New Orleans' funk phenomenon Big Sam's Funky Nation rolls into Sacramento Sunday night to play a show at Harlow's. "Big Sam" Williams, a former member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, has been celebrated as "the top man on the slide trombone in the birthplace of jazz" by the San Francisco Chronicle.  He also has a recurring role playing himself on the HBO Original Series "Treme."  Jambase describes Big Sam's Funky Nation as "soul food to get us through the week" and touts the band for always "bringing a straight raw party." BSFN is a stalwart on the U.S. festival circuit, having appeared at New Orleans Jazzfest, Bonnaroo, Voodoo Arts and Music Fest , South by Southwest, Gathering of the

On the heels of an inaugural show last week featuring Rob Zombie, the first "all locals" show at new music venue Ace of Spades goes down Saturday. SacShows Presents: Soundcheck will feature performances by local bands Ten After Two, Carcerys Vale, Batten Down Your Heart, Above The City, The Winter Formal, City of Kings, and Oneira. Above The City is a relatively young, currently unsigned band made up of members Davey Sparks (vocals), Simon Pesely (guitar), Taylor Whitehurst (guitar), Zack Lee (drums) and Toby Hart (bass). The Sacramento Press recently spoke with Pesely, 21, about being in an up-and-coming band in Sacramento. How did Above The City get started? We started about nine mon

Sam Diamond: "I don't get it. First they steal the body and leave the clothes, then they take the clothes and bring the body back. Who would do a thing like that? Dick Charleston: "Possibly some deranged dry cleaner." What precedes is a scene from the classic 1976 film "Murder by Death," which is hilarious. Diamond is played by Peter Falk, and Charleston is played by David Niven. Truman Capote has a starring role, as does Sir Alec Guiness (in his last role before becoming Obi-Wan Kenobi). It's even got Peter Sellers playing an elderly Chinese detective, which, though borderline racist, is a role he was born to play. (and by "borderline," I mean "overtly.") When I heard that "Murder by

Mustaches are the new black. I know, I've said it before about a wide variety of things (orange, Thai food, peacocks — the list is long and distinguished), but this time I really mean it. Think about it. They're cool, slimming and they go with everything. They can be formal or casual. They can be used for good or evil. Always bet on mustache. I've heard a lot of people describe 2011 as "the year of the rabbit." Balderdash. Poppycock, even. 2011: The Year of the Mustache. I could do this all day. Spearheading this mustache revolution are San Francisco soft rock ninjas Mustache Harbor. What the world needs now is epic soft-rock classics, delivered in spectacular fashion by dudes wearing

No, Murder by Death is not a screamo or metalcore band. But the band does explore some dark themes, like revenge, the devil and drinking away your troubles with whiskey. Taking their name from the 1976 Robert Moore/Neil Simon film of the same name, the four-piece rock band from Bloomington, Ind., takes their listeners on a ride through a "country gothic" soundscape, led by the powerful Johnny Cash-meets-Nick Cave baritone of frontman Adam Turla. Armed with galloping punk-country, somber themes and interesting concepts — their 2003 "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?" is an album about the devil being shot in a small, Western town and the aftermath that follows — this show ha

Attention hipsters and indie dance music fans! Head on over to Blue Lamp this Saturday to catch indie dance duo Sugar & Gold with special guest Yip Deceiver. Shaking off comparisons to MGMT and Hot Chip, the San Francisco-based S&G weave together elements of funky disco, melodic electro and smooth R&B to create dance-heavy pop grooves with their unique signature. Rated "Best Local Dance Band" in 2007 by SF Magazine and "Best Party Band 2008" by SF Weekly, S&G are known for their energetic, outrageous live shows that will have you sweating in your skinny jeans. Davey Pierce (Of Montreal) side-project Yip Deceiver opens. Sugar & Gold and Yip Deceiver perform at Blue Lamp this Saturday at

If you're like me, you've always yearned for someone to combine your loves of yachting, mustaches, martial arts and soft rock into one epic, easy-rocking juggernautical tour de force. You needn't yearn any longer. Soft rock ninjas Mustache Harbor, playing Thursday night at Harlow's, are the answer to all of our prayers. From their website: "Our mission, our destiny, is simple, to build a mustache army capable of creating a Soft Rock Explosion the likes of which has not been seen since the days when Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Ace, Kenny Loggins and The Little River Band, to name but a few, created A.M. Gold. So Join us! party with us, live with us, work out at the dojo with us, sing

Alley Katz, a Midtown bar that opened a month ago, currently has 100 beers, but owner Geronimo Avelar said by Beer Week (Feb. 26. - March 5), it will carry 200. Avelar, a former bartender himself, said the neighborhood surrounding 20th and O streets needed a bar that specializes in craft beers. Avelar said he believes microbrews are catching up with wine when it comes to popularity and the complexities involved in their production. “Many of these beers are very complex,” he said. “They’re aged in wine barrels, and they get better over time – and they’re beers.” The bar also carries a selection of about 15 wines, which he said he will be expanding. But Alley Katz isn’t meant to be a sn

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

Did you know that Butch and Nellies Coffee Co. recently changed ownership and is now Mondo Bizarro Cafe? For those of you who, like me, loved B&N, don't fret, the new owners have maintained much of the original feel.  Without losing much, if anything, they have greatly expanded the menu, the hours and the lego collection. They are now open until 10pm Wednesday through Saturday, and co-owner Erin Newbold says they plan to eventually be open until 10pm every day of the week. Newbold is hoping to draw a crowd to fun events like trivia night (bring it), game night (they have an extensive selection of board games on site, if I'm there you're playing for second), and a variety of events featu

