Hollywood sleaze-rapper Mickey Avalon performed for a huge crowd of die-hard fans at Ace of Spades Friday night, whipping the young crowd into a lustful frenzy with his provocative sing-along raps. Folsom rap duo Ill Effect kicked the show off with some tight rhymes and beats, sounding the best as they flowed over B.o.B's well-known hit "Airplanes," featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore. After a 30-minute delay that had everyone wondering what exactly was going on, rapper Ty$ (Ty Dolla Sign) took the stage. Unfortunately there was nothing spectacular in his short set that made up for the long wait. Highlights included some call-and-response about which side of the crowd was louder and b

The new Ace of Spades Music Venue on R Street has been open for a few weeks, and in typical fashion, rumors have been flying around town that they are in trouble already. Sacramento Press reporter Suzanne Hurt went out last week and got the truth of the matter on the record, and I encourage you to read her story here. Aside from some limitations on the liquor license, imposed by a cautious ABC, Ace of Spades is most certainly open for business, and apparently doing well with its chosen audience. But the business angle is only half the story. The other half is: What's it like to go to a show there? How is it different from Empire and Venue, which previously occupied the space? The main b

Ace of Spades music club recently got its liquor license under limited hours following area residents' concerns about possible problems. On March 3, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) transferred a liquor license to the club, which opened in early February at 1417 R St. The license was transferred from Empire Events, a nightclub operated there by the building's owner, Randy Paragary, and partners from 2004 until February 2010. Ace of Spades' owners, Eric Rushing and Brett Bair, had hoped to serve alcohol at the club until 2 a.m. every night. Under the conditions of the liquor license, the music club must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursday

DGC/Interscope band Escape the Fate will headline the Dead Masquerade tour at Ace of Spades this weekend, joined by support acts Alesana, Motionless In White, Get Scared and Drive A. Las Vegas-based hard-rockers Escape the Fate are touring in support of their self-titled third album and recently released “Issues Remix” EP, featuring remixes of their first single "Issues" done by Jakwob (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lily Allen), LA Riots (Tiesto, The Ting Tings), Wolves At The Gate (The Cure) and Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Muse, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party). The band currently graces the cover of Outburn magazine, which declares, “the band’s new album is a compelling modern day masterpiece.” Bassist

Vacaville natives Papa Roach certainly know how to make an entrance. Friday night at Ace of Spades opening bands Track Fighter and Will Haven had just finished their sets. As Queens of the Stone Age's "No One Knows" played on the PA during the set change before Papa Roach came out, something on stage (a light?) blew with a loud pop, giving off small plumes of smoke and triggering the fire alarm. Cue the firefighters walking through the sold-out crowd a few minutes later, but there was no indication that it was anything more than a precaution. Thankfully it turned out to be a non-issue. The show went on as planned, and guy-linered frontman Jacoby Shaddix and company came out to much love

No discussion on alternative rock circa 2000 would be complete without mention of Papa Roach and their radio-ready hit single “Last Resort,” especially if you were in high school or college during that time. The Vacaville band (also known for singles “Scars,” “Forever” and “Lifeline”) broke out of Sacramento and went on to sell more than 10 million albums worldwide. They return this weekend for a two-night stand at the recently opened venue Ace of Spades, touring behind their seventh album, "Time for Annihilation." More alternative rock than nu-metal now, the band can probably still be counted on to deliver a high-energy rock show filled with heavy guitars, sharp hooks and “guy liner.”

Ace of Spades hosted its second event Saturday night, an "all locals" show called "SacShows Presents: Soundcheck", featuring performances by Oneira, Above The City, Carcerys Vale, Batten Down Your Heart, City of Kings, The Winter Formal and Ten After Two. The theme for the night seemed to be "screamo," and it was delivered in spades (pun intended) with the exception of maybe The Winter Formal, which leans more toward sung vocals. The tattooed and skintight jeans-wearing band members whipped their hair through quick 20- to 30-minute sets, cheered on by pierced and gauged teenage boys and girls, while overly aggressive males swung their fists around and ran into each other hard in the circ

Concerts by the Richard Thompson Electric Trio, Rob Zombie and Papa Roach are already being booked for a new music club called Ace of Spades, expected to open in early February. The 1,000-person-capacity club at 1417 R St. most recently housed Venue, which was open for six or seven months after a $2 million renovation but closed Aug. 13. Its owners – Bob Simpson, Rick and Earl Lobley, and the building’s owner, Randy Paragary – had operated Empire Events Center there since 2004. Tickets are on sale and the shows are being promoted, with the first concert featuring San Francisco rapper Andre Nickatina Feb. 5. Some acts are more hardcore, including deathcore band Whitechapel on its Welcome