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

It was indie night at Ace of Spades this past Wednesday, Nov. 14. From unique female vocalists to experimental post-hardcore, three bands gave Sacramento a great show. Emotion-stricken vocalist Nina Diaz and her band, Girl in a Coma (Phanie Diaz, drums and Jenn Alva, bass), were first to take the stage. All the way from San Antonio, Texas, Girl in a Coma showed a strong and fun female presence. Nina Diaz has a rockabilly style of vocals that, paired with their indie rock sound, puts Girl in a Coma in their own genre. With four studio albums, Girl in a Coma has a mixture of fast-tempo rock songs like “Say” off their first album “Both Before I'm Gone” and slower and more emotional track

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

A few weeks before Minus the Bear’s scheduled appearance at the Boardwalk on Saturday, we called drummer Erin Tate to talk about the new record, touring and the influences of progressive rock, new producers and the fairer sex: SP: So what is an average day like on tour for you guys? E: Depends on the day. It can be anywhere from just sitting around doing nothing and watching movies or sometimes we attempt to write music, which doesn’t happen very often. And sometimes we drink a lot of beer. SP: You just finished recording the new album. What can you tell us about that? E: It took us a really long time. [Laughs] It’s definitely a Minus the Bear record. But it’s kind of the first time we