After combing through more than 800 artist submissions, Danielle Vincent—founder and producer of Sacramento’s mostly-local grassroots music and arts event, First Festival—has somehow narrowed things down and has the final lineup all set. And while the festival’s impressive headliners had previously been announced (more on them below), the rest of the equally great lineup has been under wraps, until now.
The fourth annual festival will go down May 5–6, 2018 at a new location: North Natomas’ Tanzanite Park (2220 Tanzanite Ave., Sacramento).
The six top-billed headliners, announced last month, include some of the Sacramento region’s most notorious and successful artists with a national presence: hip-hop duo Blackalicious, post-hardcore outfit A Lot Like Birds, beatboxer/singer/pianist Butterscotch, pop-punk duo Dog Party, singer-songwriter Jonah Matranga and experimental-pop artist So Much Light.
And now, here is your highly anticipated exclusive first look at the rest of the music lineup, which includes everything from rock, to indie, punk, hip-hop, singer-songwriter, electronic and more. First Festival 2018 will include performances by Cities You Wish You Were From, Rossy, The Philharmonik, The Nickel Slots, PRVLGS, Pyrite Sidewalk, Madi Sipes and the Painted Blue, Riotmaker, Elijah Jaron, Lama Neon, Shotgun Sawyer, Race to the Bottom, Vinnie Guidera and the Dead Birds, Sunmonks, Ghost Color, Flight Mongoose, The Moans, L.Rucus, Christine Tence, NYTVZN, Glass Tung, Mondo Deco, Eugene Ugly, Jesus and the Dinosaurs, PointDexter, Flourish, Skylis, The Stummies, According to Bazooka, Adam Jacobs Band, Worthy Goat, Jako, Heat of Damage, The Hey-Nows!, The Brangs, Adrian Bellue, Darealwordsound and NB!OKS!.
“This year’s festival is really exciting because our headliner lineup really reflects our growth over the past few years,” Vincent tells Submerge. “We also received over 800 music submissions this year, making it the most competitive year by far for the supporting lineup. We have plans for some bigger stages and some really cool interactive elements, including art and tons of photo opportunities throughout the festival grounds.”
One of the new festival experiences will be an area dubbed The Circus, which will include stand-up comedy and burlesque performances, as well as live music.
“It’s exciting to be able to create an environment where we can provide a stage for performing artists who aren’t comedians or musicians,” Vincent explains. “It really lets us reflect the dynamic art scene in Sacramento.”
Of the festival’s new location, Vincent says that they have “finally found our home in North Natomas where we plan to stay for years to come,” and that, “the layout and placement of the park lends itself to a great festival environment where we have plenty of room to grow and experiment.”
In addition to all of the live entertainment, there will also be tons of vendors selling their goods, plenty of food and drink options, including non-alcoholic options in the “Coffee Corner,” and much more.
Visit Firstfestsac.com for more information and to purchase tickets in advance, which are currently only $18 per day or $28 for a weekend pass.
**This article also appears in print on page 8 of issue #257 (Jan. 15 – 29, 2018)**
Glitchy sounds, beeps, beats and synths pound hard as colorful lights flash in time. At the touch of buttons and keys, Little Boots, a swaying British blonde, holds the pulsing crowd in the palms of her hands. Electropop. Heavy but sweet, it moves you.
English-born Victoria Christina Hesketh was once in a relatively successful all-girl electropunk band called Dead Disco, but when she emerged as a solo artist under the moniker Little Boots, she topped the BBC Sound of 2009 poll even before she released her debut album, Hands. Since then, she’s toured internationally, played Coachella and released three full-length LPs and a handful of EPs.
