Media

Mondavi savvy

Eddie March 23, 2006 No Comments

As evidenced by its current and past events calendars, the Mondavi Center has made Davis a major player for touring artists, dance troupes, symphonies and speakers. The Grammy Award-winning Russian National Orchestra will hold court at the Mondavi’s Jackson Hall on Monday at 8 p.m., performing selected works from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dmitri Shostakovich and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The event marks the Davis debut of conductor Carlo Ponti Jr., son of Sophia Loren. More importantly, it’s a chance to experience something off the beaten path. Tickets range from $24.50 to $69, and all ages are welcome. The following week, we’ll be treated to a performance by the Helikon Opera of Moscow on March 31. A round of applause for another glorious season! What awaits us in 2007?
(SN&R)

Ride the snake

Eddie March 16, 2006 No Comments

The Doors must have been the perfect antidote for the Vietnam War. No other band levitated a crowd into a veritable frenzy in the same way, helping to ease the pain of current affairs. The band’s outspoken keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, continues to tour with his band Riders on the Storm—featuring Doors guitarist Robby Krieger along with Ian Astbury from the Cult—and as a solo artist. On his current West Coast jaunt, Manzarek will be accompanied by slide-guitar legend Roy Rogers. When the tour plays the Palms on Saturday, you’ll be certain to hear quite a few war stories (about the band, of course) and some great original music. If VH1’s Storytellers turns you on, it’s high time you saw the real thing. The show starts at 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $25. The Palms Playhouse is located at 13 Main Street in Winters. Call (530) 795-1825 for more information.
(SN&R)

Argentine dream

Eddie March 2, 2006 No Comments

The music of Argentina has always maintained a sense of mystique in the United States. Its heritage is preserved by bands such as Octango, which will be the backing band for Boccatango, a contemporary tango-dance performance that surely will evoke countless spasms of the hips and buttocks in its audience members. Even though this is a seated event, if you’re not causing too much damage to the Mondavi Center’s seats, dancing in the aisles may be encouraged. Songs from both Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel—two of Argentina’s greatest exports—will be incorporated into the soundtrack. Boccatango visits the Mondavi Center on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $16 to $42, and all ages are welcome. Speaking the language is not necessary. Allowing yourself to enjoy the spectacle is.
(SN&R)

Grand ole opera

Eddie February 23, 2006 No Comments

From the Sacramento Ballet to the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, we’ve had more than enough reason to make the brief sojourn to the Community Center Theater. This weekend, rather than taking in a Kings game or heading out to the bars, consider experiencing the Sacramento Opera. Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot will be performed with a live orchestra. Composed in 1924, the opera includes “Nessun Dorma,” the aria Aretha Franklin performed at the 1998 Grammy Awards. Though the production may not be on the scale of the one staged in Paris this summer—with more than 35,000 people in attendance—you’ll be able to witness one of the genre’s finest pieces. So, get a babysitter, enjoy dinner at an Italian restaurant and take in Turandot on a full stomach. It doesn’t get much better than this. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $15-$115, and the Community Center is located at 1301 L Street. Visit www.sacopera.org for more info.

(SN&R)

Mayhem on a Monday

Eddie February 16, 2006 No Comments

If you haven’t been to a hardcore show in the last 10 years, the Warriors’ upcoming appearance at the Boardwalk is just the shakeup you need. Although the follow-up album to the band’s highly lauded War Is Hell won’t be available until May, you might be able to hear some new material at the show. In the meantime, the label has not-so-coincidentally re-issued War Is Hell with two bonus tracks and live footage. The Warriors conquer The Boardwalk, located at 9426 Greenback Road in Orangevale, on Monday at 8:30 p.m. with Blacklisted, Embrace the End and With or Without You. Admission is $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show. The Warriors’ sound, a combination of the best elements of ’90s hardcore and today’s metal, should incite more than a few random acts of violence. Let’s hope The Boardwalk’s security team is ready for this one. Free karate lessons for the first 100 paid.
(SN&R)

Watch Mould grow

Eddie February 9, 2006 No Comments

Those who were fortunate enough to get hold of early Husker Du records during their initial 1980s release schedule surely know the importance of seeing Bob Mould live. After all, the man not only helped create the sound of one of the most important punk-rock bands, but also created an immense body of work both as a solo artist and with his other influential band, Sugar. Body of Song, his latest album, was released in July 2005 on Yep Roc Records. It features some familiar faces, like Brendan Canty of Fugazi and David Barbe of Sugar, and, happily, it’s truly a return to form.

