This past Friday I attended my first Concerts in the Park of the year. The evening was spent with great friends, family and a full evening of phenomenal musical performances. I could hear I'm Dirty Too playing from a block away before arriving at Cesar Chavez Plaza. I hurriedly made my way to the park entrance on 10th and I streets. My hurry was to no avail as I had to wait in a long line for 15 minutes for security to check everyone coming in. Once inside I noticed a thirst had been built up so I got in line to purchase some drink tickets. After a short wait in line I got a drink and walked around the park. Several food trucks and specialty food stations lined the park near 9th and

As the month of July comes to a close, so does the 21st season of the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. The city’s longest-running, outdoor music festival will come to a close on July 27th. The final concert will be headlined by local favorites The Brodys, who will bring their retro-pop sound to Cesar Chavez Plaza in their 15th Concerts in the Park appearance. Opening for The Brodys are local bands WRING and Hero's Last Mission. The free, all-ages concerts will take place 5 pm to 9 pm this Friday night. “It’s been an amazing Concerts in the Park season,” said Annie Stuckert, DSP Senior Manager of Event Operations and Development, “We entered our 21st year with record attendance, hugely p

Concerts in the Park is about to close the 2012 season. The last concert will be held on Friday, July 27. The July 20 concert has Walking Spanish, Jack and White, Autumn Sky and features CrookOne. The season finale will feature The Brodys, Early States, Hero’s Last Mission and features Chaotic Fusion. This has been one of the most well attended seasons of Concerts in the Park also still known by many as Friday Night Concerts. The July 13 show included The Left Hand, A Single Second, The Walking Dead, Another Damn Disappointment (ADD) and featured Blackheart. Not only were these dynamic bands on the main stage but the show included performances by Supreme Pro Wrestling (SPW) who had

Welcome to another edition of the "Wake-Up Call," a rundown of items that we're working on, found interesting, or otherwise thought you might want to know about today. As is always the case here at Sac Press, suggestions are welcome. THINGS WE’RE WORKING ON SACTOMOFO 5: According to the SactoMoFo Facebook Page, July 21 will be the biggst mobile food festival the group has yet hosted, with more than 30 Northern California food trucks, live music and, yes, beer. It's going to be held at Sixth and X streets under the freeway again from noon - 7 p.m. We'll have an article next week telling you who's going to be there and what you can look forward to. If you're looking for more mobile food n

This Week’s Friday Night Concert in the Park features headlining act Mumbo Gumbo, which blends roots music with a few classic covers, and Todd Morgan & the Emblems will provide its unique sound, drawn from multiple genres. Rounding out the night will be DJ Mikey Likes It, and the after-party will be at Torch Club. Mumbo Gumbo is a Concerts in the Park Veteran, and the below YouTube clip shows the band playing in Cesar Chavez Plaza. The band blends many styles, including soul, rock, zydeco and afropop, according to the Mumbo Gumbo website. The septet has played for almost 20 years and has released eight albums. Todd Morgan & the Emblems formed in 2007, and singer/songwriter Todd Morg

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. 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 delightin

Have you ever attended Friday Night Concerts in the Park, grabbed a deal at Dine Downtown Week, shopped at the Downtown Farmers Markets, or skated at the Downtown Holiday Ice Rink? Most likely--even if you’ve lived in Sacramento for just a short period of time--you’ve crossed paths with one of these events. But, do you know who puts in all the behind-the-scenes work? It’s the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP), a hard-working organization dedicated to the ongoing preservation and improvement of the Downtown Sacramento area. In addition to producing fun-filled events, the DSP works tirelessly throughout the year to provide ongoing services and programs to the downtown neighborhood, comm

The second Concerts in the Park show of this year was held amidst another record breaking attendance crowd at Cesar Chavez Plaza. Three bands performed on stage while DJ Whores was featured. Once Horseneck took the stage they gave a preview of what music would be like for the evening. Raw, energetic rock was delivered and the audience loved it. Their Facebook page states their influence as being “alcohol and other awesome sh*t” and if that was the case on Friday they showcased some amazing influence. One of my favorite Sacramento bands is Lite Brite and they were at Cesar Chavez Park once again to deliver some basic hard core rock Lite Brite are like transformers on stage. The def

The Friday night summer concerts series returned to Cesar Chavez Plaza. Concerts in the Park returned for the first time without promoter Jerry Perry hosting the event. The music played on Friday, May 4 continues to be as entertaining as ever. Just like Fiesta en la Calle did last year this year’s CIP includes a DJ on site. DJ Shaun Slaughter supplied great music for those in attendance. Slaughter, writes and produces music under D.A.M.B., and also performed at the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival Saturday night. Concerts in the Park began on May 4 and runs every Friday until July 27. Many of last year’s bands return to the venue. Another noticeable difference this year is that

Three bands usually play at the Concerts in the Park series. The scheduled line-up for the Jerry Perry production of the Friday night concerts included the Kings of Sacramento (last minute change), the Freebadge Serenaders and Rick Estrin and the Nightcats headlined the show. The all-ages show, as always, is free to the public and starts at 5 p.m., at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The beer garden was about a third full when the first band was preparing to take the stage. On this evening the Kings of Sacramento were the first band scheduled to perform. I liked the fact that a brass section was on-stage. Accompanying them was a guitar, a keyboard, drummer and a stand up bass. The Kings of Sacramen