She’ll be visiting Sacramento for the first time on July 8 for a DJ gig at THIS is Midtown, a summertime Second Saturday block party that posts up in front of the MARRS building on 20th between J and K streets [Editor’s note: Due to unforeseen Visa issues, Little Boots unfortunately had to cancel her Sacramento appearance after our interview took place]. She asked me, “What’s good in Sacramento?” and I told her THE FOOD, like, eat three meals here, and explained the whole farm-to-fork thing. And that there’s lots of trees and to visit the river. She said she was really excited to come here. Here’s the rest of my conversation with Hesketh, who is as articulate as she is charming and talented.
You’re going to love THIS is Midtown. It’s a great fit for your music and what I perceive to be your audience. What can fans expect when they come see your DJ set?
It’s booked as part of this blog haus night. It’s a throwback to this early 2000s electro sound, so they want me to play that kind of thing, which is fun, because that’s around when I first started doing solo music and a lot of that early stuff was that sort of “hype the club”… so I guess it’ll be kind of a throwback set. I did one recently in L.A., it was fun, and everyone was going crazy!
Why do you call yourself Little Boots?
It’s kind of like a stupid nickname from a friend, because I’ve got small feet.
So it has nothing to do with Julius Caesar?
No, although she was aware of that when she started calling me that.
What are you working on right now outside of touring?
I’m working on a new EP at the moment. It’s kind of house-y, and it’s all female mixers and masters, so it’s kind of a girl power project. I’m working with some really cool female producers from Berlin. There are two tracks and we’re getting a couple more done, and hoping that will come out later this year. It’s really nice doing an all-female project. I’ve realized in 10 years of producing music I’ve worked with one woman and all the rest were men, so it’s a good time to do something female-focused.
What’s it like for you, being a female musician. Do you feel women have to objectify themselves to be successful, or that you have to be a role model for young female fans? What’s it mean to you to be a musician and female?
I think you just have to focus on being a good musician and not focus too much on gender.
Do the best you can, be as creative as you can, stand up for your opinions, be confident, and try to not get too bogged down with that stuff. Obviously it’s an important conversation, especially in the last couple of years. It’s become really fashionable and talked about, which I think is a really great thing, but you’ve got to just be really good at what you do and just have confidence in yourself and in what you’re creating, regardless of your gender. Don’t let that get in the way of anything.
Would you say your music has evolved over time, and if so how, since you started being a solo artist?
Absolutely. It’s funny because when I first started out I was doing quite left field stuff, like singles with Joe from Hot Chip and alternatives to more, like, dance producers, and when I got signed, the first record was more of a pop production, it was a lot more commercial. I’ve come full circle now and gotten back in touch with my origins, especially DJing a lot—it all ties into that world. It’s kind of nice to be able to take elements from the big shiny pop world and mix them with the more underground dance elements, and appeal to a wider audience.
Over time, what’s been really important to me is going from a major label and being part of that whole machine to being an independent artist and understanding how my business can run. Being in control of my creative output means I can ultimately do what I want and gives me a lot more focus and freedom. I feel more liberated when I’m creating stuff now. But I really have to focus and get things done because it’s only me.
So you’re self-releasing your own albums now.
Yeah, I have my own record label. Sometimes I partner with other labels but generally I self-release. I art direct stuff, write all the songs obviously, co-produce it … just try to be as involved as possible in every stage of the process, from writing to distribution, really.
What sorts of things do you do for fun when you’re not writing, recording, touring and promoting?
What?! You mean there’s other things you can do apart from those? I mean, I do do music all the time. I travel a lot, I’m in between L.A. and the U.K. all the time. I’m writing songs for other musicians, I do some art. I also have this startup company called Loop, that’s like a website insider guide, like a city guide, created by bands and DJs who are on the road and touring to share their favorite clubs and bars and stuff. So a lot of my projects are work, but they don’t feel like work.
What instruments do you play?
I’ve played piano since I was, like, 5, and I play a few other classical instruments, but since I was a teenager I’ve gotten really into electronic things. So I’ve collected lots of gadgets. I’ve gotten quite known for playing this thing called a Tenori-on, which is like a Japanese gadget that emits a sequence of lights … lots of synthesizers, old ones, new ones, analog ones, digital ones. Anything that’s tactile and is more like a toy, a gadget, than an instrument. I prefer that sort of thing.
