Day 2 of the second annual Sacramento Electronic Music Festival continued at the Townhouse Lounge on Friday, featuring performances by Little Foxes, Boss Magic, Melee Beats and FAVORS, among others. The three-night festival showcases local and international electronic-centric artists, and the SEMF vision is "to continue to foster a supportive music community while attracting world-class talent to Sacramento, not just at the annual festival, but throughout the year." Friday night Roger Carpio and Shaun Slaughter were among the DJs who held court nonstop on the first floor with a wide range of music (New Order, The xx, Crystal Castles) and kept the sexy people of Townhouse sweaty all night

San Francisco art-pop band Deerhoof kicks off a new tour at Harlow's Thursday in support of the hot-off-the-presses LP release "Deerhoof vs. Evil." The quartet is recognized by many as pioneers of improv-style experimental pop, with its distinctive sound influencing many others: Sleigh Bells, Of Montreal, Xiu Xiu and more. Count on a striking sonic mix of poppy melodies, waves of noise, and chaotic fun from these former Radiohead tourmates. Potentially challenging, but sure to be fresh and different. Deerhoof performs at Harlow's at 9 p.m. Thursday, and tickets are $12. Nervous Cop opens.

New York-based band Ra Ra Riot performs at Harlow's Saturday, fresh off an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday. The eclectic indie pop band combines Arcade Fire's orchestral maneuvers ('Riot instruments include a cello and violin) with Vampire Weekend's pop sensibilities, and the efforts of the young group have resulted in two well-received albums on Barsuk Records: 2008's "The Rhumb Line" and 2010's "The Orchard;" the latter being mixed by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla. Taking over drumming duties in Sacramento will be Kenny Bernard, who replaces current drummer Gabriel Duquette. Duquette says on the Ra Ra Riot website he is "off to prepare for the collapse of industrial ci

I'm an old-school Weezer fan: The pop geniuses' classic self-titled debut, more commonly known as "The Blue Album," was the second CD I ever bought, and their follow-up, coming-in-under-the-radar release "Pinkterton" was the soundtrack for part of my freshman year in college. So I was very excited to see Weezer tribute band In the Garage perform at all-ages venue The Refuge downtown Friday night. Also on the bill were Rat-O-Matic, Drastic Actions and Green Day tribute band Totally Green Day. Punk bands Rat-O-Matic and Drastic Actions warmed up the young crowd at the start of the night, and Totally Green Day tore through a respectable set of some of Green Day's older material, which whet

The first show of 2011 at Naked Lounge Downtown took place Saturday and featured performances by Sacramento artists Adrian Bourgeois, Ricky Berger, One Eyed Rhyno, Brian Rogers of Izabella, and Autumn Sky. The musicians celebrated the new year by performing a selection of songs written in 2010. Naked Lounge Downtown is a live music venue located at Naked Coffee on 11th and H Street.  Click here for upcoming events. Adrian Bourgeois Adrian Bourgeois Adrian Bourgeois (foreground) and Ricky Berger Ricky Berger Ricky Berger One Eyed Rhyno One Eyed Rhyno Brian Rogers Brian Rogers Autumn Sky Autumn Sky Photos by Steven Chea

This Thursday you'll have a chance to end 2010 on a good note by catching indie-rock fave Pinback at Harlow's. The heart of the San Diego band has always been Zach Smith and Rob Crow, and with an upcoming album on the horizon and to stay fresh creatively, the duo is taking a different approach to performing on their current outing. As Smith explains: "We've decided to have some fun and present our songs in a new light. Instead of playing our songs the traditional way by having a backup band play all of our extra parts we thought it would be entertaining and fresh for just the two of us to play live. The idea is to present our music at times in a more broken down manner very similar sound

The Dive Bar is the last of three new businesses on K St. to have its sign completed. The sign maker put the finishing touches on it early this evening. Pizza Rock and District 30 signs are up and the trio are on track to open on or before Jan. 1, 2011. Crest Theatre's marque is reflected in the glass. For more info on these businesses, CLICK HERE>>> . SacPress Photo | Kati Garner

