Beatnik Studios' Final Friday attracted a crowd of over 100 guests to its monthly event. Final Friday featured the artwork of David Mohr, Trent Liddicoat and James Angello. The three artists were present for a meet-and-greet. I had met one of the artists at an artist reception last year at Sol Collective. Liddicoat indicated that his work, along with that of the other two artists, will be exhibited for two months. “I was asked to exhibit because I'm friends with the other artists who are showing and they studied at Sac State with the curator (Kelley O'Connell) who is working here,” said Liddicoat. The self-taught artist shared that he did not attend art school, has been friends with

Sol Collective celebrated eight years of art, culture and activism as well as a recent community leadership award by hosting Word to Your Motherland. The celebration took place on Saturday, Feb. 23 with an art show curated by Nisha K. Sembi and Mandeep Sethi. Art from Word to Your Motherland will be on display at Sol Collective until March 18. The exhibit seeks to embody and inspire new ways of thinking and highlights artist collaboration and interaction with their cultural background. The multimedia showcase was well attended and several guests came from as far away as the Bay Area just to attend the event. Sol Collective invited special guests to a pre-event for the opening of Wo

For those of you who may not know about the Sol Collective, it is a cultural hub in Sacramento. Functioning as an art gallery, community space, and music venue by night, Sol Collective is also a non-profit youth center during the day offering Sacramento's next generation workshops in music production/recording, writing/blogging, urban gardening/sustainability, and art of all kinds. The Sol Collective was started by Director Estella Sanchez over seven years ago out of a necessity. An educator by trade, Estella met some young children (not even teenagers) in the Del Paso Heights area who were selling crack. Heartbroken by the painful realities facing youth in low income neighborhoods, Estell

Local artist Raul Mejia is taking a big step in growing his business by launching his own online brand at www.raulmejia.com, featuring an online store offering original work, prints, shirts and more to a national audience. Mejia is a very well-known artist in Sacramento, having had his work exhibited in the SMUD Building, Spanglish Arte, Sol Collective, DEEDA Salon, CUFFS Urban Boutique, Centro’s, Ink, Borjon Winery, MoMo Lounge and Mixture. He has also had features in the Sacramento News & Review, Submerge Magazine, NorCal Magazine, Legend Magazine and on the TV show, Turf Wars. An online store is a logical next step in the rapidly growing career of this local Sacramento artist. Allowing

Sol Collective hosted Grammy-nominee Ana Tijoux and other artists on Monday, Nov. 19. Tijoux was up for Best Urban album at the Latin Grammy Awards that transpired on Nov. 15. International and local talent continues to be showcased at Sol Collective and Monday night provided over five hours of entertainment. Andru Defeye served as host for the evening and kept things moving along. Once onstage, Tijoux, who is currently six months pregnant, thanked the audience for attending and apologized for not being able to perform the last time she was scheduled to appear at Sol Collective, in late August. Tijoux started off with “Obstaculo” (Obstacle) and “Partir de Cero” (Starting From Scratc

This weekend (October 5, 6, 7) is Norcal Noisefest, Sacramento's annual gathering of experimental musicians, noise artists and musical outsiders from around the country. This Noisefest is the sixteenth held since the festival's founding in 1995, making it one of the longest-running festivals of its kind in North America. Because noise is a profoundly unpopular musical genre, most people are unfamiliar with noise--there have never been any commercially successful noise musicians, although many successful musicians (from the Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth and Radiohead) have experimented with noise. The linked video below is a four-minute summary of what you are likely to see and hear at

Alias Pink clothing and New Eruh presented a fashionable affair at Sol Collective on Friday, June 30. The “Going Tribal” fashion event showcased a variety of summer wear by designer Alisa Correa. Entertainment was provided by DJ Mr. Vibe. The Sacramento DJ provided a very impressive collection of melodies that kept guests at the event bopping to the beats. Appetizers and drinks were provided by Triple “A” Catering. A Delicious sampling of appetizers and drinks were prepared for guests. The many offering were provided by the family owned catering service. A live performance by The Real Ill and DJ Mr. Vibe by kept the audience moving to their beats. The hip-hop performance by Real Ill w

