauma is the only appeal / Then the only place I want to go is right to Dreamville.”

The crowd howled like hyenas on the YouTube video. “Yo. His voice. Is dope,” said DJ Rich Nice, a judge.

The cypher video dropped on February 9, garnering more than 61,000 views on YouTube as of March 25.

“Drugs” released a week later, and has over 30,000 views.

Gates managed to pay his rent.

This month, he performed in Austin at the South by Southwest music festival with Sol Collective’s Global Local showcase.

Transcendentalism drops this year before the end of the summer.

And Gates isn’t giving up on J Cole.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Gates says. “He’s waiting to see my next moves, but it’s coming. It won’t be long before you hear Cole on a Philharmonik track. I’m out here. I’m gonna make it happen.” Ω

Band of Coyotes (minus bassist Mike Schotter)

Photo by Maria ratinova

introducing

SACRAMENT O MUSIC AWARDS

WinneR

our new weekly pages of real esTaTe,

home & garden Canine quintet a Pack of soloists share the stage in Band of CoyoteS

C

oyotes are solitary creatures: They often scavenge alone, and they mark their territory with urine. But when they share a common goal, say hunting deer, they’ll team up in a sort of “coyote supergroup”—kind of like The Traveling Wilburys, minus Roy Orbison.

Music is Band of Coyotes’ deer hunt.

The rock group’s members met at Old Ironsides open-mics. Singer and keyboardist Mason Durst, guitarist Steven Morkert and vocalist and guitarist Samantha Henson saw each other perform and joined forces. Drummer See them at Graham Carter and the Raley Field bassist Mike Schotter Brewfest Friday, later joined the pack.

May 17.

“When you’re up there by yourself, you’re having to do 100 percent of the work,” Durst says. “Now I’m doing 50 percent of the work.”

The combined solo acts bring different fire to the table.

“We’re alike enough where we can gel,” Carter says, “and then we’re diverse enough, as far as musical backgrounds, that we can come up with something interesting.”

The band has a diverse geographic background, as well; everyone except Schotter recently moved to Sacramento.

Henson’s from Wisconsin, Durst from Texas, Morkert is an Arizonian and Carter is a Virginian. They’ve only known each other for about a year, have been in the

launching april 11, 2019

by Maxfield MorriS

band for most of that time and now three of them are living together below a daycare.

“Every morning I’m woken up by children running around,” says Durst, who lives with Carter and Schotter. The band used to practice in the living room until the daycare complained—so it rented a rehearsal space away from delicate ears.

The band’s there a couple times a week, getting songs ready. They’ll play the Raley Field Brewfest in May, and they’re preparing nearly five hours of material.

Unlike actual coyotes, Band of Coyotes have opposable thumbs—ones they use to great effect in their music. The tunes are jammy and versatile, like a Swiss army knife in a jar of raspberry preserves or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in sleepwear.

They’re electric and kinetic, vocally powerful and clean. What drives it all?

“At the end of the day, we’re all passionate about music; this is what we do in our free time,” says Morkert.

“We’re serious about making a very good, quality product,” Henson says.

Schotter agrees: “I mean, when you’re in a band, that’s kind of one of the things you have to do, is make good music.”

Their product is 97.4 percent pure, a collaboration between talented songwriters and musicians, keeping it fun and creating.

As Carter was getting ready to take to the drums, he started to take off his pants.

“I promise I have another pair of pants on,” he said. He did.

“We all got two sets of pants on,” Schotter joked. “It’s a band thing.”

Perhaps that’s where the magic of Band of Coyotes comes from—the extra pair of pants. Ω

featuring coverage

by Debbie arrington

To book an ad in The new place pages, call us at 916.498.1234

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No juStice,

Las Pulgas

Photo by Nicole Fowler

no peace

Las PuLgas Fights raPe culture aNd Police brutality through sPaNglish PuNk by stePh RodRiguez

D

uring the March 2016 standoff between UC Davis students and then-Chancellor Linda Katehi, demonstrators occupied the waiting area outside her office in Mrak Hall. They called for her resignation after learning the chancellor was a paid board member of the corporate, forprofit DeVry Education Group. She also received nearly $500,000 from a textbook publisher, on top of her taxpayer-funded salary. The “fire Katehi” sit-in lasted for weeks, and she later resigned. For the protesters involved, the movement was proof that change comes through direct action.

It’s also where members of the Spanglish surf-punk band Las Pulgas first stood together.

That fall, the band formed, driven to use their platform as musicians to write songs about the effects of gentrification, President Donald Trump’s border

24 | SN&R | 03.28.19

wall, justice against rapists and police brutality—a subject that resonates deeply with Sacramento since the death of Stephon Clark and many others.

“I don’t necessarily try to make it so easy to swallow. It’s OK if we get really political and get deep into these conversations about police brutality and gentrification,” says Marisol Ramirez, the band’s vocalist.

“People need to feel uncomfortable.

It’s more memorable when you’re feeling uncomfortable … You grow more when you’re feeling uncomfortable.”

Las Pulgas released its debut EP ¡No Pasarán! last September, with five tracks of tenacious, unapologetic, loud-and-fast punk. The title track begins with slow, surfy reverb from guitarist David Roddy, backed by drummer Kelsey Brewer with a muffled gallop that swells in pace and intensity. Throughout the song, Ramirez’s vocals blend spoken words and full-bodied growls in both English and Spanish, with bassist Alyssa De La Rosa responding to Ramirez’s calls of “¡No Pasaran!”

In the song “Names,” Ramirez’s pleasantly discordant vocal-style creates an ominous vibe as she quickly recites the names of those killed by police. It’s a

“we’re iNuNdated with so much bad stuFF that’s haPPeNiNg oN a daily basis, aNd to remember those Folks aNd hold them Past their News relevaNcy is imPortaNt For us.”

Alyssa De La Rosa bassist, las Pulgas

tune under two minutes. But the list of names is vast, a song that Brewer says evolves by the day.

“The list keeps going up, and we keep adding to it,” Brewer says. “For everybody who gets killed, we’re trying to bring their name back, and the bridge just keeps getting longer, and Sol has to sing it faster.”

De La Rosa says she often takes a step back to listen to the list, which includes Joseph Mann, Brandon Smith and Mikel McIntyre, all from Sacramento. It still gives her goosebumps, she says.

“That’s a pretty powerful song,” De La Rosa says. “We’re almost trained nowadays to just forget. We’re inundated with so much bad stuff that’s happening on a daily basis, and to remember those folks and hold

them past their news See them live Saturday, April relevancy is important 20 at Blue Lamp for us.” with LA Witch and Las Pulgas uses its Death Party At music to protest rape The Beach. culture, such as the time they performed in a dirt lot across the street from the Fulton Avenue music venue On the Y, when rape rock band The Mentors came to Sacramento in 2017. The cops were eventually called, forcing bands like Las Pulgas, Slutzville and other activists to leave.

They agree it was worth it.

“There’s a lot of different ways to be active, and there’s a lot of different ways to define an activist. I’m really happy to be doing it through music,” Ramirez says. Ω

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S ta n d o u t

flopS Some of Sacramento’S beSt artiStS Share their worst gigs

A

s a musician, you learn a lot of from bad shows. Not to drink too much before playing. How to react to a tough crowd, or no crowd at all. The worst gigs sweeten the great shows, when the venues are packed and the love is plentiful.

This year, nearly 100 SAMMIES nominees shared their stories. Here are some for the books:

lillian frances nominee: new artiSt; electronica/experimental

Lillian Frances

House of Mary

Yolo Mambo

Banjo Bones

nominee: indie

nominee: world muSic

We played a gig in San Jose, and on the way there, our van was broken into, and our gear got stolen. Then we only got to play a 20-minute set, and on the way home, we ran out of gas in the pouring rain. A really cool tweaker appeared out of nowhere and helped us push the van off the freeway, and we all became temporary friends.

It’s hard to call a gig at a winery the worst, but one in Loomis was having a crush day. We were set up in a room very close to some rowdy barefoot folks stomping on a big tub of grapes. The wine kept creeping toward our electrical cables. We were sure we were going home dripping red.

nominee: country/alt-country/ americana

Vinnie Guidera nominee: indie

Way back in the day, our old band played at a teen center in the middle of nowhere, and as soon as we started playing, the crowd flocked to the computers in the back of the room. We could literally see that they were all on Myspace.

“ it waS So bad, my girlfriend left mid-Set.” Michael Ray SammieS blues nominee

I played a gig up in Nevada City that was scheduled in conflict with a huge free concert event of a Grateful Dead cover band. There was no turnout to my gig. Only the staff was there, and a dog that sat in front of the stage and watched us play. It was really pathetic. But the venue’s booker made up for it by booking us as an opener for a touring band from Alabama, and we played to a sold-out crowd, and our show was broadcast over the radio. So all was good.

The Herald nominee: Folk/BluegraSS

We’re a folk band. We found ourselves performing in the middle of two indie punk bands. I swear we put that crowd to sleep! They didn’t boo us off, and they sat through our set—mad respect. But that was the longest 35 minutes of our lives.

LOL. I performed at a radio station once and didn’t realize the entire hour was going be aired unedited, so between songs, there were just minutes of silence, me boop-beeping different instruments, stopping songs halfway and going, “DANG, I just butchered that one, can I start over?” and saying stuff like, “WOW, I am slobbering all over this microphone.”

Listening to it later on air was pretty painful. Hilarious, but painful.

The Cripple Creek Band nominee: country/alt-country/ americana

A truck stop in Oregon. Ultimately, we played for three hours, and the most people in the room was seven (counting the staff). The truck stop was also a sandwich shop, liquor store, ice cream shop, small movie theater, motel, bar and restaurant, and of course, a live venue.

Cities You Wish You Were from nominee: releaSe oF the year; muSic video; rock

Michael Ray nominee: BlueS

There are no shortage of contenders for this one. I won’t name venues or dates, but there was one time we just knew no one would be there, and the sound was going to suck. On top of that, I can’t stand the opening band.

Long story short, some of us (mainly me) got way too drunk before the set and just sucked. It was so bad, my girlfriend left mid-set. You learn a lot from things like that if they don’t happen too often.

Michael ray (far right) PhotoS by maria ratinova

26 | SN&R | 03.28.19

Eli plugs his rig in, starts to tune, and the entire place loses power. Pitch.

Friggin’. Black. So everyone pulls out their lighters, and the bartender rushes to the breaker box to figure it out. About a minute after the power turned on, a particularly intoxicated patron bumped into one of the speaker stands, and it fell on Tyler’s drum kit and grazed his head.

Luckily, it didn’t hit him square in the dome, or this would be a story about a hospital visit. At this point, we were about ready to say, “You know what? We tried, but obviously the universe doesn’t want us to play tonight.” But no. We don’t give up. Ever. We ended up playing to a packed room, which was awesome. Ω

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SWaN’S

S onGS Blue SWan RecoRDS gives Post-hardcore bands a shot

by MozeS zaRate

Follow Blue Swan Records at facebook. com/blueswan records.

Will Swan, Dance Gavin Dance guitarist and Blue Swan Records founder.

W

ill Swan remembers when Dance Gavin Dance finally got to tour, and the national scene shifted. Heroin addictions and hiatuses ended the bands they looked up to: Thursday, The Mars Volta, Blood Brothers, Glass Jaw. A heightening movement in the mid-2000s that meshed emo and experimental rock across the country—from Seattle to El Paso to Long Island—looked pretty dire. After major record labels moved onto other popular music trends, it was pretty much dead.

“It’s a money-making business,” says Swan, the band’s guitarist. “They just went with the easier stuff, and they didn’t have to work with these bands that were dealing with real issues and putting it into the music.”

After 14 years in Dance Gavin Dance, tussling with a music industry that still controls mass exposure, Swan wants to shape an ecosystem for bands he enjoys that aren’t being heard. “I’m a picky-ass guy, I like what I like, and I don’t see that in popular music,” he says.

The platform is Blue Swan Records, a post-hardcore label run by he and two other musicians, former Stolas guitarist Sergio Medina and Donovan Melero, the lead singer and drummer for Hail the Sun. The label stays scrappy: Medina works from Las Vegas and Melero from Los Angeles. Headquarters is Swan’s Sacramento home, with a few closets full of CDs and band T-shirts. They exchange emails and do business while they’re on tour, and Swan uses his own money to pay for recordings and merch for the nine artists on the roster, such as Icarus the Owl from Portland and Eidola in Salt Lake City. Royal Coda, which includes Medina and former Dance Gavin Dance singer Kurt Travis, is from Sacramento.

