As the Sacramento summer heats up so does THIS Midtown! A Second Saturday block party series with music, art, beer, food and local vendors, THIS Midtown is returning on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2015, for the second-to-last show of the series. The lineup of live talent for this one is seriously incredible and we all should be thanking the organizers for throwing a party like this that is free to attend! Headlining will be Oakland-based indie-pop band Trails and Ways, whose new album Pathology came out recently on Barsuk Records. Regional groovers Sunmonks are also on the bill, so if you missed their set at Concerts In the Park recently, you can catch them at THIS. San Francisco rock outfit Tiaras, which features ex-members of Sacramento’s beloved garage rock band Ganglians, will also be on hand jamming out and Young Aundee will spin a DJ set. The party kicks off at 4 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m. Once things on the block wrap up, the after-party will be cracking off inside LowBrau with DJs Shaun Slaughter, Adam Jay and special guests playing nu-disco, tropical, house and funk tunes. THIS Midtown takes place on the MARRS Building Block on 20th Street in between J and K streets. Learn more at Facebook.com/thismidtown.

The newest tenant in Midtown’s hot-spot MARRS Building is kicking off their opening week graciously by offering free services! From Feb. 10 to 14, 2015, Sleek Wax Bar, a brand new upscale full service salon that offers facial and body waxing services for both men and women, will be offering complimentary waxing services during what they’ve dubbed “Sleek Week.” “I think when customers come in they’ll recognize the importance of having a highly educated staff, excellent customer service, and they will appreciate having a wax bar in their neighborhood that carries the highest quality products,” said owner Scott Sanders in a press release. Just call (916) 256-2991 or email manager Gina Cocks at gina@sleekwaxbar.com to make your Sleek Week appointment! With their modern decor and the comfortable, relaxed use of the space, (not to mention their prime location), Sleek Wax Bar will surely fit right in with the fabric of the MARRS Building and Midtown in general. “With the excitement bubbling around the Midtown Sacramento area, Sleek is positioned in a fantastic location,” said Cocks. “A lot of really fun things are happening in Sacramento, especially in Midtown. We’re just thrilled to get in early on this.” Visit Sleek at 1050 20th Street, Suite no. 170, Sacramento, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit Sleekwaxbar.com for more info.

After 17 Years in Downtown Plaza Getta Clue moves into Midtown’s MARRS Building

When it comes to running a small business, the odds are stacked against you. It’s sad, but true. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, only about half of all new establishments survive five years or more, and only about one-third survive 10 years or more. This, in part, is what makes local retailer Getta Clue’s 20-plus year run so impressive. Locals Scott Gilbert and Justin Bilbao first opened their hip, fashion-forward men’s streetwear store in 1992 on Broadway and after a few years there, as well as a couple-year stint on K Street, they eventually settled into the Downtown Plaza. That’s where Getta Clue stayed, quite successfully, for a long time—17 years to be exact. That is until this month, when Gilbert, Bilbao and their longtime general manager Maia Friedman decided to ditch the Plaza (which in case you’ve been living under a rock is where the Kings are building their new arena) to move into Midtown’s popular and highly sought-after MARRS Building (MARRS stands for “Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene”), home to happening spots like LowBrau Bierhall, Block Butcher Bar, Sac Comedy Spot and more.

“It’s a hard move in the sense that we had a great run at Downtown Plaza and we were very successful down there,” Gilbert recently told Submerge in an interview. “But the time was right for us to change and we’ve had our eye on Midtown for a long time and we love the vibe of what’s going on, especially right here on the block, which to us feels sort of like the heart of Midtown. So when the opportunity came up, we were eager to jump on it.”

Getta Clue’s newest incarnation in the MARRS Building is approximately 2,200 square feet, and when Submerge visited last week, it already felt like it had been there forever. “Yeah, we’ve moved a couple times,” joked Bilbao when talking about how quickly they got the new shop set up. “This was actually a nice long journey of three whole days to set up instead of 24 hours!”

