S-2013-02-28

State of the city = whaleS see Midtown&Down, page 10

Embarrassing

School cloSureS see Bites, page 11 see Editorial, page 12

No fiSh StickS! see Arts&Culture, page 18

N I A G A N R O B

N A C I L B U P RE a rr iv es in S a ct o P O G k n ru -d A p u n ch r is w ee k , a n d o u th n o ti n ve n co fo r it s th e G ra n d O ld n w o d s p m ju r w ri te ' 'R ea g a n N a ti o n if e se to le o h ra b b it e a sh es ca n ri se fr o m th ER B Y N IC K M IL L

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

|

Volume 24, iSSue 46

P A G E 14 |

thurSday, february 28, 2013

Hot cHicks

AND hot whEEls see scene&heard, page 19

no beer, no life

see Brew the Right thing, page 23

Ace of SpAdeS Sunday, March 3

Tuesday, March 5

1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95814 www.aceofspadessac.com

All Ages Welcome!

Wednesday, March 6

Sunday, March 17

3rd annual st patty’s day free show • 21+ tuesday, march 19

Saturday, March 23

Wednesday, March 27

Saturday, March 30

george clinton & parliament funkadelic plus special guests

fort lean Sunday, March 31

Tuesday, april 2

saturday, june 8

COMING SOON 02/28 03/01 03/08 03/15 03/24 03/28 03/29 04/05 04/06 04/11 04/13 04/14 04/17 04/19 04/20 04/22 04/24 04/25 04/26 05/04 05/09 05/18 05/22 05/31

Testament Meshuggah Otep They Went Ghost Enter Shikari AB-Soul Valu Fa Jonny Craig Soul Asylum The Rocket Summer The Expendables ALT–J The Selecter & Lee “Scratch” Perry The English Beat Foals Queensryche Alex Clare Katchafire Taj He Spitz Some Fear None Rehab Dillinger Escape Plan Turbonegro Capital Cities

Tickets available at all Dimple Records Locations, The Beat Records, and Armadillo Records, or purchase by phone @ 916.443.9202 2

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

House of doubt It’s been more than two years since I first wrote about my home-mortgage debacle (“Default!” SN&R Feature Story; December 16, 2010), but I still regularly receive emails and phone calls from readers who not only seek resolution but also want to share their own tales of mortgage woe.

Our story was hardly unique: We purchased at the peak of the housing boom only to watch our home’s value crash along with the rest of the market. We tried to refinance through the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, but instead of relief, we became embroiled in a bureaucratic nightmare.

Eventually, we were “lucky” enough to sell our house in a short sale that, compared to what came before, seemed downright easy.

For many, however, the struggle continues. On February 21, Joseph A. Smith, an independent attorney tasked by the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight to watch over agreements between banks and homeowners, reported that thousands still aren’t getting help.

At the same time, the housing market shows signs of recovery. The median price of a home in the Sacramento metro area rose to $228,000 in January, according to the website Zillow, a 13.7 percent increase over January 2012.

Great news, right? We’re buying homes again—but at what cost?

Investors are purchasing many of these homes and flipping them for considerable profit—a practice that drives up the overall market average. As such, according to the tracking firm DataQuick, Sacramento prices are rising at twice the national average.

Many analysts argue we’re not headed toward another crash, citing the still-sluggish economy and a more rigorous lending process that, unlike last time, should be less likely to set up homeowners for failure.

I only hope they’re right.

—Rachel Leibrock

rac he ll@ n ews r ev i ew . com

February 28, 2013 | Vol. 24, Issue 46

32

04 05 06 14 18 20 22 26 27 28 30 47

WIN G VIE V IE W I NG

MY RELIGON

by JONATHAN MENDICK

20

27

STREETALK LETTERS NEWS + BITES FEATuRE STORy ARTS&CuLTuRE NIgHT&DAy DISH ASK JOEy STAgE FILM MuSIC 15 MINuTES COVER illustRatiOn BY pRisCilla gaRCia sOund adViCE is On VaCatiOn.

30 Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Co-editors Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller Staff Writers Raheem F. Hosseini, Dave Kempa Copy Editor Shoka Shafiee Calendar Editor Jonathan Mendick Editorial Coordinator Deena Drewis Contributing Editor Cosmo Garvin Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Sasha Abramsky, Christopher Arns, Ngaio Bealum, Rob Brezsny, Joey Garcia, Becky Grunewald, Mark Halverson, Jeff Hudson, Jonathan Kiefer, Jim Lane, Greg Lucas, Kel Munger, Patti Roberts, Steph Rodriguez, Seth Sandronsky, Amy Yannello

Design Manager Kate Murphy Art Director Priscilla Garcia Associate Art Director Hayley Doshay Design Melissa Arendt, Brian Breneman, Vivian Liu, Marianne Mancina, Skyler Smith Contributing Photographers Steven Chea, Wes Davis, Ryan Donahue, Taras Garcia, William Leung, Shoka, Justin Short, Anne Stokes Director of Advertising and Sales Rick Brown Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Joy Webber Advertising Consultants Josh Burke, Vince Garcia, Teri Gorman, Dusty Hamilton, Brian Jones, Dave Nettles, Lee Roberts, Julie Sherry, Kelsi White Senior Inside Sales Consultant Olla Ubay Ad Services Coordinators Melissa Bernard, Ashley Ross Operations Manager Will Niespodzinski Client Publications Editor Michelle Carl Client Publications Managing Editor Kendall Fields Client Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Client Publications Writer Natasha vonKaenel

Executive Coordinator Rachel Rosin Director of First Impressions Alicia Brimhall Distribution Manager Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Walt Best, Daniel Bowen, Nina Castro, Danny Cladianos, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Wayne Hopkins, Brenda Hundley, Wendell Powell, Lloyd Rongley, Duane Secco, Lolu Sholotan, Jack Thorne President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Credit and Collections Manager Renee Briscoe Business Mary Anderson, Tami Sandoval, Zahida Mehirdel Systems Manager Jonathan Schultz Systems Support Specialist Joe Kakacek Web Developer/Support Specialist John Bisignano

1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Sales Fax (916) 498-7910 Editorial Fax (916) 498-7920 Website www.newsreview.com SN&R is printed by The Paradise Post using recycled newsprint whenever available.

Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in SN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. SN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.

Advertising Policies All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

NOW BUYING FOR SPRING 2101 01 L Stre Street Sacramento 916.441.3733

6412 Tupelo Drive Citrus H Heights 916.725.37333

850 E Bidwell, Folsom (next to Trader Joes) 916.985.3733

OUTLET STO ORE RE 911 Wasshing gton on Blv Blvvd..

Rosevillee, 9116.7773 73.337333

CASH FOR YOUR CLOTHES!

BUY / SELL / TRADE MEN’S & WOMEN’S FASHION BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

F E AT U R E

•

STORY

FREESTYLECLOTHING.COM |

A RT S & C U LT U R E

• |

FACEBOOK.COM/FREESTYLECLOTHING AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

3

“They need to branch out and embrace women.”

Asked on Broadway:

What would you change about the GOP? The Dems?

Lonnie Russell semi-retired

The Republicans seem to not understand the impact of their unwillingness to work with the president. ... I find it appalling, the [Republicans’] lack of respect for the processes that are in place to ensure that the needs of the people are addressed.

Teresa Towne service coordinator

Republicans need to realize their voter base of wealthy white men isn’t going to give them a successful party. They need to branch out and embrace women, especially, and minorities, if they ever expect to be competitive. ... They are not going to be successful.

Lyle Giles carpenter

I would tell the [Republicans] to work with the Democrats and stop fudging on different bills and different things the president wants to put through. It’s really putting a stalemate in the economy, and we can’t move forward.

We always have to fight to get what we need and have to push, push.

Merrill Jolley electrical engineer

I would make a suggestion to change both of them.

Look toward the future.

Republicans have a tendency to [be] “ultraconservative” … and need to be more middle of the road, be more accepting. Take a larger concern and interest in our environment.

Adrianna Blea state worker

Republicans, they should be a little more pro-choice. I definitely believe that women should have more rights choosing abortion, birth control and stuff like that.

I know that [Republicans] are very adamant in their views about that.

Derek Matthews website designer

I would talk to the Democrats. We absolutely need to look out for the poor in our community, but we need to enable them. We need to get them working and get jobs for them.

SALES . RENTAL . MAINTENANCE . SERVICE . WEDDINGS Buy One Plant get 2nd one

40% Off !

we carry :

In Store Only No Double Discounts Through April

916-922-4769 BUTTEHOUSE @ THARP YUBA CITY 1833 Howe Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825 www.exoticplantsltd.com 4

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

(530)674–2453

E-mail your letters to sactoletters@newsreview.com

Proximity to guns is not the problem

THIS MODERN WORLD

TOM TOMORROW

Re “Big shot” by Christopher Arns (SN&R Feature Story, February 21): As a Sacramento gun owner, I was pleased to learn in your article that Sacramento’s ammunition ordinance has resulted in the seizure of 230 guns from people who shouldn’t have them, like convicted felons. Personally, I find giving my fingerprint to be only a very slight inconvenience when I buy ammunition for practice, and I am happy to hear that the law has produced some positive results.

Meanwhile, Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty is quoted as saying, “You could literally open a gun shop next door to a school, church or day-care facility, and there’s nothing in the city’s books to letter of prohibit it.” McCarty seems to assume that this would be the week a very bad thing, but I fail to see why. It’s not as if children are allowed to wander in and purchase guns with their lunch money. Guns do not project supernatural auras that harm children merely by their proximity. Campus resource police officers, who wear their guns on school grounds, know this, and Councilman McCarty would do well to take notice of it.

Chase Buchanan

Sa c ra m e nt o

Are gussied-up foster homes the answer?

Re “Pure intentions, muddy policy” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R Frontlines, February 21): What I take from this article is that Courage House is the answer to a political soapbox/cocktail-party issue du jour that is based on “extrapolated” sextrafficking statistics that, in Sacramento, appear to be fed by children from within the foster-care system (90 percent of victims of trafficking are from the foster system, per the article). The Courage House answer appears to be a newer, more expensive foster group home. But is all this investment producing better results than a traditional foster home?

If so, bravo! But how is success being measured, and what is Courage House doing differently that accounts for the improved outcomes? Surely, it isn’t only the rural setting and the white-picket fences. If services and outcomes aren’t measured beyond vague statements about girls getting a GED certificate, then this “model” cannot be disseminated across the foster-care system.

Benjamin Bannister Woodland

Money needs oversight Re “Pure intentions, muddy policy” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R Frontlines, February 21): Raheem, I owe you an apology. After reading the sentence “Ever since ‘human trafficking’ caught fire as a tear-jerking buzz term about five years ago, it’s swept up people’s imaginations with images of Third World inhabitants crammed in cargo containers and non-English speakers chained up in garment factories,” I thought you were being a bit flippant regarding the issue. But I don’t believe that was your BEFORE

|

intent. I do believe we should be vigilant regarding the spending of public monies to promote and advocate for certain causes, and especially so where the “faith-based” approach is involved. Are they taking the money from taxpayers and subjecting the young women to their version of Christianity? Are they “required” to attend services? If so, it reminds me of the scene in George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, where the poor have to listen to hours of Christian indoctrination in order to eat. I do hope that’s not happening here, and as much as trafficking in young women is a real and horrific problem, throwing money at it without oversight isn’t going to make it better. Bravo to you.

Rick Houston Sacramento

Doesn’t K.J. have a day job?

Re “What viable arena plan?” by Nick Miller (SN&R Editor’s Note, February 21): I’m in the last of five months that I spend each year in Sacramento County, and while here, I read The Sacramento Bee online and SN&R at The Coffee Garden. One cannot fail to notice the coverage given to a contest between various millionaires to own a professionalsports franchise. Inserting himself into the snarling between millionaires is the mayor of Sacramento. Having read the record over the past five months, the mayor comes across as a never-ending shill for local millionaires. After five months, I’ve yet to notice an article regarding the mayor that is not connected to this franchise struggle. Doesn’t he have a day job? The taxpayer ought not have a dog in this fight at all.

Owen McGowan Courtland

FRONTLINES

|

F E AT U R E

STORY

Get it right, Miller Re “What viable arena plan?” by Nick Miller (SN&R Editor’s Note, February 21): I read your latest Editor’s Note in SN&R, and I couldn’t be more disappointed. First, I will say that I think it is great for people to disagree with the decision to try and keep the Sacramento Kings in town and build a new arena. It is fundamentally important to have opposing opinions.

However, when those opinions are backed up by incorrect information, it is ill-fated at best to continue to oppose.

When those opinions are then printed, and thus carry the weight of fact for some people given your position, it is extremely dangerous. Where are you getting your facts? The new arena will cost $300 million? That’s simply not true. At present, it’s $255 million. Next, how exactly are the Sacramento taxpayers paying for that? If you had actually done any research into the situation, then you would know that the general fund will not be affected in the long run. Also, throwing the fact that parking will be affected is flat-out incorrect. Again, if you had done your research, you would know this.

Dissension is OK. Dissension while being uninformed is criminal.

Bert Beattie via email Editor’s note: SN&R stands by its story.

ON cHaNgES TO U.S. gUN-cONTROL pOLIcIES:

“We need more guns in the hands of law abiding people.”

Dan McGlade

v ia Fa c e b o o k

ON SacTO’S aRcHITEcTURE: “My friend told me it reminds her of Galveston.”

Ben All

v ia Fa c e b o o k “beautiful trees. Stunning Victorians.

Amazing historical structures” @CaptainSacto

v ia Twitte r

THOUgHTS ON THE 85TH acaDEMy aWaRDS: “Why Seth?” @mushroomkingdom

v ia Twitte r “Don’t watch it, I can formulate my own opinions on films and what passes for films.”

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

MC JustMatt

v ia Fa c e b o o k @SacNewsReview

ON THE ILLEgaL-IMMIgRaTION RaLLy aT THE capITOL ON FEbRUaRy 23: “Is it as hateful as it looks?” @BluestMuse

v ia Twitte r

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&r

|

5

Sacramento tougher on booze and marijuana than firearms—but this likely will change soon Guns don’t kill people; a surprising lack of regulation does. by Sacramento often gets called a regional Raheem leader when it comes to gun regulations, F. Hosseini but the businesses selling these Second Amendment boom sticks face fewer local ra he emh@ newsreview.c om controls than ones trafficking in booze and medical cannabis.

Right now, the Sacramento Police Department has greater “leverage” to condition the operation of liquor stores than gun dealers, said Officer Doug Morse, a spokesman for the department.

Across Sacramento County, the logic goes that liquor stores and medicalmarijuana dispensaries are more likely to attract crime and must be regulated accordingly. That rationale has consistently stopped at guns, which don’t face the same zoning restrictions or security requirements.

Gun dealers aren’t required to inventory their wares, and they aren’t subjected to undercover purchases like businesses slinging alcohol or cigarettes.

Some of this may be changing.

Thanks to a soul-buckling accumulation of mass-shooting tragedies—and the dreary continuation of gun-related crimes in the capital region—a common-sense tipping point may be at hand.

“I’m pretty unwilling to wait for the state or federal government on this.

You know, we have a crisis on our hands.”

Jay Schenirer Sacramento City Council State lawmakers introduced more than two-dozen gun-related bills by Friday’s legislative deadline, though one of them, Assembly Bill 202, would create armed school marshals at each school. Call it the “Kindergarten Cop Law.” Meanwhile, city officials are in the early stages of drafting stricter regulations for gun and ammo dealers, and expect to have a more formalized proposal to the city council by late spring, according to intergovernmental relations officer Randi Knott.

“It’s obviously a complicated issue,” she told SN&R. The intersection of federal, state and local lawmaking powers contributes to the complications.

6

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

While the city has narrow room to legislate on this issue—the state’s preemption doctrine blocks local communities from passing laws dealing with the registering and licensing of firearms, as well as restrictions on the possession of handguns, among other things—it can weigh in on the regulation of gun dealers.

“The city has the ultimate decision over land use,” Knott explained.

“That’s its greatest tool in terms of how our city operates.”

Senior deputy city attorney Steven Itagaki laid out a sampler’s menu of these potential new regulations last week to the city’s Law & Legislation Committee, which is taking point on vetting proposals before passing any through to the city council.

To help identify and track stolen firearms, Itagaki said the city could require dealers to periodically inventory their munitions and report back “for review.” The city could also add security measures beyond what’s required in the California Penal Code, which mostly relies on barred windows, steel doors and deadbolt locks to keep out the bad guys. For instance, Itagaki said the city could add “measures such as alarms or security cameras to make it more difficult for firearms to be stolen from their premises.”

Requiring gun shops to obtain liability insurance, prohibit minors from entering their premises and abide by zoning restrictions would put firearms dealers on the same regulatory tier as the city’s liquor stores.

And outlawing the possession and sale of large-capacity magazines and 50-caliber ammo would close loopholes that are currently flapping in the breeze.

Fifty-caliber rifles are already illegal, for one, so why is it permitted to sell ammo for them? And while it’s illegal to sell largecapacity magazines, it’s somehow still OK to possess them.

Other ideas that aren’t yet ready for prime time include requiring gun purchasers to clear mental-health exams and imposing a special ammo tax.

A local gun-store employee, who wasn’t authorized by his company to speak on the record, said the new regulations being discussed are either required in some way by the state Bureau of Firearms, which licenses gun dealers, or are already being done informally by most shops.

“You would have to be an idiot to operate without some sort of insurance,” he said, adding that the city has too few gun dealers for its new proposals to affect the desired change. There are currently nine businesses selling firearms in the city of Sacramento, including three sporting-goods chains.

With so many plates spinning on a statewide and national scale, Knott said the city may want to wait until a few of them crash to the ground before getting too deep in the weeds on this issue. But Councilman Jay Schenirer, who chairs the Law & Legislation Committee and suggested the city could use its purchasing power to leverage against

uncooperative ammo sellers, made the case to press ahead.

“I’m pretty unwilling to wait for the state or federal government on this. You know, we have a crisis on our hands,” he said. “I think as the city we have to send some pretty strong messages about what we believe in. Enough is enough.”

As of February 24, two people suffered nonfatal gunshot wounds in the city this month. There were also multiple armed robberies and incidents in which police recovered firearms from juveniles. Four of those recoveries occurred at local schools.

At Natomas Middle School in north Sacramento earlier this month, teachers discovered an unloaded handgun in the backpack of a 13-year-old. Police believe the weapon belonged to the youth’s parent.

It’s unclear whether the new proposals would prevent future instances like this, but they’d make it clear that the city of Sacramento finally considers guns to be as dangerous as massage parlors. Ω

illuStration by hayley doShay and priSCilla garCia

Gun-shy

Some argue that Sacramento puts more regulation on medical-marijuana and alcohol establishments than it does on gun shops.

Awarded by the Beverage Testing Institute, 2012

se o h t r o f Whiskey e. d i s n i e h on t

BigHouseBourbon.com ©2013 Underdog Wine & Spirits, Livermore, CA

BEST BUY

Scan to Join the Gang on Facebook Get inside @ BigHouseBourbon.com

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 7

D I S C O V E R T H E N I G H T O N A W H O L E N E W L E V E L

Halfway gone

H A R R A H ’ S

L A K E

T A H O E

N I G H T C L U B W E ’ R E

B L O W I N G

T H E

L I D

O F F

T H E

N I G H T

I T ’ S T H E U LT I M AT E I N T R E N D S E T T I N G E N T E R TA I N M E N T. F R I D AY – S AT U R D AY DOORS OPEN 10:30PM CALL NOW FOR BOOTH AND BOTTLE SERVICE 2 % 3 % 2 6!4 ) / . 3 s 0 % % + . ) ' ( 4 # , 5 " # / -

CELEBRIT Y SATURDAYS APRIL 6

# P e e k Ta h o e Must be 21 to enter. Management reserves the right to change or discontinue this offer without notice. Restrictions apply. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.Ž Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. Š2013, Caesars License Company, LLC. T1600-13-32

8

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

V1_90002.2_4.93x11.5_4c_Ad.indd 1

2/22/13 3:58 PM

THINK FREE.

Is there a take-home from the failed attempt to build a halfway house in south Sacramento?

Neighborhood residents called it a victory. One company called it a “shame.�

However you put it, the Sacramento County Planning by Dave Kempa Commission’s denial of a 50-bed halfway house in south Sacramento left everyone asking how to best serve the davek@ community’s former inmates. ne w s re v ie w.c o m The first issue was one of respect. Planning Commission chairman Alex Laiewski noted, after the 3-1 vote against the plan, that Behavioral Systems Southwest, the group applying for the permit, made little to no efforts to assuage residents’ worries about a halfway house entering their already struggling neighborhood.

In fact, neither BSS nor the office of Sacramento County Supervisor Jimmie Yee, who represents the neighborhood, approached residents to address their concerns in the early stages of planning. They dealt only with the local business district and the Community Planning Advisory Council.

But residents attended Planning Commission meetings, gave impassioned pleas and made it quite clear that their voices were not being heard. “The community deserves to be “That’s a big nut part of the planning,� Laiewski said the vote, “and I just feel there to crack.� after was a lack of that in this process.�

SN&R walked the Martin Luther Jimmie Yee King Jr. Boulevard neighborhood Sacramento County Board of Supervisors last week and discovered a number on where to build a halfway house in of different perspectives on what Sacramento County could have been a fortifying topic of discourse for the community.

Robin Vincent, a longtime resident, said she wouldn’t have a problem with a halfway house. “Everybody deserves a second chance,� said Vincent, who said she has family that has gone through the system. She did add, however, that she would not approve of a facility which was populated with sex offenders.

But another resident, Lalla Perez, said that the safety of the neighborhood’s children should be brought into the conversation.

Neighbor Larry Williams asked why the county would decide to put a halfway house in the heart of an already “downtrodden neighborhood.�

Attorney Toni Carbone of Ascend, a program that takes a cognitive-behavioral approach to criminal rehabilitation, said that she is always nervous about sending clients to halfway houses in crime-heavy neighborhoods. Former inmates need to place themselves in what she calls a “pro-social network,� and neighborhoods such as MLK Boulevard and 43rd Avenue provide the opposite.

Independent reporting for this “There’s too much crime around them,� said Carbone, story is funded “and they’re already struggling internally on how to change by a grant from their lives.�

Sacramento Supervisor Yee, after hearing constituents’ concerns, Emergency Foodlink. told SN&R that he would not support the halfway-house permit if BSS appeals to the Planning Commission.

Ascend’s Carbone said that one in an area such as Carmichael would be better for former inmates than the south Sacto community. But therein lies the issue: Wealthier communities will be more effective in tamping out plans for halfway houses in their neighborhoods. So, where can the former inmates go? “That’s a big nut to crack,� Yee said. Ί

S K

I

P A C

K

A G E

ROYAL GORGE DAY TRIP

Envision quest

includes: round trip transportation + day pass + 90 min group lesson + after ski food

Sacramento direct democracy and Death Star stupidity Let’s face it: Direct democracy doesn’t always work.

Here in California, we practice knee-jerk social engineering and rack up billions in bond by Raheem F. Hosseini indebtedness on voter-initiative schemes both hairbrained (“protecting” marriage, throwr a heemh@ ing away the key on 14-year-old criminals) newsreview.c om and worthy (stem cell research, expanded mental-health services). Even the good ideas seem like they were written on the back of a cocktail napkin by the drunk or stoned. Which may be one reason why California hasn’t yet cracked the riddle on implementing smart, accountable marijuana legalization.

Since launching its We the People petitiongathering website (https://petitions.white house.gov), the Obama administration has been finding new, diplomatic ways of saying “no” and “hell no” to everything from allowing a number of southern states to secede (peace out, Texas) to building a friggin’ Death Star. (I already thought Texas was the Death Star State. Wait, Lonestar State? No, that doesn’t sound right.)

Can we pause briefly here to acknowledge the stunning lameness of those websiteparticipation bribes?

As much as I’d like to champion increased public participation, the cynic in me worries that people—especially online people—are too myopic, sarcastic and/or enraged to contribute meaningful solutions to the civic and social problems that bug us all. Then again, what are politicians but people with Brooks Brothers fetishes?

So, it was with meager expectations that I visited the website for Envision Sacramento (www.envisionsacramento.com), the city’s new public-outreach tool to engage its citizens.

The website, which launched January 10, asks users to chime in on any number of local topics. As city spokeswoman Amy Williams explained to the city council last month, the website serves as a platform that allows staff to create surveys and solicit ideas. City staffers moderate the website and, supposedly, forward the best ideas to the appropriate officials.

In return, the more active users rack up points that can be redeemed for what Williams described as unique “city experience[s].”

They include an autographed photo of Mayor Kevin Johnson, a free lunch with City Manager John Shirey or a tour of the city’s water-treatment plant.

Can we pause briefly here to acknowledge the stunning lameness of those participation BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

bribes? Dear God, what’s the grand prize— Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell yells at you while you file Councilman Allen Warren’s tax returns?

Anyway, despite the underwhelming party favors, a decent number of people have logged on and are pitching their ideas. The latest challenge to pick one thing to improve the local economy drew nine replies as of February 13, while an early question asking users to offer their vision for the city over the next couple of decades raised 57 ideas before closing down January 31.

But would any of these proposals be good? Soliciting policy ideas straight from the people can be like taking movie recommendations from box-office results. And there are only so many Mormon-teen-vampireacademy-of-Hogwarts-Hunger Games movies I can stand.

I combed through all 57 of the vision suggestions to find out. The most popular— with 18 users seconding the idea and others submitting it themselves—was creating a river walk similar to ones in Napa and San Antonio. A Curtis Park resident’s recommendation to address the city’s self-esteem problem—titled “Hey Sacramento – you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and... [doggone it, people like you]”—was rated fourth by users. Sadly, Al Franken’s Stuart Smalley is currently busy with Minnesota’s image problems.

Neither of these ideas was picked up by the city staffers who moderate the website.

Making Sacramento more bicycle friendly, expanding regional transit and reducing traffic lanes on Broadway were referred to various departments, however. The suggestion that the city offer monetary incentives to renovate buildings listed on historic registers was being actively researched by the city’s “historic preservation folks.” And the suggestion to provide free two-hour parking throughout the grid was quickly deemed “not implementable.” So stock up on quarters.

I have to say, I was a little relieved. I couldn’t find one person advocating the secession of Mansion Flats, for instance. Though someone with the handle “Joe G14” did suggest kicking “most of” the homeless out.

“It’s time to move them on to somewhere else. NIMBY.” OK, that’s pretty bad. Maybe as punishment, Joe G14 and Shirey can grab lunch together.

Still, nothing quite so ridiculous as using public funds to construct an intergalactic planet destroyer. Then again, who needs a Sacramento Death Star when you have the Maloofs wreaking havoc for free? Ω

F E AT U R E

STORY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

Rick’s Ski Tours

(484) 663–4199 | www.RicksSkiTours.com GO TO FACEBOOK.COM/SACNEWSREVIEW

LIKE

US.