The trio are full-time music-makers sculpted by life on the road, and that’s how it should be, Swan says. He hopes his personal trials, from Dance Gavin Dance’s well-publicized lineup changes to negotiating with industry wolves, can steer bands from trouble and help them make a living.

“It only makes sense for musicians to be in these positions,” Swan says. “They know what the bands are going through. Most of the people we’ve dealt with haven’t been …

And after years of being in the industry, you just get screwed so much.”

GReeD anD GooD MuSic On March 21, Dance Gavin Dance released a music video for “Headhunter,” the first single on its upcoming ninth record. An old West bounty hunt spurs into a firefight among the townspeople, using six-shooters, a rocket launcher, alien lasers and layer cake. It ends with singer Tilian Pearson riding a Corvette out of Dodge.

Swan, the stoic bartender in the video, was inspired by long plays in the openworld video game Red Dead Redemption 2. The music, both heavy and poppy, is part of his challenge to keep posthardcore in people’s ears.

Dance Gavin Dance lucked out when it first got signed in 2006. The band just released their debut EP, Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean, and the indie label Rise Records pitched them a direct message on Myspace.

It was the start of a long relationship with the mom-and-pop label, which signed alternative rock and hardcore bands such as AFI, At the Drive In and The Devil Wears Prada, and only recently expanded from a three-person staff under founder and former president Craig Ericson.

Blue Swan took cues from Rise Records, which allows Dance Gavin Dance to create

Photo by Maria ratinova

Vibe and empower Vibe by paul WilliS

Five hip-hop aRtiStS who double as coMMunity leaders Conscious music doesn’t have to be corny. plenty of folks tell me they want to support hip-hop that’s lyrically and socially responsible, respectful of women and all genders and that promotes awareness of social justice issues and diverse experiences. but look past Common, John Legend or rapsody, and the music often panders

28 | SN&R | 03.28.19

to parents of elementary school children looking for Kids bop. not these artists.

This isn’t a top-fivestreams list. it contains quality, homegrown Sacramento hip-hop for a cause. it’s music that your grandma or baby cousin can get down with, that you can play in your classroom, break room or college dorm:

nia Joe LiSTen To: “pep TaLK”

caMeRon euGene LiSTen To: “For THe CuLTure”

Hip-hop lacks positive images of women, and nia Joe’s debut album, mad black woman, was inspired by a dearth of mental health awareness and services for women of color. Her flow is sharp, poetic and akin to artists on Top dawg entertainment, which signed Kendrick Lamar, Jay rock and SZa. Her music is honest, vulnerable

KZa Cameron eugene comes from a creative bloodline that includes James brown. You’ll immediately draw comparisons to Kendrick Lamar, but when eugene sings, he separates himself with an energy that rivals the pulitzer-prize winner. Drawing from the past and

and full of that divine, feminine energy that hip-hop desperately needs. if you

ducer and lyricist is a one-stop shop for all things hip-hop. His live shows are raw and cultural. Some big names would agree: eugene received praise from Jay electronica, Zion i and radio host dr. michael eric dyson. unity is his message, with an emphasis on people of african descent.

like Floetry and relaxing beats, you’ll be impressed with nia Joe’s ease of delivery and comfort in the pocket.

Her album, produced by locals nikki Sounds, Saevon and boombapZac, was released February 28.

Afrofuturism to create his electric soul experience, the audio engineer, pro-

KaRiJay LiSTen To: “Ten ToeS” KariJay is a nationally recognized spoken-word hip-hop artist. Her

poetry and music is infused with messages of truth, liberation and healing.

She’s shared stages with Sista Souljah, nikki Giovanni, Fiveology and Common.

She speaks truth to power onstage, in the classroom and in the community. in 2014, Kari traveled from the west Coast to west Ghana and co-founded the west2west movement, which facilitates the exchange of resources, education and culture within the afrikan black diaspora. Her soulful vocals are livened by a northern California bounce rooted in african rhythms.

Check out her album Kari this spring.

Blue Swan took cues from Rise Records, which allows Dance Gavin Dance to create freely, and keeps a low overhead.

“You don’t need that many people,” Swan says. “With building a huge infrastructure … your goals have to be centered around maintaining the money to keep the infrastructure going. That wouldn’t support my whole goal, which is to put out good bands and give them a shot.”

Swan doesn’t mess with major labels.

CD sales have tanked, and the big players are trading mass distribution for a larger cut. Enter the “360 deal,” where labels get a piece of everything, including album, tour and merchandise sales.

“ Y ou could make moneY off Your touring, and that would sustain a reallY good living. … and now it’s become harder, especiallY for Young bands that are trYing to build an audience.”

Will Swan founder, blue swan records Blue Swan only collects CD revenue, with no less than 50 percent given to the artist, he says. It’s a contrast with the standard practice. Most bands he knows negotiate for 14 to 20 percent. The label takes the rest.

“It used to be that a label would just take CD sales and also have a couple merch-exclusive designs,” Swan says. “You

M’ster Lewis

could make money off your touring, and that would sustain a really good living. …

And now it’s become harder, especially for young bands that are trying to build an audience.”

Outside of Rise, Dance Gavin Dance had its share of false promises and fine print.

Swan wouldn’t disclose the parties involved, but the experiences forced him to learn the business side of the music.

“There’s so many people trying to get a little bit of your pie,” he says. “Some of them want to actually benefit your career, and some of them are just in it for themselves and can talk really well … It’s a constant battle trying to figure out who’s actually legit and incorporating them into your team.”

After three years of waiting for the right band, Swan formed the label in 2013. He follows particular tastes: he used to hate power chords, isn’t into guitar solos, and prefers full-length albums over singles and music that he feels pushes boundaries.

That year, he met Medina, a young, virtuoso guitarist whose band Stolas had no following. But his demo, Living Creatures, was a perfect debut: melodically hectic and complex. Blue Swan Records has had around 20 releases since then, with Royal Coda and Eidola projects due this year.

Swan says he prefers the sparse release schedule. He can put more money into recordings, fund music videos and give his artists the major-label treatment. It’s about filling the well with better music.

“If it makes some money for some of my friends. Then I’m doing some good,” Swan says. “These guys are getting a shot to be successful, that maybe they wouldn’t have had. … And they get to get to be a positive Ω influence musically.”

SacraMento newS & review is proud to partner with the first edition of Design Week Sacramento

May 11 - 17 Sacramento Design Week is a week long event that celebrates creativity and design in multiple disciplines including architecture, interior design, graphic design, digital art, advertising and much more.

ConsCi8us

isten to: “RebuiLding the L CuLtuRe”

isten to: “it’s biggeR L iggeR thAn Me”

M’ster Lewis makes music, videos, food and clothes with love for black people. With melodic and groovecentered songs such as “i gotcha” and “Rebuilding the Culture,” he’s about empowering and uplifting others. in the community, M’ster Lewis works with the Yisrael Family Farm in oak Park and the African Market in south sacramento, where he teaches kids how to write positive lyrics and produce videos. Rebuilding the Culture Pt 2 is the first of three albums he’ll release soon, a powerful look at the life of the hip-hop artist, vegan, business owner and activist.

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03.28.18 | SN&R | 29

for the scene Sleepy Wakey ’s afternoon radio show amplifies local music

by Steph RoDRiguez

a

bonus on long road trips is having that friend with an uncanny talent for making the perfect playlists to pass the time— and inspire full-on sing-a-longs to pop punk’s greatest hits. In this scenario, the friend you’d immediately pass the auxiliary cord to is Melissa Schiller, aka DJ Melatonin, host of the biweekly radio show Sleepy Wakey on KDVS 90.3 FM.

“ i just like making playlists.”

Melissa Schiller aka dj melatonin KDVS’s studio sits in the basement of Freeborn Hall on the UC Davis campus. Schiller, a smiley, blue-eyed 24-year-old, and a Tune in to couple hundred other deejays Sleepy Wakey volunteer their time to bring on KDVS, 90.3 listeners within a 50-mile radius FM; kdvs.org. independently curated radio programs that touch on politics, jazz, surf and reggae, or Schiller’s area of expertise “local-ish” music.

“I just like making playlists. At first, I was just a Spotify deejay, making a playlist that was an hour and then sharing it with people,” says Schiller.

Initially, she was too shy to approach the station with her idea for a show.

But a 2 a.m. graveyard shift ended up settling her on-air jitters. Now she has the sweet spot between 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. every other Thursday, when people leaving school or work can tune in and learn about what bands are coming into town, or hear about new releases from Sacramento musicians and where to see them perform.

Schiller takes her curation process seriously, looking up what shows are scheduled throughout the month, taking suggestions from friends and often looking up dozens of bands on Bandcamp the night before her show airs to ensure she’s featuring the latest in the Davis and Sacramento music scenes.

“Eighty-five percent of today’s show was bands that I hadn’t listened to until like last night, which is pretty cool,” Schiller says about one February Sleepy Wakey show, a name derived from her being sleepy, but also happy to be present.

“It’s much easier to talk about bands that I choose to play because I think they are doing stuff for the scene, they’re good musicians and also they’re good people,” she says.

Schiller also plays music. This year, her band Melissa Schiller & the Baker Miller Pinks, a duo with her partner Idegad Mendoza, are nominated for a SAMMIE award in the Indie category.

Schiller is also a guitarist and vocalist in Car Crash Hearts, an emocore band she’s in with Mendoza and her roommates in Davis.

As a touring musician, Schiller says she feels a sense of responsibility to give a shout out to Bay Area bands coming through town, as well as bands that are starting out locally, so listeners can see new music live and support the music scene.

“I know the struggle of going to a town where no one’s heard about you except for your name on a flyer because a local is playing,” Schiller says.

“So when I play the local musicians, hopefully people will be like ‘Ooh, that sounds cool,’ and then they’ll go to the show and see the touring musicians and support them more.” Ω

Melissa Schiller

photo by maria ratinova

space jam ClouD hatS’ sound reflects its culture and connections by teSSa MaRgueRite outlanD

D

uring the summer of 2016, Beti Girma performed at an open-mic night at the R Street Warehouse Artist Lofts, strumming a ukulele. She sang an original song, “Always Mine.” It was the first time she’d ever performed alone, with no idea what the moment would ultimately bring.

She Instagrammed that performance. Her friend Jesse Rodriguez saw it and he suggested they jam.

“I thought she had a beautiful voice and touching lyrics,” Rodriguez said.

After a few sessions, they formed the folk/indie rock band Cloud Hats, nominated for SAMMIES in the Folk/ Bluegrass and New Artist categories.

30 | SN&R | 03.28.19

The band eventually incorporated the four musicians’ cultural backgrounds and created a platform for transformation. Today, Cloud Hats comprises Girma and Rodriguez, as well as Gustavo Cruz and Nardos Girma, Beti Girma’s older sister.

Initially, Nardos was hesitant to join. The sisters were born in Ethiopia and started playing violin in fourth grade. They moved to Davis in 1999 and performed in school orchestras while growing up, but they’d never sung together. Now, Nardos plays violin and sings backup vocals for the band, while Beti sings and plays ukulele and violin.

Beti and Nardos say they maintain a strong connection to Ethiopia, and hope to incorporate more of all of their cultures in their music.

Cruz, on guitars and vocals, said that’s key to their sound. “Culturally, any music we listen to growing up has influenced us as musicians,” Cruz said.

The band name was inspired by Juan Felipe Herrera after Nardos attended the poet’s reading at the Crest Theatre. “In between [reading poems] he would tell stories about growing up, and he told a story about when clouds are on mountains,” Nardos said.

The image of looming, billowy clouds quietly descending to rest atop majestic mountain peaks stayed with her. When she suggested it as the band name, they agreed.

“It’s about finding beauty in something you wouldn’t normally give a second glance,” Nardos said.

Cloud Hats’ music has a fun vibe, with some melancholy and nostalgia.

The band, which released its first EP, Always Mine, in December and has plans for another, draws inspiration from groups such as Arcade Fire, Wild Child and Sufjan Stevens.

Musically, though, their sound is distinct: the ukulele and violin pair together magically to create an introspective sound. Beti writes the lyrics and basic melodies, while the others put their own take on it with their instruments.

For the members, the music makes for a melodious escape;

Cloud hats

photo by elisabeth bayard-arthur

Check out Cloud Hats at the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival Saturday, April 6.

they work in politics, water resources and finance.

“When I’m in the mood of writing or when we’re jamming, I take a break from the world and enter another space,” Beti said.

Nardos said that through Cloud Hats, she’s experienced an emotional transformation. “[When playing music] I’m a different version of

myself—different from work life,” she said.

Collectively, the band wants their music to give people a chance to get away from the world around them to reflect.

