Bot from ZuhG (Image by: David Alvarez) Liani Moore of Playboy School at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

If you haven’t made it to Concerts in the Park this year you’re missing out on some of the best music Sacramento has to offer. This past Friday was no exception as DJ X-GVNR entertained the CIP crowd in between acts.

X-GVNR at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

Playboy School was the first band to take the stage. The five member group includes Mackenzie Knoester and Liani Moore backing them was Steve Robinson on guitar, Ian McLachlan on bass and Alexa Golden on drums.

The Sacramento based band started their set with “Chasing Rainbows.” Their original compositions and delivery were energetic, upbeat and included the use of a host of different instruments.

Playboy School delivered enjoyable melodies and later went retro delighting the audience with their rendition of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and with that song many more people joined other dancers who had been motivated by Playboy School tunes.

Fans at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

For those who hadn’t heard Playboy School perform before their eyes and ears were open to a new experience. As Rick Stanley said during their performance, “They’re a terrific band. I think they’re going to make it big one of these days. I’ve never heard of them before but I’m a big fan now, they were terrific. I hope to see them again soon.”

Playboy School's Mackenzie Knoester at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

As Playboy School finished their set I asked Knoester and Moore a few questions in order to find out a little bit more abou the band. When posed a question either or both answered.

I started by asking them to tell me a little about themselves.

We’re a two piece electro pop band from Sacramento. Well we’re actually not two piece, we’re five pieces.

How long have you been together?

January of 2011 we started working on our stuff together and we played our first show with our full band on September of 2011.

What does the band’s name mean or how did you come up with the name?

My dad used to tell me how he wooed my mom. He would be like "We went on our first date. I took your mom up to this vista point on my Gremlin and I took a sharp turn on our way up and she slid right under my arm. I said I learned that at Playboy School. So it’s kind of like Playboy School is where you go to get the ladies. It's where you come and we teach you everything we know."

I hear you’ll be playing at L.A. Pride, when is that?

On June 8th we’re going to be in L.A. Pride on the main stage for the Purple Party, it’s a Friday. The following night June 9th we’re going to be On the Rox in Hollywood.

Do you have any other shows or tours coming up?

We’re playing San Francisco Pride as well and then we’ll be back in Sacramento probably around the end of August or September.

Anything else you’d like to pass on to your fans?

Come to our shows and buy our merch. We love our fans.

Fans at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

Knoester and Moore continued to put away their equipment and talked with other friends who came to congratulate them on a great show.

A few minutes later Element of Soul took the stage to treat the audience to their upbeat reggae tempo tunes. By this time many more dancing areas sprung up around Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Fans at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

The Placerville band played with a lot of energy. Their set was full of vigor as they played danceable grooves. People danced by the stage and others sitting on the grass moved to their brand of music.

Their soulful positive beats have been shared on many stages around northern California and they continue to increase their fan base. Element of Soul recently returned from a tour having played in San Diego before gracing the stage at CIP.

Element of Soul at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

This year’s CIP has seen a great increase in attendance and popularity. Attendance records for CIP have been broken every week and this Friday’s attendance looked as large as previous weeks.

A couple of artists worked on an art piece throughout the event. Jesi Naomi and Stephanie Van Alen shared their talents with passer-bys as they painted a piece near the stage.

Stephanie Van Alen and Jesi Naomi working on an art piece (Image by: David Alvarez)

The last band of the evening was ZuhG and Jesi Naomi was one of the vocalists for the band. ZuhG is made up by several very talented individuals and as a collective they’re one of the best party bands around. ZuhG tends to create an environment that makes all within hearing distance want to dance as they create a party atmosphere.

ZuhG at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

Once ZuhG took the stage CIP became one great big party scene. For a while it looked like people were jumping off the stage, onto the stage and just jumping all over the place. As they played Jimi Hendrix' "Fire" the crowd really went wild and it showcased the musical talents of ZuhG as they jammed during this session.

Fans at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

ZuhG’s blend of reggae, blues, soul and rock created a magnificent mix for the CIP crowd to enjoy. Their stage performance and delivery brought a great end to Friday night.

ZuhG at Concerts in the Park (Image by: David Alvarez)

If you haven’t made it CIP this year you’ve missed a lot of great performances.

Concerts in the Park returns next Friday, June 1 with a CIP 21st Birthday Extravaganza celebration. DJ guests are the Verdugo Brothers and musical guests include Jonny Craig, Track Fighter, Allinaday and Oleander.