It seems there are new restaurants popping up all over Sacramento. Many of these restaurants fall victim to the economy and fail within a year and a half, some only last several months. Fairly new to the scene is Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar where we decided to stop in last night. The decor is eclectic and modern and aromas of dim sum and dipping sauces creep up the nose when you enter the dining room. As we sat ourselves and looked over the menu we were approached by our server Isabel. As Isabel began going over some of the menu with us I noticed we were the only table in the restaurant in the middle of Happy Hour, as a matter of fact the only other people in the room besides the staff were

Making a stop in Sacramento this Monday is a fresh, new band called The Gracious Few, featuring members of '90s alternative rock veterans Live and Candlebox. After Live effectively disbanded in 2009 due to the departure of singer Ed Kowalczyk, the remaining members sought to continue making music and recruited longtime friend and Candlebox frontman Kevin Martin for their new venture. Martin in turn brought aboard Candlebox guitarist Sean Hennesy to round out the sound and complete the lineup. TGF describes their sound as being influenced by '70s rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and the Rolling Stones. The band’s eponymous debut album was produced by Jerry Harrison of

A new downtown bar and grill is catering to a lunch and dinner crowd while still providing a venue to showcase local music and sports talent. Shenanigans  – located at 705 J St. in the building that used to house Image – opened Oct. 28, and local band Tesla was there for the grand opening, according to co-owner Max Archuleta. Shenanigans is the first joint venture by Sacramento natives Archuleta and Eric Schaefer. “Our concept is a sports bar and live music venue, but we kind of want to celebrate what Sacramento has to offer those areas of entertainment,” Archuleta said. The name is intended to make the concept somewhat vague. “We sat down and thought, hey, you know, we want to do som

After having their opening date pushed back, the three establishments on the 1000 block of K Street are on track to open by New Year’s, if not before then. “We think we can have them open before Christmas,” said Russ Conley, superintendent for Terra Nova industries. Conley said power has been supplied to the three businesses and that working with SMUD was a breeze. Construction was delayed due to an unstable electrical vault under the property. The three business concepts include a "mermaid bar," a gourmet pizza restaurant with acrobatic pizza tossers and a high-end, over-30 dance club to further develop K Street Mall into an entertainment district and to bring people from as far away

If the long line snaking in front of Harlow’s on a chilly Thursday night was any indication, this city was ready to play with Cold War Kids. Indeed it was, easily selling out the popular venue and providing a packed, electric atmosphere for the Long Beach-based band to feed its ravenous fans. Anchored by the pounding kick of drummer Matt Aveiro and the soulful vocals of Willett, the ’Kids soldiered through a setlist that included several cuts from their first two albums, ’06’s “Robbers & Cowards” (“Red Wine, Success!” and “Hospital Beds”) and ’08’s “Loyalty to Loyalty” (“Mexican Dogs” and “Dreams Old Men Dream”), as well as ’09’s “Behave Yourself EP” (“Audience” and "Santa Ana Winds”).

Would a group called Stew and the Negro Problem be at home playing a venue like the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in Davis? Absolutely. The intimate, lounge-like 250-person Vanderhoef Studio Theatre was the perfect setting for musician Stew and his provocatively-titled band, The Negro Problem, on Tuesday evening. The name is meant to challenge perceptions be in-your-face and humorous, which also describes the band’s music quite accurately. Announcing that his band was probably mad at him because he had no setlist, Stew guided the seated older crowd on a musical journey that was insightful, comical and just plain sounded great. The lyrically driven songs were the stars, with ea

Julia Hadley has never owned a restaurant before, but she said she looks forward to opening Hads Steak and Seafood at 19th and J streets and molding it to her image of what a neighborhood favorite should be. Hadley said she has fond memories of growing up with the Fireside Restaurant & Lounge, which was operated by a good family friend. She remembers going in with her father, and the staff affectionately greeting him with, “Hey, Hads.” “I want people leaving full, satisfied and taking half of their meal home with them,” she said. “It’s going to be good food for a really good price,” Hadley said. The restaurant is set to open the first week of November. Local flavor is what she wants to