“I would hope that people look into themselves and question their lives and what’s going on there,” Cruz said. “I’d much rather see someone’s eyes closed than tapping their feet.” Ω

try our expert Tropicali FlameS Put a sPark in vintage Music

Tropicali Flames

Photo by Maria ratinova

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Sapunor admits the city has lost some of its best jazz and blues musicians lately to New Orleans and France, but, for him, the place still has a legacy that makes it more than worthy of top-notch players.

He points out that Western swing pioneer Bob Wills of the Texas Playboys spent his final years in Sacramento, and for decades the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee was one of the best festivals in the world for Dixie masters.

Now he and his band mates are tangoing with those ghosts in a way that crowds love.

“In Sacramento, we do have our own history, which is living and real,” Sapunor says. “I feel like this is a band that’s really come together around that in a great way.

And it’s a band with a truly authentic knowledge of older music.” Ω

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s ound from Sacramento’s past is roaring back, searing like a skillet and steady like a chain gang. It’s the power of wild, restless rhythms, boot-stomping bass struts—and one big shot of saxophone fire.

From the dim tables of the Shady Lady Saloon to the crowded dance floor of the Torch Club, the sound is throwing heat on peoples’ foreheads while transporting them to the Capital City’s lost era of swing jazz.

SAMMIES nominee Tropicali Flames is standup bassist Zack Sapunor, saxophonist Danny Sandoval, guitarist Chris Wilkinson and drummer Larry Carr. The group also has a percussionist pinch-hitter, Derek McDonald.

All five, including Wilkinson are steeped in the deep and often tangled roots of American music.

“I’d been into vintage styles of playing for about 10 years,” says Wilkinson, who grew up in England. “But until now, I’d never really had the chance to play in an R&B band before, especially one with a honking sax and a drummer.”

Wilkinson happened to move to Sacramento just as Sapunor, a well-known acoustic bassist, was dreaming up a new music project. Sapunor envisioned a group that could merge timeless genres—including rockabilly, New Orleans jazz, hot jazz, Western swing and early protosoul—and then spike all of that with a touch of Latin heat.

“I call it mid-century roots music, with a bedrock in swing,” Sapunor explains. “It’s definitely high energy.”

Bringing a kind of forcefulness to 70-year-old songs meant that the band’s lone horn player would have to be a powerhouse. It turned to a man whose solos are beyond blistering. When it comes to howling horns,

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“Danny is one of the few guys I’ve seen that can just instantly captivate a room,” Sapunor says. “It’s not just the knowledge and experience he brings. His energy is absolutely through the roof.”

In recent months, Tropicali Flames has been playing clubs from downtown to West Sacramento. The band has inspired some particularly riotous dancing at the Torch Club, a venue tailored for its sound and old city sensibilities. The group will take the stage there again Wednesday, April 3 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The band is nominated for SAMMIES in both the R&B/Soul and New Artist categories. While it might seem ironic for a band with a such a vintage veneer to be hailed as “new,” Tropicali Flames is working hard on an album that will have both covers and originals. The band is hoping to release it by the end of the year, and promise it’ll be boiling over with elements of Sacramento.

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03.28.19 | SN&R | 31

Want to make the SammieS better next year?

Drop us a line at sammies@newsreview.com.

DJ Rated R

James Cavern

Agent Ribbons

¡Bucho!

Brotha Lynch Hung David Houston

DJ Whores

The Nickel Slots

Dinorah

Harley White Jr. Orchestra

White Minorities

Forever Goldrush

Mama’s Pride Mike Farrell

Pus Cavern Recording Studios

Zach Hill

2005

SACRA MENT O MU SIC A WA RDS

HALL OF FAME 27 years of Sacramento muSic all-StarS

S

N&R published its first issue in 1989 and held the first Sacramento Area Music Awards in 1992. Since then, thousands of local bands have been nominated and hundreds have taken home the prize.

The SAMMIES Hall of Fame was born when some artists kept winning. The tradition started in 1995 with Mumbo Gumbo, which won in the World Music category two years in a row.

Artists are inducted when they win awards in more than one year (currently three).

Originally, getting into the

Hall of Fame meant you couldn’t be nominated in future SAMMIES. That changed in 2017, when we opened nominations to everyone for the 25th anniversary and beyond.

In 2019, we have one inductee: the rock band Island of Black and White.

Congratulations to them!

They’re the 79th member of the SAMMIES Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Deftones, Brotha Lynch Hung and Las Pesadillas. Dusty Brown, Cake and 7seconds.

Look at the full list of Hall of Fame inductees, a snapshot of Sacramento’s music legacy:

2006 Dusty Brown Jackie Greene

Kill the Precedent

The Nibblers

Hans! and the Hot Mess

Some Fear None

Tribe of Levi

The Hucklebucks

Zuhg

Way Out West

The Infamous Swanks

2015 Mercy Me!

The Knockoffs

Musical Charis

Four Guys From Reno Shaun Slaughter

2008

Humble Wolf

Apple Z

Las Pesadillas

2007

2017

2018 A Lot Like Birds

The New Humans

2019 Island of Black and White

Walking Spanish

2016 Dog Party

2019 HOF inductee Island of Black and White.

Photo by maria ratinova

Ira Skinner

Crazy Ballhead Didley Squat Matt K. Shrugg Stuart Nishiyama

2010 7Seconds The C.U.F. The Secretions

2011 Anton Barbeau DJ CrookOne DJ Larry Rodriguez HOODS

1995

2001

Mumbo Gumbo

Deftones

1996

Dutch Falconi & His Twisted Orchestra

Beer Dawgs

Filibuster

1997

Fonke Socialistiks

April & the Texas Rangers

Groovie Ghoulies

1998

Natalie Cortez & The Ultraviolets

Cake Little Charlie & the Nightcats

INSTAGON

2002 Los Elegantes Mick Martin & The Blues Rockers Tattooed Love Dogs

2003 Funkengruven LUXT Oleander

2004 Xenophilia

Instagon

2012 Arden Park Roots Random Abiladeze Ross Hammond Sol Peligro Tha Fruitbat S A C R A M E N T O M U S I C A WA R D S

2013

WINNER

Autumn Sky Be Brave Bold Robot DJ Epik

Lob Instagon (full disclosure: he works at SN&R) heads a local project of 720 musicians and counting.

Formed in 1993, the ensemble is different for every show. Here are 20 artists who’ve played in the band.

Photo by maria ratinova

Lob Instagon

special thanks to Mike’s Camera, which provided the camera used for many of the artist photos.

32 | SN&R | 03.28.19

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33

You should be

getting it once a week. if you would like to carry the paper for free, call GreG at 916.498.1234, ext. 1317 or email GreGe@newsreview.com

Reviews

Family ties

by Jim Carnes

Photo courtesy of charr crail PhotograPhy

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her own right (a broadcast journalist who served for 25 years on The Sacramento Bee editorial Wed 7pm, thu 7pm, fri 8pm, sat 2pm & 8pm, sun 2pm. board) has turned her mother’s story into a through 4/28; $17-$40; sacramento theatre company, 1419 loving tribute and a fascinating bit of Sacramento h street, (916) 443-6722, sactheatre.org. history. Shifting in time and place from 1950s Sacramento to the 1940s in the South, the story is enhanced by family photos projected onto the back of the stage to illustrate some key events.

Eva Rutland was a remarkable woman. A published They add a journalistic integrity to the story, author and well-situated member of the “black at the same time illustrating the family’s life elite” upper middle class of Atlanta, she left that journey. comfortable life in the segregated South to move Director Stephen Eich, who worked with with her husband Bill and their four children Ginger Rutland for a year-and-a-half to ready the to Sacramento and the promises of the Golden play for production, shows a fondness for Eva’s State. spirit as well as an appreciation for the opportuWhat her family faced here was—in some nities to present a piece of theater that is neither ways—worse than what they had fled. At least acrid nor acrimonious but is comforting in the South you knew what to expect and heartening. and what was expected of you.

An excellent cast portrays You didn’t in the nominally Eva and the Rutlands through integrated California of the Despite several decades. Michael J. 1950s, and that took some difficulties and Asberry delivers a strong accommodation. performance as Bill—funny, When Bill, a serviceman disappointments, firm and strong-willed but who took a position as a smart enough to bend to the neither Eva nor civilian administrator at (stronger) will of his wife.

McClellan Air Force Base, Bill was going to Nathalie Autumn Bennett both wanted to buy a home for his physically and emotionally retreat. family, he was refused because inhabits the role of Eva, convincof his color. Eva, finding a white ing whether as a young wife and friend willing to assist, found a way mother or aged and blind, waiting to be to get a piece of land where the family reunited with her love. (The real Bill died in integrated the then-all-white South Land 2005 and Eva died in 2012.) Brooklynn Solomon Park area by building a four-bedroom, three-bath plays Ginger Rutland, the engaging narrator and home. Despite difficulties and disappointments, memory-wrangler of the piece, while Abisola neither she nor Bill was going to retreat. You Forrester and Lauryn Taylor-Piazza share the stay and fight, always fighting for fairness, freerole of “Little Girl,” which includes portraying dom and a better life for the family. granddaughter Eva. Elizabeth Ann Springett and Eva Rutland wrote When We Were Colored: Steven Ross Thomas play several roles throughout A Mother’s Story to document that resilient life. the play. Ω Her daughter Ginger, a remarkable woman in

Now playiNg

5

A Doll’s House, Part 2

Lucas Hnath’s Tony-nominated play imagines a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play A Doll’s House, in which Nora drops by the family she left behind 15 years prior. For this story, you need a resilient and talented cast to hold their own, and thankfully B Street Theatre has assembled an ace team. Wed

2pm & 6:30pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm & 9pm, Sun 2pm; Through 4/7; $28-$47; B

Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Avenue, (916) 443-5300; bstreettheatre.org. P.R.

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Reborning

After decades, a still-grieving mother steps into a distressing mess with she asks a dollmaker to fashion a replica of her dead child.

Russell Dow directs this harrowing emotional journey. Taylor Fleer, Anthony Person and Laura Kaya star. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm; Through 4/6; $12-18; Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; bigideatheatre.org. J.C.

5

Vietgone

For the Sacramento debut of Vietgone, Capital Stage has gathered a vibrant, cohesive acting team and top-notch director Jeffrey Lo, all from the Bay Area. Playwright Qui Nguyen’s self-described “action sex comedy” about his family’s history is raw, funny, raunchy and a bit sentimental. Wed 7pm, Thu

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We Won’t Pay! Nunca!

In a refreshing political satire, director Manuel José Pickett leads a cast of five brilliant actors into Teatro Espejo’s 44th season. We Won’t Pay! Nunca! touches on the more positive situations of bringing people from opposite sides together and asks: “Who’s the radical and who’s the Republican here?” Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun

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Saving bacon

Elk GROvE

Few stories are as memorable as E.B. White’s popular children’s book about the unlikely friendship forged between a pig and a spider. As part of its family series, B Street Theatre presents Charlotte’s Web, the heartwarming tale about the passage of time and the circle of life. Experience the story live, as Charlotte hatches an elaborate plot to save Wilbur, the runt of the litter, from the chopping block. Is it possible to feel empathy for a spider? Even if you have arachnophobia, you have to admit: Charlotte does have a certain je ne sais quoi. Sat 3/30, 1pm; Sun 3/31, 1pm; Through 4/14; $19-$24; B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Avenue; (916) 443-5300; bstreettheatre.org.

Visit snrsweetdeals.newsreview.com to start saving!

—Rachel Mayfield

03.28.19 | SN&R | 35

illuSTrATiOn BY KATE MiTrAnO

Sugar-spiked treats sweets on a stiCk, the saCramento sweets Co. I’m off to The Sacramento Sweets Co. in Old Sac for some good, old-fashioned treats dipped in chocolate—not a thin layer of chocolate either, but a rich, super sweet shell you break into to get to the good stuff. Inside the Caramallow on a stick ($4.20) are gooey marshmallows wrapped in soft, buttery caramel. Then there’s the Twinkie ($4.20) on a stick, toothsome and fun, like a sponge cake lollipop made by a 4-year-old. Probably the best treat, though, is the Rice Crispy Stick ($4.20) which tastes like the sugarspiked milk leftover in a bowl of cereal. But crunchy.

And on a stick.1035 Front Street, sacsweets.com.

The Chicken Gyro Sandwich, wrapped in a panini-pressed pita, is accompanied by tangy pickles, sweet-and-spicy pepperoncinis and onions, ripe tomatoes and a punchy roasted red bell pepper sauce.

