Photo by Jay Spooner
Photo by Allyson Seconds
Since photographing bands throughout the ’90s music scene in Sacramento, Allyson Seconds and Jay Spooner are now ready to share their combined 40-year span of stills with their show Retrospectives starting March 7 at Little Relics Boutique and Galleria (908 21st Street). Dividing time between writing music and whipping people into shape at Body Tribe Fitness as a physical instructor, Seconds is also known for her Pic O’day series, which is exactly what it sounds like, a picture a day. A variety of her photographs are available for purchase online at Allysonseconds.bigcartel.com. Choose between prints to liven up bare walls for $30 or art cards with envelopes for $20 each. Seconds’ images range from nature pics to local staples like the I Street Bridge at sunset. Award-winning photographer Spooner not only shoots travel, bands and stock photography, he’s also known to be the man behind the camera during weddings. Check out Spooner’s portfolio at Jayspooner.com to see everything from guitarists defying gravity at concerts, homies riding deep in classic cars and even happy couples during their nuptials. The artists’ reception on March 7 runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On March 9, Second Saturday, you can stop into Little Relics to see the exhibit from noon to 10 p.m. The closing reception for Retrospectives will be on March 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Jay Spooner and Allyson Seconds
Photo by Jay Spooner
Photo by Allyson Seconds
Here is your first look at the 2013 Concerts in the Park lineup. Last summer saw record setting attendance for the Friday night series and by the looks of it this year shouldn’t be any different. Here is what we’re particularly stoked about: local hip-hop from the likes of Rasar, Live Manikins, DLRN and a couple others. Also Kill the Precedent is one of our absolute local favorites and we didn’t expect to see them on the listing at all, as they are rather heavy and in-your-face. And of course we’re pumped to see !!! (Chk Chk Chk) headlining a night not long after their new record THR!!!ER comes out. The Mother Hips are closing one night and they also have a new record out soon, same goes for Middle Class Rut. All in all it’s a pretty solid lineup in our opinion, but hey, what do we know? Best of all, the shows are all free. Let us know which bands you are excited about!
May 3rd:
Element Of Soul
Musical Charis
They Went Ghost
DJ Epik
May 10th:
Middle Class Rut
Jonny Craig
Dogfood
I’m Dirty Too
RCK:RMX (Blackheart+Buckdog)
May 17th:
Arden Park Roots
Syncro
Rasar (formerly Random Abiladeze)
Live Manikins
DJ Whores
May 24th:
James Cavern
Iconoclast Robot
Rock N’ Rhyme
DLRN
Heartworm
May 31st:
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Exquisite Corps
Paper Pistols
Sam I Jam
June 7th:
Mumbo Gumbo
The Quinn Hedges Band
Tel Cairo
June 14th:
Infamous Swanks
The Lesdystics
Avenue Saints
The Bar Fly Effect
Shaun Slaughter
June 21st:
Mother Hips
Jackpot
The Old Screen Door
Roger Carpio
June 28th:
Brodie Stewart
Nevada Backwards
The Carly DuHain Band
Big Trouble
DJ Rigatoni
NO SHOW JULY 5th
July 12th:
ZuhG
Joy & Madness
Harley White Jr. Orchestra
DJ Oasis and INKDUP
July 19th:
FallRise
Kill the Precedent
Restrayned
Fair Struggle
Z Rokk
July 26th:
The Brodys
Hero’s Last Mission
The Bell Boys
Humble Wolf
DJ Billy Lane
Whereas Christmas only lasts one day, Sacramento Beer Week lasts 10 whole days! That’s a week-plus of beer, food, beer, entertainment and beer (glorious beer). This year’s Beer Week will see local bars and restaurants hosting a variety of events—way too many to list here—but here are a few that we think you’d be crazy not to check out. For a full listing, go to Sacramentobeerweek.com!
10 Days of Beer and Food Pairings
Ten22 • Feb. 22 • 6–11 p.m.
Executive chef Jay Veregge is teaming up with High Water Brewing to create a five-course dinner (a beer paired with each course) for $59. Space is limited, so make a reservation.
Revolution Wines • Feb. 23 • all day.
Revolution Wines will be pairing their favorite local beers with small plates.
Lucca Restaurant and Bar • Feb. 24 • 4–9 p.m.
Farmers Market Dinner will be paired with beer from Ruhstaller for each of three courses. The meal will be $35 with beer pairings and $25 without.
