The needle on the compass of the local beer scene has been pointing East over the last couple of years. Breweries like Knee Deep (Lincoln), Loomis Basin and Auburn Alehouse, as well as craft beer joints like Samuel Horne’s (Folsom) and Boneshaker’s (Rocklin) have been hogging headlines when it comes to new spots. It’s about time to start looking West. “(West Sacramento) has a pretty good reputation of being proactive, it’s just the right size where they can get stuff done,” said A.J. Tendick, a home brewer for the last five years and co-owner of the soon-to-open Bike Dog Brewing Company in West Sacramento. Tendick indicated that the city had proactively zoned industrial real estate spec

Yep. Launch just went “next level.” Does it really surprise anyone? It shouldn’t, if you’ve followed the progression of the Launch Festival over the last couple of years, as it moved from a one day fashion, music and art shindig at the Greens Hotel on Del Paso in 2011, to a weeklong series of individual events around town, culminating in a blowout festival at Cesar Chavez Plaza in 2012. And now, this. Launch and Radio 94.7 dished up the lineup for the 2013 installment of the Launch Festival on Facebook earlier today, and it is a doozie! Those top two spots are going to get the most attention when Launch fires up on September 7 and 8, again at Cesar Chavez Plaza, with hot-charting arena

This is a story that I felt needed to be written – about a story that I feel never should have been. Anyone who was born and raised in Sacramento, or has spent a considerable amount of time living here, is forced to recognize one unfortunate yet immutable truth: Sacramento has long had, or has at least been perceived to have, an inferiority complex to larger cities. In particular, to San Francisco. I’m not saying everyone in Sacramento has it – but if you don’t crack a laugh while trying to tell me that you don’t know anyone in Sacramento that does have it, then I will certainly crack one before you finish your sentence. It’s the age-old mid-size city paradox, often one that’s entirely

It’s hard to avoid this thought from creeping into your head while waiting in line for the elusive and supremely heralded Pliny the Younger: It’s Beer Week in Sactown. There are beer events all over the place. Why the hell are we waiting in line just for six ounces of one beer? Because you can’t unstick it from the roof of your mouth for hours, that’s why. Such is one of many allures of Russian River Brewing’s bellcow triple IPA, annually available only in February at the Santa Rosa brewpub for the first two weeks of the month, and thereafter as one-and-done kegs at select locations in what has become an annual triple hop treasure hunt for beer aficionados – or anyone that just wants to

Are we all ready for the weekend? Whether you're rocking Beer Week or Fashion Week, splitting time between both or playing it a bit more low key, before you get started make sure to check out the list of The Sacramento Press's most-viewed content of the past week. Community Contribution: 5. Former Crest Theatre manager shares history by Alex Cosper -- 4. Cookbook author event series launches in Sacramento by Dawn Balzarano -- 3. Bless Me, Ultima plays at Downtown Plaza's Century Theatres by David Alvaraz -- 2. Kris Allen comes to Sacramento by Edgar Alejandro Hilbert -- 1. Holy Helvetia! Broadway brewery draws packed house by Aaron Davis   Overall: 5. Kris Allen comes to

“I’m not wearing sunglasses because it looks cool,” quipped a clearly emotional Rusty Miller, “I was afraid I’d start crying and I didn’t want you guys to have to see it.” Right there with you, Russ – but it was way too much fun for tears. By this reporter’s count (and I’m fairly confident in my knowledge on this subject), it has been just over three years since Jackpot, the Placerville natives and poster children for Sacramento’s late ‘90s/00’s alt-country Americana revival, has played a formal gig – you have to go back to Thanksgiving Eve of 2009 at Old Ironsides, a traditional pre-turkey day hootenanny that annually left scores of loyal local fans clamoring for gravy as a hangover cur

On just about any given evening, you will find a horde at the Shady Lady. And they’re usually accompanied by a harem...or at least they followed one in the door. So the name of Thursday’s visiting band would seem like a logical fit, no? Putting the cresting waves of jangled indie folk pop churned out by Seattle’s the Horde and Harem on a stage often reserved for jazz, swing and period-themed acts would seem like the end of the comparisons – until you listen a little closer. The Horde and the Harem perform at the Shady Lady, 1409 R Street, on Thursday November 15, getting started around 9 p.m. The band’s intriguing brand of musicianship should be right at home in the land of mint juleps

Writing the script for the San Francisco Giants’ 2012 World Series title run would be a piece of cake – assuming you were prepared to write the script for about a half-dozen different movies at once. It seemed to change every night, and sometimes every inning. Were they David or were they Goliath? Were they the comeback kids or the schoolyard bullies? They were alive and kicking, dead in the water, alive and kicking again, and on and on the cycle went. Which movie was it going to be on any given night over the last few weeks? You had to tune in to find out, every single game. Just like 2010, that’s just what fans in Sacramento did, packing local venues like R15 and Firestone Public House

Late to the party like most of the rest of the world, I first heard the music of Rodriguez in February 2011, in a good friend’s car on a cloudy afternoon driving back from a day hike at Multnomah Falls, just east of Portland, Oregon. On that particular afternoon, “This is Not a Song, It’s an Outburst (or Establishment Blues)” was one of those rare “stop the conversation” songs, the kind that slaps aside whatever it was you were chirping about and forces you to take notice of what you’re hearing. The kind of unique, captivating protest song with a prophetic edge that makes Cat Stevens seem stale. The song appears on “Cold Fact,” a gem of a 1970 album that was his only splash of success –

"On the bright side, we're finally getting some Giants coverage on a national level." Lindol French, you do indeed have a point - albeit one that Giants baseball fans here in Sacramento, in the Bay Area, and around the country would just as soon not have to face, as the team's golden goose is now its Dodger-blue goat. For those who haven't heard, All-Star game MVP and second-place N.L. hitting Melky Cabrera was banned 50 games (essentially the rest of the season) today after testing positive for le juice. The numbers and the accolades with this guy weren't the real story. The now famous jumpsuit-clad Melk Men, the "Got Melk" shirts, the rampant enthusiasm - those were the story. Remembe