Harlow's Nightclub was at the center of a perfect storm Monday.  Headliner Orgone brought in a decent crowd of folks looking forward to a unique brand of SoCal soulpowerfunk. Local reggae act Zuhg opened the show, bringing a sizable and impassioned young fan base looking forward to high-energy NorCal Jazzreggaejamrock. Many of those who came for Zuhg weren't all that familiar with Orgone. Most of those who came to see Orgone weren't all that familiar with Zuhg. The beauty of this scenario is that if one were to draw a Venn diagram representative of the people who would like each of these acts, it would be very close to a single circle. What ended up happening was the crowd for both ac

While most of us are still recovering from the delights of the “holiday season,” retail stores across the country are decking the halls with red ribbons and pink hearts. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means men and women of all ages will begin their annual hunt for the perfect gift! If flowers and candy aren’t enough for your special someone, the nonprofit organization InAlliance has a unique gift that will temp your taste buds, tickets to the Celebrity Chef Challenge. This culinary extravaganza features six professional chefs in a live culinary competition with surprise ingredients ala the “Iron Chef” Television show, and tickets will get you and a guest

"If we didn't need that game so badly I could talk about what a great game it was, but I'm not going to do that," Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal, addressing the media following Tuesday night's game. This is why we love sports. Because at any given time, on any given night, you may witness something incredible. A few years ago, the NBA had a slogan: "Where Amazing Happens." Tuesday night, amazing happened, all over the Kings’ collective faces. On Tuesday night, a bad (9-18 record coming in, having lost 14 of their last 16 games) and beat-up (missing their starters at point guard and center, Stephan Curry and Andres Biedrins) Golden State Warriors squad came to Arco for a tilt against y

The first thing that struck me were the hats. I myself wear a "Country Gentleman" fedora, and on any given night, it is likely to be the sharpest lid in the joint. But not Tuesday night at Harlow's. Soulive was in town in support of their "Rubber Soulive" album, and the crowd was brimming with hats of all shapes and styles.  There were a smattering of standard-issue baseball caps and beanies, even beanies with brims. But those aren't the hats I'm talking about. The hats I'm talking about are your father's hats.  And your grandfather’s (great-grandfather’s?) hats. Fedoras galore, both "Bogart" and "Safari." Newsboys. Buckets. Porkpies. I didn't see any top hats or fezzes, but pretty m

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Celebrity Chef Challenge will be rolling into Sacramento for its 9th annual edition in April of next year. The culinary event that pits local professional chefs in a whisk to whisk battle to determine “whose cuisine reigns supreme” will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the California Automobile Museum from 5:30pm-9:30pm and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action! Six challengers will have 45 minutes to turn five secret ingredients into three power-packed dishes, all under the watchful eye of one live audience! Guests will have a front row seat for the culinary extravaganza, but that’s not all; ticket prices include a tour of the 72,000 sq

The extensive gear set up inside Harlow's Monday night foreshadowed a serious rock show taking place for the gathered crowd of 200.  Drum kit and amp stacks on the stage covered in black cloth, two extra soundboards at the back of the house and side-stage, multiple guitar road cases – this band was here for here for some in-your-face rock. In a performance promoting its new record “The Trouble with Angels,” Filter returned to the "Short Bus”-era formula that worked so well the first time around in the mid-’90s and gave fans the hard-charging riffs they expected to hear from the former alt-rock chart toppers. Taking the stage dressed as the Unabomber, the former Nine Inch Nails guitarist

Curtis Park residents know how to throw a party. The 20th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction event converted the Sierra 2 Center into a interactive showcase of fine wine, beer and gourmet eats. With 450 tickets sold before the event even began, only 100 were still available for purchase at the door. Curtis Park Neighborhood Association President Rosanna Herber said she expected the event to sell out. More than 35 wineries offered tastings of their red and white wines and many provided food pairings to complement their generous samples. People wandered slowly down the line of sampling tables with plates and wine glasses in hand. With no particular agenda or method, they followed thei

Hundreds of eager patrons filled the Sacramento Convention Center on Friday for the annual Taste of Sacramento. This Easter Seals signature fundraising event celebrated its 12th year, showcasing over 80 of the best wineries, breweries and restaurants the Sacramento region has to offer. I was able to visit the majority of the vendors due to the well organized arrangement provided by the event planners. Although there were many familiar food and beverage merchants, I managed to add a few new ones to my list of favorites. You can find a complete list of vendors by visiting Participating Vendors. Those who attended also had the opportunity to bid on over 200 items donated for the silent auct

Put on your lederhosen, whet your appetite and ready your beer belly for the 43rd annual Oktoberfest hosted by the Sacramento Turn Verein this weekend. With brew imported from Munich, traditional folk music and dancing troupes, costumes, food and much more, the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest will not disappoint fans of a good party. Previous years have gathered as many as 1,250 people in a single evening. “Attendance has been growing each year. This year we expect even more,” said Turn Verein Secretary Heinz Ludke. Proceeds from this fundraising event will benefit the various Turn Verein programs, including the Soccer Club, the Turner Harmonie, and the German-Americ

It’s been six months since St. Patrick’s Day, and the Irish are getting antsy. To satisfy the craving for a bit of Old-World cheer, de Vere’s Irish Pub will be kicking off its inaugural family-friendly Guinness and Oyster Festival Saturday. Through the event, Sacramento will be joining a worldwide celebration that began in Galway, Ireland, in the mid-1950s when a local businessman was looking for a way to extend the summer tourist season. “It started small, but it’s now turned into a five-day party,” said de Vere’s co-owner Henry de Vere White, adding that attending the Galway celebration is high up on his bucket list. “There’s nothing quite as Irish as Guinness and oysters,” he said.