OR ELSE.

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

9

Secret state of the city ANNIVERSARY 2012–13

An evening of off-the-cuff comedy using the language and themes of William Shakespeare.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company TUE, MAR 12 Young Artist Competition Winners Concert SUN, MAR 3

The Cashore Marionettes FRI–SUN, MAR 15–17 ys

Alwa hildren

SAVE

50%

10TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON SPONSORS

Tickets and more: mondaviarts.orgÊUÊ866.754.2787 10 | SN&R | 02.28.13

Mayor Kevin Johnson, what with his penchant for pizzazz, won’t just give a State of the City speech this Thursday at the Memorial Auditorium—he’s inviting all Sacramentans to a veritable love fest. And that’s fine; Sacto needs hugs.

But while the State of the City is a free party, the mayor also has a penchant for privacy: The future of this city will be discussed this r e l by nIcK MIl week behind closed doors, with secret partners, and on the ni c k a m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m very down low.

As this paper was going to print on Tuesday, city council was poised to green-light allowing Sacramento brass to formally begin negotiations with the “whales,” a.k.a. the private investors, allegedly including Ron Burkle and Mark Mastrov, who want to buy the Sacramento Kings and build an arena downtown.

Let’s just hope they’re more into nibbling plankton than taking a great-white bite out of Sacto’s pocketbooks.

Julian Lage Group WED–SAT, MAR 6–9

C

Whales, Kings-arena negotiations could redefine Sacramento— and so they should be public

As Cosmo Garvin noted in this week’s Bites column on page 11, council members—who in fact know the identity of these very reclusive mammals—will likely approve said talks even though the “public is not allowed to know” who these whales are for certain.

That’s sticky: Sacto’s leaders are reportedly inching toward pulling the trigger on a billion-dollar Kingsarena deal with said investors, yet the public will have no oversight and little say over the 10-figure pact until the eleventh hour, if at all.

If this top-secret transaction goes down—in the unlikelihood that the Kings don’t move to Seattle—it will redefine the city.

But who cares: Let’s party! An unofficial copy of this week’s State of the City agenda floating around online reveals an Oscars-worthy

romp, including host Mark S. Allen, an invocation, a dance performance, video highlights of all that was awesome about last year in the 916, handouts touting the mayor’s first-term accomplishments, a speech

by K.J. himself, and then, literally, choirs singing.

It’s also rumored that the mayor will make a splash by revealing the whales at the event.

Let’s just hope they’re more into nibbling plankton than taking a great-white bite out of Sacto’s pocketbooks.

Anyway, I won’t gripe about the whale secrecy too much: There are plenty of red flags to raise based on Kings information already out there.

For instance, last Tuesday’s city council staff report. This document was unveiled just 24 hours before the weekly meeting and breaks down City Hall’s rationale for going forward with hush-hush arena-whale negotiations.

First, these talks won’t be cheap: Council purportedly will approve spending $240,000 on professional and legal services to assist with the powwow. And this quarter-million is just the first payout: The staff report hints that Sacramento could fork over more than the estimated $255 million it almost coughed up for last year’s arena “deal.”

For instance, if a new arena does in fact touch down on the existing Downtown Plaza mall, the report mentions the possibility of sweetening the pot for the new Kings owners with other business incentives.

Specifically, it cites “ancillary real estate development opportunities in addition to an arena” for these whales. You know, after they already get our land and quarter-billion dollars, too.

For the record, I’m actually fine with the city pitching in to develop a new arena. A little dirt here, a wee bit of cash there; it would be a wise investment.

But if these negotiations are, for all intents and purposes, about giving hundreds of millions, plus downtown’s keys, to secret whales, the public should be able to fine-tooth-comb the details. Not be forced to watch as it’s hashed out in the shadowy depths of the deep blue sea. Ω

SITE VISIT OUR WEB OM WWW.ME RCYPETH OSPITAL.C

FOR $18 EXAMS & 25% OFF DENTAL PACKAGE COUPONS

Laugh it up

OR SWIPE YOUR SMART PHONE ON THIS QR CODE

City’s school closures a bummer, negotiations with secret whales a joke The editor suggested a brief “post-mortem” on the Sacramento city school closures. Sounds depressing, but here goes: “Run for our seats if you think you can do a better job.” That was the take away from newly appointed (not elected) Sacramento City Unified School District board member Jay Hansen last week, as he joined fellow Board of Education members ARviN Patrick Kennedy, Jeff Cuneo and Darrel Woo in

by CoSMo G voting to shut down seven neighborhood cosmog@ n ewsrev iew.c om schools.

That was just one piece of a nasty little lecture Hansen gave on how folks really ought to be more respectful to the board members and should think of those area residents like himself who don’t have kids, but who graciously pay their property taxes, anyway. “I gladly do that. I know it’s good for the community. ... But you have to have people like me on your side.” Yes. Nice of you to pay your taxes, Jay. At that point, Hansen’s team had thoroughly lost the argument on school closures. The district’s school-capacity numbers were fiction, the cost-benefit analysis was a joke. It was obvious to all that the “rightsizing” process had been designed to shut the public out of decision-making.

Board members Diana Rodriguez, Gustavo Arroyo and Christina Pritchett and student board member Katrina Ye filibustered, highlighting the endless contradictions and problems with the plan. (And providing a glimpse of the civilrights lawsuit to come.)

But Hansen and Kennedy and Cuneo and Woo, along with their boss, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, did what they were going to do all along.

They seemed a little put out that so many people would challenge J. Ray’s dictates on what kinds of schools, and how many schools, we should have in our district. And perhaps they were embarrassed that the power grab was so obvious to everyone watching. But that sure didn’t stop them. And everyone saw it.

Yikes, that really was depressing. Sorry.

Last week, Bites reported that Sacramento County elections officials were wasting 407 perfectly good votes by not counting a bag of mail-in ballots found in a warehouse weeks after the November 6 election. The votes won’t affect the outcome of any elections. So who cares, right?

Turns out, Bites is not the only one who finds this policy lacking. Longtime Democratic political consultant and occasional troublemaker Bob Mulholland calls the policy “unacceptable” and has demanded that the county send each disenfranchised voter a letter of apology and/or count their votes.

“The U.S. taxpayers are spending $9 billion a month in Afghanistan, with one of the stated goals being to encourage full participatory elections with all ballots counted,” he said.

BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

FEATURE

Full Service Affordable Veterinary Hospital Walk-Ins Welcome for Exams & Vaccinations Low Cost Vaccinations, Spays & Neuters

If the county won’t do it, Mulholland wants the names and addresses of each voter so he can send the letters himself. “And you can take their calls.”

Bites likes the way this guy thinks. Starting to feel a little better now.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm Sat & Sun: 9am-4pm 916-723-3456 www.MercyPetHospital.com 6418 Tupelo Dr. Citrus Heights, CA 95621 (near Antelope Rd/I-80)

20 oFF %

Thanks to alt-weekly production technology circa 1997, most of this Thursday column is being written the Monday before the big Tuesday emergency vote by the Sacramento City Council—to approve negotiations between the city manager and some potential investor “whales.”

Bites isn’t in the future yet, but expects the council will approve talks, even though the public is not allowed to know the name of said whales.

They are secret whales.

“We are respecting the wishes of the investment groups to maintain confidentiality at this time,” explained city spokeswoman Wendy KlockJohnson sometime long ago.

Presumably, it is legal in Sacramento for the government to hold negotiations with secret whales and to subsidize the private purchase of a sports team with about $380 million in public money—just to pull a number out of thin air.

But it’s not legal in Seattle, where that city’s Initiative 91 supposedly forbids subsidies to sports teams unless there’s a guaranteed return on the city’s investment.

ARTS&CULTURE

facial treatments • microdermabrasion acid and enzyme peels waxing • eyelash & eyebrow tinting

4136 Pennsylvania Ave Fair Oaks 916.276.5887

www.anniehill.com anniehill62@gmail.com

BY APPT oNLY

Considering Divorce?

You have options...

We’re not talking the kind of return you get in the junk economic-impact reports Think Big Sacramento pulls out of their collective butt. Even the great Neil deMause, author of Field of Schemes and foe of arena boondoggles everywhere, thinks Chris Hansen’s Seattle deal might possibly, maybe be sort of reasonable, writing, “This could provide a model of how to build a sports facility without tapping the public purse—much, anyway.”

Councilman Kevin McCarty—who apparently hates the Kings and our freedom and anything that is world class—has asked about writing an Initiative 91-type guarantee into any Sacramento arena deal. Over at www.arenafunding.com, some local citizens are starting to agitate for an arena deal that earns a solid return on our considerable investment.

Bites has always thought an arena subsidy was plausible if the dollar benefits really outweighed the costs. And who knows? Maybe this deal with the secret whales will be the one that pencils out.

Ah, it’s good to laugh again. Ω |

Book by 3/14/13. For new clients only.

Good Day Sacramento

Presumably, it is legal in Sacramento for the government to hold negotiations with secret whales.

STORY

any one service

Best Places for Facials - 2012 -

Divorce Options Workshop Saturday March 9th 8 am – 1pm 916-863-9777 For locations visit www.divorceoptions.com

Sponsored by Sacramento Collaborative Practice Group.

A nonprofit organization of legal, financial and mental health professionals helping couples through divorce. |

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

11

YOU’RE WELCOME, NATURE.

Savings Without the Sacrifice

TM

‡ )OH[LEOH %LOOLQJ ‡ ,QVWDQW 65 V ‡ 1R ,QVXUDQFH ‡ 0RWRUF\FOH ‡ %RDW ‡ 5HQWHUV ‡ &RPPHUFLDO 9HKLFOH ‡ 0DMRU &UHGLW &DUGV $FFHSWHG ‡ 2SHQ (YHQLQJV :HHNHQGV ‡ (DV\ 3URFHVVLQJ %\ 3KRQH

Call toll free for a quote

1-855-53-Titan 1-855-538-4826

ÂŽ

12   |   SN&R   |   02.28.13

RECYCLE THIS PAPER.

License# OE86569

‹ 7LWDQ ,QVXUDQFH 6DOHV DQG GHVLJQ DUH VHUYLFH PDUNV RI 7+, +ROGLQJV 'HODZDUH ,QF 7LWDQ SROLFLHV XQGHUZULWWHQ E\ 7LWDQ ,QGHPQLW\ &RPSDQ\ DQG $I¿OLDWHG &RPSDQLHV +RPH 2I¿FH &OHYHODQG 2+ 6XEMHFW WR XQGHUZULWLQJ JXLGHOLQHV UHYLHZ DQG DSSURYDO 3ULFH EDVHG RQ 0DUFK DQDO\VLV RI DYDLODEOH QDWLRQDO GDWD IRU OLDELOLW\ RQO\ SROLFLHV 3URGXFWV DQG GLVFRXQWV QRW DYDLODEOH WR DOO SHUVRQV LQ DOO VWDWHV $OO FRYHUDJHV DUH VXEMHFW WR WKH GHGXFWLEOHV H[FOXVLRQV DQG FRQGLWLRQV LQ WKH DFWXDO SROLF\

Tickets?

Accident We can h s? elp!

Fail There’s no way to sugarcoat it: The Sacramento City Unified School District trustees’ vote to close seven elementary schools is an outrage. The process was devoid of meaningful public input, and the decision disproportionately impacts low-income communities, fails to adequately address budget problems and undermines public confidence in the future of public education in Sacramento.

School closures are always difficult. That’s why the California Department of Education provides a detailed “Closing a School Best Practices Guide� for districts facing possible shutdowns. While not a legal mandate, the guidelines represent the “legislative intent� implicit in the California Education Code. Among the state’s recommendations are that districts form a committee of community members to provide input over a six-month fact-finding period before decisions are made, take care that a wide variety of criteria are considered, ensure that alternatives to school closures are fully explored, and engage in a process that is “as credible, transparent and non-political as possible.�

By these or any other standards, the process in Sacramento was a miserable failure. No advisory committee was formed, and there were no opportunities at all for public input before the sudden announcement in January that the district planned to shutter 11 schools. Rather than engage in six months of factThose who finding, the trustees conducted a five-week series of perfunctory supported this public meetings. Criticism as it was revealed that deeply flawed mounted schools were picked for closure process and its on the basis of a simplistic and misleading formula that compared unacceptable current enrollment to a theoretical outcome need to be maximum capacity based on square footage, ignoring factors held accountable such as historical enrollment and penalizing schools for in the media and in levels hosting programs such as Head the next election. Start, which takes up space but doesn’t count toward enrollment totals. Despite howls of protest from parents, students and neighbors, plus opposition from community groups and the district’s teachers union, the trustees voted to close seven schools, six of them in low-income south Sacramento communities, on February 21. (Two schools were dropped from the initial list of 11. Two more will be on the chopping block in a vote on Thursday, March 7.)

Why didn’t the trustees follow state guidelines for public participation? Why didn’t they make their decision based upon which school closures would save the most money? How can they justify using a criteria that so disproportionately impacted low-income, minority neighborhoods? What alternative cost-saving and budgetary plans were explored before rushing forward with a scheme that negatively affects at least 2,300 students and seven schools, yet saves only $1.5 million? Why is the district abandoning so many schools just weeks after convincing city voters to pass bond measures that provide $414 million for facility maintenance and upkeep? How many of the shuttered facilities will become privately run charter schools, as has been the case with five of the six SCUSD schools closed in the past 10 years?

The trustees may have made their decision, but they are not done. Their mismanagement of the process calls into question every aspect of their leadership and judgment. Those who supported this deeply flawed process and its unacceptable outcome need to be held accountable in the media—and in the next election. Ί

Flood and basketball The Kings may leave, but 100,000 remain on Natomas floodplain Sacramento will survive if the Kings go to Seattle. But will we survive the Kings’ arrival, which had less to do with basketball and more to do with rezoning land in a floodplain?

On the front page of a recent Saturday’s Sacramento Bee, there were two seemingly unrelated stories.

The first, “Mayor to make All-Star pitch to keep Kings,” was about Mayor Kevin Johnson trying to convince NBA owners to keep the Kings in Sacramento. A second story, “Levee fixes grind to halt,” explained how 24 miles of much-needed levee repairs have not been completed. While 18 l

by JeFF VonKaene miles of new levees have been finished, at a cost of $400 million bankrolled by local taxpayers j ef f v@ n ewsreview.c om and the state of California, there remain another 24 miles of levees that still need to be completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, costing taxpayers an additional $410 million. Unfortunately, this levee project has been stalled for the last two years, since the House of Representatives banned earmark projects, including flood-control projects in Natomas and the Midwest.

After Hurricane Katrina, the United States made a $14.45 billion investment in flood control around New Orleans. Now, Sacramento has a higher risk of a levee failure than any other city in the country. Why do we have 100,000 Natomas residents living in a floodplain? We can trace it back to the Sacramento The Sacramento Kings Kings and shortsighted sports-loving politicians, who and shortsighted deserve more technical fouls sports-loving politicians than DeMarcus Cousins.

In the late 1970s, some deserve more landowners, including Gregg technical fouls than Lukenbill and Richard DeMarcus Cousins. Benvenuti, began buying up relatively inexpensive farmland in north Natomas. This soggy land was right in the middle of a floodplain and would have been great for rice farming. In the early 1980s, local For a fascinating developers drafted a proposal to open up more than 4,000 explanation of acres in the north Natomas Basin for development. Part of the machinations behind land the land would be set aside for a baseball stadium, to attract development in a major-league team to our city.

Natomas, read Baseball did not happen. But in 1985, Lukenbill and a Cosmo Garvin’s group of developers bought the Kansas City Kings. They “The great Natomas land rush” would move the Kings to Sacramento if their floodplain in (SN&R Feature Natomas was opened up to development. It was, and now Story; February 24, we have 100,000 people living in a floodplain.

2005) at Environmentalists and others bitterly opposed this develhttp://tinyurl.com/ opment and accurately predicted the folly of developing on natomasland. a floodplain. But the love of sports trumped reason. And while the landowners received the benefit of this rezone, Jeff vonKaenel it is the Sacramento residents and taxpayers who are left is the president, footing the bill.

CEO and And I hope that our only bill is for the levees. A globalmajority owner of warming flood or a break in the levee could cause unimagithe News & Review nable loss of life and property damage. Mayor Johnson’s newspapers in Sacramento, “All-Star effort” to keep the Kings here should actually be Ω Chico and Reno. applied to fixing the damage caused by their arrival.

50% OFF

SPEN THE G D $20 IN IFT & GET SHOP A

FREE EXTER IOR WASH UNTIL 03 /14

MANAGER SPECIAL

now only $19.99 ($40 Value)

/13

INCLUDES: Full Service Car Wash, Air Freshner, Sealant, Clear-Coat Protectant, Underbody Flush & Rust Inhibitor, Triple Coat Protectant Additional fee for light trucks or SUV types. Prices may vary on any size and condition.

Please present this coupon with payment. Not valid with other offers, specials or coupons.

Expires 03/14/13 • Coupon Code 0209 SACRAMENTO BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD 2008

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

1901 L Street

VOTED BEST OF THE BEST 10 TIMES

BY SACRAMENTO 08 MAGAZINE 08

08

08

08

916.446.0129

08 www.harvscarwash.com

(on the corner of 19th and L) 08

➤ CUSTOM TEES FOR YOUR EVENT, BUSINESS OR PROMOTION ➤ 100% 6.1 OZ. HEAVY COTTON WHITE TEES SIZES YOUTH SMALL - ADULT XL ➤ 96 PC. MINIMUM ➤ INCLUDES ONE COLOR PRINT FRONT & BACK ➤ DARK TEES, ADDITIONAL COLORS & LOCATIONS, LARGER SIZES AVAILABLE

916-388-9344 5430 florin perkins road suite 100 sacramento, ca 95826

screenprinting embroidery vehicle lettering vehicle wraps signs banners design

K N I H T .

E E R F

ballerz ink’s

2013 tax season sale

25

$

name tattoos {up to 2 names}

25

$

piercings

{excludes dermals}

60

$

palm size rose

{color, group discount available}

artist wanted

call for inquiries B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

55

$

dermals

{buy 2, get 30% off}

ballerz ink 5290 fruitridge road 916.736.2782 All offers expire 03/31/13

02.28.13 | SN&R | 13

IllustratIon by PrIscIlla garcIa

N I A G A BORN

N A C I L B REPU kam@newsreview.co

by Nick Miller nic

m

avis

Photos by Wes D

ts its annual os h P O G d de n ou w A walking to this weekend. en m ra ac S in on ti n conve wn the Grand Old This writer heads do Republicans, ge le ol C e— ol h it bb ra l prayer—to see if Fox News, evangelica l resurrect.

‘Reagan Nation’ wil 14 | SN&R | 02.28.13

T

hose mashed-potato jowls. That highfalutin, discomforting laugh. Ah, yes, it’s Bill O’Reilly on my TV. I’m worried, because it isn’t the usual sophistry blowing from his piehole: This Monday evening, Bill O’Reilly is actually making some sense.

The Fox News host and his sidekick, silver-maned Obama stomper Bernie Goldberg, are discussing the “liberal drone conundrum”—which is Fox News speak for how Democrats always forgive the president’s most flagrant military transgressions, yet are outraged by even the slightest GOP hawkism.

“You have Guantánamo Bay,” O’Reilly begins, “and [liberals] were screaming about that. But as soon as President Obama took over, there was no change regarding Guantánamo Bay, but then all the screaming stopped.”

It’s true: Democrats by and large give Barack Obama’s warhead forehead a hall pass. As Harper’s Magazine reported recently, only 2 percent of the people killed by U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan last year were actually Taliban or Al Qaeda leaders. Civilians, murder, covert ops—we liberals should be outraged.

Well, you liberals. Not me. Today, I’m a Republican.

I came of age in a GOP household; liberal bashing at the dinner table, or Dan Quayle’s biography on the bookshelf, seemed perfectly normal. These days, however, everyone’s eulogizing the GOP after November’s crash and burn. But it’s likely a shallow grave: The Gipper surely will rise up from Election Day’s ashes.

To better understand how, I joined the party: slapped on my best Tucker Carlson bow tie, crashed the College Republicans meeting, prayed at church and chatted up the local brain trust, all to learn whether “Reagan Nation” is down for the count. Or training for a rematch.

Here come tHe republicans Nudie pictures in the men’s room, cheap iced beer, Pat Benatar on the karaoke, faux-wood paneling—the 145 Club in Rio Linda is decidedly, as Toby Keith says, my kind of place. It’s also a dive bar brimming with Republicans.

Of all the burgs and pockets in Sacramento County, Rio Linda is a top conservative stronghold.

Sure, nearly 70 percent of Rancho Murieta residents picked Mitt Romney over Obama. And Folsom denizens favored the GOP candidate nearly 2-to-1. But Rio Linda, where upward of 64 percent of voters chose Romney, is but a half-court heave from Arco Arena

and the Sacto city limits, where Obama prevailed handily. So close, so far away.

On this night, a gray-haired man in his 50s karaokes an on-point rendition of Neil Young’s “Old Man.” Even the falsetto chorus. When he finishes, the four-dozen folk in the bar rap their hands loudly.

I walk up to the man’s table and ask, “I’m doing a survey: How many of you all are Republicans?” Odd looks.

Eventually, though, everyone raises their hands. One guy raises both, proudly. Even the NFL lineman running the karaoke machine plops his hand up.

The Neil Young fan’s name is Mike, from Rio Linda by way of Roseville, and shares that the bar crowd, and the neighborhood in general, is “pretty conservative.” He also says that, while he identifies himself as Republican, he hasn’t voted for any of their candidates since the 1990s. “‘The Decider,’ he was an idiot,” Mike says.

Jason, another Republican at the same table, voted for Romney but was critical of the party, too, saying that it needed to be “more open-minded.”

“Everyone should be equal with each other and should work together on policy,” he says.

“The pARTy heRe, In A lOT Of wAys, hAs BecOMe MORe Of A chuRch. They’Ve Been VeRy RIghTeOus, BuT nOT VeRy successful.”

Aaron McLear Sacramento-based political strategist

So goes the “conservative conundrum” this weekend, when the California Republican Party converges on Sacramento for its annual convention. To the rescue is mega-fundraiser and establishment wizard Karl Rove, who will break from eating post-election crow to rally the punch-drunk. Delegates will vote, and the cardcarrying family-values contingent, big-hitter consultants and electeds will rub elbows.

It’s a come-to-Jesus moment for conservatives: Dems spanked local Reeps, such as Dan Lungren, in November; the left seized its first Capitol supermajority since the Great Depression; and Romney face-palmed in a race he really had no business losing.

“We’ve been doing worse and worse and worse every year,” is how Aaron McLear, Sacramento-based political strategist, former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger press secretary and self-identified moderate Republican, puts it.

Indeed, the party is moribund—at least according to the post-election media hammering. There’s truth to this conservative-irrelevance narrative; top California

Republican Party brass even admitted to SN&R that its grassroots get-out-the-vote and fundraising infrastructure is woeful.

But this “death of the party” storyline, however dire, is also a familiar media tome. It’s only been eight years since President George W. Bush was winning re-elections and riding high in the approval-numbers game, Schwarzenegger was puffing Cubans under the rotunda, and journalists were writing the Democrats’ obituary.

McLear, who also served as communications director during the Bush-Cheney re-election in 2004, reminds that the media hubbub after Dubya’s second “W” was all about the liberals’ imminent and certain demise.

“But then, in 2006, we [Republicans] got our asses kicked,” he told SN&R. “And we haven’t recovered yet.”

The healing begins this weekend, when the state party elects a new chairman, Jim Brulte, the last conservative to enjoy true power in the state Legislature; he presided over a GOP majority in the Assembly from 1994 to 1996.

Of everyone SN&R spoke to for this story, all praised Brulte as a nose-to-the-grindstone, anti-sound-bite politician. McLear says he’s “exactly the right person” for the gig, a guy who “lacks of ego” and gets the “importance of the nuts and bolts of building a party.”

Conservatives sure need this leadership. The only statewide offices they’ve taken in the past 15 years were won by billionaires, Steve Poizner or Hollywood action heroes. It’s been a quarter-century since they sent a senator to Capitol Hill. And registered GOP voters in California now stand at 29 percent (Democrats are at nearly 44 percent).

“The party here, in a lot of ways, has become more of a church,” McLear argues. “They’ve been very righteous, but not very successful.”

God save tHe Gop They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, but on this clear-sky Sunday morning just blocks from the Tower Theatre, there’s also magic in the air. And by magic, I mean Jesus.

The House is a brick-red former-office-complex-turned church—a satellite location for one of the largest evangelical congregations in the region, Bayside Church in Granite Bay—on 19th Street and Broadway. A sign announces that its parking lot is full this morning, just after 9 a.m., so worshipers leave their cars blocks away and huff in.

Before reaching the entrance, drum rolls and keyboard splashes rise above the nearby freeway’s flashing cars. Inside, a couple hundred churchgoers face a band on an altar, many with arms raised to the heavens and eyes closed. The six-piece house band is actually tight, talented. Lead singer and pastor Christa Armstead boasts serious pipes; she belts, “Shout out your name, I am yours, I am yours!” and worshipers rise to their feet, a few crying the lyrics back at her. Three flat-screen TVs flank the stage and play a feed of the song’s words.

Soon, Pastor Bob Balian, a bald guy in dad jeans and a baggy collared shirt, takes the stage. He applauds, insists that everyone shake a stranger’s hand, then shows a commercial for a Christian money-planning seminar called “Financial Peace” (this weekend, only $89 to attend). His sermon is on temptation. How does one resist? It’s easy: God.

“ born-again republican” continued on page 16 B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 15

“ born-again republican” continued from page 15

Evangelical Christians again were the largest voting block in America this past election, comprising some 27 percent of the electorate. And nearly 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for Romney, a number that reflects a 6 percent increase over white evangelicals who voted for John McCain in 2008, and, perhaps surprisingly, the same percentage who voted for Bush in ’04, according to a report in The Atlantic.

Yet these evangelical voters, who’ve wielded big-time political influence since the President Ronald Reagan era, are failing: Voters by and large rejected the GOP’s position on social issues like abortion and gay rights. Four states even legalized same-sex marriage in November.

Meanwhile, more and more young voters are turning away from religion and the evangelical values so espoused by the right.

“That really has shown up recently, in particular, and that’s making up a huge percentage of young people,” noted religion and political science expert Rebecca Glazier. A quarter of all 18- to 30-year-olds identify themselves as “nones,” or voters with no religious affiliation—the fastest growing voter demographic in America, she says.

Glazier is a professor out of the University of Arkansas, but has local ties: She partnered last year with faculty at UC Davis on a mobile app, which quizzed people’s responses in real time to the three presidential debates. She and her colleagues crunched the app’s numbers and will present findings at a conference this month.