The 3rd Annual Piñata Festival was celebrated at Southside Park on a hot Saturday. The heat however was not much of a deterrent as families came to enjoy a day full of art, kids events, music, and of course piñatas. Nothing says celebration or party more than a piñata. Over 30 large piñatas hung from trees and were displayed throughout the area in front of the amphitheater. Several ornate piñatas also lay on the ground. Visitors also had the opportunity to make their own as piñata building workshops were offered. A sugar skull making station was also part of the event along with various art activities. A couple of food trucks sold specialties for visitors to enjoy. The event also incl

Sacramento, CA – As evening approaches on Second Saturday a very unique gathering begins to take place outside Suzie’s’ Burgers on 29th and P Street. The energy is one of leisure mixed with excitement. Bikes, all sorts of different bikes begin to arrive. There are long stretch bikes on chrome frames, like long limousines, it seems you’d have to be over six feet tall just to reach the pedals and the handlebars together. There are apple green and fire red cruisers with pin stripes, high handlebars and mirrors on the sides. There are girly pink and purple bikes with stickers all over and big baskets in front. There are bikes with one big tire and one little tire. Bikes with music speakers bui

Art Several art galleries throughout Sacramento hold monthly artist receptions usually on the Thursday before their respective Second Saturday Art Walk. During this time guests can attend gallery receptions and enjoy intimate conversations with artists. Sol Collective, in celebration of its 7th anniversary, is hosting the work of several artists. An opening reception was held on Friday March 9. Art by Shaun Burner, Jose Di Gregorio, Dana Iske, Miguel Perez, Trent Liddicoat, Carson McWhirter, and Trisha Rhomberg will be on exhibition at Sol Collective until April 14. Sol 7 is the first art exhibition of the year at Sol Collective and features an exhibition consisting of various style

As part of its annual Black History Month speaker series, the Sol Collective through its Sacramento Activist School Group program is sponsoring “Malcolm and Martin: Tales of two legacies in Black History”, on Wednesday February 15th. Guest speaker Rashad Baadqir will examine the comparable and contrasting histories, philosophies, legacies and impacts that Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X have had on modern African-Americans post the 1960’s civil rights movement era. Baadqir, author of the book “The Browning of Europe, Multicultural Challenges and Perspectives of a changing Europe” is a Sacramento based Multicultural Competency Consultant, Lecturer and contributing cultural issues writ

A young black male raised without a father, expelled for assaulting his teacher in fourth grade finds poetry mentors who help cultivate his gift for words and turn him into a beacon of hope in his community. It's the kind of adversity-overcoming story that fuels the inspirations of Hollywood filmmakers. It is also the real-life story of Sacramento Area Youth Speaks poet/mentor Andre Tillman, otherwise known as Dre-T. "I would say ages six through eight were my troubled years," Tillman says, recounting the incident that got him expelled from grade school, "I remember knowing it wasn’t my teachers fault." It was right around this time that a young, frustrated Andre Tillman would discover wh

Norcal Noisefest 2011, Sacramento's fifteenth annual gathering of experimental musicians and noise artists, returns this week for a six-day noise marathon featuring over 50 performers from across the continent. Starting on Wednesday September 28 and running every day until Monday October 3, this year's Noisefest has expanded in both time and space: on Thursday night, simultaneous shows will occur in both Sacramento and San Francisco, followed by an on-air Noisefest performance on KDVS, 90.3 FM, in Davis. All other performances take place in Sacramento--at the Naked Lounge downtown, the Geery Theatre in Midtown, Luna's Cafe, and Sol Collective at the edge of Curtis Park. Noise is difficul