Clark’s Corner • Feb. 25 • 5:30–9 p.m.
A variety of beers, including Speakeasy’s new release, Smoked Payback Porter, will be paired with an assortment of smoked meats and artisinal cheeses.
Pangaea • Feb. 26 • all day
As it turns out, sushi and beer are BFFs. Pangaea and Billy Ngo from Kru will prove it to you at this all-day event.
Centro • Feb. 27 • 6–8 p.m.
Executive Chef Kurt Spataro will present a five-course tasting menu featuring beers from San Francisco brewery 21st Amendment for $35.
Capitol Garage • Feb. 28 • 3–6 p.m.
Join Mad River Brewery and Lagunitas at Capital Garage for beers paired with small plates.
Mulvaney’s B&L • March 1 • 6–10 p.m.
Join Mulvaney’s for a special beer dinner with Dr. Charlie Bamforth and Sierra Nevada’s brewmaster. Space is very limited so make a reservation.
The Porch • March 2 • all day
What’s better than bacon? Beer paired with bacon, obviously. Gorge yourself with this killer combo at this all-day affair.
River City Brewing Company • Feb. 22–March 3 • 5–10 p.m.
River City Brewing will offer a special Beer Dinner menu all Beer Week long. Just $30 for a three-course meal paired with six beers.
Beer Trivia Night
So you think you know your beer, smartypants? Put your knowledge to the test at the following events.
The Blind Pig
Trivia Tasting Extravaganza
Feb. 24, 8–10 p.m.
River City Brewing Company
Second Annual Beer Trivia Night
Feb. 25, 7–9 p.m.
The Shack
Lagunitas Trivia Night
Feb. 27, 6–10 p.m.
Beer 101
Maybe you’re not a smartypants, but you aspire to be. Don’t fret. Here are some events where you can get yourself beer-ducated.
Home Brewing Demonstrations
The Brewmeister (Roseville) • Feb. 23, all day
Learn how to make a variety of beers in the comforts of your own home!
Cooking with Beer
Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op • Feb. 25, 6–9 p.m.
Beer as seasoning? Let Chef Gigi show you how to spice up your meals with beer. Ruhstaller will also be on hand for tasting and to talk about the history of their brewery. Tickets are $45.
Beer Judging 101
Pyramid Alehouse Brewery • March 3, 1–5 p.m.
Back up your beer snobbery and learn how to differentiate a good beer from a mediocre one. Grand Master Level III beer judge David Teckam, a veritable Jedi of beer tasting, will be on hand to assist you. Tickets are $30.
Keep the Glass
Have a great time and sneak home with some free swag. Here are Beer Week locations that will let you keep your pint glass at select events. If nothing else, it’ll allow you to put off doing the dishes one more day.
Pine Cove • All Week
The Torch Club • Feb. 22 and 28
Old Soul at the Weather Stone • Feb. 23
Sacramento Beer Train • March 3
Whereas Christmas only lasts one day, Sacramento Beer Week lasts 10 whole days! That’s a week-plus of beer, food, beer, entertainment and beer (glorious beer). This year’s Beer Week will see local bars and restaurants hosting a variety of events—way too many to list here—but here are a few that we think you’d be crazy not to check out. For a full listing, go to Sacramentobeerweek.com!
Touch: Home Brewing Demo with Track 7 Brewing and Brew Ferment Distill at Bows and Arrows • Feb. 24, 2013
Have you ever tasted a finely crafted beer and thought to yourself, “I could totally do that?” Well now you totally can! Sacramento Beer Week will get its DIY on at Bows and Arrows on Feb. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., during Bows and Arrows’ Sunday brunch, you will learn the ins and outs of home brewing and make your own IPA. Track 7 will provide the grains and hops and Brew Ferment Distill (located at 3527 Broadway, Sacramento) will bring the supplies. Bows and Arrows will also offer Track 7 beers on tap, including the brewing company’s much ballyhooed double IPA collaboration with Knee Deep of Lincoln, Calif. Best of all, this event is free and open to the public! Your attendance is guaranteed to quadruple your beer nerd cred points instantaneously. Check out Bowscollective.com for more information.