Locals boogied to music from Miss Lonely Hearts, Keri Carr and The Golden Cadillacs at Cesar Chavez Park for Concerts in the Park Friday night. The host said that several audience members shook their hips like “country zumba dancers” to each of the bands. Mothers danced with their sons and daughters, couples boogied down and children ran in front of the stage. Around 1,000 people came out to buy food and drinks and enjoy the music. Miss Lonely Hearts band is an experimental country and roots band from Davis. The band includes Wyatt Hesemeyer as the lead singer, Patrick O’Connor on suitcase percussion, Doug Keen on bass and vocals and Keith Cary on lap steel and mandolin. Hesemeyer’s lo

Harlow’s hosted an outstanding evening of music Tuesday night with Exquisite Corps, Musical Charis and Agent Ribbons performing. Jerry Perry put on another great promotion for the many guests that attended the show. Exquisite Corps started the show; actually they did an extended sound check so those who were there got to enjoy some great pre-show music. I’ve seen Exquisite Corps play a couple of times and was intrigued the first time I saw and heard them play. I thoroughly enjoy the mix of the orchestral strings in their music. It makes them unique not only for that but for their overall sound. Their mixture of violins and the deep cello sounds gives their music a rich dramatic sound

Fresh off a tour of Spain and Europe, and having one of their songs featured on a national television show, Agent Ribbons will play Sacramento twice this month. The band is touring the West Coast in support of their 2010 release “Château Crone” The Austin, Texas based duo is playing Harlow’s on May 10 and ten days later at Caesar Chavez Park. The band consists of Lauren Hess (drums, vocals) and Natalie Ribbons (guitar, vocals) and both are Sacramento-area natives, Hess is from Folsom and Ribbons is from Land Park. Hess, 29, lived in Folsom for 15 years and graduated from Folsom High in 2000. In addition, she had her first band while in high school called Miss Conduct. Their music has be

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) conducts several walking Tours in the downtown area. The walking tours introduce visitors to people, places and events that have created California history. DSP’s mission is to establish downtown Sacramento as a vibrant business, cultural and entertainment destination in Sacramento via private and public partnerships consisting of residents, visitors and investors. This Friday they conducted a Rock & Roll History Tour and Pub Crawl. The tour began at the corner of 9th and J Streets at one of the entrances to the Concerts in the Park held at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The walk began at 6 in the evening. By this time, Wahnder Lust had begun their set at t

The Sacramento Public Library, located at 828 I Street, will host an exhibition by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). The exhibition titled “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music” highlights the contributions of Latinos in American music and will be on exhibition from May 25 to August 7, 2011. American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music is a creation by Experience Music Project (EMP) and organized for travel by SITES. The exhibition, its national tour and related programs are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund. A luncheon preview event was held at the Sacramento Public Library on Thursday to introduce the exhibition. Representatives from SI

The last show of the year had 3 bands playing that evening, This Luxury, Phantom Jets and  the Brodys performed Friday night. I got to Cesar Chavez Plaza too late to see This Luxury. Traffic from Folsom to downtown was pretty slow today. Thanks to Jerry Perry for putting on a great lineup week after week. Some of the same people showed up week after week and others were there for the first time, both are included in the shot below. (Mariana, DJ, Amanda, Brendon, Gabe, Damien) The begining of the Concerts in the Park in May signals, to me, the beginning of summer. The last concert of the season likewise may not be the end of summer but for many it's back to shool. Thanks to everyone t

We’re down to the last 3 Concerts in the Park. After the Bastards of Young, Final Summation and Whiskey & Stitches show on Friday the last two shows will be in August. Last year there was talk of the Concerts in the Park going for several weeks after the scheduled events but it only went one week then it stopped. Folsom and El Dorado Hills have Friday Night Concerts as well and they will also end their series in the next couple of weeks (if they haven’t already). For the Friday Night Concert the crowd was small when the Bastards of Young began their performance. With no big crowds, there were no lines to buy beer tickets or to get your beer. Security seems to have increased this week and

One of my favorite Sacramento bands was on the line-up for Friday’s Concerts in the Park. Musical Charis, Prieta and Lite Brite were the headline acts for the evening. We got to Cesar Chavez Park  on time (almost) to catch Musical Charis on stage. The weather, as it has been true in the past few days, was still very warm. Musical Charis had 7 members on stage. Several instruments were being used; a bass, 2-3 guitars, 2 keyboards, drums, and several lead and backup vocals. A definition of charis indicates that it means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech”. I couldn’t think of anything in that definition that did not fit while Musical Cha

Over one hundred degree weather seemed to have kept many Concerts in the Park aficionados at home (or at least indoor at bars across Sacramento). Concerts in the Park’s line up for Friday included Juliana Zachariou, Autumn Sky, Gerald Pease and Kate Gaffney. As I approached Cesar Chavez Plaza tonight I could hear Juliana Zachariou singing in the background. Juliana was runner up in the Jammies 2010 held earlier this year and I've been lucky enough to have seen her performance before. I heard her singing in the distance as I waited for a traffic light to turn green on the corner of I and 10th streets. Just as I was about to cross the street an ambulance was heading toward the intersection

After a small break, The Sacramento Press will be back at Cesar Chavez Park, 10th and J Streets, for Concerts in the Park featuring Kate Gaffney. This free, all-ages outdoor concert series will run every Friday until Aug.13. This week’s show runs from 5-8 p.m. with acts Juliana Zachariou, Autumn Sky, Gerald Please and headliner Kate Gaffney featuring a full, live band. In its 19th year, Friday Night Concerts in the Park still attracts huge crowds from all walks of life. Interesting vendors, delicious food stands, great live music and the ever-popular beer garden make for a fun and inexpensive summer evening. Stop by the Sac Press booth to spin our prize wheel, enter a raffle, and sign u