I made this dress that kind of lights up to the music. I’m really into things that are electronic music but also a visual representation of electronic sound.
Did you say that you made that dress?!
Well, I collaborated with someone actually, it was a creative project for VICE, and it reacts to the music you’re playing.
Are you going to be wearing that when you come to Sacramento?
No [laughs loudly]. It was really uncomfortable. It was like a swimsuit, it was incredibly unflattering. It looked cool when it was dark, but when the lights went up, that was another story. Kind of like wearing
a mattress.
Editor’s note: At the time of our interview, Little Boots was scheduled to DJ at THIS is Midtown on Saturday, July 8, 2017, but unfortunately she had to cancel and did not make it to Sacramento. THIS is Midtown still happens every second Saturday. The free event is located between J and K streets on 20th Street in front of the MARRS building and features music, vendors, beer garden, activities and more. Find out more on their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages (@thisismid916).
David Blaine’s brand of deadpan illusionism was brought to a wide audience back in 1997 when his Street Magic special first aired on NBC. From there, he beguiled (and sometimes infuriated) spectators with macabre forms of endurance stunts, such as when he was buried alive in a plastic coffin for a week or when he suspended himself in ice in Times Square for 63-plus hours. However, though he’s done all these things, one journey Blaine hasn’t embarked on is the somewhat more traditional cross-country tour. His travels will bring him through Sacramento on June 4 when he plays the Community Center Theater (1301 L St.). Be prepared for … well, given Blaine’s track record, we have no idea what you should be prepared for, but it’s safe to say you’ll probably leave feeling pretty freaked out. Tickets can be purchased online at Sacramentocommunitycentertheater.com or Davidblaine.com.
**This event preview first appeared in print on page 11 of issue #240 (May 22 – June 5, 2017)**
The day after St. Patrick’s Day is usually reserved for nursing your hangover, but this year, how about not being a baby? Keep the party going on Saturday, March 18 and head out to Starlite Lounge (1517 21st St.) to see some amazing stoner rock courtesy of Truckfighters, who will be coming to Sacramento all the way from Sweden. Fans of Witchcraft will find a lot to love here: Take for instance their epically fuzzy and sprawling “Calm Before the Storm” from their latest album V. Its huge riffs, soaring melodies and reverb-y psychedelic goodness may be euphoric enough to cure that banging inside your head (no guarantees, though). Also playing will be Yawning Man from Death Valley (aka the most metal name for a place on Earth) and Peace Killers from right here in Sacramento. This is a 21-and-over show (sorry young headbangers) that will get underway at 8 p.m. You can purchase tickets for $13 in advance or at the door for $16. For more info, go to Facebook.com/starlitesacramento, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out Truckfighters’ V right now on Spotify, preferably in a dark room lit only by a lava lamp.
Good riddance, 2016! Sure, there were some pretty awesome things that happened this year, but all we can seem to think about are the countless celebrity deaths and the seemingly endless, ugly-as-all-hell election cycle. So let’s say goodbye to this year and just party our faces off one last time, OK? In order to help you do so, we’ve compiled 17 Sacramento-area New Year’s Eve parties for you, our beloved readers. Be sure to plan ahead, as many of these events will likely sell out. Be safe, be smart and of course, please don’t drink and drive. Here’s to a clean slate in 2017!
1) Put your metal horns up at Ace of Spades as they host four hard rock acts. Y&T headlines with support from Evolution Eden, SJ Syndicate and Anarchy Lace. All ages, 7 p.m., $35 in advance, $40 day of show. 1417 R St.
2) Downtown Sacramento’s legendary blues and rock venue Torch Club is hosting two excellent groups, Mind X and the City of Trees Brass Band. This shindig kicks off at 9 p.m. and the cover will set you back $25. 904 15th St.
