Music

With all the great coffee shop options in Sacramento, it’s easy to become what I like to call “Coffee Lazy.” You can walk to The Trade from Temple (it’s like five steps), Old Soul Weatherstone to The Mill, or, if you’re feeling ambitious, from Insight on 16th street to Identity…

Where is the last real bar in California? Everyone from Crescent City to San Diego probably claims it’s their own local dive, but for Sacramento musician JonEmery Dodds, the answer is the Black Cat in Penngrove, Sonoma. The place was a lesbian bar, and every Wednesday night, patrons would pile…

In the summer of 2008, amid college ragers and beach bonfires, many will remember a particular rapper blaring through the speakers. While being a mix of hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll, don’t mistake Shwayze for Lil’ Wayne (i.e. Rebirth). His songs “Buzzin’” and “Lazy Days” (both featuring Cisco Adler) were…

I listen to Lillian Frances’ “Bailamos con el humo” under the miserable, smoke-stained November skies in Sacramento and delight in the incongruity. The song snaps open like a can of effervescent joy, immediate and playful, starkly at odds with anything I’ve been spinning currently. Smoke creeps, it smothers, it infiltrates,…

It’s been nearly 25 years since Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan emerged as The Crystal Method in the mid-1990s and landed on the scene with their special brand of noise-making, but the act’s brand of beat-heavy, layered sounds sprinkled with vocal currents is anything but old-fashioned. With their unique formula—a…

The best kind of gumbo is one made with fresh ingredients, a plethora of flavors, is slow-cooked and highlighted with a soulful kick to create an authentic blend of southern stew. For New Orleans-born PJ Morton, his music is truly an artistic interpretation of the dish that originated in the…

When a disaster strikes, look for the helpers. In the wake of the most devastating and deadly wildfire in our state’s history, the Camp Fire, there has been an awe-inspiring amount of aid coming in from the entire Northern California community (and beyond) in the form of donations, volunteering and…

The Camp Fire in nearby Paradise has become the deadliest wildfire in state history. Though first responders have been nothing short of heroic in their efforts to contain the blaze, funds will be needed in order for survivors to rebuild their lives. Cameron Ford, a Chico-based musician, answered the call…

Determined not to let anything stand in the way of her dreams, Katie Knipp became an expert in finding nontraditional ways to further her career in music. From ducking into her high school’s band room during lunch breaks to teach herself piano, to living a double life that connected her…

When Vinnie Guidera sets out to write a song, the end goal exists beyond those few minutes of music. He’s creating one piece of a larger whole—a companion both sonically and thematically to a collection of other songs. These aren’t short stories; they’re chapters in a book. The book in…