She says that, despite pressure for Republicans to move back to the center on social issues and break free of the conservative-values mold, “The evangelical vote is still a huge component of the GOP, and they can’t turn their backs on it for sure.

“To win elections, you have to have the particular group, you have to get them to vote for you in a really strong percentage,” Glazier says. And for conservatives, evangelicals are that No. 1 blue-chip group.

What caught my attention at the evangelical church on Broadway, however, was the diversity of its congregants. I’ve visited Bayside Church in Granite Bay; it’s predominately white. But The House’s 250 or so attendees were a multiethnic and diverse bunch—and 16 | SN&R | 02.28.13

Jordan Gurnett (left) heads the Sacramento State College Republicans—while his vice chairman, Aubrey Riley (right), kicks off the meeting with a conservativephilosophy quotation.

surely not composed of 80 percent Romney voters (Pastor Balian, who might have chimed in on this, did not respond to SN&R’s multiple emails and phone call by deadline). Evangelical churches are also moving away from the sort of Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority-type political rhetoric at the pulpit; Pastor Balian mentioned nary a political issue on Sunday.

Perhaps the GOP will no longer ace the Christian base in years to come?

Like student, Like Grandma Twenty students, including five women, listen as a tall Barry Goldwater admirer, who sports vintage black-rimmed glasses and dresses like he’s in the Matt Drudge fan club, kicks off the Sacramento State College Republicans meeting with a quotation on how social forces corrupt democracy. Then he asks everyone to guess its author. James Madison? Ron Paul? No, James Fenimore Cooper, from his 1838 tome The American Democrat.

These College Republicans convene each Thursday evening on the first floor of the mathematics and childdevelopment department building inside a shock-white lecture hall. Today’s powwow quickly devolves into a procedural discourse on amendments to their constitution, but is occasionally rescued by trivial chat about purchasing T-shirts or optimal ways to recruit new members (one suggestion: post dorm fliers that say “Best Party on Campus”). There’s discussion about volunteering at this weekend’s convention, including romanticizing the prospects of small talk with GOP elite.

Introductions come later on: your name, your major, your favorite politician (the women prefer Paul Ryan).

Foreshadowing a possible top-shelf issue for the GOP in 2016, club chairman Jordan Gurnett recaps education bills making the rounds at the Capitol, including a proposal by Assemblyman Tim Donnelly—you know, the guy who recently pitched that teachers-to-carryfirearms-at-schools bill—to disallow sales tax on college textbooks.

“Tim Donnelly, I love him,” one woman shares.

Each meeting ends with pizza at Round Table.

Gurnett, apparently, has advised members not to speak with SN&R, although one College Republican, Anthony Abdelsayed, a really decent guy who introduces himself as the group’s communications director, agrees to chat.

But only via email.

His calculated replies, however, don’t inspire.

“Instead of focusing on division of the party we need to work toward a united party that emphasizes issues that are important to all Americans,” captures the spirit of all his responses. But what does intrigue is, ultimately, how the 20-something Republicans at Sacramento State University sound a lot like local Republicans three to four times their age.

Bonnie Williams, sweet-hearted president of the American River Republican Women Federated, didn’t always bleed Republican. The 77-year-old comes from a family of Democrats and union workers, and actually leaned liberal—“I can’t believe that I voted for Ted Kennedy”—in the 1960s.

With Lyndon B. Johnson, though, she’d had enough.

“During Johnson’s Great Society, I predicted what was going to happen,” she told SN&R, “and look what’s happened. So many people are depending on the government, so many women are having children, and they don’t know who their fathers are.”

Yes, even after Romney’s “47 percent” moment and the right’s struggles to appeal to women voters, a large swath of the GOP establishment still pins its tail on the entitlements donkey, still pushes the conservative-values wagon up a hill.

How can the GOP reconcile this old-values, youthmovement quagmire?

Nationally, the GOP is a party fractured. Ideologues like Glenn Beck—when he’s not busy shilling his custom $129 blue jeans online—denounce establishment lawmakers while party strongholds grapple to steer the ship. Fox News, which is losing 25- to 54-year-old viewers but remains the top-rated cablenews channel going on 11 years, rests somewhere in the middle of this divide.

And young Republicans still clamor for a voice. They’re trying their darnedest to teach elder

conservatives, like former Romney campaign manager Stuart Stevens, how to use Twitter, but the party remains very Grandma-Grandpa when it comes the Internet.

For instance, as The New York Times reported last month, the national Democrats new-media and crowdfunding efforts still dwarf the GOP’s: Romney’s campaign friended 12 million Facebook users, “triple that of Obama’s operation in 2008.” But Obama boasted 33 million friends—and used them and new technology more effectively to get out the vote, such as his campaign’s vaunted Mobile Pollwatcher app for Election Day. The College Republicans agree that the GOP can at least “increase its presence to online users,” but Abdelsayed insisted that since the Internet isn’t really going anywhere, the party will have time to catch up.

Likely true. But there will still be speed bumps. As Williams, who’ll be 80 by the next presidential election, put it: “We’re not just going to pick up our marbles and go home.”

A few good conservAtives More than once while growing up in south Placer County, I was ridiculed for supporting Republicans. In elementary school, when a teacher asked who the best president ever was, I responded, “Ronald Reagan”—and this teacher couldn’t hold back his sarcasm, even laughing. When Bill Clinton beat George H.W. Bush, I remember friends taunting me for “liking whoever your parents like.” It’s embarrassing now—but then, it was traumatizing.

My parents indeed were suburban conservatives, and today, Placer County remains a GOP stronghold. Nearly 60 percent of residents voted for Romney in November,

A quArter of All 18- to 30-yeAr-olds identify themselves As “nones,” or voters with no religious AffiliAtion—the fAstest growing voter demogrAphic in AmericA.

and well more than half of voters registered as GOP supporters. Including my dad.

Dad’s voted Republican his entire life, except when I was born: He elected Jimmy Carter because, like many, he was pissed at Gerald Ford for pardoning Richard Nixon. That was his lone liberal transgression in more than four decades of casting ballots; he simply didn’t like the guy anymore.

Today, however, it’s funny how Dad confesses that he doesn’t much care for any candidates.

“These politicians,” he laments over lunch, “I’m for cleaning house and starting all over.”

Matt Rexroad, a conservative on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, agrees that the GOP needs to focus on its likability factor. Campaigns and candidacies should be more about “putting a good person forward instead of putting a good partisan forward,” he argues.

A moderate Republican with a savvy Twitter presence who also works as a political consultant, Rexroad says he knew Romney had zero chance of winning last year. “‘What’s going to happen in the presidential election?’” he remembers people asking him. “President Obama’s going to win,” Rexroad responded.

The rationale was simple, superficial: “If I can get people to like my candidate as a person, they’re probably going to win.”

Meanwhile, others see a snag in this “nice guys finish first” philosophy: young voters.

New voters, ages 19-29, have participated in elections at nearly 50 percent over the past two presidential races.

They also appear to have already made up their minds about Republicans.

Sixty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds voted for Obama last year. Democrats continue to aggressively court this demographic, which comprises nearly 20 percent of the electorate, with new-media and get-out-the-vote campaigns.

Inevitably, though, the GOP will get its act together with courting younger voters.

To this end, Rexroad doesn’t buy the argument that the GOP’s social values must evolve.

“People say we need to change positions. [But the] GOP is very viable in D.C. still,” he argues. “A candidate must transcend the GOP stereotype so that people see them and say, ‘I don’t see a Republican, I see a nice person.’”

The words “nice guy” and Paul Ryan—or Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio—won’t likely be part of the 2016 electorate vernacular, however.

Meanwhile, Obama’s established powerhouse grassroots machine, under its new name, Organizing for Action, and popular brand Hillary Clinton will definitely be fine-tuned for prime time in three years.

Yes, that’s a long way in political years. But there’s also a lingering sense of resignation among Republicans, especially in the national media, that one cycle won’t be enough to mount a second coming.

Maybe this is because members of the GOP ultimately know that what they really need are a few good Republicans. And, perhaps, that’s just a Ω dying breed.

Please drink responsibly.

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 17

Nguyen Pham makes adjustments in the display case at Sunh Fish Company.

In 2012, Nguyen Pham moved the Sunh Fish Company out of its tiny grocery space into a 17,500-square foot Midtown warehouse, turning the family business into a destination for local restaurants, foodies and casual home cooks

EvEry day aftEr work, NguyEN Pham comEs homE smElliNg likE fish.

His wife Sheree hates it, says the Sunh Fish Company owner. It wouldn’t be as bad if she ate fish, but she’s more of a “meat-and-potatoes” kind of gal. So, sometimes she asks him to change clothes as soon as he gets home.

“It’s unavoidable: I smell like fish even if I barely touch two fish,” says Pham. “Once I’m in my element, I start smelling like the sea.”

Seafood is certainly his element. On any given day, Pham phones a supplier in Japan or Hawaii to bid on a certain item, recommends a fish to a local chef or packs up boxes for a shipment. He jokes that he now grows scales instead of skin.

But still—after taking over the business his parents started, investing his life savings into it and spending more than a 18 | SN&R | 02.28.13

year renovating its new location—he’s never been more serious about wanting Sunh Fish to succeed.

Pham, now 33, started smelling like fish as a toddler. His parents, Suong and Nho, entered the seafood business in the early ’80s while they lived in a housing project in the Dos Rios Triangle neighborhood near Loaves & Fishes. Several times a week, they loaded young Nguyen into their van between 3 and 4 a.m., picked up fish from San Francisco and delivered it to customers in Sacramento. Then, they dropped their son off at preschool. On Sundays, Suong and Nho—who met in a Philippine refugee camp after emigrating from wartorn Vietnam in ’78—operated a produce stand at the Central Farmers Market on Eighth and W streets.

In 1985, they moved their seafood business into a small rented space inside the Asian Food Center on Broadway, and named it Sunh Fish, a combination of the first two letters of each of their first names. Longtime customers recall a 6- or

7-year-old Nguyen standing on a box behind the counter, ringing up their purchases. Despite Suong and Nho’s reservations, Nguyen continued working there off and on throughout the years—even putting in a full-time stint as he earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UC Davis. “[My parents] always tried to push me away from [the business],” says Pham.

“They pushed me to go to college [and] pick a profession where I got weekends off.”

But if he hadn’t stepped in, he says, his parents wouldn’t have had any weekends off themselves. There was another problem, too: Some customers couldn’t come to terms with the idea of shopping at an Asian grocery store for quality seafood.

Sometimes they stayed away because they associated his family’s store with the bargain produce and groceries offered in some Asian stores, says Pham.

“Towards the last years of being inside that Asian store, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” he says. “I hated going

Blissed-out brunch See DISH

22

Ray Eames, revealed See COOLHUNTING

25

The Phil Collins beat See MUSIC

30

Put a bird on it See THE 420

37

SCENE& HEARD You know, the good kind of sexism

Nguyen Pham appreciates the extra space at his company’s new location.

to work there every day. I loved what I did, but I couldn’t stand being in that confined space.”

Still, after 27 years inside Asian Food Center, the family company had managed to stay afloat through word-ofmouth reputation and selling wholesale seafood products to local restaurants.

This would prove invaluable, as Pham’s dad started gradually handing over the business to his son in 2002. Eventually, the younger Pham decided to move Sunh Fish into a larger building.

Although it relocated only a few blocks from Asian Food Center, Pham says it still seemed a risky move at the time. In 2010, he dipped into his savings and began a year-and-a-half-long, $2 million renovation of a building in Midtown. The vacant 17,500-square-foot warehouse formerly housed the Verge Gallery & Studio Project (now Verge Center for the Arts), and an auto-parts store before that.

The store reopened in April with a bevy of new features: a loading dock for its six delivery vehicles, several offices, a break room, a handful of walk-in freezers, wooden live-seafood bins, washing and cutting stations, and a large storefront into which Pham still hopes to lure a high-quality meat vendor. The warehouse, he says, was styled to feel like a high-end East Coast-style seafood market.

From here—as it did at the old location—the family still ships fish to many local sushi restaurants, including Midtown’s Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine and Arden Arcade’s Sushi Hook.

But it has also expanded its clientele, adding high-end American restaurants— such as Midtown’s Mulvaney’s Building & Loan and Del Paso Heights’ Enotria Restaurant Wine Bar—to its distribution list. Pham says he now ships to approximately 115 restaurants, all in the Sacramento area.

“Without [my parents], I wouldn’t be able to do [any] of this,” he says. “I just kept their formula and modernized it—did it in a way where it appeals to more people, to better restaurants.”

His parents’ formula included valuing quality and customer service over finding larger clients or increasing marketing efforts. When he took over the store, his BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

parents insisted he agree to keep these ideals intact. As such, Pham recently turned down a deal with a school district because he didn’t want his products becoming “high-quality fish sticks.”

This philosophy may seem antibusiness, but it’s helped Sunh Fish maintain a closer relationship with local restaurants.

“It’s still really personal,” says Ryan Rose, executive chef at Zocalo.

“Everything still goes through him, and even though he has a lot of guys who work for him, he still knows everything that’s going on.”

Today, the bulk of Sunh Fish’s business still comes from local restaurants.

Chefs often walk freely in and out of the store’s freezers to handpick orders.

“It’s a lot of fun to go down there and talk to the guys about what’s good,” says Adam Pechal of Tuli Bistro and Restaurant Thir13en.

The biggest shift since Sunh Fish’s move, however, is the fact that it now attracts more retail customers—even if the store resembles a gigantic freezer.

There’s no décor, no shopping carts and definitely no play area for the kids.

But these aren’t normal customers.

Some might even call them foodies.

And they “get it,” says Pham. They’re

happy to put up with the cold and spend a little more on seafood. They hear about the quality and line up to purchase fish, lobster, crab, scallops, oysters and caviar—from more than 100 sources spanning the globe (European fish, in particular, is popular these days). All-day-long lines on Christmas and New Year’s eves almost “brought tears,” says Pham.

There are some things, though, that will always remain the same.

Although Pham has now taken the lead role, Sunh Fish is still a family affair. His dad regularly helps out at the store (he’s never really fully let go of it, says Pham), and Mom and Dad both help watch the grandkids. Pham and Sheree, a full-time mom, have four kids—including infant twins.

“My parents finally accepted [and are] proud of the fact that I did this because ... coming into a country and not speaking the language, having to grow up in poverty—all those barriers kept them from getting their own space,” says Pham. “Now that we did it, my mom [says] this is the best she’s ever seen the company, [and] this is the most fulfilled she’s ever been.” Ω For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/ sunhfish.

Sunh FiSh CoMpAny now ATTRACTS MoRe ReTAil CuSToMeRS—even iF The SToRe ReSeMbleS A GiGAnTiC FReezeR. TheRe’S no DéCoR, no ShoppinG CARTS AnD DeFiniTely no plAy AReA FoR The KiDS. Sunh Fish Company’s vehicles deliver seafood to local restaurants.

Roller derby is patently sexist—in a good way.

The lack of a men’s league (and my general unfamiliarity with the sport) didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the season kickoff to the Sacred City Derby Girls’ 2013 season at Memorial Auditorium earlier this month.

Armed with a B-movie-themed program and $7 beer, I settled into my seat with a fellow reporter and a few new acquaintances, all first-timers to the brash, bruising roller-derby scene. Even if you’ve never seen a match, you’re probably somewhat familiar with the culture— heavily influenced by the kitschy sexploitation flicks of the ’60s and ’70s, roller-derby queens primp like Russ Meyer sex kittens but act like hungry panthers on the prowl.

The match featured three packs scrapping for alpha-cat status—home girls Midtown Maulies and The Donna Party, and last year’s champs the Roseville TrainWreckers.

The auditorium floor was transformed into a brightly lit rink where packs of roving “chicks” (their term) set out to execute swift, sweeping curves and elbow each other for position. The five-person squads are made up of three sturdy-looking blockers, a pivot and a small, swift jammer, Minus 10 points who scores a point each time to whoever she passes an opposing team member. Two teams compete at decided cheetaha time over a 30-minute period print underwear divided into two-minute jams.

While all this may sound rela- was a good tively simple, it can get pretty uniform choice. inscrutable to the uninitiated, especially as skaters start knocking, jostling and tripping over one another. Our group struggled to match up what we witnessed on the track to the streaking tallies on the scoreboard. Maybe it would be simpler just to count up the number of bruises after each game and afford the victory to the team with the fewest.

Crying would equal an automatic forfeit.

All we knew for certain was that the TrainWreckers reasserted their dominance, cruising to big wins over The Donna Party and Midtown Maulies in the first two periods. In roller derby, at least, the suburbs rule.

Our group established its own scoring system.

We awarded five points to the lead referee, a pretty blonde with an unidentifiable stuffed mammal on her helmet. Every time the action slowed or got too confusing to follow, we went back to guessing what the hell it was— marmot, otter, mutant ferret?

We subtracted five points from the referee who replaced a small crown on his helmet with a larger one for no clear reason. Apparently, he can’t believe it’s not butter.

Ten points went to the chunky dude who killed it during the halftime air-guitar contest and ended up winning a real Fender Stratocaster. At least now he has something to hock for beer money.

Minus five points to the Maulies’ spastic bench coach Pit Bullet, dressed like a cross between a ninja and a stripper in a ski mask and fur-lined coat.

Minus 10 points to whoever in the Maulies organization decided cheetah-print underwear was a good uniform choice.

And, finally, a thousand points to the roller-derby chick with the best name: The Donna Party’s Skirt Vonna-Gut. Even better? Her jersey number is Ice-9. Now that’s a Cat’s Cradle I’d like to rob.

—Raheem F. Hosseini

r a h e e mh @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Check out the Sacred City Derby Girls’ next match at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at Roller King, 889 Riverside Avenue in Roseville. Tickets are $12-$20; free admission for kids under 10. See www.sacredcityderbygirls.com for more |

F E AT U R E S T O RY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

19

NIGHT&DAY 28THURS DON’T MISS! THE GLOBALIZATION OF HIP-HOP: As part of the

Literary Lectures series, UC Davis professor Halifu Osumare delivers a presentation called The Globalization of Hip-Hop. She is currently Associate Professor and Director of African American and African Studies at UCD. Th, 2/28, 7:30pm. $10.

Sacramento Poetry Center, 1719 25th St.; (916) 441-7395; http://sacramento poetrycenter.org.

List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations.

Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo and a link to your website.

Go to www.newsreview. com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

Special Events BEER & CAR LOVERS UNITE: This event is for the enjoyment of craft brew lovers and those who enjoy a unique night out on the town. Sacramento Beer Week, Auburn Alehouse, and the California Automobile Museum team present an evening of tastings, a new exhibit called Pint Size, food, live music by the Bathtub Gins, and demonstrations by craft brewers. Th, 2/28, 6-9pm. $15-$20. California Automobile Museum, 2200 Front St.; (916) 442-6802; www.calautomuseum.org.

COLLEGE NIGHT: COOKING CLASS AND DEMO: Every Thursday, hang out at Whole Foods Market for fun and special events just for students. This week’s happenings include a healthy eating budgetfriendly cooking demo in the cafe. Th, 2/28, 7-9pm. Free.

Whole Foods Market Davis, 500 First St. 1 Davis Commons in Davis; (530) 750-2266; www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

CONSERVATION MOVEMENT LECTURE: Steven E. Schwarzbach is the director of the Western Ecological Research Center of the United States Geological Survey. He will look at his career that has taken him to 21 countries, and the conservation movement through the lens of environmental changes in the past 40 years. The lecture happens in Aspen Hall’s Room FL1-20. Th, 2/28, 7pm. Free.

Folsom Lake College, 10 College Pkwy. FLC3-173 in Folsom; (916) 608-6500; www.flc.losrios.edu.

DINNER WITH A NUTRITION DOCTOR: Michael Greger presents The Latest in Clinical Nutrition, a lecture with a catered threecourse vegan Mexican dinner.

Focusing on the most recent studies published in scientific medical journals, Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease. Th, 2/28, 6-9pm. $39. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.; (916) 798-5516; www.meetup. com/sacvegansociety-org.

SPEAKER SERIES WITH STEVE UNGER: Join for a special presentation by author Steve Unger, who will be sharing highlights from his book, Before the Paparazzi: Fifty Years of Extraordinary Photographs.

You’ll hear Unger tell the stories behind the book’s photos, which feature some of the 20th century’s most compelling personalities and subjects. Th, 2/28, 2-3pm. Free. River’s Edge at Campus Commons, 601 Feature Dr.; (916) 921-5131; www.hankfisherproperties.com.

20

|

SN&R

|

02. 28.13

HYPNOTIST TOM DELUCA: Sac State Unique presents an evening performance by Hypnotist Tom DeLuca. The spontaneity and warmth of his live shows have made DeLuca a frequent guest on television talk shows. Th, 2/28, 7:30pm. Free. Sacramento State University Union Ballroom, 6000 J St.; (916) 278-6997; www.sacstateunique.com.

Film QUILTERS OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA: Sacramento Quilting Collective presents its second annual quilt exhibition, titled A Stitch in Time: The Past, Present and Future, highlighting African-American quilters and quilts. The program will feature a film called Scenes of Siddis Life, by Dr. Henry John Drewal, documenting the history of patchwork quilts known as kawandi. Siddis are Indians of African descent living in India.

Th, 2/28, 6-8pm. Free. Brickhouse Gallery & Arts Complex, 2837 36th St.; (916) 475-1240; www.thebrickhousegalleryoak park.com.

Museums CALIFORNIA STATE CAPITOL MUSEUM: Camellia Pin-On Day, in honor of Sacramento’s designation as “Camellia Capital of the World,” volunteers from the State Capitol Museum will create and distribute free camellia corsages to State Capitol visitors, California State Legislators, the Governor’s office and Capitol staff. Th, 2/28, 11am-1pm. Free. 1315 10th St.; (916) 324-0333.

Concerts BUMPTET BRINGS THE FUNK: The Bumptet will be bringing reckless sophistication to its performance with an improvisational, genre-bending approach to music. The group’s compositions range in style and complexity, moving from deep funk grooves to epic rock crescendos. Th, 2/28, 9-11pm. $5. Coyote Tap House, 2801 14th St.; (916) 736-1157; www.thebumptet.com.

01FRI

DON’T MISS!

ARTZ Museum Tours are designed for people with dementia and their care partners, and strive to enrich the lives of all involved.

F, 3/1, 10:30am. Free.

The California Museum, 1020 O St.; (916) 653-7524; www.californiamuseum.org.

Comedy THE SYNDICATE: In the sights of The Syndicate, no subject is safe.

Based out of the Sacramento Comedy Spot, The Syndicate’s goal is to elevate sketch comedy to an art form—a beautiful, dumb art form. Combining high concept and low brow—often simultaneously—The Syndicate produces some of the smartest dumb sketches and the dumbest smart shows you’ll ever see.

F, 3/1, 9pm. $10. Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th St., Ste. 130; (916) 444-3137; www.saccomedyspot.com.

Literary Events AUTHOR JAN WESTMORE: California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch presents Jan Westmore, author of Images of America: Colfax, on ‘The Arcadia Publishing Experience’ at its Writers Network breakfast meeting.

Westmore developed a fascination for the history and folklore of the region upon relocating to an old gold mining town in the Sierra foothills not far from Colfax. F, 3/1, 9-11am. Free. IHOP, 2216 Sunrise Blvd. in Rancho Cordova; (916) 213-0798; www.cwcsacramentowriters.org.

02SAT

DON’T MISS! UNDY RUN: The Undy 5000 is a fun, family-friendly 5k walk and run designed to make people aware of colon cancer, get people screened for colon cancer, and to celebrate colon cancer survivors.

Funds raised help with Sacramento-area screening efforts, patient support services and colon-cancerawareness programs. Sa, 3/2, 7:30am. $20-$40. Land Park, 3800 S. Land Park Dr; (916) 397-3128; www.undy5000.org.

HELLACAPPELLA:

HellaCappella is a collaboration between a cappella groups of all shapes and sizes. Hailing from Northern Californian universities, this year’s lineup includes performances by two-time champions of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, The Men’s Octet from UC Berkeley. Plus performances

by Cloud Nine from UC Santa Cruz and On the Rocks from University of Oregon. F, 3/1, 7:30pm. $9-$15. Mondavi Center Studio Theatre, 9399 Old Davis Rd. in Davis; (530) 754-2787; www.thedavisspokes.com.

Special Events ARTZ MUSEUM TOUR: Focusing on art allows people with Alzheimer’s to experience something meaningful and beautiful, without challenging areas of the brain that have been affected by the disease.

DON’T MISS! BUTTON BAZAAR SHOW AND

SALE: The Sacramento Button Club is hosting this regional show, which is gaining popularity as collectors are discovering the importance of these miniature antiques. Buttons more than 100 years old are still affordable, and storage requirements are minimal. Most collectors display framed buttons, or create no-harm wearable art. Sa, 3/2, 10am-5pm. $2.

Carmichael Park, 5750 Grant Ave. in Carmichael; (916) 489-1785; http://home.comcast.net/~ ButtonBazaar/Show.html.

Special Events SACRAMENTO WOMEN’S HISTORY CEMETERY TOUR: Celebrate the historic women of yesteryear on a tour of the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. From homemakers to politicians to teachers, this tour highlights the accomplishments of some of Sacramento’s notable women. Hear stories and learn about the background of these local residents. Sa, 3/2, 10am.

Free. Old City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway; (916) 448-0811; www.oldcitycemetery.com.

CLAWS FOR PAWS: Teaching Everyone Animals Matter will host its first ever Claws for Paws crabfeed fundraiser featuring all-you-can-eat crab, pasta and salad. Wine, beer, and soft drinks will be available for purchase. Attendees will have the chance to bid for something sweet during our dessert silent auction. TEAM supports the Sacramento County Animal Shelter. Sa, 3/2, 6pm. $45.

Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Dr. in Rancho Cordova; (916) 361-2800; www.sacanimalshelter.org.

Comedy THE COLONY: This is a show more creative than its name. A team of improv veterans and friends build something with your suggestions. The team takes the stage every week to ask you some questions. Your answers and your ideas fuel the performance. Sa, 9:15pm through 12/28. $7. Blacktop Comedy, 7311 Galilee Rd. 150 in Roseville; (916) 749-3100; www.blacktop comedy.com/shows/thecolony.

I CHALLENGE YOU: Join Sacramento Comedy Spot’s monthly game show. Contestants chosen from the audience compete in a variety of popular games in a bid to win amazing (and sometimes less-than-amazing) prizes. Join hosts Stewart Stewartson and Wink Ticklebottom and bring your friends to compete for prizes and glory. First Sa of every month, 8pm through 12/7. $8. Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th St., Ste. 130; (916) 444-3137; http://saccomedyspot.com/ i-challenge-you.

Classes FIDDLE WORKSHOP WITH ATHENA TERGIS: Athena Tergis will teach a fiddle workshop in the afternoon before her concert.