Photo by Scott Bellisario {Social Stitcher/Instagram @ufallome}
See: Sacramento’s Newest Brewery, New Helvetia Brewing Company • Feb. 25, 2013
New Helvetia Brewing Company just celebrated its grand opening this past week, but its roots in Sacramento’s beer scene actually delve much deeper. The company’s mission is to create craft beer inspired by the Buffalo Brewing Company, which was established in Sacramento in 1890. On Feb. 25, New Helvetia will host a casual gathering with Dr. Charlie Bamforth, U.C. Davis’ Chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology and Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences. Tickets to this event will be $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The ticket price will include up to six 10-ounce pours of New Helvetia’s brews. New Helvetia Brewing Company is located at 1730 Broadway, Sacramento. For more info on the brewery, go to http://newhelvetiabrew.com/.
Hear: Lagunitas’ Brewmaster Tony Magee Talk Shop at The Torch Club • March 1, 2013
Not only can Lagunitas’ brewmaster Tony Magee make a great beer, he’s also really good at playing American roots music. Magee will be making the trip up from Petaluma, Calif., to meet with all of you and perform a few songs at The Torch Club (904 15th Street) from 5 to 9 p.m. As an added bonus, he’ll be bringing Lagunitas’ Wilco Tango Foxtrot Brown Ale in tow. The Torch Club will offer an $8 beer and brat combo and $4 refills on your frosty beverage. You even get to keep the glass! Lagunitas may not be a Sacramento beer, but it is a local favorite, so expect this event to be especially lively.
Taste: The Rainbow of Beers at the Third Annual Capital Beerfest • March 2, 2013
Dude. Bro. OK. So all these Sacramento Beer Week events (and the multitude we didn’t have space to list) are awesome, but if there was one that you’d have to consider the pièce de résistance, it’s this. From noon to 5 p.m., Cal Expo will fill up with the sweet, sweet aroma of fermented barley and hops. The air will permeate with an alluring maltiness (which isn’t a word, but you see what we’re going for here). As of press time, 84 breweries have signed on to appear at the Capital Beerfest, 21 of which are from the Sacramento area. We’d normally consider namedropping as beneath us, but in this case we’re just going to let it roll: River City Brewing, Sudwerk, Ruhstaller, Roseville Brewing Company and Lockdown are just a few that will be representing our region; meanwhile, Alaskan Brewing (Anchorage), Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago), Hop City (Brampton, Ontario, Canada), Oskar Blues (Longmont, Colo.) and Rogue Brewery (Newport, Ore.) are some of the out-of-towners. You’ll also be able to sample food from restaurants participating in Sacramento Beer Week. Clearly, this event is going to be epic. All that it’s missing is you. Tickets range from $40 to $75 (and $5 to $20 for designated drivers). For more info on where to get tickets, go to http://capitalbeerfest.com/.
Pizza Rock’s owner Tony Gemignani played his part in the revitalization of K Street and now looks to bring his recipe for success to Sin City
When Pizza Rock opened in 2011, its owners joined area entrepreneurs in helping transform K Street from a dim portion of downtown to a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood in the midst of revitalization.
The city has a ways to go, but Pizza Rock owner Tony Gemignani says he and co-owners George Karpaty and Trevor Hewitt have had success, choosing K Street because of its great potential and the steady business of the co-owners’ clubs—Dive Bar and District 30—in the area.
“It was a concept we had talked about for many years,” Gemignani says of Pizza Rock’s nightclub vibe—from the rock music rendition of Michelangelo’s Adam painted on the ceiling to the savvy music system allowing for sound to be simultaneously transmitted between Pizza Rock, Dive Bar and District 30.
Gemignani credits the restaurant’s success to his hardworking management and staff, top quality ingredients, diverse menu and unique atmosphere.
“We are always updating and changing so it’s a diverse menu,” he says. “We keep our core pizzas and [appetizers] and everything but we tend to change parts of the menu to suit the customers. Sacramento likes substance, Sacramento likes value and when you look at our bigger pizzas, the Sicilian and the Romana, you get more for your money, so those have really taken off.”
Ironically, one of the biggest sellers is also Gemignani’s burger, ordered anywhere from 80 to 100 times each day, he says. It’s something he’s looking to branch out with down the road.
In the meantime, Gemignani and partners have decided to open a second Pizza Rock in the ideal place for the concept—Las Vegas.