He isn’t kidding when he says they’ve moved a lot, and not just the Getta Clue store either, as Bilbao and Gilbert also own Goodstock Boutique, a men’s and women’s clothing store that was first started in 2009 at Howe Bout Arden before moving into the Downtown Plaza right next to Getta Clue’s old spot, but is now located at Arden Fair Mall (are you keeping up?).

Set aside the shuffling of locations over the years and one thing remains: This team knows their fashion and is constantly stocking some of the hottest gear and brands on the market. Getta Clue carries goods from popular international streetwear brands like Obey, HUF and Publish, as well as gear from locally based companies like Official (who even has a one-of-a-kind “Shop-N-Shop” set up in the back corner of Getta Clue), Timeless Thrills and others. They also stock a ton of sneakers from companies like Nike and Vans. If you’re a guy in Sacramento and want to look fly, there is no better place to turn than Getta Clue!

Submerge recently chopped it up with Gilbert, Bilbao and Friedman about their move into Midtown, how Sacramento’s sense of fashion has grown over the years and how music and art influence the fashion and retail worlds.

What is it about this area of Midtown, specifically the MARRS Building, that drew you guys in?
Maia Friedman: The MARRS Building drew us in by the diverse mix of art, music and food. These areas have always been great and have continued to grow for a better Midtown. That’s why we wanted to add retail to the mix.

Over the years you guys must have seen it all when it comes to different trends coming and going. A lot has changed right?
Justin Bilbao: Yeah. When we started back in ‘92 it was kind of actually where it is now. A lot of independent, smaller, streetwear brands. Real hip, skate oriented, a lot of people pushing the envelope in their style and in what they were putting out there. Then it kind of grew over the years and then it became corporate and big. Then it got real hip-hop based for a long time and then it kind of switched back, then hip-hop itself kind of went back down to street and skate. We kind of ride the trends of who is doing what, but at the same time kind of put things in front of people that they haven’t seen before. So trying to play both sides. But it’s funny, it’s actually coming full circle and now the small companies over the last six years have become bigger, larger companies, like Diamond and Huf. Now there’s a new crop of smaller companies that are growing and starting to show some relevance. Then we do a lot of support of local companies and brands like Official and Lurk Hard. Timeless Thrills is coming up, Higher Moons is a local kid doing stuff, so there’s a lot of new brands that are starting to come up out of the woodwork which is great because it makes it fun for us to give them a place to show their stuff.
Scott Gilbert: In order to stay relevant, especially in the fashion business, you have to be good at reinventing yourself. It really is second nature to us just because we eat, drink, sleep, live and breathe this. So it just kind of comes naturally to us to reinvent ourselves because we’re just part of the fabric of what’s happening. If you’re not able to reinvent yourself and get stuck in a rut, that’s when you get into trouble as a business.

What are some of your favorite (and least favorite) styles and trends that you’ve encountered while working so many years in the fashion business?
MF: My least favorite trend of all these years (and I am so happy its gone), is the 3X tee on the size Large male. I have encountered so many styles and trends over the years. I would have to say some of my favorite would include: Americana, workwear, unique colorways of sneakers, mixing and matching prints and simply using your own individual style and making it your own.

How do you feel that Sacramento’s sense of fashion stacks up against other big cities that you guys have visited?
JB: It’s grown exponentially in the last five years; it’s been huge. With the Internet that obviously gave everyone an opportunity to see a lot more things, but especially Sacramento in the last couple years, I mean, their style has gotten great! They’re grasping onto independent designers and trying new things, mixing old and new, taking all sorts of styles and kind of blending them, so it’s cool. Sacramento has definitely evolved a lot!
SG: I think there’s a wider customer base here that travels more, and a lot of people who have moved from other areas, bigger cities like San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles. They bring the style from there to here and that’s a big compliment to Sacramento that people are choosing to come and reside here. I think the city is finally being taken over by a younger generation of entrepreneurs in the restaurant business, the bar business, the fashion business. These are all very fashion savvy people. I think Sacramento is finally starting to see the result of that. So we’ve seen that customer base grow, especially like Justin said over the last five or so years.