3) Slide into 2017 at the Center for the Arts when the master of the slide guitar and his band, Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings, rock the foothills. Nevada City locals The Rayos open up the show. Tickets start at $37 for dance floor general admission and the party starts at 9 p.m. 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley.
4) The region’s premier comedy club, Punch Line, is the place to be if you want to laugh off 2016. Two shows, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., with each featuring different comics like Kiry Shabazz, Michael Patten, Daniel Humbarger, Emma Haney, Ngaio Bealum, DJ Sandhu and many others. Both shows are 18-and-over, tickets start at $20 in advance. 2100 Arden Way #225.
5) The historic Crest Theatre will host two amazing groups, the Jackie Greene Band and The Mother Hips, for what is sure to be a night to remember. All ages are welcome, doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $80. 1013 K St.
6) The beloved Second Saturday block party known as THIS returns for a New Year’s Eve mega-party dubbed the Midtown Mountain Get Down with live music from Miami Horror and support from Le Youth, Dusty Brown, MyKill and tons of other legit DJs. It all goes down at the MARRS Building, 1050 20th St. 18-plus, tickets start at $50 in advance.
7) One of Sac’s favorite nightclubs, Harlow’s, is hosting a “yacht rock explosion” for their NYE party, featuring none other than the Bay Area purveyors of smooth, Mustache Harbor. Doors at 9 p.m., $30 in advance, 21-plus. 2708 J St.
8) The popular Midtown watering hole Highwater is throwing a rager with DJ Blue and Great Paid with Travis A. Expect a photo booth (so much cooler than selfies!) and a midnight balloon drop. 21-and-over, 10 p.m. 1910 Q St.
9) Folsom’s Historic District will be jumping to the sounds of Sacramento-based funk/rock/R&B outfit Soul Heir as they turn things up at Powerhouse. Also on the bill is DJ Alazzawi. 8 p.m., 21-plus, $20 in advance. 614 Sutter St.
10) Three of the area’s top DJs are getting together for an epic dance party at Fox and Goose. A measly $10 cover gets you into DJ Larry, MC Ham and DJ Wokstar’s annual NYE bash. Expect soul, funk, reggae, disco, Afro-Latin and so much more. 9 p.m. start time, 21-plus. 1001 R St.
11) Looking for more of a family friendly, daytime option? Crocker Art Museum is once again throwing their highly anticipated Noon Year’s Eve party with live music, dance performances and festive art activities. All ages welcome and the museum is free for everyone from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 216 O St.
12) 2016 sure gave us the blues. Speaking of, you can get your groove on this NYE with two great local blues bands at the Lions Gate Hotel Ballroom when Jim Holmes Presents throws their Fourth Annual Gala Event featuring Todd Morgan and the Emblems and Val Starr and the Blues Rocket. Doors at 8 p.m., $30 in advance, $40 at the event. 3410 Westover St., McClellan Park.
13) Old Ironsides is sure to be popping with Doombird’s album release show for their excellent new release Past Lives at a special NYE installment of one of Sacramento’s longest running indie-rock dance parties, Lipstick! DJs Roger Carpio and Adam Jay will also be spinning jams. 9 p.m., 21-plus, $8 in advance. 1901 10th St.
14) DJ Danny Mijangos and DJ Kwix will bring the dance jams to K Street on District 30’s insane sound system. Free with RSVP before 11 p.m.! Doors open at 10 p.m., 21-plus. 1022 K St.
15) If you’re looking for less of an all-out party vibe, reserve seats ASAP for the Hornblower’s New Year’s Eve River Cruise on the Sacramento River. This one-hour cruise will offer great views of the Sky Spectacular fireworks show and will take you under the Tower Bridge and I Street Bridge with drinks, food and chill background music on board. 8:30 p.m., all ages welcome, tickets vary in price. 1206 Front St.
16) Looking for some funky, jam-y dance music to groove away 2016? Hit up Bar 101 to see local band Drunken Kung Fu light up the dance floor. 9:30 p.m., no cover, 21-and-over. 101 Main St., Roseville.
