Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Julia Marino

Julia Marino on "The Shins at the Mondavi Center: photos"

2012-04-26T07:00:57Z

Love the photos. Wish I had been there!

Florence + the Machine dazzles Davis

2012-04-20T20:00:31Z

Appearing behind a sheer shadow box a top the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts stage on Wednesday night, Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, launched into her lilting “Only if For One Night,” the starting track off her 2011 record release “Ceremonials.”

The crowd, captivated by Welch’s charisma and gold-studded cloak, cheered as the singer reverently raised her arms like a black bird and crooned the chorus line: “But you came over me like some holy rite, and although I was burning, you're the only light! Only if for a night!” Her graceful, yet guttural vocals permeated the theatre full with Florence aficionados.

Behind her, a tapestry of stained glass cathedral windows and celestial harps echoed "Ceremonials"' recurring theme--the spiritual struggle between good and evil, darkness and light. Her fascination with doom and salvation has not only surfaced in her lyrics (“Looking for heaven in the devil in me,” she sings in “Shake it Out”), but also through her UC Davis debut performance.

Now standing center stage, Welch, dressed like a druid, twirled like a dervish and unraveled her proverbial black cape to reveal an angelic, white gown ala “The Lady of Shalott.” As if finally free from her past, possessed persona, the renewed Welch fluttered from one end of the stage to the other, her sleeves flowing behind her in a blur.

It wasn't until after the fifth song of the night, “Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)," that the singer spoke.

“If you saw a pale girl in short shorts playing basketball today, that was me,” she said, confessing that the way she plays is just “rubbish.”

The audience laughed and perhaps some wondered if they had passed up, while walking through campus, a rare chance to shoot hoops with a Brit-pop star.

One opportunity Wech ensured the crowd would not miss, however, was to sing along with her. This was most apparent during the acoustic “Heartlines” where, before the number reached the first verse, she suddenly stopped the song.

“Oh! I forgot to ask,” she said, the drums crashing to a halt. “You can sing this one with me!”

She then lowered the microphone to excited members of the audience, encouraging them to harmonize. “Yeah... Yeah... Just keep following the heartlines on your hand!” the room roared.

Accompanying Welch were her supporting "machine" of musicians, which included harpist Tom Monger, two back-up singers, drummer Christopher Hayden and her original music partner, Isabella “Machine” Summers on keys.

Backed by this enigmatic engine, Welch finally broke into “Dog Days are Over,” one of the group's most played songs to date. The audience went wild as Welch coordinated the crowd to jump in complete unison, and soon the singer was conducting a full symphony of springing, singing fans.

Then, prior to the encore, Florence + the Machine ended the evening with “Never Let Me Go," which the audience made very clear they were not ready to do.

Photography by Rik Keller. To view more photos from the evening, please visit his image gallery.

Julia Marino on "Photos: Foo Fighters at Power Balance Pavilion"

2011-11-03T02:39:32Z

Amazing photos, Steven! They went all out as a mariachi. :)

Julia Marino on "Ryan Adams grows up — well, kinda"

2011-10-21T21:39:36Z

correction: "anecdote" in the fourth paragraph should be "antidote."

Julia Marino on "Ryan Adams grows up — well, kinda"

2011-10-21T21:38:24Z

Thanks! And Bearscout - well put. :)

Ryan Adams grows up — well, kinda

2011-10-21T04:47:09Z

Ryan Adams, in his usual black leather jacket and jeans, sat solo on the stage, his long, messy hair seemingly blinding him from his black book of sheet music and lyrics – a thick anthology of prolific work spanning from his first solo record “Heartbreaker” to his Oct. 11, 2011 release, “Ashes & Fire.”

The crowd applauded and whistled, and after an endearingly awkward pause, Adams grinned, saying, “Hello. Thanks for coming to the show. I’m just going to sing some songs about ‘the feelings.’”

Anyone who knows Adams’ music understands that Adams’ feelings are the unabashed, raw type – the kind that tells a relatable yet shocking and often painful story. And if he has no story to tell, you sure as hell will “feel” something nonetheless.

Tuesday night’s show at the Crest Theatre was no exception. In his opening song, “Oh My Sweet Carolina,” his voice flowed from raspy to pristine, masking all evidence that five years ago he was diagnosed with Ménière's disease, a congenital disease that caused partial hearing loss and threatened to end his music-making altogether. His hiatus from music and booze the last few years may have served as just the right anecdote.

“That’s the one that gets people in love with Ryan Adams,” a writer sitting next to me, Peter Zimmerman, said, referring to “Oh My Sweet Carolina.”

I nodded. That was certainly the case for me. I think it happened back in the early years of college, listening to “Heartbreaker” in a cozy uptown cafe, trying to harmonize like Emmylou Harris. With that said, hearing Adams on Tuesday night was like falling in love again with an old flame – comforting, familiar, nostalgic.

In his quintessential quirky way, Adams searched sloppily for a pick, patting down his pants and shaking his guitar until he finally found it wedged in his pocket. “Oh wait. Hello, my little friend,” he said, staring at his pick.

Adams, singing this song and losing picks, is the Adams of heartbreaking youth – the whiskey-slugging, dirty-hair-flowing, reckless Adams who could simultaneously send you to sleep with a quick smoke and a long lullaby.

But the Adams of now is an Adams that some might refer to as more “grown up," managing a marriage (to Mandy Moore), sobriety and his own record label PAX-AM.)

“Ashes & Fire” reflects that shift, which is made most evident in his lyrics to “Lucky Now,” where he asks, “Are we really who we used to be? Am I really who I was?”

But the next song of the night, the title track off of the new album, alludes to his still-youthful, untamed disposition. “This is a new song about walking around New York, being incredibly stoned,” he said. “Um... it’s also about nothing!”

Throughout the rest of the evening, Adams “worked the stage,” evenly weaving older classics with newer numbers -- “Sylvia Plath” on piano, “My Winding Wheel” standing, “Invisible Riverside” sitting and roughly 20 other tunes in various positions and with rather witty and whimsical intentions.

In “New York, New York,” he announced that he was going for a sound “like snow on a farmhouse when you have your parents over for Thanksgiving, and you’re playing Spyro Gyra records.” For one Cardinals song, he had “redneck Star Wars” in mind, commenting that the Crest Theatre could be “on the outskirts of Mordor!” With “Two,” Adams requested dimmer lighting “to go with the self-depreciating music.”

In a surprising encore, Adams, clad in a black cape and followed by two candle-lit gothic girls, dedicated an original death metal song to his tour opener, country singer Jason Isbell.

“He brings back my Southern accent,” Adams said of Isbell, who hails from Alabama. “It’s been such a pleasure to play with that dude...He lets me play my semi-satanic Norwegian black metal. It’s Halloween every day on the bus...Somebody has to be the Glenn Danzig of alternative country!”

Adams’ sardonic sense of humor didn’t scare Isbell one bit, nor did it scare the audience whose laughter mimicked the sound of a night at Laughs Unlimited.

“I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to make you laugh. It’s bad for my image," he said.

And like many artists, much of Adams’ humor holds in it a tinge of truth. In another candid act, Adams refused to play the shout-out request from an audience member for “La Cienega Just Smiled.”

"No. Ask me why. Because I said,” Adams bluntly put it.

“Actually, do you want to know why? A song is born the first time you play it all the way through,” he said. “But then 10 years later, they pick up their own identify, and I wonder, can I still bring it back to the day that it was born? Sometimes, you just can’t play it any more, because it’s become so much more.”

His statement made me wonder. Which of his songs have morphed for him mentally and which ones remain pure, if there are any at all? His performance brought me back to the early days, but what do those songs mean to him now? How does he feel about the birth of his new songs?

I was pondering this, wishing i had set up an interview, when he began playing the requested song - a stripped-down, beautifully shaky version. He paused at one point, creating silence as the audience absorbed the song. The woman who asked for the song shouted, "You don't know what this means to me!"

Turning back to his new work, Adams then unsuccessfully tried to tune his voice to his guitar in preparation for his new song, “Chains of Love,” a task that frustrated Adams to the point of pseudo-profanity.

“Crapola! Oh, did I just say ‘crapola?’ Oh, gosh darn it,” he said.

The crowd offered their support. “I love you!” one fan called out.

"I apologized to the audience for my “cussing problem. It goes along with my not-growing-up problem.”

To put it in his own words, perhaps the Adams of today has not “grown up” too much after all. Yes, he’s shown a more-settled, sober and softer side since the wild, whiskey-hound Adams of youth.

But as was illuminated at Tuesday night’s show, Adams has not lost his humor, his hearing or, most of all, his ability to make you “feel” something.

Julia Marino on "Lady Lions selected"

2011-04-05T16:09:31Z

Awesome photos and story. Good job guys.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Harlow's

2011-03-28T04:36:44Z

Dressed in his archetypal black robe, a long scarf draped in front of his chest, singer Ebbot Lundberg of The Soundtrack of Our Lives portrayed the proverbial “priest” of Swedish space rock.

Ascending down to the intimate level of his focused fans, Lundberg handed the microphone to their lips in a psychedelic sing-along, splashing champagne and existential curiosity onto the floor of Harlow’s last Friday night.

This scene exudes the very essence of The Soundtrack of Our Lives, also known as TSOOL, an invincible group of former punk rockers who seek to bridge enlightenment through entertainment: vocalist Lundberg, guitarist Ian Person, guitarist Mattias Borjed, keyboardist Martin Hederos, drummer Fredrik Sandsten and bassist Kalle Gustafsson Jerneholm.

Hot off the bus from Austin’s South by Southwest music festival, the band slowed down for a glimpse at the Redwoods and the end of their U.S. tour as they continue support of their first anthology, “Golden Greatest Hits,” released by The Orchard on March 22.

Despite the smaller, more intimate setting at Harlow’s, the room’s energy still exceeded that of a sold-out show, with the crowd unwittingly losing and then finding themselves again, as they became immersed in hits from every era of the band’s existence, the literal soundtrack of the band’s dynamic life.

The audience quickly moved toward the edge of the stage as the band started with “Universal Stalker”, the second track off of ’08’s “Communion.” Old classics off of their debut, “Welcome to the Infant Freebase,” also flavored the set, including “Confrontation Camp” and “Instant Repeater ’99,” as well as several hits off of the Grammy-nominated album “Behind the Music.” The most intense interactions with the audience included the performance of “Bigtime,” the official theme song for WrestleMania 21, off of ’95’a “Origin Vol. 1.”

“Welcome to the future, welcome to the future,” Lundburg growled as he rolled a tambourine. He continued. “Talking about the old times, scared about the new times,” he sang, tracing the rim of his champagne glass until the room resonated with high frequencies.

After several more old favorites filled the evening, an encore drove TSOOL out for a surprise cover of the Stooges’ “I’m Sick of You,” which Lundberg described as “the best Stooges song ever written.” A few more classics finished the long encore, and not one audience member or musician seemed to get enough.

“The situation that happened here tonight (in Sacramento) is when everything becomes one,” Lundberg said backstage to the tune of more champagne pouring. “It sounds pathetic, but at the same time it’s reality.”

He then paused and corrected himself, adding, “Actually, It’s not pathetic... I surrender to the oneness, which is pure love, naturally.”

One Farm at a Time: Co-ops come together to save local farmland

2011-03-15T04:04:08Z

In a small family acreage in nearby Capay Valley, farmers Annie and Jeff Main have worked their land for more than 30 years so they may provide diverse, organic produce to the local community.

But the threat of increasing costs, commercial development and their approaching retirement motivated the Mains to take action and collaborate with the community to preserve their farm, Good Hummus Produce. Starting about 10 years ago, the Mains have devoted themselves to not only preserving their own land, but making all family-operated farmland accessible and affordable for future generations.

Realizing the challenge that the community faces as the owners of local organic farms reach retirement age, Paul Cultrera, general manager of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (SNFC), and Eric Stromberg, general manager of the Davis Natural Foods Co-op (DFC), formed the One Farm at a Time program, focusing their first effort on Good Hummus Produce.

Starting quietly last spring, the campaign’s mission is to raise funds to save the local farms such as Good Hummus that supply their market with fresh food, as well as form awareness and strong relationships between co-op customers and local farmers.

“I’m from Massachusetts, and when I grew up, I lived with the results of what could happen here. I mean the farms aren’t there anymore. And it sort of hit me,” Cultrera said. “Here we are in this incredibly fertile part of the country. You can basically grow anything here. And we’ve got all these great farmers who’ve spent 30-40 years building up the soil and building these relationships with their communities, and it could all go away.

“It’s in our co-op’s best interest to support these farms, because if those farms aren’t there, we’re not going to have the food,” he added.

The solution that the Mains helped form to these various agricultural and economic challenges came in the form of an easement, which, with the support of national and local land trust, would put limitations on how the land can be used, protecting it from development. In addition, an easement would allow younger farmers to purchase the land and farm it for its agricultural value, which at the Good Hummus Farm would be $100,000 – 200,000, a much more affordable price than its commercial price given to developers. With eight farmers over 65 years of age for every farmer under 35, the easement will allow retired farmers to pass along their land to younger farmers eager to take it over and learn from generations of organic farming.

