The West Coast Fighting Championships return to Sacramento’s Jackson Sports Arena at McClellan Park on Friday, January 18. Local fighters Dave “Badman” Huckaba and Max “Pain” Griffin headline the fight card. Training at Marinoble’s Martial Arts gym in Roseville - where pro fighter Uriah Faber once trained, I sat down with Max Griffin for an interview. Griffin is known for his appearance on Dana White’s The Ultimate Fighter TV show on FX.  Nicknamed Max Pain, Griffin is 27 years old.  He was born in Santa Barbara, California, but calls Sacramento home.  With an amateur record of 22-1, and a professional record of 4-1, the 5’11”, 170 lb. welterweight has a trove of sponsors and is confident

Capital city music lovers, rejoice! Sacramento and the surrounding areas are a hotbed for incredible music talent and excellent venues.  Sacramento’s collection of venues includes notable venues such as Harlow’s, Ace of Spades, the Crest Theatre, the Memorial Auditorium, and Power Balance Pavilion.  Add Thunder Valley, Folsom’s Three Stages, UC Davis’ Freeborn Hall and Mondavi Center, and seasonal outdoor venues such as Wheatland’s Sleep Train Amphitheatre and Cal Expo’s stages during the California State Fair, and there are so many places to go for a great show.  And no, I haven’t forgotten about Midtown favorites like The Distillery, Blue Lamp, and Marilyn’s.  I also never forget about

Sacramento has long been a treasure trove for indie music. Mixing classic late-1990’s post-grunge  rock and pop, The Resurrection Men’s self-titled EP solidifies the band’s appeal to a hip, mainstream audience, and proves that indie music is no longer solely the refuge of too-cool-for-school hipsters. Opening with “Seroquel,” The Resurrection Men boldly blend rapid-fire vocals with a melodic weave of driving aural bliss. The strong drumming, matched with catchy guitar riffs, makes this fast-paced song an instant attention grabber. Slowing it down a bit with “Disappointed,” lead singer Lucky Calloway delivers deep, soulful lyrics, reminiscent of pre-ballad foreshadowing tracks recorded b

  On September 1, concert promoter Live Nation is bringing the “American Carnage” tour to Arco Arena. As reported earlier by The Sacramento Press, Slayer, Megadeth, and Testament will perform live. See: Angels of Death to Descend on Sacramento (May 14, 2010). Fans of the original “Clash of the Titans” tour will note that Anthrax will join replace Testament on the second leg of the tour that begins on September 24. After finishing up “The Big Four” tour in Europe alongside Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, and playing to crowds of no fewer than 80,000 people per night, Megadeth flew to Canada, where they reunited with Slayer and met up with Testament in order to kickoff the “American Carnage

On Friday August 20, the UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions held a special Meet & Greet event for season ticket holders and fans at the team's facilities on the campus of the California State University, Sacramento. Information provided by the Mountain Lions Ticket Sales staff indicated the event was scheduled to take place from 6-9pm. Initial pictures and autographs for fans were followed by player introductions by Head Coach Dennis Green, and performances by the Mountain Lions cheer and dance squad. Thereafter, players and fans reconvened for more pictures and autographs. By about 7:30pm, a few players needed t leave in order to tend to other commitments. Wide receiver Fred Otis Amey, who

  On Thursday August 12, Dane Drewis performed at Crawdad's on the River located at 1375 Garden Highway in Sacramento. Set on a floating stage that connects to a floating venue, the scene at Crawdad's is unique. River wakes cause the place to rock and roll.  Boaters out on the river can pull up and dock alongside the floating venue and join in the festivities. On this night, Drewis and his band were excited. Both Dane and his younger sister Janel are competing in the upcoming American Idol preliminaries being held first in Sacramento at Arden Fair Mall from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday August 17, and followed quickly by a round at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Thursday August 19. The Sacramen