17) The champagne will be flowing as 107.9 The End hosts a sure-to-be epic party at The Park Ultra Lounge with jams all night from Sacramento veteran DJ Peeti-V. 9 p.m., 21-plus, $50 early bird tickets. 1116 15th St.
For even more ideas check out our calendar!
Written by best-selling author David Sedaris, The Santaland Diaries (adapted here by Joe Mantello and directed by Shannon Mahoney) takes a hilarious and sarcastic look at what it’s like to work as an elf at a Macy’s department store during the holidays in New York City. Hint: it’s terribly miserable, and what’s best about this tale is that it is based on a true story. Yes, Sedaris actually was an elf once, for a brief time. This mostly one-man play starring the brilliant local actor Benjamin T. Ismail is currently running at Capital Stage through Dec. 31. Do yourself a favor and go. Bring friends, bring family, just don’t bring kids, as this production is geared toward adults. Ticket prices vary per day and time of the performance (they range from $33–$42) and are available online at Capstage.org or by calling the box office at (916) 995-5464. Capital Stage is located at 2215 J St. in downtown Sacramento.
If you didn’t love season one of Netflix’s sci-fi/horror hit Stranger Things, it’s probably because you haven’t seen it yet. We’ll give you a moment to go binge-watch … I KNOW RIGHT?! Now you’re like the rest of us—anxiously awaiting season two, which is due out sometime next year. In the interim, there’s an awesome event where you can connect with other fans of the show, and see artwork inspired by Stranger Things, presented by the fine folks at Menagerie. According to Menagerie’s Sarah Marie Hawkins, 50 artists will participate in the show, many of whom are from Northern California, but will also include some from as far off as New York and even overseas. And the art will be similarly diverse. “We have everything from interactive art, sculptures, fiber art, paintings to etch a sketch art,” Hawkins told us via email. “One artist, Chris Evans, created a three-foot piece portrait mosaic made entirely out of paper hole punches. Another artist, Jessica Filip, created a fiber art installation inspired by the upside down. We’re getting a pretty large variety of pieces.” Admission is free, though donations are gladly accepted. There will also be complimentary wine and beer. Menagerie’s Stranger Things Tribute Art Show takes place on Dec. 9 starting at 8 p.m. and will be hosted by Outlet Coworking (2110 K St., Sacramento). Hopefully someone will have found Barb by then.
UPDATE: Due to popular demand, organizers have added an encore show on Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. The event will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Outlet Coworking.
“I talk in circles.”
So says Keith Morris, frontman and founding vocalist of both Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. “The problem is that a story that should be eight, 10, 12 paragraphs, is normally double that. I add a lot of fat.”
But if there’s anyone deserving of justifiable rambling and yarn spinning, it would be Keith Morris. It bears repeating that Morris co-founded Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. He wasn’t just there when punk rock and hardcore broke on the West Coast—he threw the rock that shattered the glass. Four decades later, Morris has seen fit to pen a memoir of sorts, My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor. Spurred by late-great “crown prince rocker and hero” Brendan Mullen (proprietor of the long-defunct and legendary punk club the Masque), My Damage is a highly readable 270-page jaunt through the ups and downs of Morris’ frenetic rock ‘n’ roll life. But what’s more is the picture he paints of a unique time and place in music—the early days of Southern California punk in locales like Hermosa Beach, Hollywood and Chinatown. The South Bay alone proved to be a breeding ground for what was to come, spawning not just the aforementioned heavyweights, but also the Descendants, Minutemen and Red Kross, to name just a few.
Morris currently fronts the contemporary punk outfit OFF!, which also includes Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steven Shane McDonald (Red Kross) and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket From the Crypt). A gregarious and affable interviewee, Morris took time to speak with Submerge while lounging at home down in Los Feliz.