“Jeff turns 60 this year, and I’m 58, and we have some years left, but the question is, if our kids aren’t going to do it, who is?” Annie Main said of their retirement. “What we’re trying to do is create a family infrastructure that can be passed on. If a family doesn’t exist, then we create the family.”

Lacks of government money inspired the Mains and Cultrera to seek their own funding. Good Hummus Farm, with the help of the Davis and Sacramento co-ops, raised about $150,000 in funds from mainly individual donations.

“As painful as it is, we felt that that’s what we want because it’s community support and belief of what we’re doing and what can happen that’s important,” Main said.

Based on cooperative economics, the co-ops invited their customers to support the campaign by donating at the co-op register or online or by purchasing SNFC and DFC One Farm at a Time merchandise such as a piggy bank children can fill up with coins and return to the co-ops.

In addition, several co-op suppliers gave grants to underwrite the campaign startup costs, and so far, vendors Equal Exchange Coffee, Straus, Lundburg Family Farms, Organic Valley and Veritable Vegetable have agreed to donate proceeds from their products sold at the co-ops.

Cultrera has carried this vision strongly throughout the local community.

“We’re not just trying to raise money, we’re trying to build a community. We’re trying to have our customers have a stake in saving farms,” he said.

Upon local success of One Farm at a Time, the campaign could be replicated nationally as co-ops and farms across the country partner together to reach a greater audience and to preserve farmland.

"The bottom line is, it’s not just us...It’s one farm and then the next," Main said. "If we don’t do this, I believe that we’re going to see a lot of small farms disappear.

"A lot of farms are watching what we’re doing and waiting to see how it works. But you do things that you believe in...and you want to see it completed."

'Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art and the California Dream' premiers at Railroad Museum

2011-03-09T07:56:21Z

The California Dream, as portrayed by vintage fruit crate art, inspires visions of a healthy horizon of gleaming sunshine, warm, temperate climate and an endless spread of sweet, colorful fruit.

In the early 1900s, California was depicted as a land of promise where eastern city folk migrated west in hopes of farming the widespread and fertile land. This prized picture of California, in part, grew out of the railroads that helped deliver bountiful harvest coast to coast and spread the message of the new frontier through fruit labels.

A collection of these artistic fruit crate labels can now be seen by visiting, “Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream,” an exhibit shipped and presented by The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.

The exhibit takes you inside a 1924-era Fruit Growers Express Refrigerator Car NO. 35832, one of thousands of ice-cooled “reefer” cars that traveled east loaded with California’s rich harvest. Soon after the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion in 1869, these fruit cars began traveling to many large population centers across the country and irrigating farmland, vastly transforming the state’s agricultural economy.

The first shipments saw boxes stenciled to identify the grower, location and variety of produce. In hopes of attracting wholesale agents in the east, both ends of the crates were adorned with whimsical works of graphic art and lithography. Soon, these distinctive and colorful labels evolved into full-fledged advertisements for some of California’s most beloved brands and fruit growers: Sunkist, J.E. Noia, Sierra Vista, Red ball, Handsum, Albion and Fido, to name just a few.

More than 80 vintage labels, which were produced over a period of 70 years until the 1950s, were selected from the museum’s permanent collection, the California State Library and from private collector Jim Dahlberg. These unique works of art not only display the railroad’s revolutionary fruits of labor, but tell the story of California’s prosperous farmland and the dream of the golden state.

For Railroad Museum librarian Cara Randall, who helped select the labels for the collection along with Robert Mistchenko, fruit crate art was “designed to promote California every bit as much as it was designed to promote fruit.”

“The fruit crate labels themselves are a fascinating segment of commercial art history,” she said. “They were being made during a time when advertising was coming of age and developing standards, and I think it's wonderful that so many of these labels have survived the years so that we can trace that development and see all the different styles.

“To me, as someone with no background in art history, I am astounded by the level of artistic skill that went into each of these labels,” she said, “even though they were designed to be discarded at the end of a long train ride to market.”

Kendra Dillard, California State Parks director of exhibits, described how the fruit crates carried on the advertising campaign that was started by the western railroad companies in to entice easterners to move west.

“New customers meant a thriving railroad industry. Their clever promotions pictured verdant land where it was always sunny and warm, even in winter when the northeast was covered with snow,” Dillard said. “The fruit crate labels adopted and expanded this tradition. Landscapes showing perfect rows of fruit trees and abundant green gardens portrayed California as a magical place where life could be better. Because many of the label artists who worked for the printing companies were immigrants themselves, they illustrated their new environs as they experienced them. They painted mythical farm sites and idyllic pastures inhabited with adorable animals and cherub-faced children.”

For native Sacramentan Gerry Holzapple, the fruit crate works of art recall a simpler time in Sacramento’s history.

“I came to the exhibit out of nostalgia,” Holzapple said, remembering when he used to see the fruit labels on the passing trains and in the markets as a youth. “These guys are too young to remember,” he added, nodding to his younger family members, who joined him at the exhibit on Sunday. “But I relate to it. They’re beautiful.”

Even for those who don’t remember, fruit crate art remains an American art form that reflects the styles, cultures and prejudices of the time period, “shaping a significant part of today’s vision of the past,” said Dillard.

To her and many others throughout the country, that vision is not lost.

“California is still seen as a land of opportunity where people find the promise of a new life in the wide-open West,” she said.

Premiered on March 4, "Pick Me! Fruit Crate Art & the California Dream" will remain on display at the California State Railroad Museum through March 30, 2012.

Julia Marino on "Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers!!!"

2011-02-25T07:35:35Z

Saw her play in Yosemite a couple years back. She covered "Danny's Song," and just about the entire cabin came to tears.

Julia Marino on "ALO and Nathan Moore at Harlow's"

2011-02-23T02:01:15Z

"The uninitiated, nonbeliever might have preferred the more structured, song-based first set, but for died-in-the-wool hippy jamming enthusiasts like me and Princess Moonbeam Sparklespinner, it's no contest. Second set for the win." Brilliant stuff, Lindol. You really captured the essence there. It felt like I was right there with you.:)

Julia Marino on "Growls, screams at Soundcheck showcase at Ace of Spades"

2011-02-22T05:44:55Z

Awesome pics!

Telekinesis, The Love Language and Conversations with Jake Mann

2011-02-21T05:49:03Z

Three indie rock favorites from across the country will soon create a unique sonic experience in Davis.

Seattle’s Telekinesis delivers wistful vocal layers and pretty rock elements, Raleigh’s The Love Language deconstructs yesterday’s sounds into modern melodies, and Jake Mann + the Upper Hand, from San Francisco via Davis, softly sings lo-fi storylines of wanderlust, love and navigating lakes of different sizes.

All that and more can be heard as these musicians breath life into the Odd Fellows Hall this Tuesday.

The Sacramento Press recently spoke with singer Jake Mann about playing again in his old stomping grounds and releasing the new record, “Parallel South,” last month on Davis-based record label Crossbill.

What’s the story behind your band name, Jake Mann + the Upper Hand?

The last record was just Jake Mann, and then we started playing — Aaron (Bellamy) joined the band, and our drummer Dan Baber started, and I’d be on stage and we’d be introducing everyone. We were starting to feel like a band rather than a solo project, and I like that feeling.

As far as the title, I was talking to my roommate saying we need a band name and he said, “What, like Jake Mann and the Upper Hand?” And I said, “Yes! Perfect.” It makes a nice foil for me, like I’m Jake and the band has the upper hand! (Laughs)

You formed in Davis back when you were in college. What is it like to come back and play in Davis where the band first formed?

In Davis I think you get a lot of recognition. There’s a really supportive community. If you do something and come up with it, people will support you. It’s a good and supportive incubator. It gets things rolling.

Going to the city, the niche is packed, and so there’s a bunch of people doing indie rock music, trying to get gigs. It’s more competitive. I wrote a song about it on the last record called “Beat the Drum,” which was sort of about moving from Davis and being the big fish in the little pond, to becoming the little fish in the big pond.

I think we have some of our best shows here. Davis still remembers who we are, which is nice. That’s always tough in a college town where the turnover is so great. It’s nice to come up here in the spring or summer when it’s cloudy and cold in San Francisco and just go for a swim and a bike ride up here. Things move so slowly in Davis that when you come out from the city pace, you feel kind of superhuman. You can show up and just get a lot done.

How did your involvement with Crossbill start?

Just hanging out a lot with Michael (Leahy, the label’s founder) and getting brunch and drinking lots of coffee and talking about how to get rolling in the music scene. I was working on a record. Garrett Pierce was working on a record. Mike was DJing a lot. So we had a “core “ here. Eventually Sea of Bees came across Mike’s radar. It’s getting better every release.

How did you go about recording the album?

We recorded it in our garage rehearsal space, so it wasn’t recorded in a professional studio place, so it sounds good, but it sounds unique. I like the level that it balances between a lo-fi home recording and a hi-fi studio recording. We had lots of time to do overdubs on it beyond our basic takes, so we had a lot to explore. Aaron and I spent a lot of time last summer doing guitar overdubs. And there’s some experimental radio noise and feedback and those types of textures in there, so I think it would be a good headphones album.

Where can we find it in Sacramento?

The record should be available at The Beat and Phono Select.

What meaning do the songs have to you?

There are pretty much some common themes running through them, themes of travel and movement and sunshine. We’re trying to get sunnier. My last album was a little darker.

Where does the title “Parallel South” come from?

My girlfriend was traveling a lot during the writing of this record. She made a couple different trips to the southern hemisphere. I think about places a lot, so that’s why there are a lot of allusions to travel.

The cover art definitely reflects that. Who did it?

I did. I took the picture that’s on the front, which was taken with a Holga, and it’s of Burtle Hill behind our house in San Francisco. I was going to just use that picture, but then everyone started using the Hipstamatic prints on the iPhone, which I love, but I didn’t want the record to look like a Hipstamatic print. So I incorporated that photo into a collage. I used a lot of tape, an old calendar, some graph paper and an old National Geographic.

In your own words, how would you describe your music?

Indie rock. There are some weird edges to it, but it’s song-writery. There’s melody, so it’s listenable. There are also some touches of Americana in some places, but our influences are pretty diverse. It’s just really a big stew that’s cooking over time. Pavement made a huge influence, Guided by Voices, Cake — even though I don’t think our music sounds like Cake. Cake is from here, so I saw them a lot growing up.

What are your future touring plans?

We want to tour as much as we can, but we all have jobs, so we can’t cut and just leave. But we try to squeeze in as much as we can in three, two, four-day windows. That pretty much limits us to the West Coast. We’re talking about going to South by Southwest if a good opportunity comes up.

Jake Mann + the Upper Hand, Telekinesis and The Love Language will perform at Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St. in Davis, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

ALO and Nathan Moore bring Tour d'Amour to Harlow's

2011-02-17T05:07:09Z

Animal Liberation Orchestra (also known as ALO) is a band that is not afraid of taking risks. Since these high school and college music classmates (Steve Adams, Dave Brogan, Zach Gill, Dan Lebowitz) took that leap of faith 10 years ago to pursue their passion, the members of ALO have toured the world, recorded five albums, collaborated with musicians Jack Johnson, Matt Costa and G. Love, to name a few, and have donated thousands of dollars to help support music departments in public schools.

ALO is also a veteran act at several festivals throughout the country, such as Las Tortugas, High Sierra and more. But for the last five years, the musicians have explored a more intimate, love-themed performance series dubbed “Tour d'Amour” for the month of February in honor of Valentine's Day.

ALO, with support from singer-storyteller Nathan Moore, scheduled a tryst here in Sacramento for this Saturday at Harlow's in midtown. Expect to see lots of dancing, fun-loving flair and audience interaction, such as a fan-generated set list.

The Sacramento Press recently spoke with guitarist Lebowitz (also known as Lebo) about the tour, giving to music in public schools, improvisation and why it's important to just say “yes.”

You have toured with some like-minded musicians in the past, such as San Francisco's Big Light and now Nathan Moore for this year's Tour d'Amour.

Yeah, when at all possible, we like to bring a band on tour with us rather than have a different opener each night. We do that sometimes, too, but for the most part, we like the continuity of having one opener for the whole tour. Last year's Tour d'Amour, it was Big Light, which was fun because they're friends of ours and we can collaborate on stage each night.

This year we got Nathan Moore, which is really cool. He's just a great singer-songwriter. We've known him for years through the High Sierra Festival. He's just awesome. Besides his music, he just has this energy. He's kind of functioning in a weird way as our trickster. Every night he has some kind of weird prank. We always call him out on our set. He's definitely good at liberating the animals, let's say. (Laughs)

You play at a lot of festivals! How do you feel about playing more intimate shows like the show you're going to have at Harlow's on Saturday? Could you describe what you like about both festivals and smaller shows, and what you get out of them?