Grilled to perfection Grills & Greens 3040 Sunrise Boulevard, Suite B; (916) 853-2265 Good for: Gyros, falafel Notable dishes: Beef Gyro Sandwich, Falafel Sandwich

$$$

Persian, Ranch Cordova

It’s not often I find a reason to visit Rancho Cordova, but Grills & Greens—a Persian fast-food eatery serving up impressively flavorful gyro meats and too-good-to-be-true falafels in delicious pita sandwiches—has me taking the Sunrise Boulevard exit whenever I can.

Let’s start with these crazy-good falafels. It’s so easy to come up with something too mushy, or overly grainy, or—the worst scenario—too bland. The falafels at G&G are the perfect size: small enough to maintain crunch, but big enough to give texture and room for the nutty chickpea to shine. But these falafels feature other ingredients such as leeks, maybe bell pepper, plus a mystery ingredient—one owner Syamek Shabani calls a “sacred family recipe.”

To me, the mysterious ingredient is slightly bitter, an addition that quickly grew on me as I ate the Falafel Sandwich ($6.49) with tahini sauce in one sitting. Falafels can be ordered in a sandwich (all sandwiches contain spinach, tomato, Persian pickles, pepperoncini, parsley and onion, stuffed in a panini-grilled pita), as part of a rice plate ($9.99) with basmati rice and spinach sprinkled with grated Parm, or as part of the Hummus Plate ($7.99).

As good as the falafels are, the meats are where G&G really leaves its mark. Beef and chicken are roasted all day on a vertical rotisserie, sliced down and marinated in herbs and juices and grilled right in front of the customer. The flavors of the beef and chicken are strikingly good—the 36 | SN&R | 03.28.19

PHOTO BY AMY BEE

by Amy Bee

kind of good where everyone at the table is smiling in food euphoria. It’s somewhat peppery and slightly tangy. It’s like G&G took the distinctness of meat and made it twice as meaty. The chicken ($6.99) and beef ($7.99) sandwiches taste incredible with all the accompanying ingredients. The tang of pickle perfectly compliments the sweet-spice of pepperoncini and onion; tomatoes full of watery ripeness enunciate one of four different sauces, in my case a sweet ranch-like roasted red bell pepper. All this punch mixes delightfully within the spongy, almost English muffin-like pita bread.

The sandwiches are the best reason to visit G&G. It also offers a deep-fried Eggplant Sandwich ($6.49) for anyone who luxuriates in the power of bitter, and a Feta & Walnut Sandwich ($6.49) with cucumber, olive oil and thyme, which initially makes no sense as a sandwich, until you taste it. Its brittle, salty, snack-mix-salad vibe wins you over after the first bite.

Things do fall a little short when ordering the rice plates. The rice is dry, and there’s just too much “salad” aka spinach; both seem unnecessary once you taste the delectable beef or chicken. G&G maintains the fast-food feel via eco-friendly to-go containers, but it also defies the stereotype with fresh, daily made food, cooked to order. It enforces a strict, no substitutes, no special requests policy.

But this doesn’t seem to deter most customers, who were abundant every time I visited.

Shabani also pinpoints new customers and lets them try the sauces and sometimes the meats or falafels before they order. He’s friendly and knows how to turn first-timers into loyal patrons. I just hope he’s willing to give his secrets away when the time comes, or else the sacred secret of fantastically cooked meats will be lost forever. Ω

—amy bee

Chemistry in a cup blue butterfly lemondrop, Veg Cafe Iridescent-pink unicorn blood swirls in a Martini glass, with pulpy bits suspended in the concoction. It could almost pass as trendy body mist—until you taste it. Then the Blue Butterfly Lemondrop ($9.50) tastes like a regular, scrummy lemon drop. It’s made with a subtle ginger syrup that avoids detection and color-changing blue butterfly tea-infused vodka that naturally reacts with acidic liquids (like lemon juice) by turning rosy. A petite, desiccated rose floats on the surface of the cocktail—irresistibly tempting. The questionably edible rose is crunchy, woody and dry. It takes some chewing to consume the blossom.

SN&R advises consumers to appreciate the flower visually. 2431 J Street, 2nd Floor, vegmidtown.com.

—maxfield morris

The V WoRD

This slide is on fire The word bodega isn’t used much in California. It’s more commonly used on the East Coast to describe basically a corner store. Lit Delhi, a tiny store and purveyor of Indian-fusion eats across the street from the state Capitol (1129 11th Street), self-identifies as a bodega. Lit Delhi earns its flames for its vegan friendliness: “Almost any menu item can be turned into a vegan option,” it says on its website, including its specialty, the Punjabi burrito, plus a wrap, vegan dog, samosa, samosa chana, lentil soup, naan pizza, papri chaat, rice bowl and vegan frozen yogurt from local Cornflower Creamery. The kitchen is upstairs and sends some orders zooming down a charming plexiglass slide adorned with hand-drawn fire emojis to the front counter. Those emojis (and slide) let customers know Lit is lighthearted, and as for the food, portions are generous, prices are low and I would go back to try every vegan item. That’s Lit.

—shoka

illustration by Mark stivers

Fresh & Tasty Peruvian Cuisine & Catering Ceviche Clasico

Jimmy’s Ceviche is the national dish of Peru, seafood or fish (raw swai fillet diced, marinated and “cooked” in fresh lime juice), topped with red onions and cilantro, served with sweet potatoes and Peruvian cancha corn.

Rocoto spicy salsa on the side (GLUTEN FREE).

$5 OFF*

3032 auburn Blvd @ Watt avenue

With ad

*Minimum $20 order, cannot be combined with any other offer.

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Your journeY starts here dRiNk

Patio vibes

PH: (916) 509-9556

by Steph RodRiguez

s t e p h r@ne w s re v i e w . c o m

7 4 1 9 Laguna B Lv d . # 1 8 0 JourneyToTheDumpling.com

A large menu of craft brews from Sacramento and beyond, a covered patio and fast pub grub have made The Shack an East Sac staple since 1931. Plus, its kid- and dog-friendly. Every Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Shack hosts live music, with bands such as the jazz trio Dos Hombres, rock/country outfit 50 Watt Heavy and more booked solid through September. Beers and bites: Integral IPA by Device Brewing Co. and The Shack Burger ordered medium with cheddar and grilled onions. 5201 Folsom Boulevard, eastsacshack.com.

King Cong Brewing Company This Old North Sacramento brewery hosts live music on its back patio on select Friday and Saturday nights, with past acts such as indie/folk band Be Brave Bold Robot and jazz guitarist Ross Hammond. There’s also open-mic nights on Tuesdays starting at 7 p.m. Owner Cong Nguyen opened the brewery in 2017 and brews his original recipes in-house. Beers and bites: Junglefest Märzen and the house Pork Bahn Mi Sandwich. 1709 Del Paso Boulevard, kingcongbrewing.com.

Big Sexy Brewing Co. On Friday March 29, see funk band Sac Lunch perform on stage with Zintzuni Cocina Mexicana slinging tacos, burritos and hefty quesadillas. Sac Lunch is a project

Free Churro!* MExican Comfort Food

bigsexybrewing.com.

SacYard Community Tap House Weekends are all about live music at this community taphouse where customers enjoy tunes indoors and outdoors. From blues and rockabilly genres to the unplugged sounds of folk and indie rock, there’s a little somethin’ for everyone. On Sunday, March 31, see Band of Coyotes (SAMMIES nominee in the Best New Artist and Rock categories) perform original songs.

And, between sips, play a few rounds of cornhole on the well-manicured Astro-Turf or bring your furry friends to enjoy the day. Beers and bites: Relax Hazy IPA and The Sammich from Nash & Proper. 1725 33rd Street, sacyard.beer.

Two Rivers Cider Music thumps most Friday nights with reggae on the books for Saturday, March 30, and during Grateful Mondays scheduled once a month, even more live bands are found at Two Rivers Cider in the Hollywood Park neighborhood. Its taproom opened to the public in 2016, but Sacramentans have enjoyed its flagship ciders at many local area restaurants and bars for the past 23 years. Food trucks like Bambi Vegan Tacos and more are on rotation and cider enthusiasts can sip on any of the 16 varieties on tap. Beers and bites: Blackberry cider and the Corn Fried Eggplant Taco from Bambi. 4311 Attawa Avenue, Suite 103, tworiverscider.com. Ω

3 hermanas mexican restaurant

Lunch & Dinner

*Mention SNR

3260 J St. Sacramento • 916-382-9079 Closed Saturdays for private parties

PlEnTy Of PArkIng nExTdOOr Salon Cuvée

pArking h STreeT

47Th ST

The Shack

of rotating musicians who bring all the jams from the funky past to the present. Most Friday evenings are full of music from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and a featured food truck keeps bellies satisfied. Bonus: The large warehouse space has a killer sound system. Beers and bites: Sexi Mexi lager and adobada street tacos from Zintzuni Cocina Mexicana. 5861 88th Street, Suite 800,

46Th ST

There’s nothing like a warm day, a cold drink and some entertaining live music to kick off spring the right way. In Sacramento, the choice number of patios and craft breweries (and one particular cidery) are enough to get people out of the house and into the sunshine.

SN&R lists these five watering holes as among the best places to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city.

’18

Thai House

4701 H ST. EAST SAC THAIATSAC.COM Sun-Thu: 11AM-9.30pM F r i - S AT: 11AM-11pM

916-942-9008

AuTHEnTIC THAI fOOd

Follow us @thaiatsac

03.28.19 | SN&R | 37

for the week of marCh 28

by maxfield morris

POsT eVeNTs ONLiNe fOr free AT newsreview.com/sacramento

MUSIC THURSDAY, 3/28 BLACK MOuNTAiN: Like most musicians, they’re Canadian, but unlike most musicians, they’re touring under the name Black Mountain and performing with Shu Lace. 7pm, $20. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

fri

Big night for small cars California automobile museum, 6pm, $35-$40 Big things are happening at the Cal Auto Museum—tiny, tiny big things. It’s a new exhibit called Pint Sized, MuseuMs featuring street-legal cars that are positively petite. Over the years, cars have grown in size, but this exhibit harkens to a simpler, miniature time.

Almost all of the cars in the show come from local owners offering to share their little slices of automotive heaven with

TiCKeT WiNDOW STAR WARS The Sacramento

Philharmonic is playing music from Star Wars—celebrate John Williams and the emotions he’s made you feel over the years. 4/27, $23-$81, 8pm, on sale now.

Sacramento Community Center Theater, mpv.tickets.com.

ARIANA GRANDE You’ll have a Grande

old time at this Ariana concert that also features Normani and Social House. 5/3, 7:30pm, $34.95-$199.95, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster.com.

STRFKR The indie-rock, Portland band

is playing, and there’s nothing offensive about their name at all. 5/9, 7pm, $22, on sale now. Ace of Spades, eventbrite.com.

LASER SPECTACULAR Folks love

their Pink Floyd, so come get their music paired with some laser shows, because

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museum-goers. To celebrate the show, this opening night mixes microcars with microbrews, inviting local breweries to share tastings of their wares to pair with car flair, along with ample food samples.

Join in the fun to celebrate some of the cutest modes of transportation around— aside from kitten-drawn carriages, of course. 2200 Front Street, calautomuseum. org/pintsized.

Get a ticket, you good friend of mine!

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CALIFORNIA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM

29

Tiny cars have been keeping a low profile, but are ready to drive into the spotlight.

CArTer WiNTer: The rural areas of Ohio have produced some great artists: Ambrose Bierce, Erma Bombeck—and they also produced Carter Winter, country singersongwriter, coming to a trading post near you. 7:30pm, $10-$12. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.

BABA KeN & THe NiGeriAN BrOTHers: As part of the Crocker’s Global Rhythms series, the Nigerian bassist Aba Ken is coming to share some African beats with the museum. 6:30pm, $10-$20. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St.

GreeN LeAf rusTLers: Rustlers aren’t welcome around these parts—we don’t take kindly to ’em—but The Green Leaf Rustlers sure as heckfire are. It’s a supergroup jamming with Chris Robinson, Barry Sless, Pete Sears, John Molo and Greg Loiacono. Show ’em some hospitality, now, y’hear? 9pm, $26$30. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

KiP MOOre: Playing with Muscadine Bloodline, Kip Moore is on his Room to Spare tour—but the country musician likely hopes that there won’t be any room to spare in this show. 7:30pm, $38-$58. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

VeiL Of MAYA: Support this local Chicago metalcore band as they become nonlocal on tour. They’re joined by Intervals, Strawberry Girls and more. 5:30pm, $20. Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St.

