Hate him or love him, the guy cranks out the hits. International music sensation Pitbull will be performing live at Sleep Train Arena this Thursday, June 13. The Miami-born entertainer has had number one singles in more than 15 countries. There's no doubt you've heard - and maybe gotten sick of - several on the radio, in a movie, or on TV. "Rain Over Me," featuring Marc Anthony; "Give Me Everything," featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer; "International Love," featuring Chris Brown; and "Feel this Moment," featuring Christina Aguilera, are just a few of his poppy club anthems. His seventh studio album, “Global Warming,” also features the hits "Don't Stop the Party" and "Back in Time," th

     This month’s Second Saturday included a fashion show held at the Spanish Fly Hair Garage’s Fly Fest. The Fly Fest is a special event held every spring highlighting local art and the wonderful hair salon, Spanish Fly Hair Garage, owned by Shannon Martin (who also does styling too). The whole event was a fashion affair. Local bands featured in Karen Wilkinson’s article performed during the event. I especially loved this guitarist’s leather moto jacket from the event.      Before the fashion show, I got my face painted by Jenn Boone of Gypsy Mountain, who drove down from Paradise to support her sister’s salon. She gave me a rainbow eye with faux blue bindis. I am such a sucker for face

Don't let the party stop after you've had your fill of beer and fashion this week, Sacramento! How do tattoos, black face paint, and tight, black leather sound? Good? Then check out Hollywood rock band Black Veil Brides at Ace of Spades next Wednesday, March 6. While seemingly more known to some for their visual aesthetics than their music, these wild-haired bad boys in eye shadow are continually refining their musical style and have seen it evolve from screaming heavy metal to a more anthemic rock sound. They're making a play for the big time with their third album, "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones," an ambitious rock opera à la My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade.

Florida's Hot Water Music has been refining a brand of gravel-throated rock somewhere between punk and post-hardcore (or whatever you want to call it) for nearly 20 years now. On Thursday, Feb. 7, they bring it to the best live music venue in Sac, Ace of Spades. Led by guitarist and vocalist Chuck Ragan and featuring a very tight and complex rhythm section, HWM is touring behind 2012's "Exister," their eighth studio album and first album of new material in eight years. A live album, “Live in Chicago,” was also released in late 2012. Joining HWM on the bill are the indisputably excellent Grand Rapids, Mich., band La Dispute and The Menzingers, from Scranton, Pa. The Menzingers' "On the

Muse came to the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Sacramento Tuesday night to an almost sold out crowd. This was one of several stops in California to kick off their North American Tour. Band of Skulls opened for Muse. They were a great compliment to the headliners. The same old school rock and roll music quality that Muse has in some of their songs is mirrored in this band. The songs focused on instrumental solos and well played transitions almost as much as the lyrics. While this is a relatively new band, having only formed in 2009, I don't think it will be long before they are headlining their own show. They have a raw quality and a unity to their music that makes them special. Muse has be

Eric Church played at the Sleep Train Arena on Saturday, Nov. 10, with special guests Justin Moore and Kip Moore. While I am personally not a fan of country music, I couldn’t help but be a little charmed by the fans who are. Dressed in cowboy boots and hats, it was nice to have the door held open for me and to hear “Excuse me, ma’am,” as I passed by. Church is a very popular country musician, especially with the ladies, so I saw a lot of jumping up and down as crowd members made their way to their seats. Justin Moore started the night off, playing crowd favorites like “Til My Last Day” and “Small Town USA,” which got the audience amped up. Kip Moore followed. One of his more entertaining

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) is back in California for a few days, and they put on a banger of a show last night at Harlow's. I was hoping frontman Nic Offer would be wearing tiny little shorts and I was not disappointed. His pair on Thursday featured The Rolling Stones' “Some Girls” album artwork. Guitarist Mario Andreoni and the rest of the band sounded great. The skinny and lithe Offer thrust his pelvis all over the stage, and came down into the crowd a couple of times to get sweaty with the audience. He smelled awful, and freely admitted as much himself when he got back on stage. If you're wondering about the next !!! album, Offer said they were working on it and it'll be released next y

I can't remember the last time there was an all-day music festival in the city limits with some big-name acts, so I was excited to check out the Monster Energy Aftershock 2012 festival at Discovery Park on Sunday. The bill was a mix of "hard rock" bands on two stages. Performers included FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, Beware of Darkness, Gemini Syndrome, Hell or Highwater, Escape the Fate, Hollywood Undead, Theory of a Deadman, Chevelle, Bush, Deftones, and Stone Temple Pilots. I was especially excited to see Deftones, Bush and STP, since they remind me of being in high school, and they play songs I recognize. Sacramento bands were well-represented (FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, and De

  Read Casey Kirk's take on Wanderlust 2012 here.  Photos by Steven Chea.