We're a band that likes to dig in and explore, and when it's our own shows, we get two long sets, and we get a nice long sound-check beforehand. And all of that is really cool. And everyone that is coming out there is coming for you, so the sing-along factor is very high. That's really special because it's a great way to connect, especially at a place like Harlow's. I like those smaller shows because they sometimes have a house party vibe, you know? The audience is kind of right there on you. And I like that vibe…I definitely sense the response and energy from the crowd. That kind of fuels us, or it steers us I should say. So we can get our set list going, and it's sort of steered by our audience. In that intimate venue, it really brings that out.

On the festival side of things, what I love about that is you get to see all the music, and then that inspires you so much. So then to be able to get up on stage right after getting inspired by hearing things that you like, it's really special. Also, you get to play in front of a lot of new people.

It's like a new discovery for them.

Another thing I really like is the idea of connecting with friends’ bands. It's been super funny this whole week because Jackie Green, he's a great friend of ours, we've done a lot of recording with him. So this last week while we were on the road, like every venue we were playing, he was either playing either one or two nights before or one or two nights after. So we started leaving notes in the dressing room for each other. (Laughs).

You kind of alluded to this when you were talking about the more intimate shows that you play, but could you describe what it's like on stage for you in terms of how you communicate the audience?

Yeah. I think it happens on different levels. There's the surface level of you have your set list, but then they're yelling out a song, and you're like, shit, well, let's do that song. That's a more literal type of communication. But on a deeper level, there's just an energy. We are a band that sort of revels in the unknown. We're a band that, off the stage, we really focus on writing songs. But when we're on tour, we really focus on improvising on our songs. We really like that space, which, first and foremost, you're feeding off your band mates. But the audience really plays a role, just by their energy. You really get a sense of what they're picking up on. You're just really aware of all your band mates, what's going on around you and all the energies and then reacting to that. And it's really important, for better or worse, I should say.

One of the fun things about ALO shows is that I think our fans are definitely about it. It's like we're reacting to their reactions. It's best when there's energy being tossed back and forth, and when that's happening, I think those are the shows that are special for band and audience. Those are the shows that everyone remembers as the special shows.

I was looking at your Web site, and I saw there was a community interactive feature where people could vote on the songs you'll include in your set this Saturday.

Yeah! We decided for this to try a couple shows and do a fan-generated set list. Last night in Santa Barbara was actually the first one we've tried, and the Sacramento show at Harlow's is the second time we'll try this. So yeah, we basically set it up on Facebook so people could go on and vote for their favorite songs.

So in Santa Barbara, the first set was the "fan" set, and we took the top 10 songs and played them in reverse order, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And the funny thing is, artistically, it was a really great order! And that's something we spend time on too. We're not a band that does the same set every night. We like to change it up, especially the orders and the style of the way we do songs. We always spend a lot of time on that before each show, crafting the set list. It's just funny because the order that it fell into based on the votes, it had a really great flow to it, so we'll see what the Sacramento one has in store! The main thing that will be interesting to find out is, is how varied it is from the fan-voted set list in Santa Barbara.

Very cool! Yeah, it just seems to me that it will help the fans and audience feel involved.

Yeah, right. It's all about interaction, right? And we're kind of in a cool era with all the online interaction between people. There's one side that could be impersonal, but there's another side for things like this, where it's so great because in no time you got fans picking out your set list. It's a rad thing.

What was the No. 1 song in Santa Barbara?

It was “Barbecue.” That didn't surprise me, actually. That song is sort of an older song. It's like 10 years old at this point. We first started playing that song when we first started touring. I felt like it was a coming-of-age for a lot of people. It's uplifting, but conceptually it's about taking your dreams that haven't come true and throw them into the fire so you can start again. It's about letting go in a celebratory way. That's kind of what our fans are about in a lot of ways. It's about liberating yourself through music.

That reminds me of how you were describing improvisation earlier. Where does your mind go when you're doing that?

There are so many different aspects to it to. I was just talking with someone down at our L.A. show. He was getting more technical, asking, “OK, in that song when you're playing over the rest of the music, what are you thinking?” I said that if I'm really thinking about what I'm doing, those are the times that I don't really enjoy it. The best times are when it just sort of comes through you, and you're in the zone and you're not thinking. You're just totally present in the moment. It's very much like a good meditation where you're just totally in the moment and it's just channeling through you.

My favorite times are when I'm almost part of the audience. I'm just observing it. When the whole band is in that state, those are just the most special times. You could just tell that their bodies are relaxed and the music is relaxed. Even if the music is intense, it just has this certain relaxed-ness to it. So, yeah, it's when it's just flowing through you and you're almost witnessing it.

It is a really vulnerable space because you could totally fall flat on your face if it doesn't work out. In a sense, that could definitely be scary, but I don't personally find it scary. I find that exciting. And maybe part of that comes from our experience doing it, so we get a certain amount of confidence.

And one other thing we've actually talked about as a band is that one of the greatest secrets to improvisation, the rule of improvisation, is that you have to say "yes." You have to say yes to everything. So if you hear someone do something, you have to just be like, "yes” because there are a lot of times we have this script played in our heads. Sometimes someone will do something that isn't what you expected, but if you try to fight it, it's a recipe for disaster. Even if you don't like it, you have to just be in the state of mind of “yes” and go with that. If everyone does that, it's total magic. And I will say that it's a lot easier said than done.

Improvisation blows my mind because it's such a mystery to me, as far as how people even get there!

Yeah, it's pretty weird. I'm not even really sure either. (Laughs). But that's just part of the beauty of it. Again, it's sort of that vulnerable state where you're making yourself open to possibilities. It's like going for a walk, but you don't know where you're going, but you kind of know where you want to end up eventually. So in our case, we don't do that much free improvisation. We're definitely a song band, but within the song, you know we have places where it just opens up.

Would you say that part of growing as a musician is risk-taking?

Yeah. I think in life it is. We were just talking about leaps of faith. In life, sometimes, you may not be doing exactly what you want to do. And a lot of times you take a leap of faith. We got a friend who is in that situation right now. She's not totally fulfilled by her job, but it's a paycheck. So we were talking about our leaps of faith as a band. And I think that most of us go through that at some point.

As for us, we finished college and then we moved up north. We were working on our band, but we weren't making any money at that, so we had day jobs. And then our band just started to grow. So there was a certain point where we were like, “OK, now if we really want to do this, we really got to dig in deeper. We can't work those other jobs. We got to give this what we think it needs.” So we just had to figure it out, and I'm really glad we did it because it all worked out great! (Laughs)

But it was definitely a scary moment to quit your job, and in our cases we got rid of the places where we were living. I just put my stuff in storage and hit the road. And it's not for everyone. The lifestyle of being a musician is one where you don't really know what's around each corner. It takes a certain personality type, like someone who's comfortable with the unknown, which sort of connects to improvisation, which we were talking about earlier. I don't think we'd be here if not everyone had that mindset. We wouldn't have been bold enough to just jump in 10 years ago.

Do you remember if there was a specific moment that really spurred that decision to take that risk and just go for it?

For me, the thing was I really wanted to be a musician. I wanted that since I was in high school. So if there ever were a moment, it would have been way back then. It's kind of a little cheesy, but I was like a sophomore in high school and I had some friends who were graduating. And I went to the graduation, and the speech was something to the effect of "you can do what you love if you can make that your life." But in that moment, I was like, "Yeah, totally. You can totally manifest your destiny if you put it out there."

That reminds me of ALO's involvement with music in public schools. Tell me about that.

Yeah, we've been working with Music in Schools Today. That's one of the most special things about this tour. It means a lot to all of us. We like supporting causes, but that one is very personal to us, just because we all did a lot of music in public schools growing up. We did all the choirs, jazz bands and so on. And really, if we didn't have that, clearly we would be different. I don't even know how deep into music we'd be without that. It was definitely our introduction to it.

Music all through school was just such a huge resource, and they're just cutting all those departments left and right now. And with the budget cuts I know you can't cut English and math. But I think music in schools is so important because not everyone gets it from their families or even outside their families. So I think for us to give money toward that cause, I feel like we're giving back to that which sorted created us.

ALO's bio states, "ALO is not a band that dwells in the past. They are always moving forward. Always striving to discover new ideas. Always looking to go on new adventures.” What do you visualize when you think of what's ahead?

That's hard because it's really more than music. It's family. Steve, Zach and I have been hanging out since seventh grade. And we're still hanging out. So with ALO, I just want to continue the path that we're on. As far as growth, I almost don't want to put any constraints on it. We're at a point where we can do it for a living, so that was kind of a main hurdle. At this point it's about making more good music and always staying inspired.

Animal Liberation Orchestra and Nathan Moore will perform at Harlow's at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tickets can be purchased here.

Valentine's Day, doggy style

2011-02-16T03:59:05Z

Contrary to what they say, you can teach an old dog new tricks – that is if said dog is king of west-coast hip-hop Snoop Dogg, and the trick is on you.

With a career that has transformed the hip-hop music industry since the early ’90s, Snoop Dogg has launched a new tour, which stopped at Davis’ Freeborn Hall Monday night. The “Get Wet Tour" showcases new hit singles “Wet” and “New Year’s Eve” off of the March 29 record release of “Doggumentary,” a sequel to his 1993 classic “Doggystyle.”

The sold-out Valentine’s Day show got the Davis college crowd worked up for a taste of “Gin and Juice.”

The excitement, mixed with the aroma of marijuana, breathed into Freeborn Hall as the opening guest, Sacramento-based Quette Daddie and DJ Mr. Wilson, performed backflips to the backdrop of a woman in stilettos sitting in a martini glass.

“Let me hear you say ‘Yaaaa!’ ” Quette Daddie screamed before making his departure. “I’m going to get the hell outta here!” he said. “But it’s OK, because the Dog Pound is here!”

The crowd screamed as the “Dogg Pound,” composed of Warren G, Daz, MacShawn, Soopfly and special guest Pilot, emerged on stage.

“Throw your hands in the air! Wave ’em like you just don’t care,” the Pound commanded as the laid-back Snoop Dogg entered and smoothly delivered a number of his classics, “Gin and Juice,” "Drop It Like It's Hot", "The Next Episode," "Tha Shiznit" and more.

For Snoop Dogg’s new song, “Wet,” he asked that all “ladies” join them on stage. Soon, about a dozen candid coeds jumped on stage and grooved to the suggestive lyrics, “Can you be my doctor? Can you fix me up? Can you wipe me down? So I can lick you up…”

The song winded down, and as one of the women walked off the stage, she showed her Snoop Dogg love by blowing him a kiss.

“Thank you baby,” Snoop Dogg said. “If I was going to school here, you’d be doing all my homework.”

Snoop Dogg continued with several more favorites before ending with the classic, “Who Am I? (What's My Name?),” off of his debut “Doggystyle,” eliciting the audience to sing his name, “Snoop Doggy, Doggy Dogg!”

“You see this face?” Snoop Dogg asked the audience, his diamond-studded microphone glistening. “You will see this face again. I will be back.”

The crowd again cheered as Snoop Dogg made one last request.

“When you get in your car, smoke weed,” he said. “When you sit in traffic, smoke weed. When you go to bed, smoke weed. When you wake up in the morning, smoke weed. When you brush your teeth, smoke weed. Every day of your life, smoke weed!”

For the audience, that wasn’t at all too much to ask.

Photos by Steven Chea

Exploring Love and Lust at Crocker Art Museum

2011-02-12T02:53:05Z

Love and lust were in the air Thursday night when Crocker Art Museum hosted its Art Mix series with the theme of “Love & Lust” in celebration of Valentine’s Day. The evening both warmed hearts and taunted mischief with a melange of performances and activities for a diverse audience, many of them couples. As DJ Mike Colossal spun sensual sounds, visitors posed affectionately in a photo booth by Beatnik Studios, drank pink pomegranate martinis and wrote Mad Lib love letters to each other.

On the third floor, Crocker featured selected amorous works in “Couples in the Collection.” The show includes Otis Oldfield’s portrait of his wife Helen in “White Dress,” John Bankston’s “Into the Rainbow,” and local painter Wayne Thiebaud’s portrait of his wife, titled “Betty Jean Thiebaud and Book.” The evening also engaged curious audiences with a presentation by Pecha Kucha, a global design network, which asked five local creative minds, “What turns you on?” The artists’ inspirations ranged from Kurt Edward’s photography of Jerry Brown in the ’70s to modern museum architecture and women in the humanities.

“We want to offer something for everybody,” said Christian Adame, Crocker’s lifelong learning manager. “Sensory overload is fun. It kind of sets (us) apart.”

The sensory experience hit its peak with provocative performances by the Sizzling Sirens burlesque dance troupe, a unique live art display, featuring theatrically enacted Valentine-themed vignettes. The live art pieces, a project that Sizzling Sirens founder Jessica Swanson says “fulfils an artistic fantasy,” explored five themes: Love, voyeurism, desire, mother nature and erotica.