“Catching some air with Dimitri and Mario in Curitiba, Brazil.” | Photo by Rodrigo Melleiro
You read some of these rock bios and they tell stories that don’t seem like they actually happened. But My Damage is totally normal and real. For example, you describe the organic rise of Black Flag, and how Panic [the band’s original name] was informal and not like some serious thing. You weren’t all of a sudden this juggernaut. You kind of just clipped along for a few years.
We were the guy using sign language in a room filled with [the] blind. We couldn’t buy a gig. We didn’t know how to approach people at clubs and say, “Here’s a cassette of some of our songs. This is what we sound like, this is what we’re about.” We moved at our own pace. We also sat around rehearsing quite a bit. Not really talking about any kind of strategy, or “Did you happen to read the first 50 pages of the punk rock manual? This is what you do, this is what you wear, this is how you behave to get from point A to point B.” We didn’t have that. We didn’t look like that, we didn’t act like that. I mean, I did a bunch of drunken, goofy, silly things. I should regret all of them, but for the most part I don’t. Why would you regret opening a skylight in a hall with 800 people below you and unzipping your trousers and taking a leak onto whoever the urine fell on?
It was interesting what you wrote about Raymond Pettibon being the unsung hero of Black Flag and the affect his artwork had.
People will say Chuck “the Duke” was the heart and soul of Black Flag. Greg Ginn was the brains. Greg Ginn was the businessman, Greg Ginn had the plan. But Raymond [Greg’s brother] was not only responsible for the name, but also for one of the most iconic rock images ever. And that would be the four wavering black bars that equates to a black flag. And the black flag to some people means “Let’s blow shit up! Let’s fuckin’ kill people, let’s set things on fire, let’s fuck up the government!” And for some people it just means, “Hey! We adhered to all these various rules throughout the years, [so] let’s create some of our own rules.” And that equated to freedom, and that’s what we were doing.
“The first three vocalists of the first four years of Black Flag: Ron Reyes, Dez Cadena, and yours truly.” | Photo by Spot
In the early portion of the book you talk about the exclusivity and close-mindedness of the L.A. punk scene, but you also describe it as very “festive” at times. What was the balance?
Well you have to look at the punk rock ethics committee. They’ll be the ones that are shaking their finger saying, “You can’t do this and you have to be this. You can’t play with them, you can’t go there, you can’t charge that kind of money. Oh you’re selling a T-shirt for $15 but you’re supposed to be selling it for $3.” In the beginning of the L.A. scene, there were bits and pieces of that. But they looked the part. They obviously paid attention to Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten and Dave Vanian, and I’m not dissing any of these guys because I love all of [them]. But all of a sudden you gotta make this fashion statement. And we weren’t fashion guys. We looked like we were wearing hand-me-downs. We made our statement based off of whatever was on sale at the Goodwill. So you have these guys from the beach—which would be us—showing up and being surrounded. They didn’t understand or know who we were.
But we had a foot in the door knowing these [South Bay] gals. And we would eventually change the hive mind about us: We’re at a party and we get a chance to throw the Nervous Breakdown EP on the turntable.
It must’ve blown people’s doors off.
Everybody at the party took like three or four steps back, like “What is this?” The influential big players on the scene were in the room. When the fourth song was finished, I was pulled aside by a guy name Claude Bessy, better known in our circles as Kickboy. He was the main writer at Slash magazine, which was very influential. He looked at me and said, “You weren’t supposed to make that. Was that really you?” We looked ratty-tatty, like we would have attended Woodstock. Like we would get in the Volkswagen van and follow the Grateful Dead. And from that point on, everybody knew who we were and we started to move up the ranks.
“Bugged out at CBGB’s” | Photo by BJ Papas
Talk about how you were kind of just hanging out and fell into your Circle Jerks bandmates. It struck me that things were happening whether you intended them to or not.