The “American Idol” tour came to Sacramento on Saturday, July 21, to Power Balance Pavilion. The tour consisted of the top ten contestants on season 11. Even hours before the show started, you could see fans in self-made “Idol” T-shirts waiting outside Power Balance Pavilion in anticipation of the show. The concert started off with a group number that was sung by all the “Idol” artists except for the winner, Phillip Phillips. The whole crew did covers ranging from “Party Rock” by LMFAO, “That’s What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, and even classics like “Rolling on the River” by Tina Turner. This concert was both fun and vibrant. It contained a level of show quality that was enha

Ace of Spades hosted the tour finale of the Glow Sticks for Breakfast Tour Sunday night, featuring performances by Hyper Crush, Benzi, Silver Medallion and Sacramento band Playboy School. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's DJ project with Spencer Peterson, Black Cards, was also scheduled to perform, but the duo had to pull out a few days before the show due to an ankle injury. Playboy School kicked things off in the early slot with a lukewarm set as people trickled in. Benzi livened the mood up with an electronic/Top 40 set that had a few guys raging, and a while later Silver Medallion came out and grabbed the mic, adding some organic energy to the stage as he ran around, whipping his lo

Critically acclaimed Nashville-based singer/songwriter Mat Kearney has added West Coast dates to his current tour and will make a stop in Sacramento on April 10 at the Colonial Theatre in Oak Park. Sounding at first like a solo effort from Coldplay's Chris Martin, Kearney's latest album "Young Love" is a punchy collection of playful, summer-ready tales of love, pain and redemption. Kearney's current tour has included several sold-out shows at places including the Mayan Theatre in Los Angeles, House of Blues in Boston and Ogden Theatre in Denver. The second single from the album, "Ships in the Night," was recently performed on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and is the featured music in

"We've got quite a set here," announced MUTEMATH vocalist and keyboardist Paul Meany. "We've been around for eight years. That's a lot of songs to choose from!" Quite a set it was. Making an unconventional entrance from the back of the venue with instruments and Christmas lights in tow, the New Orleans electro-alt rock band went on to do a little face-melting for the packed house at Ace of Spades Wednesday night. The Grammy-nominated four-piece put on a sonic and visual spectacle, covering a massive setlist over more than two hours and sampling a bit from all their studio albums and EPs, including all 13 songs from their latest release, 2011's "Odd Soul." Aided by tons of frantic, colo

Hollywood rapper Mickey Avalon headlined a New Year's Eve show at Ace of Spades on Saturday. Supporting Avalon on the bill were 2ME, Richard the Rockstar, and producer Big Chocolate. Photos by Steven Chea.

A couple hundred people wanting to get an early start on 2012 partying headed down to Ace of Spades on Friday, where Oakland musician and frequent Sacramento visitor, Wallpaper., headlined an eclectic bill. Starting the show was Chaotic Fusion, a drummer and DJ duo. DJ Oasis spun radio hits – "Teach Me How To Dougie," "Ghosts 'n' Stuff," "Last Resort" – while Radio 94.7 on-air personality Casey Lewis drummed along to the beat. Performing next was Oakland-by-way-of-Panama Latin rap duo Los Rakas. Rhyming in Spanish over dancehall and hip-hop beats, the up and coming young pair were well-received by the slowly growing crowd. Headliner Wallpaper. took the stage next, with the men of the gr

107.9 The End's Jingle Ball 2011 went down at Power Balance Pavilion on Thursday night. The concert featured performances by JoJo, Breathe Carolina, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, and Selena Gomez. Photos by Steven Chea

If you don't know Dirt Nasty (aka ex-MTV VJ Simon Rex), take a look at some of his song titles and you'll know what you're getting into: "Suck My D***," "Baby D***" and "F*** Me I'm Famous." It was all about the lowest common denominator at Ace of Spades on Saturday, as Nasty rapped for a crowd that was about half full. In addition to genitalia and sex, he also covered themes like cocaine use ("1980") and bestiality ("Animal Lover"). But that’s his shtick, so you were either there for the juvenile party raps or maybe to catch a glimpse of the actor who was in “Scary Movie 4” and an episode of “MTV Cribs.” "He's hot! I don't even know his music. I came for him!" said Melissa Renee, 19.

With the cover art pattern used on their seminal debut LP, "Highly Refined Pirates," as their backdrop, and a light show on acid, Seattle's Minus the Bear thrilled a packed house at Ace of Spades on Monday night. The band is wrapping up their 10 Year Anniversary Tour, celebrating a decade of music and performing “Pirates,” released in 2002, in its entirety. The popular math-rockers put on a tremendous performance for a very jazzed audience. Featuring guitarist Dave Knudson's signature complex finger-tapping guitar work - used on every song on “Pirates,” the band combined powerhouse indie band swagger with down-to-earth Northwestern charm. Songs like "Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Wa

It was a nearly sold-out show at Ace of Spades Sunday night. Thrice, hailing from Irvine, Calif., headlined an excellent post-hardcore bill. Opening for a healthy-sized audience was the band, Moving Mountains, an intriguing group of musicians who captured the room's attention immediately. With a complex and multi-layered sound, their atmospheric rock songs set a great tone for the rest of the night. Atlanta-based O'Brother was musically in the same vein; a melodic three-guitar sonic assault marrying the atmospheric with the distorted. A solid showing, but when they went ambient, they went ambient. At times they seemed to meander as some songs drifted slowly past the five minute mark. Mai

  In the mood for a low-country Regina Spektor-meets-Jimmy Buffett-on-whiskey act followed by a Dave Matthews crossed with a beached-out Buddy Holly number? Well, you can... this coming Tuesday, November 8 at the Naked Lounge in downtown Sacramento (1111 H St.), starting at 8:30. This all ages show features two of California's up-and-coming, on-the-scene singer-songwriters, Jo Elless (www.joelless.com) and Mike Macchia & Tyler Canaday (Mike's Lost and Found, http://www.youtube.com/TheMikeMacchia). Midwest and northeastern roots, with a little dixie thrown in for good measure, Jo Elless is a Berklee-trained multi-instrumentalist who arranges her songs for wind orchestra (all of the instru