Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is a musician's musician. The prodigy started playing music at age 3 and got his big break at age 4 sharing the stage with Bo Diddley. "It was so long ago I can't remember," said Andrews, now 24. "I remember my mom saying I was playing (trombone) and some people crowd-surfed me to the stage, and they put me on the stage, and that was it." He earned his name because he could play a trombone before even being as tall as the horn. Sunday night, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue will play their high-energy set at Harlow's. Opening will be The Nibblers, a seven-piece rock band led by local singer Hans Eberbach and Mumbo Gumbo members Lynn Michael Palmer, Jon W

G. Love and Special Sauce brought summer early to Harlow's Wednesday night. A packed house of several hundred people crammed into the nightclub, body heat permeating an otherwise chilly winter night. Button-up T-shirts and hats were popular among the mostly 20- and 30-something crowd, most of whom were ironically watching a Winter Olympics ski event by the bar. Redeye Empire, a Vancouver-based rock group, left the stage a little after 9 p.m. Anticipation grew for T-shirt clad Garrett "G. Love" and his laid-back, summertime-blues band Special Sauce, while images on TV of a snowy Vancouver mountain captivated the crowd, drawing collective "oohs" and "aahs." At about 10 p.m., G. Love kicke

G. Love & Special Sauce have been touring for nearly 20 years but you probably never heard of them, and that's okay, they aren't mainstream, and probably really don't want to be. G. Love, aka Garrett Dutton, hails from Philadelphia and oddly enough, cracked off about the same time another great band from Philly started making rounds, The Roots. Now that I think about it,  The Roots played with G. Love & Special Sauce at the Honda Free Ski Tour back in '07. The band's style is super chill, blending blues and hip hop, R&B, a little folk and a pinch of rock 'n' roll to keep it steady. The band's sound is gritty, organic and the free-style flow is fun. There's not much heavy about this music

Over the last few years, the term "hip hop is dead," has been thrown around more than the neighborhood football. In an age of technology where making a simple beat with a bootlegged audio production application and altering your voice with Auto-Tune in order to sound like T-Pain is enough to get "bedroom rappers/producers/djs" signed, it's no wonder people are beginning to feel like the art is lost. While most people are tossing around this insult to hip hop, few are offering any sort of solution. I say few, because there are some purists out there who are putting in the effort, energy and time to study where hip hop started, where it has been and where it is going. He calls for somethin

By the time Mutaytor began playing a little before 10 p.m. Thursday, it was unclear who was a member of the band: The woman with the gothic Lolita get-up? Probably. The guy dressed as a sadomasochistic clown? Absolutely. The guy in all vinyl, wearing a cowboy hat with glowing LED lights? Apparently, just a fan. It wasn't a Black Rock City-run show, it was put on by Abstract Entertainment. But that didn't stop about 100 people from thinking it was Burning Man. Mutaytor, the dance orchestra/visual art project born in Black Rock Desert at the Burning Man festival, was visiting Sacramento for the first time, playing at Harlow's. Though Mutaytor didn't have its entire team of pyrotechnicians,

The crowd screamed louder with anticipation Wednesday night at Harlow's as X took the stage in front of a packed house. For a band that hasn't released a new album with original material in over four years and hasn't performed in Sacramento for over two years, the crowd surprisingly sang along to most songs. For over an hour, including an encore, singer Exene Cervenka, singer-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer B.J. Bonebrake performed over 15 songs from their albums including two Christmas songs, Jingle Bells and Santa Claus. Fans from all over Sacramento came for the X show. Sacramentan Craig Russell has seen X countless times beginning in the early 1980s when he lived i