None of this was premeditated. And the thing that happened with the Circle Jerks, was some of the guys that hung out at The Church had a falling out—Red Kross and the McDonald brothers, Greg Hetson, Ron Reyes. They’re still teenagers and discovering that they’re growing pubic hairs and all that fun stuff. And there was a point in time when [the Circle Jerks] were highly hated amongst all the bands we had been a part of. We were accused of stealing songs. And I’m gonna raise my hand and assume part of the responsibility for that. Because we’re not writing a lot of songs. Our first album there’s 16 minutes of music. It’s like, “Has anybody written anything in any of the other bands you played in?” And I’m not paying attention, ‘cause I’m a fuck-up. I need to get up to Hollywood so I can hook up with the coke dealer, or whatever the excuse was. Like I said, I’m fucked up out of my mind. I’m not paying attention to Greg taking a complete Red Kross song and volunteering [it]. One of the guys from the Angry Samoans wanted to fuckin’ kill me. It’s like, “Why? What’s the deal?” And he explains that at one point Roger [Rogerson] played in the band. And I said, “Lemme tell you what happened. Here, have a beer. I’ve got a little bit of cocaine, take a hoot.” It was all good after that.
OFF! is Mario Rubalcaba, Keith Morris, Dimitri Coats and Steven McDonald | Photo by Aaron Farley
Catch Morris’ band OFF! with special guests Plague Vendor and Kill the Precedent on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, at The Boardwalk, located at 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale. This all-ages show starts at 6:30 p.m., with tickets being $20 in advance or $22 at the door. Find tickets and more info at Theboardwalkpresents.com. The same day, Morris will be doing a book signing at Dimple Records in Citrus Heights, located at 7830 Macy Plaza Drive. Call the store for details at (916) 962-3600.
The number of records that 2015’s Star Wars: the Force Awakens shattered is simply mind-boggling: It’s the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing Avatar; it was the fastest film to gross $1 billion (it took just 12 days!); it had the biggest worldwide opening weekend and single weekend gross ($529 million!); it had the widest worldwide IMAX release (937 IMAX screens!); it’s the highest-grossing Star Wars film of all time; and the list just goes and goes. And it’s no surprise, really, it’s an amazingly entertaining piece of cinema best viewed on a large screen surrounded by friends and fellow Star Wars fans. Luckily for us here in Sacramento, the beloved art house Crest Theatre is bringing this bad boy back to the big screen on Friday, Sept. 2 for one show only at 7:30 p.m. So if you somehow missed it in a theater the first time around, or just want to see it on a big screen for the 12th time (hey, we’re not judging!), snag your tickets starting at just $8 now at Crestsacramento.com. There will also be a fun costume contest with great prizes so bust out your best Kylo Ren, Han Solo or Rey outfits and dress to impress. Crest is located at 1013 K St. You can reach them by phone by calling (916) 476-3356. Their box office is open Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased during this time as well as on any event night.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: If you ever hear anyone say anything along the lines of, “No good bands ever tour through Sacramento,” then please slap them upside the head and point them toward some of our area’s many amazing venues like, for example, Ace of Spades, who consistently brings national and international bands to town. Case in point: On Tuesday, July 26, one of the more buzzed about bands on the touring scene as of late, London-based post-punk rockers Savages, will hit Ace for a show that regional music aficionados are sure to be talking about for months (maybe even years) to come. “Savages’ intention is to create a sound, indestructible, musically solid, written for the stage and designed with enough nuances to provide a wide range of emotions,” states the manifesto on the band’s website, Savagesband.com. We’re just going to let it roll, because this shit is gold. “Savages are a self-affirming voice to help experience our girlfriends differently, our husbands, our jobs, our erotic life and the place music occupies into our lives. Savages’ songs aim to remind us that human beings haven’t evolved so much, that music can still be straight to the point, efficient and exciting.” Get your $25 advance tickets before they sell out, available now at Aceofspadessac.com or at Dimple Records locations. Opening will be A Dead Forest Index, all the way from Auckland, New Zealand. The show is all ages and kicks off at 7 p.m. Ace is located at 1417 R Street in downtown Sacramento.