Specializing in teaching bowing and ornamentation, Tergis is Suzuki-trained and has performed in traditional, classical and pop settings all over the world—from Riverdance on Broadway to the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing. Students should bring a notepad and recorder.

Reservations required. Sa, 3/2, 3pm. $25. Auburn House Concerts, call for location; (530) 885-4292; www.auburnhouseconcerts.org.

Sports & Recreation TROUT FISHING DERBY: Get out your gear and reel in a big catch at Fulton-El Camino’s Annual Fishing Derby. Join the California Department of Fish and Game’s Fishing in the City Program for a day of fishing, clinics and prizes. Howe Park Pond will be freshly stocked with trout. Prizes awarded for longest and fattest catch. Sa, 3/2, 8am. $5 per person or $20

per family. Howe Avenue Park, 2201 Cottage Way; (916) 927-3802, ext. 125; www.fecrecpark.com.

GUIDED WALK: Volunteer naturalists await your arrival at the Cosumnes River Preserve Visitor Center at 9 a.m. to lead you along Cosumnes River Walk’s three-mile loop trail. The trail takes you through grasslands, marshes, the river and oak forests. Expert advice from your guide will enable you to enjoy the flora, fauna and history that surrounds you. Sa, 3/2, 9am. Free. Cosumnes River Preserve Visitor Center, 13501 Franklin Blvd. in Galt; (916) 870-4317; www.cosumnes.org.

Now Playing BOB AND RO’S OLD-TIME RADIO SHOWS: Bob and Ro return to Chautauqua Playhouse with recreations of the great radio shows of yesteryear. Enjoy: Richard Diamond’s Winthrop and Company; Fibber McGee and Molly’s Scrap Drive; The Bickersons’ Tax Refund; and Sam Spade’s The Flopsey, Mopsey, and Cottontail Caper.

Sa, 3/2, 2pm. $10. Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Rd. in Carmichael; (916) 489-7529; www.cplayhouse.org.

Concerts AMUSEMENT EXTRAVAGANZA: This event features sock-puppet karaoke, where participants can make a puppet, take it to the event and make it sing.

There will also be other craft activities, games, prizes and live music by La Tron, Radical Edward, Scott Nice, Tang Li Wheebs, This is Radiation and DWNSAMPLA. Sa, 3/2, 9pm. $8.

The Stonehouse Old Brewery, 107 Sacramento St. in Nevada City; (530) 470-3299.

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON: Poor Man’s Whiskey’s performs the classic Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. A special light show and The Rusty Buckets add to the fun. Sa, 3/2, 7pm. $15-$20.

Auburn Event Center, 145 Elm Ave. in Auburn; (530) 823-8310; www.keepsmilinpromotions.com.

03SUN

DON’T MISS! SACRAMENTO COMIC, TOY,

AND ANIME SHOW: The Sacramento Comic, Toy, and Anime Show is a celebration of pop culture entertainment specializing in comic books, toys, video games, Japanese animation and costumes. Special guests include voice actors John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama, Jake the Dog from Adventure Time) and DC Douglas (Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil and Legion from the Mass Effect video games). Su, 3/3, 10am-5pm. $6. Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 6151 H St.; (916) 452-5883; www.sac-con.com

Special Events WEDDING AND SPECIAL EVENT SHOWCASE: This showcase provides brides and other special event planners with resources for a special day. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet more than 70 regional vendors

equipped to address every event need. Photographers, florists, and other industry pros will give tips and tricks to help with preparations for events. Su, 3/3, 11am-3pm. $5. UC Davis, 1 Shields Ave. in Davis; (530) 752-4426; www.weddingsandmore. ucdavis.edu.

Comedy BROWN & DIRTY COMEDY TOUR: Two rising stars in the stand-up comedy scene—Kabir “Kabeezy” Singh and Ellis Rodriguez—bring their national Brown and Dirty Comedy Tour to Punch Line Sacramento. Kabeezy regularly appears at comedy clubs in the Bay Area, has won several comedy competitions and has opened for numerous comedy stars. Su, 3/3, 7pm. $15. Punch Line Comedy Club, 2100 Arden Way; (916) 925-5500; www.sac. punchlinecomedyclub.com.

Now Playing CINDERELLA REDUX: In Mike Nolan’s Cinderella Redux, the prince, with the bad economy and no job skills, needs to find a bride to help him rule the kingdom. He decides to host a masked ball to meet all the eligible maidens and events ensue. Sa, Su, 1pm through 4/14. $13-$17. Sutter Street Theatre, 717 Sutter St. in Folsom; (916) 353-1001; www.sutterstreettheatre.com.

Concerts YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION WINNERS CONCERT: Mondavi Center resident pianist Lara Downes hosts a celebratory concert featuring the talented winners of the annual Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition. The competition, held in October, is juried by a panel of internationally renowned musicians, with winners in multiple instrumental and vocal categories. Su, 3/3, 2pm. $7.50$35. Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, 9399 Old Davis Rd. in Davis; (530) 754-2787; www.mondaviarts.org.

04MON

DON’T MISS! YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!: DJ

Lance Rock and everyone’s favorite cast of colorful characters—Brobee, Foofa, Toodee, Muno and Plex—are calling all fans across the United States to get ready to jump, shake and shimmy the sillies out at the new live tour Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! M, 3/4, 3 & 6pm. $25.50-$141. Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St.; (916) 264-518

Art Galleries SMUD GALLERY: Sensory Perception, an exhibition of mosaics by Sacramento’s deaf and blind artist Mary Dignan. The exhibition showcases more than 30 ceramic tile and mixed-media art mosaics and offers a unique perspective of an artist with Usher Syndrome, a genetic disorder which is the leading cause of deafblindness. M-Su, 4-6pm through 3/4. Opens 3/4. Free.

6301 S St.; (916) 264-5558.

Wait, there’s more!

VIEWIN G

Looking for something to do? Use SN&R’s free calendar to browse hundreds of events online.

Art galleries and musems, family events, education classes, film and literary events, church groups, music, sports, volunteer opportunies—all this and more on our free events calendar at www.newsreview.com.

Start planning your week!

MY RELIGON

by JONATHAN MENDICK

I have a lot of traumatic memories from my upbringing as a Chinese Jew. From being called “wonton” (because I’m half-Chinese, and it rhymes with my Hebrew name Yonatan—get it?), to watching boring and sometimes horrifically violent films during Sunday school.

Nevertheless, the good films—which included a 1981 television special called The Wave and Shoah, a 1985 French documentary about the holocaust—certainly helped the time pass along faster. Strangely, one of the films that best helped me understand my Jewish roots was a 1986 Steven Spielberg-produced animated film about a mouse called An American Tail.

This year’s Jewish Film Festival, happening from March 7 to March 10, at the Crest Theatre (1013 K Street), offers plenty of flicks to bring back those Sunday school memories. In this 16th iteration of the annual event, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region, the festival features films, documentaries and shorts that highlight the

Concerts

Classes

Concerts

PIPES AND DRUMS OF THE BLACK WATCH: They are a legendary

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION SHOWCASE: UC Davis

FLAUTIST ZUCKER PERFORMS AT SAC STATE: Sacramento State

battalion in the British Army.

Performing at Three Stages for just one show, the bagpipes and drums of The Black Watch present a brilliant blend of stirring music and colorful ceremony, born from nearly three centuries of military service. M, 3/4, 7pm. $12-$55. Three Stages Peforming Arts Center, 10 College Pkwy. in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.threestages.net.

05TUES

DON’T MISS! CONVERSATIONS WITH WRITERS: Writers Chris

Higgins (contributor, This American Life) and Nina Amir (author, How to Blog a Book) discuss blogging and writing at this event.

Tu, 3/5, 4-6pm. Free.

University Of California Davis, 1 Shields Ave., 126 Voorhies Hall in Davis; (520) 902-3446.

BEFORE

|

Extension’s Professional Education Showcase helps people learn how continuing and professional education opportunities in growing industries can advance your career.

Space is limited for this event.

Enroll online to reserve a space. Tu, 3/5, 5:30-7pm. Free.

UC Davis Sutter Square Galleria, 2901 K St.; (800) 752-0881; www.extension. ucdavis.edu/showcase.

Film THE BITTER BUDDHA: Eddie Pepitone is a man at war with himself. And he has the scars to prove it. The Bitter Buddha takes the viewer backstage in the alternative comedy scene to reveal one of its most undervalued treasures. This portrait of a comedian looks at Pepitone’s offbeat humor and lifestyle as he battles the world around him. Tu, 3/5, 7:30pm; W, 3/6, 7:30pm. $10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.; (916) 442-7378.

FRONTLINES

|

ONGOING DON’T MISS!

professor and flautist Laurel Zucker presents a faculty recital. The program includes original compositions “Tennessee Sonata for flute and piano” and “The Brazilian Butterfly Wind Quartet” with special guest artists. T Tu, 3/5, 7:30pm. $5-$10. Sacramento State Music Recital Hall, 6000 J St.; (916) 278-5191; www.csus.edu/music.

SACRAMENTO HOME AND GARDEN SHOW: If you are

Special Events EMPTY BOWLS: Empty Bowls is

Pepitone is a man at war with himself. And he has the scars to prove it. The Bitter Buddha takes the viewer backstage in the alternative comedy scene to reveal one of its most undervalued treasures. This portrait of a comedian looks at Pepitone’s offbeat humor and lifestyle as he battles the world around him. W, 3/6, 7:30pm. $10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.; (916) 442-7378.

STORY

Shari Brookler and Azriel LaMarca began dancing and creating together in the summer of 2011. Over the last year-and-ahalf, they have created three duets that trace the evolution of friendship. For this intimate concert, they have also invited a handful of dancers and improvisers to join them. F, 3/1, 8pm; Sa, 3/2, 8pm. $6-$15. North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center, 179894 Tyler Foote Rd. in Nevada City; (530) 265-2826; www.northcolumbiaschool house.org.

1600 Exposition Blvd; (877) 225-3976; www.calexpo.com.

THE BITTER BUDDHA: Eddie

River City Food Bank’s signature event that raises funds, friends and awareness for our ongoing fight against hunger in Sacramento County. Guests attending the evening event will be treated to wine, appetizers, gourmet soup, bread and dessert hosted by Classique Catering. M, 3/4, 5:30-7:30pm;

Comedy COMEDYSPORTZ SACRAMENTO:

Tu, 3/5, 11:30am-12:30pm & 12:30-1:30pm. $30-$60.

|

S/BAD MARKS ‘NEW BEGINNINGS’:

SECRETS: AN EVENING OF DANCE:

Sa, 3/2, 10am-6pm; Su, 3/3, 10am-5pm. $7. Cal Expo,

Film

Dance

Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.; (916) 446-2627; www.rivercityfoodbank.org/ empty-bowls.

serious about spring home renovations—remodeling, landscaping, adding a patio or installing an outdoor kitchen—head to this home and garden show. Meet the pros and find out how you can add value, curb appeal and energy efficiency to your home. F, 3/1, 12-6pm;

06WED

FEATURE

(7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 9); Portrait of Wally, a documentary about the legal battle over a painting (1 p.m. on Sunday, March 10); and Hava Nagila: The Movie (pictured), an exploration into the history of the traditional Jewish folk song (3 p.m. on Sunday, March 10). Visit www.jewish sac.org for more details.

Jewish experience and issues in the Jewish community. The three-day festival program includes Deaf Jam, which tells the story of a deaf Israeli immigrant teen in New York City who teams up with a Palestinian slam poet to perform as a duo (7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 7); The Matchmaker, about an Israeli matchmaker who takes on a teen apprentice

A RT S & C U LT U R E

Watch as two teams of improvisers battle for points and laughs as they make up scenes based on your suggestions. It’s similar to the hit show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and no two shows are ever the same. F, Sa and Su, 8pm, through 12/28. $8-$10.

ComedySportz Theater, 2230 Arden Way; (916) 243-8541; www.comedysportz sacramento.com.

|

AFTER

|

Sacramento Black Art of Dance kicks off Sacramento State’s Theatre and Dance season with “New Beginnings.” The concert is directed by professor and SBAD founder Linda Goodrich, in her 23rd year of teaching. 2/28-3/10. $5-$12. Dancespace, Solano 1010, Sacramento State, 6000 J St. Solano Hall; (916) 278-6368; www.csus.edu/dram.

Concerts PAUL GALBRAITH: Paul Galbraith is internationally renowned innovator of the classical guitar.

Galbraith has been working since the 1980s towards expanding the technical limits of his instrument, and augmenting the quantity and quality of its repertoire. These efforts have already resulted in a series of critically acclaimed recordings of works by Bach, Haydn and Brahms, along with his own arrangements of folk tunes from various countries. Sa, 3/2, 8pm; Su, 3/3, 2pm. $15-$40. Three Stages Peforming Arts Center, 10 College Pkwy. in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.threestages.net.

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

21

10 TIMES

BEST PIZZA

WINNER

34 years in Midtown

1415 21 ST ST, SAC • 916-447-1400

iew.com

srev www.new

BUY ANY ENTREE GET 5 % OFF ND ENTREE

2

0

of equal or l ess e r v alu e

*Can’t be combined w/ other offers Dine-in only

Hokkaido Noodle House

1 7 2 4 B ro a d w a y • 916 . 4 9 2 . 2 2 5 0

6

$ 99

HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY Draft Beer $ 2 . 7 5

FRIED CHICKEN & LUMPIA FILIPINO CUISINE

• FRIED CHICKEN & GRAVY • CHICKEN/PORK ADOBO • PANCIT • HALO HALO ★★★★ –SN&R

9174 FRANKLIN BLVD • ELK GROVE • 916.395.3905 22

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

Cool your chakras 24K Chocolat Cafe 2331 K Street inside Ancient Future, (916) 476-3754, http://ancientfuturenow.com 24K Chocolat Cafe is nestled deep within a building that was constructed in the late 1920s as a by Mormon temple but has since seriously strayed Becky Grunewald from that original purpose. The labyrinthine Spanish-colonial-style structure now houses a complex of businesses united under the rubric “Ancient Future Urban Sanctuary,” which includes meditation classes, a gift shop heavy on the crystals, clowning workshops, an equine therapist, and, yes, a cafe that serves brunch.

When visitors arrive, they’re likely to be warmly greeted and offered a tour—probably by a woman wearing some type of dark-velvet rating: clothing. The rooms smell of sweet spice, and HHH terms such as “cellular memory” and “sound therapy” resound in the air. It really is a little Brunch for one: urban sanctuary with a sunny central courtyard $10 - $15 where diners can eat al fresco near a burbling fountain.

If this sounds like a nightmare to you, what are you doing living in Northern California?

All kidding aside—don’t get your chakras in an uproar—24K offers an eclectic and eccentric dining experience that might not be for everyone.

Ignoring all the New Age trappings, the H cafe serves a solid, if very limited, brunch and FlAwed lunch menu. The savory options are unusual HH and the portions restrained. There is no hAS momentS standard two-egg breakfast here, and this isn’t HHH a spot to combat a hangover by loading up on AppeAling carbs and grease.

On the contrary, the combination of the HHHH AuthoritAtive blissed-out servers, flickering candles and tinkling of a live piano will leave diners sated HHHHH epic and relaxed, ready for some vinyasa yoga rather than a nap on the couch.

The server, who gently asks if either table “speaks to” me, brings me a complimentary glass of the water of the day: Valencia orange and basil. The menu states that it’s been alkalized and purified for my drinking pleasure. I can’t detect the difference, but it’s refreshing and frequently refilled.

One of the offerings is a firm wedge of Still hungry?

Search Sn&r’s frittata with a strong tang of sharp cheddar that “dining directory” almost but doesn’t quite jibe with the slightly to find local spicy mole sauce on the plate. The breakfast restaurants by name salad on the side is lightly coated with a sesameor by type of food.

Sushi, mexican, indian, oil vinaigrette and topped with crispy shiitake italian—discover it mushroom bits that give the crunch and salt of all in the “dining” bacon without the pork. section at The spinach curry, made creamy by www.news coconut milk rather than dairy, comes topped review.com. with cubes of tofu and tiny diced scallion and red bell pepper, and rests atop a smooth potato cake. A side of garbanzo-bean salad is well-flavored with the surprising combination of mint and apricot.

A corn-and-black-bean salad tastes overly oniony and not very exciting, despite the tangy tomatillo-salsa dollop; it smacks of a typical food co-op deli salad. The polenta cake that accompanies it is too salty. The ham and

Gruyere crepe is luscious but small for 10 bucks, and the promised rosemary was not in effect.

The place has “chocolat” in the name, and chocolate is everywhere: for sale, along with tea and coffee in the small boutique area, and in the form of truffles plated on a side table.

It’s also in many of the menu offerings. A tiny cup of hot Mexican drinking chocolate is a bracing, thick, grainy, spicy brew. Two small chocolate-cherry scones are served crisp and hot, studded with big chunks of bittersweet chocolate and tart dried cherries. The lavender crème fraîche on the side is a tart way to cut the sugar of the dish.

The breakfast salad is lightly coated with a sesame-oil vinaigrette and topped with crispy shiitake mushroom bits that give the crunch and salt of bacon without the pork.

There are many other intriguing sweet options, including, surprisingly, a baconchocolate pudding and cheddar-bacon muffins.

Apparently, the power of the pig is so strong, that it transcends even the gentle vibes in which 24K is bathed. Ω

Personal plant growth “Some say everyone who eats meat ought to be required to butcher it at least once,” Hank Shaw recently wrote on his Hunter Angler Gardener Cook website. Absolutely.

Although the hunter himself admits it “would create a great many vegetarians,” he argues the process produces respect for the life that was taken for consumption.

But that applies for plants, too. Growing one’s own vegetables cultivates appreciation for what we nourish ourselves with, and the University of California Sacramento County Master Gardeners will show how it’s done at the Edible Landscape Workshop on Saturday, March 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at First United Methodist Church (2100 J Street). It costs $30 and includes lunch.

Preregister at http://ucanr.org/sacmg.

—Shoka

Downtown Estelle’s Patisserie With its marble

find any “challenging” dishes on this menu—just delicious local and seasonal food such as the Green Curry & Pumpkin Soup, which has a Southeast-Asian flair. A spinach salad features ingredients that could be considered boring elsewhere: blue-cheese dressing, bacon, onion. But here, the sharply cheesy buttermilk dressing and the woodsy pine nuts make it a salad to remember.

Grange’s brunch puts other local offerings to shame. The home fries are like marvelously crispy Spanish patatas bravas.

A grilled-ham-and-Gruyere sandwich is just buttery enough, and an egg-white frittata is more than a bone thrown to the

Firestone Public House A sports bar with a focus on craft beer isn’t exactly a groundbreaking concept, but two local and prominent restaurant families, the Wongs and the DeVere Whites, know what Sacramento wants: good beer; solid pub grub; and a casual, unpretentious atmosphere. Here, the bar is the centerpiece with a full stock of liquor and 60 beers on draught.

The menu features savory appetizers—the tortilla soup with poached chicken, avocado and tomato is particularly noteworthy—and a selection of sandwiches and pizzas, including a simple pie with fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce. American.

1132 16th St., (916) 446-0888.

Dinner for one: $15-$20.

HHH B.G.

Shady Lady Saloon So many bars try to do bar snacks, and so many fail. Shady Lady, however, nails it. The fried green tomatoes are punched up with a tarragon rémoulade and the huge charcuterie board is more like a groaning board, stocked with abundant regional meats and cheeses. The pickle plate looks like Peter Rabbit’s dream, all teeny turnips and tangy carrot chunks. Generally excellent, the saloon’s cocktail list veers from the classics with a list of bartender-created

Beer-nerd alert LowBrau has quickly proven itself to have one of the most exciting bottle lists in town. Cult or rare items on the daily roster, known as the “Beer Nerd” board, are often sold-out and crossed off the list within hours. The same is true for LowBrau’s single rotating tap. Co-owner Clay Nutting explains the philosophy of the rotating tap over a rosy tulip glass of the current selection: an oak-barrel-aged tart ale from The Bruery called Sour in the Rye. “The rotating tap is not for everyone, which is fine, because once it’s done, it’s done.”

He goes on to say that the response is a good gauge of customer interest, and that a recent Logsdon Organic Farmhouse Ales hoppy sour was gone within five hours. He chuckles that that particular incident reminds him of a scene in Ratatouille, in which the word of mouth within the restaurant spreads like wildfire.

LowBrau tweets when a new brew is on tap, but at this point, it might not even be necessary. Nutting notes that some of the regulars simply order whatever is on without even asking what it is.

The 13 nonrotating taps, encompassing a wide range of styles—most of them Deutsche-centric—may be the workhorses of the menu, but Nutting aims to keep the rotator full of “one-offs, seasonals and sours.” And you can bet that none of them will be sold in a 1 liter stein. LowBrau, 1050 20th Street; (916) 706-2636; www.lowbrausacramento.com.

North Sac Asian Café Asian

Café serves both Thai and Lao food, but go for the Lao specialties, which rely on flavoring staples such as fish sauce, lime juice, galangal and lemongrass, lots of herbs, and chilies. One of the most common dishes in Lao cuisine is larb, a dish of chopped meat laced with herbs, chilies and lime. At Asian Café, it adds optional offal add-ons—various organ meats, entrails, et al—to three versions of the dish: beef with tripe, chicken with gizzards, or pork with pork skin. The beef salad offers a gentle respite from aggressive flavors, consisting of medium-thick chewy slices of eye of round with red bell pepper, chopped iceberg and hot raw jalapeño. The single best dish here is the nam kao tod, a Sacramento beer crispy entree with ground pork week continueS! that’s baked on the bottom of the pan with rice, then stirred and fried up fresh the next day Barrel-Aged Day on Friday,

LL A GA RC IA N BY PR IS CI

Grange Restaurant & Bar You won’t

Midtown

drinks with unusual, but wisely considered flavor combinations: cilantro and tequila, blackberry and thyme, and the surprisingly sublime mixture of celery and pineapple. American.

1409 R St., (916) 231-9121.

Dinner for one: $10-$20.

HHH1⁄2 B.G.

ILL US TR AT IO

tables and light wooden chairs, there’s an airy atmosphere, casual and cozy. Estelle’s offers an espresso bar and a wide assortment of teas and muffins and rolls for the breakfast crowd as well as sweets, including DayGlo macarons. For the lunch-inclined, there are soups, salads, sandwiches and meat or meatless quiche. One of the authentic touches is the spare use of condiments. The smoked salmon is enlivened by dill and the flavor of its croissant. Its tomato bisque is thick and richly flavored, and, in a nice touch, a puff pastry floats in the tureen as accompaniment. There’s a lot to like about Estelle’s—except dinner. Doors close at 6pm.

French. 901 K St., (916) 551-1500.

Meal for one: $5-$10. HHH1⁄2 G.L.

cholesterol-challenged, it’s a worthy dish in its own right. American. 926 J St., (916) 492-4450. Dinner for one: $40-$60. HHHH B.G.

Here are a few recent reviews and regional recommendations by Becky Grunewald, Greg Lucas, Ann Martin Rolke and Jonathan Mendick, updated regularly. Check out www.newsreview.com for more dining advice.

—Becky Grunewald

March 1; 11 a.m. to midnight at The Davis Beer Shoppe, 211 G Street in Davis; (530) 756-5212

DISH LISTINGS continued on page 24

Where to eat?

T H E

Hop Yo Face Off! on Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3; 1 to 11 p.m. at Hot City Pizza, 5642 J Street; (916) 731-8888; www.eastsacpizza.com

U L T I M A T E

BEER WEEK SPECIAL! EXTENDED THROUGH MARCH 7TH

lider Pulled Pork S + Garlic Fries + Sierra Nevada

5

$

1501 L St, Sac | 916.443.0500 | www.3FiresLounge.com BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

F E AT U R E S T O RY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

Sn&r

|

23

DIsH lIstInGs continued from page 23

Tacos & Beer This is one of the

South Sac Bánh Xèo 46A Bánh Xèo 46A is named for its signature dish, a Vietnamese egg crepe. Each one completely fills an oval-shaped platter and is served shatteringly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Bánh Xèo also offers nem nuong, or grilled pork sausages on skewers, and chao tom, a grilled-shrimp dish that arrives as a flamingo-pink paste melded into a sausage shape around juicy sugarcane.

Vietnamese. 7837 Stockton Blvd., Ste. 700; (916) 476-4895. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH1⁄2 B.G.

Blue Moon Cafe and Karaoke In Sac, most people equate Hong Kong-style cuisine with dim sum, but this restaurant, which also features private karaoke rooms, serves up tasty, familiar food by way of rice plates, sandwiches, noodle bowls, soups and stir-fries. A few random Japanese (ramen, fried udon), French (sweet or savory crepes), Russian (borscht), Korean (beef and kimchi hot pot) and Italian (various pastas) foods add to the feeling that whatever your cultural background, you’ll find a comfort dish from your childhood to wrap its arms around you and give you a hug. Cultural diversity aside, one of Blue Moon’s best dishes is the braised pig ear with soy sauce and peanuts. Asian.

area’s best Michoacán restaurants. Of its regional dishes, the enchiladas Apatzingán are unusual, filled with only a smattering of sharp cheese and diced onion, soaked in a vinegary sauce, and smothered in very lightly pickled, shredded cabbage with raw hunks of radish and avocado slices. Another specialty is the morisqueta—the ultimate comfort dish due to the unique texture of the white rice, which is as soft as an angel’s buttock. Mexican. 5701 Franklin Blvd., (916) 428-7844. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH1⁄2 B.G.

Arden/ Carmichael Famous Kabob It seems like if you’ve had one kebab, you’ve had them all. But as its name implies, Famous Kabob doesn’t disappoint. A skewer of juicy steak sports a nice chew to satisfy any craving. Another of ground beef is flavored with chopped onion and a hint of cinnamon. The braised lamb shank in a tomatoand-saffron sauce tastes best when the sauce has cooled a little bit and the lamb fat coats the meat like a silken sauce.

With deft use of dried herbs and acidic flavors that brighten the dishes and stimulate the taste buds, these are meals that are quietly hearty and nourishing.

Persian. 1290 Fulton Ave., (916) 483-1700. Dinner for one: $10-$20.

HHHH B.G.

Jin Men The restaurant bills its itself as Chinese, but it actually specializes in Korean-Chinese food. The most popular Korean specialty dish is its ja jang myun, based on the Chinese dish zhajiangmian (fried noodles with sauce). Jin Men’s rendition is made with little squares of chewy pork and tiny shrimp mixed with lots of sweet sautéed onions and slightly salty black-bean paste. This addictive dish is served in a bowl just the right size to keep all to yourself.

The jambong is a spicy seafood soup nicely spiked with chili and perfect for curing a cold.

