Tag Archives: Guild Theater

Help Raise Money for the Newly Formed Youth Empowerment Steel Orchestra at Local Benefit Concert • May 19, 2018

On May 19, Pan United Youth Movement and TunesWork will be presenting a concert to benefit Hiram Johnson High School Youth Empowerment Steel Orchestra. The Y.E.S. Orchestra is Sacramento’s first steel pan orchestra, and the benefit concert will be their first public appearance. All proceeds from ticket sales, sponsorships and donations will go to maintaining the orchestras instruments, as well as obtaining additional steel pan instruments so that the orchestra can continue to grow. Orchestra director Shawn Thwaites will be leading the high school students in many future performances including local street fairs, cultural festivals and high school events. The Y.E.S. Orchestra also hopes to play at Disneyland one day. The benefit concert will be headlined by The Shawn Thwaites Rebel Quartet (STRQ), a steel-drum based project that fuses Caribbean, African, American and European styles of music together with elements of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, Afrobeat, calypso and more. They will be playing songs from their album New Life. The Royal Tribe Dance Crew from Hiram Johnson High School will also be a part of the show, and they will start off the evening with an opening performance. This event starts at 7 p.m., and takes place at the Guild Theater (2828 35th St.). All ages are invited to attend. Tickets are $15 online, and $20 at the door, and are available by visiting Panunited.org.

**This write-up first appeared in print on page 12 of issue #265 (May 7 – 21, 2018)**

Jose James

A Deeper Look at Love • José James Mixes Musical Influences, Modern Politics on New Album

An ironic harmony emerges between vocalist José James and the setting of his upcoming Sacramento performance—Oak Park’s Guild Theater—as James unpacks his new album, Love in a Time of Madness.

“I felt a cinematic vibe and wanted to take people through the evolution of black music,” James says of the album while preparing for his world tour, which recently kicked off in Atlanta on March 16, 2017.

The 39-year-old Minneapolis native by no means fits into one genre box, so the concept of a musical evolution is not far-fetched for his career. Over the last decade his music has encompassed jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, hip-hop, electronica, soul and more. James’ main influences include John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye and Billie Holiday. He even recorded nine songs written by or associated with Holiday and released them on an album titled Yesterday I Had the Blues.

The revitalized Guild Theater will provide a perfect backdrop for James’ evolutionary conversation. Built in 1915, the Guild started as the Victor Theater and was one of many 20th century cinema houses in the neighborhood. Today, it is one of the projects completed by former Mayor Kevin Johnson’s St. HOPE Academy, a nonprofit community development corporation focused on improving education and economic development in communities.

Oak Park itself has evolved drastically since the time of movie houses and theaters more than 100 years ago. Racial housing covenants pushed African-Americans out of other parts of Sacramento and into Oak Park beginning around 1945. Disinvestment and racism toward the neighborhood further created an economically disadvantaged community.

The evolution of the black community in Oak Park spans across several decades that coincide with James’ influences, and his songwriting and music lean heavily on historical themes and sounds created by black artists. The changes that have brought Oak Park to its current state, one of much-deserved investment and TLC but still waiting to see it all fully blossom, also place the neighborhood at the forefront of larger gentrification and displacement conversations being had in communities of color that local and state governments, and investors, had historically marginalized.

Does Love in a Time of Madness touch on these issues? Not directly, but James does move us musically through the album starting with an electro, fad-forward intro to a nostalgic, love fest of the past.

“I wanted to start with today, with electronica,” he says, naming Kehlani, Anderson .Paak, The Weeknd and The Internet as some of his new school influences. The first two songs on Love indeed blend smooth R&B with drums and electronics true to what’s popular right now.

“It’s a step forward, but I definitely have some roots in this type of music,” he says. “Black electronica was a part of my album Blackmagic and I wanted to build off of that with my songwriting.”

Love… then moves to something more organic, James says, bringing in ‘70s and ‘80s funk of his hometown with heavy influences of Prince, ending with a gospel feel and a final duet.