Virtually visit the five Love & Lust scenes by viewing the Sizzling Siren’s program below:

Desire
“We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied to us.”
– Francois Rabelais

Friends and neighbors for years, Lucinda and Harlow are both caged in sterile and unfulfilled marriages. Leaving the ladies with their domestic duties, their husbands have left for a weekend fishing trip. While the two housewives tend to their chores, the absences of their spouses allows them to explore their simmering feelings for each other. It does not take long for the tempted twosome to submit to their yearnings, and consequence is not a concern to them. Only one outcome is for certain: The dirty laundry will only get dirtier for these desperate dames.
Performed by Lucinda Buttons and Harlow Mynx.

Love
“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”
– Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) American clergyman, writer

Love is friendship, intimacy, comfort, exploration, sensuality, understanding and kindness, an emotional and physical reaction that recognizably unifies us when we experience it. Our sweet ingenues know the true meaning of love, and enjoy in celebration its many glorious forms. They teach us the pure gratification that comes when loving and exalting another simply for the enrichment of the divine spirit that lies within us all.
Performed by Shauni Fatale and Meowie Wowie.

Voyeurism
“You like to watch? Watch this…”
– Carly Norris, “Sliver”

Voyeurism, from the French voyeur, “one who looks,” can take several forms, but its principal characteristic is that the voyeur does not normally relate directly with the subject of their interest, who is often unaware of being observed. We are all made the voyeur at some point in life. We watch, listen, experience, from afar. It is not in our nature to resist the draw to see something private — not for our eyes to see. The challenge to holding to the secret, anticipation, excitement and peripheral titillation can be insurmountably ferocious.

Perofrmed by Colette Corbeau and Pantichrist

Mother Nature
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
– Albert Einstein

There is an organic and ancient seduction that swells with Mother Nature’s own power of creation and destruction. She is both awe inspiring and all consuming, with a ravenous passion the undercurrent to all her magnificent workings. Patience and raw power emanate from her very being, as she draws you into her spellbinding and ethereal gaze. She is all of us and none of us. A part, yet above. We revere and love her because she is everything.
Performed by Alijiah Dresden.

Erotica
“It breeds lust. Lust defiles the body, debouches the imagination, corrupts the mind, deadens the will, destroys the memory, sears the conscience, hardens the heart, and damns the soul.”
– Anthony Comstock

It’s a centuries-old campaign to bowdlerize, censor and reign in the great minds of classic writers because of their lustful content, and Comstock’s present-day bluenose successors’ basic motivations remain the same: to apply the values and preconceptions in a minority in such a way that the majority is denied free access to thoughts and ideas. This exhibit, featuring ribald and erotic excerpts from the likes of Ovid and Walt Whitman, demonstrates that erotic writing is a legitimate form of literary expression.
Performed by Tenacity Jane.

Scene text courtesy of The Sizzling Sirens

Photography by Julia Marino

Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest helps grant 100 wishes to local children

2011-02-01T03:14:06Z

Saturday, the Make-a-Wish Foundation Sacramento and Northeastern California chapter hosted the elegant 23rd Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest, featuring tasting from 120 regional wineries, breweries and restaurants.

The event also offered live music by classic cover band Over the Edge Band, a silent auction hosted by Dave Thompson from MIX 96 and a VIP live auction. The proceeds from sponsors, auction items and ticket sales will help grant wishes to local children “with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.”

This year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation Sacramento and Northeastern California chapter will grant approximately 230 wishes. The goal of the event was to raise approximately $500,000, enough funds to grant about 100 wishes for local children.

“Final numbers aren’t in yet,” newly appointed Director of Development Lea Ann Carlisle said. “But we are very happy with the way things went and (we are) feeling positive about the results.

“Make-A-Wish grants wishes to every medically eligible child” she added. “We won’t turn anyone away. So if more were referred to us, we would seek out other funding to make sure it happens. (The) average cash cost of a wish is about $5,000, so we also seek donors who will ‘adopt’ a wish.”

Held at the Sacramento Convention Center, the fest is the regional organization’s largest fundraising and wish-granting event. With several loyal supports and a few new organizers this year, including Carlisle and Make-a-Wish’s new regional CEO, Kennan Bridge, there was a new style and aura to the historic event, which included a red carpet and “star-studded” interior design, which “ ties into what we do, because our children are stars,” according to Carlisle.

Many area vendors and sponsors collaborated to make the event a success. Supporters included the board of directors, chairs and volunteers, as well as local business owners and working participants who donated their time for the good cause.

One such volunteer vender was Bassil Kamas, a massage therapist from Fair Oaks. Next to several of the wineries and other vendors at the event, Kamas set up his massage chair, where he offered deep-tissue and neck and shoulder massages for more than 30 attendees.

“I got involved because I always like to give back to the community, and what better way to do it through reputable charity events?” Kamas said.

“You really see the best of people in their association for Make-A-Wish,” Carlisle said. “We have a lot of supporters who have been touched by a wish themselves or family members who have been touched by a wish. So many people are touched by our mission and personally experience the magic that we provide.”

Inspired by her life-enhancing story, this year’s Winter Wine & Food Fest planning committee chose to honor 2011 Wish Ambassador Samanatha Louie, who was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia as an infant. Despite several food allergies, her dream has been to learn to be a chef. As a Make-a-Wish Foundation grantee, Louie was able to fulfill this dream by giving her the opportunity to take cooking classes in Italy.

“My expectations don’t include anything special, I am just happy that I have a special chance to have a wish,” she wrote in the event program. “Life is sometimes a hard struggle, but this wish made my life happier. I wanted to be a chef for a long time, but I’m allergic to so many foods … Cooking in Italy makes me even happier, and cooking with my family in Italy is the best thing that could ever happen to me.”

Many of these 100 wishes will be made at the newly built “Wishing Place” at the Make-a-Wish facility in Natomas, one of three Wishing Places in the United States, and the only Wishing Place on the West Coast.

Since the facility was built 14 months ago, about 85 percent of children referred to Make-a-Wish visit the Wishing Place, a magical room filled with stars. Once there, the children are given a coin and key and then make one of several kinds of wishes that include: “I want to be…,” “I want to meet…,” “I wish to have…,” “I wish to go…” and “I wish to give…,” where children can wish to give a gift to a loved one.

“(It’s) amazing that in this economy, with all the challenges people are facing, how it takes children to remind us what really matters,” Carlisle said.

You can learn about future Make-a-Wish events and ways to help grant more wishes by visiting: www.makeawish-sacto.org/

Julia Marino on "Finding freedom in fishnets at the burlesque academy"

2011-01-31T22:17:07Z

Thanks, Lindol! I really enjoyed your electronic music festival story. <3 Also, thanks for pointing that out too. Yes, manager of Deep. Dropped an a when added "Deep" detail. Thanks for your grand attention to detail.

Julia Marino on "Finding freedom in fishnets at the burlesque academy"

2011-01-31T20:40:01Z

Thanks! It was a fun experience, and I was relieved with how open the sirens were.

Julia Marino on "Photos: Sacramento Electronic Music Festival - Day 2"

2011-01-31T09:14:17Z

These are some of my favorite photos by you, particularly "Crowd" and Jessica Brown's legs.

Finding freedom in fishnets at the burlesque academy

2011-01-31T07:43:15Z

In a newly designed Midtown studio, dancers of all ages and levels, dressed in their finest fishnets, enter to explore the mystery of sensuality through a modern take on one of history’s most misunderstood yet brazen art forms: burlesque.

Burlesque Fusion dance class, taught every Thursday evening by the Sizzling Sirens burlesque dance troupe, creates an open space to unleash your inner imagination and confidence, all while providing a healthy workout. The potential for personal power and feminine freedom afforded with the dance intrigued me, and I wondered, could this be my new catharsis?

So this January, charged with curiosity, I stepped out of my comfort zone and my usual sweats and plunged into something a little more daring, a mesh menagerie of sensual style: a black brazier, lacy leggings and, for extra icing, green suede boots pulled up to my thighs.

With this outfit I would no longer walk, I would swagger. I would no longer flirt, I would seduce. It’s foreignness sent butterflies to my stomach, a lifetime of reserve suddenly challenged.

Peppering my shyness with some extra sass, I strutted into the plush P Street studio. Feather boas, whips, tassels and velvet and satin costumes saved from the last stage performance draped in the corners. As I was welcomed with a smile, I took off my coat and hat and joined four women spread on the wooden dance floor, along with our instructor Jessica Carter, known on stage as “Meowie Wowie."

Stiletto stems, delicate lace and sparkling jewelry abounded. But somehow, I felt comfortable, invited, cozy. We loosened each limb, climbing over one leg at a time, soft music whispering from the stereo. Once our blood and joints warmed, the intensity heightened, and the smell of sweat and perfume coated the air.

Carter turned up the speakers and handed each of us a cane, black with a white tip. We were about to rock out to the indie grit of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Broadway style. I imagine singer Karen O, a siren in her own right, would approve.

“Gold lion’s gonna tell me where the light is!” Her voice rasped and we brusquely shook hips to the staccato beat.

“Take our hands out of control.” We bent down with our knees above the floor, swaying in an upward movement.

“Take our hands out of control.” Carter slid her hands up her body, over each curve, then encouraged us to do the same.

“In burlesque it’s more freeform. You can do what you want,” she said. “You can touch yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror. Feel your body move.”

Antique rococo mirrors of different sizes framed the walls, and I found myself blushing.

“Inside, outside, I must have done a dozen each…” We circle the cane, inside and outside. “Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ahh ohh.”

An invincible combination, the choreography finished off with a sensual slide of our hands down the canes before using it as leverage to push our bodies back up like a cat. We began to cool down, but my heart was still racing. “Thud thud thud.” The room still seemed alive with its own rhythm though the music had stopped.

Stacy Hayden, designer and manger at Deep Art and Yoga, walked in the room to take the next class of the evening.

“When I first heard burlesque, I immediately thought of stepping out of my own usual routines and exploring something new,” she said. “I looked forward to trying something new that would connect me directly to my femininity and sensuality.”

As Hayden and the other students warmed up, Carter joined me after the class to discuss the experience. Our conversation enlightened me on the history and meaning of this elusive art form, and how burlesque not only boosts endorphins but confidence as well.

I enjoyed the fusion of rock, belly dance, hip-hop and modern styles that were integrated in the burlesque. I was not expecting that!

We’re taking some strong elements of burlesque with the movement and fusing it with other elements, different areas of dance and styles of theatricality. It changes from week to week. Sometimes I’m in a Broadway mood, and sometimes I feel jazzy or belly dancy. Sometimes I’m sad and sometimes happy. I try to take the emotion and turn it into choreography.

You’ve said that all the Sirens form a certain personality with her character. Describe "Meowie Wowie’s” personality?

When I first started doing this, I took a workshop with the founder Jay Siren, and she had us stand in front of a mirror and literally do 10 different personalities and listen to music and make faces and learn how to really be comfortable with yourself, and touch yourself.

I think through that you really discover who you are within burlesque, so for me personally, my characters are sexier than I am in real life. They’re more out there and crazy and ready to do whatever I want to do. I’m not a very sexy person in real life. I’m more cute and modest. But when I’m on stage, I want to be sexy. I want to be a woman.

Do you feel that by exploring burlesque, you’re letting out a side of your personality that would otherwise be repressed?

You keep some of it with you, but you also explore the elements that you don’t know are there. And you don’t know they’re there until you do burlesque. Burlesque helps you discover a whole different part of you.

I definitely discovered a bit of that. What do you think your students get out of the class?

As someone who has started here as a student, it’s taught me a completely new sense of confidence and comfortableness with myself. I personally think you are your own worst enemy and you are your own best friend. Burlesque personally helps me feel confident about my body, my personality, myself, and I think that’s really important for women.

I just want to be happy, and who doesn’t want to be happy? What better thing to do for yourself than to give yourself a sexy workout that makes you feel good? I think that students come out of here and think, “Wow, that was interesting,” because people here a lot of the times have never heard of burlesque or have done burlesque, and so this is a totally different world. And we try to keep it like a burlesque clubhouse, like your little place to come play and feel comfortable, and I hope that we do that for people.

Have you experienced any negative reactions to this form of expression?

There’s nothing more that I hate than when someone says something about relating us to stripping, because it’s not stripping. It’s a strip tease, but we try to keep this very classy. Even though burlesque is fairly new to a lot of people, I think that hopefully with more time, they’ll see that there is a theatricality that goes into it. There’s a lot of hard work and dedication, and I don’t think a lot of people know how hard it is to get up on stage. Yeah, you’re taking your clothes off, but you’re dancing and you’re doing a theatrical performance. I hope that with time that people come to accept that it’s an art form.

*****

The burlesque dance class is held every Thursday evening at 2014 P St. Intro classes run from 7 to 8 p.m., and the beginners’ classes run from 8:15 to 9 p.m. Each session costs $15 or $10 for 215 Patients.