What is Liberation Permaculture? When posed this question, creative organizer Rafael Aguilera’s answer is amazing pasta sauce. “It’s not all about gardening. It’s about village alchemy. How do we identify who has needs or skills in our own neighborhoods and work together? Is some guy growing tomatoes and has too many while another guy down the street has an incredible recipe for pasta sauce?” And as simply as that, the concept of permaculture is boiled down. Bill Mollison, who is credited with helping develop permaculture as a systematic process in the 1970s defined it as “a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than pro

The Crocker Art Museum will host a screening of “Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano” on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. This documentary provides insight into the realities and politics of contemporary Cuba by following some of the pioneers of Cuban hip hop to their homes, the stage, and as they travel abroad for the first time. From 5:30-6:30 p.m., one of the film’s subjects, DJ Leydis, will perform live in Friedman Court. Tickets are $6 for Museum members and $12 for nonmembers. Presented in collaboration with Sol Collective, the film will be introduced by director Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, a graduate of Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and will be followed by a Q & A. The screening is

Born in Brazil, Zuzuka Poderosa now resides in New York City where she is a big part of the Latin movement responsible for bringing Moombathon from the underground to the forefront. Zuzuka Poderosa is a sultry, unapologetic Brazilian dancehall vixen who spits Portugese rhymes over block rattling bass. Known as The Queen of Baile Funk, Zuzuka is also a DJ that packs New York City night clubs with Tropical Carioca funk, a street poet known worldwide, and a name to watch in the coming year.  Last year Zuzuka electrified Sol as part of the Global Hood Music series. Alongside DJ Righteous Trash, Zuzuka brought the spirit of Brazil and swagger of New York to the West Coast and had a blast doing

The upbeat rhythms of Chico Mann were brought to Sol Collective on Thursday, April 28. Bringing his East Coast sound to Sacramento, Chico Mann delighted his audience with his mixture of Cuban beats, freestyle and a great electronic sound. The event was part of the Global Hood Music Series that showcases artists rooted in traditional ancestral music and who have grown up in a global technological era that helps them create unique global music. Straight out of New Jersey, he has been exposed to Latin rhythms since birth and is now sharing his own style with his fans on this tour. As I made my way into Sol Collective I was introduced to Andrew “Defeye” Bell who wears several hats for the C

Yo, winter storms - we've got your summertime right here! The concert calendar this week will be doing a little work to help us all not "t-t-talk about the weather" (as my main man Dave Matthews would say) with the outdoor (covered) patio concert series at Sophia's Thai Kitchen in Davis teeing off with a pair of shows. Plus, it's a pretty safe bet that Mr. Deputy will be wearing shorts. Just sayin'! Zach Deputy – Isn’t this the guy who should be popping the tops off your beers at the bowling alley bar, or maybe explaining the difference in quality among products at your local “tobacco” shop? He’s got that laid back, flip-flop island vibe to him, the kind of dude you could shoot the breez

Walls of colorful graffiti art surrounded audience members. Images of break dancers flashed on the wall behind the stage. Latin-infused hip-hop rhythms pulsed out of the speakers. The Sol Collective hosted a concert Sunday night with an exciting and eclectic lineup of artists with performances starting at 9 p.m. Billed originally with headliner Anita Tijoux and A-Plus of the Hieroglyphics, attendees got more artists for their money with performances by Century and Los Rakas added to the evening’s talent. It was a celebration of hip-hop being transcendental of cultural differences. “Arts, culture and activism” is the mission of Sol Collective, said the Andrew Bell, director for marketing

Artists have spent the last few nights preparing Sol Collective for an anniversary show Friday. But they're not installing framed paintings and sculptures. Sacramento's very own activist art collective is celebrating six years by becoming art. Show organizer Shaun Turner, a 29-year-old muralist, has brought together at least 19 artists from Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Colombia, by way of New York, to create art on the interior walls and ceilings of the building at 2574 21st St. The big, bold pieces are the artists' way of giving back to a community organization that has given so much to so many of them, said Turner and local artist Gabriel Romo, who also goes by the name 2