To call Exene Cervenka a “punk rocker” doesn’t begin to describe her complex and multi-faceted artistic career. It’s true that Cervenka is a vocalist and songwriter for the band X, a pioneering Los Angeles punk group that formed in 1977. But Cervenka is not just “punk” or “rocker”: she’s also a folk musician, poet and visual artist who thinks about what it means to create art as she gets older. Cervenka, who will appear with the original line-up of X at Harlow’s on Dec. 29, talked to The Sacramento Press about plans to make new music with the band and her thoughts and emotions relating to her work. In the interview, she also talked about her recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and how

Jackson Road, an indie alt-rock band that originated in Sacramento, has taken a leap of faith. Their sophomore album, 'Take Flight,' was released late this year amidst the bandmates' sprawling personal ventures. You may even question whether divinity had a hand in the matter when you consider that the album took shape while Lead guitarist Ted Weldon began a bold and ambitious new series of artwork, drummer Christian Peters embarked to Southern California to begin an intensive music study, and Singer/Guitarist Nate Weldon re-teamed with the Tahoe Hotshots - an elite group of wilderness firefighters. While many of the songs on 'Take Flight' do reflect the feel and rhythm of the bands' first

Eddie Money entertained a full house and fans of all ages Thursday at Harlow's. The "Acoustic Christmas" tour featured classic chart-topping singles by Money, who's been entertaining people for more than 30 years. Over the decades, the rock 'n' roll legend has managed to maintain his iconic, raspy voice and the energy level of a teenager. Fans danced to Money’s classic hits, including "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Take Me Home Tonight" and, my favorite, "Shake In." The concert benefited California's Toys for Tots Foundation. Items autographed by Money were auctioned after his 15-song set. The singer voiced gratitude for fans' support and loyalty over the years, repeatedly thanking them in

In 1987, aspiring rapper Timothy Parker met DJ Xavier Mosley in economics class at Kennedy High School in Sacramento. Parker became MC Gift of Gab and Mosley became DJ Chief XCel and together they formed Blackalicious. In the two decades since that time, the duo has become one of the most beloved groups in hip hop, praised for bringing intelligence back to a music form sometimes panned for its shallowness. Rolling Stone called Gift of Gab a "phenomenal lyricist who could battle any of today's multi-platinum-selling MCs," and the Village Voice called XCel "technically miraculous." Gift of Gab, Mr. Lif and Chali 2na (Jurassic 5) will play Monday at Harlow's in a show hosted by fellow rappe

Local bands came together Monday night to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson by playing his music to a packed house at Harlow's. About 250 people filled the room to listen to nearly 40 of Jackson's songs performed by 13 different bands. Some of the more popular songs -- "Dirty Diana" and "I'll Be There," among others -- were played twice to a lively crowd of dancing fans. Upon entering, one could already hear Jackson's songs, both originals and covers, filling Harlow's in-house speakers. Jerry Perry, promoter and a self-proclaimed "big Jackson fan" picked and introduced all the bands starting with Absolute Zero, a four-piece of high-school-age musicians. Each band played between on

The spirit of the '60s was alive Thursday night as the Artistic Differences theater company staged a dizzying performance of the musical Hair to a sold-out crowd. Second in a series of three summer concerts entitled "Summer of Rock," Hair incorporated the entire Harlow's audience. A six-piece rock band backed a cast of 17 singers who danced through a standing-room-only crowd of more than 250 people. The "tribal rock concert" opened with a live Jimi Hendrix-like performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" reminiscent of the Woodstock version. It flowed seamlessly into "Aquarius," a hit song in 1969. Hair's plot revolves around Claude (multiple actors), an East Village New Yorker who receiv

Peace, love, war, sex and hair -- Sacramento will have a one-night opportunity to revel in hippie counterculture at Harlow's Thursday night. "HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical" will rock the nightclub in the form of a concert. Local theater company Artistic Differences will perform musical numbers from "HAIR" as part of the company's Summer of Rock series, which kicked-off with "Tommy" at the Crest on Memorial Day. Many of the original cast members from the company's five-week run of the show in 2007 will return to sing the numbers, accompanied by a seven-piece band.   "HAIR" the musical brings to light a group of young flower children who band together as a "tribe" in the East