  On Sunday, August 15, SBL Entertainment presents Warm Earth Records internationally acclaimed recording artists Te Vaka at Harlow's located at 2708 J Street, in Sacramento. Te Vaka is an amazing group of twelve musicians and dancers from Tokelau, Tuvalu, Samoa, Cook Islands, and New Zealand. The band performs music inspired by the sounds of the South Pacific. Branded South Pacific Fusion, their music blends the sounds of Polynesia and brings contemporary flavor to traditional island music in a selflessly dynamic expression of love under the leadership of vocal wordsmith Opetaia Foa’i. Te Vaka was recently named “Best Pacific Group” at the 2010 S3 Pacific Music Awards .  They also won

On Saturday, August 7, Midtown Sacramento played host to the Foursquare Pub Crawl. Organized by Sacramento's Midtown Business Association in order to promote the new Midtown brand, the event featured teams from a number of Midtown establishments. Team leaders were chosen because they were Foursquare Mayors of the participating locations. Foursquare is a dynamic new social networking application that allows users to know what business are close by, what establishments are trending based on the presence of other Foursquare users, see tips published by other users, and even see maps to help guide them to where they want to go. For businesses, Foursquare allows them to know who is visiting

  The River City Gators announced the signing of a contract with the Midtown Girls cheer and promotional service group.  Midtown Girls Founder and Director Erlynn Rose Holyfield was named Director of the Gator Girls dance squad. Due to confidentiality provisions, terms of the deal were not immediately available.  However, River City Gators Co-Owner Jason Kang said, "We welcome Erlynn and her squad to the River City Gators family.  We're excited about the new team and the upcoming season.  There are a lot of great improvements in the works.  We think the community will love the new dance team and all of the things we'll be announcing over the next few months." Kang continued, "This is an

  The Resurrection Men performed at Harlow's on Friday, August 6. In between a solo musician opener - Josh Howell, and DJ DNA closing with and a sort of 90's club classic revival, the brothers Calloway rocked the house. This was the band's first major club appearance in Sacramento. It came just a week after they performed at The Golden Bear during the California Automobile Museum's Car Cruise and Show in Midtown. The crowd was a mix of Sacramento and Bay Area fans.  One fan, Daunish Aboobaker, came all the way from Seattle.  He happens o be the brother of bass player Nadeem Aboobaker, aka Chester Calloway.  Asked about seeing his brother in the crowd, Nadeem said, "I was really surprised

  The UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions Wide Receiver Fred Otis Amey hosted an official signing party last night at the California State University, Sacramento Alumni Center. The event featured an appearance by members of the Mountain Lions cheer and dance squad, catered food, a video segment, the unveiling of a unique FOA logo, a raffle with prize giveaways, a benediction, and music - featuring a live performance by FOA himself. The Mountain Lions had staff on site, as did Team Dynamix - the event organizer. Representatives from My Athletic Resume, a local enterprise focused on building personal resume websites for athletes, were also present. Several members of the CSUS Athletic Departme

On Friday, July 30, the Sacramento Mountain Lions Cheer and Dance team finals were head at Barcode on Arden Way at 9pm.  The event was originally scheduled to be held at Venue Events Center located at 1417 R St. at 8pm, but a power outage reportedly due to a blown transformer under SMUD control forced a last minute schedule and location change. Noticeably distressed, dance team Director Lindsay Shoemaker scrambled to secure an alternate location.  Demonstrating why she is in fact the team's leader, when put to the test inside the eleventh hour, she found a way not only to come through, but to create an even better atmosphere.  Barcode, despite being a fair distance away from midtown Sacra

  On Tuesday, July 27, The Sacramento River Cats played the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.  The River Cats entered the game tied with the Fresno Grizzlies for the division lead.  Strong performances both on the mound and at the plate helped the River Cats win, while the Grizzlies lost that same night.  The result gave the River Cats a 1.5 game lead entering their game against the Sky Sox on Wednesday, July 28.  Unfortunately, the River Cats lost the second game of their home stand against the Sky Sox on the 28th, while the Grizzlies rallied to defeat the Tacoma Rainiers in the 10th inning on the same night.  Thus, the battle for the division lead continues.  The River Cats play the Sky Sox aga