Things like music and art, as well as different facets of sports, like skateboarding and even mainstream sports like basketball, seem to play a huge factor in the fashion/retail world. How do you guys embrace and incorporate these things into your stores?
JB: Skateboarding has always been part of our DNA. We’ve carried skate since day one. That’s always been a part of what we are and it obviously is an integral part of the whole streetwear culture in general. It plays a heavy part in all of it. Then as far as music and stuff like that, we’ve been heavily influenced by everything. It’s great, the scenes that have evolved, from the electronic music scene that we’ve always been pretty involved with, to the local hip-hop scenes, all of those things have always played a heavy dynamic of who and what we are. The artists that we know, the DJs that are our friends that come and spin, different artists that come and do signings, both local and ones that are from L.A. or New York or whatever that are coming through. We are the hub. When they come to town, they’ll come through to see us.
SG: When we first opened Getta Clue there wasn’t even the term streetwear or anything like that, it wasn’t even a term. A lot of the stuff that we stocked was just skate stuff. Back then it was a lot of record label product too, like we sold Def Jam T-shirts and jackets, we sold Nervous Records. So anything kind of creative. Then the art side of that was the street art that we supported back then, it was still even more underground than it is now, there wasn’t any Banksys or anyone like that.

It’s been said before, but music, art, fashion, they all go hand in hand.
SG: It’s just part of our generation. People want street art and that has evolved and as we’ve gotten older you’ve seen like the successes of the Shepard Faireys and the Banksys and stuff like that. The music has obviously evolved and heavily influenced the fashion. So those things, art, music, fashion, skating, everything is just kind of like all part of the same big old stew.

What are some brands and/or products that you guys are hyped on right now? Any predictions for what 2015 and beyond will hold for brands and retailers?
MF: Super hyped on all the retro runners that are coming out. Basics and classics that include Vans, Nike Retro and denim. Predictions: Cleaner lines, simpler style and easy to wear pieces that can go from day-to-night. Also, socks will continue to grow as a whole.
JB: It’s a lot of local and small, then at the same time we do a lot of business with Nike. We do a lot in the footwear and sneaker business, men’s and women’s. A lot of the retro stuff is coming in. Fashion styling-wise there is a lot of marriage between real traditional classic Americana and sports wear now. So you’re seeing a lot of like tech fabrics and technical pieces being integrated into classic stylings. So you’re going to find different things like oxford shirts but they’re going to be wicking and things like that. As far as brands, we still do a lot with Obey and Publish. Official obviously is a big thing that we should mention with their “Shop-N-Shop” here. This is a first of its kind, I think. Their product will be rotating constantly, limited production stuff, collab stuff, all of their team skaters will come through. A really cool integration of those kinds of styles is happening right now. Herschel bags are huge; accessories in general are just a huge market. We do a lot with Huf socks, with Huf in general as a whole brand, but their socks are a thing unto themselves.

That’s interesting to hear about the blending of sporty gear with classic wear!
JB: You’ll see that marriage start to happen more over the next year or so. You’ll see a lot of that kind of stuff. But we’re still just really good at basics, too, like simple clean old school Vans and clean denim.

Stuff that never goes out of style, right?
JB: Yeah! And just simple T-shirts, simple jackets and real clean basics. It’s those things all together that we try to do.

Visit Getta Clue’s new location at 1050 20th Street, Suite #180. Their hours are Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Second Saturdays they are open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Stay tuned to Gettacluestore.com and/or Facebook.com/gettacluestore for an announcement of a Grand Opening Party sometime in March.

Just like our music scene and our art scene, Sacramento’s comedy scene is an ever-changing beast. Here are a few noteworthy things going down in the local comedy scene as of late: Sacramento Comedy Spot, located in the MARRS Building, is expanding and opening up a new space called the “Comedy Spot Lab,” located at 1812 J Street, Suite 9 in Midtown Sacramento. According to a press release, The Lab will serve as an additional classroom, rehearsal facility, and podcast recording studio. With the extra space, the Comedy Spot can offer new sketch comedy and stand-up classes as well as additional beginning improv classes. Learn more, sign up for classes and check out upcoming shows at Saccomedyspot.com