Chinese-style offerings include mu shu chicken and a ho-hum vegetable fried rice. Much better was the Hot Spicy Bean Curd—a large portion of silky tofu in a zingy sauce with peas and carrots. Asian. 3212 Fulton Ave., (916) 779-3353. Dinner for one: $5-$10.

HHH A.M.R.

Land Park/ Curtis Park Pangaea Two Brews Cafe Tables, tall and short, are large and communal, fostering that casual camaraderie that should be the goal of any selfrespecting brewpub. There’s a fairly extensive menu, including breakfast items. Not to put too fine a point on it: Pangaea’s offerings are not beers that will be found at a Save Mart Supermarket or even Nugget.

They are nuanced. Brewed with

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

5000 Freeport Blvd., Ste. A; (916) 706-2995. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH J.M.

with dried Thai chilies and scallions. Thai and Lao. 2827 Norwood Ave., (916) 641-5890. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH B.G.

artisanship. In some cases, for hundreds of years. There’s the usual panoply of French dip, hot pastrami, Reuben and so on.

Among the signature offerings is The Gobbler. Turkey, natch.

Cranberry sauce, natch. Then red onion, several roma tomato slices, a thicket of green leaf and pepper jack cheese, all shoehorned into a big baguette.

Brewpub. 2743 Franklin Blvd., (916) 454-4942. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH1⁄2 G.L.

Natomas Pork Belly Grub Shack Pork Belly Grub Shack encourages customers to pig out with menu items that include a catfish po’boy, steak options and several burgers. For vegetarians there’s the Porkless Bella Burger, a portobello mushroom and jack cheese sandwich with tomato and mixed greens. But who the hell wants steak and chicken and big-headed mushrooms at a place that so proudly promotes pork belly? Go whole hog with the Big Piggin. The first bite is salty and sweet with a rich beef patty, barbecue sauce, cheddar, a strong splash of garlic aioli and sliced pork belly. The Hot Mess is similar, sans pork belly burger and served on sourdough with a fried egg. This kind of hog-wild legerdemain, mixing and matching items found elsewhere on the menu, is what elevates this grub shack to well beyond a simple sandwich place. American.

4261 Truxel Rd., (916) 285-6100.

Dinner for one: $8-$12.

HHHH G.L.

Hungry, hungry humanitarians Here’s a chance to eat a meal that will warm both your stomach and your soul. Plates Café and Catering—an employment-learning program that helps train formerly homeless mothers for jobs in the hospitality, retail and culinary fields—usually only serves breakfast and lunch. But on Thursday, March 7, it’s dishing up a special Guest Chef Dinner event featuring Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar’s Taro Arai. His food will be paired with local Sierra foothills wine from Lava Cap Winery and desserts from Sacramento’s About a Bite Bakery. A wine tasting kicks off the evening at 6 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $45 and available online at www.guestchefnight.eventbrite.com; advance purchase is required. The event benefits Plates’ parent group, the St. John’s Shelter Program for Women and Children. Plates Café and Catering is located at 14 Business Parkway, Building 149. For more information, visit www.eatatplates.com or call (916) 453-1482, extension 15.

—Jonathan Mendick

R O F S L A E d T A E R G SHOP

s e l i b o m o aut E S E S w E E T d E A L S ! wITH TH 37% OFF

$23.99 gift certificate for $15.01

50% OFF

$10 gift certificate for $5

50% OFF $50 gift certificate for $25

www.newsreview.com GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM RESTAURANTS, BARS, CLUBS, TATTOO, RETAIL, THEATER, SALONS, SPAS, GOLF, VACATIONS & MORE 24

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

Contact Ad Services for advertising information in this special section (916) 498-1234

FIND OF THE WEEK

The style council

Hurry up, yum gogi’S Korean BBQ Burrito Bowl

Spring/Summer DeSigner ShowcaSe

Lots of Sacramentans have yet to experience eats as delicious and unusual as Gogi’s Korean FOOD BBQ’s food. Gogi’s captures a tasty blend of Asian and Mexican food with its burritos and tacos. The best item on the menu is the burrito bowl, which comes filled with tender barbecued beef or chicken (my favorite), flavorful rice, and freshly grated cheese. But be warned: On weekdays, it’s only open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

1431 L Street, (916) 442-7333.

It may still feel a bit wintry around these parts, but think ahead seasonally, and get first dibs on the latest trends and threads at the Spring/Summer Designer Showcase. The event, which takes place at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 1, is presented

by Sacramento Fashion Week at the Elks Tower FASHION Sacramento’s historic ballroom (921 11th Street). The showcase features six designers and two student designers who’ll display their sixth sense in style.

Sacramento-based student designer Monica Buo celebrates her third fashion showcase with her line Buo-tiful Designs, and this season’s collections are filled with a mixture of street wear, denim and African prints. Or lock eyes with the aesthetic of Nelli Rosh, a fashion designer and photo stylist from Europe currently residing in town. Rosh’s approach is more upscale outwear, either to be worn during an evening gala or red-carpet event. (There’s another showcase scheduled for Saturday, March 2, but unless you were smart enough to plan ahead, tickets to the Fall/Winter Designer Showcase are already sold-out.)

General admission for the Spring/Summer showcase is $50, and VIP tickets are unfortunately sold-out. But when the runway clears, head over to an after-party at Mix Downtown (Friday, 1525 L Street) and The Park Ultra Lounge (Saturday, 1116 15th Street), where fashion enthusiasts will get the chance to chat with the designers, see their favorite collections up close and order straight from the designers’ catalogs. www.sacfashionweek.com.

—Maddi Silva

Dead rock stars speak Supernatural StrategieS for maKing a rocK ’n’ roll group Ian F. Svenonius’ new book, Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ’n’ Roll Group (Akashic Books, $14.95), is laugh-out-loud funny. Svenonius mixes the Vietnam War, Industrial Revolution and other seemingly disconnected events via fictional interviews with several (real) dead rock stars who share their thoughts on topics, such as the all-important band van, communication, the evolution from gang to group sex, “the narcotic effect of pop music” and BOOK discipline. Whether you intend to form a rock group, are interested in history or popular culture, or just want to read essays that are genuinely smart, this is the book.

—Trina L. Drotar

Designing woman ray eameS: a century of moDern DeSign Born Bernice Alexandra Kaiser, Sacramento native Ray Eames was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group. In 1941 she married Charles Eames, and together the pair forged an illustrious path in art and midcentury-modern architecture with a catalog that includes sleek houses and the iconic Herman Miller chair. The chair’s design was initially, inexplicaDESIGN bly, credited only to Charles Eames, but a new exhibit at The California Museum, Ray Eames: A Century of Modern Design, shines a light on her work, the work produced before meeting her husband. It’s on display through February 23, 2014.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission is $8.50 for adults, $7 for college students and seniors, $6 for kids ages 6-17, and free for museum members and children ages 5 and under. 1020 O Street, (916) 653- 7524, www.californiamuseum.org.

—Rachel Leibrock

—Steph Rodriguez

We offer complete automotive service & repairs

Lube, Oil & Filter

$

1598

$

$3 addition for multi-grade oil Good at Fulton location only Most vehicles savings of $7 1700 Fulton at Arden Way, Sacramento

Brake Special

3000 OFF Call for details Good at Fulton location only

481-1192 OPEN MON-SAT 8-6 • SUN 9-4

www.ardeneconolube.com

Contact Ad Services for advertising information in this special section (916) 498-1234

FRIENDLY, QUALITY SERVICE

10 OFF $

ANY OIL CHANGE

FREE*

40

$

DIAGNOSTICS

SMOG INSPECTION

*$90 fee waived with repair

Includes Certificate ($8.25 Value)

•FACTORY QUALITY •BMW & VOLVO EXPERT •DIAGNOSTICS & SERVICE •COMPLETE REPAIR ON ALL MAKES & MODELS

5681 FRANKLIN BLVD #C, SACRAMENTO • M–F 8–6, SAT 9–5 422–5522 • WWW.SACPRESTIGEAUTOWORKS.COM

Your Downtown Service Shop

SMOG CHECK

2575

$

(reg $49.75) most cars.

Call for details. Same day.

Fast In/Out

OIL

CHANGE

2399

$

Call for details.

916 554-6471 2000 16th St Sacramento M-F 7:30 -5:30 Sat 8 -4 sacsmog.com Bring in any competitor’s smog check coupon and we will match it - plus give you an additional $5 OFF

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

FREE

EMISSIONS DIAGNOSTIC w/repairs at time of service. (reg $120) most cars.

For renewal reg. only.

Call for details.

Use your smart phone QR reader for more specials

02.28.13 | SN&R | 25

Couldn’t take my eyes off the whole show! Hit home for me a few times!

Moving, touching, reflective.

DANIEL J. GIRARD –President, California Association of the deaf

Rise above, move on A couple years ago, when my siblings and I lived with my dad, he abused me.

Occasionally, his girlfriend did, too.

My mom ended up taking us out of there. Whenever the situation is brought up, my dad gets mad and tells me how bad we hurt him.

I want to scream that he is not the victim, but I can’t. I need to talk with him about this so I can move on, but I don’t know how or if there’s even

by Joey ga a point to trying. Is there a rcia chance he might understand or listen? If not, how do I a s k j o e y @ne w s re v i e w . c o m move on?

It breaks my heart to read about your abuse, and I am grateJoey ful that you want to be free. The laughed until her truth is this: Your father cannot face hurt watching liberate you from your sufferThe North Plan at ing. He does not hold the key Capital Stage. to your healing. If you focus on soliciting an apology from him, you are likely to be disappointed.

Waiting for him to mature and take responsibility just lengthens your suffering.

save 66%

At some point, you will let go of suffering by letting go of being a victim.

n or more o nt fee! e m l l o r n e 03/31/13 now thru

Got a problem?

Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review.

Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

916.442.3927

I www.capitalac.com

Conveniently located at the corner of 8th & P 26 | SN&R | 02.28.13

Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@ newsreview.com.

Begin the process of healing.

Right now, when he argues that he is the victim, your brain argues back. It says that you are the real victim. That’s natural, because you are still grieving what was done to you. At some point, you will let go of suffering by letting go of being a victim. Do this by allowing him to claim that title while you rise above it. You are capable of shedding the past. Take another step toward transformation by putting the abuse in context. It was one life experience. You are much more than the sum of what has happened to you. You are also the power, clarity and self-love that can overcome what has happened.

I believe in you.

My fiance and I have spent many Saturday mornings drinking coffee and reading your column. Now, it is one of our favorite weekend traditions. We are both looking forward to being married this July. Do you have advice for maintaining a loving, authentic connection for the long term?

Yes, keep those coffee dates calendared. Conversation nurtures emotional intimacy. When you share opinions and information, you initiate a connection. Guide the conversation toward feelings (those on the surface and the deeper feelings related to your struggles with the topic or issue) and your connection will strengthen. Your bond is further reinforced when you open up about your vision for what you would like to see happen regarding the topic at hand. While one of you talks, the other listens and shows understanding. This sets the foundation for a loving, authentic, long-term relationship.

P.S. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!

You recently wrote: “Passion and purpose are the result of being engaged with your vocation, a calling that aligns your talents and dreams with service to the world.”

I almost cried when I read that.

My jobs have been extremely unfulfilling. I value the security that my occupation offers, and that makes it hard to leave. I’ve gone to a career coach, and although she helped me overcome some trauma, I am lost when it comes to finding a job I am happy with.

A job is employment that pays the bills but is not the center of a life. A career is a lifelong profession that provides opportunities for advancement, increased responsibilities and higher wages.

It becomes the focal point. A vocation inspires you, serves others and fires up your passion, but may be unpaid. Yes, that means your job is not the problem. You yearn for a juicy, passionate life. Find a creative hobby or volunteer with a life-giving nonprofit. Once you invest in your passion, the purpose of your job will be clear. Ω

Meditation of the Week “It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction,” said Pablo Picasso. Are you ready to be on fire from within?

STAGE

California Stage Presents

Learning Spanish

By CA Playwright Leslie David Perry

March 1 – 24 in the Wilkerson Theater at the R25 Arts Complex 1725 25th St Free Parking Available

Two’s company, three’s a musical.

$20 Gen. Admission | $15 Seniors & Children under 12 To reserve, call or go online 916-451-5822 brownpapertickets.com/event/331778

The best of a bad situation Tim Rice and Elton John’s Aida Elton John has proven he is multi-talented. He’s a legendary singer, songwriter, musician and performer. And beginning with the 1994 by Disney flick The Lion King, he’s branched out Patti Roberts into soundtracks and musicals, with mixed results.

John has had some successes, but the few musicals he wrote specifically for the stage have been a bit problematic: Lestat, inspired

by Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles; Billy Elliot: The Musical, inspired by the movie of the same name; and Tim Rice and Elton John’s Aida, inspired by a kid’s book about the Giuseppe Verdi opera, all suffer from rather Tim Rice and Elton mediocre soundtracks and songs.

John’s Aida, 8 p.m.

We’re here to talk about the last one, John’s Friday, Saturday; 7 p.m.

Sunday; $18. Green Aida, which isn’t taken directly from Verdi’s Valley Theatre Company famous opera love story between a captive at The Grange Ethiopian princess and the Egyptian warrior Performing Arts Center, 3823 V Street; (916) who enslaves her, but rather a children’s book 736-2664; www.green about it the by opera diva Leontyne Price. The valleytheatre.com. songs are a mixed bag of show-tune styles that Through March 10. include rock, ballads, gospel, cabaret and pop, and all commit three sins of musical theater— they lack cohesion, aren’t memorable and don’t propel the story forward.

3

1

2

3

4

5

FOUL

FAIR

GOOD

WELL-DONE

SUBLIME-DON’T MISS

BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

FEATURE

So, now you have the Green Valley Theatre Company who selected Aida as a follow-up to its recent successful runs of Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Show. The result is a conundrum of a very good production of a not very good musical.

The lead performers are truly impressive, the sets and costumes are dramatic, the dance numbers are fun, and the live 10-member orchestra really delivers the goods. It’s just a shame that all this talent and hard work is dimmed by the musical chosen.

But back to the positives: The two leads, Sara Logan as Aida and Jacob Montoya as Radamès, not only possess amazing voices and great stage presence, but have chemistry that works. Two other notable voices are Ryan Allen as Mereb and Kate Richardson as Amneris (wonderfully comedic, but she needs to pull in the camp just a bit). The backup performers are also full of energy and enthusiasm.

The production values are up to the usual great standards that Green Valley has shown in its other shows with a creative set complete with Egyptian stone columns, wonderfully colorful costumes and an on-stage cohesive live orchestra that fills the theater with its full musical sound. You just wish they were staging a different musical. Ω

STORY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

|

02. 28.13

|

SN&R

|

27

FREE $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE WITH PURCHASE OF $150 OR MORE. EXP 03/31/13.

The wrong stuff Phantom In writer-director Todd Robinson’s waterlogged thriller of Cold War brinksmanship, self-described as an even closer call than the Cuban missile crisis, Ed by Jonathan Kiefer Harris plays a Russian submarine captain with an unexpected chance to save the world. All that stands in his way is a fellow Russian played by David Duchovny. Weird, right?

Consider it some sort of opportunity. Here we may, for what it’s worth, contemplate the cultural progress by which an actor who once was a ringer for the all-American astronaut and future Congressman John Glenn now impersonates a bleary, redundant Soviet submariner. No, never mind: It’s not worth much. Harris, high flyer of The Right Stuff, sinks to some murky depths in Phantom, although, thankfully, not without maintaining his now-wizened dignity.

4609 AUBURN BLVD | SACRAMENTO 916.289.4490 | TUE 2–10PM | WED–THU 12–10PM | FRI-SAT 12-12 WALK-INS WELCOME | APPOINTMENTS PREFERRED

2

REEL

REVIEWS. EVERY THURSDAY. YOU’RE WELCOME, FILM GEEKS

CANCER AwARENEss RIBBON TATTOO

R fOR suRvIvORs

E X P E R I E N C E T H E E

5650 Franklin Blvd (corner of 32nd) Sacramento CA 95824 916.476.3776 www.sunsetdesigncompany.com

28 | SN&R | 02.28.13

&

D I F F E R E N T

“Are you sure I’m not just trapped in another episode of The X-Files?”

1 Poor

S I D E S E

Hot new paranormal romance available online at:

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Very Good

5 excellent

He’s the hero here, this we know. This captain drinks rum, he says, because it’s a proper sailor’s drink; vodka’s for the politicians. He has a nice manly rapport with his loyal first officer (William Fichtner), and presides comfortably over several manly moments of submarine guys doing submarine stuff: calling out jargony commands on heavy phones, swiveling the periscope, spinning the wheels. He also has a brain injury from an earlier mission, and now and then a seizure, shown by Robinson as a horror-movie montage of loud, bright, fractured bad memories.

Obviously, that will be important later.

While charting a course to retirement, the captain gets a classified mission to reboard the first sub he ever commanded, an aged relic like him, and take her out again for a covert operation. Here he meets Duchovny, an agent of dubious authority whose orders, as one crewman explains, “come from the most zealous elements of the KGB.” “There are only two reasons why a boat would go rogue,” the captain soon finds himself explaining. (When not doing submarine stuff, the cast of Phantom does a lot of explaining.) “One is to defect, and the other is to start a war. I don’t think we’re defecting.” Having a seizure-prone captain might be a third reason, but nobody has time to bring that up because a doomsday scenario seems already to be at hand, with

Harris and Duchovny ominously asking each other, “What if you’re wrong?” and fisticuffs and gunfire, and Duchovny eventually stripping down to a tank top to show how zealous he really is.

The true events from which Phantom jumps off are fewer than its opening titles imply. It would be fine to credit Robinson with an imaginative fabrication, had he used more imagination.

But for all its suspense-stoking theatrics, his movie has the lethargy of a lazy mashup, like every grave-situation-on-a-submarine film of the past 20 years, plus maybe a couple of Star Trek episodes, rolled into one unabashedly corny and somewhat budget-challenged chamber drama.

Here we go thinking back on its predecessors— the Sean Connery one, the Harrison Ford one, the Denzel Washington one, the Matthew McConaughey one, the German good one—and whoops, World War III is about to start.

What did we miss?

Something about a stealth technology by which to trick the Americans into nuclear war with the Chinese, apparently. “Engage the Phantom!” Duchovny orders, seeming to congratulate himself for keeping a straight face, and maybe that’s really all the explanation we ever needed. Although hardly Harris’ equal, Duchovny has marvelous confidence, like it’s somehow on purpose that his charisma can’t exceed small-screen capacities. The careful design of Phantom’s claustrophobia must be in part to conceal its overt TV-movie trappings. In another conspicuous touch, presumably for efficiency’s sake, everybody just speaks English, with whatever accent he already has. Fichtner and other supporting players do their duties resolutely, too, and the movie flatters them as best it can: forgettably.

The careful design of Phantom’s claustrophobia must be in part to conceal its overt TV-movie trappings.

A dense, dull object of highly unlikely buoyancy, Phantom does at least assume the general proportions of its main setting. Sometimes, it is solid in a no-nonsense way, like some workmanlike B-movie from a bygone Hollywood.

Other times—most times—it’s stilted as hell.

A mawkish dream-sequence epilogue doesn’t help matters, but does inadvertently simulate the sensation of drowning. Ω

by JONATHAN KIeFeR & JIM LANe

2

A Good Day to Die Hard

Tough cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) flies to Russia to check up on his son (Jai Courtney) who has landed in jail—only to learn that Junior is really CIA, and it’s all part of his mission to spirit a political prisoner (Sebastian Koch) out of the country. Now Daddy is in the middle of things and about to either ruin everything or save the day—or both. This series ran out of gas with the first sequel and has been on life support ever since; writer Skip Woods and director John Moore fail to revive it here, but they cram in all they can think of, with Willis and Courtney surviving concussions, broken bones, explosions and outrunning machine-gun bullets. Is Courtney being groomed to take over when Willis finally has enough?

What’s next? Never Say Die Hard? Do or Die Hard? Who cares? Die hard, already! J.L.

3

Dark Skies

A suburban couple (Keri Russell, Josh Hamilton) and their two sons (Dakota Goya, Kadan Rockett) experience a series of strange and unsettling events. Are they the victims of haunting, demonic possession or alien invasion? Despite the overfamiliar trappings, writer-director Scott Stewart assembles some pretty effective moments—scenes of protracted suspense and several delicious chills—and he gets good performances from his cast, especially the underrated Russell. But the movie lists 11 credited producers (executive, line, associate and co-), and at least one of them should have noticed that Stewart didn’t have an ending. The muddy, unsatisfactory fadeout spoils everything that went before; without a dramatic payoff, despite its good moments, the movie dissipates in the memory almost immediately. J.L.

3

- Dennis Harvey, VARIETY

SEARCHING FOR

SUGAR MAN STARTS FRI., 3/1

FRI-TUES: 11:00AM, 7:15, 9:30PM

Les Misérables

The opera-lite smash from Victor Hugo’s novel comes to the screen, with ex-con Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), his dogged pursuer Javert (Russell Crowe), the doomed Fantine (Anne Hathaway), her daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) et al, under the direction of Tom Hooper. There is much to respect in the movie, and the show’s fans will no doubt be satisfied. But they may find it less stirring here than on the stage as Hooper does make an occasional hash of things: unimaginative staging, often sloppy editing and the much-vaunted live singing on the set is at best a mixed blessing. Still, the production is lavish, the casting (including Eddie Redmayne as Marius and Samantha Barks as Éponine) is spot-on. The highlight comes early on, with Hathaway’s searing rendition of the show’s most famous song, “I Dreamed a Dream.” J.L.

BEFORE

|

“FLUSHED WITH HUMOR AND TENDERNESS.”

QUARTET - Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

WED-TUES: 10:30AM, 12:45, 3:00, 5:20, 7:40, 9:50PM

“TRANSFIXING AND EXTRAORDINARILY TOUCHING.”

“THORNY, BLOOD-BOILING AND FINELY MADE.”

“GORGEOUSLY SHOT DOCUMENT OF NATURE’S MAJESTY.”

WED-TUES: 10:40AM, 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40PM • NO WED 7:00PM

WED/THUR: 12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:30PM • FRI-TUES: 1:00, 4:00PM

WED ONLY: 7:00PM

WEST OF ONE AMOUR MEMPHIS LIFE - Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

This will only hurt a little ...

- John DeFore, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

- Nick Schager, VILLAGE VOICE

F O R A D V A N C E T I C K E T S C A L L FA N D A N G O @ 1 - 8 0 0 - F A N D A N G O # 2 7 2 1

5

“Jack and the Beanstalk” gets revamped for the age of CGI, with the backstory expanded to encompass a dormant war between humans and a race of sky-dwelling giants. Farm boy Jack (Nicholas Hoult) and a royal guard (Ewan McGregor) climb up to rescue a princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) and restore her to her father the king (Ian McShane), while a traitor (Stanley Tucci) plots to lead the giants in renewing their ancient war. The result is a wonderful fantasy-adventure; Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney’s script flies like the wind, and director Bryan Singer strikes just the right balance of spectacular effects, swashbuckling and Princess Bride-style humor.

This could become The 7th Voyage of Sinbad of the 2010s, cherished by kids of all ages. (The 3-D, though, is distracting and unnecessary.) J.L.

4

Side Effects

Drawing plot parallels between insider trading and drug-company greed, this tale of comfortable yet variously depressed Manhattanites seems at first to lean toward deadpan satire. Then come the shades of retro thriller noir, and the mind games between a well-meaning dupe and a foxy femme fatale.

As to the who’s who and what’s what, that’s best revealed by the movie itself, but it may help to know that key players include Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Also, the director is Steven Soderbergh at his coolly mercurial best and in that exciting middle ground between experiment and entertainment, where formal playfulness goes very well with great faces. Ultimately, this could be a movie that’s really only about the lethal dreamy beauty of its stars. Soderbergh says he’s quitting film after this, but he’s made similar threats before. Maybe he’s just depressed or hiding something. J.K.

2

Snitch

When his son gets busted on a set-up drug deal, a father (Dwayne Johnson) goes undercover for the Drug Enforcement Administration to bring down the crime lords and save his boy from prison. “Inspired by true events,” the credits say, but we can probably assume that’s a crock: Life generally isn’t much like a Dwayne Johnson movie. Still, there are the ruins of a decent movie here. The story is strong and acting is good—Johnson, yes, but also valuable support from Barry Pepper as a DEA agent, Susan Sarandon as a U.S. attorney, Jon Bernthal as an ex-con who helps Johnson, and Michael K. Williams and Benjamin Bratt as the targets of Johnson’s sting. Unfortunately, director Ric Roman Waugh thoroughly botches it by lousy camera work—too shaky and much too close to the actors (lips-to-eyebrows closeups are a fetish with Waugh). J.L.

3

Warm Bodies

In a not-too-distant future, a zombie plague destroys civilization and divides humanity into the living and the undead. In this bleak world, zombie boy (Nicholas Hoult) meets human girl (Teresa Palmer). Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet gets reimagined by writerdirector Jonathan Levine (adapting Isaac Marion’s novel) in a landscape out of countless trashy movies, with generous dollops of Beauty and the Beast thrown in for good measure.

Levine maintains the novel’s delicate balance of horror, comedy and romance (with more comedy than Marion wrote), and he provides what could become breakout roles for Hoult and Palmer, after years of wallflower parts—good but unnoticed work in other people’s pictures.

FRONTLINES

Looking for legal advice?

Jack the Giant Slayer

Bless Me, Ultima

In rural New Mexico 1944, a small boy (Luke Ganalon) is taken under the wing of an old curandera, or healer (Miriam Colon in a wise performance), and through her, he learns to see the mysteries of the world and the struggle of good and evil lurking under the surface of things. Rudolfo Anaya’s 1972 novel, an acknowledged modern classic, gets a strong filming by writer-director Carl Franklin. The cast is largely experienced unknowns (unseen narrator Alfred Molina is the closest thing to a star), but many faces are nevertheless familiar, conferring their familiarity on the movie and giving it the resonace of a folk tale. Even the occasional stiffness among the children underscores this resonance, as if they’re delivering their recitations in a pageant presented by the curandera’s open-air Sunday school. J.L.

2

“WINNING MUSICAL DETECTIVE STORY.”

Beautiful Creatures

A small-town teenager (Alden Ehrenreich) falls for the new girl in town (Alice Englert), even though the local Jesus freaks say she’s from a family of witches—and even though they’re right. It’s the Twilight legacy in action, but at least Ehrenreich and Englert are more interesting than the what’s-their-names in that other series; and at least writerdirector Richard LaGravenese whips up the supernatural soufflé with some style; and at least he brings along a pedigreed supporting cast to sell it: Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Viola Davis, Eileen Atkins, Emmy Rossum. Of course, the movie sports the usual Hollywoodliberal clueless contempt for the Deep South, but that may be inherent in Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s original novel. There are four such novels (so far), so we may be in for a series. Sigh. J.L.

