Minnesota bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles was backstage at Harlow’s after a full set of music followed by a three-song encore. The crowd had thinned out, but those remaining mounted a slow-growing chant: “Codeine, Codeine, Codeine.” It wasn’t a request for pill-form prescription drugs; it was a call for more music -- a fan-favorite called “Codeine” in particular. The chant went on for a while, until it almost felt awkward, like the band had already kicked their feet up in preparation for the ride to their next show in San Francisco. That’s when burly mandolin player Erik Berry returned to the stage in denim overalls and stepped up to the microphone: “We've never played in Sacramento

The Crest Theatre is a sit-down venue. The Avett Brothers are a stand-up-and-stomp-your-feet band. It came as no surprise that halfway through the final song of their set list on Tuesday night, many in attendance exploded from their seats and rushed the stage, raucously dancing out the remainder of the song as well as the encore that followed. I noticed upon entering the Crest that the sold-out crowd spanned several generations, a testament to the band’s blend of styles and a validation of my choice to bring my parents to the show (which saved me some serious money). After the opening act, Truth and Salvage Co. – not a bad band, but not particularly noteworthy -- my mom and I shared a gl

Last week’s fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson took place at a downtown Regional Transit stop. While it would be hasty to let one incident determine RT’s entire reputation, the incident does beg the question: Are Regional Transit stops hubs for crime? Alane Masui, assistant general manager of communications for Sacramento RT, said no. She said that when crimes take place on the street, transit stops are just easy landmarks to associate with the incident. “It’s more of a perception than a reality,” she said. “When something occurs, people try to put the incident in context, and transit stops serve as regional landmarks.” There are about 3,800 bus stops and 47 light rail stati

Democrats will carry some momentum into the 2010 elections, thanks in part to the party’s central committee, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. The number of registered Democrats in Sacramento County has increased by 23,000 since 2008, while Republican registration has dropped by 3,000. “It was going up before 2008, too,” said Devin Lavelle, communications chair for the Democratic Party of Sacramento County. “It’s been pretty clear over the past decade that the Democratic Party lines up with most Californians’ values.” Lavelle’s group serves as a central committee for the party as well as an umbrella organization for other affiliated clubs in the area, including the Young Democr