A handful of people attended Tuesday’s City Council meeting to comment on Second Saturday Art Walk issues in light of the shooting death of a 24-year-old after last weekend’s event.  While the death of Victor Hugo Perez Zavala outside of a J Street bar has attracted extensive media attention in the past few days, only four people commented on Second Saturday issues at the City Council meeting. Local artist Susan Rabinovitz said the art walk has become “a tragedy.” She suggested that the city hold the art walk from 4-7 p.m. Midtown resident Vivian Gerlach said the art walk should continue, but the “after-party” should be better controlled. Photo by Suzanne Hurt. Local media outlets have

 Sacramento band The New Humans celebrated the release of its debut EP, “Avalanche,” with a high-energy show at Townhouse on Saturday. “Avalanche” comes out later than expected, after the band experienced a futile lead singer search (synth man Scott Simpson eventually took on vocal duties) and scrapped six months’ worth of recording, but these past hurdles were not apparent at the show. After a quick warmup set by Favors downstairs and a rare performance by Dusty Brown side project Little Foxes upstairs, Simpson wasted no time going crazy onstage and setting the tone for the rest of the night. The New Humans also includes Robbie LaCasse (bass), Mike Steez (drums) and Cole Cuchna (keys).

Kupros Bistro will hold a soft opening this weekend. The restaurant and tavern will open with a limited menu Friday and Saturday in a 100-year-old Midtown house at 1217 21st St. On Thursday, owner Stephen Tokuhama, General Manager Hugo Herreros and chef John Gurnee led new employees through wine and food tastings. Kupros will be open from 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The kitchen will be serving a limited snack menu from 5-10 p.m. "Tomorrow, we'll have a little soft opening to test the kitchen and fire up everything," Herreros said Thursday. "It's just an introduction of what's coming. It's not the whole menu." The establishment will close Sunday and Monday, then reopen Tuesda

Tequila is to Mexico what wine is to France, and restaurateur Ernesto Delgado said he will use tequila to showcase Mexico’s rich culture when he opens Tequila Museo Mayahuel later this year. The “tequila museum” will include a restaurant serving traditional Mexican dishes and a wide array of between 50 and 100 types of tequila with a museum and gift shop reminiscent of Napa Valley wineries. “The concept is to showcase Mexican culture through tequila, its history and the process of making it,” Delgado said. With so many Mexican restaurants and tacquerias in Sacramento already, Delgado said he knew he had to come up with something unique. “My whole idea here is to create a new spin,” Del

A gastropub called Kupros Bistro is expected to open next month in a 100-year-old Midtown house that underwent a costly renovation. Owners Stephen and Sharon Tokuhama are opening a restaurant and bar after nearly rebuilding the formerly purple house that held a costume shop, Cheap Thrills, for 40 years at 1217 21st St. The remodel cost more than $750,000 because the building went through a structural retrofit, restoration and a restaurant buildout. The business got its liquor license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Tuesday. Building inspections are complete. The couple hopes to open Saturday, Aug. 14, once final health and fire inspections are held, which may

The White Buffalo, also known as versatile singer/songwriter/guitarist Jake Smith, brings his self-described "darker side of folk" to Sacramento this Friday.   With fan favorites The White Buffalo EP and full-length Hogtied Revisited under his belt, TWB continues to garner buzz by word of mouth and by touring constantly, performing solo and backed by a band (he'll be with a band this Friday). TWB has previously toured with Donavon Frankenreiter, Xavier Rudd, State Radio and Ziggy Marley, and his songs have been featured on the soundtrack to surfing movie Shelter and on FX series Sons of Anarchy.  The White Buffalo will play Old Ironsides with Prieta and The Kelps on Friday, July 16th, a