4

•

2 5 0 8 L A N D PA R K D R I V E L A N D PA R K & B R O A D WAY F R E E PA R K I N G A D J A C E N T T O T H E AT R E

|

The movie is ultimately a guilty pleasure, but enough of a pleasure that we needn’t feel all that guilty. J.L.

3

West of Memphis

4

Zero Dark Thirty

An account of justice delayed, denied and thoroughly disfigured, Amy Berg’s documentary reinvestigates the increasingly unwieldy story of the West Memphis Three, that trio of misfit Arkansas teenagers wrongly convicted of murdering three little boys in 1993. We see again how their case became what one participant calls “the first crowdsourced criminal investigation in history,” with celebrity support from the likes of Eddie Vedder and Henry Rollins, plus Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson in loyal service to Berg as both crusaders and producers. Acknowledging multiple previous documentaries about the same case, Berg’s film mounts its own prosecution, first sifting through all the attendant media hysteria, police misconduct and political maneuvering, then pointing an angry finger at one victim’s stepfather and calling him the killer.

It’s compelling evidence, but also deeply unsettling after so thorough a condemnation of false accusations. Giving off the queasy feeling that we’ll be awash in bogus-justice documentaries for years to come, this film is an endurance test, but as another participant says, so was the ordeal it depicts. J.K.

Sacramento Legal Line

&

498.7949

and press a 4-digit code

1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015

call night or day

7 days a week

Introduction to automobile accidents Automobile damage claims Automobile injury claims Motorcycle accidents Bicycle accidents Uninsured & underinsured motorist coverage Slip and fall accidents Bus and train accidents Airline accidents Boating accidents Amusement ride accidents Life insurance claims Product liability accidents Disability insurance claims Social Security disability claims

SACRAMENTO

(916) 455.4800 STOCKTON

(206) 473.4800 www.davidallenlaw.com

Unavoidably the movie of the year, Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial quasijournalistic thriller, dramatized from original reporting by screenwriter Mark Boal, surveys the decade-long quest to bring down Osama bin Laden. A taut procedural spun from the point of view of Jessica Chastain’s lone wolf CIA analyst, the film seems temperamentally more tenacious than triumphalist, and maybe therefore also as lucid an elaboration of the “war on terror” as we can ever hope to get from Hollywood. But has anyone asked why we should ever hope to get such a thing from Hollywood? Neither the Obama re-election commercial nor the torture apologia some blowhards feared it would be, Zero Dark Thirty certainly captures the cultural legacy of 9/11 and reveals the euphemized brutalities of recent American foreign policy. It’s also a superb example of contemporary political-thriller vernacular, all the way through to its methodical and disturbingly amazing night-vision climax.

If this endorses anything, it’s the opportunism of movies. J.K.

F E AT U R E S T O RY

designer MK FiLe nAMe DAVI |

A RT S & C U LT U R E

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

please caref 29

Ad size (CoL speLLing nUMbers &

Encounter God & Come Alive Spiritually

Where will you be this time next year?

OR ELSE.

Gentleman Surfer’s Jon Bafus talks about   life behind the drum kit, jazz and Phil Collins

TRINITY EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL

2620 Capitol Ave. tvrbaker@trinitycathedral.org trinitycathedral.org

GO TO FACEBOOK.COM/SACNEWSREVIEW

Attend an info session: Â—Â‡Â•Â†ÂƒÂ›ÇĄ ƒ”…Š ͳ͝ ͸ǣ;Ͳ –‘ Íş ’ǤÂ?Ǥ ‘Ž‘Â?‹ƒŽ ‡‹‰Š–• ‹„”ƒ”› ͚͜͝͝ –‘…Â?–‘Â? Ž˜†Ǥ

Reverend Dr. Brian Baker

LIKE

US.

Weird, easygoing and alive Despite playing drums for nearly a decade in countless bands, Jon Bafus started Gentleman Surfer in 2006 as a project in which he could move by Aaron Carnes away from just being the guy behind the kit and instead play the offbeat ditties he’d been writing on the keyboard and guitar.

OR ELSE. LOVE,

& THIS LION

www.peacecorps.gov

Dealer!

Learn to be a

This should give you an idea of what Gentleman Surfer’s music sounds like.

Classes Featured:

Poker â—† Blackjack Pai Gow â—† Roulette Mini Baccarat Limited New Year Of

100 OFF

CASINO COLLEGE 9529 FOLSOM BLVD STE. E SACRAMENTO

916-638-3322 www.ideal21.com

fer

$

Exp 3/15/1

3

Job Placement Assistance

are s r e d !

BartenDemanOd in ONEY | MEET PE PLE

Catch Gentleman Surfer on Saturday, March 2, at 8 p.m. at Bows & Arrows, 1815 19th Street; $5.

Visit http://tinyurl.com/ gentlemansurfer for more information.

EM

N | MAK

HAVE FU

Limited New Year Of

fer

100 OFF

$

(916)995-6518

www. ABCBartending .com

30   |   SN&R   |   02.28.13

Exp 3/15/1

3

Indiegogo campaign to fund a self-release—and raised the minimum of $1,800 in just five days. “I was surprised. I was at a place where I was frustrated with the album in general because it was getting really close to being done, and I wasn’t getting any feedback,� Bafus says now.

One of the labels Bafus sent it to, Kill Rock Stars, had released several Deerhoof albums, so he thought they might be interested in the album. While the pleasantly strange sound of Deerhoof is indeed an influence here, the Blalks album features a bit more progressive rock and jazz elements with its usage of odd time signatures and heavily complex song structuring, which Bafus attributes to his experience as a drummer-songwriter. “Most songwriters don’t think about things like interesting structuring or the way those little elements help the transitions,� he says. “For the most part, it’s about the chord changes and the vocal hook. We’re like the bizarro version of that.�

One of Bafus’ favorite bands is Magma, a His 2011 album Bountiful Ore, in fact, French prog-rock band from the ’70s also led by features Bafus on every instrument. The easyits drummer—a fact, Bafus says, that explains going, weird nature of the songs have almost why the band’s music is so highly structured and nothing in common, however, with the spastic implements so many different rhythmic styles. avant-punk assault on his follow-up CD, “Who better to put a song together than the Blalks, for which there will be a release show drummer? I like the idea of building things from on March 2, at Bows & Arrows. the inside out,� Bafus says.

That’s because Gentleman Surfer isn’t a solo project anymore. Indeed, Bafus NisEback W S & R E V I EPerhaps W B U S the I N Emost S S Uwell-known S E O N L Y drummersongwriter, of course, is Phil Collins. to playing drums, accompanied by Drew DESIGNER ISSUE DATE ACCT. EXEC. According to Bafus, even Collins’ mainstream Walker on guitar and Barry McDaniel Swars AL 06.18.09 REM on guitar. Now, with Bafus handling mostly FILE NAME records, such as his 1981 REV. debut DATE Face Value (which features the iconic single “In the Air of the lead vocals, the trio’s evolvedTRINITYCATHEDRAL061809R1 into 02.19.09 Tonight�) showcase similar elements influsomething that sounds like a cross between USP (BOLD SELECTION) enced by his role as a drummer.

Deerhoof, Mr. Bungle and John Zorn.

PRICE / ATMOSPHERE / EXPERT / UNIQUE “It ended up becoming a more raw band.

When I’m playing by myself, it doesn’t have PLEASE the CAREFULLY REVIEW YOUR “ I like the idea of building same energy,� Bafus says. “I’ve been playing ADVERTISEMENT AND VERIFY THE FOLLOWING: things from the inside out.� with Drew and Barry almost two years. They’ve AD SIZE (COLUMNS X INCHES) turned it into something more alive.�

SPELLING Jon Bafus The idea to expand into a band came NUMBERS & DATES Gentleman Surfer shortly after completing Bountiful Ore. Bafus CONTACT INFO (PHONE, ADDRESSES, ETC.) had wanted to assemble some musicians to AD APPEARS AS REQUESTED “There’s a lot of really cool rhythmic things play Gentleman Surfer songs in the past, APPROVED but BY: happening, like only a rhythm guy could and it wasn’t until then that he believed he had would write, but in a real pop way,� Bafus says. enough good material.

As such, Bafus says Collins is a big influence The songs that ended up on Blalks took on a in his music—right down to the pop elements. life of their own once transcribed for bass, guitar Certainly, despite how weird Blalks can get, the and drums. Eventually, the trio started to write music here is oddly catchy and accessible. new songs as a group.

Of course, “weird� is relative.

Bafus, who is also a well-regarded local “I don’t think we’re doing anything that’s artist known for his pattern-driven psychedelic unreasonable for anybody that’s not relatively paintings, believed in Blalks so much, he sent open-minded,� he says. Ί it to many indie labels, but without any luck.

Switching tactics, Bafus then launched an photo By AddAM GoArd

LIKE

SUNDAY SERVICES: 7:30am Classical Language 9:00am Contemporary Organ & Piano 11:15am Classical Music

GO TO FACEBOOK.COM/SACNEWSREVIEW

‘— …‘—Ž† „‡ Ž‹˜‹�‰ ƒ�† ™‘”�‹�‰ ‘˜‡”•‡ƒ•Ǥ

SATURDAY SERVICE: 5:10pm Casual Yet Sacred

PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T

let’s get

How to Sell Your Home Without an Agent and Save the Commission

irish Don’t miss your chance to be on the tour o’ pubs map! on stanDs march 14.

given up their dreams of selling their homes themselves. But don’t give up until you’ve read a new report entitled “Sell Your Own Home” which has been prepared especially for homesellers like you. You’ll find 10 inside tips to selling your home by yourself which will help you sell for the best price in the shortest amount of time. You’ll find out what real estate agents don’t want you to know.

To order a FREE Special Report, or to hear a brief recorded message about how to order your FREE copy of this report call toll-free 1-800-5079208 and enter 1017 You can call any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Get your free special report NOW to learn how you really can sell your home yourself.

Sacramento - If you’ve tried to sell your home yourself, you know that the minute you put the “For Sale by Owner” sign up, the phone will start to ring off the hook.

Unfortunately, most calls aren’t from prospective buyers, but rather from every real estate agent in town who will start to hound you for your listing.

Like other “For Sale by Owners”, you’ll be subjected to a hundred sales pitches from agents who will tell you how great they are and how you can’t possibly sell your home by yourself. After all, without the proper information, selling a home isn’t easy. Perhaps you’ve had your home on the market for several months with no offers from qualified buyers. This can be a very frustrating time, and many homeowners have

This report is courtesy of DRE Lic 01845576. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2012

NEW YEAR

NEW YOU!

Lose up to ONE POUND of REAL FAT per day DAY 1

DAY 30

100 O

$

SPRIN FF SPECIA G L

TYPICAL RESULTS

99%

SUCCESS RATE

Medically Supervised

advertise now

MELT STUBBORN FAT • EXTREMELY AFFORDABLE • NO SURGERY OVER 25 YEARS PROVEN SAFE BY DOCTORS

ReNew Me

9075 Foothills Blvd, Suite 3, Roseville, CA 95747 916-774-0484 • www.2renewme.com Se Habla Español

(916) 498-1234 BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

F E AT U R E S T O RY

|

ARTS&CULTURE

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

31

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down Blue Lamp, 9:30 p.m., $12-$14

01FRI

PHoTo By eRIc LAURITS

PHoTo By LAUReN TABAk

01FRI

Ryan Hernandez Band PowerHouse Pub, 10 p.m., $10

Listening to Thao & the Get Down Stay Down’s recently released album We the Common, you can’t help but appreciate iNDiE ROCK the variety of moods and sounds that greet your ears. From the title track—a hybrid of Americana, ambient pop and hip-hop beats—to the Asian-tinged guitar and frontwoman Thao Nguyen’s Feist-like vocals on “Holy Roller,” there is a great deal of creativity. “Kindness Be Conceived,” Nguyen’s duet with Joanna Newsom, is full of joy, and the upbeat rhythms accentuate the song’s positive message in a way that makes you smile. Nguyen dares you not to enjoy yourself, and you will be happy to fail this test. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, www.thaoandthegetdownstaydown.com.

—Brian Palmer

02SAT

03SUN

Blackalicious

G. Love & Special Sauce

Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 9:30 p.m., $20-$23

Wherever he performs—at a coffee shop, restaurant or bar—Ryan Hernandez’s dynamic voice lingers in the air and hints at a sadness that haunts your soul. He plays interestingly arranged covers, including blues (Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason”) and indie rock (Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”) and is equaly adept as a solo act (accompanying himself on guitar and effects pedals), a duo (with guitarist Kazutoshi Haji), a trio (adding drummer Jeff Tuttle) or as the Ryan Hernandez Band (addSOUL/ROCK ing Brad Lokke on bass).

Hernandez is also pretty good on bass and drums. Lord knows what he’ll perform this Friday at PowerHouse Pub, but expect to be impressed. 614 Sutter Street in Folsom, www.ryanhernandezmusic.com.

Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel of Blackalicious have been making great music together since the early ’90s. The hip-hop duo’s Sacramento friendship goes back even further to their days at John F. Kennedy High School in the late ’80s. Gab’s linguistic dexHip-HOp terity has long held listeners in sway; it’s a high-speed lyrical avalanche, primed with diction and mental clarity. Xcel is known for fusing creative production with cunning calculated risks and a hugely soulful spirit. Although the two have ventured into solo and collaborative projects lately (and Gab has bravely dealt with kidney failure), this year, the duo is readying a new Blackalicious album.

2708 J Street, www.blackalicious.com.

—Jonathan Mendick

Follow us /HarlowsNiteclub

FEB 28 7PM $10 ADV RADIO 94.7 PRESENTS

MAR 3 8PM $25 ADV

COMING SOON

Mar 08 Monophonics Joy & Madness Mar 09 Adrian Bellue, CAVE Women Sandra Dolores Swanfeldt Mar 09 The Good Nights WITH JOHN FULLBRIGHT Mar 10 Mariachi El Bronx MAR 1 10PM $15 ADV Kill The Precedent MAR 4 6:30PM $15 ADV Mar 13 Joe Ely Mar 17 Stepping Stone, Whiskey & Stitches Mar 20 The Aggrolites WITH SKIZZY MARS Pinstripes MAR 2 7PM $25 ADV Mar 22 Sizzling Sirens MAR 5 9PM $15 ADV Mar 21 Murs / Prof / Fashawn Mar 22 Destructikonz Mar 23 Midnight Players Mar 24 Matt Costa WITH JUSTIN LONG AND Mar 29 Crystal Bowersox MAR 2 10PM $20 ADV SQUAREFIELD MASSIVE Mar 29 Cheeseballs Mar 30 Hot Buttered Rum Mar 31 Heartless Bastards MAR 6 7PM $10 Apr 05 Lord Huron Apr 06 Conflict Minerals WITH WHO CARES Apr 10 Snarky Puppy Apr 11 Polica Apr 13 Toad The Wet Sprocket MAR 15 9PM $22.50 ADV Apr 25 Yonder Mountain String Band Apr 26 Built To Spill May 10 Petty Theft and Zoo Nation May 11 Steelin’ Dan May 22 Atlas Genius May 23 Relic 45 May 25 Foreverland DRESS CODE ENFORCED (JEANS ARE OK) • CALL TO RESERVE DINNER & CLUB TABLES • ALL TIMES LISTED ARE SHOWTIMES

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

TAINTED LOVE

BILL CHAMPLIN

BLACKALICIOUS

G LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE

G-EAZY

ANUHEA

COLLEEN LLOY

PABLO CRUISE

2708 J Street • Sacramento • 916.441.4693 • www.harlows.com 32 | SN&R |

02.28.13

—Paul Piazza

Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 8 p.m., $25-$30 If it so happens that you were pining for the freewheeling days of the late ’90s and early aughts and had plans to indulge in the harum-scarum, pot-centric alt-rock hiphop that G. Love & Special Sauce touted for decades, heads up: After hitting it off with the Avett Brothers in 2009, G. Love brought them on to produce his 2011 solo album, Fixin’ to Die. The new sound is of the Americanapop variety—very Avett Brothersesque, one might say—and a marked departure from the shacked-up-on-a-beach Jack Johnson vibe everyone assumed G. Love would continue to carry out long after its FOLK ROCK expiration date. Singersongwriter John Fullbright is also on the bill.

2708 J Street, http://philadelphonic.com.

—Deena Drewis

05TUES

05TUES

Morrissey

Rad

Anuhea

Mondavi Center, 8 p.m., $49.50-$79.50 The first record I ever wrote a review for was the Smiths 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come (for my school newspaper). I still own my original copy of the 1984 singles and rarities compilation Hatful of Hollow on cassette. The former Smiths vocalist is more bigheaded and humorless than ever but still an amazing songwriter. Morrissey was originally slated to play here last fall but rescheduled due to his mother’s ill health. Now, the aging Brit is calling in sick, canceling dates left and right. As of this ROCK writing, Davis remains on the tour roster. Please let me get what I want this time. 9399 Old Davis Road in Davis www.itsmorrisseysworld.com.

—Rachel Leibrock

The Press Club, 8 p.m., $8 With its fast tempos, complex guitar riffs and hardcore vocals, Sacramento’s fourpiece Rad—led by vocalist Lory Gil—is a HARDCORE PUNK band blatantly unapologetic for hitting audiences with a loud in-yourface thrash performance. Songs like “Cover Your Tits in the Pit” or “Never Turn Your Back (on a Mosh)” are reminiscent of ’80s thrash at a time when metal and punk intertwined. The blasts heard from behind the kit, courtesy of Craig Hancock, paired with the ferocity of Charles Albright on guitar and Anthony Lew on bass make Rad, well, pretty damn rad. This show celebrates the 7-inch split release from punk rockers Rat Damage and Alarms. 2030 P Street, http://tinyurl.com/radfacebook.

PHOTO COURTESy Of WORld SOUNd

04MON

07THURS Peach Kelli Pop

Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 9 p.m., $15-$18 Non-Jamaican reggae is booming as of late thanks to a handful of talented Hawaiian and Californian artists. Last time she came to town, Hawaii’s Anuhea packed Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub with fans on just three weeks notice. Chalk it up to her unique ability to meld sunny Hawaiian style, soul and sassy pop. Love songs such as “Higher than the Clouds,” “I Just Want You Around” and “Simple Love Song” put you in a dreamlike POP/REGGAE state with their laidback vibes. They’ve also helped Anuhea become one of the most played modern artists on Hawaiian radio stations. Fellow islander Justin Young and Sac’s Squarefield Massive open.

2708 J Street, www.anuheajams.com.

The Press Club, 9 p.m., $7 Peach Kelli Pop may just be Canada’s answer to Shonen Knife. PKP plays some downright infectious and sunny pop songs with a hint of garage and punk. Trust me: Just watch the video for the song “Do the Eggroll,” and you ROCK will be an instant fan. Compared to Shonen Knife, Peach Kelli Pop has a more prominent undercurrent of darkness.

Indeed, the subtle dissonance that offsets the bubblegum-pop songs makes it adorable but kind of scary. As unapologetically cute as Allie Hanlon and company let themselves get, the group’s deadpan delivery just adds a level of oddness that makes it infinitely better. 2030 P Street, www.facebook.com/ do.the.eggroll.

—Aaron Carnes

—Jonathan Mendick

—Steph Rodriguez

WE BUY GOLD & guns top dollar paid CHARLES DALY

ar lowEr parts kIts ar stylE barE lowEr rEcEIvErs

$249.99 each

$99.99

Limit 2 per customer

bu y s el l t ra de i t a ll g u ns , j e w e lry & loan company

5725 stockton blvd (Stockton Blvd & Fruitridge Rd in the Fruitridge Shopping Center) | 916.456.7296 | mon - sat: 9am–7pm | GUn dEpt. opEn 10am-6pm | lIc#34040984 | Exp 03/06/13 or while supplies last.

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 33

NIGHTBEAT

THURSDAY 2/28

FRIDAY 3/1

SATURDAY 3/2

BLUE LAMP

Skratchpad Sacramento, 9pm, no cover

THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN, 9:30pm, $12-$14

THIS CHARMING BAND, 9pm, call for cover

THE BOARDWALK

SECONDHAND SERENADE, ALEX GOOT,

BLAKBOY PAMPER, CBK, J - SHIFT, B.MAC, ZOE, DRE FEEZ; 8pm

AXE MURDER BOYZ, MINDSHOT, JDIRTY, BIG ROX, F.L.O.W.S; 7pm, call for cover

BOWS & ARROWS

Pompsicle: live figure drawing event, 6pm, $10

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 TYLER RICH, SELF PROCLAIMED; 7pm 1815 19 St., (916) 822-5668

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

GENTLEMAN SURFER, BRAINSTORM, AAN; 8pm, call for cover

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

JONNY MOJO, 8pm, $8

Green Fire, 6:30pm, call for cover

1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

WOLFGANG GARTNER, 9pm, call for cover

PENTHAUS SUITE, 9pm, call for cover

WOLFGANG GARTNER, 9pm, call for cover

FACES

Deejay dancing and karaoke, 9pm, $3

Hip-hop and Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

Hip-hop and Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

FOX & GOOSE

THE MIKE JUSTIS BAND, 8pm, no cover

50-WATT HEAVY, SANDS, 8 BALL AITKEN, ERIK SPENCER, AKRON ENGINE, JOHN CONLEY; 9pm, $5 MIDWAY MARVELS; 9pm, $5

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693

THE NEIGHBORHOOD, 7pm, call for cover

TAINTED LOVE, 10pm, call for cover

BILL CHAMPLIN, 7pm, $25-$30; BLACKALICIOUS, WHO CARES; 10pm, $20-$23

LEVEL UP FOOD & LOUNGE

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

DJ Rock Bottom and The Mookie DJ, 9pm, no cover

DJ A-RUN, DJ A-Run, DJ Mouf; 9pm-2am, no cover

LUNA’S CAFÉ & JUICE BAR

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

GENE SMITH LIVES, ROSS HAMMOND, AMY REED; 8pm, $6

MARILYN’S ON K

“Rock On” Live Band Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

TERRA FERNO, ONCE AN EMPIRE, MOON MANTIS; 8pm-2am, $5

DIVA KINGS, GROOVINCABLE; 9pm, $5

Get Down to the Champion Sound, reggae and dancehall deejays, 10pm, $5

Elevate: electronic, house and dubstep deejay dancing; 9pm-2am, $5

Gothic, industrial, darkwave, EBM, retro; Swing, Lindy Hop, 8pm Tu, $6-$10; Salsa, 9:30pm-2am, $5 Bachata, Merengue, 8:30pm W, $5 DJ Gabe Xavier, 9pm, call for cover

THE COZMIC CAFÉ

594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

DISTRICT 30

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

2431 J St., (916) 448-8768

1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931 908 K St., (916) 446-4361

MIDTOWN BARFLY

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

ANUHEA, JUSTIN YOUNG; 9pm Tu, $18; G-EAZY, 6:30pm M, call for cover Hip-hop and R&B deejay dancing, 9:16pm Tu, no cover Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M, $5-$20; Comedy night, 8pm W, $6

DJ Mike Moss, 8:30pm, call for cover

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

World’s Worst Doctors Comedy Improv, 8:30pm, $5

CREEPY LITTLE LEGS, THE HUNGRY, THE TREES; 8:30pm, $5

MUSICAL CHARIS, AUTUMN SKY, DANA FALCONBERRY; 8:30pm, $5

Jazz, 8:30pm M; JON HATAMIYA, DEREK THOMAS, ADRIAN BELLUE; 8:30pm, W

OLD IRONSIDES

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504

REGGIE GINN, KAT JONES, MINOR BIRDS; 9pm, $5

WILLIAM MYLAR, 5pm; MAN IN THE PLANET, ALL ABOUT ROCKETS; 9pm, $5

Lipstick Weekender w/ Shaun Slaughter & Roger Carpio, 9:30pm, $5

THE NUANCE, 7:30pm M; Karaoke, 9pm Tu; Open-mic, 8:30pm W, no cover

ON THE Y

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

NO FUCKS GIVEN, BEERLORDS, FLIP OFFS, SYSTEM ASSAULT, SEEKER; 8pm

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS, 8:30pm, $20

13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825

B<M@E JD@K? A8JFE D<N<J

8E; JK@:B 8IFLE; =FI K?< I@G$IF8I@E> GF;:8JK H 8

Ed IWb[

=I@ ('1''8D

KL<J;8P 8GI@C *' :I<JK K?<8K<I ('(* B JK × J8:I8D<EKF# :8 .1*'GD J?FN × 8CC 8><J K@:B<KJ 8M8@C89C< =IFD K@:B<KJ%:FD :?8I>< 9P G?FE< ($/''$)),$))..

JHL8I<G<>:FE:<IKJ%:FD

ÈK?< ><EKC< >@8EKÉ

=I@;8P 8GI@C )- :I<JK K?<8K<I

('(* B JK × J8:I8D<EKF# :8 .1*'GD J?FN × 8CC 8><J K@:B<KJ 8K K@:B<KJ%:FD :?8I>< 9P G?FE< ($/''$)),$))..

02.28.13

DJs Gabe Xavier and DJ Peeti-V, 9pm W, call for cover

Open-mic comedy, 9pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover

SOLAS, 7pm, $20

The Great Cake Walk

N8K:? K?< 8CC E<N :8IKFFE DFM@< N@K?

|

G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE, JOHN FULLBRIGHT; 8:30pm, $25-$30

DJ Elliott Estes, 9pm, call for cover

670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731

SN&R

Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu; Northern Soul, 8pm, no cover

DJs Eddie Edul and Peeti V, 4pm-2am, $10

1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

|

Queer Idol, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5; DJ Alazzawi, 9pm W, $3

Dragalicious, 9pm, $5

MIX DOWNTOWN

1531 L St., (916) 442-8899

34

THE AIR I BREATHE, FOR ALL I AM, FAMOUS LAST WORDS; 6pm

THE MOTHER HIPS, 8pm, $20-$22

HARLOW’S

Hey local bands!

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 3/4-3/6

SOLAS, 8pm, $22-$25

314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

Want to be a hot show?

Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

SUNDAY 3/3

It's The Red Carpet Of Sacramento's Best Cakes And Desserts!

DECADENT, INDULGENT, CAKE!

Presented by:

Treat yourself to an evening of tasting Sacramento’s best cakes & desserts

• • • • • •

World class pastry chefs Amazing cake decorating Coffee bar by Peet’s Coffee & Tea Celebrity HostCristina Mendonsa Live jazz bands Exquisite auction – from pastry lessons to diamond jewelry!

Celebrities:

Danny Glover, Uriah Faber, Judge Judy’s Bailiff Petry Byrd… and many more

$65 – Purchase tickets here!

• • •

Our goal is…

Bakeries: • • • • • •

Closing the Gap funds programs dedicated to closing the academic achievement gap in our public schools.

100% of proceeds spent locally on local students Closing the achievement gap is a tough challenge, but with your support, we’re turning it into a cake walk!