With the preliminaries complete, the Sacramento Mountain Lions cheer and dance team will hold the final qualifying round on Friday, July 30 at Venue Events Center located at 1417 R Street, next to Burgers & Brew.  Beginning at 8pm, the final round is open to the public, with an after-party to follow shortly thereafter. The preliminaries were held at the Venue Events Center on Saturday, July 24, from 1-5pm.  With nearly 60 registered participants appearing, many of whom who also participated in the recent Sacramento Kings dance tryouts held at the California State Fair.  Those tryouts were held at Cal Expo the previous Saturday and Sunday, and it seems the Mountain Lions tryout atmosphere

The Sacramento Mountain Lions dance team will hold the first round of tryouts for the second half of their planned squad tomorrow from 1-5pm at the Venue Events Center located at 1417 R Street between 14th and 15th in between The Shady Lady and R15.  The squad is a professional adult dance and promotions group that will represent the Sacramento Mountain Lions football team at all home games, and at a variety of community events.  The preliminary session features a variety of compulsory activities including everything from taking head shots to learning a unique choreographed routine. With only 6 days before the finals, participants will go through interviews and judged performances before

On Wednesday, July 21, international reggae music star Pato Banton performed at Harlow’s in midtown with the Now Generation Band. Although Pato is currently listed as being on tour promoting a new album, members of the Now Generation were quick to point out that he is always out spreading the word of unity and happiness. Originally from Birmingham, England, Pato Banton has produced no fewer than 17 albums since the mid 1980s. Several of his albums are regarded as reggae classics, and his dub recordings with the Mad Professor are often said to be the gold standard for dub reggae. His performance in Sacramento was followed by one tonight at River Ranch, just outside of Alpine Meadows, in t

Internationally known reggae music artist Pato Banton will perform at Harlow’s on Wednesday, July 21, supported by the Now Generation band. The show is scheduled to begin at 10pm and is limited to people age 21 and over. A Pato Banton performance is a must-see event for those who enjoy music of any sort. His ability to reach out and interact with the crowd makes his shows more of an experience than a mere show. Pato Banton calls people on stage to sing with him, invites fans into the green room, and is known for his after-show prayer and acknowledgment circles where he recognizes everyone and everything that has added positively to his life. Pato Banton’s personal story is compelling. Ri

Ska legends, The Skatalites performed at Harlow’s on Wednesday night. Keyser Soze, a ska band based in Reno,  opened the show. Ska is a unique blend of music incorporating calypso, jazz, blues and even rock. It is known as the precursor to reggae and rocksteady. Said to have originated in Jamaica in the 1950s, ska remains a primary source of inspiration for musicians of all sorts. Despite a below-capacity crowd that had some people concerned early, there was never any doubt the show would be amazing. Harlow’s staff said that only eight tickets were pre-sold through their online system. Asked whether the $20 ticket price at the door may have deterred some people, Harlow's staff agreeed tha

The Folsom Fitness Extravaganza was held on Saturday in front of a full house inside the Folsom Middle School auditorium. The event was sponsored by the National Gym Association and Fitness in Mind Personal Training. Both organizations promote natural bodybuilding. The focal point of the event was the 2010 NGA Natural Mr. and Ms. California. The event has been held annually since 1993. This year’s show featured 40 competitors. Once known as the AAU Mr. California, and then the ABCC Mr. California, the NGA event is the official Mr. California tournament. Including that past history, the event has been in existence for over 60 years. Event Organizer Johnny “The Motivator” Carrero said, “Thi

West Sacramento, CA - The River City Gators announced the signing and activation of Sacramento native and Arena Football League Free Agent defensive back, Mervin Brookins today. Brookins played for the AFL’s Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz in 2010, the AFL's Stockton Lightning and the River City Gators in 2009. Prior to his professional career, Brookins attended Kansas-based Bethel College and Sacramento City College. His agent, Chris Johnson said, “Our focus is to get him reaccelerated to outdoor football. We want to get him doing what he does best: shutting down receivers, intercepting passes, and returning kicks. We need to prove to scouts and general managers that he is every bit the real d