Jose James

In between, his interests span from jazz to funk to reggae. The dubstep on “Last Night” has a global appeal and stems from memories of his 2014 tour for the album While You Were Sleeping.

“That was a whole rock ‘n’ roll existence for me and I was remembering the craziness and also the beauty,” he says of that tour and of remembering Prince, David Bowie and other influences. “That was on my mind especially since so many icons have passed in the last year.”

Following “Last Night,” James showcases more of the older jazz influence he is known for on “I Remember Our Love,” though Amy Winehouse also comes to mind.

Meanwhile, the song “Let It Fall” is reminiscent of Bob Marley, something James notes he appreciates in terms of comparison because of his purpose for creating the album.

The trajectory of the album isn’t exact, and the last song—a duet with Oleta Adams—stands out as a more bare bones, more personal piece, but James wanted to end with something uplifting.

“I wanted to leave people in a really hopeful place,” he says. “I want to portray a deeper look at love.”

Though a time of madness could easily translate to any issues a listener is facing, James says the overarching madness through all his recording has been the change in the federal administration and subsequent actions and comments.

James talks quietly but openly about his outrage at comments made by President Donald Trump during the campaign and after the election toward the black community, on police brutality and against immigrants.

“People are feeling it all over the world,” he says. “I have immigrant friends who work in the music business all over who are afraid for their futures and futures of their children.”

James says it’s not how he remembers growing up in Minnesota, and that his new album does reflect some of his nostalgia for a different time and place.

“‘Live Your Fantasy’ is really fun to play live,” he says of one of his favorite songs on the album. “It’s a throwback to Prince’s sound of the ‘80s. It makes me go back to my childhood and to listening to that music and being in that scene. I like it because it’s one of the main tracks that touches people around the world. To see the joy on people’s faces when we play it, it’s amazing.”

For the tour, James is bringing his guitar and renowned drummer Nate Smith, and will incorporate art into his staging to set a visual framework for the music.

This will be James’ first show at the Guild Theater. For those who haven’t checked out the revamped theater space, the venue’s website offers a list of upcoming public events, including plays, book fairs, lectures and performances. For more information, visit Sthope.org.

José James brings his Love in a Time of Madness tour to Sacramento’s Guild Theater, located at 2828 35th St., on March 30, 2017. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show range from $27.50-$40 and are available online at Josejamesattheguild.com.

Can You Dig This Film Screening at Guild Theater

Ron Finley, known as the “Gangster Gardener” from South Los Angeles, has seen firsthand what urban gardening can do to change a blighted neighborhood. “When you put beauty in a place that has none, that’s a game changer,” he states in a new documentary called Can You Dig This. The film, from executive producer John Legend (yes, that John Legend), tells the inspirational story of four unlikely gardeners discovering what happens when you put your hands in the soil and “plant some shit.” Sacramento’s very own Yisrael Family Urban Farm is happy to present a special one-time screening of Can You Dig This on Thursday, March 24 at Guild Theater in Oak Park. Tickets are only $11 but you need to reserve them by March 14. All ages are welcome. In fact, you’re encouraged to bring your young ones so that they might be inspired to get their hands dirty at a local urban farm. Find out more at Yisraelfamilyfarm.net or Facebook.com/yisraelfarm and secure your seat at Gathr.us/screening/14282. Come learn about the urban gardening revolution that’s happening in cities across the nation, including right here in Sacramento.

