“I’m not wearing sunglasses because it looks cool,” quipped a clearly emotional Rusty Miller, “I was afraid I’d start crying and I didn’t want you guys to have to see it.” Right there with you, Russ – but it was way too much fun for tears. By this reporter’s count (and I’m fairly confident in my knowledge on this subject), it has been just over three years since Jackpot, the Placerville natives and poster children for Sacramento’s late ‘90s/00’s alt-country Americana revival, has played a formal gig – you have to go back to Thanksgiving Eve of 2009 at Old Ironsides, a traditional pre-turkey day hootenanny that annually left scores of loyal local fans clamoring for gravy as a hangover cur

Here are some of the many music events happening in the Sacramento area this week. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com. Sacramento Area Concerts & Music Events Defending The Caveman at Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 1000 K Street in Sacramento. Continues WED-SUN. Show times are at 8PM or 7:30PM with some 2PM matinees. Tickets are $33.00 - $48.00. Through Sunday, August 7th: Music Circus presents Camelot at Wells Fargo Pavilion on 1419 H Street Sacramento. Shows at various times. Tickets are $30.00 - $59.00. Beginning Tuesday, August 9th - Sunday, August 14th: Annie Get Your Gun Friday, August 5th: Friday Night Concerts in the Park will featur

Whew! If there are any stories from anyone out there about one of our biggest concert weeks in recent memory here in Sactucky, feel free to share them in the comments section below. Seriously, we want to know who was out gettin’ funky and where (and maybe with who, but keep it clean). Lindol and I took care of you over the weekend reporting back on the Mother Hips gig at Marilyn’s – and we could have done the same about Truth & Salvage Co. last night at Harlow’s, but as he duly pointed out, when it comes to covering that band, our objectivity and impartiality as journalists is somewhere in the gutter next to discarded fliers for the next stage show at Faces, and possibly a used rubber or

Writer’s note: This is a collaborative concert review between Sac Press reporters Lindol French and Aaron Davis. If you’re familiar with Lindol’s frequent concert reviews and the weekly Sactown Rundown, this should really be no surprise. LF: When Aaron first proposed a collaborative concert review, I thought to myself “what is this tall goofy S.O.B. talking about?” But then, myself answered “Say yes, you idiot! He can do all the hard parts, like remembering the songs, making notes about instrument changes et. cetera. You can drink Pabst and throw woo at chicks. It’s a win-win!” So I agreed. AD: Truth be told, I rarely have good ideas, but this one seemed like it would work. So far, utter

Old Ironsides was packed to the gills Saturday night for an epic three-band bill. Two of Sacramento's best young rock bands, Honyock and Walking Spanish, bookended San Francisco darlings Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers. All three played inspired sets, as you would know if you were there. If you weren't, well, you would be well served to attend their next Sacramento gigs.  Honyock is bringing their rare blend of folk, classic and new age rock to the Luna's on Friday, March 4. Walking Spanish will be bringing their searing high-energy indie rock, fronted by Jackie Greene's virtuosic kid bro Alex Nelson, back to Old I for their CD release party on March 25. And Nicki Bluhm and the Grambler

Sweet Jesus, I’ve finally done it – the biggest Sactown Rundown in history. It’s just that kind of a week here in Sacto, friends. With no disrespect to the amount of local talent that pours blood on the stages week in and week out, there were way too many “can’t ignore this” shows coming through town this week – and we’re not even talking about Eric Clapton at Arco or Escape the Fate over at Ace of Spades. Harlow’s is packed, and you’re going to have to pick at least one week night to go to work smelling of cheap hooch and leftover sweat. Did we mention that the initial High Sierra lineup is up? Too much to talk about this week, heads will explode! And much of this coincides with Beer W

Old Ironsides is playing host to San Francisco’s Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers Saturday night. If you haven’t seen Nicki Bluhm perform before, you really should. Here’s your chance. If you have seen Nicki Bluhm perform before, well, then, I don’t have to tell you. I’ll see you guys Saturday. Mrs. Bluhm has been compared to Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell and pretty much every other great leading lady of rock ’n’ roll. She is reminiscent off all of them at times, while retaining a voice all her own — comforting, smoky, velvety, textured, whiskey-tinged, beautiful. The Gramblers most recent album, “Driftwood,” features members of The Mother Hips (including her hu

Snow in Sacto? They tell us it’s coming – but perhaps an equally rare occurrence is the kind of weekends we’ve been having in this town over the last couple of months. You’ll never catch me on the bag-on-our-local-concert-scene bandwagon, but I’d be lying if I said that weekends like these happen all the time in this town, with the Stone Foxes ripping the roof off over at Old Ironsides and ALO thumping a sold-out Harlow’s crowd in the face, both on Saturday night. That’s at least two sold out nights at Harlow’s in the last month. Well done, Sactown! Let’s keep 2011 big and weird! Greensky Bluegrass with Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players – The street cred meter and hipster thermom

“All those doctors and those psychics/ they’re all right and they’re all wrong/ It’s like trying to sing every word/ when you should just hum along.” –Dawes “I fell in love twice/ Once with sex and once with pain.” –Shannon Harney “When a Ford man turns to Chevy/ the angel gets his wings.” –Jonny Corndawg Just another day at the office in Davis, CA – soul snapping indie Americana lyricism with white-hot jams, Its a Wonderful Redneck Life, and sultry hippie chicks who will devour your head after mating (and you will gladly let her). What a night with these three gems at Odd Fellows on Tuesday. Social D who? My partner in crime Lindol French has you covered with a full recap of the show

A story posted this week on SFgate.com tells me that last year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park drew 750,000 heads, which makes up virtually the entire population of San Francisco. Yeah, "misprint" was my first reaction too, but it's legit. Since it has to be assumed that every person in the entire city by the bay didn't go to the festival, it's a safe bet that some of you Sacramento folk were among that three-quarter million, and probably plan on going again this year. And why not? It should be a riot! Problem is, if you're out of town, you're missing a barn-burner of a hootenany of a weekend here in Sactucky. Check it out! The Devil Makes Three with Cornmeal

Jackie Greene has gone from a relatively unknown artist playing the original Marilyn's nightclub on K Street to becoming "Prince of Americana" according to the New York Times, but this Saturday he's back at Marilyn's on K as part of the singer-songwriter duo Skinny Singers. Skinny Singers -- Greene and Tim Bluhm of the NorCal band Mother Hips -- started as a lark by the two friends. They released an album called Skinny Singers Strike Again! in 2007 and play shows when they're not performing with their respective bands. In an email interview, Greene said he enjoys playing with Bluhm because it is "much more relaxed and low-key. It's a good escape from the normal hectic shows." One reason