“For the new Pizza Rock in Vegas, we got together to plan everything, and that’s part of us,” Gemignani says about the team’s enthusiasm to design the entire place from the bottom up. “[In Sacramento] we were a big part of every decision, from the carpet, menu, vibe, all the way down to the people we interview. It’s an experience, a package and that’s what we look at, from how the restaurant should look to how the servers should act. They’re a little edgy, but that’s what’s cool.”
When it comes down to it, however, Pizza Rock has repeat customers not just because of the vibe, but because of the food, which is made with fresh local ingredients as well as specially imported items from Italy.
An award-winning pizza maker and instructor who owns three restaurants in San Francisco and has four other projects in the works, Gemignani had 20 years of experience to bring to the Sacramento table when restaurant talks first began.
In 2007, Gemignani took first place at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, in the Neapolitan category with his Pizza Margherita, becoming the first American in history to win the honor. Today, Pizza Rock and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco recreate that award-winning pizza using the exact ingredients and oven.
He won first place at the 2011 World Championship of Pizza Makers, has won several Food Network challenges and landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for spinning the largest pizza dough base (33.2 inches) in two minutes. Gemignani also owns and operates the International School of Pizza in San Francisco, teaching several styles, certifying professionals and instructing non-professionals for home cooking.
At his restaurants, you will not only find his classic Italian pies and dishes, but also authentic Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Detroit and other styles of pizza.
“When I won a bunch of awards, I traveled worldwide and nationwide, and during those stops, I ended up working with a lot of great independent operators who had different ingredients and different customers,” Gemignani says. “When you looked at those styles [in other places], people had not been doing them correctly or not at all. I wanted a restaurant with multiple ovens, multiple flours, multiple tomatoes to make each one authentic. I’ve been lucky enough to work with great people and go back to my restaurants and bring those styles.”
Asked which style is his favorite, Gemignani laughs and says he likes them all, if they’re done right.
“It’s like saying which pasta you like best, like you like spaghetti but hate linguini, but you can’t say you like one and hate the other because it’s still pasta,” he says. “If the pizza is light, not too weighed down, the dough is matured properly and you use fresh ingredients, I like it. But you can really screw that up.”
Freshness, Gemignani learned at a young age, is key. Growing up on a farm in Castro Valley, Calif., Gemignani watched his mom cook every day with the ingredients they grew. Coincidentally, he also gets his design interests from his mom, whom he watched decorate an inviting home for his family for years.
At 18, Gemignani started working at his brother Frank’s Pyzano’s Pizzeria in Castro Valley (which closed its doors just last year after 21 years). He later attended Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli to become a certified pizza master and has worked nonstop since.
For those who can’t visit his restaurants or attend his school, Gemignani has written two cookbooks and is working on a third, which is, of course, pizza-related.
But for the man who eats, breathes and dreams pizza, he still has a lot of new ideas up his sleeves, and will continue to roll them out at Pizza Rock in the near future.
Instagon
Marilyn’s on K, Sacramento – Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013
No two shows are ever the same, and the band has been around the Sacramento and Southern California areas as long as Lob’s ponytail. Lob being the only consistent bass player and founding member of the amoeba that is the band Instagon.
Instagon is a free-form, experimental jam band that has performed more than 600 shows to date and has logged an equal amount of intentionally rotating band members. So, how does that work, exactly? Lob extends invitations to a wide variety of local talents, like guitarist Ross Hammond or Leticia Garcia of Ghostplay to join in; he’s even included Greg Ginn of Black Flag and Rikk Agnew from The Adolescents and D.I. during past performances. However, this past weekend at Marilyn’s on K, Instagon celebrated its 20th anniversary with a one-of-a-kind live show including more than a dozen musicians featuring eight guitarists, a drum circle at the foot of the stage, two drums sets, lots of brass and the list continues.
“When [Instagon] first started it was kind of like, let’s invite everybody out to make noise at once. Then, it kind of evolved into more of a band like it is now and it’s gone through many phases,” explains Lob. “In the early days, I would show up with a hand drill. We even did a show once where it was the Instagon Tool and Appliance Orchestra where there was even a blender section.”
Lob describes Instagon in many words, but two will do just fine—noise art. And it was certainly noisy at Marilyn’s this past weekend with audience members staring at the cluster of musicians before them.