FRIDAY, 3/29 ArLO GuTHrie: You can get anything you want from Arlo Guthrie’s upcoming performance at Harris Center—especially “Alice’s Restaurant,” 50 years after its release and featuring Sarah Lee Guthrie. No relation.

Just kidding, she’s Arlo’s daughter. 7:30pm, $35-$65. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

THe AusTiN PiAZZOLLA QuiNTeT: If you can’t it will probably sell out. 5/10, 8pm, $32.50-$39.50, on sale now. Crest Theatre, crestsacramento.com

COLIN HAY Seriously, folks, get some

tickets for the man still at work and be crooned at. 5/17, 7:30pm, $35-$55, on sale now. Crest Theatre, crestsacramento.com

WAzzMATAzz Halsey, Ellie

Goulding, CNCO, Ava Max, Fletcher and Ty James are performing, so grab some seats and show up, it sounds neat. 6/2, $29.50$129.50, on sale 3/22. Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, livenation.com.

RASCAL FLATTS

Jordan Davis

Shred sickly, Rickey.

and Morgan Evans join the Ohioan familystyle country band. 6/26, 7:30pm, $38.75$98.50, on sale now. Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland, concerts1.livenation.com.

LYNYRD SKYNYRD Catch the “Sweet Home Alabama” band and some of their other songs in Wheatland.

8/17, 6pm, $30-$200, on sale now. Toyota Amphitheater

in Wheatland, concerts1. livenation.com.

UB40 Hear from the

English reggae group live and in concert, in incredible stereophonic sound. 9/4, 7pm, $35-$38, on sale now. Ace of Spades, eventbrite.com.

get enough of the nuevo tango music of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, you’re not alone. Join this Texan quintet that specializes in his style, music and more. 8pm, $22-$25. Sutter Creek Theatre, 44 Main St. in Sutter Creek.

DAVis JAZZ NiGHT: Free jazz is on the docket for the evening—that means you can take in some of the free-flowing sounds this Friday night and use the savings to buy some locally grown food. 7pm, no cover. John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St. in Davis.

fOr THe KiDs: Join For the Kids, Skylis and Death Party at the Beach for and evening of local tunes, drinks and fun. 8:30pm, $5. Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St.

KArLA BONOff: The songwriter has been covered by Ronstadt, Linda; Raitt, Bonnie; and Judd, Wynonna. Come see the songs you recognize straight from the folky

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday.

Send photos and reference materials to calendar editor Maxfield Morris at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

source. 7pm, $45. Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts, 2700 Capitol Ave.

LOVerBOY: Everybody is working for the weekend, so come kick off your weekend right with the original weekend work-forers: Loverboy. 7:30pm, $59.95. Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave. in Lincoln.

uLi JON rOTH: The Scorpions guitarist is playing a full Electric Sun set, then a Scorpions set. Teazer will open, and you’ll all be impressed by the guitar experience. 7pm, $18-$20. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

SATURDAY, 3/30 BuYePONGO Vs QuiTAPeNAs 2019 TOur: It’s a Global Local dance party with two genre fusing bands playing for your delight, entertainment and so you can dance. 7pm, $12-$15. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.

DALLAs MOOre: The Ohioan is playing to benefit Women Veterans Giving Foundation, and Jon Emery & The Unconventionals join to make this evening a truly honky-tonky one. 5pm, $5-$15. Orangevale Community Center, 6826 Hazel Ave. in Orangevale.

sHADes Of PiNK fLOYD: Pink Floyd tribute bands are one way you can continue your appreciation for the band’s incalculable contributions to music. Join Shades of Pink Floyd in the Auburn Event Center ballroom for some dancing, music and more tributes. 8pm, $15-$20. Auburn Event Center, 145 Elm Ave. in Auburn.

THe sOfT Offs, AN eVeNiNG Of MOeTrY: “Moetry” is a word formed with you mix “music” with “poetry.” “Poetry” is formed when you mix the word “poems” with “morphometry,” which is a word that means measuring the shape of things—which is what poetry aims to do, in a way. Hear some music and verse in this donation-based fundraiser for the Sacramento Poetry Center. 7pm, no cover. Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 25th St.

THOuXANBANfAuNi: He’s from Tennessee, he plays in Atlanta, he’s a rapper, he’s trying to be a rap legend. Check out Thouxanbanfauni for yourself. 7pm, $18-$75. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

TrOuT fisHiNG iN AMeriCA: The folk-rock band that shares their name with a Richard Brautigan novella shares their number of Grammy nominations with groups that have been nominated four times. 7pm, $40. Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts, 2700 Capitol Ave.

TUESDAY, 4/2 uKuLeLe OrCHesTrA Of GreAT BriTAiN: Most orchestras have a broad selection of instruments, highlighting the diverse sounds that work together to craft a song. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain highlights the diverse sounds of the ukulele only. 7pm, $32.50-$110. UC Davis, 1 Shields Ave. in Davis.

WEDNESDAY, 4/3 THe OffsPriNG ACOusTiC sHOW: The rock band decided to forgo powered instruments and instead pick up some acoustic guitars.

This is one of five of their acoustic shows— collect them all. 7pm, $49.50. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.

SATURDAY, 3/30

Sacramento Scandinavian Festival ScottiSh rite center, 10am, $5

Spend a little time in the company of Scandinavian aficionados. It’s the 36th installment of the festival that highlights the food, culture and practices of various Norse cultures, held by several area groups.

There are ambassadors from the local Finlandia Club, Swedish societies, Norwegian cuisine and more. At noon, there will be a flag ceremony, FESTIVAL there will be performances throughout and plenty of opportunity for you to get your dose of dancing and cultural appreciation. 6151 H Street, facebook.com/SacramentoScandinavianFestival.

WHO’S NEXT MUSIC SERIES: Jimmie Allen, Mondo and Amador Sons are playing some country music. It’s 101.9 The Wolf’s concert series, and it’s headed your way. 7pm, $20. Orangevale Community Center, 6826 Hazel Ave. in Orangevale.

FESTIVALS THURSDAY, 3/28 SACRAMENTO TRIVIA NIGHT: Have you lived in Sacramento for long? Are you prepared to find out how much you don’t know about Sacramento? Join Two Rivers Cider for a trivia night focused around the city that we live in. 7pm, no cover. Two Rivers Cider, 4311 Attawa Ave., Suite 300.

SMUD’S 8TH ANNUAL MEET THE BUYERS CONFERENCE: Learn about SMUD’s buyers and agencies that they work with. There are panels, tips on winning contracts and more. 7:30am, no cover. SMUD Customer Service Center.

SATURDAY, 3/30 36TH ANNUAL SACRAMENTO SCANDINAVIAN FESTIVAL: Check out the Nordic event highlight above, featuring food and culture. 10am, $5. Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 6151 H St.

GHANA INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION: Celebrate the 62nd anniversary of Ghana’s independence with some traditional Ghanian food, dance and other musical excitement. It’s the Ghanaian Association of Sacramento’s annual party, so join in the festivities. 6pm, $30-$70. Doubletree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way.

MONDAY, 4/1 CALIFORNIA AEROSPACE & AVIATION DAYS 2019: The state is headed skyward for three days of aerospace and aviation centric discussion. Come out and learn about the economic impact of the industry, to raise awareness about planes and to meet people involved in human flight. If your interests are primarily in bird flight, you may be somewhat let-down. 8:30am, no cover. California State Capitol, 10th and L Streets.

FOOD & DRINK SATURDAY, 3/30 TASTE OF ELK GROVE: What does Elk Grove taste like? It may sound like a bizarre, abstract question, but the way you find out the answer is very enjoyable: You can come sample food from Elk Grove restaurants at this event. You can sample drinks from Elk Grove, too—beer, wine and more. If that’s still not enough for you, you can get a figurative taste of Elk Grove’s culture

with some live music and dancing. 6pm, $45$60. Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, 9040 High Tech Court in Elk Grove.

SUNDAY, 3/31 ZINFANDEL STORIES SPRINGTIME IN SACRAMENTO: Want to visit 25 wineries but wish that all 25 were located in one convenient location?

You might have a problem, but this event is perfect for you. The winemakers will be sharing stories about their wines, wineries and history. Taste some wine, eat some pizza from Bella Familia Pizza and get acquainted with winemakers. 2:30pm, $25$300. Beatnik Studios, 723 S St.

FILM THURSDAY, 3/28 13TH: The Del Paso Heights and North Sacramento Black Child Legacy Campaign host this viewing of Ava DuVernay’s documentary about the disproportionate criminalization of African-American people in the United States. A discussion will follow the documentary. 6:30pm, no cover. Greater Sacramento Urban League, 3725 Marysville Blvd.

AQUAMAN: Aquaman used to be the lamest superhero of them all, but that’s not the case any more—Jason Momoa brings the character to life in the city of Atlantis.

Gone are the days of the weedy, ineffectual Aquaman. Grab some popcorn and see some DC Comics. 7:30pm, no cover. Sacramento State, 6000 J St.

COMEDY

THE GUILD THEATER: Alex Clark. He’s a YouTuber, an animator, a comedian, and he’s coming to The Guild Theater. With four million YouTube subscribers under his belt, can you really afford not to go check out his comedy? Saturday 3/30, 8pm. $25-$80. 2828 35th St.

TOMMY T’S COMEDY CLUB: Cocoa Brown. Cocoa PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN BRINKHORST

ethnic backgrounds doing some stand-up comedy about their experiences living in America. Featuring Joe Sib and more, The American Me tour will be full of diverse laughs. Thursday 3/28, 8pm. $16. Trae Crowder. Catch some comedy from one of the authors of The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Dragging Dixie Out of the Dark.

He’s from Tennessee, he’s been on Real Time With Bill Maher and more accomplishments. Through 3/30. $25. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

STAB! COMEDY THEATER: Worth The Sitter.

Have kids? Good—now hire a babysitter for them. Why? It’ll soon become clear, once I stop writing filler material: Drew Absher and Parker Newman are putting on this comedy show with Robert Omoto, Ryan Goodcase, Ethan Albers and Hayden Greif-Neill. Friday 3/29, 8pm. $7. Positive Feedback. Taylor Evans, Benton Harshaw and Shana Shafer will give feedback on some comedians. Saturday 3/30, 9pm. $8. Spec Script-Cheers! Amy Estes will write a spec script for Cheers!, a show she’s never seen.

Then it will be performed. Saturday 3/30, 7pm. $5. 1710 Broadway.

SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT: FemmeFest 2019.

Check out the event highlight on page 39, this page, right below these words, for this comedy festival featuring and showcasing women. Through 3/31. $20-$40. 1050 20th St., Suite 130.

SACRAMENTO COMMUNITY CENTER THEATER: Whose Live Anyway?. Have you always wanted to be in the audience of those Whose Line Is It Anyway? shows? Well, today’s almost your lucky day, because you could catch the improv troupe on tour instead of in a television studio. 8pm. Through 3/29. $48$78. 1310 L St.

Brown is a comedian, an actor, a writer and performer. She starred as “Mail Lady” in an episode of Breaking Bad, has been on other TV shows and makes some funny jokes. Through 3/31. $20-$30. 12401 Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova.

Web, about Wilbur, Charlotte and their actions that skirt issues of reality and perception. Through 4/7. $19-$24. 2700 Capitol Ave.

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL: Quilters. It’s St. Francis High’s spring play, a musical about pioneer women and loosely connected pastiches, or vignettes, if you will. Life on the frontier isn’t exactly a cakewalk, but there may be some sweet things cooking. Through 3/31. $5-$12. 5900 Elvas Ave.

THE CALIFORNIA STAGE THEATER: Luz, an Evening of Flamenco Sacramento. Catch Savannah Fuentes, Pedro Cortes and Jose Moreno as they share flamenco dancing and music with you, the person who bought tickets to the show. Monday 4/1, 8pm. $8-$34. 2509 R St.

ON STAGE

WILLIAM J. GEERY THEATER: Failure, A Love

BEAR RIVER COMMUNITY THEATER: Play On!.

Story. This Errant Phoenix production brings the story of love, loss and music to the Sacramento stage. It’s by Philip Dawkins, is set near a clock repair shop in Chicago and teaches some valuable life lessons. Through 4/14. $0-$19. 2130 L St.

This high school production about a theater production gone wrong has all the trappings of a perfect evening. Things will go wrong, it should be self-referential and delightful. Thursday 3/28, 7pm. $8-$10. 11130 Magnolia Road in Grass Valley.

DAVIS MUSICAL THEATRE CO. PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Old Tom Sawyer’s gone and gotten himself into some trouble again—this time there’s music and laughter, along with all the classic fun of the good kind of white-washing—painting fences. Join the Young Performer’s Theatre troupe for the Twain classic. Through 3/31. $8. 607 Pena Drive in Davis.