TASTE: Sushi Platters, Honey Samples and Plenty of Eye Candy at Sacramento Food & Film Festival • March 15–16, 2013

Surrender to those sweet cravings by sampling a variety of local honey flavors, or entice your palate by indulging in platters of sushi, handcrafted by the chefs at Kru and Mikuni, during this year’s Sacramento Food and Film Festival at historic Guild Theater (2828 35th Street). The film Quest for Local Honey kicks off the evening on March 15 exploring the sustainable production of Nevada County’s amber-colored nectar and is followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and a honey tasting. Next, chefs Taro Arai of Mikuni and Billy Ngo of Kru speak on the art of sushi assembly and seafood sustainability while audience members sample from platters of their intricate craft. Friday’s entertainment ends with the film Dreams of Sushi, unfolding the story of Jiro Ono, considered the world’s greatest sushi chef at 85 years old in Tokyo, Japan. The festival continues Saturday, March 16 with scavenger hunts for the kids, discussions on gardening and a handful of films, including NYC Food Film Festival winner Meat Hooked!, for Best Feature Film 2012. Whole Foods Market will supply healthy eats at a concession stand during film times and tickets for individual showings start at $7. Tickets will not be sold after March 13 and prices vary per day, so be sure to visit Sacfoodfilmfest.com to purchase ahead of time or you’ll miss out on some gourmet eats and educational flicks.

honey-comb-web

Marc Del Chiaro’s Dreams v. Reality Album Release Show – June 8, 2012

Sacramento musician Marc Del Chiaro has been playing around town for 15 years in bands like Leisure, Life of Riley, 7th Standard and others. Most recently he has been gigging with bluegrass group Hot Tar Roofers as well as recording his first solo album, Dreams v. Reality, with Ira Skinner at Alley Avenue Recording Studios. On Friday, June 8, 2012 at Guild Theater (2828 35th Street) Del Chiaro will celebrate the release of the nine track CD with an all-encompassing event comprised of paintings and photography from Sam Sellers, a discussion on NEOfarm technologies by Scott Geremia, live painting and drawing from Molly Devlin of Art Bazaar, Jenna Maggard from Hands for Humanity will even be in the lobby providing massages for $1 per minute and 10 percent goes to charity. Del Chiaro will welcome to the stage many local talents and friends to recreate the songs that he estimates he recorded 95 percent of himself in the studio, including Bill and Scott Sanders (who also play in Hot Tar Roofers), Casey Marshall, Matt Lancara, Colin Viera, Noah Clark and others. Opening the show will be Adelynn Costa. “As much as I wanted it to be a quiet, not-a-big-deal event, I wanted a place where everyone would be sitting and listening,” he recently told Submerge of the choice to do it at Guild. “It’s a beautiful old theater and felt it should be used more by local musicians. I used to go see shows there all the time in the ‘90s.” Doors open at 8 p.m. and the $10 cover charge includes a copy of Dreams v. Reality.

Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements at the Guild Theater / Dec. 4, 2011

The Replacements. They are often known by fans as one of the best bands you’ve never heard of. Whether you have heard of them or not, coming up is a one-night opportunity to see the story of the Minneapolis-based ‘80s punk rock band on a big screen, told by everyone but the band themselves–friends and fans of the band, as well as music journalists. The documentary Color Me Obsessed: A Film About the Replacements is playing for one night only at the Guild Theater for a whopping $5. Not a bad price for seeing what Rolling Stone deemed one of the best music documentaries of 2011. The film includes more than 140 interviews with the likes of Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Tommy Ramone, Goo Goo Dolls and Grant Hart and Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü, to name a few. The Dec. 4, 2011 screening begins at 7 p.m. Guild Theater is located at 2828 35th Street at the intersection of 35th Street and Broadway. Go to Moviesonabigscreen.com for more info.

Guest Speaker Synthia St. James at the For Arts’ Sake Coalition Meeting


For Arts’ Sake is a “creative action plan” for the Sacramento metropolitan area set forth by mayor Kevin Johnson and numerous arts-endorsing organizations in June 2010. The goal is to strengthen and celebrate Sacramento’s creative industries with a community-wide initiative. On Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 4:30 p.m. at Guild Theater (2828 35th Street), join the For Arts’ Sake coalition meeting with guest speaker and international artist/designer Synthia St. James and hear about the initiative’s progress in its first year. To learn more about For Arts’ Sake, visit Forartsake.org.