Deerhoof reinvents itself again at Harlow's

2011-01-29T05:47:52Z

The endearing oddballs that make up Deerhoof create music and live performances that have defied all conventions in composition, lifestyle and even a sense of time.

In graduate school, drummer Greg Saunier studied the rules so that he could break them. Ed Rodriguez and John Dieterich learned instruments so they can swap them for other instruments. Singer Satomi Matsuzaki moved from Tokyo to San Francisco as a film student, to eventually trade movies for music. They’ve now traveled the world to find themselves in a place of nostalgia when playing in Northern California, where the band formed in the mid-’90s.

Such was the eccentric climate at Harlow’s Thursday night, where Deerhoof kicked off their 2011 tour in support of their new record, "Deerhoof vs. Evil.”

Opening for Deerhoof, local rockers G.Green engaged the loyal audience with an old-school punk mentality, a female-driven rhythm section, screaming, clapping and a raw rush of adrenaline. Saunier later confessed that members of Deerhoof missed G.Green’s set because of the “incredibly slow service” at the Asian fusion restaurant next door.

“But they sounded great during sound check!” he added.

Deerhoof’s performance explored several new numbers, starting with “Super Duper Rescue Heads” and then “Qui Dorm, Nomes Somia” off of “Deerhoof vs. Evil.”

“This is the first time we’ve played this song,” Matsuzaki said, who got off a plane from her hometown of Tokyo just a few days prior. “And this is our first day on tour!”

The crowd cheered to the point of moshing in the very front, while Matsuzaki’s playful vocals rode over wave of distortion and melodic chaos. She danced methodically to the music, extending her arms and legs with simple, deliberate movements.

While Matsuzaki’s playing emits a more structured and sweet style, Saunier’s head and arms unhinged to the point of severe whiplash.

“I haven’t been head-banging in months, and then suddenly you go up there and you’re gong wild,” he said. “This always happens the first night of every tour. It’s been like this for 16 years. I’m going to wake up with a sore neck tomorrow.”

Saunier explained how Deerhoof reinvents itself with each new year, band lineup, record and song.

“We found each other sort of by accident with nothing in common musically,” he said. “So every time we try to do something, it feels like a stretch. I can never, ever predict what kind of song is going to come next from Ed or John or Satomi, or even from myself!

“I feel like the way I write songs, if you can even use that word ‘write,’ it is so accidental, like the songs seem to come out of nowhere, basically. Something will just pop into my head, and I’m hard-pressed to say that I’m the composer. So it’s always a surprise, and every new song makes us feel like we’re total beginners! Each person is totally confused about what they’re doing. Maybe it is what kind of binds us in a way.”

The title “Deerhoof vs. Evil” sheds light on this philosophy.

“None of us really believes that music is good or that it could ever fight against evil or anything,” Saunier said. “Even more than usual, we didn’t define the style with new album. This time there were no limitations. Part of it was because we had all moved, and we separated from each other a little bit, and you know, you get a taste of freedom…So it makes us feel like we got to invent stuff all over again. No rules! It kind of feels like over the years we take more and more risks in terms of what we allow ourselves to show. A lot of the best moments come from the ones that were the most seemingly impossible to pull off, or the most outside of our comfort zone.”

And so last night’s show was just as unhinged and freeform as its players. The audience members moved and moshed, losing themselves in a maze of complex sounds and playful little experiments.

Longtime fan Erik Norgaard expressed excitement to see one of his favorite bands again, despite some of the “muddy” sound issues.

“On first listen at the show, [the new material] sounded really incredible,” he said.

Just like Saunier, Norgaard said that he “hates genres or describing music in terms of genres.”

“I really like to call it every type of music,” he said. “I think they have such a dynamic sound, and they’re constantly changing, from gritty to pop to gritty to pop again.”

Interwoven with the new songs, they also reverted to some old songs such as “Fresh Born” off of “Offend Maggie.” Before the 2008 album's release, Deerhoof had published the sheet music for the song so that fans could submit their recordings without hearing the band’s version.

In a similar vain, Deerhoof engaged its online audience through a “Global Album Leak,” where each week leading to its Jan. 25 release by Polyvinyl, they dropped a new song via a different blog, based in a different city throughout the globe. This global map in some ways reflects the band’s international identity, which has emerged in the last two years with an increase in worldwide tours and Matsuzaki’s return to Tokyo.

“It’s so much more adventure than I ever dreamed I’d ever have, the places that we’ve seen on planet Earth,” Saunier said. “I never thought I’d go to Istanbul. I never thought I’d go to Moscow. I never thought I’d go to Stockholm or Tokyo or Beijing or Sydney! And if it’s a place that you’ve never been and it’s so remote, it’s so alien, it’s on the other side of the globe. And then you get there, and there’s people singing along — singing your songs, songs that, like I said, just popped into your head one day, and now there’s some Russian person singing it back at you!”

But for now, the band seems happy to be back in California where they first got together. The last time Deerhoof played Sacramento was five years ago at Capital Garage where the Sacramento-based band !!! (Chk Chk Chk) had opened for them, which Saunier referred to as the “irony of ironies.”

As for Thursday night’s show in Sacramento, Saunier said it “felt like a test.”

“Some stuff that works great in the practice space suddenly doesn’t translate to the stage,” he said. “And the stuff that we were absolutely the most nervous and worried about like totally clicked. So what this gave us tonight, in addition to a very supportive audience, a very friendly and a fun night, was a lot of food for thought. We definitely have a lot to chew on before tomorrow night.”

Photos by Steven Chea

Fun with Ra Ra Riot, Givers and Pepper Rabbit at Harlow's

2011-01-24T06:33:03Z

Saturday’s animated concert at Harlow’s served as one of many sold-out shows in California for Ra Ra Riot, Givers and Pepper Rabbit. The dark, intimate venue came alive with colorful lights and a clambering crowd of orchestral pop rock fans. At the first beat of sound, the room was flavored with music that could most simply be described as “fun.”

Joining Givers and Ra Ra Riot for the first time on this tour, Los Angeles-based rock duo Pepper Rabbit opened the show with layered organ notes, looping effects and experimental use of unusual rock instruments: clarinet, bells and ukulele. Center stage, the lights glowed atop drummer Luc Laurent’s curls as his percussion pounded in our chests. Vocalist Xander Singh switched seamlessly from scaling keys to tambourine to ukulele throughout the band’s set, which included “Older Brother,” “Babette!” and “None Shall Sleep,” all off of the band’s 2010 album “Beauregard.”

As the bands transitioned and the crowd thickened, members of Lafayette’s Givers also began to set up an assortment of quirky instruments. Travis Sparks, who is visiting from Austin, noticed a second ukulele on the stage. “Another goddamn ukulele. These bands need to get out more,” he said, adding that an increasing number of musicians attract a built-in audience by merely integrating unconventional instruments. Although I'm a fan of the ukulele, there’s something to be said for how sudden ubiquity can dilute the punch of a novel concept.

Nevertheless, Givers, a psychedelic rock band reminiscent of Vampire Weekend, emitted vibrant, almost hyperbolic, vibes and beats. As they broke into the hit “Up Up Up,” the room burst with celebratory thunder and dance. Hearts pounded and long hair flew on stage to the rhythm of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist ~~Christine Peirce’s~~ TIffany Lamson's playful drumming and bell slinging.

“I want to have your baby!” a man screamed from the audience.

“Um. No. That wouldn’t be possible,” ~~Peirce~~ Lamson replied, laughing.

Her sweet lyrics harmonized with guitarist Taylor Guarisco’s vocals as his eyes closed with bliss as he played.

“The show was a lot of fun,” Guarisco said. “All of our songs are kind of like our children, so we love them all. It’s always exciting to see how an audience that doesn’t know our music reacts as we play. I watch their faces as they turn....” He then mimicked the audience’s expressions: faces that transform from bored to ecstatic.

As the stage transitioned for the third time, more people crowded toward the edge of the stage to get a closer look at Syracuse’s Ra Ra Riot, which performed Saturday for the first time with new drummer Kenny Bernard.

Fan Shelee Romo of Woodland said she’s seen Ra Ra Riot about four or five times since the band’s debut.

“They’ve always put on a great show,” she said. “They just feed off each other.”

She screamed loudly as the band emerged on stage to the sound of “Massachusetts.” Singer Wesley Miles, wearing a vintage Star Wars T-shirt, pounded the keys as the band orchestrated wildly to a series of hits from their first full-length album “The Rhumb Line,” including “Too Too Fast” and “Oh, La.”

Ra Ra Riot’s second full-length album, 2010’s “The Orchard," offered a more mature, mellow mood, while still retaining its playful energy with “Boy” and “Kansai.”

"This is the first time the band has felt part of one entire process, from beginning to end," Miles said.

"The Orchard" also features more lead vocals by cellist Alexandra Lawn, whose sultry vocals captivated the audience with "You and I Know."

“I’ve never seen [Lawn] sing solo live like that, so that was exciting,” Romo said. “She has this Stevie Nicks vibe that I love.”

The songs continued with spritely vocals by Miles, harmonized by Lawn and reinforced by the band's baroque rock buoyancy. The band left the stage, and after minutes of cheering, returned with "The Rhumb Line" hits “Ghost Under Rocks” and “Dying Is Fine." During the last few verses, Miles removed his glasses and proceeded to high five several audience members before saying goodnight.

“The show was just great!" Miles said. "We’re glad everyone had fun."

Photos by Steven Chea

A Big Idea: Compleat Female Stage Beauty

2011-01-21T02:40:42Z

It is the year 1661 in England, and the lovely Desdemona lies sleeping in her bed, long golden locks draping over white linen. She awakens slowly to the sound of her lover. “Othello, is that you?” she asks sleepily. Othello, a masculine Moor, approaches her, intent to kill in his heart. He grabs a beaded pillow, and in a few moments, suffocates the damsel to death.

Gasps of terror turn to laughter as Desdemona jumps up from her deathbed, takes off a wig of flowing curls, and reveals the man behind Shakespeare’s lead lady – Ned Kynaston, the theatre’s greatest male portrayer of female roles in London.

“Oh, but the play is not over!” he says. The audience cheering, he falls elegantly onto the bed. Later, backstage, Kynaston and his company of actors try desperately to deal with the startling news that women are now allowed on the stage, a reality that threatens Kynaston’s career and identity.

However, the audience is actually witnessing a play within a play, “Compleat Female Stage Beauty,” and Ned Kynaston is performed by actor Benjamin Ismail.

“Compleat Female Stage Beauty,” written by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Brian Harrower, will run until Feb. 5 at the intimate Big Idea Theatre in Sacramento. The play is a timeless, comical and tragic story about the impact of gender in society and how to find our true selves; we must dare to remove our “masks.” The play stars company members Ismail as Kynaston and Kristine David as his rival, the first female stage actress: Margaret Hughes.

Ismail first came across the script for this play in 2004 as a student at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.

"When I found it, I thought, ‘Oh my god! I have to do this someday!’ ” he said.

As a theater major with an emphasis in directing, Ismail proposed the play to his school, but the department declined because of the expense of the costumes.

Ten years later, Ismail finally gets to play what he considers to be the role of a lifetime.

“The script itself is just brilliant. The journey and the arc that Hatcher has written into it is a dream role.” he said. “I not only get to play Kynaston...but I get to play two Shakespeare roles that I would never get to play in real life because I’m not black, and I’m not a woman, so I get to play Othello and Desdemona.”

As a company member at Big Idea Theatre, Ismail had the chance to pitch three shows for the upcoming season.

“It was the first thing on the table,” he said.

But even then, it took a lot of campaigning to win the support of the theater.

“It’s a monster of a show. There are so many scene changes, so many costume changes and there’s so much going on, and we have a really small theatre here,” said Harrower, the director. “But it was such a good script, and I thought it was a really important story to tell.”

Five weeks and several lighting tricks later, the company managed to create a historic proscenium space, purchase 30 Restoration-era costumes on a budget of $500, and premiere the play to a receptive audience.

“That was kind of one of the challenges of making this piece, making sure that all of those elements were treated well and were given their full birth,” Harrower said. “It’s a very complete play. The first 45 minutes are almost completely a comedy. Then the next hour is a really serious drama and at the end it still manages to come out very redemptive.”

After finally playing the character that’s been in his pocket for more than six years, Ismail said that putting on the show has been quite an emotional journey.

“It’s quite a process for me,” he said. “I start getting ready for the show at 4:30 every day to start at 8, because I have to get everything pretty to be a woman or whatever...During rehearsals I’d get so into it that when the scene would be over, I just couldn’t shake it...I’m still discovering new things in the show. It has been hard to leave (Kynaston) at the theater, but I relish that."

Ismail added that it's not just his character that's layered with emotions, but the rest of the cast as well.

"All of the characters have so much going on underneath the surface," he siad. "This show is very much about putting on a show whether or not you’re on stage.”

“Without what we do, who are we?” is a common question being asked throughout the play. Ismail said it’s a question he’s asked himself daily.