After a long and impressive run, Comedy Night at Luna’s is coming to an end on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Keith Lowell Jensen started Comedy Night at Luna’s in 2009 after recording a CD there and falling in love with the small, intimate space. “I long thought Sacramento needed a good workout room,” Jensen told Submerge. “Something to serve as the next step after the open mic scene helped comics get their first five. I wanted a place to get that first 10, 15, 30. I’m really proud of how many comics had ‘firsts’ at Luna’s.” He says he doesn’t really see a need for the recurring night anymore, that they proved it can work, and that “lots of people are doing kickass showcases and rooms downtown that can be a little more alt.” Plus, he may be able to use the free time for “new projects,” as he put it. Keep up with KLJ at Rockass.net and be sure to check out his podcast called “It’s Funny Because…” available on iTunes and Lybsin.

A group of local comedians including Johnny Taylor, Daniel Humbarger, Stephen Furey, Jaime Fernandez, Michael Patten and Alfonso Portela, are teaming up to launch an all new recurring weekly stand-up show on Wednesdays called The InFIRMary at Thistle Dew Dessert Theater (1901 P Street). The show will feature special guests every week as well as sets from most (if not all) of the names mentioned above. Thistle Dew is a unique little spot with less than 40 seats, so these are sure to be intimate shows. You are encouraged to bring your own wine and/or champagne (don’t forget to bring your own glasses, too!) and there will be desserts available for purchase. Tickets are $8 each and the show gets started at 8 p.m. every Wednesday starting May 28. Snag tickets in advance to ensure your seat at the kickoff show at Infirmary.brownpapertickets.com

Luigi’s Slice, a hip pizza joint in the MARRS Building that for years has also acted as one of Sacramento’s few all-ages music venues, has been sold to the owners of Azul Mexican Food and Tequila Bar, located just steps from Luigi’s in the same building. The space will close for about three weeks starting on May 17, 2014 and will undergo renovations. It will remain a pizza place under a new undisclosed name, but it is uncertain if the new owners will continue to host live, all-ages shows.

“It’s heartbreaking about the uncertainty of the new owners doing music,” Luigi’s co-owner Linda Brida (she runs the business with her husband, Greg) recently told Submerge. “I’m going to talk to them more about it.”

Brida mentioned that while it’s a bummer they have to sell, it is something they’ve been mulling over for some time. “We’re a mom and pop shop, and we treat our employees like family,” she said, noting how important it was to them that most of their employees be re-hired by the new owners. The Bridas still own the original Luigi’s Pizza Parlor located at 3800 Stockton Boulevard. It’s been in their family for 60 years.

Local promoter and music scene OG Jerry Perry, who frequently throws all-ages shows at Luigi’s Slice featuring both national and local acts, wrote an honest straight-forward post on his Facebook page on April 12, 2014, about the closing of Luigi’s and the uncertainty of live music happening there after the switchover.

“I consider little ol’ Luigi’s to be one of the most important rooms in the Sacramento scene,” he wrote going on to say “Sacramento may not know it yet, and actually rarely ever understands the impact of changes such as this, but losing this venue will create a huge disconnect between young people and live music in the scene, and forces so many young local artists back to playing stageless coffeehouses, or bullshit pay-to-plays, maybe occasional house-parties, or nowhere at all.”

Submerge attempted to reach out to one of the owners of Azul but did not hear back as of press time. We reached out to Perry to see what he and others have lined up at Luigi’s before May 17, and it turns out it’s a stacked next few weeks of awesome shows, so get out and support while you can! Check it: Circle Takes the Square on April 25; The Kelps on May 3; Sun Monks on May 9 with The Horde and The Harem; Kurt Travis (of A Lot Like Birds) on May 14; and The Dollyrots and Slime Girls on May 17, which may be the final night of shows. Perry also told Submerge that he’s adding more shows to that list and that he plans on reaching out to the new owners to speak with them to discern the future of all-ages shows. We’ll keep our readers up to date as we learn more about the fate of the venue.