SACRAMENTO COMMUNITY CENTER THEATER: Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s triumph of nonsensical musicals proved to the world once and for all that a really bad musical could be an enormous success—and it’s still going! Grab a ticket to the can’t-miss event of the cat-themed musical season. Through 4/7. $26-$85. 1310 L St.

SACRAMENTO THEATRE: When We Were Colored.

Ginger Rutland’s play based on Eva Rutland’s book explores a family in the aftermath of World War II in Sacramento. There’s drama, laughs, love and issues of race in this new production of a very local story. Through 4/28. $17-$31. 1419 H St.

SOFIA TSAKOPOULOS CENTER FOR THE ARTS: Charlotte’s Web. The story of a spider and a pig is at B Street Theatre—and we’re not talking about Spider Pig. No, it’s Charlotte’s

ART BLUE LINE ARTS: 11th Annual Lottery for the Arts. Commit to buying some artwork from some emerging artists. You can buy a lottery ticket and end up with a lottery choice of a veritable work of art. Have some drinks, cocktails, beers, refreshments and food as you tour the gallery and find a work of art that works for you. 5pm. Through 3/28. $45$200. 405 Vernon St., Suite 100 in Roseville.

MUSEUMS CALIFORNIA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM: Pint Sized.

Join the California Automobile Museum for its celebration of small cars and smaller brews, featured on page 38. Friday 3/29, 6pm. $35-$40. 2200 Front St.

SACRAMENTO ZOO: Earth Fest. Join the Sacramento Zoo for this festival celebrating conservation. That’s the theme of the day,

CALENDAR LISTINGS CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

DREAMING DOG BREWERY: Top Dog Comedy Part 2. Chicago Steve Barkley is headlining this doggedly determined night of comedy.

There’s Mike Betancourt, who was in a Golden 1 Credit Union commercial apparently; Wendy Lewis, who runs the JMO Podcast; and Nick Larson. Saturday 3/30, 8pm. $15. 2501 W. Taron Court in Elk Grove.

CREST THEATRE: Cap City Comedy Slam. See what comedy the comedians who operate in the Capital City can cook up for you. With Mike E. Winfield, Johnny Taylor Jr., Mars Parker and Becky Lynn, it’s pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh—but it’s not actually. Nobody offers guarantees like that. It just doesn’t make good business sense. Friday 3/29, 7pm. $25. 1013 K St.

LAUGHS UNLIMITED COMEDY CLUB: Steph Sanders. He wrote for BET’s Comicview for one episode in 2005, he’s repping the 916 area code and he’s got over 200 likes on Facebook—Sanders is in the building. Through 3/31. $10. 1207 Front St.

PUNCH LINE: The American Me Comedy Tour. Jason Rogers and Punch Line put together this group of comedians of various

FRIDAY, 3/29-SUNDAY 3/31

FemmeFest Sacramento comedy Spot, variouS timeS, $5-$45

Comedy comes in many forms, but this weekend it’s taking the form of spotlighting women. Sacramento Comedy Spot plays host to this three-day affair featuring sketch comedy groups, comedians, improvvers and more funny ladies from COMEDY all around California. There are local staples including Melissa McGillicuddy, Amy Estes and Regina Givens, along with Los Angeles-based Femmedy Trio, Bay Area-based Granny Cart Gangstas and more. Catch some or all of the comedy and take in discussions about women in comedy. 1050 20th Street, Suite 130, saccomedyspot.com/femmefest.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FEMMEFEST

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see more events and submit your oWn at newSreview.com/Sacramento/calendar

CaLendar ListinGs Continued From PaGe 39

wedneSday, 4/3 GroundbreaKers Q&a: The founding director

punctuated by performances, stage shows and other conservation-themed activities. saturday 3/30, 9am. $11.50-$16.50. 3930 W. Land Park Drive.

lGBtQ

of Verge Center for the Arts and founder and executive direct of Sol Collective are coming together for a Q&A session.

Respectively, they are Liv Moe and Estella Sanchez. Hear from some of the folks disrupting the art scene locally. 8pm, $10$15. Antiquite Midtown, 2114 P St.

claSSeS

tHurSday, 3/28 sisters soCiaL: The Capital City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are hosting an evening of fun performance, food and beverages and more. It benefits Mercy Pedalers, has a raffle, features the pageantry of the Sister and more fun. 6pm, $10-$15. Uptown Studios, Inc., 2415 23rd St.

Sunday, 3/31 ruPauL’s onGina meet-n-Greet: Meet Ongina at Faces—she’s an HIV activist, drag queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna. She’ll even put on a special performance, so you won’t want to miss this evening. 9pm, $5$10. Faces, 2000 K St.

taKe action Friday, 3/29 ‘baCK in tHe day’ Fundraiser: This fundraiser for the 2019 Black Women’s March is hosted by Black Women United. Ther ewill be catered food, drinks, music and more, all under the theme of ’90s Hip-Hop and R&B. 7pm, $25-$45. The Brickhouse Gallery & Art Complex, 2837 37th St.

Sunday, 3/31 Free saCFeraL WorKsHoP: Take in this workshop on helping take steps to manage out-of-control feral cat populations in the Sacramento area, featured on page 40 directly below these words. 9:30am, no cover. Bradshaw Animal Shelter, 3839 Bradshaw Road.

tHurSday, 3/28 eCo FabriC dyeinG: Do you wish your clothes were a different color but you only have onion skins and black beans? You’ll be pleased to know that your dyeing problems are over. Attend this class. 5:30pm, $20. The Yisrael Family Urban Farm, 4505 Roosevelt Ave.

Saturday, 3/30 introduCtion to GLuten Free baKinG: Gluten.

It’s in a lot of things, but it doesn’t need to be. Come get the skinny, the low-down and the deets on how to jumpstart your foray into gluten-free baking. 1pm, $60. Soil Born Farms American River Ranch, 2140 Chase Drive in Rancho Cordova.

soCiaL media For Creatives WorKsHoP: Creative people often need to use social media to get their brand out there. Join Broad Room for a workshop on how to create a good Instagram following for your brand. 1pm, $15. Broad Room, 2311 S St., Suite 3.

Sunday, 3/31 avoCado Pit dyeinG: You’re a good Californian—you eat avocados, you like to reuse things—well, now you can reuse your avocado pits. Join Roxanne Young for this class on using avocado pits to dye clothing. 11am, $75-$85. Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St.

Sunday, 3/31

Feral Cat Workshop Bradshaw animal shelter, various times, $60

There are a lot of cats living wild in the Sacramento area—in the range of 100,000 to 200,000. That’s a problem, especially when those feral cats start to reproduce. To help combat the issue, taKe aCtion the Bradshaw Animal Shelter is offering this free workshop that highlights ways Sacramento residents can help the population humanely through trap-neuter-release processes, colony management and responsible feeding. Join and see how you can make a feline difference. 3839 Bradshaw Road, sacferals.com/p/workshops.html.

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HigH s cHool senior s

send us your college essays!

“Through alienation, I learned independence.

Through hate, I learned love. Love for my culture.

Love for how I grew up. Love for who I am.” eXCeRPT FROM haRkOMal k. nijjeR

2018 sN&R college essay fiRsT place wiNNeR

may 30: college essay contest issue on stands You spent time crafting the perfect essay that would make your family proud and dazzle your college picks. Why not get a little more out your hard work?

Thank you To our 2019 orS: SPonSorS:

SN&R is giving you the opportunity to show off your college essay to our 350,000 readers—and the chance to win some extra money.

The pRizes: First place will receive a $2,000

award, second place $1,000; and third place $500.

The Rules: high-school seniors graduating in 2019 are eligible. only one entry allowed per student, and you must live in the Sacramento region to apply. no Sn&r employees or their relatives may enter.

The deTails: The details:

Essays must be no longer than 650 words. Send your essay as a Word document, a PDF or place it in the body of your email to: collegeessay@ newsreview.com, with the subject line “College Essay Contest.” Deadline is Tuesday, May 7, at 5 p.m.

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THURSDAY 3/28

FRIDAY 3/29

ArmAdillo music

2003 k ST., (916) 448-8790

Poprockz 90s Night, 9pm, no cover

BAr 101

101 MAIN ST., ROSEvIllE, (916) 774-0505

Blue lAmp

1400 AlHAMbRA blvD., (916) 455-3400

Kip Moore with Muscadine Bloodline 8pm Thursday, $38-$159 Crest Theatre Country rock

Mercedes Iman Diamond and Ra’Jah O’Hara, 8pm, $5-$15

Spectacular Saturdays, 7pm, call for cover

Nate Grimmy, 9:30pm, no cover

Dylan Crawford, 9:30pm, no cover

Minihahas, Occupy the Trees and KOTST, Benefit for Max Murders, 7:30pm, $10 8:30pm, $10 Makeshift Happy, Stalin, First Contact and more, 8:30pm, $10

Roland Tonies, Flight Mongoose and Citizen Snips, 8:30pm, $10

cApiTol GArAGe

Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5$25; Karaoke, 9:30pm, call for cover

1500 k ST., (916) 444-3633

cresT TheATre

Kip Moore and Muscadine Bloodline, 8pm, $38-$159

2019 Cap City Comedy Slam, 7pm, $25

FAces

Faces Karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Sequin Saturday, 9:30pm, call for cover

Fox & Goose

JIGO, 8pm, no cover

Bad Barnacles, Band of Coyotes and Dusty John Hamilton, 9pm, $5

JoDavi, Casey Lipka and more, 9pm, $5

500 DAvID J STERN WAlk, (888) 915-4647

Cirque du Soleil Crystal, 7:30pm, $58-$99

Cirque du Soleil Crystal, 7:30pm, $62-$155

Cirque du Soleil Crystal, 7:30pm, $62-$155

GoldField TrAdinG posT

Carter Winter, 7:30pm, $10-$12

The Darling Clementines Variety Show, 7pm, $15-$20

King Calaway, Nick Tyrell, Chad Bushnell and Jennifer Belle, 6pm, no cover

1001 R ST., (916) 443-8825

Golden 1 cenTer

1630 J ST., (916) 476-5076

hAlFTime BAr & Grill

College Night, 10pm, call for cover

Vagabond Brothers, 9pm, call for cover

hArlow’s

Green Leaf Rustlers, 9pm, $26-$30

Cass McCombs (and his band) and Sam Evian, 9pm, $20-$22

5681 lONETREE blvD., ROcklIN, (916) 626-3600 2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693

hideAwAY BAr & Grill

Mt. Joy with Wilderado 8pm Sunday, $20 Harlow’s Indie rock

holY diVer

Black Mountain and Shu Lace, 7pm, $20

kupros

Jenn Rogar, 7pm, no cover

1517 21ST ST.

1217 21ST ST., (916) 440-0401

Uli John Roth and TEAZER, 7pm, $18-$20

lunA’s cAFe & Juice BAr

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

Anton Barbeau and Sugar Beast, 8pm, $8

momo sAcrAmenTo

S3lf, Oh, Lonesome Ana, Take X Storm, Recess and more, 7:30pm, $5-$10

An Evening with Scott Mulvahill, 7pm, $12

1414 16TH ST., (916) 737-5770 2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693

Trapicana, 10pm, W, no cover Open-Mic, 7:30pm, W, no cover; Monday Night Trivia, 6:30pm, M, no cover

DND7, Todd Morgan, Marigold and more, 8pm, W, $10 Boot Scootin Sundays, 8pm, $5

Ongina and Scarlett Envy, call for time, $5-$10

Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, M, no cover Cirque du Soleil Crystal, 5pm, $45-$155 Lincoln Durham, 7:30pm, W, $10-$12

Let’s Get Quizzical, 7pm, T, no cover; Cornhole, 6pm, W, $10 Petty Theft, 9pm, $15-$18

Mt. Joy and Wilderado, 8pm, $20

Thouxanbanfauni, Warhol.SS and Ghoulavelii, 7pm, $18-$75

Delhi 2 Dublin and Boca do Rio, 8pm, W, $15-$17

Shitshow Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Record Roundup, 8pm, T, no cover Slothrust, Rituals of Mine and Sunny Acres, 7pm, $15-$18

LULJ30k, Madv, ELEVTD, Erica Ambrin, Krimson and more, 6:30pm, T, no cover

Trivia Factory, 7:30pm, no cover

Live music, 5pm, T, no cover

David Houston And String Theory, Kepi Ghoulie and Dan Jasisch, 8pm, $10

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm, M, $10 The Trouble Notes and Güero, 8pm, $12-$15

Bourbon & Blues with Wendy Dewitt & Kirk and Steve Freund, 6:30pm, W, $8

UpcoMing evenTS Walking Dead, Riot Radio, TBA

Eat. Drink.