“Coming out in the south was a great experience for me,” he said sarcastically. “And I had to learn that lesson very quickly, that we’re not always what we do because, you know, I don’t have to be a stereotype. Kynaston doesn’t have to be a stereotype. We’re just people. No matter where we come from, we’re all people, and we’ve got that in common. ‘Why do we do the things that we do?’ That’s what every character is asking in this show.”

Performances of “Compleat Female Stage Beauty” are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (Jan. 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29, Feb. 4, 5) and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (Jan. 16, 23, 30).

Julia Marino on "Stick 'em Up!: Sizzling Sirens perform a criminal cabaret at Harlow's"

2011-01-19T05:15:23Z

Thanks Peter Petty! I apologize for the mistake. Thanks so much for reading!

Julia Marino on "Stick 'em Up!: Sizzling Sirens perform a criminal cabaret at Harlow's"

2011-01-18T22:05:57Z

thanks!

Julia Marino on "Captions, credits and continuing changes on Sacpress"

2011-01-18T21:10:33Z

This is great. I had been wondering about captions, and now we have them. Thanks so much!

Julia Marino on "Stick 'em Up!: Sizzling Sirens perform a criminal cabaret at Harlow's"

2011-01-18T20:26:03Z

Correction: Harley White Jr. is the bass player. The singer's name is Peter Perry.

Stick 'em Up!: Sizzling Sirens perform a criminal cabaret at Harlow's

2011-01-18T18:37:50Z

Sizzle. Serenade. Seduce.

Puffs of neon smoke cloud my eyes as I slide through the bustling doorway of Harlow’s Sunday night. The room brims with burlesque bombshells of all ages, men in fedoras, pin stripes, faux-leather collars. A woman wearing crimson nurses a gimlet, no ice. Next to her, a man dressed as the late Hunter S. Thompson bumps me with his long cigarette holder while he tucks it nonchalantly behind his ear. He pays no notice as he urges his eyes through the clamoring crowd in anticipation of “Stick ‘em Up!: A Criminal Cabaret,” Harlow’s first show of the year by Sacramento’s only burlesque troupe “Sizzling Sirens.”

The Sizzling Sirens, founded in 2008 by Jessica Swanson who is known by her stage name “Jay Siren,” produces a provocative form of modern cabaret rooted in theatrical satire and imagination.

Opening the evening, the accompanying ensemble Harley White Jr. Orchestra entertains the restless crowd with lively jazz and swing numbers. ~~White Jr.~~ Peter ~~Perry~~ Petty croons into the microphone, what is obviously a toupee grazing his glasses. The trumpet player slides the ball mute from the horn’s mouth, and the percussion comes to a closing crash.

Suddenly the room quiets. Behind the sheer curtain, synchronized silhouettes to the shadow of a gun mark the start of the show.
“Jay Siren,” approaches the stage in jet-black fishnets, a corset and a lace garter. Without chagrin, the confident lead siren introduces the first criminal act of the evening - “Burglary.”

Veteran siren “Shauni Fatale” emerges in a white feather boa to the sound of “The Stripper.” She saunters behind a silk screen while stripping, revealing the diamond tassels that cover each breast. As the crowd cheers, the music smoothly shifts to the Pink Panther theme song. An intruder in black leather played by “Jay Siren” sneaks slyly into the scene and steels Fatale’s diamond thong that drapes over the screen.

The inspiration for this criminal concept came to Swanson last fall after dressing as a sexy cop for Halloween.

“I had way too much fun in the role,” she said, “So I decided to bring my sirens in on the action and produce a law enforcement and crime themed cabaret.” During one of the Sizzling Sirens weekly meetings, Swanson presented the troupe with a full list of penal code violations and “told them to go for it!”

The night’s performance sends me on an expedition through more than 17 scandalous violations: “Public Intoxication,” “Seduction,” “Unlawful Firearms,” “Bribery and Corruption,” “Robbery,” “Money Laundering,” “Illegal Dumping,” “Mayhem,” “Coercion,” “Kidnapping,” “Corporal Punishment,” “Booby Traps,” “Attempts to Kill,” “Illegal Narcotics” and “Indecent Exposure.”

In “Bribery and Corruption”, “Lucinda Buttons” personifies the ancient goddess of justice. Her eyes blinded by golden beads and balancing a scale, the siren soon shifts from statuesque to seductress. She hypnotizes the audience with each sway of her hips, which sends tassels and gold flying. Hunter S. Thompson bumps me again with his cigarette holder, his eyes transfixed on the stage.

For Buttons, “it’s about embracing your femininity and taking hold of your sexuality…letting that feeling of being sexy empower you.”

“I was that girl that got embarrassed buying underwear,” she said. “Never thought I’d be here taking my clothes off... Thankfully burlesque is more theatrical. I have done some drama, so it works for me.”

In “Public Intoxication”, “Tenacity Jane,” dressed in a flowing golden dress commands the stage with her sultry voice, the band behind her.

“…I can tell if it's truth or lies when you've got bourbon in your eyes,” she purrs.

She then pins up her skirt to a garter, unfastens her halter, and in a blink, exposes glittering tassels before sprawling upside down across the velvet chair like a cat.

“When I am on stage, I'm strangely calm, which I think comes with the confidence in knowing I am a part of a select group of truly amazing women,” “Tenacity Jane” said. “We are different ages, sizes, come from different backgrounds, but we all share something that brings us together and makes us, in a very real way, sisters.”

There's an intermission, which is between two dominatrix dreams, and the intoxicated audience moves to the photo booth, the bar and the dance floor where they sway to the orchestra. As we near twilight, however, I notice the crowd begins to dwindle.

But the night is still young for the rest of us, and the show, crime by crime, commences.

In the humorous finale, “Indecent Exposure”, Tenacity Jane’s character, clad in an exaggerated man mask, slouches in a cinema, pants around the ankles, bathing in popcorn and public indecency. Laughter, like dynamite, detonates throughout the audience as two cops played by “Jay Siren” and “Alijah Dresden” heavy-handedly lay down the law.

“When we all bust out laughing, we know we are on to something,” Tenacity Jane said. “We love to celebrate our sensuality and silliness, audacity and freedom. Anything can happen on stage, and usually does. Being there feels magical.”

As magic makes its way to the final end, I think how the long list of criminal acts could mean a life sentence for the sizzling sirens. But, for some reason, it doesn’t quite feel like punishment.

The next installment of the burlesque siren show series will be a comedic casino, cabaret show “Lets Get Lucky!” on Thursday, March 3 at Harlow’s.

Photos by David Alvarez

WinterFEST highlights regional documentaries

2011-01-17T04:46:53Z

The 12th annual Sacramento Film & Music Festival and first ever WinterFEST kicked off Saturday at the historic Crest Theatre. The festival runs through Martin Luther King Day on Monday, when winners of the audience choice awards will be announced.

Although the festival is largely international in scope, with 31 films representing nine countries, the focus this winter has largely been on documentaries from Northern California, such as Saturday’s “Painting Bolinas”, Sunday's "My Brother Mike" and Monday’s documentary feature “Sowing the Seeds of Justice,” about Cruz Reynoso, California's first Chicano Supreme Court Justice and member of the UC Davis law faculty.

“With the dates coinciding with the MLK holiday, the ability to put on a full day on Monday of social justice, politics and peace-related documentaries was just a neat thing to be able to do,” festival co-director Anthony Sheppard said.

Organizers receive several hundred film submissions through withoutabox.com, and they choose between one and 10 of them to screen, Sheppard said. This year’s large pool of films included films from 20 to 30 film schools, including international programs and all the major U.S. film schools. Several of these short student films opened the festival.

“Painting Bolinas,” a deeply personal piece by first-time filmmaker Wendy Elkin, is about the coastal town of Bolinas, hidden about 10 miles north of Stinson Beach, and one of the town’s most misunderstood yet cherished characters. It illustrates the day-to-day life of eccentric painter Peter Lee, an accomplished artist in his own way, who chooses to live in relative poverty and squalor while opening his makeshift house to the homeless. While the artist’s disposition is that of a scotch-drinking, hilariously profane 90-year-old sailor, his free spirit and love for life emerge through his happy and colorful paintings, which depict the landscape, people and many dogs that make Bolinas.

Elkin said she began visiting the artist, and one visit eventually transformed into 65 hours of footage, edited down to an 87-minute documentary.

“There were several reasons I made this film,” Elkin said during the post-screening Q&A. “I feel that Peter is a character that everyone can learn things from. It’s also my hope that people would see him not only as an incredible artist but also as an American folk hero.”

The audience responded with enthusiasm to the documentary and the soundtrack, which features a song written specially for the film by Elkin’s son-in-law, George Mohler.

“It really captured the spirit of the film and exactly what I wanted to portray,” Elkin said.

As the film closes in with a panorama of the beautiful, fluid Bolinas coast line, Mohler’s lyrics reinforce much of the meaning of the film: “It’s a twisted road that leads to the California sun./ Paint it on a postcard, send it via Highway 1.”

Music is a large part of the festival itself, with its music video programs and daily live performances. Festival sponsor Yogurtagogo served several flavors of yogurt in the lobby Saturday while local musician Andrew Heringer performed.

“I think this festival is such a cool thing to have happening,” Heringer said. “I respect anyone who can set up something like this and get people involved and have a showcase for art and movies.”

The audience returned to the screen for the narrative feature of the day, “Boy Wonder,” preceded by a series of films submitted to the “Pitch Sacramento” film competition, short local films subject to audience voting. The winning films and prizes will be announced during the festival after-party Monday at 7:15 p.m. in the Parlare Euro Lounge.

“Boy Wonder” is an intense yet humanizing psychological thriller about a Brooklyn boy who witnesses the vicious murder of his mother. He is the comic book-inspired hero, a disciplined, straight-A student by day, a tough hero seeking revenge on his mother’s killer by night. The film, which took filmmaker Michael Morrissey roughly 10 years to complete, evokes distorted perceptions of morality and redemption.

“[Boy Wonder] held my attention up to the final twist at the end, O'Henry style,” Sacramentan Patricia Valentine said. “I loved it.”

This was exactly the reaction Morrissey predicted.

Monday’s film screenings include several social justice documentaries in honor of Martin Luther King Day, including “Lost Harmony,” “Atomic Mom” and “Sowing the Seeds of Justice.”

For the complete schedule, visit sacfilm.com.

Art Mix: Playing with color at Crocker

2011-01-15T23:03:39Z

Crocker Art Museum presented a diverse palette of art and music Thursday night as part of its monthly exhibit and performance series Art Mix. January’s theme, titled “I Hear Color,” celebrated the vibrant watercolor explorations of world-renowned abstract expressionist Paul Jenkins, the sunny, melodic music of San Francisco’s Jake Mann and the Upper Hand, and also featured a playful prism of colorful crafts -- kaleidoscope creation, T-shirt painting, a swatch and color theory tour, and a professional photo booth.

The evening exuded a “choose your own adventure” environment where guests could wander at their own leisure throughout the new modern structure of the museum, pockets of color and light penetrating corners and hallways.

The Color of Light

Jenkins’ exhibit “The Color of Light”, which is shown in the spacious second floor gallery through February 20, represents the spirit of post World War II American abstraction and Pollock-era abstract expressionism. The collection honors the painter’s sensuous and elusive watercolors and selected work on canvas, including 29 watercolors pertaining to the artist’s dance-drama, “Shaman to the Prism Seen,” performed at the Paris Opera in 1987, as well as his recent large-scale watercolor, “Phenomena Wind Arch” from 2009.

The artist's enduring exploration of Eastern philosophy and inward reflection were made evident especially through two of the Jenkins' major projects, “Phenomena Peking Prism,” from 1988, a watercolor triptyque that relates to his experience painting on silk in Beijing, China, and “Phenomena Meditation Tower,” five watercolors inspired by monumental stained glass windows.

At the exhibit, three art students from Sacramento City College studied Jenkins' unique use of color and unconventional paint application, which includes controlled paint pouring on a primed canvas.

The students pointed to some of their favorite works, which included an oil and enamel on canvas titled “Cherokee Strip”.

“The textures are just really cool in it,” said Sonia Antilla. “I like it because it’s not all primary colors like the other ones.”

Sam Lyman then led us to “Last Phenomena of the 75s.”

“I like it because it’s focusing on purple. It’s my favorite color! But also, I like just the form of it. There are sharp lines but also blurred lines, and I like the way the blue and purple bleeds together.”

Jenkins explains his fluid, ethereal approach to color in his book “Conjunctions and Annexes,” which can be found at the Crocker gift store.

"Color is like water that has to sink down in the silt below and then be directed to rise to the surface as if of its own will and, like a river current, find its estuary," Jenkins wrote.

Arts & Crafts

Below in the historical room, artistic energy radiated as children and adults alike had the chance to play with color and create kaleidoscopes and various accessories. Vibrant scarves, swatches, bustles, retro hair bows and T-shirts painted the drawing tables as artists fastened glittering shapes on their wares.