Mould will play Harlow’s, located at 2708 J Street, on Sunday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 in advance or $15 on the day of the show. Because Mould deviates from his traditional set list on his solo tour dates, I’d expect you’d want to secure your slot now.

(SN&R)

Are you gonna go his way?

Eddie February 2, 2006 No Comments

As we head into another year of arena rock and corporate-sponsored tours, there are a handful of package tours you don’t want to miss. Forty-year-old Lenny Kravitz makes a rare appearance this week opening for Boston’s original bad boys Aerosmith. Although Kravitz’s sound has changed dramatically from his 1992 debut, Let Love Rule, his fan base (and bank account) has grown exponentially. What separates him from the barely discernable pop melee is his attention to subtlety and his reverence for early soul. Although at home in the studio, this slowly aging rocker is anything but subdued when he hits the stage. Though many critics have struggled to find problems with each of his successive releases, Kravitz will get the last laugh. He’s touring in support of his Greatest Hits Limited Tour Edition CD and DVD, but expect a few surprises on the set list. Kravitz and Aerosmith hit Arco Arena Monday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$125 for this all-ages show. Visit www.ticketmaster.com for more info.

(SN&R)

Death descends I-80

Eddie January 26, 2006 No Comments

The New Plague, Auburn’s greatest export since Highway 49, plays a distinguished blend of music that could best be described as old-school death metal. Characterized by outlandish song schemes, demonic hate-filled lyrics and just a dash of sloppiness, this band is the undisputed king of Sacramento’s burgeoning metal scene. Though live shows are rare, and releases far and few between, the band will soon excrete Insatiable: An Extreme Manifestation in Demonic Possession, the follow-up to 2002’s highly lauded Shackled and Enslaved. Fans of Possessed, early Death, early Morbid Angel and Impaled should seek out the New Plague on principle alone. The New Plague plays the Roadhouse, located at 1556 Bell Avenue, with Mucus Membrane and Kuru on Saturday at 8 p.m. Admission is $8. Bring earplugs and load up on diet pills—it’s going to be a long night.
(SN&R)

The grass is bluer in Winters

Eddie January 19, 2006 No Comments

While bluegrass remains a subsection (if any section at all) in most record stores across the United States, the genre has slowly been making a comeback in the last 15 years. Sure, the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack bolstered sales for many fledgling artists, but some touring groups have made a living through spreading the gospel of live music. Since the better part of 2001, Railroad Earth has been up and down the coast more times than it would care to mention, playing an infectious blend of acoustic rock and bluegrass. With a dedicated troupe of fans the band appropriately dubbed “hobos,” Railroad Earth has a strong enough draw to hold court even in the lonely town of Winters. Friday’s show at the Palms Playhouse begins at 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $15 for all ages. Also on the bill are the Hackensaw Boys who wowed those in attendance at Cake’s Unlimited Sunshine Tour several years ago. The Palms is located at 13 Main Street in Winters. Call (530) 795-1825 for more information.
(SN&R)

At your own risk

Eddie December 29, 2005 No Comments

Instrumental music is not for everyone. In fact, upon hearing it, certain people have been known to break out in severe rashes followed by bouts of nausea, delirium and finally … death. For those who can endure music that requires a great deal of forethought and patience, one band in the Sacramento Valley delivers the goods and then some. Strike Him Centurion is an underground phenomenon in these parts. The band recently opened for Team Sleep without an album or any merchandise to speak of. Fans of the Kranky or Temporary Residence Ltd. record labels will enjoy Strike Him Centurion’s song selection as well as its insistence on keeping shows word-of-mouth rather than press-driven affairs. (Sorry, guys.) If you’re looking for the perfect elixir for the pre-New Year’s Eve blues, the band’s upcoming show at the Red Square, located at 1121 Alhambra Boulevard, should do the trick. It starts Friday at 9 p.m. with Scene Index and Times of Desperation. Admission is free for all ages, as are the music samples at www.myspace.com/strikehimcenturion.

(SN&R)