The same guys that brought us Midtown’s most popular beer hall, LowBrau, are finally opening their new joint, Block Butcher Bar, located directly next to LB in the MARRS Building. Block is set to open to the public on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014. According to an email from the owners, “Block is a boutique salumi and cocktail bar, with an exhibition butcher kitchen and micro-deli.” Submerge was lucky enough to attend a soft opening last weekend and we must say, although very small, the space is absolutely gorgeous. The perfect blend of masculinity and sexiness. A whiskey lover’s dream come true (seriously, there are so many different kinds on the menu it’s mind-blowing), Block also features an array of wines, beers, cheeses and of course, meats. We ordered a couple cocktails, both delicious and extremely fresh tasting, as well as a “slab” (cheese plate) which featured three delicious cheeses (one cow, one goat and one sheep) accompanied by Marcona almonds, local honeycomb, membrilla and potter’s crackers. The cheese slabs come in assortments of three, five or seven cheeses. If you’re indecisive like us, or know little about cheese varieties, ask your bartender or server for some tips, they were very helpful. Their “boards” (charcuterie) come in assortments of three, six or twelve different meats and are accompanied with house mustards, pickles and olives. Again, there were a lot of meats to choose from; don’t be afraid to ask questions, they’ll take you to charcuterie school! We’ll definitely be back to try their deviled duck eggs with crisp prosciutto and smoked paprika (they came highly recommended by three different people) as well as their sando’s, like the “AB & BJ” (grilled almond butter and bacon jam!). Learn more at Facebook.com/blockbutcherbar

The block in front of the MARRS Building (1050 20th Street) has seen a lot of action this year: Launch Festival’s block party was a huge hit and the Second Saturday series THIS was amazing as well. Up next is Midtown Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, with this year’s theme being “Creative Connections.” The free family-friendly event, brought to you by the Midtown Business Association, will bring together local artists and arts organizations with craft vendors, performers and kid-friendly/interactive art activities. There will be a fashion show where a variety of local Midtown boutiques will showcase their fall fashion lines, a craft beer garden highlighting regional and artisanal beers and of course a music stage, which will be proudly sponsored by Submerge. The lineup of local bands set to play the Submerge stage is sick! Clay Nutting (of LowBrau and Launch fame) put it together, and we’re stoked to announce that Musical Charis, 50 Watt Heavy, Gentleman Surfer and DLRN will grace all those in attendance (organizers are expecting 3,000 to 4,000 thousand people!) with their presence. Artists Jose Di Gregorio (whom you may have read about in our last issue?), Micah Crandall-Bear and Kim Squaglia created a mural that will serve as the backdrop for the festival. Also look forward to performances from Creative Connection Arts Academy, Sacramento Ballet, Step1 Dance and Fitness, and a Macbeth excerpt from Capital Stage actors. Just a few of the many vendors/organizations involved will be Crocker Art Museum, Little Relics Boutique and Galleria, Sacramento Guitar Society and plenty of others. If you’re at the fest and are having a great time and want something to take home to remember it by, you’ll be in luck: Wildcard Screen Printing will be doing live screen printing and will have themed 2013 MAF shirts for sale! Or you could always buy some art from the many talented locals that will be selling their work. Midtown Arts Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. on Oct. 19 outside the MARRS Building, corner of 20th and J Streets. Visit Exploremidtown.org for more details. See you out there!

CORE Dance Collective

Live Manikins

For the second year in a row, October will be transformed into ARTober, and on Oct. 20 the Midtown Arts Festival will feature all kinds of performers and artists. The festivities will take place outside of the MARRS Building (1050 20th Street) from noon to 6 p.m. The SMUD Performing Arts Stage will host dance groups like Jodette’s Belly Dance Academy, Step 1 Dance and Fitness and the Submerge Band Stage will host The Royal Jelly, Sicfus, Ross Hammond and others. An array of booths featuring local artists and crafts will be open for browsing and shopping. There will also be a kid’s arts area and lots of interactive art activities for guests of all ages. Visit the craft beer area, Untapped, featuring many of Sacramento’s diverse breweries and maybe you’ll discover your new favorite beer! The festival expects an estimated count of 3,000 attendees this year, making it a guaranteed party. This event is free so grab all your friends and relish in the beauty of Sacramento’s mild October weather while enjoying the creative talent our city has to offer. Visit the event website for more information on all the fun activities that will be taking place, http://www.exploremidtown.org/MidtownArtsFestival.

Ross Hammond