A young boy wrote his name in paint on his small white T-shirt. He spelled out “Ryan,” smiling with satisfaction as he adds abstract shapes around the letters. When asked what he was drawing, the 5-year-old shrugged and said, “I don’t know…just something from my imagination!”

“And what is your favorite color,” his mother, Shannon Shehadi asked her son. “Black,” he answered quite matter-of-factly. She explained that her son is a fan of the Raiders. “So, what about your second favorite color?” she asked. “Silver!” he said.

At the table next to Shehadi and her son, Maia Kazaks and Madaline Stone of Sacramento were making hair accessories out of colorful transparent filters. Once the hairpieces were in place, the two friends danced over to the main hall for a photo op in the Crocker photo booth.

Wesley Davis, owner of Beatnik Studios, made colorful portraits of the two women. Davis explained how he used a slow shutter speed to allow the colorful stage lights bleed through the photo and allow his subjects to create colorful abstractions as they move.

Hearing Color

Beside the photo booth, the sound of guitar, bass and drums further amplified the animated mood of the room, and the audience moved closer to the stage as a couple twirled to the upbeat melodies.

Jake Mann and the Upper Hand played several hits from their new album, “Parallel South,” set to officially release on January 18 by the local Davis record label Crossbill Records.

In keeping with the theme of light, Mann explained how the record focuses on thoughts of “travel, movement and sunshine.”

“My last album was a little darker,” he said. “We’re getting sunnier with this one.”

Mann said that the band was excited to be able to “relax and stretch out their music” for the longer performance at the museum.

As apposed to the usual 35-minute bar set, the band performed two 45-minute sets at Crocker, playing a mixture of old and new songs, including their newest single “Days Are Long,” the improvisational “Say It’s Fine,” and a cover of “Drive” by The Cars.

“I like playing alternate spaces like this," Mann said. "It takes the focus off of us, and we can contribute more to the event."

Jake Mann and The Upper Hand will play again on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Phono Select in Sacramento.

The Crocker Art Museum holds its Art Mix event on the first Thursday of every month. You can experience the next Art Mix titled, "Love & Lust" on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 5 - 9 p.m.

Photography by Julia Marino

Julia Marino on "Pinback breathes old and new life into Harlow's"

2011-01-01T21:19:03Z

Well, you should, because you WERE right there with me! ;) thanks and kudos to you too, lindol. :)

Pinback breathes old and new life into Harlow's

2011-01-01T19:27:30Z

A long line of fans trailed the J Street corner leading to Harlow’s Thursday night to hear the otherworldly rock sounds of San Diego’s indie music pundit Pinback. The anticipation in the air thickened enough to emotionally throttle an hour-long, traffic-triggered delay, and in what seemed like barely a blink, the venue brimmed with both laughter and musical absorption.

The laughter was mostly spurred by a multimedia of satire and absurdity by opener JP Hasson, also known as JP Incorporated. Hasson’s shtick, self-described as a “wonderful company, specializing in a variety of quality products and services” featured such products and programming as “Jazzbot Xtreme,” a monster truck that transforms into fire-breathing saxophones, “Crap Factory,” a fictional metal rock band from the Hollywood Hills, “The Internet,” a dramedy about people using the internet, and an advertisement for the fictional limo company “No Prob Limo.”

“It’s good to be touring with smooth jazz artists Pinback. They tour in a limo!” announced Hasson, who is playing in support of his new album out by Comedy Central. Corporate shots of a white limo cut to a series of tacky motion graphics, prompting the audience to hum along to the intentionally obnoxious chorus line, “Need a ride?...No Prob Limo… No Prob Limo... No Prob Limoooooo!” as Hasson jerked his arms in jest.

By 11 p.m., images of comical commercial graphics shifted to stick figure drawings and underwater astronauts as Pinback finally took the stage. While Pinback’s sound is hardly “smooth jazz,” the band has a way of intricately weaving powerful pedal-driven distortion with calming, ethereal ambient sounds. Pinback founders Zach Smith and Rob Crow, known for experimenting on tour as a stripped-down duo, played with the full band for this show, which added extra layers of resonance to their distinct songwriting.

The band began the set with the haunting “Hatenaughts of Melancholy Wall,” a bonus track off of 2007’s “Autumn of the Seraphs.” Scenes from the science fiction film “Dark Star,” which inspired the band’s name, projected onto the screen shed with shadows of the moving musicians. The room was packed and the audience mesmerized as Pinback mazed through several never-before-heard songs from their new album expected to be released by Temporary Residence Limited. in early 2011. The indie rock veterans also rocked many older numbers from their last four albums including “Good to Sea”, “How We Breathe” and “Walters” off of “Autumn of the Seraphs,” “Penelope” off of Blue Screen Life and the chill “Loro” from the band’s 1998 debut "This is a Pinback."

The relatively blithe atmosphere took on a sad and serious tone when Crow announced the sudden death of friend and fellow musician “Steimy,” as he is affectionately called. Crow dedicated the next song “Bloods on Fire” to his friend. “Calm yourself, calm yourself,” Crow sang passionately. “Blood's on fire, blood's on fire…”

“I was just going to see him in Reno,” Crow told the Sacramento Press. “I can’t believe I won’t see him now. It’s a terrible loss.”

Melancholy again morphed into a progressive, party environment as Pinback continued to journey through its eclectic musical past and future. The dedicated audience members were right there ready to travel with them, maybe not back to San Diego, but home to their headphones and speakers, which will hopefully soon be able to play Pinback’s next album (exact date and title have not yet been released).

Photos by Steven Chea

Migrant Children capture their lives through their own eyes

2010-12-24T01:43:05Z

A sunny day on the grassy playground, family gatherings around the table, an empty house, Our Lady of Guadalupe – these are just some of the vivid imagery captured by children of migrant agricultural workers temporarily living in Yolo County. Each of these photographs tells the untold story of migrant children – their fears, hopes and dreams as they migrate with their families from season to season, farm to farm.

A Través de Mis Ojos (Through My Eyes), sponsored in part by The Latino Legislative, Caucus Foundation and Spanglish Arte, is a collection of 48 intimate photographs featured from Dec. 10 through Friday at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Sacramento (CCAS). Viewers of the exhibit had the rare opportunity to experience a personal glimpse into the world of migrant children.

Most of the children in the exhibit learned about the art of photography in a class at Yolo Family Resource Center (YFRC) in Woodland.

Through the six-week program, facilitated by Neil Hollander and Natalia Deeb-Sosa, the children, most of whom never used a camera before, learned the mechanics of developing film and using 35mm cameras, which were donated by community members. Through these skills, the children were able to document aspects of their daily lives from their own perspectives. Their photographs also helped educate the community on the unique lives of farm workers

On Dec. 11, the art center held a Second Saturday reception, where they raised approximately $600 through donations, as well as through selling photographs and T-shirts. Proceeds will go toward the migrant children and their families, building YFRC services and setting up a darkroom so the children may continue producing quality photographs, such as the ones featured in "A Tráves de Mis Ojos."

According to Xico González, curator of the CCAS exhibit, “The class was such a huge success that the YFRC made a space for a small darkroom in their building.”

González first brought the idea of curating this exhibit “as a fundraiser and as an educational tool to provide the general public with an insight into the lives of farm workers.”

After past outreach experience in the Yolo County area, he decided to focus the project on the migrant community of Yolo County, specifically through the Davis Migrant Center, Dixon Migrant Center and YFRC.

“The responses have been very positive from the community towards this project, and exhibit,” González said. “People are very impressed by the children's photographs in terms of subject matter and aesthetics.”

One of the highlights of the exhibit includes an invitation to take "A Tráves de Mis Ojos" to San José State University in May 2011.

Chelsea Wolfe Unveils Her Voice, New Record

2010-12-18T02:15:21Z

Black, mantilla lace shrouded Chelsea Wolfe’s eyes as she peered into the intimate glow of the Crocker Art Museum on Thursday. A projector poured black and white film negatives onto the screen behind her, shimmering a cool light through her florid veil. I wondered if she could see the audience, a small gathering of family, friends and loyal fans, if their faces were recognizable or just anonymous shadows in a naked theater.

She introduced herself in a subdued voice, along with her boyfriend and longtime bandmate, Ben Chisholm, who stood at her left, wired and amped into his black keyboard. A golden toy and two small, antique music boxes glistened at her feet, along with a tambourine, a bracelet made of small bells and a loose bundle of amplifier cables.

The room’s silence soon shifted to an echo of stripped minor chords and her pristine voice, like a siren, harmonically corralled through a cloud of souring notes and distortion. Her first wave of songs were a dedication, "for those with unnamed sorrows, dark knowledge, waiting to be remembered” and served a montage of melodies consciously chosen to set the mood, an ambiance just as beautiful as it was black.

In addition to a select number of songs from her EP "Ἀποκάλυψις", her new LP, "The Grime and the Glow," and several songs from her latest project "Russian Karaoke," she also performed an iconic cover of the folk tune "Sunshine," which Wolfe reinvented by looping intricate layers of vocals.

"I have never felt so dead inside. I have never felt so alive," she spoke as the twinkling of music boxes and vocals fade, one layer at a time.

Thursday’s performance in Sacramento was Wolfe’s first homecoming since she relocated to Los Angeles in early fall. She now lives with Chisholm, who works in the film industry, in “a big, old and haunted house in a shitty neighborhood.”

“But I love it,” she said. “I can be loud and make music there.”

It is in this “vast, red stretch of sunburn,” called Los Angeles, at a place called Show Cave, that Wolfe will hold her LP release show in January. Self-recorded on a Tascam 488, “The Grime and the Glow,” which “explores the relationship between death and humor” will officially be released by the independent New York music label Pendu on Dec. 28. Next March, Wolfe will also tour France in support of her new record and songs from “Russian Karaoke.”

While the enigmatic Wolfe has many exciting travels, projects and moons ahead of her, it was here in Sacramento, at the age of 9, that she made her first home recording. And she has not stopped since.

“I had a rather strange and foggy childhood, and it shaped the way I view the world,” she said. “Making music has always been my instinctual reaction to the dark state of the world and everything around me."

Catharsis sure paid off. Since her childhood, Wolfe continued to grow her film and literary-inspired music, played several local venues such as The Hub, backwoods festivals like KDVS’ Operation Restore Maximum Freedom, Midtown house shows and is now heard worldwide.

And so there she stood, present-day Wolfe – under a museum stage light shaded by sheer black – her voice singing out for all the "truth seekers" she makes her music for.

“I saw the widow in the widow….I saw the bird circling above me,” she sang the soft yet intense lyrics from “Widow” off of “The Grime and the Glow.”

An unnamed woman walked slowly down the aisle of the room. She also wore a black veil like Wolfe's, and carried a small, sad bundle of dead flowers. She seemed to pay no notice to the audience as she walked just inches in front of me. With each eerie step, Wolfe crashed her tambourine against her hand and hip until the widow disappeared, like magic, from the room.

Photos by Steven Chea

Kronos Quartet Explores Meaning of Music in 2010

2010-12-11T04:40:57Z

Just when the Kronos Quartet seemed like it couldn’t push the boundaries of contemporary string ensemble any further, this renowned group from San Francisco surprised its audiences with new sophisticated, eclectic string interpretations, guiding them through daring cross-genre explorations.

Through its unique string arrangements, the Kronos Quartet has given homage for more than 30 years to a variety of composers – ranging from classical minimalists to modern, experimental rockers.

In keeping with this fearless spirit, the Kronos Quartet—David Harrington, John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello)—astounded more than 500 listeners Thursday night with a live performance created exclusively for the Mondavi Center. The diverse program included pieces composed by the enigmatic Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós, film composer Clint Mansell (“The Fountain,” “Requiem for a Dream”), Mexico's Café Tacuba and more.

The Kronos Quartet began with “Aheym,” by Bryce Dessner, guitarist for The National. “Aheym,” which means “homeward” in Yiddish, re-imagines the voyage of Dessner’s ancestors from Poland to America, evoking thoughts of passage and family oral history. Kronos proceeded with the intense and ethereal “Death is the Road to Awe” from the film “The Fountain" before performing “Harp and Alter,” a love song to the Brooklyn Bridge by modern American composer Missy Mazzoli. Fragments of Hart Crane's poem, “The Bridge”, echoed amidst the sound of strings:

“Through the bound cable strands, the arching path
Upward, veering with light, the flight of strings,
Taut miles of shuttling moonlight syncopate
The whispered rush, telepathy of wires…”

Next, Kronos played, for the first time in the United States, a song by French composer Thierry Pécou: “Les Rameurs Obscurs de la Barque de Ré,” an eclectic, staccato-driven soundscape inspired by a passage from the Egyptian Book of the Dead about the sun god Ra’s sea voyage through the cycle of life.

The second half of Kronos’ set further highlighted the thin, experimental line between old and new, classical and rock with electronica-inspired sounds in “Crossfader” by Raz Mesinai, Mansell’s iconic “Requiem for a Dream Suite” and Café Tacuba’s 12/12, a five-part illustration of “Day of our Lady of Guadalupe,” weaving together ambient sounds taken from the streets of modern Mexico.