Ettore’s Rick’s Dessert Diner Cake Castle Above & Beyond Nothing Bundt Cakes Brita’s Confections

Harnessing money, resources and commitment to help close the academic achievement gap.

Did you know?

More than half of Sac Area high school grads have not taken the classes required to apply for college.

Partners: Sponsors: Featured Programs: * A portion of proceeds is dedicated to these programs: • •

The Sacramento Police Foundation Parent Teacher Home Visit Project

Sac State Alumni Center

CLOSING the GAP

Contact: The Great Cake Walk info@ctgusa.org www.closingthegapusa.org

March 14, 2013

5-8:00 PM

THURSDAY 2/28

FRIDAY 3/1

THE PARK ULTRA LOUNGE 1116 15th St., (916) 442-7222

SATURDAY 3/2

SUNDAY 3/3

DJ Peeti V, 9pm, $15

Asylum Downtown: Gothic, industrial, EBM dancing, 9pm, call for cover

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 3/4-3/6

MAC RUSS, THE LAWN TROLLS; 8pm, no Battle of the Musicians, 9:30pm Tu; cover Open-mic, 10pm Tu; Trivia, 9-10pm W

PINE COVE TAVERN

Karaoke, 9pm-1:30am, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm-1:30am, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm-1:30am, no cover

PISTOL PETE’S

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

LOW TIDE RIOT, 9pm, $5

WEST COAST JUICE, 9pm, $5

PJ’S ROADHOUSE

DJ Old Griff, 9pm, no cover

MARK SEXTON BAND, 9pm, $5

DOG PARK JUSTICE, 9pm, $5

POWERHOUSE PUB

BUCK FORD, 9:30pm, call for cover

THE RYAN HERNANDEZ BAND, 10pm, $10

ELEMENT OF SOUL, DOG FOOD, NOT YOUR STYLE; 10pm, $10

PINKIE RIDEAU, 3pm, call for cover

Karaoke, M; DJ Alazzawi, DJ Rigatony, Tu; WALKING SPANISH, 3 WAY; 9pm W

Top 40 w/ DJ Rue, 9pm, $5

Top 40 Night w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9pm, $5

Sunday Night Soul Party, 9pm, $5

INSTAGON, M, $5; IRON LUNG, 7pm Tu, $8; DJ Dani Dukes, 9pm W, no cover

RACHEL STEELE, ROAD 88, 9pm, $5

80’Z ALL-STARS, 10pm, $10

POINTDEXTER, 10pm, $10

SHINE

SPANGLER, DEADBEAT DARLING, SALT WIZARD; 8pm, $5

EGG, BUCKEYE KNOLLS, SUBTLE SALT; 8pm, $5

PARIE WOOD, JO ELLESS, XOCHITL; 8pm, $5

SOL COLLECTIVE

RUBY IBARRA, RASAR, TASK1NE, BWAN, BANOUNG 55, KIWI; 8:30pm, $7

STONEY INN/ROCKIN’ RODEO

THE CHRIS GARDNER BAND, 9pm, no cover before 10pm; $5 after

TORCH CLUB

TOWNHOUSE LOUNGE

502 29th St., (916) 446-3624 140 Harrison Ave., Auburn; (530) 885-5093 5461 Mother Lode, Placerville; (530) 626-0336 614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

SAMMY’S ROCKIN’ ISLAND

238 Vernon St., Roseville; (916) 773-7625 1400 E St., (916) 551-1400 2574 21st St., (916) 832-0916 1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797 1517 21st St., (916) 613-7194

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, W, no cover

Ruby Ibarra with Rasar, Task1ne, BWAN, Kiwi and Bandoung 55 8:30pm Thursday, $7.

Sol Collective Hip-hop

Open jazz jam w/ Jason Galbraith & friends, 8pm Tu, no cover

COOLGUYWIILY, ILL CO$BY, SDE; 6:30pm, $11-$13

SAPIENT, AED, EVIL EBENEZER, DLRN, CHASE MOORE, GREYSPACE; 8pm, $10

Microphone Mondays, 6pm M, $1-$2; Liberation Permaculture, 6pm Tu

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover, $5 after 8pm

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover, $5 after 8pm

Country dance party, 8pm, no cover

Comedy open-mic, 8pm M; Bluebird Lounge open-mic, 5pm Tu, no cover

X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; RELIC 45, 9pm, $5

PAILER AND FRATIS, 5:30pm, no cover; BESO NEGRO, 9pm, $8

JOHNNY KNOX, 5pm, no cover; TRACORUM, 9pm, $8

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover; TESS MARIE & THE POOR MAN BAND, 8pm, $5

Acoustic open-mic, 5:30pm W, no cover; HOWELL DEVINE, 9pm W, $5

Wild w/ Sacramento DJ Alliance, 9pm, no cover

DJ X-GVNR, 9pm, no cover

X-GVNR and Fame Change, 9pm, $5

Open-mic, M; DJs XGVNR, Fame Change; 9pm Tu; DJ Crescendo, 9pm W, no cover

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

TESTAMENT, 4ARM, BLESSED CURSE, SOLANUM; 6pm, $22.50

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300

MESHUGGAH, ANIMALS AS LEADERS, INTRONAUT; 7pm, $30

10 YEARS, YOUNG GUNS, TRACK FIGHTER; 6:30pm, $15

CLUB RETRO

REVEREND HORTON HEAT, 6:30pm Tu, $20; BLACK VEIL BRIDES, 7pm W, $18

STEADY RIOTS, FLIGHTLINE, POSOLE; 6pm, $8-$10

1529 Eureka Rd., Roseville; (916) 988-6606

DOWNTOWN PLAZA (LOWER LEVEL) SONNY FAIRLEY, 6pm, no cover

Parie Wood with Jo Elless and Xochitl 8pm Saturday, $5.

Shine Acoustic folk

KEN KOENIG, TODD MORGAN & THE EMBLEMS; 1pm, no cover

547 L St., (916) 822-5185

LUIGI’S SLICE AND FUN GARDEN

WHITE ARROWS, BELLS ATLAS, BIOSEXUAL; 8pm, $5-$8

1050 20th St., (916) 552-0317

DRIVE-THRU MYSTICS, TOKYO RAID, MINDFLOWERS, THE LURK; 8:30pm, $5

ZUHG LIFE STORE

EROTICUS, KASSIE ORTEGA; 1pm

545 Downtown Plaza, Ste. 2090, (916) 822-5185

Sacramento’s Finest

ceLeBraTiNg oUr 20TH aNNiverSarY aLL Year LoNg!

OPERA HOUSE

S A L OON

THURSDAYS

ROCK ON LIVE BAND KARAOKE

RESTAURANT •• BAR CLUB •• RESTAURANT COMEDY COMEDY CLUB BAR

VOTED BEST COMEDY CLUB BY THE SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW!

MARCH 3 & 14

ALL SHOWS 9 PM

ROCK-N-ROLL // 9PM // FREE

FRI, MAR 1ST Kymmi & The Diamondback Band

FRI 03/01

ONCE AN EMPIRE ROCK // INDIE // 9PM // $5

2 FOR 1 ADMISSION!! (WITH THIS AD)

THURSDAY 2/28 - SATURDAY 3/2 From SULLivaN aNd SoNS! SUNDAY 3/3

BROWN AND DIRTY COMEDY TOUR

ROCK // 9PM // $5

SACRAMENTO COMEDY SHOWCASE

kaBir SiNgH, eLLiS rodrigUez WEDNESDAY 3/6

DIVA KINGS GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD

SAT, MAR 2ND Big Trouble

TRIBUTE // JAM // 7:30PM // FREE WED 03/06

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Please drink responsibly.

BEFORE

|

3/8 HA’PENNY BRIDGE, WHISKEY AND STITCHES & THE NOTORIOUS SHANK BROTHERS 3/9 DIAMOND DEZ, MARYANN, LINDSAY PAVEO, CENTURY GOT BARS

908 K STREET • SAC 916.446.4361

FRONTLINES

|

FEATURE

SAT & SUN BREAKFAST 10am-2pm Craft Cocktails & Craft Beers

JEFF GARCIA

SINGER-SONGWRITER // FOLK AMERICANA // INDIE // 8PM // $5

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR THESE UPCOMING SHOWS AT WWW.MARILYNSONK.COM

THURSDAY 3/7

MARIA BAMFORD ONE NIGHT ONLY! FRIDAY 3/8 - SATURDAY 3/9 From SHowTime, NickeLodeoN aNd Loco comedY SLam!

GRAHAM VINSON MASON REX BACK ALLEY BUZZARDS

TALLBOY TECATE

Happy Hour Specials Monday-Friday 3-6p Thursday 9pm-close

2 Free Tix wiTH THiS ad!

TUES 03/05

4

Friday’s @9pm

STEVE BYRNE

SAT 03/02

$

OPEN MIC

THURSDAY 3/14 - SUNDAY 3/17 From red-NexicaN aNd Hick-SpaNic!

EVERY SUNDAY 9PM Beer Pong Tournament for prizes

carLa cLaYY, BUTcH eScoBar

THURSDAY 3/21 - SATURDAY 3/23 From THe Joe rogaN experieNce aNd BeaUTY aNd da BeaST!

UPCOMING: 3/08 McKenna Faith 3/09 Brodie Stewart Band 3/16 Casey James (Tix avail online)

JOEY ‘COCO’ DIAZ caSeY LeY

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! TWITTER.COM/PUNCHLINESAC • FACEBOOK.COM/PLSAC

WWW.PUNCHLINESAC.COM

Largest Country Dance Floor in the area!

Drink Specials • Line Dance Lessons

411 Lincoln Street Roseville operahousesaloon.com

STORY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

92” HDTV & Free Wi-Fi

ALEX REYMUNDO

CALL CLUB FOR SHOWTIMES: (916) 925-5500

Creative Comfort Food In East Sacramento!

2100 ARDEN WAY • IN THE HOWE ‘BOUT ARDEN SHOPPING CENTER

2 DRINK MINIMUM. 18 & OVER. I.D. REQUIRED.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE CLUB BOX OFFICE WITH NO SERVICE CHARGE. |

AFTER

|

02.28.13

57th & Jst | 916-457-5600 |

SN&R

|

35

WHAT’S ON YOUR

HORIZON? Join Horizon Non-Profit today for safe access to a wide variety of high quality medical cannabis.

Whether you prefer flowers, extracts, edibles or topicals, indica or sativa, we have the right medicine for you.

Whatever your medical condition or employment situation, you can come to Horizon knowing that we respect and hold your

HEALTH, WELL–BEING & PRIVACY AS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. OPEN TO ANYONE 18 OR OLDER WITH VALID CA I.D. AND DR’S RECOMMENDATION FOR MEDICAL CANNABIS

HORIZON NON-PROFIT COLLECTIVE Mon-Thur 10am - 7pm | Fri-Sat 10am - 9pm | Sun 12pm - 7pm 36 | SN&R | 02.28.13

3600 Power Inn Rd Suite 1A Sacramento, CA 95826 916.455.1931

The answer, man What are “dabs”? How do you use them?

—Curious Charley It’s pretty simple. A dab is a blob of “errl,” as in “Ermahgarrd! Errl dabs!” I hope that clears it up.

But seriously, a dab is a blob of hash oil. This is how it’s done: Use a torch to heat up your “nail,” which is a metal (usually titanium) attachment to your bong. Using a tool called a dabber (it looks kinda like a dentist’s pick), scoop up a dab of BEALUM hash oil, place it on the heated nail and inhale

by NGAIO the vapors through your bong. Then, sit back and enjoy.

The thing about dabs is they scare the a sk420 @ n ewsreview.c om straights. When most people think about weed, they think joints and pipes and blunts, not torches from hardware stores and open flames and tools and a table full of incredibly stoned potheads.

It looks more like an opium den than a safety meeting.

I would suggest keeping all that gear at home and investing in a good vapor pen or just putting a glob of hash on top of your pot when you smoke a bowl.

I have heard some people call putting hash on top of the weed “smoking a wet bowl,” but whenever I hear someone say “smoking wet” I think PCP, because that’s what it used to mean back in the day. So, Instead of saying instead of saying “smoking wet,” I suggest we call “smoking wet,” placing hash on top of I suggest we call weed “putting a bird on it.” Whatever you call it, placing hash on top good hash is delicious.

A quick note about of weed “putting a hashish: While some bird on it.” people do find better medical relief from the increased THC found in hash, moderation in all things is the key. Marijuana is not addictive, but you can definitely build up a tolerance, and hashish is expensive. I prefer hash as a treat and not as an everyday thing, but that’s just me.

Is it spring yet? Can I put my clones out in the sun? What should I be doing in my garden?

Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert.

Email him questions at ask420@ newsreview.com.

—Red-eyed Robin It’s too early to put your plants outside. The days are still too short. They will start to flower immediately, but after the equinox, they will go back into a vegetative state. The best time to put in your garden is late April or early May. I have heard some people say that you should plant under the light of the full moon.

If you think something like that would help, a local almanac could help you determine the optimal time.

In the meantime, get your area together. Make sure your paperwork is in order. Till your dirt, throw in some nutrients and compost and stuff. (My boy Subcool is one of the best growers on the West Coast. You can find his “super soil recipe” at http://tinyurl.com/subcoolsoil.)

Make sure your water supply is set up. If you are starting from seeds, get them going in mid-March.

If you are nice to your plants in May, they will thank you in October. Ω

Bring in any competitor’s coupon and we’ll beat it by $5 Must present competitor’s ad. Some restrictions apply.

VOTED 2ND BEST 420 PHYSICIAN IN SAC!

Sacramento

420 Doc MEDICAL MARIJUANA EVALUATIONS

MARCH COMPASSION SPECIAL

34 44

$

$

RENEWALS

NEW PATIENTS

Must bring ad. Limit one per patient.

Must bring ad. Limit one per patient.

916.480.9000 2 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU

2100 Watt Ave, Unit 190 | Sacramento, CA 95825 | Mon–Sat 11am–7pm 2633 Telegraph Ave. 109 | Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-832-5000 | Mon–Sat 10am–5pm RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VALID FOR 1 YEAR FOR QUALIFYING PATIENTS WALK-INS WELCOME ALL DAY EVERYDAY

YOUR INFORMATION IS 100% PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT ONLINE 24/7 AT

www.Sac420Doc.com B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 37

• Co-operative, collective, dispensary or delivery service • Patient rights, cultivation, harvest, care, use & treatments, recipes • Learn about careers and business in the medical marijuana community Live seminar 3/16 in Roseville SIGN UP ONLINE OR CALL TODAY!

www.420college.org | TOLL FREE 855-420-TALK (8255)

on all 1/8ths $10

top-shelf grams

3 FREE gIFts for new patients

FREE dElIvERy

for orders with $70 minimum

Heavens 2 Betsey A Compassionate Collective

Delivery Only | (855)422–9656 | www.heavens2betsey.cOm | facebOOk.cOm/h2byOlO Free delivery with $70 donation | 10am–8pm 7 days a week | Compliant with Ca215, SB420 & 11362 of hSC

Indica, sativa, Hybrid | Free Delivery | ask about our Free edible shake makes quality butter & personal oils

Patients ComPassion 916.640.7713 | Mon–Sat 9am–6pm Dr. recommendation & CA ID required | *While Supplies Last

|

Voted 2nd Best 420 Physician in Sac 2012

THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY.

- Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Sun 11am-5pm - Physician Evaluations - 24/7 Online Verification - Cultivators Welcome

caNN-Medical 38

Photo ID Available for $15

NEED ATTENTION?

- Walk-Ins / Appts Routier

Bradshaw

50

ST

Blvd om Fols

TE

(strain has high Cannabanoids, good for arthritis & Insomnia)

Get Your Recommendation!

North Of Hwy 50 @ Bradshaw & Folsom Blvd

w/ couPoN exP. 03/06/13 SNR

1/8th minimum. North/East Sac Area. 10am-6pm.

Dr’s Recommendation Required

S FA

ATTENTION BaBy Boomers & war vets: call for extra special deals! $40 1/8, $50 1/4, $90 1/2, $180 whole

Flat rate delivery to Sac Metro Area usually within 2 hours*. $100 max. per visit. State ID or DL required. M-F 10-6. *excludes special orders, distance, traffic delays & avail.

New PatieNt

(916) 966-4753

Half Orders Available

Meds 4 Beds | 916.222.6996

w/ couPoN exP. 03/06/13 SNR

Honest 420 Deliveries by the Hippie Church

1oz Killer Bud, 1oz Killer Shake

We provide safe, timely delivery of a variety of top-quality 420 medications. Call us today!

40 $50

$45 MINIMUM

2oz = 180*

Getting your medicine doesn’t have to be.

$

9 new strains!

DELIVERY

$

Managing Serious Pain or Illness is Difficult

ReNewalS

P OT H E A D

ONLINE VIDEO COURSES AVAILABLE ANYTIME

45 cap

POTHEAD

$

P OT H E A D

WANT TO START A MEDICAL MARIJUANA BUSINESS?

SN&R

|

02.28.13

9719A Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA 916-822-5690 • www.cannmedical.org

ADVERTISE WITH

(916) 498-1234

20%

off any purchase of $100 or more now through 03/14/13 with this ad. may not apply to some products.

sacramento

roseville

grass valley

auburn

2033A Arden Way 916.646.0420

1000 Melody Lane #100 916.772.6969

102 E Main Street 530.477.9420

13466 Licoln Way 530.887.0420

all products intended for tobacco use only

BEFORE

|

FRONTLINES

|

F E AT U R E S T O RY

|

ARTS&CULTURE

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

39

REDDING & SACRAMENTO

4 FREE GIFTS

FREE PRE-ROLL FREE EDIBLE FREE HASH FREE 1/8tH InDOOR SHAkE

WE’VE MOVED

Corner of Fulton & El Camino, Sacramento

•

877.563.4156

30 OFF %

REGULAR PRICE*

NEW PATIENTS & RENEWALS *WITH PURCHASE OF LAMINATED I.D. CARD FOR $20.

REGULAR PRICE: $60 FOR NEW PATIENTS, $50 FOR RENEWALS. MUST PRESENT THIS AD. EXPIRES 03/14/13.

Log on to MMJMENU.COM/MEDS

FREE DELIVERY w/$60 donation We Heal for Real | M-F 11am-7:30pm | 21+ | Tax Included

RECYCLE

THIS PAPER.

EGAL GET L W NO Hurley

erp

P:(916)484-1200

Ent

NEW HOURS

free 1/8th

DELIVERY ONLY 916-224-8497

OPEN MON- SAT 11- 6

rise

Howe

CARE CENTER 936 Enterprise Drive Sacramento 95825

CA Licensed Independent Physician Evaluations for the use of Medical Marijuana

when you donate for one

Non-Profit Collective Operating in Strict Compliance w/ Sb420 Prop 215. Doctor recommendation and CA I.D. required All medicine is grown by the patients of the Collective and not by the Collective

Better Service.

Better Value.

Better Care.

“No evaluation, no charge”

BEST 420

BEWARE O IMITATIO F NS!

1647 Hartnell Ave Ste 13, Redding 96002

E A R LY S P R I N G S P E C I A L

free tincture

PATIENT SIGN UP & FULL MENU/SPECIALS TOO

• 2614 El Camino Avenue

Monday thru Friday • 916.973.1766 •

free

of dream queen or mango kush when you donate for one

Combinable Coupons Must Present Ad • Expires 03/14/13 • ID Cards Available

donate for a gram of banana kush hash & get 1

YOU’RE WELCOME, EARTH.

Northrop

GRAND OPENING

ABove All diSPenSAry

delivery 9AM-11PM DAILY We take your medicine seriously

$20 off purchase of $100 or more.

Exp. 03.14.13

*Donate for an 1/8th at the reg. price, get 1 free (house choice).

Exp 03/27/13. Top Shelf Only.

• $20 & $25 1/8THS select strains • FREE pRE-Roll

GOLDEN HEALTH & WELLNESS 1030 Joellis Way, Sac

916.646.6340 Mon - Fri 10am - 7pm Sat 10am - 6pm / Sun closed

Dr

• ovER 20 stRains

40

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

Blu

Joellis Way

• tinctuREs, hash, capsulEs, kiEF

no fee for delivery *Minimum order $45

Roseville, Rocklin, Loomis, Folsom, N. Highlands, Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Rancho Cordova

Arden Way me nfe ld

buy 1, GET 1 frEE

VOTED BEST EDIBLES!

160

PROFESSIONAL, DISCREET, SAFE 80

(916) 342-4130 WWW.ABOVEALLDISPENSARY.COM

ABove All DISPENSARY

CLOUD 9 medical cannabis collective

SIMPLY THE BEST! Winner 2 years in a row!

Best Medical Marijuana clinic - Sacramento News and Review Readers’ Poll -

NEW YEAR–NEW PRICES! $ 35 CAP ON 1/8THS $ 5 GRAMS WILL MATCH ANY LOCAL ADS FROM CLINICS THAT ARE CA MEDICAL BOARD STANDARDS COMPLIANT GET APPROVED OR NO CHARGE! 24/7 Verifications! HIPAA Compliant 100% Doctor/Patient Confidentiality be seen by a real m.d. the way SB 420 intended. no skype b.s.!

DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO

2015 Q Street, 95811 • (916) 476-6142 Open Mon-Sat 11am - 6pm • valid through 03/06/13

FA IR P RIC E S | $ 10 GR A M S | W IDE VA RIE T Y O F E DIBL E S L A R G E S EL E C TI O N O F S ATI VA | IN DIC A | H Y BRID F RIE N DLY, K N OW L E D GA BL E S TA F F

5711 FLORIN PERKINS RD | SACRAMENTO, 95828 916.387.8605

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 41

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

ROLLING TOUCH MASSAGE

All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a current valid business license or somatic establishment permit issued by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to run a printed advertisement.

•

russian massage

MASSAGE THERAPISTS$40

BEST MASSAGE IN TOWN •

BODY SHAMPOO

•

•

110 RAILROAD AVE #F SUISUN CITY, CA (707) 426-4279 9:30AM - 10PM 7 DAYS A WEEK

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.

GRAND OPENING BH SPA

Swedish • Deep Tissue Body Shampoo Shower Available Walk-ins Welcome

www.TherapyHeaven.net

Therapy Heaven

5372 Sunrise Blvd. • Fair Oaks (corner of Sunrise & Madison)

(916) 904–2557

Massage

in Folsom

3999 for 1hr

$

1 hour

Free Table Shower

Chinese Style Massage 7 days a week • 10 am to 9 pm

This is a model

13405 Folsom Blvd #140 | Folsom, CA 916.985.9888 | 9:30am – 10pm Daily

Good Massage Grand Opening

$5

OFF MASSAGE

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

at $35

• deep tissue • reflexology • sw edish • 4 - hand • couples

5 OFF

$

w/ad

This is a model

TRUXEL RD.

I5

W. EL CAMINO AVE.

this is a model

3210 Fulton Ave current valid business license or somatic establishment permit issued

All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a Gentle Massage

Certified massage Practitioner maggie 916.564.2828 by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to GARDEN HWY.

916.487.8241

1620 W. El Caminorun Ave, Sacramento CA 95833 a printed advertisement.

GREEN JADE MASSAGE THERAPY

NEW

NEW yEaR NEW dEaLS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.

Thai • Swedish

916.688.9626 • 8876 Vintage Park Dr #103, Sacramento 7 days a week 10am -10pm Access • Mastercard • Visa • American Express • Discover

Gift Certificates Available

LILY MASSAGE ENJOY YOUR RELAXING MASSAGE WITH A NICE MASSUESE

Showers Available Walk-ins Welcome

This is a model M-F 9am-9pm Sat/Sun 11am-9pm Closed Wednesdays

916.429.7270

1355 Florin Rd, Ste.13 Sacramento, CA 95822

gr a n d open ing

10% off {with this ad}

Call for details

• Deep Tissue • Swedish • Reflexology • Free Chinese therapies • Sauna & Shower Available N E W S & R E V I E W B U S I N E S S U S E O N LY • 7 Days a Week 10am–10pm ACCT. EXEC.

OAU

REV. DATE

MM.DD.YY Spa

Sacramento 95823 All Credit Cards Accepted PRICE / ATMOSPHERE / EXPERT / UNIQUE

35

$

99

/HR

if you pay with cash.

Must present coupon.

this is a Model

land park spa

1192 35th ave • sacramento 916.395.6789 Near vic’s supermarket

SN&R

|

02.28.13

A1 Feeling

PLEASE CAREFULLY REVIEW YOUR ADVERTISEMENT AND VERIFY THE FOLLOWING: AD SIZE (COLUMNS X INCHES)

SPELLINGMassage • Swedish NUMBERS DATES • Deep Tissue& Massage CONTACT INFO (PHONE, ADDRESSES, ETC.) • Pain Relief AD APPEARS AS REQUESTED • Backwalking APPROVED BY: • Chinese Therapies • Shower Available • Walk-ins Welcome

• Additional Parking in Rear

Open 7 days a week 10AM-11PM

Coupleses 916.448.5315 & eLlcaodmie!

Midtown Sacramento, 95816 Between K St. & L St.

w

This is a model

Accepting all Credit Cards

This is a model

This is a model

H e av e n ly m a s s ag e

916.393.2268

6910 65th St #103, Sacramento 95823 10:30am - 10pm daily

1730 Santa Clara Dr #3 | Roseville 95661 10am – 10pm Daily | 916.781.2828

XT MASSAGE SpA

Full body massage • Deep tissue • Swedish • Hot stone • Hot oil • Back walking 9am-10pm 7 days a week

1 hr = $40 ½ hr= $30

madison

★

We accept:

1116 24th St

deep tissue swedish gentle massage reflexology pain treatment

fr E E TA b lE S h ow E r 5412 Madison ave #160 • sacraMento 95841

916.331.6188 • 10am–10pm daily

30

$

/30min

40

$

/60min

These are m odels

Good day

SHOWERS

garfield

ISSUE DATE

PRIVATE ROOM

auburn

DESIGNER

01.13.11 *this is a PG model FILE NAME ROLLINGTOUCH011311R1

916.395.7712 7271 55th St. #D USP (BOLD SELECTION)

new year’s special

FULL BODY OIL MASSAGE

80

ACCUPRESSURE DEEP TISSUE SWEDISH

2860 FLORIN ROAD SACRAMENTO 95822 DAILY 9AM-9PM 916.231.9498

|

Swedish Deep Tissue • Healing Integrated Herbal Oil for Pain Relief • Feet Reflexology

free table shower

STAFF

42

new staff

MASSAGE

Table Shower

This is a model

table shower & hot stone

ANNA

Free

massage starts

free

(916) 726–1166 7530 Auburn Blvd Ste D • Citrus Heights

you’ll find what you need here! fashion Massage

11275 Folsom Blvd. #201 • Rancho Cordova

916-851-1118

MIDTOWN MASSAGE

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm.

All ads post online same day.

Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Adult line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm

All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a current valid business license or somatic establishment permit issued by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to run a printed advertisement.

1211 C St

(916)595–5482

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.

5 OFF

00 OFF

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

30 min = $30 60 min = $40 (foot & body combo)

With this ad.

Deep Tissue - Swedish - Back Walking Chinese Massage - Walk-in - Appt.

Gift Certificates available Friendly, Skillful Massage Therapists

Eastern Therapy

$$$HELP WANTED$$$ Extra Income! Assembling CD cases from Home! No Experience Necessary! Call our Live Operators Now! 800-405-7619 EXT 2450 www.easywork-greatpay.com (AAN CAN)

2030 28th St. AIRLINE CAREERS El Camino All massage advertisers are required to provide News & Review a an Aviation Become U St •Midtown ★ Cottage Way

456-8886

Massage Kea

Ethan

Fulton

80

current valid business license or somatic establishment permit Maintenance issued Tech. FAA Arden Way 2548 Cottage Way - Sacramento approved training. Financial aid by either the city or county in which they are operating in in order to - Housing available. if qualified Open:10am-11pm 916.568.6888 - 10am–10pm daily Job placement assistance. run a printed advertisement.

Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 888-242-3214

GRAND OPENING

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING COLLEGE WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT ATTEND CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE from Home AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338. *Medical, *Business, *Criminal

New Massage Therapist

39

$

The

BODY

Therapeutic Massage at Land Park

Lulu

Justice, *Hospitality. Job placement assistance.

Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEV authorized.

Call 800-481-9472 www.CenturaOnline.com (AAN CAN)

99

/hr

Free Table Shower Combination Massage Couples Room Avail.

Chinese Cupping

ATTN: Local People Needed Work from home online $500-$4500/mo FT/PT, full training, tools & support.

Call Kathy at 1-888-248-6783

This is a model

Rainbow Massage Therapy

3401 FREEPORT BLVD #5 SACRAMENTO CA 95818 916-326-5600

3000 Arden Way #3, Sacramento (Near Morse Ave) 916-979-1188 • 10am-10pm daily

$10 OFF

Massage Therapy

SWEDISH • DEEP TISSUE REFLEXOLOGY • SHOWERS STEAM ROOM • GIFT CERTIFICATES WALK-INS WELCOME

OPEN MON–SAT 10-9 • SUN 1-8

8075 GREENBACK LANE 916.726.0451

WWW.MASSAGEALWAYSPERFECT.COM

Always Perfect Massage BEFORE

|

These are models

Combination Massage Open Daily • 10am - 10:30pm Walk-Ins & Couples Welcome

FRONTLINES

Help Wanted!

Make extra money in our free ever popular homemailer program, includes valuable guidebook! Start immediately!

Genuine! 1-888-292-1120 www.howtowork-fromhome.com (AAN CAN)

Flamingo Massage 2264 Fair Oaks Blvd #102 Sacramento 95825 (916) 646-1888 |

Notice of caution to our Readers!

Whenever doing business by telephone or email proceed with caution when cash or credit is required in advance of services.

Learn Sax or Clarinet from experienced professional player and CA credential teacher.

Positive no-pressure method.

Any age, any level. Horn rental avail. 530-889-2310.

Real Estate Sale Reps Lochan Real Estate needs licensed sales reps to assist in growing business. Great income potential.

Telemarketers New licensed sales representatives welcome.

No experience necessary.

Buyers Agents Must have at least 1 year or equivalent experience and be a self-starter.

Call Pa Vang at 800-510-2815 Ext. 202 PAVK@LRE4U.COM Lochan Real Estate LIC 01845576 WANTED: Artistic, driven, experienced friendly hair artists/ stylists. FT/PT booth rentals.

Usage of hair products & towels for renters. Ongoing classes for commissioners. 916-267-9697

Queen Pillowtop Mattress Set $150 new in plastic.

Call/Text 209-210-8211

East Sac by Park Studio room, pvt entrance, micro fridge, cable tv, ideal for out of town commuter. Non smoker, no pets, no drugs. Refs req. $595+ 916-443-2180

AUTOS

Impound Cars for Sale ‘97 Pontiac Grand Prix $1950 ‘96 Nissan Altima $2650 ‘06 Chevy Trailblazer $9800 ‘94 Toyota Camry $1250 ‘01 Chrysler Sebring $3950 ‘91 Honda Accord $1350 ‘98 Ford Windstar $1450 www.T-RexTowing.com 916-332-6995

New & Upscale 1/1 2/2, CH&A, washer/dryer, frplc, 6544 Auburn Citrus Heights www.sacramento-rentals.com 916-726-6100 Wheelchair/Disabled Special Level threshold, 2bd/ 1ba, FREE wash & dry.

Natomas Area 916-551-1208

www.DivorceRealEstateMistakes.com

Free recorded message 1-800-507-9208 ID# 1009

ARTS&CULTURE

PHONE ENTERTAINMENT FREE PARTYLINE! 1-712-432-7968 18+ Normal LD Applies

adult

Delightful massage!

Private upscale home w/ shower. By appt only in Fair Oaks (Sunset & Minnesota).

Special rates for seniors *82-916-961-3830

WHERE MEN MEET MEN Send Messages FREE! 916-340-1414, CODE 7929, 18+ CALL SEXY SINGLES ON QUEST! Live Local Chat Try us FREE! 18+ 916-282-2300 530-760-1010 www.questchat.com

SENSUAL TOUCH I’M THE BEST!

Oriental Magic Hands

36GGG

916-277-3520

Jason Shimomura CMT 601-1292 (9am-9pm daily)

CALL QUEST & MEET SOMEONE TONIGHT! Connect with more than 5,000 local men and women. FREE trial! 18+ 916-282-2300 530-760-1010 1-888-257-5757

FULL BODY MASSAGE Come spend some time with a petite sensual blonde in my serene discreet home.

Convenient location.

Ask for Specials 916-812-5330

MAGICAL MASSAGE

Drift away to a place of peace and tranquility.

Tame the wild beast within. The roaring lion will become a purring kitten. In & Out Calls.

9am-9pm $35/hr

Private Connections Try it free!

1-708-613-2101 Normal LD Applies 18+

EBONY’S TOUCH

Early Bird Specials 775-234-8266

916-372-7334 916-599-9588

Be touched!

She puts the Mmm in Sensual Massage. Upper thigh massage included. Daily/Nightly appts until 3am 916-256-7093

916-729-0103

FIND LOVE LOCALLY ON LAVALIFE! Instant live phone connections with local women and men!

Try it FREE! 18+ 916-374-8333 www.lavalifevoice.com

more adult online

www.newsreview.com

Head to Toe

Massage & Waxing. www.head2toecatering.com Daisy 916-752-4782

EBONY’S TOUCH

YOGA CLASSES Mon/Thu Night.

Beginning-Intermediate

916-729-0103

GENERAL Men! Having problems talking to women? Lots of us do. I can help. For more info & to arrange a free consultation email me at george@drghadams.com or call me at 916-783-9631

new hours!

Come enjoy a relaxing full-body massage with me at my home.

Daily Specials Tantra-Style Available Full Body Sensual Massage

DRE Lic 10845576

|

Coco Nice, slow FB massage, B shamp, Nice cozy home. $35 special. 916-681-5573

Cash for Cars Same day free pick up. Cash on the spot. 916-992-5447

916-628-8217 Open 7 days a week 9am – 10pm

775.234.8266

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

FEATURE STORY

Tub & Rub $30+ 9-9 Daily 916-722-7777 Ann

PARTS, SERVICE AND REPAIR

Get a Great Massage!

Sauna & Spa

DIVORCE

Sensual & Erotic Body Rubs Come enjoy a sensual / therapeutic massage in a private discreet location.

Showers, sensual oils, soft jazz music & so much more.

Unrushed service, 100% satisfaction guaranteed. By appointment only. Early morning and late nighters are welcome. Call Lisa 916-678-9926 Loc by Natomas

FURNITURE

2bd/1ba Natomas Area free wash/dry, hardwood floors, util allow 6 mo, remodeled, $100 cash or gift card @ move in. $799-825/month 916-551-1208

The Cabin Wanted Older Guitars!

Martin, Fender, Gibson. Also older Fender amps. Pay up to $2,000. 916-966-1900

*IN THE MOOD* HOT OIL w/ SEXY HOTTIE Pleasurable & Irresistible Massage. Softest hands ever.

Strawberry blonde 31 yr old, 5’6” 135 lbs, slender, very pretty CMT. 3pm-11pm Incall/Outcall Holly 916-910-8907 by appt. Mon-Fri

SACTRADER Greater Sacramento’s Free Online Classifieds Check it out and sell your stuff for free! Lost cat?

Advertise your business! www.sactrader.com

FREE!

Paid In Advance!

MAKE $1000 A WEEK mailing brochures from home! FREE Supplies! Helping Home-Workers since 2001 Genuine Opportunity!

No experience required.

Start Immediately! www.mailing-station.com (AAN CAN)

Absolute Deluxe Massage Red Crystal Red Lace Massage. $70 for 2 hours, Incall also, outcalls always. Great hands with a great girl.

Marvelous lemon or plain oils.

In call special $38. Call til late 916-256-7093

BULLETIN BOARD

*

Before you list your home, order Free Special Report that reveals what happens to your matrimonial home before, during, and after a divorce.

New Massage Therapist $ OFF w/ ad 5

Violet Massage 3260 J St #A Sacramento 95816 (916) 442-1888

STILL

Live like a rockstar Now hiring 10 spontaneous individuals. Travel full time.

Must be 18+.Transportation and hotel provided. Call Shawn 800-716-0048 (AAN CAN)

with this coupon

1 Hr. Massage

Online ads are

*Nominal fee for adult entertainment.

All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

$

Tired? In pain? Let us massage your troubles away.

5

Incall/Outcall Walk-Ins Welcome 9am – 9pm

GRAND OPENING

SPRING SPECIAL

$

MASSAGE THERAPISTS

*Actual CMT

Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5

Anyone Can Play Piano Studio - Natomas To find out more call Katie at 415-272-7581. Mention this ad and get 30% off your first month of lessons!

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

43

TotallyNude Totally COME SEE THE NEW & IMPROVED

FANTASY REMODEL

CLUB OPEN 5PM

Fa oo sy B th OPEN 2PM

9am-9pm Daily • $80+

916-722-7777

SpA & BoDy ShAMpoo

FREE

COVER

3PM-4PM

Dennis Hof’s

DAILY!

MAD MONDAYS

s a Bunny ays way Where there’s alw ol! sto bar r yo on you

$5 topless table dances every hour 2-4-1 TUESDAYS

2–4–1 Cover after 7pm $10 Lapdances all night WEDNESDAYS COLLEGE /MILITARY NIGHT

Free Drink

$10 cover 8pm–11pm with college or military ID

WITH AD!

ADMISSION 5 O F F 8P $

M-11PM DAILY!

SACRAMENTO THURSDAYS

SUNDAY

Top 40 Video Mixing Open pool table no charge for pool

Industry Night $5 cover with proof

FLASHBACK FRIDAYS

All day & night

80’s Pop & Old School Music SEDUCTIVE SATURDAYS

FOOD SERVED NEW DANCERS

1 month no stage fees!!!

GROUP RATES

Live top 40 DJ mix

Call in advance for Bachelor/ B-day/Weddings/Divorce/ Grad Parties

851 RICHARDS BLVD. DOWNTOWN SAC • 916.447.4475 | SUN-THURS 3PM - 3AM • FRI-SAT 3PM - 4AM FACEBOOK.COM/CLUBFANTASYSAC | WWW.GENTLEMENSCLUBFANTASY.COM CONVENIENT LOCATION: 5 MINS FROM SLEEP TRAIN ARENA, 10 MINS FROM SAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, 5–10 MINS FROM ALL MAJOR DOWNTOWN HOTELS

Cars n City, Carson C itty, N V Ciit y, NV NV

(4 (4 miles miles East East of of 395) 395)

8

$

43 Cha

ARCAnnel DE

DANCER AUDITIONS

DAILY

BETWEEN 5PM–7PM EVERY DAY

PRIVATE

CONNECTIONS

5 PACK DVDs

Meet Real Sexy Singles In your Area

W/COUPON REG. $12.69 AD EXPIRES 03-31-13 1 PER CUSTOMER

1-708-613-2100

9.69

$

3000 SUNRISE BLVD. #2 RANCHO CORDOVA, CA

916.631.3520

HOT LOCAL CHAT

1-888-404-3330 GAY & BI CHAT

1-708-613-2103 LD RATE APPLY

MEET HOT LOCAL MEN!

USE FREE CODE

2465 GAY & Bi LOCALS

Sacramento

(916) 340.1414 For other numbers call:

1-888MegaMates

TM

www.MegaMatesMen.com

militArY mondAY $5 admission with Military I.D.

$5 off After 6pm with this ad

coupleS tueSdAY 2 for 1 admission

totAllY nAked retro wedneSdAY beSt lAte niGht food in SAc Tues-Sat nights

USE FREE CODE

2465 GAY & Bi LOCALS

5809 Auburn blvd. SAcrAmento, cA 95841 Get diScount pASSeS online At www.citylimitsonline.com facebook.com/citylimitsshowgirls

44

|

SN&R

|

02.28.13

www.MegaMatesMen.com

Ann, CMT

TOTALLY NUDE

STORE OPEN 10AM

24/7 Friendly Customer Care 1(888) 634-2628 18+ ©2013 PC LLC

Antelope

PUREGOLD SHOWGIRLS

Sacramento

(916) 340.1414 For other numbers call:

1-888MegaMates

TM

24/7 Friendly Customer Care 1(888) 634-2628 18+ ©2013 PC LLC

Vibrational Tantric Massage

WWW.GOLDCLUBCENTERFOLDS.COM

LUNCH SPECIALS WED February 27th – SAT March 2nd

GREAT FOOD

DANI JENSEN OVER 130 XXX MOVIES TRY FOR

FREE

916.480.6200 2012 Best POV Sex Scene WED10PM, 12:30AM FRINOON, 9:30, 11:30, 1:30am THURS 10PM 12:30AM SAT 9:30, 11:30,1:30am

FREE Discrete Chat Guy to Guy TRIAL

STORE SIGNING FRI & SAT 6-8PM

916.480.6215

EVERYDAY - 11:30AM - 7PM • SUN MON TUE WED THUR OPEN TO CLOSE • ALL VIP DANCES $10 W/ $5 VIP WRISTBAND

AMATEUR CONTEST/AUDITIONS EVERY MONDAY

9:30 PM - $450.00 CASH PRIZE

FRIENDLY ATTRACTIVE DANCERS HIRED DAILY CALL 349-7166 FOR SIGN UP INFO

FREE ADMIT w/Ad $5.00 VALUE

WARNING HOT GUYS!

50919235.indd 1

12-11-20 11:03 AM

Valid Anytime With Drink Purchase

25,000

ADULT DVDS

Sacramento

916.340.1414 Davis

(530 530 30) 760.1011 760 76 760.

0.1011 0.1011 0.

01 011 1

$0.49 - $9.99 BIRTHDAYS: Outf its

t FREE ADMISSION, DRINKS star&t aVIP $13.95 + – 5 DAYS OF BIRTHDAY

WE BUY USED ADULT DVDS BACHELOR / DIVORCE PARTIES 916.484.4774 FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

SPORTS ACTION ON OUR GIANT SCREEN TV

Tell-AFriend

REWARDS

FREE to listen & reply to ads!

FREE CODE :

11363 Folsom Blvd, Rancho Cordova

Sacramento News & Review

858-0444

For other local numbers call:

(Between Sunrise & Hazel)

M-Th 11:30-3 • Fri 11:30-4 • Sat 12-4 • Sun 3-3 Gold Club Centerfolds is a non-alcohol nightclub featuring all-nude entertainment. Adults over 18 only.

1-888-MegaMates

TM

24/7 Customer Care 1(888) 634.2628 18+ ©2013 PC LLC 2465

B E F O R E | F R O N T L I N E S | F E A T U R E S T O R Y | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R |

02.28.13 | SN&R | 45

60% F F O !

Y A TOD a l S ! S av e d t e e w S e S e h t t u o check

50% OFF

$20 gift certificate for $10

50% OFF

$10 gift certificate for $5

60% OFF

$35 gift certificate for $14

50% OFF $25 gift certificate for $12.50

e u p to

50% OFF

$35 gift certificate for $17.50

50% OFF

$25 gift certificate for $12.50

50% OFF

$75 gift certificate for $37.50

50% OFF $50 gift certificate for $25

50% OFF $20 gift certificate for $10

50% OFF

Sal’S tacoS $10 gift certificate for $5

Scan to view dozens of gift certificates available now!

No limi t means that yo as many as y u can buy ou want!

Discounts areWsuhile supplies last. bject to change without notice.

www.newsreview.com

GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM RESTAURANTS, BARS, CLUBS, TATTOO, RETAIL, THEATER, SALONS, SPAS, GOLF, VACATIONS & MORE 46

|

SN&R | 02.28.13

by ROB BREZSNY

FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28, 2013

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1993,

Frenchman Emile Leray was on a solo trip through the Sahara desert. In the middle of nowhere, his car suffered a major breakdown. It was unfixable. But he didn’t panic.

Instead, he used a few basic tools he had on hand to dismantle the vehicle and convert its parts into a makeshift motorcycle. He was able to ride it back to civilization. I foresee the possibility of a metaphorically similar development in your future, Aries.

You will get the opportunity to be very resourceful as you turn an apparent setback into a successful twist of fate.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your power

animal is not the soaring eagle or the shrewd wolf or the brave bear. No, Taurus, it’s the rubber chicken. I’m serious. With the rubber chicken as your guardian spirit, you might be inspired to commit random acts of goofiness and surrealism. And that would reduce tension in the people around you. It could motivate you to play jokes and pull harmless pranks that influence everyone to take themselves less seriously. Are you willing to risk losing your dignity if it helps make the general mood looser and more generous? Nothing could be better for group solidarity, which is crucial these days. (Thanks, Gina Williams.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the lan-

guage of the Huron Indians, “orenda” is a word that refers to the spiritual power that resides in all creatures and things. If you’ve got enough of it, you may be able to declare at least partial independence from your own past. You can better shape the life you want for yourself rather than being so thoroughly subject to the limitations of your karma and conditioning. I happen to believe that your current supply of orenda is unusually abundant, Gemini. What’s the best use you can make of it?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When I lived

in Santa Cruz years ago, some of my published writings were illustrated by a local cartoonist named Karl Vidstrand. His work was funny, outrageous and often offensive in the most entertaining ways. Eventually, he wandered away from our colorful, creative community and moved to a small town at the edge of California’s Mojave Desert, near where the space shuttles landed. He liked living at the fringes of space, he told journalist R.D. Pickle. It gave him the sense of “being out of bounds at all times.” I suggest you adopt some of the Vidstrand spirit in the next three weeks, Cancerian. Being on the fringes and out of bounds are exactly where you belong.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The history of your

pain is entering a new phase. Gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, an emotional ache that has been sapping your vitality will begin to diminish. You will free yourself of its power to define you. You will learn to live without its oddly seductive glamour.

More and more, as the weeks go by, you will find yourself less interested in it, less attracted to the maddening mystery it has foisted on you. No later than mid-April, I’m guessing, that you will be ready to conduct a ritual of completion; you’ll be able to give it a formal send-off as you squeeze one last lesson out of it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “When looking

for a book, you may discover that you were in fact looking for the book next to it,” Italian writer Roberto Calasso told that to The Paris Review, and now I’m passing it on to you. But I’d like you to expand upon its meaning, and regard it as a metaphor that applies to your whole life right now. Every time you go searching for a specific something—a learning experience, an invigorating pleasure, a helpful influence— consider the possibility that what you really want and need is a different one that’s nearby.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): At least once a

day, a cell in your body mutates in a way that makes it potentially cancerous. Just as often, your immune system hunts down that dangerous cell and kills it, preserving your health. Do you understand how amazing this is? You have a vigilant protector that’s always on duty, operating below the level of your awareness. What if I told you that this physical aspect of your organism has an equivalent psychic component?

BEFORE

|

15 MINUTES

byTRINA

L. DROTAR PHOTO BY WILLIAM LEUNG

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY What if, in other words, you have within you a higher intelligence whose function it is to steer you away from useless trouble and dumb risks? I say there is such a thing. I say this other protector works best if you maintain a conscious relationship with it, asking it to guide you and instruct you. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to deepen your connection.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Some rules

in the game of life don’t apply to you and can therefore be safely ignored. Do you know which ones they are? On the other hand, do you understand which of the rules in the game of life are crucial to observe if you want to translate your fondest dreams into real experiences? To recognize the difference is a high art. I’m thinking that now would be an excellent time to solidify your mastery of this distinction. I suggest that you formally renounce your investment in the irrelevant rules and polish your skills at playing by the applicable rules.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter,” wrote the Persian mystic poet Rumi. “It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” I think you’re like that winter garden right now, Sagittarius.

Outwardly, there’s not much heat and flash. Bright ideas and strong opinions are not pouring out of you at their usual rates. You’re not even prone to talking too loud or accidentally knocking things over.

This may in fact be as close as you can get to being a wallflower. And yet deep beneath the surface, out of sight from casual observers, you are charging up your psychic battery. The action down there is vibrant and vigorous.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “When

you come right down to it,” says religion writer Rabbi Marc Gellman, “there are only four basic prayers. Gimme! Thanks! Oops! and Wow!” Personally, I would add a fifth type of prayer to Gellman’s list: “Do you need any assistance?” The Creator always needs collaborators to help implement the gritty details of the latest divine schemes.

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you would be an excellent choice to volunteer for that role right now—especially in tasks that involve blending beautiful fragments, healing sad schisms, furthering peace negotiations and overcoming seemingly irreconcilable differences.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the

movie Fight Club, there is an animated scene at the very end that required an inordinate amount of time to produce. Each frame in this scene took the editors eight hours to process. Since there are 24 frames in each second, their work went on for three weeks. That’s the kind of attention to detail I recommend you summon as you devote yourself to your labor of love in the coming days, Aquarius. I think you know which specific parts of your creation need such intense focus.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I have

decided to rename the constellations that have domineered our skies too long,” writes an Internet denizen named Hasheeshee St. Frank. He gives only one example. The Big Dipper, he says, shall forevermore be known as “The Star-Spangled Gas Can.” I invite you to come up with additional substitutes, Pisces. It’s an excellent time for you to reshape and redefine the high and mighty things to which you have given away too much of your power. It’s a perfect moment to reconfigure your relationship with impersonal, overarching forces that have wielded a disproportionately large influence over your thoughts and feelings.

How about if you call the constellation Orion by the new title of “Three-Eyed Orangutan”? Or instead of Pegasus, use the name “Sexy Dolphin”? Other ideas?

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required.

Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

FRONTLINES

In any language Mary Mackey is a poet, novelist, screenwriter and winner of the 2012 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for excellence in literature for her poetry collection Sugar Zone. She holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature, has spent time journeying through Brazil as well as the jungles of Costa Rica, and she is related to Mark Twain. All of her books are currently available in electronic format, including Immersion, which has been out of print for nearly 40 years. Mackey says that her life’s work can be purchased for the low cost of approximately $29.

Mackey, who will read from her work on Thursday, February 28, at 8 p.m. at Luna’s Café & Juice Bar (1414 16th Street), talked to SN&R about Brazil, her recent PEN Oakland award and why she can’t afford an original copy of her first novel.

What does winning the PEN Oakland award mean to you?

PEN is one of, if not the most, important organizations of writers in the world. PEN awards are one of the most prestigious awards that acknowledge the literary quality of a work combined with the recognition and respect of fellow writers. They are like Academy Awards for writers. I’m particularly honored because PEN Oakland is intentionally multicultural. It specifically acknowledges works that take as their subject a broad perspective that transcends class, race and international boundaries.

In Sugar Zone, you blend English and Portuguese.

Did you worry that people might find the collection too difficult?

speakers. If you speak any Latin-based language such as French, Spanish or Portuguese, you’ll get something extra from the poem.

How did this collection come about?

It draws on decades of living and studying in Latin America.

When I was 20. I lived in the jungle off and on for six years. I’ve gone back almost every year. One of my great subjects is the rain forests. I lived in the rain forests of Costa Rica before they were mostly cut down. I’ve been a personal witness to the change. The rain forests of Costa Rica were the subject of my first novel, Immersion. When I was at Harvard [University], I worked in the Harvard ethnobotanical museum where I came under the influence of Richard Evans Schultes, one of the world’s greatest ethnobotanists. He encouraged in me a lifelong interest in tropical botany and ecology—themes which often occur in my novels and poetry.

What do you love about Brazil?

I love the music. I love the tropical rain forest.

I think Portuguese is one of the world’s most beautiful languages. It’s soft. It’s musical. It’s got a wonderfully huge vocabulary. It has a leisurely pace often that I find very peaceful.

You taught yourself Portuguese?

I did. I speak Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French and English. I started studying Portuguese in my 40s. ... I love talking to people in other countries in their language.

When you learn a foreign language, you get a broader view of the world. Each language divides the human experience differently.

You almost get a different personality.

FEATURE

STORY

|

A RT S & C U LT U R E

It’s a kind of resurrection because they’ll never go out of print. Many of my themes were 15 years ahead of their time.

Like Immersion?

Immersion deals with the destruction of the tropical rain forest and ecological issues, and it was written in 1968. Ecology was still such a new field. … In many ways, Immersion was prophetic. It’s the first ecofeminist novel in the world, as far as anyone’s been able to determine. It was the first feminist novel published by a second-wave feminist press—Shameless Hussy Press. It’s now so rare and so expensive, that I can’t afford to buy [an original] copy for myself.

Is that why you decided to have your titles made into e-books?

My aim is to make my work accessible to everybody. … Electronic books are filling a niche that paperbacks filled in the ’40s and ’50s when they were very inexpensive.

Why did you put Sugar Zone out as an e-book so quickly?

The advantage is that it easily reaches a huge international audience. They can immediately buy and read my poetry. The advantage of having it in paperback is that it’s a beautiful book. The cover is based on a photograph with the black waters of the Amazon [River] with the reflection of the trees and water lilies in it, so that you can’t [tell] what is reflected and what is reflective.

It sets the mysterious, magical quality that many of the poems have. Ω For more information on Mary Mackey, visit www.marymackey.com.

I mixed English and Portuguese in Sugar Zone in a way designed to make the poems completely accessible to English-only |

Your books have been given new life in electronic form.

|

AFTER

|

02.28.13

|

SN&R

|

47

Become a Nurse ✓ Nursing Focused School ✓ NCLEX Passing Assistance ✓ Financial Aid Available* Application Deadline March 27th, 2013

877-594-4955 Sacramento Branch Campus

1111 Howe Ave Suite #300 Sacramento, CA 95825 www.unitekcollege.edu * for those who qualify