Just before Instagon’s performance, Lob calls all participants outside for a few quick pointers, and there are only two guidelines to his improv orchestra, if he brings the tone low, go ahead and feel free to introduce a solo or take the music in a different direction. But, if the tone of his bass is louder or higher, then that’s the signal to just jam along with the rest of the band. After a bit of reefer is passed around and all was said and done, the 20-year rendition of Instagon shuffles one-by-one back inside the venue, some extinguishing their last cigarette before finding a spot on stage.
“It’s really an escape for me. I’m going to invoke this demon and ride it. It’s really like a voodoo ritual,” says Lob. “I’m going to feel the energy and the power from it. I really enjoy the energy of what Instagon brings to the stage and anybody that’s played will attest to that. To be a part of that is amazing and fun.”
Wails and screams emit from Instagon’s unique, 20-year anniversary performance courtesy of one short-haired woman. A masked man very reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter sits at the foot of the stage aggressively slapping his conga-looking drum, another woman fiddles with her Theremin radiating off-kilter, sci-fi notes while another man dressed in a black top hat and long fancy coat (like something Luciano Pavarotti might wear) gets weird on another Theremin. Then, there’s the saxophonist, who continually wails into a microphone. And then, there are the two drummers, jamming alongside one another toward the back. Plus, the single trumpet player from the band Egg of Winters is dancing about. Oh, and the eight guitarists. Not to mention countless extra musicians hidden behind one another on the crowded stage. In the end, the list of musical instruments goes on longer than “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song and all band members are contributing just about every note scaling the entire alphabet. It’s chaotic. It’s a bit Sun Ra. It’s a bit tribal. And at the center of it all is Lob, a conductor of noise art and his baton, a bass guitar.
Former guitarist of indie rock band Der Spazm and founding member of her newest project Ghostplay, Leticia Garcia, has performed in a couple versions of Instagon and says the music helped her the most at a time when she stepped away from music. She says the improvisational style kept her on her toes and often introduced her to new musicians.
“I really had no idea what to expect,” admits Garcia. “It was challenging and forced me to play a different style of guitar than I was used to. I was also surrounded by other very talented musicians including members of Musical Charis, ZuhG and the Trees. It ended up being a real rush because it was all improv. There was no way to tell what bass riff Lob was going to throw down and how the other musicians would react.”
And it was just that, which kept Garcia accepting Lob’s invites when Instagon scheduled another performance around town.
“You just never know what is going to happen. Sometimes, the music will be so-so, but then all of a sudden you have a moment of ‘Whoa! That was amazing!’” says Garcia. “That’s what [it’s] about, those little moments of amazing, those musical moments that will never ever happen again. It becomes something special for everyone there watching the show and the musicians playing.”
With more than 600 different combinations of musicians and more than 600 shows logged on Instagon’s website, which is like an intricately kept Internet database, one can read all the names Lob’s invited to play alongside him. He’s even attached dates to each name and whether or not the musician performed a second or third time. Yeah, it’s all there.
“I’ll see a player who’s really fluid and I’ll go, ‘Oh, I gotta invite him to [Instagon]’ because he’s gonna get it,” says Lob. “Sometimes, people are standoff-ish because they don’t want to join [another band]. I don’t want you to join my band. I just want you to come experience this on stage jam thing. Instagon’s the mistress band.”
Finally, a band you can cheat on your band with.
Think you’ve got what it takes to join Sacramento’s Roller Derby Elite?
Skip the tutus, leave the fishnet stockings at home and dare call any of them “derby girls.” For the women representing local derby leagues Sac City Rollers and Sacred City Derby Girls, roller derby is taken very seriously. Sure, the term “derby girl” stuck as the overall vernacular throughout the sport’s existence; however, you’ve been forewarned. For both leagues, derby is a full-contact sport that requires more skills and dedication than just rolling around on eight wheels. Derby encompasses the lives of each player, often dedicating dozens of hours outside of practice to improve their endurance and abilities for life on the track. Whether they’re teaching sixth grade science during the day or taking on the general manager position for their entire league, the women of derby are all in. Players from both leagues sit down with Submerge to squash the misconceptions and hand out tips for this season’s tryouts. Do you have what it takes to become a blocker for the Sac City Rollers or the next jammer for Sacred City? Find out from four of the leagues’ toughest competitors.
FISHNETS, TUTUS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
Besides the “derby girl” label, there are other misconceptions about roller derby that Josie Moody, or Colt 45 of the Sacred City team, the Sacrificers, says really bothers her. For one, the game is never staged and is very real.