The much-anticipated “Flugufrelsarinn,” by Sigur Rós, swept the crowd with the most chills, resonating a combined message of urgency and peace throughout the golden walls of Mondavi.

Originally sung in the singer “Jonsi’s” self-invented language called Hopelandish, “Flugufrelsarinn,” from the band’s breakthrough album “Agoetis Byrjun,” tells a story of salvation in which the narrator saves a fly in a lake from a hungry salmon. After first hearing the song, Harrington and arranger Stephen Prutsman met the members of Sigur Rós and were soon rehearsing together in Iceland.

In a letter to the Mondavi Center, Harrington wrote, “I feel I’m continually on the edge of my chair, and I want to spend my time encouraging artists to stretch beyond what they ever imagined they could accomplish … Bringing elements into our live shows that haven’t been there before is something I’ve tried to do since we formed Kronos. With fellow artists, I want to explore what it means to be a musician, what a concert is and what a musical experience is in 2010.”

Photos by Julia Marino

Julia Marino on "Adam Carolla: ready to get it on at Crest"

2010-11-17T01:35:21Z

Excellent interview, Steven… Can't wait for that wet bar installation. :)

With Buika, it’s never the last drink

2010-11-08T02:11:57Z

"The last drink and last love are never the last..."

Concha Buika’s sultry voice reverberates softly through the golden walls of the Mondavi Center at UC Davis. Her hair is swept in a shiny, black scarf as her eyes gaze shyly at the room of roughly 1,000 audience members who are eagerly awaiting her next words of wisdom.

“I think this is important information,” she adds, chuckling a little into her microphone. The audience, taking in her words, cheers thoughtfully, as if she has just answered to their collective curiosities, thoughts they had no means to express.

Buika (“BWEE-kah”), born on the island of Mallorca to immigrants from Equatorial Guinea, has become an emerging Spanish vocalist who has created a rare yet ingenious sound, a hybrid of flamenco, jazz and soul. Influenced by her African roots, the Spanish gypsy community, Latin American beats and the Americanization of a Las Vegas stint, Buika has achieved a blended style of earthy passion and cosmopolitan wit. Her success in Spain has transferred internationally and across mediums, with her first film debut in Pedro Almodovar's upcoming film "La Piel Que Habito," as well as duets with Seal and Nelly Furtado. Her new Latin Grammy Award nominated album, "El Ultimo Trago (The Last Drink)," brings her to the United States for her first American tour, which had her swing through Davis last Saturday.

In between lyrics, Buika shares with the audience the many secrets she says she’s discovered along her travels. "It’s a secret, but I will tell you," she says, grinning.

“When we open our mouths to say something, we fall into the fire,” she says, lifting her skirt to begin subtle flamenco choreography as she shapes her fingers into imaginary castanets.

“When I feel I don’t know nothing, I realize I know everything,” she continues.

Her spoken lyrics come both from her own poetry and translations from “El Ultimo Trago," which covers interpretations of songs by one of Buika’s musical heroines, Mexican legend Chevela Varges.

Buika intersperses her elusive spoken words with the raspy, desperately powerful "el cante." Buika reintroduces Vargas’ classic songs by transforming Vargas’ bolero “El Ultimo Trago" into a blues number and “Somos” into the soft, rhythmic cha-cha.

As the falsetto of her flamenco-driven cries captivates the audience, she takes a moment to calm her intense vocal chords and capture her supporting musicians. Buika grabs what looks like an older DSLR camera and bends down to take a few shots of the drummer, the bassist and the pianist, as each musician round-robins into a jazzy solo instrumentation.

Buika continues the night with numbers from her first two albums, as well as more of Vargas’ classics such as "Luz de Luna." Between songs, she takes careful consideration to translate for the audience. “Luz de luna, it means moonlight,” she says. “Mentirosa, it means liar."

As her performance comes to a close, she thanks the audience with sincerity. “Muchas gracias, thank you so much!” she exclaims. But the audience demands an encore, and she returns to perform “Mi Niña Lola,” from her debut album “Mi Niña Lola.”

If the last drink is really never the last, well, then, let’s say, “Can we have another one please?”

Photos by Steven Chea.

Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment

2010-11-05T23:32:58Z

"Listen for it as it comes…the pure, imperial sound of…Celtic Thunder."

Sundry vocals, Irish folklore and dry ice poured majestically atop a meadow backdrop at Sacramento’s Memorial Auditorium Thursday, one of 70 stops the Irish supergroup will make in support of its third PBS television special “It’s Entertainment,” a performance series showcasing both the old world and the new.

The rhythm of heartbeats from the sparse yet euphoric audience resonated with the thunderous percussion of traditional Celtic instrumentation. An amalgamation of cello, harp, fiddle, keyboard, piccolo, guitar, concertina, bagpipe and mandolin merged with the steadfast drumbeat to introduce the six voices of the illustrious Celtic Thunder.

Irishmen Damian McGinty, Keith Harkin, Paul Byrom, Ryan Kelly and Scotsman George Donaldson command the colorfully lit stage with the group’s first song, the harmonious Irish folk song “Heartland.”

Following the tradition of previous releases (“Celtic Thunder: The Show, Act Two” and, “Take Me Home”), the group ran the gamut of musical styles and vocal range as the musicians paid homage to both traditional Celtic composition and six decades of popular hits by artists.

For the second song of the evening, 18-year-old McGinty, the once-spritely alto-turned-dashing tenor, sang the Gaelic tale “Buachaill On Eirne.”

Kelly performed the fourth number, “Black is the Colour,” a reference to his true love’s hair, as he caressed strands from the fiddle player’s long locks. As the song intensified, he stood and raised his fists in the air to the steady beat of the bass drum as the studio lights flashed. The fiddle flowed freely. Locks swayed, and the room roared with a clash of clapping and cymbals.

Act 1 continued with a number of original compositions by Musical Director Phil Coulter as well as old-world favorites such as “Home From the Sea,” “Skye Boat Song,” “A Place in the Choir” and the electric “Whiskey in the Jar,” an old Irish traditional song popularized in the ’90s by metal the mavens of Metallica.

Act 2 then unfolded to display a starry night sky shining down on a white terrace, tea lanterns, silhouettes of bare trees, black suits and ties, and flowing gowns of chiffon. While the first act celebrated traditional Celtic culture, the second interpreted six decades of popular icons from several genres of music: Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Leonard Cohen, Dean Martin and U2, among many others.

Toward the end of the set, Donaldson, his bow tie coolly untied around his neck, began “Hello Again.” A woman in the audience shrieked, “Ah, Neil Diamond…And on-key!”

Sue Wissler, a native of Rocklin, seconded that.

“The musicians are unbelievable in that there’s such a wide scope of instruments that they play … and how they can take a modern song and make it a new work of art. The production value was much-improved tonight,” said Wissler, who first brought her daughter to Celtic Thunder at Arco Arena in 2009. “You can bring your whole family to the show. Everyone’s going to enjoy it.”

Celtic Thunder ended with “Ireland’s Call,” the kilt-clad crooners proclaiming, “Irish together standing tall…shoulder to shoulder, we’ll answer Ireland’s call!”

Celtic Thunder vocalists also answered the crowd, who called for more with whistles and swaying glow sticks. They sang one last chorus, waved and retreated behind the scenes.

Until the group’s next local performance, Sacramentans will have to settle for experiencing Celtic Thunder this holiday on PBS’s “Celtic Thunder - It’s Entertainment Christmas,” which will air more than 500 times during the 2010 holiday season. They can also get the group’s newly recorded “Celtic Thunder Christmas CD,” or visit the official YouTube channel, “Thunder Tube.”

Photos by Steven Chea

Choreographers compete at the Crest Theatre

2010-10-18T05:41:09Z

Approximately 500 dance lovers filled the beautiful, historic Crest Theatre on Friday, Oct. 15, 2010 for the premiere of the Sacramento Ballet’s 2nd Annual Capital Choreography Competition. The event unveiled performances by three of the world’s top emerging modern ballet choreographers: Melissa Barak, Yannis Adoniou and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Arriving from varying backgrounds and sources of inspiration, the choreographers, who had a week each to work with the Sacramento Ballet dancers, offered a diverse and dynamic flow of expression.

A panel of judges chose the “Grand Prize” winner, while the final say was up to the audience with the “People’s Choice Award.” Both awards were given to the daring Darrel Grand Moultrie.

For Moultrie’s piece titled “Move,” Sacramento Ballet dancers did just that. Bodies moved melodically to the rhythmic and energetic Latin grooves of Juan Loco by Rodrigo y Gabriela. One ballerina simulated the strumming of a guitar, her feet nimbly weaving to the staccato sound of drums while fellow dancers moved whimsically behind, ultimately manifesting Moultrie’s vision.

“I’ve never done anything like this before in my life,” Moultrie told the Sacramento Press. “It’s nerve-wracking,” he said, adding that the experience helped him fully realize the courage and vulnerability it takes to compete. As for the future, the native New Yorker said this competition was a wonderful introduction to Sacramento and California, as he plans to relocate to Los Angeles.

Barak’s and Adoniou’s pieces preceded Moultrie’s, offering distinct movement and messages of love and tragedy. Barak, who says she’s “inspired by the music,” featured discordant violin compositions by Charles Dodge and Morton Feldman for her dance performance titled, “Keeping Within.” Adoniou’s piece titled “Gomidas Songs,” was perhaps the most avant-garde and solemn of the three ballets. Adoniou, moved by Armenian folk music, created a melancholy montage of sonic and visual imagery reflecting the tragedy of the Armanian genocide of 1915. Dancers distorted bodies moved freely, recreating desperation and surrender. One notable moment included a female dancer holding tightly onto ribbons secured by two men, their bodies vacillating between resistance and support of one another.

Master and Mistress of Ceremonies Dr. Steve Winlock, a KVIE on-air host, and Kirsten Bloom, former Sacramento Ballet principal ballerina, transitioned each choreographer’s performance, offering anecdotal introductions to the artists.

Bloom and Winlock also delivered interesting facts about the dancers, including some quirky pre-performance rituals such as secret handshakes and Clif bars.

Aside from the idiosyncrasies that make up a dancer’s routine, Moultrie summed up the experience by getting at the heart of dance and its purpose.

“The People’s Choice award felt great,” he said. “For me, it’s all about giving back to the people.”

Now in its 56th season, the Sacramento Ballet will present a second showing of the Capital Choreography Competition on Friday at the Crest Theatre. A new audience will determine this week’s "People's Choice Award" winner.

Photos by Steven Chea

Muse Inspires at Arco Arena

2010-09-30T06:59:56Z

Muse mania has been widespread since its humble inception in the mid ‘90s. After winning a battle of the bands contest near its home of Teignmouth, Devon, the British band Muse officially skyrocketed into the world of progressive rock. Known for a recurring theme of revolution, lyrics that evoke a profound social and political message, and stimulating live visuals, Muse did not disappoint Sacramento Tuesday night. Opening band Passion Pit only added to the unique energy, captivating and thrilling fans at Arco Arena.

The show opened with electro-pop band Passion Pit performing on a set of three dilapidated city buildings. A blue light revealed singer Michael Angelakos entangled in his mic and his band of Berklee College of Music alumni creating an unearthly soundscape .

Passion Pit emitted the most dynamic performance with the single “Little Secrets” off its first full-length studio album "Manners." As the crowd jumped and sang along, an invisible choir of children was heard singing the catchy chorus “higher and higher and higher” to the accelerating passion pitch of Angelakos's falsetto.

While Passion Pit’s performance showcased a dancy, indie quality, Muse’s show felt inspired by the supernatural and glamorous rock ‘n roll operas of Queen and Pink Floyd. The set transitioned into an animated skyscraper depicting the rise and fall of human droids as the hidden Muse performed fiercely behind the curtains.

The fabric dropped to expose the elevated musicians, front man Matthew Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme. The crowd’s cheers were drowned out by the sounds of the band’s several hits made over its last five famed albums, including 2009’s "The Resistance," the first release to be produced by the band itself.

Memorable moments included falling giant eyeball balloons that popped confetti above the crowd, a piano-driven performance of “Feeling Good,” first made popular by Nina Simone and recorded on Muse’s second release "Origin of Symmetry", as well as several visual montages of war, politics, human anatomy and more.

After the show's wide range of sonic experiences, the confident Muse seemed unstoppable. Except, that is, when it covered “My Own Summer (Shove It),” a daring homage to Sacramento’s own Deftones. After a minute of nearly perfect replication, Bellamy stopped the song and exclaimed, “We’re not ready to play that one yet.”

But the audience didn’t seem to mind one bit, and Muse returned with an elaborate encore that permitted all resistance to gravity with an improvisational version of Knights of Cydonia before the band took a bow and and the glowing buildings went to sleep.

Photos by Steven Chea