Be Merry. Repeat.

2nD & 4Th SUnDAyS hippie hour

live MuSic 3/29 nate Grimmy 3/30 dylan crawford 4/6 toast & Jam 4/12 nate Grimmy 5/3 billy williams 5/4 toast & Jam 5/10 banJo bones 5/11 bonGo furys 5/17 Jacob westfall 5/18 nate Grimmy 5/24 dylan crawford

1217 21st St • 916.440.0401 www.KuprosCrafthouse.com

2565 F ranklin B lvd

101 Main Street, roSeville 916-774-0505 · lunch/dinner 7 days a week

Saturday april 27th 8PM • 21+

WeDnesDay

Bicycle Swap Meet

hot country college nights

Saturday May 11th 12PM – 4 PM •all ageS

thursDay

Weekly evenTS

industry night $3 U call it for industry guests

MonDAy Shitshow karaoke 8PM • Free

FriDay & saturDay

TUeSDAy cactus pete’s 78 RpM Record Roundup

free line dance lessons 7pm dancing 8pm karaoke Up front 9pm

8PM • Free

WeDneSDAy Twisted Trivia

sunDay

18 and over college nights

2 steps from downtown | 916.402.2407

Every Damn Monday, 8pm, M, no cover; Noche Latina, 9pm, T, no cover

The hideaway Bar & Grill

voted best dance club in sacramento by kcra a list 2016-17-18

1320 Del paso blvD in olD north sac

Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover

Happy Hour, noon, no cover

2565 FRANklIN blvD., (916) 455-1331 PHOTO cOURTESY OF MATT EvERITT

B.P.M. & Sunday Funday Remixed, 4pm, call for cover

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, 7pm, $7.50-$9.50

1013 k ST., (916) 476-3356 2000 k ST., (916) 448-7798

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 4/1-4/3

March Madness, 10pm, $12

The BoArdwAlk

9426 GREENbAck lN., ORANGEvAlE, (916) 358-9116

PHOTO cOURTESY OF PJ bROWN

SUNDAY 3/31

Ginger Cowgirl, 7pm, no cover

207 F ST., DAvIS, (530) 758-8058

BAdlAnds

SATURDAY 3/30

stoneyinn.com for nightly drink specials & events

42 | SN&R | 03.28.19

8PM • Free

5PM • all ageS • Free

916.455.1331

fri & sat 9:30pm - close 21+

/bar101roseville

SUbmit yOUr calendar liStinGS fOr free at newSreview.cOm/SacramentO/calendar THursday 3/28

friday 3/29

saTurday 3/30

Midtown Barfly

1901 10TH sT., (916) 442-3504

Old Cross and Rebel Holocrons, 7:30pm, $5

For the Kids, Skylis and Death Party at the Beach, 8:20pm, $5

PalMs Playhouse

Placerville PuBlic house

414 Main sT., Placerville, (530) 303-3792 614 suTTer sT., fOlsOM, (916) 355-8586

The Brangs, 50 Watt Heavy, Dirty Pillows and South Lot, 7:30pm, $8 Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours, 8pm, $20-$25

13 Main sT., WinTers, (530) 795-1825

Powerhouse PuB

Jessica Rose, 9:30pm, call for cover

Just Bill, 8pm, call for cover

Ryan Hernandez and Kaz, 8pm, call for cover

Pop Fiction, 10pm, call for cover

Aqua Nett, 10pm, call for cover

the Press cluB

2030 P sT., (916) 444-7914

shady lady

1409 r sT., (916) 231-9121

Sweet n’ Sour, 9pm, no cover

social nightcluB

1000 K sT., (916) 947-0434

stoney’s rockin rodeo

1320 del PasO Blvd., (916) 927-6023

Country Thunder Thursdays, 8pm, no cover

Live Music with Heath Williamson, 5:30pm, M, no cover Amendola vs. Blades with Skerik and Jeff Parker, 3pm, $18-$22

Kyle Rowland, 3pm, call for cover

Karaoke, 8:30pm, T, call for cover; 98 Rock Local Licks, 9pm, W, call for cover

Lightfoils, Soft Science and Desario, 5pm, $8-$10

High Voltage! Rock and Roll Vinyl Night, 9pm, M, no cover PHOTO cOurTesy Of Harris cenTer

Elvis Cantu, 9pm, no cover

Shawn Thwaites Rebel Quartet, 9pm, no cover

DJ Stylo, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

DJ Elements, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Hot Country Fridays, 7:30pm, $5-$10

Stoney’s Saturdays with Free Line Dance Sunday Funday, 9pm, no cover 21+ Lessons, 7pm, $5

swaBBies on the river

5871 Garden HiGHWay, (916) 920-8088

the torch cluB

City of Trees Brass Bands and the Midnight Dip, 9pm, $7

Black Market III, 9pm, $8

ace of sPades

Veil Of Maya, Intervals, Strawberry Girls and Cryptodira, 5:30pm, $20

Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience, 7pm, $13.75-$20

904 15TH sT., (916) 443-2797

MOnday-Wednesday 4/1-4/3

New Wave Society, 9pm, $5

1119 21sT sT., (916) 341-0277

old ironsides

sunday 3/31

Gamelan Sekar Jaya College Night Wednesdays, 9pm, W, $5-$10

Gwen in Doubt, Steel Breeze and Anthem, 1pm, $6-$8

Rogue, 2pm, $6-$8

Stevie Redstone and the Ramblers, 9pm, $10

You Front the Band, 8pm, no cover

Scott McConaha, 5:30pm, T, call for cover; Tropicali Flames, 8:30pm, W, $6

Will Ackerman, 2pm, $12-$48

Australian Chamber Orchestra, 7:30pm, M, $18-$62

7:30pm Thurday, $22-$42 Harris Center Balinese

all ages, all the time 1417 r sT., (916) 930-0220

the colony

Garble, Hatchet Job and Riot Radio, 8pm, call for cover

3512 sTOcKTOn Blvd.

harris center

10 cOlleGe PKWy, fOlsOM, (916) 608-6888

Gamelan Sekar Jaya, 7:30pm, $22-$42

Mondavi center

Lara Downes and Theo Bleckmann, 8pm, $10-$35

1 sHields ave., davis, (530) 754-2787

shine

1400 e sT., (916) 551-1400

silver orange

922 57TH sT., (916) 228-4169

The Shine Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

Hair of the Dawg, Melonnee Desiree and Gillian Underwood, 8pm, $8

George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, 7pm, T, $32.50-$125 Bitter Loa and Itlookslikeablackhole, 8pm, $8 Kilroi, Mastoids, Paper Airplanes and Orange Peel, 6pm, $5

Speak Out Sacramento Open-Mic Night, 8pm, W, no cover

PHOTO cOurTesy Of MOndavi arTs

Ukulele Orchestra 6:30pm Friday, $10 Mondavi Center Contemporary classical

Live music grand opening Dining & Full Bar

Sunday Jazz March 31 3N1

Live MuSic March 27 Harley White April 3 Vocal Allstars

910 Second Street | Old Sacramento ambiancesac.com Booking BandS now! caLL 916.793.8157 03.28.19 | SN&R | 43

Everyone loves cute animals, but uncute animals get less love.

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For more cannabis news, deals & updates visit capitalcannabisguide.com

education is fun-damental see goatkidd

Makeup artist Ari Dee paints model Nicole Nygaard in front of Temple Coffee Roasters on K Street.

women and the weed stigma

Photo by J.M. knudsen

Three women break down stereotypes often associated with cannabis consumption in their creative fields

by Olivia MOnahan

47

a photo shoot. She talked about her career, her use of cannabis and how she found the courage to step into her purpose.

“There is nothing more difficult than having to turn someone’s idea into a fullfledged, walking, talking version,” Dee says of transforming clients’ looks as a makeup artist.

Cannabis gives her that extra push of inspiration. “You take a hit, you inhale and you start to like ... feel the blood flowing to different parts of your brain,” Dee says.

“All of a sudden, that Alice-in-WonderlandLost-in-Space inspiration your client wants doesn’t feel so crazy. I think weed gives you a superpower ... the power to see the forest for the trees.”

That superpower extended well beyond the mental for Dee, as her voice drops when she begins to describe her seizures caused by epilepsy.

“They had gotten bad, and were frequent you know? They used to affect me a lot more … but I started noticing that once I started smoking weed, especially indicas, things really changed for me,” she says. “I don’t think I would be able to get done half of what I do now.”

In fact, Dee was home smoking a blunt when she decided to take the first steps as a makeup artist all those years ago.

“I was at home smoking, and I noticed folks kept tagging me on this local makeup artist’s page ... I wanted to get into makeup, but I couldn’t get the courage,” Dee says. “... All of a sudden, that day, in

49

weed’s bad rap see ask 420

that moment, I was like fuck it. I messaged her and have been doing make up ever since.”

meet katy karns Karns is a performer, comedienne, neuromuscular therapist, photographer and creator of SYoga. Syoga is a biweekly class dedicated to deep breaths and a deeper understanding of the benefits of cannabis. It meets at Hot Pot Studios on 16th street. The studio is also a private residence, allowing Karns the freedom to infuse her classes in a way that most cannot—with THC. Over breakfast and blunts, Karns spoke about the first time she smoked weed and how the experience opened her up to a new perspective.

“I had basically lied my way into this Girl Scout troop on campus because they were going to Europe. Most of the girls were pretty straight-laced, but there was this one, the rebel. We got along really well,” Karns recalls. “We were at her house the night before some fundraiser ... and her friend calls and invites us all to some party. We get there and her friends pull out this huge bong … I took this huge hit and it was like my entire body started moving and adjusting. I remember saying, ‘Oh, OK. I get it now.’” “women and the weed stigma” continued on page 47 Photo courtesy oF katy karns

there is still a stigma tied to smoking weed. As a Latinx, a mother and a freelance writer, that stigma often attaches to my identity in others’ view.

Cannabis is for more than “getting high.” Cannabis is a practice in self-care, a moment in time to breathe and center. In those moments I have unlocked a multitude of benefits directly tied to the effects of cannabis. It has quelled my anxiety and helps me stay present for my children. It has helped me get to know myself better through deeper thinking, and it’s part of my daily creative process.

With recreational legalization, cannaculture is now primed for an unpacking of the previously held stigmas of laziness, lesser intelligence, and in black and brown communities especially, cannabis use

being deemed as “ghetto.” To explore how cannabis has helped others, I asked three women who use their creativity in various ways in Sacramento. They are healers, givers, guides, artists and consummate professionals—they just happen to smoke weed in the process.

meet ari dee An extremely talented freelance makeup artist and curator, Dee often travels between Los Angeles and the Bay Area for gigs. She also works on a pop-up gallery show with Love Is A Verb, an all Latinxbased arts collective.

Over blunts and blush brushes, Dee expertly smoothed and shellacked my face into the chola goddess I had envisioned for

Yoga instructor Katy Karns lights up in her environment.

03.28.19 | SN&R | 45

If a goat could talk, do you think it would still hang out with the other goats?

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April Walker aka SpaceWalker just returned from SXSW where she freestyled on Sway in the Morning.

Photo by karloS rene ayala

for me. It helped me come out of my shell so I could get the courage to jump on stage and perform. It’s really guided me through a lot of It was through marijuana and her yoga personal growth.” practice that Karns found her true calling.

Walker just returned from SXSW, where “The ‘S’ stands for slowly stretching and she appeared on Sway in the Morning. She’s strengthening while stoned. I love it because also in talks to produce a tarot card deck, all the classes tend to be made up of yoga while working on curating new shows and practitioners who want to be stoned, or stoner performance pieces for the future. practitioners who want to do yoga,” Karns “Do you ever stop and think about where says. “Both are trying to find the balance to you are? Like, where you are right now … heal. My purpose is to be able to guide for 5-year-old April?” she asked. both sides.”

“This is all I ever wanted ... To “This is it you know?” be able to look back and go Karns says excitedly, ‘Oh, I’ve already made it.