“This is a sport, and we take derby very seriously. Plus, I don’t think we call 40-year-old women, girls,” says Colt 45 who adds all personalities and body types are welcome in the world of derby.
“You don’t have to be a big, burly person to play derby. There’s no one type of person that plays. It’s straight women, lesbians, transgendered people, people who are in law school, servers, CEOs, nurses [and] all sorts of people.”
Ranked seventh on the West Coast and certified with the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the members of Sacred City look forward to their season-opening bout, or game, on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 at the Memorial Auditorium. Colt 45 says attending a bout is the best way to understand the physical demands of roller derby.
As a full-contact sport, derby calls for knee pads, helmets and mouth guards to protect all those pretty smiles, but for Aleitha Burns of the Sac City Rollers, which also recently gained certification with the WFTDA last year and looks forward to moving up the ranks this season, or as her team mates know her, Aleithal Weapon, the tutus and other glamorous threads shouldn’t be of importance when on the track. Roller derby is no fashion show.
“My biggest pet peeve is that people think that roller derby is all about hot pants and fishnets,” says Aleithal Weapon. “[We’re] true athletes. It is a real sport. It’s just like basketball or football or any other sport. The biggest misconception is that we’re all focused on our hot pants and our fishnets.”
TRYOUTS: HUMILITY, HEART AND HAVING THICK SKIN
Colt 45 said it best, “You weren’t born wearing skates.” Certain women are natural athletes and move up the ranks within three months time in the world of roller derby, others, take a year or more. Despite the time it takes an individual to land a position on either team, Trinity Gleckler, aka La Lucha, of the Sac City Rollers admits to falling during tryouts over seven years ago–a lot.
“I started in the league’s birth in 2006. I didn’t know how to skate, and I had to teach myself through falling,” says La Lucha. “It took a lot of hard work.”
Hard work and the willingness to laugh at oneself according to Colt 45 are also important when it comes to derby tryouts. She says as adults the reluctance to fall in front of others paired with the acceptance of humility is a difficult feat for most.
“I was completely terrible at [skating] when I first started and I was terrible at it for a long time,” says Colt 45.
Being terrible in front of new faces sometimes invites the “shit talking” to begin as Lisa Zaniewski so bluntly explains.
Evil Shenanigans, or Evil, as her Sacred City teammates refer to her, says one cardinal rule of roller derby is having thick skin.
“Not all the girls are going to be nice to you. When you play, they’re going to call you names, they’re going to say horrible things about you and about your team,” says Evil. “You have to be prepared to take it. You have to be ready for people to talk shit about you and they will.”
Still, falling in front of strangers and the whispers of others should be last on your list of worries when contemplating derby tryouts. Aleithal Weapon says derby isn’t a sport you get in shape for, but a sport you should be in shape for.
“My biggest top tip would be interval running where you get your heart rate up by running for five minutes, stop and do some other activity,” says Aleithal Weapon. “Studies show–I’m a science teacher–to properly build endurance, interval training is the best way to go, because you’re training your heart to be faster and slow down.”
Endurance is a major plus in roller derby, so Weapon suggests whether its wall sits while watching television, or squats while brushing your teeth, working those hamstrings and quad muscles as much as possible will only help.
REWARDS AND WHAT TO EXPECT
All the women agree that there are no real requirements when it comes to tryouts. Gear can be borrowed and no skating experience is necessary, but it’s recommended to visit a rink and practice balance. In the end, both teams welcome any and all to try out and say not only will you experience a lifelong sisterhood, but gain confidence and assertiveness in all aspects of life.
“I’ve seen moms without any sporting experience come in and just blow my mind,” says La Lucha. “Join something that will change your life. It changes your life if you allow it to do so.”
Watch Sacred City’s first bout of the season at Memorial Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 8, and visit http://sacredcityderbygirls.com/ for tryout information. Tryouts begin March 10, 2013.
Think you have what it takes to join the Sac City Rollers? Visit http://saccityrollers.com/ for more information on their tryouts scheduled for Jan. 27, 2013.