Twisting hundreds of knobs, playing several keyboards, and filtering sound through two Apple laptops, The Crystal Method worked at a frenzied pace entertaining the hyped crowd inside Harlow's on Tuesday night. The diverse crowd donned sunglasses, earplugs, glowing necklaces and even light emitting shirts as The Crystal Method wowed them, distorting breakbeats to perfection and putting on a dazzling performance. DJ LA RIOTS opened the show at 8 p.m. to a nearly empty dance floor. As the clock neared 10, the crowd had grown substantially in anticipation for The Crystal Method. Nearly 150 people on the floor and 50 more in the seats cheered as The Crystal Method crept through ambient fog o

Why should you see The Crystal Method on a week night at Harlow's? Band member Scott Kirkland gives a modest reply: "I know the economy's bad, and it's on a Tuesday night, but it's a real big show." What speaks more than an intimate show at Harlow's is the band's longevity. According to Kirkland, "longevity," is still the band's greatest achievement. Over the last 15 years, the band has cut four albums, three remix albums and scored two No. 1 records. A platinum record and a Grammy nomination have also been bestowed on the band. Now on tour to support its latest album Divided By Night, the electronic music duo got an unexpected start in a grocery store. Ken Jordan and Kirkland met in t

This Wed night at 8:00, SactoTalent.com produces another Variety Show at harlows Nightclub on 27th & Jst.featuring local acts. This time we hear fromt the band "NewSpace Quartet", bringing their great music to the stage. Throughout the show you will be entertained by several unique music talents...Singer Ava Lemert sings a little R&B, Erika Davis sings while her dance troupe captures the audience with their provocative dance moves, and Jessica Jolia uses her talent to sing some new hits....it will be amazing. That's not all!   We also have some great comedy from  Cheryl "The Soccer Mom'" and some edgier hip comedy from Woody Laughnan. So come on by for a couple drinks, an evening of good

Tonight's Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting could flare up over ongoing conflicts between two opposing groups. At the same time, Marshall Park neighbors and other residents will look to the city for answers after violence broke out outside J Street bars and outdoor concerts were held over the weekend without notice to residents, just weeks after controversial Midfest and Cinco de Mayo events. The two groups -- organized neighborhood association members and business interests -- have tried in the past to work out differences involving the neighborhood impacts of a block of J Street bars and restaurants. More problems and concerns arose over special events held in the area in May. Now a

Sacramento has long been devoid of an opportunity to see and enjoy live shows which feature a variety of local talent. Now we have it!Harlows Nightclub, downtown on J st., now features Variety Shows on alternating Weds. nights. The next is on June 3rd with another following on June 17th. These fun shows include a local band to focus the crowd and raise the energy in the room. Then they present a singer to share a couple songs; followed by one of the areas better comedians. Now the show is really moving, they put on stage another singer or two, another comic and finish with the Band playing off the night with another set of music. It is a full night of unique fun. What makes this special i

Relentless, dedicated, original and professional are a few words that describe the band called Sol’Jibe. With more than 200 shows and festivals under their belts world-wide, they bring their unique flavor of international music to Harlows; a show that will sure to be talked about all summer.   After driving 15 hours straight from their last show in Washington, they arrived last night in Sacramento where we met for dinner at Aura for some tasty pizzas. There’s a reason they’ve been called the hardest working band around. They’ve won “Best Band in the Reno News & Review Reader’s Choice” three years in a row. Last year, they stole the show at the High Sierra Music Festival with a review stat

Although many of the events this weekend do not really reflect the true meaning of the foundation of this holiday, there are still some great things to do! Whatever your plan is this weekend, do take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day is about and be thankful for our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for the sake of our country. Just in case you aren't sure as to what Memorial Day is all about and why it is a National Holiday, here is the definition from Wikipedia: "Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near