“Weed really helped “This is what I want. I I made it all along.’ It’s love everything that that process for me. so important to be able I am involved in … stop, take a hit and It helped me come out of but this is what I just see that in the my shell so I could get the want to do with my moment.” life.” courage to jump on stage and An established blogger in cannaperform. ” culture, Lindsay Meet April Maharry broke April Walker aka SpaceWalker down the stigma in hip-hop artist Walker one simple form. When Walker is a Sacramentoconducting a survey of based singer, writer, readers in late 2018, most producer, painter and healer. women admitted they still felt Over some stories and spliffs on a porch “shame” while smoking because of public in Oak Park, Walked shared how cannabis perception. helps her through the journey of self“The relationship between women and discovery, the calming of her mind and the weed is a complex one, where an inherent opening of the third eye. symbiosis between the medicinal power of “Weed, just like with every other kind of cannabis and health issues specific to women medicine, I had to figure out the levels you has been overshadowed by fear of judgment know? But I used to be on hella anti-depresfrom society …” Maharry wrote in an article sants and … this is honestly the most healthy for MerryJane.com in March 2018. “… and grounded that I have ever felt,” Walker However, the Green Rush is transforming a says. “The meds used to really fuck with my once socially contentious relationship.” creativity. It blocked up my neural pathways For many women, cannabis and creativity like some crazy traffic jam, and it kept me seem to go hand-in-hand. It has the ability from being able to move ideas forward. to heal, to enhance creativity and to ground Now… those channels are unblocked you people. All it takes is a little love, a little know? The weed really helped that process knowledge and maybe a little Sour D. Ω “WOMEN AND THE WEED STIGMA” cONTINuED frOM pAGE 45

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By Ngaio Bealum

as k 420 @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Reefer madness?

Does weed cause psychosis or not? I am so confused right now.

A little birdie told me you are in Amsterdam.

How is it?

—Auntie D. PressAnt

—V. LAmme sfrites

Eh. I could’ve sworn we went over this just a little while ago. It seems like every week, some scientist is trying to prove that weed is bad for you, despite thousands of years of data and experience showing that cannabis is a fairly benign substance.

For the last time: Weed does not cause psychosis. That’s it. The Lancet publishes a study claiming that daily use of high potency cannabis can make someone three times more likely to experience some sort of psychotic episode (delusions, paranoia, yadda yadda) and people lose their minds.

Everyone needs to calm down.

Daily experience has shown me that most people handle their weed just fine.

And according to what Ian Hamilton (University of York mental health and addiction specialist) told Popular Science magazine, the odds of a heavy cannabis user having a psychotic episode are about 1 in 20,000. I will take those odds.

But if you are worried about it, there are things you can do, like smoke less weed, or make sure your pot has a decent CBD content. Philip McGuire, professor of psychiatry and cognitive neuroscience at King’s College London, told CNN this: “If healthy volunteers are given THC this induces transient psychotic symptoms like paranoia. However, if volunteers are given CBD beforehand, this blocks the induction of psychotic symptoms by THC.” So, the answer is: If you are very unlucky, weed might freak you out, but if you are smart you can take steps to beat the odds. Good luck.

It’s very nice. I think it’s spring break because the place is freaking crowded. The weed is still illegal, but tolerated. My friend Derrick from the VOC (a Dutch organization similar to NORML) seems to think that full legalization isn’t very far away, though I wonder if legality would wreck the coffee shop scene, because almost all the hash in the Netherlands comes from Morocco. Mmmmm, Moroccan hash.

Where was I? Oh yeah. The prices are similar to California, 10 to 16 euros a gram, which is like $12 to $20. You can also buy a preroll (all weed, weed and tobacco, or hash and tobacco are the general options) or sit at the table and roll your own.

A lot of the regular non-weed selling bars and nightclubs seem to have a super relaxed attitude about people smoking in their lounges, so that’s nice. My only gripe is that there is a lot of weed I want to try, but I’m not trying to wreck my travel budget by buying 100 grams of weed.

I would love it if clubs (all the clubs, worldwide) could maybe offer a “weed flight,” like a bong hit or two or four or five different strains for the flavor chasers of the world. Just thought I would throw that into the universe. Ω iLLuStratioN By katE mitraNo

Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

@Ngaio420

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FRee will aStRology

aSk joey

by ROb bRezsny

For the week oF March 28, 2019 ARIES (March 21-April 19): Kermit the Frog from

No love connection

by JOey GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

destination (a forever commitment) isn’t I was in the dating phase with this girl and after several dates she randomly promised. hit me with the “I’m not ready to be in a Let’s tune into you: Beneath your relationship” talk. wtF?! If she knew she indignation sits a pool of hurt that needs didn’t want to be in a relationship, why your attention. Soften your heart. Admit to was she dating me? yourself that you really wanted this relationShe was lonely. She was bored. She allows ship to work out. Notice if you read things life to happen to her instead of getting clear into her words and behavior instead of on what she wants and going for it. Maybe telling her how you felt, what you hoped for she believes she doesn’t have the chutzpah, and asking what she wanted. Explore your the personal power, the self-confidence to own capacity for the unexpected. pursue her dreams, to turn the dreams into Did her response really come out of goals and the goals into her reality. nowhere? Or did your intuition give you Only she knows. But that knowledge hints that you tuned out? Some of the may be buried so deep beneath frustration you feel may be at yourher fears, her coping self for pushing your intuition mechanisms, her away. If so, own it. Then, unhealed wounds that change: Practice listening The truth is, it may never rise to the wise voice within to the surface of every day so that when relationships begin her awareness. you need to hear it you and relationships end.

And she may can. One technique is Enjoy the journey because never possess the to meditate without drive to become music, apps or other the destination (a forever emotionally intistimulation. Walking commitment) isn’t mate with herself, in nature unaccompromised. may never yearn panied by electronic to know who she is devices also enhances the behind her public face, inner ear. Another technique nor invest in the sometimes is to stay aware of your thoughts gut-wrenching but ultimately and feelings as you engage in conversaempowering work of self-discovery. tions with others. Eventually, you will Or she is clear on exactly the kind of look back at this breakup and be glad man she desires. When the two of you met because it guided you toward learning and began dating, she might have thought about love. Ω there was a match between her preferences and you. Over time, she noticed gaps that caused her to pull away. She just didn’t MedItatIoN oF the week have the interest, the strength of character to explain. It’s also possible that she fears confrontation and so chose not to communi“If I didn’t define myself for cate honestly. myself, I would be crunched into All of this is just a riff, of course, on other people’s fantasies and the various reasons connections don’t work eaten alive,” said Audre Lorde.

Who do you think you are? out. The truth is, whatever her reasons are, they’re not important for you to know. It’s easy to make up stories so we feel better.

Unfortunately it can become a way to lie to Write, email or leave a message for ourselves. The truth is, relationships begin Joey at the News & Review. Give and relationships end. In between these your name, telephone number births and deaths is the process of deciding (for verification purposes only) and question—all who you want in your life, what you are correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. willing to tolerate in another person, where Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email your boundaries are and what love means askjoey@newsreview.com. to you. Enjoy the journey because the 54 | SN&R | 03.28.19

Sesame Street is the world’s most famous puppet. He has recorded songs, starred in films and TV shows and written an autobiography.

His image has appeared on postage stamps and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kermit’s beginnings were humble, however.

When his creator Jim Henson first assembled him, he consisted of Henson’s mom’s green coat and two halves of a white ping pong ball. I mention this because the current astrological omens suggest that you, too, could make a puppet that will one day have great influence. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. Here’s the whole truth: Now isn’t a favorable time to start work on a magnificent puppet. But it is a perfect moment to launch the rough beginnings of a project that’s well-suited for your unique talents.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus businessman Chuck Feeney made a huge fortune as the entrepreneur who co-developed duty-free shopping. But at age 87, he lives frugally, having given $8 billion to philanthropic causes. He doesn’t even own a house or car. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to follow his lead in the coming weeks. Be unreasonably generous and exorbitantly helpful. APRIL FOOL! I exaggerated a bit. While it’s true that now is an extra favorable time to bestow blessings on everyone, you shouldn’t go overboard. Make sure your giving is artful, not careless or compulsive.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Now is a perfect time to start learning the Inuktitut language spoken by the indigenous people of Eastern Canada. Here are some key phrases to get you underway. 1. UllusiuKattagit inosek! Celebrate your life! 2. Pitsialagigavit, piggogutivagit!

Because you’re doing amazing things, I’m proud of you! 3. Nalligijauvutit! You are loved!

4. Kajusitsiatuinnagit! Keep it up! APRIL FOOL! I lied. Now isn’t really a better time than any other to learn the Inuktitut language. But it is an important time to talk to yourself using phrases like those I mentioned. You need to be extra kind and super positive toward yourself.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When he was 20 years old, Greek military leader Alexander the Great began to conquer the world. By age 30, he ruled the vast territory between Greece and northwest India. Never shy about extolling his own glory, he named 70 cities after himself. I offer his example as a model for you. Now is a favorable time to name clouds after yourself, as well as groves of trees, stretches of highway, buses, fire hydrants, parking spaces and rocks.

APRIL FOOL! I got a bit carried away. It’s true that now is a good time to assert your authority, extend your clout and put your unique stamp on every situation. But I don’t recommend that you name entire cities after yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Now is an excellent time to join an exotic religion. How about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which believes that true spiritual devotion requires an appreciation of satire? Or how about Discordianism, which worships the goddess of chaos and disorder?

Then there’s the United Church of Bacon, whose members exult in the flavor of their favorite food. (Here’s a list of more: tinyurl.com/ WeirdReligions.) APRIL FOOL! I wasn’t entirely truthful. It’s accurate to say that now is a great time to reinvigorate and transform your spiritual practice. But it’s better if you figure that out by yourself. There’s no need to get your ideas from a bizarre cult.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Studies show that people who love grilled cheese sandwiches engage in more sexual escapades than those who don’t.

So I advise you to eat a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, because then you will have more sex than usual. And that’s important, because you are now in a phase when you will reap huge healing benefits from having as much sex as possible. APRIL FOOL! I lied when I implied that eating more grilled cheese sandwiches would motivate you to have more sex. But I wasn’t lying when I said that you should have more sex

than usual. And I wasn’t lying when I said you will reap huge benefits from having as much sex as possible. (P.S. If you don’t have a partner, have sex with your fantasies or yourself.)

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you ever spend time at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, you’ll get a chance to become a member of the 300 Club.

To be eligible, you wait until the temperature outside drops to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

When it does, you spend 20 minutes in a sauna heated to 200 degrees. Then you exit into the snow and ice wearing nothing but white rubber boots, and run a few hundred feet to a ceremonial pole and back. In so doing, you expose your naked body to a swing of 300 degrees. According to my astrological analysis, now is an ideal time to pull off this feat. APRIL FOOL! I lied. I’m not really urging you to join the 300 Club. On the other hand, I do think it’s a favorable phase to go to extremes for an authentically good cause.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scientific research shows that if you arrange to get bitten by thousands of mosquitoes in a relatively short time, you make yourself immune. Forever after, mosquito bites won’t itch you. Now would be an excellent time for you to launch such a project. APRIL FOOL! I lied. I don’t really think you should do that. On the contrary. You should scrupulously avoid irritations and aggravations, especially little ones. Instead, immerse yourself in comfort and ease. Be as free from vexation as you have ever been!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If allowed to do what comes naturally, two rabbits and their immediate descendants will produce 1,300 new rabbits in 12 months. In five years, their offspring would amount to 94 million. I suspect that you will approach this level of fertility in the next four weeks, at least in a metaphorical sense.

APRIL FOOL! I stretched the truth a bit. There’s no way you will produce more than a hundred good new ideas and productions and gifts. At the most, you’ll generate a mere 50.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The weather is warm year-round and the crime rate is low on Pitcairn, a remote South Pacific island that is a 30-hour boat ride away from the nearest airport. The population has been dwindling in recent years, however, which is why the government offers foreigners free land if they choose to relocate.

You might want to consider taking advantage of this opportunity. APRIL FOOL! I was exaggerating. It’s true that you could get major health benefits by taking a sabbatical from civilization.

But there’s no need to be so drastic about it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You don’t have to run faster than the bear that’s chasing you.

You just have to run faster than the slowest person the bear is chasing. OK? So don’t worry!

APRIL FOOL! What I just said wasn’t your real horoscope. I hope you know me well enough to understand that I would never advise you to save yourself by betraying or sacrificing someone else. It’s also important to note that the bear I mentioned is entirely metaphorical in nature. However, I do want you to know that there are effective ways to elude the symbolic bear that are also honorable. To discover them, meditate on calming down the beastly bear-like qualities in yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Now is a favorable time to disguise yourself as a bland nerd with no vivid qualities, or a shy wallflower with no strong opinions, or a polite wimp who prefers to avoid adventure. Please don’t even consider doing anything that’s too interesting or controversial.

APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is, I hope you’ll do the opposite of what I suggested. I think it’s time to express your deep authentic self with aggressive clarity. Be brave and candid and enterprising.

Houses are larger than you’d think. Heavy, too. And sometimes they’re red.

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