Cover Photo of La Lucha by Joe Schwartz
Last issue we dedicated the “Taste” section of “Submerge Your Senses” to highlight the second annual Sacramento Bacon Fest (which, if you are reading this before Jan. 27, is still going on), so this time around we figured we would tone it down a little bit and point out something lighter and healthier for our vegan, vegetarian and health-minded readers out there. Enter VegFest! On Saturday, Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership will host the fourth Sacramento VegFest at the Fusion International Arts Center, located at 501 Arden Way, Sacramento. VegFest highlights foods, information, recipes, vendors, speakers and demonstrations of the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. Their lineup of speakers includes Chef AJ, a vegan/raw pastry chef from Los Angeles and author of Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight; the charismatic and insightful Michael Marks, better known as Your Produce Man; and Emily Webber, a Sacramento-based nutrition and cooking instructor specializing in low-fat, purely plant-based whole foods. Witness a live cooking demonstration by The Green Boheme, Sacramento’s organic, vegan, raw foods restaurant and holistic health center, and watch guest judges taste vegan and vegetarian dishes in four categories (appetizer/small plate, entree, dessert, confection) at the chefs’ competition. Experience all of this and plenty more for just $3 general admission and best of all there is no ticketing fee if you purchase through Brown Paper Tickets. Just type in Vegfest.bpt.me into your web browser and there you have it! For more information about vendors and what to expect at the event, visit http://www.facebook.com/SacVegFest.
One of our favorite Sacramento-area bands Tera Melos recently had its new single “Tropic Lame” premiered online by none other than Rolling Stone. Rolling-fucking-Stone, people! The song has a really cool surf-punk-meets-psych-pop vibe to it and will appear their upcoming album X’ed Out, to be released April 16 on Sargent House. The band’s guitarist/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Nick Reinhart told Rolling Stone, “Previously, we really didn’t know how to write a song like ‘Tropic Lame,’ or even make a record like X’ed Out. We had to approach writing music in a way that was foreign to us–it was almost like ‘un-thinking.’” He went on to say, “Somehow, we were able to take these basic ideas and twist and quirk-ify them into something that was really new and different for us. The genesis of most the music on this record is of an oversimplified nature.”
We’re not entirely sure how long “Tropic Lame” will be available for streaming and download online, but our guess is if you poke around http://www.facebook.com/teramelosmusic or http://teramelosmusic.com/ for long enough, you’ll find it somewhere. Give it a few listens and you’ll be glad you did. Look for an exclusive interview with Tera Melos right here in Submerge leading up to the album’s release.
It’s hard to find a person who doesn’t love bacon.
This month, the Sacramento area will dedicate a whole week to the popular pork product that’s now making its way into less expected bites such as donuts and pizza. Every day of Bacon Fest there will be events surrounding the delicious meat put on by a host of Sacramento restaurants. The list includes the newly opened (and extremely awesome) LowBrau, as well as more established restaurants such as Magpie Cafe, Selland’s Market-Cafe, The Golden Bear, The Waterboy, Bows and Arrows, Grange and so many more.
On Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, Bacon Fest’s opening night, Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Company will be throwing a free party starting at 5 p.m. when special guest chefs will join Chef Brian Mizner in creating a special Bacon Fest menu. The last night of the festival will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 27 with the second annual Chef’s Competition at Mulvaney’s B&L Pig Next Door (19th and L Streets) starting at 2 p.m. For the $30 admission fee, you’ll receive samples from the participating chefs, appetizers and two drink tickets all while you groove to music spun by DJ Shaun Slaughter.
All proceeds of this event go toward The Center for Land Based Learning in nearby Winters, Calif., and the American River College culinary-arts program. Buy tickets for this particular event at http://baconfestsac.eventbrite.com/. Happy hours will be going on each day of the event and breakfast will be served on weekends.
To add even more to the fun, there will also be mysterious secret parties held around the city, so bookmark http://baconfestsac.com/ or follow them on Twitter (@sacbaconfest) so you don’t miss a thing.
If the tasty food and celebrations weren’t good enough to entice you, your animal-loving conscience can also be put at ease by knowing that all of the meat served at the festival will be from pigs who lived happy and healthy lives on farms where ethical and sustainable food production was paramount.
And of course, the food will be prepared by Sacramento chefs who “give a damn about quality natural foods,” as Bacon Fest’s website states proudly. Most of the events during the week will be free or affordable so everyone can indulge in all the tasty quality bacon being served. But if you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t like bacon, don’t worry. They’ll have pork chops too! For more information about which restaurants will be participating or to find out about individual events, visit http://www.baconfestsac.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/SacramentoBaconFest.
